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14 January 2025
Bureau of Prisons Inmate Sentenced to over One Year in Prison for Offering Bribes to Corrections OfficerRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A federal inmate with the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), was sentenced to 18 months in prison today for offering bribes to a corrections officer, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Ison was joined in the announcement by William J. Hannah, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General.
Robert Bibbs, 28, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of offering bribes to a public official before United States District Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey. Federal law classifies corrections officers as public officials.
According to court documents, between April 2023 and November 2023, Bibbs became acquainted with a corrections officer (identified in the plea agreement as CO-1) while he was an inmate at the Milan, Michigan Federal Correctional Institution (FCI Milan). During this time, Bibbs asked CO-1 to purchase pouches of loose tobacco and smuggle them into the prison for him. Bibbs requested these items so he could sell the tobacco in prison at a significant profit. In September 2023, CO-1 also purchased a gold necklace which she secretly brought into the prison and gave to Bibbs. Both the tobacco and the necklace are considered contraband within FCI Milan. Contraband is defined as prohibited materials which can reasonably be expected to cause physical injury or adversely affect the security, safety, or good order of the institution. Bibbs offered to pay CO-1 for smuggling contraband into the prison for him.
United States Attorney Ison stated, “Our justice system cannot function properly if our prisons are not safe and secure. Inmates who engage in this type of prohibited conduct endanger the safety of everyone inside the prison. We will address crime wherever it happens.”
“Contraband items such as jewelry and tobacco are used as a currency within federal prisons, which undermines the safety and security of institutions,” said William J. Hannah, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General Midwestern Region. “Today’s sentencing shows that inmates who seek to bribe Correctional Officers to introduce contraband into federal prisons will be held accountable.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eaton P. Brown. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Justice-Office of Inspector General
Brockton Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Passport FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced yesterday for lying that his United States passport had been lost in order to secure a replacement to enter the country, when in fact, the passport had been confiscated by the prosecutor’s office in Cabo Verde following his arrest for the murders of two victims.
Johnny Barros Brandao, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to five years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. In October 2024, Brandao was convicted of one count of passport fraud.
On March 27, 2014, in Cabo Verde, Brandao allegedly shot an individual in the head using a .45 caliber revolver, took one million and five hundred thousand Cape Verdean Escudos from the victim and then dumped the victim’s body on the side of a road next to a waste dump. On July 26, 2021, Brandao allegedly shot and killed another individual using a 9mm caliber firearm and threw the victim’s body off a bank at the same place as the 2014 victim.
Brandao was arrested in Cabo Verde on these charges. On Dec. 12, 2022, after a period of pretrial detention, Brandao was released subject to supervision. The Cabo Verde court also ordered that Brandao not depart Cabo Verde – confiscating his Cabo Verdean national ID card as well as his United States and Cabo Verde passports.
On Dec. 28, 2022, Brandao applied for a replacement United States passport at the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal. In the section of the form that directs the applicant to explain how his prior passport was lost or stolen, Brandao reported he had lost his passport in Dakar, Senegal while out to dinner on Dec. 25, 2022.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Special Agent in Charge Matthew O’Brien of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Services. Assistant United States Attorneys Meghan Cleary, David Tobin and Brian Sullivan of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Johnny Barros Brandao, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to five years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. In October 2024, Brandao was convicted of one count of passport fraud.
On March 27, 2014, in Cabo Verde, Brandao allegedly shot an individual in the head using a .45 caliber revolver, took one million and five hundred thousand Cape Verdean Escudos from the victim and then dumped the victim’s body on the side of a road next to a waste dump. On July 26, 2021, Brandao allegedly shot and killed another individual using a 9mm caliber firearm and threw the victim’s body off a bank at the same place as the 2014 victim.
Brandao was arrested in Cabo Verde on these charges. On Dec. 12, 2022, after a period of pretrial detention, Brandao was released subject to supervision. The Cabo Verde court also ordered that Brandao not depart Cabo Verde – confiscating his Cabo Verdean national ID card as well as his United States and Cabo Verde passports.
On Dec. 28, 2022, Brandao applied for a replacement United States passport at the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal. In the section of the form that directs the applicant to explain how his prior passport was lost or stolen, Brandao reported he had lost his passport in Dakar, Senegal while out to dinner on Dec. 25, 2022.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Special Agent in Charge Matthew O’Brien of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Services. Assistant United States Attorneys Meghan Cleary, David Tobin and Brian Sullivan of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Box Elder man admits sexually abusing child on Rocky Boy’s Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Box Elder man today admitted to sexually abusing a child on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Brian Lee Bigbow, 47, pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact. Bigbow faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for May 20. Bigbow was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that in April 2021, the victim, identified as Jane Doe 1, reported to state officials that she was sexually abused by Bigbow. In subsequent interviews, Doe 1 said the sexual abuse occurred when she was in Bigbow’s bedroom and that he had sexually abused her multiple times. Doe 1 was under the age of 12 years old at the time.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Rocky Boy’s Criminal Investigators conducted the investigation.
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Boulder Man Sentenced for Transportation of A MinorRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that James Wendell Dean, 54, Boulder, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of transportation of a minor across state lines with the intention of engaging in sexually explicit conduct with the minor.
“Crimes against children are the most despicable in our society,” said United States Attorney Matt Kirsch. “Our office will aggressively prosecute anyone who harms a minor.”
“This sentence serves as a reminder that protecting children from predators is a top priority for the FBI,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “We will continue to support victims of child sexual exploitation and work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who prey upon children.”
United States District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico presided over the sentencing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Denver Field Office handled the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Alison Connaughty handled the prosecution.
Case Number: 2023-cr-00440-DDD
Berkeley County Man Sentenced for Elder Financial AbuseRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Joseph Beach, age 55, of Inwood, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 41 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining a quarter of a million dollars from his father.
Beach pled guilty to one count of wire fraud in March 2024. According to court documents and statements made in court, Beach was the fiduciary for his father, who is under the care of a veterans' facility and receives monthly benefits. As the fiduciary, Beach received his father’s veteran’s disability, retirement, and social security payments but used them for his own benefit. The total amount of funds stolen by Beach was $253,867.12.
Beach was ordered to pay $253,876.12 in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and the Social Security Administration investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Activity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Drug Trafficking
Marcus Sather, 30, of Fort Washakie, Wyoming, was sentenced to 10 month’s imprisonment with three years of supervised release, for drug trafficking and aiding and abetting. According to court documents, in January of 2024, agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) were conducting controlled purchases of illegal substances from known and suspected drug dealers on the Wind River Reservation. On Jan. 17, 2024, agents successfully purchased fentanyl from Sather and a co-defendant. Sather was indicted on July 17, 2024, pleaded guilty on Oct. 15, 2024, and U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on Jan. 6, in Cheyenne. DCI and the FBI investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist prosecuted the case. Case No. 24-00120
Sarah Elizabeth Ward, 36, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced to 60 months with three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. According to court documents, on March 9, 2024, the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) conducted a traffic stop in Natrona County to execute a search warrant on Ward’s vehicle for suspected illegal drug activity. Law enforcement located approximately 430 fentanyl pills and 140 grams of methamphetamine along with a scale and small bags consistent with drug distribution. Ward was indicted on May 16, 2024, pleaded guilty on Oct. 17, 2024, and U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on Jan. 8, in Cheyenne. DCI and the WHP investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Morrison prosecuted the case. Case No. 24-00066
Marlon Forrest, 29, of Port Maria, Jamaica, was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison with three years of supervised release, for aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine. According to court documents, in November of 2023, DCI Southwest Enforcement Team began an investigation into a cocaine drug trafficking organization that was operating in and around Jackson, Wyoming. Agents arranged for several controlled buys through Forrest over the course of a month, who sent another individual to deliver the cocaine on his behalf. Forrest ultimately admitted to redistributing ten or more kilograms of cocaine in Wyoming. Forrest was indicted on March 13, 2024, pleaded guilty on May 22, 2024, and U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on Jan. 9, in Cheyenne. DCI investigated the crime, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Z. Seth Griswold prosecuted the case.
Illegal Re-Entry of a Previously Deported Alien
Juan Antonio Cortez-Chavez, 32, of Tepalcatepec, Michoacan, Mexico, was sentenced to time served and will be deported for illegal reentry into the United States. According to court documents, on March 5, 2024, Cortez-Chavez was arrested by WHP in Converse County for driving while under the influence. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was notified when Cortez-Chavez admitted to being a citizen of Mexico. On March 21, 2024, ICE agents obtained fingerprints that matched an existing immigration record for Cortez-Chavez who was removed from the U.S. in 2014 and had not applied for permission to reenter. ICE investigated the crime, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on Jan. 8, in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-CR-00073
About the United States Attorney’s Office
The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Office is involved in several programs designed to make our communities safer. They include:
Environmental Justice
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a DOJ initiative that combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for sexual contact is well-known and serious.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a nationwide commitment to reducing gun and gang crime in America by networking existing local programs that target gun crime and providing these programs with additional tools necessary to be successful.
Victim Witness Assistance
The Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to making sure that victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect.To report a federal crime, go to: https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime
536 Defendants Charged with Federal Crimes Since January 2021 Through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces ProgramRead the Press Release
PHOENIX and TUCSON, Ariz. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced the results of the last four years of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
In the District of Arizona, the OCDETF program is a collaboration between the United States Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Diplomatic Security Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The collaboration has resulted in 536 defendants being charged in 174 separate indictments since January 2021.
Representative cases from the OCDETF program over the past four years include:
United States v. Nestor Hernandez-Morales: Hernandez-Morales pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Activity, and Attempted Smuggling of Firearms to Promote Drug Trafficking Activity on June 18, 2024, for his role in buying and arranging delivery of high-caliber weapons and ammunition to Mexican drug cartel members. On November 19, 2024, Hernandez-Morales was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
United States v. Jose Raul Diaz-Acedo: In January 2024, Homeland Security Investigations interdicted an arsenal of weapons and ammunition set to be smuggled into Mexico, including: AR-15 rifles, over 25,000 rounds of military caliber ammunition (including 1,800 rounds of .50 BMG), and 50 auto sears designed to convert rifles into fully automatic machine guns. Diaz-Acedo, the driver of this load, was sentenced to 37 months in prison on December 5, 2024.
United States v. Keivin Crosswell-Cervantes et. al: Three co-conspirators admitted that they delivered approximately 400,000 blue fentanyl pills, approximately 20,000 multi-colored fentanyl pills (“skittles”), and approximately 25 pounds of methamphetamine to undercover officers on September 22, 2022. Law enforcement officers also seized an AK-47-style pistol, a .45 caliber Kimber 1911 semi-automatic pistol with two magazines, and a .45 caliber FN semi-automatic pistol. See October 11, 2022 press release. Keivin Crosswell-Cervantes was sentenced to 17 years in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Methamphetamine. Carlos Alberto Castro-Ruiz was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison and Alexander Ortega-Islas was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
United States v. Maria Mendoza-Mendoza: Maria Mendoza-Mendoza, aka “La Guera,” was a high-level, Honduran-based human smuggling coordinator who, along with co-conspirators throughout Central America, Mexico, and the United States, was responsible for facilitating the illegal entry, transport, and harboring of numerous undocumented noncitizens. Mendoza-Mendoza was extradited from Honduras to the United States to face charges in June 2023. After pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit, Mendoza-Mendoza was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May 2024.
United States v. Jesus Ernesto Dessens-Romero: A federal jury convicted Dessens-Romero for his role as a human smuggling foot guide in an incident involving a migrant death. Dessens-Romero led a group of migrants on a perilous route through the mountains. When the victim became extremely ill, Dessens-Romero left her behind and continued with the other migrants until they were picked up by unidentified co-conspirators. The victim died; her remains were not discovered until nine months later. Dessens-Romero was convicted at trial and sentenced to 10 years in prison in July 2024.
United States v. Peter Vega: A federal grand jury indicted Vega for his role as a leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl throughout the United States. Vega coordinated the shipping of methamphetamine and transportation of fentanyl and the laundering of the proceeds from the drug sales. After being indicted, Vega fled to Mexico. Through international cooperation, Vega was apprehended in Mexico and deported back to the United States in January 2023. Vega pleaded guilty to drug and laundering charges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in June 2024.
United States v. Luis Salvador Flores: In October 2022, Luis Salvador Flores was sentenced to 84 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release, after previously pleading guilty to Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon. Law enforcement officers from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department stopped Flores for a suspected traffic code infraction as he was driving to oversee a methamphetamine sale in Tucson. Inside of Flores’s vehicle, officers found numerous weapons, as well as magazines and ammunition. Flores intended to provide “security” for the drug deal, which was anticipated to involve approximately 200 pounds of methamphetamine. The intended transaction never occurred because Flores was intercepted by the law enforcement officers as he was enroute to the drug deal location.
United States v. Hector Francisco Ramirez-Roman: Ramirez-Roman, a commercial truck driver, pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine. He had attempted to transport 332 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine in the gas tank of his tractor-trailer, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents discovered the methamphetamine when he was stopped for inspection as he was crossing from Mexico into the United States. In July 2023, he was sentenced to 108 months in prison, followed by 48 months of supervised release.
United States v. Martin Garcia-Velazquez, et al.: Garcia-Velazquez was convicted of Conspiracy to Transport and Harbor Illegal Aliens for Profit for his leadership role in organizing the transportation of at least 1,000 undocumented noncitizens from the Mexico border to houses in and around Phoenix over several years. In March 2024, he was sentenced to 90 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. As a result of this multi-year investigation, federal agents seized and forfeited over $1 million, numerous firearms, with accompanying magazines and ammunition, and five vehicles.
United States v. Enrique Flores-Diaz, et al.:Flores-Diaz pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl for his part in a plan to sell approximately 90,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl with three other persons. In February 2023, Flores-Diaz was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison. In December 2023, one co-conspirator was sentenced to 144 months in prison, for his role in the plan to distribute the counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and his unlawful possession of a firearm.
United States v Dennis Kelly, et al.: A federal grand jury indicted Kelly and multiple co-conspirators for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Methamphetamine, Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Methamphetamine, and International Money Laundering in May of 2022. Kelly supervised and directed several co-conspirators to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl on his behalf between November 2020 and August 2021. Kelly pleaded guilty to all three charges and received a sentence of 14 years in prison in June 2024.
United States v Jesus Hector Lagarda-Gil: Lagarda-Gil was sentenced to 11 years in prison in January of 2024 after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Lagarda-Gil negotiated and coordinated the delivery of over 300 pounds of methamphetamine to undercover agents during a four-month period in 2022.
United States v. Charles Corey McCoy: In June 2023, McCoy was sentenced to 180 months in prison and five years of supervised release. McCoy had previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams of More of Methamphetamine and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering in November 2022.
United States v. Oscar Martinez-Miranda et al.: A federal grand jury indicted Martinez-Miranda and Jesus Ruiz-Reyes in March 2023 for Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Heroin. Investigators seized over 52 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1.3 kilograms of cocaine, and 1 kilogram of heroin. Both defendants pleaded guilty in 2023. Martinez-Miranda was sentenced to 108 months in prison in January 2024 and Ruiz-Reyes was sentenced to 96 months in prison in May 2024.
United States v. Yvette Porras-Ochoa: Porras-Ochoa was indicted by a federal grand jury for her role as a supervisor of a drug trafficking and money laundering organization involved in the distribution of cocaine and prescription drugs. Porras-Ochoa pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Cocaine, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Prescription Controlled Substances Oxycodone and Promethazine-Codeine, and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering in August 2024. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison in December 2024.
United States v. Gabriel Vejar-Cota: A federal grand jury indicted Vejar-Cota who was involved in the operation of a stash house in Phoenix where investigators recovered 49.855 kilograms of cocaine, 14.82 kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately two kilograms of fentanyl, approximately one kilogram of heroin, $19,970, and two firearms. Vejar-Cota pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of a Mixture or Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine and 50 Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine in October 2023. He was sentenced to over 10 years in prison in April 2024.
United States v. Jose Angel Rodriguez: A federal grand jury indicted Rodriguez for his role as a supervisor of a drug trafficking and money laundering organization involved in the cross-country distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Rodriguez pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of a Mixture or Containing a Detectable Amount of Fentanyl and 50 Grams or More of a Mixture or Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering in December 2023. He was sentenced to 108 months in prison in October 2024.
United States v. Sally Joyce Nyemba: Nyemba – who was a practicing defense attorney – was indicted by a federal grand jury for her role in negotiating the purchase of two pounds of methamphetamine and 4,000 fentanyl-laced pills. Nyemba pleaded guilty to Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine in August 2023. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison in April 2024.
United States v. Heriberto Lopez-Landeros: Lopez-Landeros was responsible for importing large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin from Mexico and transporting these drugs across the United States. He recruited semi-truck drivers to transport the drugs. During the investigation, agents seized 83 kilograms of methamphetamine, 12 kilograms of fentanyl, and 645 grams of heroin. Lopez-Landeros pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine in August 2024. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in November 2024.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-004_OCDETF Program
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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.
13 January 2025
Woman admits assaulting victim in Browning on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Browning woman accused of striking another woman from behind, causing serious injury to the victim’s eye, in Browning, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, admitted to an assault charge today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Autumn Rose Rider, 30, pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Rider faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for March 20, 2025. Rider was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents, the government alleged that on July 24, 2022, the victim, Jane Doe, and Rider’s father drove Rider to a residence in Browning. While Jane Doe was standing outside of the vehicle and getting back into the car, Rider hit her from behind. The assault caused a laceration and caused Jane Doe to feel like there was a piece of glass in her eye. The victim was not sure if Rider hit her with a bottle or struck her with a fist and broke her glasses. Jane Doe was ultimately transported to Kalispell Regional Hospital for treatment of injuries to her eye and face.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.
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Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty to Failing to Pay Employment TaxesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad announced that on January 8, 2025, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach accepted the guilty plea of Douglas Larson 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 November 15, 2024, a one-count information was filed alleging that Larson had failed to pay over employment taxes for each quarter from January 2018 through September 2021. During that time period, Larson failed to pay over approximately
$396,082.77 in employment taxes that he withheld from his employees' paychecks. According to the plea agreement, Larson was the owner and operator of Mods International, later known as Mods Client Services (Mods), which manufactured and installed residential and commercial buildings out of shipping containers.
In addition to the tax loss alleged in the information, the parties agreed in the plea agreement that Mods (and a related company owned and operated by Larson) failed to pay over employment taxes they withheld as well as employment taxes they owed before and after time period described above. The total tax loss agreed to in the plea agreement was $1,102,805.13.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 4, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., before Judge Griesbach. At sentencing, Larson 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 Zachary J. Corey is prosecuting.
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For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer [email protected]
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Virginia Construction Company Owner Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A Virginia man pleaded guilty today to filing false tax returns underreporting the income he received through his construction company.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Timothy Agnew owned and operated Red Hill Construction (RHC), which was located in Hillsville, Virginia. RHC repaired and installed roofs, remodeled homes and built home additions. Between 2017 and 2021, Agnew filed false personal tax returns that substantially underreported his gross receipts, and thus his income, from RHC. Specifically, Agnew omitted over $2,000,000 in gross receipts earned from construction projects for which the customers did not directly report those payments to the IRS, through IRS Form 1099. In all, Agnew caused a tax loss to the IRS of over $375,000.
Agnew is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison as well as a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee for the Western District of Virginia made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Brian Flanagan of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Brett for the District of Western District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
Vanessa R. Waldref to Conclude Her Service as U.S. AttorneyRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref announced that her service as the chief federal law enforcement officer for Eastern Washington will conclude later this month. Her departure coincides with the transition to a new presidential administration and the traditional appointment of new leaders for federal agencies. U.S. Attorney Waldref was recommended by Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, and sworn into office on October 7, 2021. U.S. Attorney Waldref is the first woman to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington.
“Serving as U.S. Attorney has been the honor of a lifetime,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Every day I witness firsthand the unwavering dedication and extraordinary skill of the federal prosecutors, support staff, and law enforcement partners, who routinely make unseen sacrifices to protect our community. Eastern Washington and our nation are safer and stronger because of their efforts.”
Under her historic leadership, U.S. Attorney Waldref transformed the U.S. Attorney’s Office, expanding its footprint by opening a staffed Richland Branch office, hiring a record number of federal prosecutors and staff, modernizing the Office’s electronic discovery practice, and spearheading innovative collaborations with law enforcement and community stakeholders.
“When I became the United States Attorney, my vision was building an office responsive to the needs of the community, focused on public health and safety, fighting fraud, protecting civil rights, and addressing the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People,” continued U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Since day one, my goals were to forge strong partnerships with law enforcement and community stakeholders, advocate for resources to better serve all of Eastern Washington and prioritize the most impactful cases to protect our community.”
Beyond Eastern Washington, U.S. Attorney Waldref brought her expertise to Washington, DC, and impacted the Department of Justice’s national legal policy on key areas – environmental justice, public safety on Native American reservations, combatting fraud, and addressing the opioid epidemic. On December 6, 2023, U.S. Attorney Waldref testified before the United States Senate on behalf of the Department of Justice about the fentanyl epidemic on Tribal lands and its impact on public safety and the Missing or Murdered Indigenous People crisis.
During U.S. Attorney Waldref’s tenure, the Eastern District of Washington achieved significant successes, including groundbreaking criminal and affirmative civil enforcements.
Combatting Violent Crime and the Opioid Epidemic
In Spring 2024, after a long-term joint federal and state investigation, criminal conspiracy charges were filed against over 40 individuals connected to the La Nuestra Familia prison gang, including several gang leaders who were repeat violent offenders and drug traffickers. The Office also prosecuted the “Fetty Bros” drug trafficking organization, which used snapchat and other social media to obtain deadly fentanyl pills in 10,000-pack quantities and distributed those and other drugs into the Spokane community and across the United States.
In addition to prosecuting large-scale drug trafficking organizations, U.S. Attorney Waldref launched Operation Engage Spokane, a comprehensive community-level approach for addressing the opioid epidemic through prevention, treatment, and education. Ms. Waldref and her team also collaborated with the Spokane Alliance for Fentanyl Education to educate youth on the dangers of fentanyl and to remove the stigma from seeking life-saving treatment.
Protecting the Vulnerable
U.S. Attorney Waldref has emphasized the protection of our most vulnerable citizens from sexual predators, forging a strong partnership with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) to achieve justice for victims of child exploitation. Significant cases included guilty verdicts and 30-year sentences against a defendant who was tried and convicted of attempting to kidnap, rape, and traffic a young Spokane child and against a Kennewick couple who engaged in years-long sexual abuse of a minor victim and recorded images depicting the abuse.
Partnership with Tribal Nations
Throughout U.S. Attorney Waldref’s service, she has worked closely with Tribal Nations to support Tribal sovereignty, recognize Tribal treaty rights, reduce violent crime on Native American Reservations, and build trust through community and educational events, in order to meet and share resources with victims and their families. U.S. Attorney Waldref has also worked tirelessly to bring awareness to the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP).
U.S. Attorney Waldref successfully advocated for additional resources to protect Tribal communities, including new attorneys and support staff to serve victims of crime. She hired the District’s first MMIP AUSA, Bree R. Black Horse, who is specifically dedicated to prosecuting MMIP-related cases, expanding outreach to Native American communities, and providing training regarding culturally sensitive practices for helping victims of violent crimes in Indian country.
“Native Americans experience some of the highest rates of violence in the country, a situation that is all the more tragic in light of the generations of trauma already suffered by Indigenous people,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “The United States has a special trust relationship with each of the Tribes in Eastern Washington, and my office has focused on enhancing public safety through building relationships with the communities we serve and supporting wrap-around services to ensure victims’ voices are heard and that everyone has access to justice.”
Significant prosecutions of individuals who have perpetrated violent crime in Indian country include obtaining guilty verdicts in the trial of James and Donovan Cloud for multiple murders, kidnapping, and carjacking on Yakima Nation’s Treaty Day in 2019. Late last year, her team convicted Zachary Holt and Dezmonique Tenzsley of double murder, attempted murder of a federal officer, as well as of robberies on both the Colville and Nez Perce Reservations. As part of its efforts to address the MMIP crisis, the office also has significantly increased its prosecutions of cases involving intimate partner violence.
Environmental Protection & Public Health
U.S. Attorney Waldref was selected by Attorney General Merrick Garland as Chair of the DOJ’s Environmental Justice & Environmental Issues Subcommittee. Under her leadership, the Subcommittee played a key role in advising the Department and the 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices on developing environmental justice practices and building task forces to effectively investigate and prosecute environmental crimes. U.S. Attorney Waldref led by example, working with federal, state, Tribal and local partners to launch Eastern Washington’s Environmental Task Force. The Office had several successes in protecting the region’s public health and safety:
- Indicting several business owners and companies for smuggling and illegally importing tens of millions of dollars in emission defeat devices from Canada into Eastern Washington;
- Successfully prosecuting a Yakima-area juice manufacturing company and its owner for violating food safety laws and selling contaminated fruit juice to school lunch programs that serve low-income students;
- Securing injunctive relief under the Safe Drinking Water Act against several Lower Yakima Valley dairies for failing to control nitrate contamination, resulting from their manure practices that endanger the community’s access to safe and clean water; and
- Hosting the Justice Department’s first regional summit focused on defending and strengthening Tribal homelands, climate adaptation, resilience and environmental justice.
Fighting Fraud and Protecting Taxpayers
U.S. Attorney Waldref’s leadership also emphasized fighting fraud and public corruption, and her White Collar Section’s work combatting financial fraud and recovering damages continued to set the standard for U.S. Attorney Offices throughout the nation. The Office’s efforts resulted in several of the most significant settlements in Eastern Washington history, highlighted by a significant increase in health care fraud work, the launch of Eastern Washington’s innovative and prolific Covid-19 Fraud Strike Force, and the Ghost Cattle prosecution.
- The U.S. Attorney’s Office obtained two of the largest health care fraud settlements in Eastern Washington history – against Providence Health & Services and Lincare Holdings, Inc., who respectively paid out $22.7 million and $29 million to resolve claims under the False Claims Act. These cases prioritized patient care and recovered funds for individuals who were overcharged for medical devices.
- Since its inception in 2022, Eastern Washington’s COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force has filed 37 indictments and recovered more than $30 million in penalties, fines, seizures, and restitution judgments against dozens of individuals and companies who fraudulently obtained COVID relief funding.
- The “Ghost Cattle” prosecution of Tri-Cities rancher Cody Easterday for defrauding Tyson Foods and another company out of more than $244 million for approximately 265,000 head of cattle that did not exist.
Civil Rights
Throughout her service, U.S. Attorney Waldref has taken a comprehensive approach to protecting the civil rights of all who call Eastern Washington home. Examples of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s accomplishments in this area include:
- Giving United Against Hate presentations with community stakeholders throughout Eastern Washington to encourage the reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents and allow for more effective law enforcement response;
- Establishing a dedicated Civil Rights Team to process complaints and concerns raised by the community, including holding businesses accountable for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act;
- Partnering with the Northwest Justice Project to hold landlords accountable for wrongfully claiming federal funds while providing substandard housing;
- Protecting students and ensuring school districts respond effectively to harassment and discrimination against students based on sex, race, color and national origin.
Partnerships with State, and Local Law Enforcement
U.S. Attorney Waldref worked tirelessly to build strong relationships between federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement, with a focus on sharing information and resources to solve problems and promote public safety.
“One of my goals as U.S. Attorney was to ensure our cases represented all of Eastern Washington,” U.S. Attorney Waldref explained. “I am proud to say that during my tenure, we prosecuted cases from each of the twenty counties east of the Cascade Mountains.” Under U.S. Attorney Waldref’s leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office even assisted on cases filed in state court, including the investigation and charging of a 1997 homicide in Stevens County.
U.S. Attorney Waldref forged relationships to focus on community-based crime prevention strategies, such as her office’s Safe Homes, Safe Community Initiative in Yakima and Spokane, which brought together local and federal law enforcement, county prosecutors, and domestic violence prevention advocates to stop gun violence and prevent domestic violence homicides.
The Office also leveraged resources to appoint Special Assistant United States Attorneys that prosecuted cases focused on sexual exploitation and domestic violence in federal, state, and Tribal courts. Currently, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is recruiting applicants for a SAUSA position with the City of Spokane to focus on drug prosecutions.
Transformation of the Eastern District
The U.S Attorney’s Office itself has transformed under U.S. Attorney Waldref’s leadership. Opening a Richland Branch office had been considered for nearly 25 years, and U.S. Attorney Waldref successfully implemented a plan for achieving this goal within her first year of service. Additionally, through her dedicated advocacy within the Department, U.S. Attorney Waldref hired a record number of federal prosecutors and staff. She also focused on modernizing the Office’s electronic discovery practices to support sophisticated litigation and the increasing volume of electronic evidence. U.S. Attorney Waldref expanded the office’s community engagement and outreach to better listen to constituents, build trust, and ensure that the public understood the work of the Office and its law enforcement partners.
Upon U.S. Attorney Waldref’s announcement that her service would be coming to an end, First Assistant United States Attorney Richard Barker stated, “In a little more than three years, Vanessa has done more than some prosecutors achieve in a lifetime. Her contributions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office will live on for years to come. From the initiatives and programs she established to the incredible attorneys that she hired, U.S. Attorney Waldref has helped make Eastern Washington a safer place to live, work, and raise families. Serving as her First Assistant has been one of the highlights of my career.”
Alison Gregoire, the first woman to serve as Criminal Chief for the Eastern District of Washington stated, “It has been my honor to serve alongside Vanessa. Her commitment to justice, to victims, and to the people of Eastern Washington is unparalleled. While we will miss her greatly, the foundation she built will endure.”
Senior United States District Judge Edward F. Shea stated, “The expansion of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Richland continues to strengthen the ongoing-Federal-Local law enforcement efforts in Southeastern Washington for the benefit of all who live here. I am certain that the people of the Tri-Cities are grateful that U.S. Attorney Waldref made the Richland Branch Office a reality.”
Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant United States Attorney Richard Barker will become the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington after U.S. Attorney Waldref’s departure.
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U.S. Attorney Waldref is a native of Spokane with deep roots in Eastern Washington. She served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington from 2013 to 2020, handling a wide variety of civil and criminal cases. Immediately prior to her appointment as U.S. Attorney, Ms. Waldref served as a Trial Attorney with the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice where she litigated cases in federal courts around the country arising under a range of environmental protection statutes.
From 2015-2021, Ms. Waldref has taught courses in Environmental Law, Labor & Employment Law, and Conflict of Laws at Gonzaga University School of Law. She previously worked in private practice at two Spokane-based law firms and as a litigation associate at Morrison Foerster in Washington D.C.
After graduating as the valedictorian from Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, U.S. Attorney Waldref received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University in 2002, and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University in 2008. Following law school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable John D. Bates on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
United States Attorney’s Office releases 2024 Community ReportRead the Press Release
FARGO – United States Attorney Mac Schneider today announced the release of the 2024 Community Report of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota (USAO-ND). The report summarizes the office’s efforts over the course of fiscal year 2024 in the courtroom and in communities throughout the district.
“I could not be prouder of the career prosecutors, civil litigators, and talented staff of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota,” Schneider said. “They exhibit not just excellence in the courtroom, but also a commitment to our communities and law enforcement partners that makes North Dakota a safer place. Upholding the rule of law, keeping our country safe, and protecting civil rights is not just a mission statement, it’s the daily work of the office.”
According to Department of Justice statistics, USAO-ND was number one among the 10 districts in the Eighth Circuit in defendants per Assistant United States Attorney and number six out of 94 districts nationally in this category. Even with this significant caseload, the office secured a conviction rate of over 95% in 2024. Additionally, over 95% of criminal appeals decided on the merits were resolved in USAO-ND’s favor last year.
The report discusses office initiatives to target the drivers of violent crime, new resources to increase public safety in Indian country, and prosecutions to protect children, combat dangerous drugs, fight fraud, and keep people safe along the northern border. The important work of the office’s Civil Division, which includes protecting taxpayers by representing the United States in complex litigation and enforcing federal civil rights statutes, is also highlighted.
The full report is available here:
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United States Attorney’s Office Releases 2024 Fourth Quarter Immigration Enforcement StatisticsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office announced its immigration enforcement statistics for October 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the Tucson and Yuma Sectors of the Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies. In the three-month period ending December 31, 2024, the United States brought criminal charges in Arizona against 3,141 individuals who illegally entered or re-entered the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 309 cases against individuals responsible for smuggling undocumented noncitizens to and within the District of Arizona. In this time period, the United States also prosecuted 46 reactive drug cases arising out of immigration ports of entry and checkpoints.
Reducing migrant smuggling and mitigating the risk to communities impacted by these offenses continue to be priorities for the Office and its law enforcement partners. Some of these prosecutions are directed against leaders and coordinators of alien smuggling organizations, including from Mexico and from Colombia, and also including those tied to larger transnational criminal organizations. Alien smugglers can also be home-grown, and it is often citizens of the United States who engage in dangerous crimes that hurt or kill economic migrants. Other prosecutions are aimed at deterring young adult drivers, often recruited over social media platforms, from engaging in this dangerous activity. Prosecutions against young drivers include cases brought against two juvenile smugglers during this time period, and the Office has successfully sought justice against those responsible for the online recruitment.
Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance. During this time period, federal prosecutors brought charges against two defendants accused of assaulting federal officers.
These statistics represent United States Attorney’s Office prosecutions only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-002_2024 Fourth Quarter Immigration Enforcement Statistics
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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.United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison Announces ResignationRead the Press Release
DETROIT – United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced her resignation today, effective January 19, 2025.
“Capping my years-long public service to the Eastern District of Michigan as the United States Attorney will forever serve as the crowning point of my career,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison. “I want to express my sincere appreciation to President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland for the opportunity to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this District. I am also extremely grateful for the confidence U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters had in me to carry out this charge. With the extraordinary talent at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, I am extremely proud of all that we have accomplished to reduce violent crime, empower communities through transparency and engagement, and protect the civil rights of all within our borders. We have collaborated with purpose, used innovative and evidence-based strategies to operate under the principles of focus, balance, and fairness in our work, and effectively included community stakeholders as partners in our efforts. It is through this shared responsibility for safety that we have accomplished so much. And so it is my hope as I prepare to leave this office, that this work—this partnership—will continue.”
Ms. Ison was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden on November 12, 2021, and confirmed by the Senate on December 14, 2021. She was sworn in as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Eastern District of Michigan on December 21, 2021.
Under Ms. Ison’s leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan worked to rebuild community trust in law enforcement, restructure the office’s approach to violent crime, and reinvigorate the office’s civil rights practice.
Rebuilding Community Trust
Under Ms. Ison’s leadership the office engaged in outreach to communities across the District. This community engagement included communities at risk of discrimination or hate crimes, communities experiencing disproportionate rates of violence, and returning citizens. That engagement also included transparency about the office’s work and enforcement efforts, educational programming, prevention efforts, and listening sessions to understand the specific concerns and needs of the various diverse communities within the District.
“I sincerely hope that any legacy I leave includes empowering communities to know that they deserve to live in peaceful neighborhoods, free of violence, hate, and other threats and that they are partners in this effort to achieve public safety for all,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison.
Restructuring Approach to Violent Crime
Ms. Ison prioritized lowering the rate of violent crime in the district which resulted in a restructuring of the office’s approach to violent crime. In 2023, the office formalized its violence reduction strategy: One Eastern District of Michigan or One EDMI. The initiative is designed to identify evidence-based strategies that have proven effective in reducing violent crime and bringing together a coalition of community, government, and law enforcement stakeholders to implement those strategies. One EDMI is a vision for the District that aims to empower local communities to use those tools they believe will be the most effective in their area, rather than apply the same practices to every situation or location.
Under Ms. Ison’s leadership, and as a part of the One EDMI partnership, the office relied on evidence-based strategies and partnered with stakeholders in the community, government, and law enforcement to lower the rate of violent crime. As a result, Assistant United States Attorneys were able to focus their efforts on the true drivers of violence–the people, groups, and places most likely to be engaged in violent crime. The office’s efforts coalesced around three principles: focus, balance, and fairness, with the goal of balancing law enforcement strategies with prevention and outreach to deter future violence. The office also committed to being transparent about its work and its outcomes so that the community would commit to this effort with a renewed confidence in the fairness of our approach.
In April 2023, the office announced the creation of the first One EDMI subgroup, One Detroit. The United States Attorney’s Office joined with a broad coalition of law enforcement, government, community, and faith partners to create One Detroit. The One Detroit partners committed to reducing violence while fostering legitimacy through engagement, coordination, and action.
In addition to revamping the enforcement strategy, Ms. Ison and the One Detroit partners focused on crime prevention. One Detroit’s prevention efforts brought Peacenics to Detroit’s 8th and 9th Precincts over the last three summers. The Peacenics are a collective gathering of the community and law enforcement coming together in the name of peace and where residents can have fun, engage with law enforcement, and obtain resources to improve the quality of their lives. The Peacenics featured vendors offering a variety of resources including job training, literacy programs, mental health and medical screenings, utility assistance, educational and vocational opportunities, tutorial and career development programs, expungement assistance, and more.
One Detroit’s reentry pillar focused on engaging with justice-impacted residents through community roundtables. The roundtables are made up of people who are currently on federal supervised release or state court probation who have been identified by the United States Probation Department and the Michigan Department of Corrections as being at moderate or severe risk of committing violent crimes. More than 200 justice-impacted residents have been served through the community roundtables so far.
One Detroit’s efforts have been successful. Violent crime in Detroit has plummeted to historic lows. Detroit ended 2024 with 203 criminal homicides, a 19% drop from 2023, and the fewest number of homicides since 1965. As a result, the One Detroit Violence Reduction Partnership was recognized as a national model by the Department of Justice.
The U.S. Attorney’s office has implemented elements of the violence reduction strategy across the Eastern District of Michigan, focusing its enforcement efforts on the drivers of violence. Those efforts have resulted in significant reductions in violent crime in Jackson and Pontiac. The prevention and reentry strategies have also been deployed elsewhere in the Eastern District of Michigan as Flint hosted its first community roundtable for justice-impacted residents in November 2024.
Protecting Civil Rights
Protecting civil rights has long been a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan and the Department of Justice. Similarly, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan has a long history of engaging in robust civil rights enforcement efforts. But under Ms. Ison’s leadership, the office redoubled its efforts. In addition to the office’s Civil Rights Unit, which is responsible for pursing civil enforcement actions, she formed the new Public Corruption and Civil Rights Unit to emphasize our commitment to prosecuting criminal civil rights cases. Ms. Ison paired these vigorous prosecutions with robust community engagement. During Ms. Ison’s tenure, the United States Attorney’s office has trained more than 800 community members how to identify, report, and help prevent hate crimes in 10 events across the District as part of DOJ’s United Against Hate Initiative. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has also handled several significant civil rights matters under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Ison. Those matters include:
Prosecuting Traditional Federal Crimes
Under Ms. Ison’s leadership, the office also focused on rooting out public corruption, combatting white collar crime, including pandemic-related fraud, and protecting the District’s citizens. Significant accomplishments in those areas include:
- The Mayor of Inkster was indicted and later pleaded guilty to bribery charges.
- The Mayor of Taylor was sentenced to nearly 6 years in prison for conspiracy to receive bribes and wire fraud.
- The President of the Madison Heights School Board pleaded guilty to bribery and tax evasion charges and was sentenced to almost 4 years in prison.
- A guilty plea to wire fraud and money laundering charges from the former Chief Financial Officer of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy for embezzling more than $40 million from the nonprofit. The plea also included a restitution agreement requiring him to pay no less than $44.3 million in restitution because of his conduct.
- The office has charged 127 individuals with participating in pandemic fraud schemes, ranging from unemployment insurance fraud conspiracies to fraud in pandemic loan programs. Of the individuals charged in such cases, the United States has thus far obtained more than 81 convictions.
- FCA US LLC (now known as Stellantis) paid a $300 million fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States as part of a scheme to cheat U.S. regulators and customers by making false and misleading representations about its emissions control systems on diesel vehicles.
- A conviction at trial against an ISIS fighter who left his home in Michigan and travelled to Yemen and Syria where he obtained ISIS training and spent more than 2 years as an ISIS soldier.
- The U.S. Attorney’s Office under Ms. Ison’s leadership has also protected the federal treasury by successfully defending lawsuits brought against the United States and collecting dollars that were owed to the United States. The office has collected more than $400 million in criminal and civil actions in judgments, fines, restitution, and forfeiture. These funds were returned to victims and taxpayers and represent more than four times the office’s operating budget over the last three years.
Ms. Ison became U.S. Attorney after serving as an Assistant United States Attorney for 19 years. In addition to being United States Attorney, Ms. Ison also served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, advising the Attorney General on policy, procedure, and management impacting U.S. Attorney’s Offices.
Prior to becoming United States Attorney, Ms. Ison served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Public Corruption Unit, the Drug Task Force, and the General Crimes Units. She also served for four years as the Chief of the Drug Task Force. Prior to her government service, Ms. Ison spent twelve years in private practice as criminal defense attorney. U.S. Attorney Ison has not announced her future plans.
Under the Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant United States Attorney, Julie A. Beck will become the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan until a successor for U.S. Attorney Ison is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is charged with enforcing federal criminal laws, protecting civil rights, and representing the federal government in civil litigation in 34 counties in the Eastern District of Michigan. The Office currently has approximately 120 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and approximately 90 staff members at offices in Detroit, Flint, and Bay City.
United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson Announces DepartureRead the Press Release
HAMMOND –United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson publicly announces today, effective at 11:59 p.m. on January 17, 2025, he will be stepping down as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. U.S. Attorney Johnson, on December 16, 2024, tendered resignation letters to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and United States Attorney General Merrick Garland.
United States Attorney Johnson said, “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. I wish to thank President Biden, Attorney General Garland and Senator Young and former Senator Braun for the opportunity to serve the citizens of the United States as this District’s U.S. Attorney. Serving as the Northern District’s U.S. Attorney is the capstone of my career in public service.”
U.S. Attorney Johnson was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on July 26, 2021 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 30, 2021 for the Northern District of Indiana United States Attorney position. He previously was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Indiana from 1986 to August 2020. During his tenure with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Indiana, Mr. Johnson held numerous supervisory/management positions, including Chief of the Civil Division from 1997 to 2010 and twice serving as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney from (June 2010 to March 2017 and October 2017 to August 2020). Mr. Johnson, pursuant to the Vacancy Reform Act, served as the District’s Acting U.S. Attorney from March 2017 to October 2017. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office in January 1986, Mr. Johnson was a Trial Attorney in the Employment Litigation Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. from August 1980 to December 1985.
Mr. Johnson, a Gary, Indiana native, received his J.D. from Valparaiso University Law School in 1980 and his B.A. from Valparaiso University in 1976.
Under the Vacancy Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay, who has been with the Department of Justice for over 30 years, will assume the role of Acting U.S. Attorney following U.S. Attorney Johnson’s departure.
U.S. Attorney Will Thompson Announces the HOPE Family Drug Summit to Be Held on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at the University of CharlestonRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson is joining with numerous partners to hold the HOPE (Healing, Opportunities and Possibilities to Empower) Family Drug Summit on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at the University of Charleston.
The daylong summit is free and will focus on West Virginia families impacted by Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The summit will bring SUD survivors, families, and the professionals who support them together to share information, build connections, foster collaboration and strengthen partnerships to provide HOPE to those suffering from SUD as well as their children and families.
“Whether it is a child, parent or other family member struggling with addiction or a loved one lost to an overdose, virtually no one in West Virginia has been left unaffected by the drug epidemic,” Thompson said. “This summit is about hope and showing that recovery is real, and that those suffering from the impact of SUD are not alone. This is another way to make our communities safer.”
Summit topics include the neurobiology of addiction, evidence-based mentoring for youth in foster and kinship care, and ways to navigate treatment, recovery and support systems. Summit attendees will hear from fellow West Virginians who have lost family members to overdoses and who have seen success on the road to recovery. Summit speakers will also provide overviews of the criminal and civil legal systems and detail the latest data tracking the drug crisis in the state.
The University of Charleston is hosting the main portion of the summit at the Geary Student Union Ballroom. Other summit partners are: the Drug Enforcement Administration, Louisville Division; the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia; the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia; Jobs & Hope West Virginia; the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security; the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice; the West Virginia Fusion Center; West Virginia Public Defender Services; First Choice Services; Legal Aid of West Virginia; and Mission West Virginia.
Additional information about the summit, including a portal to register for this in-person event, is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/hope-family-drug-summit.
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.
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Two Southern California Men Who Supplied Fentanyl Sold to Darknet Customers in All 50 States Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – An Orange County man and South Los Angeles man were sentenced today to federal prison for supplying fentanyl-laced pills to a drug trafficking ring that sold these drugs to more than 1,000 customers nationwide via the dark web.
Adan Ruiz, 27, of Garden Grove, was sentenced by United States District Judge David O. Carter to 215 months (17 years, 11 months) in federal prison. Judge Carter separately sentenced Omar Navia, 39, of South Los Angeles to 180 months (15 years) in federal prison.
In imposing the sentences, Judge Carter at today’s hearings called this case “the most sophisticated fentanyl distribution ring that this court has seen.”
Navia pleaded guilty on April 29 to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Ruiz pleaded guilty on June 3 to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of distribution of fentanyl.
Both defendants have been in federal custody since November 2023.
Navia and Ruiz admitted in their plea agreements that, from at least August 2021 to December 2022, they supplied fentanyl-laced pills to Michael Ta, 26, of Westminster, and Rajiv Srinivasan, 38, of Houston, who used the darknet and encrypted messaging applications to sell more than 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills and other drugs to more than 1,000 customers across the country, causing several fatal overdoses in the process. Navia further admitted to supplying methamphetamine to Ta and Srinivasan’s drug trafficking operation.
Srinivasan operated the account “redlightlabs” on multiple darknet marketplaces, including the site “Dark0de.” Srinivasan and Ta used the redlightlabs account to advertise and sell counterfeit M30 oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
Srinivasan also used the encrypted messaging application Wickr to communicate with and sell drugs to customers. Srinivasan received virtual currency as payment for the drugs and then routed that virtual currency through cryptocurrency exchanges.
Ta communicated with Srinivasan about drug orders, obtained fentanyl-laced pills and methamphetamine from sources of supply, stored those drugs in his residence, and mailed out packages with drugs to customers who had ordered them from Srinivasan on the “redlightlabs” account.
From at least February 2022 to November 2022, Srinivasan and Ta engaged in at least 3,800 drug deals to approximately 1,400 customers in all 50 U.S. states, totaling more than 123,000 fentanyl-laced M30 pills, more than 9 kilograms (20 pounds) of methamphetamine, nearly 300 grams of “China white” (fentanyl powder) and black tar heroin, and 27 grams of cocaine.
Ta and Srinivasan admitted in their plea agreements to causing the fentanyl overdose deaths of three victims. Both defendants further admitted to distributing fentanyl-laced pills to two additional victims, both of whom suffered fatal drug overdoses shortly after they received the pills from Ta and Srinivasan.
Ta pleaded guilty in August 2023 to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and is serving a prison sentence of 260 months (21 years and eight months). Srinivasan pleaded guilty in June 2023 to the same charge and to one count of distributing fentanyl resulting in death and is serving a prison sentence of 235 months (19 years and seven months).
The FBI investigated this matter. The United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas provided substantial assistance.
The investigation in this matter was conducted under the auspices of the FBI-led Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement Team (JCODE), which targets darknet vendors by using sophisticated, high-tech techniques to identify drug traffickers who wrongly believe the dark web allows them to engage in criminal conduct with anonymity. Since its inception in 2018, JCODE investigations have resulted in the arrest of more than 300 darknet drug traffickers, as well as the seizure of more than $42 million in drug-tainted proceeds, over 800 kilograms of narcotics, and approximately 145 firearms.
The Northern Colorado Drug Task Force (NCDTF) also helped investigate this matter. NCDTF works to protect the community by identifying, investigating, and impacting drug-related crime in Larimer County. Participating agencies who make this effort possible include Fort Collins Police Services, Larimer County Sheriff's Office, Loveland Police Department, Windsor Police Department, the Eighth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and Colorado Adult Parole. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Fayetteville Resident Agency also assisted during the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregg E. Marmaro of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section prosecuted this case.
Trafficker Sentenced to 19.5 Years in Prison for Supplying Weapons and Ammunition to Sinaloa CartelRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – January 13, 2025
SAN DIEGO – Keith Octavio Rodriguez Padilla, a prolific firearms trafficker, was sentenced in federal court today to 19.5 years in custody for his role in supplying weapons and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition to the Sinaloa Cartel.
This case is part of a long-running investigation targeting the Valenzuela Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), which was a significant component of the Sinaloa Cartel. The Valenzuela TCO was one of the largest importers of cocaine into the United States. The TCO sourced cocaine and other controlled substances (including fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana) from South America and Mexico, transported the drugs to multiple locations along the U.S.-Mexico border using commercial trucking companies, smuggled the drugs into the country, and distributed them throughout the United States. The TCO then smuggled the bulk cash proceeds from its drug trafficking activities back to the TCO’s leadership in Mexico.
According to court records, throughout 2020, the Valenzuela TCO, including one of its leaders, Jorge Alberto Valenzuela Valenzuela, was engaged in violent conflict with another component of the Sinaloa Cartel led by Ivan Archivaldo Guzman-Salazar. During this conflict, Jorge’s brother and previous TCO leader, Gabriel Valenzuela-Valenzuela, was killed. This led the Valenzuela TCO to procure large quantities of firearms, ammunition, tactical gear, armored vehicles, and ballistic vests. A considerable number of these items were sourced from within the United States and clandestinely smuggled into Mexico, using numerous arms trafficking networks.
During the multi-year investigation, agents identified Keith Octavio Rodriguez Padilla as a firearms and ammunition trafficker and broker for the TCO. Rodriguez Padilla and his co-conspirators worked with high-ranking organization members to supply firearms to the TCO. These firearms ranged from .50 caliber rifles, submachine guns, and grenade launchers to assault style rifles (AK-47s, AR-15s, FN SCARs) and handguns. In addition to the weapons, Rodriguez Padilla and his co-conspirators supplied tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition to the TCO. Some of these weapons and ammunition were acquired in the United States, including from California, Arizona, and Nevada, and then smuggled through the Ports of Entry in San Diego and Arizona to Mexico.
For example, on November 20, 2020, DEA and HSI agents initiated surveillance at a commercial truck yard being operated by the Valenzuela TCO in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego. Agents ultimately obtained a search warrant for this truck yard and during the search, seized approximately $3,078,880 in bulk U.S. currency, approximately 685 kilograms of cocaine, 24 kilograms of fentanyl, and a pickup truck with a trap gas tank the size of half the truck bed were discovered. The truck yard contained numerous tractors-trailers, along with numerous other vehicles. Inside one of the trailers, agents seized approximately 20,000 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition, along with approximately 427 ballistic plate carriers, approximately 1,000 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition, and approximately 104 magazines for .50 caliber ammunition. Agents learned that Rodriguez Padilla had purchased the .50 caliber ammunition on behalf of the TCO.
To date, this investigation has resulted in charges against 109 defendants and the seizure of approximately 2,000 kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl, more than $16 million in cash, and 21,000 rounds of ammunition.
“Guns and ammunition smuggled into Mexico support cartels and empower drug traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This case continues to deal blow after blow to that infrastructure, sending a clear message: DOJ will prosecute every angle of cartel operations – from drug importation to money laundering to arms trafficking – to combat death and destruction on both sides of the border.”
“Today’s sentencing is a direct result of the hard work and collaboration between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and our law enforcement partners. This extensive investigation highlights our unwavering commitment to protecting our country and communities from the dangers of illegal firearms trafficking,” said Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Diego. “We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the drug trafficking organizations are disrupted and held accountable.”
“Weapons trafficking fuels drug-related violence,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian Clark. “Money and greed are the foundation of the Sinaloa cartel business model and Padilla provided a lifeline by trafficking firearms. This sentence underscores our commitment to aggressively pursue the Sinaloa Cartel at every level, to include all facilitators who profit from drug-related violence. Strong relationships between law enforcement agencies have proven invaluable as we work together to save lives.”
“This multi-year investigation and lengthy federal prison sentence highlights the hard work, dedication, and cooperation of multiple law enforcement agencies to disrupt and dismantle violent transnational criminal organizations,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Holland. “Today’s sentence serves as a reminder, we will continue to leverage the strength of federal, state, and local law enforcement to bring justice against the Cartels and individuals working on their behalf.”
“Mr. Padilla’s role in trafficking weapons and ammunition not only facilitated violence between cartel organizations, but also facilitated the endangerment of American citizens as these transnational criminal organizations bring dangerous and deadly drugs into the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office. “This sentencing demonstrates the result of well-coordinated investigations and the effectiveness of our partnered investigations. Protecting American citizens is the number one priority for every law enforcement organization, and IRS-CI is proud to be a partner in this investigation.”
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J. Sutton and Mikaela Weber.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.
DEFENDANT Case Number 21-cr-2960-AGS
Keith Octavio Rodriguez Padilla Age: 39 Rialto, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
International Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine for Purpose of Unlawful Importation, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 959, 960 and 963.
Maximum Penalty: Mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine.
Conspiracy to Import Cocaine, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 952, 960 and 963.
Maximum Penalty: Mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine.
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846.
Maximum Penalty: Mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine.
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. 1956(h).
Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved.
Conspiracy to Smuggle Goods, in violation of Title 18, U.S.C. §§ 371 and 554(a).
Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison, fine of $250,000.
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
Drug Enforcement Administration
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation
United States Marshals Service
Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations
Customs and Border Protection, Office of Border Patrol
Department of Justice, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces
Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations
Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
San Diego Police Department
Border Crime Suppression Team
San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
The United States and State of North Carolina File False Claims Act Complaint Against Durable Medical Equipment SupplierRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King announced today that the United States and the State of North Carolina have filed a complaint against Benson I. Ejindu in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, alleging that Ejindu knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims to North Carolina Medicaid for more expensive medical supplies than were actually provided to the Medicaid recipients, a practice known as upcoding.
As alleged in the complaint, from at least May 19, 2017, through August 23, 2019, Ejindu, through a durable medical equipment business that he operated under different names, caused the submission of false claims to North Carolina Medicaid for high-reimbursing, specialized nutritional formula for individuals with rare, inherited metabolic disorders when Ejindu knew the Medicaid recipients actually received lower-reimbursing Ensure, PediaSure, Boost, and Glucerna drinks.
“Durable medical equipment providers that cause the government to pay more than it should for medical equipment and supplies waste taxpayers’ dollars and raise the cost of health care for everyone,” said U.S. Attorney King. “Our Office is committed to working with the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office and our law enforcement partners to put a stop to improper billing practices that exploit Medicaid, a taxpayer funded program that many people depend on to cover their health care needs.”
“Medical providers are required to comply with the law when billing Medicaid for services,” said Special Agent in Charge Kelly Blackmon of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Together with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG is dedicated to investigating and addressing improper billing practices submitted to federally funded health care programs.”
“North Carolinians rely on Medicaid to pay for health care and medical supplies,” said North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “If businesses try to make an unlawful buck off of taxpayer dollars, we’ll hold them accountable. I’m grateful to U.S. Attorney King for working with us to stop health care fraud.”
This matter was investigated by the FBI, HHS-OIG, and the North Carolina Attorney General’s Medicaid Investigations Division. This matter is being handled by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew R. Petracca of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office and Assistant United States Attorney Holly H. Snow of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
The claims asserted against the defendant are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Stilwell Resident Pleads Guilty to Possessing A Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Robey Lee Butler, age 35, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Possession of Stolen Firearm.
The Indictment alleged that on November 7, 2023, Butler knowingly possessed a stolen semi-automatic rifle, and had reasonable cause to believe that firearm was stolen.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Butler will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarrod Leaman, Lewis Matthew Reagan, and T. Cameron McEwen represented the United States.
St. Francois County Sex Offender Admits Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from St. Francois County, Missouri, on Friday admitted being caught with child sexual abuse material.
Shane Elijah Bottom, 39, of Bismarck, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography as a prior offender. He admitted being caught by investigators with the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control, who were conducting an online investigation of those sharing child sexual abuse material. On Nov. 19 and 20 of 2023, Bottom distributed numerous files containing child sexual abuse material to the investigator via a peer-to-peer file sharing program. After the files were traced to Bottom, he eventually admitted downloading and viewing the images. At least 904 images were found on Bottom’s phone by an agent with the U.S. Secret Service. Of those, 373 images depicted the sexual abuse of minors who have been identified by law enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
In 2016, Bottom was convicted in Johnson County (Missouri) Circuit Court with two counts of child molestation first degree for the sexual abuse of a 7-year-old. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Both sides have agreed to recommend a sentence of 20 years in prison followed by life on supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the U.S. Secret Service. 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.
Spiro Resident Pleads Guilty to Possessing an Unregistered FirearmRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Bryant Dewayne Underwood, age 36, of Spiro, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Possession of An Unregistered Firearm.
The Indictment alleged that on October 26, 2023, Underwood knowingly possessed one 5.56 NATO (.223) caliber, short-barreled rifle which was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Underwood will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarrod Leaman and Edith Singer represented the United States.
Snohomish County man pleads guilty to producing images of child sexual abuse and attempted enticement of minorsRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 43-year-old Snohomish County man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to production of images of child sexual abuse and attempted enticement of minors, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Bennett S. Park was arrested in August 2023, when he was attempting to pick up a 13-year-old in a residential area of Everett, Washington. Park had told an undercover law enforcement officer that he planned to pick up and molest the 13-year-old. When Park is sentenced by U. S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez, prosecutors will recommend no more than 25 years in prison and the defense will recommend no less than 20 years. Judge Martinez is not bound by the recommendations. Sentencing is scheduled for April 25, 2025.
According to the plea agreement, in July 2023, Park responded to an online add placed by an undercover Homeland Security Investigation agent, falsely claiming that the agent had two young children that could be molested. In his response, Park indicated that he was actively molesting children between the ages of 11 and 17. Park indicated he wanted to molest the agent’s fictional children but was already meeting a 13-year-old. Law enforcement quickly put Park under surveillance to identify and protect the 13-year-old. Just after 1:45 am on August 8, 2023, law enforcement arrested Park just after the 13-year-old got in his vehicle.
After Park’s arrest a review of his electronic devices revealed he had communicated with dozens of minors. Twenty-three of the minor victims were identified. Park had convinced them to provide images of sexual abuse via Instagram, Discord, Snapchat, Facebook, Gmail and Zoom platforms. In the plea agreement Park details his crimes with eight different minor victims.
Production of child pornography is punishable by a mandatory minimum 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison. Attempted enticement of a minor is punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison.
This case was also brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.
Slidell Chiropractor Convicted of Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DENNIS MICHAEL PEYROUX (“PEYROUX”), age 57, of Slidell, Louisiana, pled guilty on January 8, 2025 to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1347 and 1349, in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for over the counter (“OTC”) COVID-19 test kits that were not requested or otherwise ineligible for reimbursement.
According to court documents, starting in November 2022, PEYROUX conspired with others to purchase Medicare beneficiary information, including names, Medicare identification numbers, and clearly fabricated recordings of individuals posing as beneficiaries and “requesting” OTC COVID-19 test kits, that PEYROUX used to bill Medicare for test kits through his chiropractic clinic. PEYROUX then misappropriated the credentials of a former nurse practitioner who worked for him and falsely listed the nurse practitioner as the referring provider on the thousands of false and fraudulent claims. In total, in around six months, PEYROUX allegedly billed Medicare approximately $3.3 million in false and fraudulent claims for OTC COVID-19 test kits through his clinic, for which Medicare reimbursed approximately $3.2 million. Under the terms of the plea agreement, PEYROUX agreed to pay over $3.2 million in restitution to Medicare. The government also forfeited over $1 million seized from PEYROUX’s bank accounts. The Honorable Lance M. Africk set sentencing for April 23, 2025.
At sentencing, the maximum penalty PEYROUX may receive is ten years of imprisonment, followed by up to three years of supervised release. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person under 18 U.S.C. § 3571, or both. PEYROUX also faces payment of a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas D. Moses, of the Financial Crimes Unit and Health Care Fraud Coordinator, and Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters, of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, are in charge of the prosecution.
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Six Charged Federally in Glock Switch TakedownRead the Press Release
Six federal defendants involved in the sale of switches via social media were arrested in a joint takedown by ATF Dallas and the Irving Police Department on Thursday, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Marnelius Burks, 20, Marco Cabrales, 22, Royce Weaver, 21, were charged in one indictment with possession and transfer of a machinegun, aiding and abetting the possession and transfer of a machinegun, and conspiracy to possess and transfer a machinegun. Damien Sereseroz, 21, and Gracie Valadez, 20, were charged in a separate indictment with aiding and abetting the possession and transfer of a machine gun. Anthony Joel Cantu, 18, was charged via criminal complaint with possession of a machinegun.
The defendants made their initial appearances in federal court on Monday.
“Six months ago, we pledged to deploy the full force of the federal government against those who traffic in machinegun conversion devices. With the help of our law enforcement partners, we’ve done just that,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “In the hands of a criminal, these illegal devices exponentially increase a firearm’s lethality. We will not allow them to overtake our streets.”
“Unfortunately for the bad guys, the good guys work together. It may not always look that way in Hollywood, but fortunately for our citizens, we work better together than any criminal organization out there. We promised an all-out blitz on machine gun conversion devices last year, and this case shows that our team has all the momentum. I would like to thank the Irving Police Department, specifically their ultra talented detective team, and all our law enforcement partners for this collective win for the people of the DFW metroplex” stated ATF Dallas Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II.
“I want to commend the collaborative effort between the Irving Police Department and ATF Dallas in addressing the serious issue of illegal firearm modifications. Our commitment to public safety remains unwavering, and we will continue to work diligently to prevent the proliferation of dangerous weapons in our community.”
According to court documents, Mr. Burks and Mr. Weaver allegedly ordered switches from China off the internet and had them shipped to North Texas. Mr. Cabrales allegedly advertised the switches on social media and sold them to an undercover.
Mr. Cantu also allegedly advertised the sale of switches, as well as drop-in sears, on social media. On Dec. 3, 2024, he allegedly met with an undercover officer to deliver one. When asked if the sear in question made rifles fire fully automatic, Mr. Cantu allegedly responded, “hell yeah, my boy,” and said he had one on his own AR-style pistol.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations of criminal conduct, not evidence. Mr. Burks, Mr. Cabrales, Mr. Weaver, Mr. Sereseroz, Ms. Valdez, and Mr. Cantu are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, they each face up to 10 years in federal prison.
Two juveniles arrested in the takedown are being charged by the state. They, too, are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division and Irving Police Department conducted the investigation with the help of Homeland Security Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marissa Aulbaugh and Eric B. Chen are prosecuting the cases.
Thursday’s takedown was part of “Operation Texas Kill Switch,” a statewide initiative taking aim at machinegun conversion devices, also known as “switches,” which transform commercially available semi-automatic firearms into fully-automatic weapons capable of firing faster than military-grade machine guns. Launched by U.S. Attorneys Leigha Simonton, Alamdar Hamdani, Damien Diggs, and Jaime Esparza in June 2024, Operation Texas Kill Switch relies on partnerships with state and local law enforcement as well as rewards offered by Crime Stoppers.
The arrests were also part of Irving Police Department’s “Operation Reel Switch,” targeting the illegal possession and distribution of machinegun conversion devices in the metroplex. A partnership between Irving Police, ATF Dallas and Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, Operation Reel Switch was launched in September 2024. To date, law enforcement involved in the operation have seized 38 machinegun conversion devices and several guns.
Radiopharmaceutical Company Set to Pay $350,000 to Resolve False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – PharmaLogic Holdings Corporation, a radiopharmaceutical company headquartered in the State of Florida, has agreed to pay $350,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act. Nine of the corporation’s subsidiaries are accused of violating the False Claims Act by knowingly filing to receive small-entity status to obtain a reduced U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) annual fee.
Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced this settlement with Inspector General Robert J. Feitel, NRC.
The NRC, which regulates and licenses civilian use of radioactive materials, charges an annual fee to entities that grant licenses to handle, store, or possess radioactive materials. Entities that qualify as a small entity under 10 C.F.R. § 171.16(c) can obtain a reduced annual fee. The entity obtains the fee reduction by filing an NRC Form 526, Certification of Small Entity Status for the Purposes of Annual Fees Imposed under 10 CFR Part 171.
Beginning around March 31, 2015, thru December 31, 2023, nine entities acquired by PharmaLogic Holdings Corporation filed NRC 526 forms. Through these filings, each entity certified its small-entity status entitling them to a reduced NRC annual fee. Under false pretenses, the NRC certified the entities and reduced their annual fees. However, the entities exceeded the size limits to qualify for reduced annual fees.
“This settlement exemplifies that the United States Attorney’s Office will hold accountable companies that claim falsely their small entity status to obtain from the government a benefit to which the companies are not entitled,” said Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. “We will never tire in our efforts to pursue those taking undue advantage of government programs.”
“This case demonstrates the OIG’s commitment to anti-fraud initiatives and is consistent with our office’s recent efforts to ramp up investigations on this front,” said NRC Inspector General Robert J. Feitel. “I also wish to express my sincere gratitude to the NRC staff, particularly the staff in the Labor Administration & Fee Billing Branch of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, for their cooperation during the OIG’s investigation.”
U.S. Attorney Barron and Inspector General Feitel commended the NRC-OIG and the Special Agents on the OIG’s Anti-Fraud Team for their work in this investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Tarra DeShields, who handled the case.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Pittsburgh Felon Sentenced to 9.5 Years in Prison for Identity Theft and Firearms CrimesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 114 months of imprisonment on his conviction of firearms and identity theft offenses, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Cheron Tucker, 28.
According to information presented to the Court, Tucker participated in an identity theft scheme in which he used the dark web to purchase credit card numbers and other identifying information of numerous individuals, using that information to rent vehicles through a complicit manager at a rental car company. Tucker and his conspirators then rented the fraudulently obtained vehicles to other individuals for cash. The Court ordered Tucker to pay nearly $900,000 in restitution to the rental car company.
While investigating one of the vehicles fraudulently obtained from the rental car company, the Brentwood Police Department conducted a search of a home associated with Tucker. The search revealed numerous documents and other evidence associated with the identity theft scheme, but also two loaded firearms, including one with an obliterated serial number. Tucker has prior felony convictions, including a previous federal conviction for use of unauthorized access devices for which Tucker was on federal supervised release when he committed these new offenses. Federal law prohibits the possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Attorney Olshan commended the United States Secret Service and Brentwood Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Tucker.
Phoenix Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Sending Drugs to Federal InmatesRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Julius Darnell Dixon, 54, of Phoenix, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 51 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release, for providing contraband to federal inmates and for a supervised release violation. On October 21, 2024, Dixon pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The guilty plea also constituted a violation of Dixon’s supervised release for an earlier bank robbery conviction (CR-99-00516-PHX-SPL).
Between February 2023 and April 2024, Dixon conspired with federal inmates at various institutions to mail books to them from bookstores in the Phoenix area containing hidden Suboxone strips. Dixon’s method of using unwitting bookstores to mail the books circumvented prison security, as the books appeared to be purchased by the inmates directly from the bookstores. Investigators identified Dixon by locating communications between Dixon and the inmates after two mailings were intercepted by prison staff. The packages were traced to bookstores in the Phoenix area, where Dixon had given his phone number and, for one mailing, his name and email address.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Bureau of Prisons, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick E. Chapman, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-24-00942-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-003_Dixon# # #
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.Pennsylvania Man Sentenced for Fraudulently Obtaining Unemployment and COVID-19 BenefitsRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Scott Christie, 38, of Petrolia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to four years of federal probation and ordered to pay $24,338 in restitution for theft of public money, property or records. Christie fraudulently obtained $24,338 in unemployment benefits, including COVID-19 supplementary funds, while a resident of Leon, West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between February 29, 2020, and August 22, 2020, and between February 27, 2021, and August 14, 2021, Christie fraudulently applied for unemployment benefits from WorkForce West Virginia, which administers the unemployment compensation program for the State of West Virginia. Christie submitted a total of 50 weekly certifications to WorkForce West Virginia that failed to disclose his employment during those time periods. As a result of his fraudulent scheme, Christie received 52 unemployment benefits payments from WorkForce West Virginia totaling $24,338 that he was not entitled to receive.
The unemployment benefits fraudulently obtained by Christie included supplementary funds provided by the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program (FPUC) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As part of his fraudulent scheme, Christie falsely stated in the weekly certifications he submitted that he was unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney J. Parker Bazzle II prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-107.
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Pasco Man Sentenced to More Than 17 Years for Trafficking in Fentanyl and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Gary Anthony Andrews (34, Holiday) to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and cocaine, and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. The court also ordered Andrews to forfeit a Hi-Point firearm and a Taurus firearm, which are instrumentalities of the offense. Andrews entered a guilty plea on September 27, 2024.
According to court documents, on March 11, 2024, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Andrews via criminal complaint as he was on his way to sell methamphetamine to a confidential source. Agents recovered approximately 897 grams of methamphetamine and oxycodone pills from the vehicle. Andrews also had two young children in the car. During a search warrant executed at Andrews’s home, agents recovered approximately 400 grams of methamphetamine, 9.9 grams of crack cocaine, scales, baggies, masks, and Narcan. Agents also located two loaded firearms in the home, one with a spent casing inside.
Andrews was identified as the source of supply for another individual in the Tampa area. From October 2023 to March 11, 2024, Andrews was responsible for 2,491.8 grams of methamphetamine, 84.2 grams of fentanyl, and 9.9 grams of cocaine.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha E. Beckman.
Owner of Construction Companies Sentenced to Prison for Tax and Mail FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Hopkinton man was sentenced on Jan. 10, 2025 in federal court in Boston for defrauding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Travelers Insurance Company in relation to wages he paid to employees of his two construction companies.
Dariusz Pietron, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani to serve 18 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Pietron was also ordered to pay restitution of $1,107,000 to the IRS and $244,000 to the Travelers Insurance Company. In May 2024, Pietron pleaded guilty to three counts of failure to collect and pay over employment taxes to the IRS and one count of mail fraud relating to underpaid workers’ compensation insurance premiums.
Between 2012 and October 2018, Pietron owned and operated TJM Construction, Inc. (TJM) and Point Construction, Inc. (Point). Pietron failed to report to the IRS the wages he paid to employees, failed to withhold required income taxes and failed to pay required employment taxes. Pietron also failed to disclose to Travelers Insurance Company the actual wages he paid to employees, which resulted in him paying less in workers’ compensation insurance premiums than he owed. As part of the scheme, Pietron recruited and paid two employees to establish three shell companies – companies that would make it appear as if TJM and Point’s employees were subcontractors to whom Pietron had no tax or workers’ compensation obligations. Pietron thereby failed to pay more than $1.1 million in employment taxes and defrauded Travelers of approximately $244,000.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Tom Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Katherine Mulligan, Chief of Investigations for the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorney Victor A. Wild of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Okmulgee County Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Gabriel Lee Williams II, a/k/a Chi-Chi, age 26, of Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
The Indictment alleged that on or about April 27, 2024, Williams knowingly possessed one 9mm handgun and one .40 caliber handgun, despite having previously been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Okmulgee Police Department.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Williams 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 Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Stephanie Leigh Rodgers, a/k/a Stephanie Larsen, age 40, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
The Indictment alleged that on or about August 19, 2024, Rodgers knowingly and intentionally possessed methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, intending to distribute it.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Rodgers was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Howanitz represented the United States.
Oconee County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE, S.C. —Carl Lee Robert Price, 37, of Walhalla, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Price sent explicit images of a child to a minor living in Missouri. Price traveled to Missouri to meet the minor and brought the minor to his home in Walhalla, South Carolina. An interstate search by federal and state law enforcement authorities led them to Price’s property where they recovered the minor. Law enforcement seized Price’s s electronic devices and discovered a total of 265 images and 141 videos of child sexual abuse material, including adults sexually abusing children as young as infants and toddlers.
United States District Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin sentenced Price to 20 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins prosecuted the case.
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Ocala Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing A Firearm as A Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Lewis Tinson, Jr. (29, Ocala) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Tinson faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court records, on August 27, 2021, Tinson’s girlfriend called 911 because Tinson had placed a gun to her face earlier that day. When deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrived, Tinson was outside the girlfriend’s home with firearms in his hands. Upon seeing the deputies, Tinson fled inside the residence and unsuccessfully tried to hide three loaded firearms in a clothes hamper.
Tinson is a four-time convicted felon. All his prior felony convictions involve firearms—carjacking with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a delinquent, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and shooting at, within, or into a vehicle. As a convicted felon, Tinson is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
New Assistant United States Attorney Sworn-in for the District of Rhode IslandRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha today announced the appointment and swearing-in of Taylor A. Dean as Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island. Ms. Dean will serve in the Office’s Criminal Division, focusing on a broad array of matters vital to the safety of Rhode Islanders, including fraud, violent crime, narcotics, and complex financial crime.
A Rhode Island native, Ms. Dean joins the U.S. Attorney’s Office from the partnership of a Rhode Island law firm. Prior to her work there, Ms. Dean spent over a decade as a litigator with an internationally prominent law firm in New York and London, handling complex white collar and commercial litigation matters, including significant criminal cases brought against high-level corporate executives. Ms. Dean is a graduate of New York University and the Fordham University School of Law. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Dean also worked for several years as a victim advocate in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, offering her a first-hand perspective on the critical ways in which thoughtful and victim-centered prosecution is vital to an effective criminal justice system.
“I could not be more delighted to welcome Taylor Dean to the ranks of the United States Attorney’s Office,” remarked U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “An exceptionally talented lawyer, Taylor combines deep roots in the Ocean State with the type of skill and legal acumen that have enabled this Office to ensure that, no matter the type, size, or complexity of a case, we can and will seek justice for every Rhode Islander.”
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Multiple Foreign Nationals Accused of Distributing Large Amounts of Narcotics in UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Foreign nationals, living in Utah, will appear in court today after they were charged with multiple drug crimes last week for allegedly distributing fentanyl and heroin in the District of Utah.
Jose Manuel Perez-Flores, 36, of West Valley City, Utah; Victor Flores Esquivel, 48, of West Valley City; Jaime Hernandez-Ruin, 26, of West Valley City; and Eduardo Hernandez-Ruiz, 28, of Murray, Utah, were initially charged by complaint and taken into custody on December 23, 2024. A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment January 8, 2025.
According to court documents, since approximately September 2024, detectives with the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC) began investigating a group believed to be distributing large amounts of heroin and fentanyl throughout Salt Lake County. During the investigation, detectives conducted several controlled purchases of heroin. Following the controlled purchases, detectives obtained and executed search warrants on three residences on December 16, 2024. During one of the search warrants in West Valley City, detectives seized 436 grams of fentanyl (approximately 4,360 individual pills), 200 grams of heroin, $1,592 in cash, drug packaging material, and a digital scale. In a separate area of the residence, detectives also seized, 309 grams of fentanyl pills (approximately 3,090 individual pills), 26 grams of heroin, and $1,041 in cash. Multiple electronic money wire transfer receipts, and cellular phones were also seized from the residence.
At a second residence in West Valley City, detective seized 39 grams of fentanyl (approximately 390 individual pills), and 82 grams of heroin, as well as cellular phones, drug packaging material, and several electronic wire transfer receipts. At a third West Valley City residence, detectives seized 1,912 grams of fentanyl (approximately 19,012 individual pills), and 269 grams of fentanyl pills (approximately 2,069 individual pills) from a vehicle registered to Eduardo Hernandez-Ruiz. In total, 28,921 individual fentanyl pills, and 308 grams of heroin were seized.
Perez-Flores, Flores Esquivel, Jaime Hernandez-Ruiz, and Eduardo Hernandez-Ruiz are charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. All four defendants also face additional individual charges. Their initial appearance on the indictment is January 13, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by Utah County Major Crimes Task Force (UCMC) and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Reichman of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, 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.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Missouri Man Who Triggered Standoff Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a man from Moberly, Missouri who triggered a 19-hour standoff with law enforcement to 10 years in prison.
According to the evidence and testimony presented at the July trial of Stephen J. Thorp, 62, members of a U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force were attempting to arrest Thorp on a warrant issued by the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole. Thorp was on parole after having been convicted of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in Marion County Circuit Court. The warrant was triggered by new charges of resisting arrest in Callaway County.
After learning that Thorp was at another man’s home in Randolph County, near Moberly, members of the Fugitive Task Force and the Northern Missouri Drug Task Force went there on April 11, 2022. Two occupants exited the house and said Thorp was inside. Thorp ignored loudspeaker announcements to leave. A robot and a K-9 were both unsuccessful in getting him out. After a search warrant was obtained, the Moberly SWAT team sent a drone into the home. Thorp fired three shots while the drone was in the house. The drone later captured video of Thorp with a gun in his hand before he used that gun to disable the drone, evidence and testimony showed. Thorp finally left after a Missouri State Highway Patrol SWAT team deployed a chemical agent.
Jurors in July found Thorp guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
After his release from prison on the second-degree murder charge, Thorp grabbed and threatened his mother in 2018 and led police on a high-speed chase in 2021, prosecutors said in a sentencing memo.
The U.S. Marshals Service, the Moberly Police Department, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office aided in the arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Finlen and Paul Rebar are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Minnesota Woman Sentenced to Decade in Federal Prison for Defrauding Nail Salon OwnerRead the Press Release
A Minnesota woman who defrauded a nail salon owner out of more than $100,000 and then engaged in “bill stuffing” at an Iowa casino to conceal the fraud proceeds was sentenced on January 10, 2025, to ten years in federal prison. Mary Kate Nguyen, age 37, from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, originally from Vietnam, received the prison term after an April 23, 2023, guilty plea to one count of wire fraud and one count of contempt of court.
In her plea and sentencing hearings, Nguyen admitted that in 2016 she told the owner of a Minnesota nail salon that she operated a loan brokering business known as “My Second Chance Financing, Ltd.” Nguyen told the victim she could help build the victim’s credit by obtaining and then paying off loans for her. The victim provided various means of identification to Nguyen, who used the victim’s identity to obtain over $90,000 in loans at four different financial institutions. Nguyen also instructed the victim to make a series of wires with the loan proceeds to Iowa, purportedly to expedite the loan repayment process. Instead of paying off the loans in full, however, Nguyen used loan proceeds for her own benefit.
Between December 2016, and February 2017, Nguyen and others acting at her direction engaged in “bill stuffing” at a casino in Northwood, Iowa. “Bill stuffing” is the practice of creating slot machine tickets by inserting currency and then cashing out those tickets at a casino in order to create a paper trail. By “bill stuffing,” Nguyen concealed the illegal source of the funds she had obtained.
A grand jury indicted Nguyen in late 2021, and a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Minnesota released Nguyen pending trial. While on pretrial release in Minnesota, Nguyen used methamphetamine and eventually absconded from supervision. In September 2022, the United States Marshal’s Service arrested Nguyen in Minnesota.
While on pretrial release in Minnesota, and later in a jail in Orange City, Iowa, Nguyen attempted to perpetrate a serious of financial frauds in Minnesota and North Dakota. Among other things, Nguyen repeatedly provided false and fraudulent bank statements and other financial documents to banks in attempts to obtain loans to purchase commercial and residential properties. In September 2022, Nguyen submitted the winning bid of $1.3 million to purchase the former federal courthouse in Bemidji, Minnesota. Nguyen also obstructed justice by threating to “hang” investigators.
Nguyen has an extensive criminal history in Minnesota. Nguyen’s prior convictions include four convictions for theft by swindle and three convictions for driving while impaired, as well as convictions for theft by check, giving a peace officer a false name, and drug possession.
Nguyen was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Nguyen was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment and fined $20,000. She was ordered to make $131,175 in restitution to her victim. She must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
In sentencing Nguyen, Judge Strand stated that Nguyen’s conduct while on pretrial release and in jail was “incredible” and “stunning.” Judge Strand found Nguyen was an “extreme danger to society” and a “substantial, serious menace to society” with respect to financial crimes.
Nguyen is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation-Special Enforcement Operations Bureau. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Woodbury (Minnesota) Police Department, U.S. Marshal’s Service, Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement, and Iowa Division of Intelligence assisted in the investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-CR-3037.
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Minnesota Man Charged with Hate Crime for Assault Against Black ManRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota man was indicted today and charged with federal hate crime offenses for assaulting a Black man outside of a bar, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to the indictment that was unsealed this afternoon, on or about February 3, 2024, Justin Anthony Kudla, 35, used force or the threat of force to injure, intimidate, and interfere with the victim – a Black man identified in the indictment as Victim 1 – because of Victim 1’s race, color, religion and/or national origin, and because Victim 1 was enjoying the goods, services, and accommodations of a local bar. The indictment also charges Kudla with willfully causing bodily injury to Victim 1 because of Victim 1’s actual and perceived race.
The indictment charges Kudla with one count of interference with federally protected activities and one count of hate crime. He made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court today before Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster. If convicted of the hate crime offenses, Kudla faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each offense and a fine of up to $250,000.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Minneapolis Field Office, with assistance from the Belle Plaine Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Gilead for the District of Minnesota and Trial Attorneys Katherine G. DeVar and Briana M. Clark of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Minnesota Construction Company Agrees to Pay $5.9M to Resolve False Claims Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Morcon Construction Company, Inc., based in Fridley, Minnesota, has agreed to pay $5.9 million dollars to resolve allegations of False Claims Act violations. Founded in 1982, Morcon is a general contractor responsible for certain repair, maintenance, and related work at U.S. Postal Service sites throughout Minnesota and elsewhere.
The United States alleged that beginning in approximately January 1, 2016, to the present, Morcon intentionally failed to disclose the use of subcontractors to perform repairs and maintenance; falsely certified work as self-performed rather than performed by subcontractors; and falsified subcontractor invoices as part of its claims submissions.
The United States contended that Morcon’s fraudulent conduct resulted in millions of dollars of false claims paid by the United States Postal Service. “This case demonstrates the dedication of the United States Attorney’s Office along with our law enforcement partners to pursue those who undermine the integrity of the government contracting process,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
“We are gratified to have contributed to this investigation and applaud the exceptional work by the United States Attorney’s Office for protecting both U.S. Postal Service funds and the integrity of our repairs and maintenance program,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Cleevely of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “Special Agents of the USPS OIG will continue to aggressively investigate those who would engage in fraudulent activities designed to defraud the Postal Service. This settlement demonstrates that the USPS OIG will pursue contractors that overcharge the government and enrich themselves at the expense of USPS customers.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Rau and U.S. Attorney’s Office investigator Maleko Lattin-McCrary with the assistance of the USPS Office of Inspector General investigated the matter.
The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Military Contractor Employee Sentenced to 120 Months in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
Hagatña, Guam – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announces that, Joseul Sanchez Usana, age 29, from Yigo, Guam, was sentenced to 120-months imprisonment in the U.S. District Court of Guam for Attempted Enticement of a Minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b). The Court also ordered Usana to serve five years of supervised release, comply with sex offender registration requirements, and pay a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
In May of 2024, Air Force Office of Special Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations conducted a joint undercover operation to identify and target individuals who were seeking to contact and engage in sexual activity with minor children. Agents created multiple personas on several social networking applications and posted in online forums.
On May 30, 2024, Josuel Sanchez Usana, a civilian employee of a military contractor with access to Andersen Air Force Base, contacted the undercover persona. Within the first few messages, the undercover persona said that she was 14 years old and still in school. Despite being told multiple times that the undercover persona was underage, Usana continued to communicate with the undercover persona, including conversations related to sex. Usana indicated that he wanted to have sex with the underage undercover persona, describing his plan in detail. Usana agreed to meet the undercover persona at the Andersen Air Force Base front gate for this purpose. Investigators him at that location upon his arrival.
“This case is another reminder of the risks to children in our islands,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “Parents must remain vigilant against the dangers of online activity in their homes. Innocuous messaging can quickly develop into harmful physical contact. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and combat these threats.”
The investigation was conducted by Air Force Office of Special Investigation Detachment 602 and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin K. Petersburg prosecuted the case in the District of the Guam.
This was a Project Safe Childhood (PSC) case, 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 CEOS, 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 Justice.gov/PSC.
Mexican national imprisoned for attempting to smuggle drugs with her daughter in towRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 49-year-old woman has been sentenced for her role in conspiring to import nearly six kilograms of cocaine from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Carmen Julia Carreon Segovia pleaded guilty June 12, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now ordered Carreon Segovia to serve 120 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, she is expected to face removal proceedings following her imprisonment.
"Even more insidious than smuggling a dangerous and highly addictive drug into the United States is bringing along your own minor child, exposing her needlessly to a dangerous underworld,” said Hamdani. “Segovia will now have 10 years in a prison cell to contemplate the consequences of her actions, actions that affect and endangered her teenage daughter.”
On Jan. 19, 2024, Carreon Segovia drove an SUV to the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo to apply for admission into the United States. Her 16-year-old daughter was riding as passenger.
Authorities inspected the vehicle and found eight bundles containing 6.30 kilograms of cocaine with an approximate street value of $90,000. Law enforcement discovered the bundles hidden in the front fender areas of the SUV.
Carreon Segovia denied any knowledge of the drugs. After her arrest, authorities revoked her non-immigrant visa.
She subsequently admitted to knowing the other co-conspirators concealed drugs somewhere within the vehicle for her to attempt to smuggle them into the United States.
Carreon Segovia will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez prosecuted the case.
Mexican National Sentenced to 33 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Esteban Suarez Trejo (33, Mexico) to 33 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States after deportation by a felon. Suarez Trejo pleaded guilty on October 4, 2024.
According to court documents, Suarez Trejo was convicted of aggravated assault on January 4, 2010, and deported from the United States to Mexico. Following his deportation, Suarez Trejo illegally reentered the United States.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey.
Mercer County Man Pleads Guilty to Communicating Threats to Attack Members of the White CommunityRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Mercer County, New Jersey, man admitted to transmitting, via the internet, a post containing threats to injure members of the white community by shooting them with a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced today.
Joshua Cobb, 24, of Trenton, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On December 17, 2022, Cobb used a social media application to post a message, stating:
“I want to cause mayhem on the white community. The reason i specifically want to target white people is because as a black male, they will NEVER understand my struggles. Same way I will never understand their struggles, but I don't care to. I want to erase them. All of them really, but in this case as many as I possibly can.
As of today I have officially began planning my attack. It is going to take place in 2023 in the state of New Jersey, I have not chosen a exact date but I am going to be sure it is close to an important holiday to their race. I have a location in mind already which I have frequented for the past year and I am certain nobody there is armed to be able to stop me from spraying them to the ground. I have already acquired 2 of the 4 firearms I plan to use for my attack, and I also know my entry and exit points already after the mayhem…
White people are going to feel my pain in 2023. I will be certain I send as many as I possible can to the deepest pits of hell. I am going to wipe those ugly smiles completely off their faces. I dream of a day of pure evil on them. I plan to allow every evil spirit to work entirely through me and kill as many as i can. Some will get extra rounds through their head.
And you guys can think I'm a troll all you want. Just pay close attention the news, you will see my aftermath. And I will be sure I kill myself after I finish my terrorism.
White men and women in New Jersey, get ready. You are going to feel my pain very fucking soon. I put that on my life. From here on out I don't want to talk, my rounds are going to, after they exit the back of all your heads. Get ready New Jersey. The devil is coming.”
As part of his guilty plea, Cobb admitted to writing the above-described posts, and that he understood that the messages would be threatening towards certain individuals. He had previously provided detailed information to law enforcement on locations he had considered as possible targets for his attack, including a gym and a grocery store in Robbinsville, New Jersey. Cobb also discussed his access to guns and idolization of other mass shooters.
Transmitting a threat in interstate commerce carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for May 20, 2025.
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Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the FBI and task force officers of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Driscoll, with the investigation. He also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, under the direction of U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada, agents of the FBI Field Office in Los Angeles, California, under the direction of Acting Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis; the Hamilton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kenneth R. DeBoskey; the Robbinsville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael K. Polaski; and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theresa L. Hilton.The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vera Varshavsky of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s National Security Unit, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division.
cobb.information.pdf
Maryland Man Sentenced to 18 Years on Sex Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A Maryland man, who used the drug dependency of multiple adult women to compel them to engage in commercial sex work, was sentenced today to 18 years in federal prison.
William O’Neil Murray III, 36, pled guilty in August 2024 to one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. In addition to jail time, Murray was also ordered to pay $94,190 in restitution to his victims.
“The fight against human trafficking is a cornerstone of the Department of Justice,” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said today. “Every day the men and women who investigate and prosecute these cases fight to protect those who are victims of these heinous crimes. I am grateful to the FBI, Virginia State Police, and Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for bringing this matter to justice.”
“This sentencing is a powerful reminder that the FBI Richmond team will tirelessly work to free victims of sex trafficking and bring to justice those who seek to exploit their vulnerabilities for personal gain,” said Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division. “I commend our team and partners on the I-81 Human Trafficking Task Force who investigated these heinous crimes here in Virginia and along the east coast. Every month, and especially during Human Trafficking Awareness month, we encourage the public to recognize the signs of human trafficking and report concerns to tips.fbi.gov.”
"Human trafficking investigations can be very complex" said Lieutenant Colonel Matt Hanley, Interim Superintendent of Virginia State Police. "I commend the investigative team for the outstanding cooperation that brought this case to a close."
According to court documents, beginning in December 2021 and continuing through July 2022, Murray engaged in a multistate sex trafficking operation involving at least three adult female victims. Murray recruited and coerced his victims into commercial sex work using their drug dependency as his primary method of control.
Murray controlled his victims’ narcotics supply and usage, not allowing them to obtain drugs from anyone but himself. Murray would withhold drugs from his victims if they did not follow his directions or engage in commercial sex. Many of the victims described becoming “dopesick” when Murray withheld drugs from them. Thus, Murray stood between them and the threat of painful withdrawal. Murray knew that withholding drugs from the victims would have a coercive effect and incentivize them to obey him and continue engaging in commercial sex.
Murray managed every aspect of the commercial sex transactions for his victims. The defendant used various commercial sex websites, such as Skipthegames.com and Backpage.com, to set up dates with commercial sex customers, set the prices, booked the hotel rooms, and transported his victims to the dates. And in most cases, Murray received all the proceeds from the commercial sex acts.
Murray maintained strict control over his victims’ activities including requiring them to stay in communication with him while they completed their commercial sex “dates.” Victims were not allowed to go anywhere without Murray’s permission and were punished if they did so.
The criminal behavior occurred in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Florida.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s I-81 Human Trafficking Task Force (I-81 HTTF), the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police investigated the case.
The I-81 HTTF is a collaborative effort of law enforcement and community partners focused on identifying instances of human trafficking along the I-81 corridor in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland; prosecuting those responsible; and providing assistance to the victims impacted by these crimes. The I-81 HTTF includes law enforcement from Frederick, Clarke, and Shenandoah counties as well as the cities and towns of Front Royal, Hagerstown, and Frederick, Maryland, and Lord Fairfax Community College.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melanie Smith, Sally J. Sullivan and Trial Attorney Christina Randall-James with the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit of the Department of Justice are prosecuting the case for the United States.
Marion County Man Admits to Fentanyl ChargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Emmanuel D. Gibson, 34, of Fairmont, West Virginia, has admitted to the possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Westover Police attempted a traffic stop on Gibson’s vehicle and Gibson fled, leading to a chase that ended with Gibson’s arrest. A vehicle search resulted in the seizure of fentanyl-laced pills, other controlled substances, two firearms, and drug paraphernalia.
Gibson faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge would determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christie Utt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Westover Police Department.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Selling Fentanyl and Other Synthetic OpioidsRead the Press Release
MIAMI– On Dec. 10, Blake Alfonso Kolessa, 27, of Greenacres, Fla., was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks for possessing with intent to distribute metonitazene, N-desethyl isotonitazene, and methamphetamine.
Kolessa previously pled guilty to selling thousands of pressed pills containing metonitazene, N-desethyl isotonitazene, and methamphetamine, between January and June 2024. Kolessa also admitted possessing over six kilograms of powders and pressed pills containing fentanyl, protonitazene and N-pyrrolidino protonitazene.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter of the DEA Miami Field Division, and West Palm Beach Police Chief Tony Araujo made the announcement.
DEA West Palm Beach and the West Palm Beach Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Funk prosecuted it.
According to the DEA’s National Drug Threat Assessment, nitazenes are synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, but some nitazenes can match or surpass the potency of fentanyl. Different nitazenes have been appearing in fentanyl mixtures in the United States since 2019. When combined with fentanyl, the effects of both drugs are heightened, which significantly increases the chance of a fatal drug poisoning.
Synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, are poisoning the nation. Fentanyl has proven to be a deadly poison that does not discriminate. Its victims include every gender, race, age, and economic background, and its debilitating effects are the same across all demographics. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Even in small doses, fentanyl can be deadly. Just one fentanyl pill can kill, as noted in DEA’s One Pill Can Kill campaign. As little as two milligrams, about the size of 5 grains of salt, can be fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. The State of Florida has also seen an exponential increase in overdoses associated with fentanyl. In 2022, more than 5,622 people died from overdoses involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in Florida.
For more information visit: https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MEC/Publications-and-Forms/Documents/Drugs-in-Deceased-Persons/2022-Annual-Drug-Report-FINAL-(1).aspx; https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/fentanyl.html#; and https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-80077.
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Man Charged in Federal Court with Robbing Postal Carrier at Gunpoint in Chicago Suburb; Second Man Charged with Firing at Investigating AgentsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been charged in federal court with robbing a United States Postal Service carrier at gunpoint in a Chicago suburb last week. A second man has been charged with firing shots at investigators near the scene of the robbery.
AHMEL HOLMES, 18, of Kankakee, Ill., robbed the postal carrier on Jan. 8, 2025, in Harvey, Ill., according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The postal carrier was on duty that morning delivering mail along East 158th Street near Union Avenue when Holmes approached her with a gun equipped with a drum magazine and demanded her belongings, the complaint states. Holmes then demanded and obtained access to the victim’s postal vehicle, from which he took a USPS tub containing mail, the complaint states.
Shortly after the robbery, two Postal Inspectors from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were canvassing the area when they observed three individuals near an alley. When the inspectors moved toward them to speak with them, one of the men – JESUS SANTILLAN, 19, of Harvey, Ill. – pointed a handgun at the inspectors and fired shots, the complaint states. The inspectors were not wounded and did not return fire, but they chased Santillan into a nearby residence, where they arrested him, the complaint states. The inspectors also found Holmes in the residence and took him into custody.
Holmes is charged with armed robbery of a postal carrier, which is punishable by up to 25 years in federal prison. Santillan is charged with using a deadly and dangerous weapon to assault postal inspectors and impede performance of their official duties, which is punishable by up to 20 years.
A detention hearing for Holmes is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffery T. Gilbert. Santillan waived his right to a detention hearing at this stage of the case and was ordered to remain held in federal custody.
The complaint was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ruth Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The Harvey, Ill. Police Department provided valuable assistance. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Maione.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
holmes_and_santillan_complaint.pdfMan Admits Staging Auto Accidents to Commit Insurance FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man on Monday admitted staging a series of vehicle accidents and injuries to defraud insurance companies.
Adrian Peebles, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. Peebles admitted that from September of 2021 to January of 2023, he staged auto accidents, usually at night in remote areas to reduce his chances of getting caught. Peebles nearly always told the responding police officers that he had been injured. He went to the emergency room complaining of “non-determinative pain that required expensive tests that never identified any particular injury.” Peebles insisted that the resulting payments from the vehicle insurance companies be made to him rather than the hospital and then did not pay his medical bills. Two insurance companies lost a total of $107,951 to Peebles’ scheme.
Peebles is scheduled to be sentenced on April 17.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware is prosecuting the case.