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10 January 2025
Roanoke Man Charged with Robbing Truist Banks Makes Court AppearanceRead the Press Release
Roanoke, Va. – A local man indicted by a federal grand jury last month on bank robbery charges, made his initial court appearance yesterday in federal court.
Michael Anthony McCoy, 67, of Roanoke, was indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Roanoke on one count of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, two counts of bank robbery (one of which includes the use of a dangerous weapon), and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. McCoy was arrested late last year in Newport News, Virginia, on other charges.
A second defendant, Dawn Davis, previously pleaded guilty to related charges.
According to the indictment, on October 26, 2022, McCoy directed Davis to write a threatening note to use in a bank robbery. After Davis wrote the note as directed, McCoy entered the Truist Bank location on NW Melrose Avenue in the City of Roanoke and handed the note to a bank teller. After McCoy handed the note to the teller, he approached a second teller and brandished a firearm.
McCoy and Davis stole approximately $6,485 from the Truist Bank location.
Two days later, McCoy then robbed another Truist Bank, stealing nearly $6,000 from that bank as well.
Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee, Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Scheff and Special Assistant United States Attorney John Beamer, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Queens, New York Man Sentenced to 18 Months for Human SmugglingRead the Press Release
Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on January 9, 2025, Luis Fernando Barragan-Palacios, 29, of Queens, New York, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to a term of 18 months’ imprisonment. The Court did not impose supervised release because Barragan-Palacios, originally of Oaxaca, Mexico, is expected to be deported after imprisonment. Barragan-Palacios previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to transport people who had entered the United States illegally.
According to court records, Barragan-Palacios completed approximately 30 smuggling trips, shuttling nearly 100 migrants who entered the country illegally from the Canadian border into Vermont, to the New York City area between August 2023 and January 2024, receiving approximately $500,000 in proceeds. In January 2024, authorities arrested Barragan-Palacios after he failed to yield to a marked Border Patrol vehicle and initiated a high-speed pursuit in wintry road conditions along the Canadian border, reaching speeds up to 85 mph, with six migrants lying down in the bed of his rented pickup truck or seated unbelted in the truck’s cab.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Lasher and Colin Owyang. Barragan-Palacios was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Barclay Johnson.
Pulaski Woman Convicted of Bank Fraud and Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
UTICA, NEW YORK – Wanda Gilpin, age 71, of Pulaski, New York, pled guilty to six counts of bank fraud and two counts of misuse of a social security number, United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), New York Field Office announced.
At the change of plea, Gilpin admitted to applying for multiple credit cards and loans using the personally identifiable information of other individuals, including a deceased relative. After Gilpin received the credit cards, she used the cards for personal expenses and incurred balances on each credit card that reached the credit limit assigned to that card. Gilpin also obtained an automobile loan and personal loan. In total, Gilpin was able to obtain lines of credit and loans totaling $24,909.68 from six different financial institutions.
Gilpin is scheduled to be sentenced by Senior United States Judge David N. Hurd on May 7, 2025. She faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for the bank fraud charges and a maximum sentence of 5 years and a fine of up to $250,000 for the social security fraud charges. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by the judge based on the statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The SSA-OIG is investigating the case, and the case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian LaRochelle.
Pittsburg County Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Robert Charles Marshall, age 64, of Eufaula, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office.
On August 12, 2024, Marshall pleaded guilty to one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. According to investigators, on November 15, 2023, Marshall knowingly possessed one Ruger .45ACP caliber semi-automatic pistol, one Ruger .308 Winchester/7.62x51mm caliber semi-automatic rifle, one Browning .270 Weatherby Magnum caliber semi-automatic rifle, along with six rounds of .45ACP caliber ammunition, two rounds of Aguila branded ammunition, four rounds of Winchester branded ammunition, and thirteen rounds of Remington branded .308 Winchester caliber ammunition. Marshall possessed the firearm and ammunition despite knowing that he had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Marshall will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Bove represented the United States.
Pittsburg County Resident Sentenced for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that William Drew Sullivan, age 34, of McAlester, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 100 months in prison for one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Krebs Police Department.
On July 15, 2024, Sullivan pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on January 3, 2024, officers conducting a routine traffic stop discovered Sullivan in possession of two cell phones, a scale, and two baggies containing fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Sullivan will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Howanitz represented the United States.
Pitt County Man Who Brandished Gun at State Trooper After High-Speed Chase Sentenced to Nearly Nine Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Pitt County man was sentenced to 107 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. On September 30, 2024, Kenneth Charles Kinard, age 35, pled guilty to the charge.
“North Carolina’s State Troopers are some of the best trained law enforcement personnel in the nation,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “They make split second decisions that save lives – keeping our families safe on the highways, rescuing stranded motorists, and recovering victims of human trafficking. Their jobs are dangerous enough as it is. When anyone draws, levels, or fires a gun at law enforcement, we’ll take swift action to hold felons accountable.”
“This case highlights the ever-present dangers our troopers face as they go about their mission to protect the people of North Carolina,” said Commander of the State Highway Patrol, Colonel Freddy L. Johnson, Jr. “I am so very thankful that our members training, and quick thinking led to a positive outcome that day and the great work by our partners at the Department of Justice in the months since have brought about a conviction and this sentencing.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol attempted to stop Kinard for driving 90-mph in a 70-mph zone on I-587 in Pitt County. Kinard refused to stop and accelerated leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase. The chase ended in Farmville when Kinard abruptly stopped his car and fled on foot. As Kinard was fleeing, a Trooper observed Kinard carrying a handgun. During the pursuit, Kinard turned toward the Trooper brandishing the firearm. The Trooper repeatedly ordered Kinard to drop his weapon. Kinard refused to comply, and the Trooper ultimately discharged his firearm at Kinard, striking him in the leg and causing Kinard to fall to the ground and dropping the firearm, a Ruger 9mm handgun.
Kinard was previously convicted of multiple counts of grand larceny and a felony-controlled substance violation in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF); Pitt County Sheriff’s Office; Greenville Police Department; North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; and North Carolina State Highway Patrol investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Aubart and Lori Warlick prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-37-BO-RJ.
PAC Treasurer Pleads Guilty to Multi-Year Scheme to Defraud PAC DonorsRead the Press Release
Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ROBERT PIARO, the treasurer of multiple political action committees (“PACs”), pled guilty today to committing telemarketing wire fraud in connection with his scheme to defraud donors to his PACs through false and misleading statements. PIARO pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian.
Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said: “Robert Piaro deceived hundreds of thousands of donors through false statements and misrepresentations about how contributions to his PACs would be spent. Piaro’s fraudulent actions not only undermined the trust of donors but also exploited their interest in supporting certain causes for his own personal gain. Today’s plea highlights this Office’s dedication to holding accountable those who misuse political organizations to defraud and mislead the public.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment, court filings, and statements made in Court:
PACs are entities registered with the Federal Election Commission that may be tax-exempt and collect money to advocate on behalf of or against certain causes and political candidates.
From at least in or about 2017 up to and including at least in or about December 2022, PIARO was the treasurer and operator of four PACs: Americans for the Cure of Breast Cancer, the Association for Emergency Responders & Firefighters, the US Veterans Assistance Foundation, and Standing By Veterans (the “PIARO PACs”). PIARO raised millions of dollars from hundreds of thousands of donors nationwide through false statements and misrepresentations about how contributions to the PIARO PACs would be spent. For example, at PIARO’s direction, the PIARO PACs misrepresented to donors that donations would be used to advance specific legislation, educate lawmakers, and conduct and fund research, when PIARO did not and did not intend to follow through on those representations.
If you believe you are a victim of fraud perpetrated by PIARO, please contact [email protected] or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, and find more information here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/united-states-v-robert-piaro.
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PIARO, 74, of Fredonia, Wisconsin, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection with telemarketing, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. PIARO is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Subramanian on April 14, 2025.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca T. Dell and Jane Kim are in charge of the prosecution.
Operators of Cryptocurrency Mixers Charged with Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia returned an indictment on Jan. 7 charging three Russian nationals for their involvement in operating the cryptocurrency mixing services Blender.io and Sinbad.io. Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko and Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik were arrested on Dec. 1, 2024, roughly a year after Sinbad.io’s online infrastructure was seized as part of a coordinated law enforcement action among the Netherlands’ Financial Intelligence and Investigative Service, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI. The third defendant, Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov, remains at large.
“According to the indictment, the defendants operated cryptocurrency ‘mixers’ that served as safe havens for laundering criminally derived funds, including the proceeds of ransomware and wire fraud,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent S. Wible, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. “By allegedly operating these mixers, the defendants made it easier for state-sponsored hacking groups and other cybercriminals to profit from offenses that jeopardized both public safety and national security. The indictment and arrests announced today, which follow the earlier takedown of the defendants’ criminal infrastructure, yet again demonstrate the value of our international partnerships in countering the global threat from cybercrime.”
“Blender.io and Sinbad.io were allegedly used by criminals across the world to launder funds stolen from victims of ransomware, virtual currency thefts, and other crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “This indictment demonstrates our continued commitment to dismantling infrastructure used by cybercriminals to steal from Americans and hide their ill-gotten gains.”
“Last year, with the assistance of our international partners, we successfully dismantled Sinbad.io,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Sean Burke of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “However, we did not rest with this initial success. We maintained our focus on identifying the individuals responsible for its development and ensuring their accountability. These indictments serve as a testament to the power of international cooperation.”
According to court documents and publicly available information, Blender.io and Sinbad.io were cryptocurrency mixers that allowed their users, for a fee, to send cryptocurrency to designated recipients in a manner designed to hide the source of the cryptocurrency. Blender.io and Sinbad.io were available for use by the public via the internet and used by criminals looking to distance themselves from the fact that their funds came from cryptocurrency thefts, ransomware attacks, and other crimes.
Blender.io operated from approximately 2018 to 2022. The service was advertised on a popular internet forum as having a “No Logs Policy” and deleting any traces of user transactions. Additionally, in the advertisement, Blender was described as not requiring users to sign up, register, or “provide any kind of detail except the receiving address!” The advertisement asserted that, “[a]s there are no personal details asked for, there’s no way your identity is compromised, or can be linked back to, because as far as blender.io goes they don’t know who you are.” After Blender.io shut down, Sinbad.io began operating a few months later. Like Blender.io, Sinbad.io provided users with Bitcoin concealment services. And, on November 27, 2023, Sinbad.io was taken down through law enforcement action.
Both Blender.io and Sinbad.io have been sanctioned by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). On May 6, 2022, OFAC sanctioned Blender.io, citing its use by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to launder stolen virtual currency. OFAC’s public sanctions announcement also explained that Blender.io laundered funds for multiple ransomware groups. On Nov. 29, 2023, OFAC sanctioned Sinbad.io, publicly citing its use by a DPRK state-sponsored hacking group and cybercriminals to obfuscate transactions linked to other criminal offenses.
Ostapenko, 55, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Oleynik, 44, and Tarasov, 32, are both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy count and five years in prison for each unlicensed money transmitting business count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Netherlands’ Public Prosecution Service and Fiscal Information and Investigative Service made significant contributions to the case, including to the disruption of the Sinbad mixer, and provided other valuable assistance. Significant support was also provided by the Australian Federal Police and Attorney-General’s Department, and Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Ethan Cantor of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, who is a member of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maxwell Coll for the Central District of California provided significant assistance.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Operators of Cryptocurrency Mixers Charged with Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
ATLANTA –Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko, Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik, and Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their involvement in operating the cryptocurrency mixing services Blender.io and Sinbad.io.
“Blender.io and Sinbad.io were allegedly used by criminals across the world to launder funds stolen from victims of ransomware, virtual currency thefts, and other crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This indictment demonstrates our continued commitment to dismantling infrastructure used by cybercriminals to steal from Americans and hide their ill-gotten gains.”
“According to the indictment, the defendants operated cryptocurrency ‘mixers’ that served as safe havens for laundering criminally derived funds, including the proceeds of ransomware and wire fraud,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent S. Wible, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. “By allegedly operating these mixers, the defendants made it easier for state-sponsored hacking groups and other cybercriminals to profit from offenses that jeopardized both public safety and national security. The indictment and arrests announced today, which follow the earlier takedown of the defendants’ criminal infrastructure, yet again demonstrate the value of our international partnerships in countering the global threat from cybercrime.”
“Last year, with the assistance of our international partners, we successfully dismantled Sinbad.io. However, we did not rest with this initial success. We maintained our focus on identifying the individuals responsible for its development and ensuring their accountability,” said Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “These indictments serve as a testament to the power of international cooperation.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the indictment, and publicly available information: Blender.io and Sinbad.io were cryptocurrency mixers that allowed their users, for a fee, to send cryptocurrency to designated recipients in a manner designed to hide the source of the cryptocurrency. Blender.io and Sinbad.io were available for use by the public via the internet and used by criminals looking to distance themselves from the fact that their funds came from cryptocurrency thefts, ransomware attacks, and other crimes.
Blender.io operated from approximately 2018 to 2022. The service was advertised on a popular internet forum as having a “No Logs Policy” and deleting any traces of user transactions. Additionally, in the advertisement, Blender was described as not requiring users to sign up, register, or “provide any kind of detail except the receiving address!” The advertisement asserted that, “[a]s there are no personal details asked for, there’s no way your identity is compromised, or can be linked back to, because as far as blender.io goes they don’t know who you are.” After Blender.io shut down, Sinbad.io began operating a few months later. Like Blender.io, Sinbad.io provided users with Bitcoin concealment services. And, on November 27, 2023, Sinbad.io was taken down through law enforcement action.
Both Blender.io and Sinbad.io have been sanctioned by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). On May 6, 2022, OFAC sanctioned Blender.io, citing its use by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to launder stolen virtual currency. OFAC’s public sanctions announcement also explained that Blender.io laundered funds for multiple ransomware groups. On November 29, 2023, OFAC sanctioned Sinbad.io, publicly citing its use by a DPRK state-sponsored hacking group and cybercriminals to obfuscate transactions linked to other criminal offenses.
Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko, 55, of Russia, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik, 44, of Russia, and Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov, 32, of Russia, are both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Ostapenko and Oleynik were arrested on December 1, 2024, roughly a year after Sinbad.io’s online infrastructure was seized as part of a coordinated law enforcement action, while Tarasov remains at large.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The Netherlands’ Public Prosecution Service and Fiscal Information and Investigative Service made significant contributions to the case, including to the disruption of the Sinbad.io mixer, and provided other valuable assistance. Significant support was also provided by the Australian Federal Police and Attorney-General’s Department, and Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal, Trial Attorney Ethan Cantor of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and member of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team are prosecuting the case. Significant assistance was also provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maxwell Coll of the Central District of California.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Omaha Woman Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine ChargeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Aleah Meyer, age 27, of Omaha, Nebraska was sentenced on January 10, 2025, in federal court in Omaha after having pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Meyer to 84 months’ imprisonment and to forfeit $7,613. There is no parole in the federal system. After Meyer’s release from prison, she will begin a 4-year term of supervised release.
On March 30, 2023, and April 11, 2023, law enforcement utilized a confidential source to purchase 1-pound of meth from a Mexico-based source of supply. The drug transactions were arranged through text messages with the source and codefendant, Leonires Perez-Gonzales, both coordinating with the Mexico-based source of supply.
During the April 11, 2023, transaction, the source met with codefendant Perez-Gonzales at an Omaha location where the drug transaction took place inside of the codefendant’s vehicle. The codefendant was driving while Aleah Meyer was in the front passenger seat when the codefendant sold 1 pound of meth to the source for $2,500.
On April 18, 2023, officers executed a search warrant at Meyer’s Omaha apartment. Officers found the codefendant packing a vehicle in front of the apartment. During the search warrant, officers located: a semi-automatic black Sccy Industries 9 mm handgun, semi-automatic Glock 48 9mm handgun, another Glock 48 9mm handgun, a semi-automatic F1 firearms 5.56 rifle, a F.N. Model Scar 17 .762 Caliber rifle, a safe containing 900.4 grams of meth, $7,613 U.S. currency in drug proceeds, a drug ledger, another bag with 234.7 grams of meth, a digital scale, and various amounts of ammunition. Testing established that the codefendant’s and Meyer’s DNA were on multiple firearms seized in this case. By pleading guilty, Meyer gave up any right or claim to the money and firearms seized in this case.
Codefendant Perez-Gonzales had previously pled to drug and gun charges and was sentenced to 248 months’ imprisonment on May 10, 2024.
This case was the result of an investigation by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Corbin Rhine, age 33, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced January 10, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for distribution of fentanyl. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Rhine to 188 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Rhine is released from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
On June 14, 2023, Rhine distributed fentanyl to an individual at the Candlewood Suites hotel. The individual overdosed and passed away after ingesting the fentanyl distributed by Rhine. Video from the hotel and the download of the victim’s phone and Facebook account confirmed Rhine went to the hotel to distribute two M30 fentanyl pills.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration.
Oklahoma City Pilot Pleads Guilty to Transporting Firearm in Aircraft from Mexico to OklahomaRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, AIMAN SOBHY ELKHATIB, 31, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to engaging in interstate transportation of a firearm while under indictment, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On June 17, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned a two-count Superseding Indictment against Elkhatib, charging him with transportation of a firearm while under indictment and bringing in certain aliens. According to public record, on April 25, 2024, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received information that an aircraft had unlawfully entered the United States from Mexico and failed to stop for a customs inspection. Agents encountered the aircraft at Sundance Airport in Yukon, Oklahoma, where it was occupied by Elkhatib and another individual. Upon searching the aircraft, agents found and seized a firearm. At the time of the incident, Elkhatib was under criminal indictment in Oklahoma County District Court, where he previously pleaded guilty to larceny of an automobile, second degree burglary, and possession of a firearm while in the commission of a felony in case number CF-2023-940.
Yesterday, Elkhatib pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Superseding Indictment, and admitted he flew from Mexico through Texas to Yukon, Oklahoma, in an aircraft he knew contained a firearm.
At sentencing, Elkhatib faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
This case is the result of an investigation by HSI, Customs and Border Protection, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Air and Marine Operations Center. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bow Bottomly is prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
North Louisiana Man Convicted by Federal Jury of Sexual Exploitation, Trafficking and Production of Child Pornography Involving Children in the PhilippinesRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Richard Dean Hicks, 68, of Pioneer, Louisiana, has been convicted by a jury in Monroe following a three-day trial. United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty presided over the trial.
Hicks was charged in a superseding indictment September 27, 2023, with attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of sex trafficking of a minor, one count of promotion and solicitation of child pornography and five counts of attempted production of child pornography. The charges in the indictment stemmed from a nationwide investigation that began in 2012 into individuals who were soliciting child sex traffickers in the Philippines to share child sexual abusive material (CSAM) via live stream video. The individuals under investigation paid money for the child sex traffickers in the Philippines to sexually abuse children, while they watched and directed the sex trafficker’s sexual abuse of the children.
Through this investigation, agents with Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at a residence in Philadelphia. As a result of evidence obtained, agents were able to identify an individual in the Philippines who was selling the sexually explicit live webcam shows of female adults engaging in the sexual abuse of underage children. Further investigation led to the identification of an individual in Louisiana, later identified as Hicks, who had been communicating with multiple females in the Philippines. From December 2017 through July 2020, Hicks and the females in the Philippines shared approximately 500 text messages and live video Skype calls wherein Hicks would pay the Philippine females to sexually abuse children as young as 5 years of age while he watched and told the women the type of sexual abuse he wanted them to perform on the children.
Evidence was introduced at trial proving that Hicks had communicated with these females in the Philippines via text messages and Skype video calls and paid money through Western Union on numerous occasions to view these individuals performing sexually explicit acts with underage children. The payments ranged from $25 to $120.
On May 31, 2022, agents obtained a federal search warrant for Hicks’ residence in Pioneer, Louisiana, and seized all of his computers and other electronic equipment used to participate in watching these sex shows in exchange for money.
The jury took just 2½ hours to reach their verdict of guilty on all counts in the indictment. Hicks was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service immediately following the verdict. Hicks faces a sentence not less than 15 years and up to life in prison, followed by up to lifetime supervised release, and a fine of up to $ 250,000. His sentencing will be set at a later date.
“This case involves some of the most heinous forms of child abuse that we have seen,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “It is because of the determination and hard work of the agents with Homeland Security Investigations that this international investigation led to north Louisiana and the home of this defendant. Children should never be exposed to this kind of abuse and it is our calling to continue fighting to stop this kind of illegal activity by defendants like Hicks.”
"This type of abuse is uniquely insidious. Criminal buyers like Hicks pay to direct adults to sexually abuse children in other countries on livestreams that are challenging for investigators to find and disrupt. Despite the complexity of this case the jury saw the magnitude of the crime and their verdict sends the message those who victimize children will be held accountable. HSI will never cease in our efforts to dismantle these abuse networks and seek justice for the children they victimize,” said Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune for Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans.
The defendant who was arrested in Philadelphia was sentenced to 228 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. The female subjects in the Philippines are still the subject of a joint ongoing investigation with the Philippines and U.S. law enforcement. Numerous other females have been arrested. Pursuant to this investigation, there have been over 300 children rescued to date.
The case was investigated by HSI New Orleans with assistance from HSI New England, divisions of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Casey N. Richmond and J. Luke Walker.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced to Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DARRION YOUNG, age 40, of New Orleans, Louisiana was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brandon S. Long to 207 months incarceration for pleading guilty to Counts 1 through Count 6 of the Indictment. Judge Long ordered that YOUNG shall be on supervised release for a term of four (4) years following his release from imprisonment. BANKS was also ordered to pay a $600 mandatory special assessment fee.
Count One charged YOUNG with carjacking, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1). Count Two charged YOUNG with brandishing, using, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(ii). Count Three charged YOUNG with distribution of a controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C). Count Four charged YOUNG with possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). Count Five charged YOUNG with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Count Six charged YOUNG with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, On January 13, 2022, at approximately 9:40 PM, NOPD responded to a corner store near 1527 Saint Phillip Street for a reported carjacking. There, NOPD spoke with the victim, who stated that YOUNG had forcefully put a gun to her and took her vehicle, a Ford Fusion. YOUNG intended to cause death or seriously bodily harm when he took the vehicle. The vehicle was not manufactured in the state of Louisiana and thus had been transported in interstate commerce prior to the carjacking. January 14, 2022, YOUNG was observed parked in the 1800 block of Touro in a Ford Fusion. Agents captured a still photo of the vehicle from the pole camera and showed it to the carjacking victim, who positively identified it as the vehicle YOUNG carjacked.
FBI agents proceeded to the 1800 block of Touro Street and set up physical surveillance on the vehicle. Soon after, agents observed YOUNG get into the vehicle and drive away. Agents followed the vehicle to Stephen Girard Street and Montegut Drive, where they conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle. There were two males inside the car, YOUNG was the driver. The vehicle was searched and these items were found One black Smith & Wesson SD40VE model, .40 caliber handgun, bearing serial number FWX8936 (driver’s seat), 2.5 grams of cocaine (in bag near center console), 6.7 grams of fentanyl (in bag near center console), and 71 MDMA pills (in bag near center console).
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 track violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New Orleans Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maurice Landrieu of the Narcotics Unit and Mike Trummel of the Violent Crimes Unit.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Gun and and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DERICK GETTRIDGE, age 27, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on December 17, 2024, by United States District Judge Brandon S. Long, after previously pleading guilty to Counts 1 and 2 of an indictment. The indictment charged GETTRIDGE with possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(D) (Count 1); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(a)(A) (Count 2).
GETTRIDGE was sentenced to a total of 63 months in prison, comprising of 3 months for Count 1 and 60 months for Count 2, to be served consecutively. Additionally, Judge Long ordered a 4-year term of supervised release and imposed a mandatory special assessment fee of $200.
According to court documents, New Orleans Police Department officers stopped GETTRIDGE for traffic violations. During a search of his vehicle, the officers found three digital scales, sandwich baggies, and two Glock pistols, which GETTRIDGE admitted that he possessed in the furtherance of his narcotics trafficking. Police officers also discovered $892.00 in U.S. currency in GETTRIDGE’s pocket.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Troy Bell of the Violent Crimes Unit.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Violating Federal Gun Control and Federal Controlled Substances ActsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MARCUS THEODORE (“THEODORE”), age 33, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty on January 10, 2025, before United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion, to violating the Federal Gun Control Act and the Federal Controlled Substances Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, law enforcement learned that THEODORE was distributing narcotics around the former Calliope Projects. The FBI developed confidential sources who then made a series of controlled purchases of heroin/fentanyl from THEODORE and his drug trafficking associates starting in mid-2022 and continuing through early 2023. As a result, the FBI initiated Title III intercepts of two of THEODORE’s phones in February 2023.
During the wires, the FBI confirmed that THEODORE had been distributing anywhere from small user amounts to several ounces of narcotics daily, and sometimes larger quantities, for several months. In conjunction with the wires coming down in March 2023, the FBI obtained several federal search warrants related to THEODORE. On March 15, 2023, FBI agents stopped THEODORE as he was driving. In THEODORE’s waistband, agents discovered a Glock Model 19, nine-millimeter semi-automatic handgun, bearing serial number BKZX752, with a round in the chamber. In THEODORE’s coat pocket, agents recovered approximately 50.4 grams of a substance, packaged in clear plastic baggies, suspected to be a heroin/fentanyl mixture. During the execution of a search warrants, agents located approximately 165.8 grams of fentanyl, as well as the accoutrement of drug processing.
THEODORE was previously convicted in state court of attempted possession with the intent to distribute heroin, manslaughter and attempted manslaughter, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and, as such, was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
THEODORE was charged federally with conspiring to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Because his prior manslaughter conviction counts as a serious violent felony, THEODORE was also charged with a recidivist enhancement that increased the potential penalty for the drug crimes.
On January 10, 2025, THEODORE pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He also conceded that the recidivist enhancement based on his prior manslaughter conviction applied.
Judge Papillion set sentencing for April 22, 2025. The maximum penalties THEODORE facesare as follows. For possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, imprisonment of at least ten years up to life in prison, up to a $8,000,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release. For possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, a term of he faces imprisonment of at least five years up to life in prison that must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. For being a felon in possession of a firearm, a term of he faces imprisonment of up to fifteen years, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. In total, THEODORE faces a mandatory minimum of at least 15 years up to a maximum of life imprisonment. As to each count to which THEODORE pled guilty, he also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel and PSN Coordinator.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Federal Drug and Weapons ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SHANE BOLDEN (“BOLDEN”), age 25, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty on January 8, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk, to possession with intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(D), and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
According to court documents, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) executed a search warrant at BOLDEN’s residence on April 8, 2024. NOPD recovered over a pound of marijuana that BOLDEN intended to sell, and eight firearms that belonged to BOLDEN: a Glock Model 33, .357 caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 15 armor-piercing rounds; a Glock Model 23, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 22 hollow point rounds; a Zastava Arms Model PAP M85 NP, 5.56 millimeter caliber semi-automatic pistol; a Stag Arms Model Stag-15, multi-caliber semi-automatic pistol; a Romarm/Cugir Model Mini Draco, 7.62 millimeter caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 30 rounds; a Glock Model 19x, 9 millimeter caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 16 red-tip hollow point rounds; a Diamondback Arms Model DB380, .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with eight rounds; and a stolen Glock Model 22, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol. BOLDEN is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of prior felony convictions, including a conviction for possession with intent to distribute marijuana. NOPD also recovered over $108,000 in cash belonging to BOLDEN. BOLDEN has agreed to forfeit all of the firearms and cash to the United States government.
As to his conviction for possession with intent to distribute marijuana, BOLDEN faces up to five years in prison and a minimum of two years of supervised release. As to his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm, he faces up to 15 years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. Each count also carries up to a $250,000 fine and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.
Mount Vernon Police Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Depriving an Individual of His Constitutional RightsRead the Press Release
Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MARIO STEWART, a Sergeant with the Mount Vernon Police Department (“MVPD”), pled guilty today to using excessive force against an individual (the “Victim”) while in Mount Vernon, New York, in violation of the Victim’s rights under the U.S. Constitution. STEWART pled guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause.
Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said: “Mario Stewart betrayed his duty as a Sergeant with the Mount Vernon Police Department. Stewart was called to the scene to aid a person in emotional distress. But instead of rendering aid, he deployed his taser on the individual seven times in the span of roughly two minutes, while the individual was helpless, and while several other MVPD officers were on scene to assist. This Office will fiercely protect constitutional rights and hold accountable those who abuse their authority to violate those rights.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and statements made in court:
On or about March 26, 2019, STEWART was employed as a Sergeant with the Mount Vernon Police Department. STEWART was assigned to the MVPD’s Emergency Services Unit, which is responsible for, among other things, responding to individuals who are experiencing mental health crises. On that day, STEWART and six other MVPD officers received a call to assist the Victim in Mount Vernon, New York, as the Victim was experiencing a mental health crisis.
At the scene, STEWART and the other MVPD officers restrained the Victim, handcuffing his hands behind his back and securing his legs in a restraint bag in preparation to transport the Victim for medical assistance. When the MVPD officers were unable to pull the restraint bag over the Victim’s chest because the Victim was holding onto one of the bag’s straps, STEWART directed the Victim to release the strap. While STEWART deployed his taser all seven times, the Victim remained laying on the ground, handcuffed with his hands behind his back and his legs secured in the restraint bag. STEWART’s actions caused bodily injury to the Victim, including extreme pain.
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STEWART, 46, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the Mount Vernon Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit in the Criminal Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg and Jared Hoffman are in charge of the prosecution.
McAlester Resident Sentenced for Illegal Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Arlo Christopher Jordan, age 26, of McAlester, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for illegal possession of ammunition.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office.
On July 16, 2024, Jordan pleaded guilty to one count of Felon in Possession of Ammunition. According to investigators, on January 11, 2024, officers discovered Jordan in possession of 270 Winchester ammunition. Jordan possessed the ammunition despite knowing that he had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Jordan will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Robinson represented the United States.
Matthew W. Cheney Appointed as Acting U.S. Trustee for Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of ColumbiaRead the Press Release
Matthew W. Cheney has been appointed by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland as the Acting U.S. Trustee for Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia (Region 4) effective Jan. 11. Cheney replaces Gerard R. Vetter, who continues to serve as the Assistant U.S. Trustee for the Baltimore office of the U.S. Trustee Program (USTP).
Cheney joined the USTP in 2015 as the Assistant U.S. Trustee for the office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and will remain in that role while overseeing Region 4. He is co-chair of the USTP’s Quarterly Fees Working Group, which develops guidance for the USTP’s collection of quarterly fees in chapter 11 bankruptcy cases and provides support for litigation involving chapter 11 fee issues. He also serves the Program as a member of the Data Integrity Group, which monitors the accuracy and integrity of the USTP’s information collection systems. Previously, as an attorney in private practice in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Cheney represented clients including a private chapter 7 trustee and creditors in complex bankruptcy cases and other litigation.
Cheney received a bachelor’s degree in social science from Michigan State University and a law degree from Ohio Northern University, where he was managing editor of the law review. After law school, Cheney clerked for Judges E. Stephen Derby and James F. Schneider of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland.
The Executive Office for U.S. Trustees made the announcement.
The USTP’s mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of all stakeholders – debtors, creditors and the public. The USTP consists of 21 regions with 89 field offices nationwide and an Executive Office in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the USTP at www.justice.gov/ust.
Man Arrested After Threats to “Hunt Down” Corporate Executives and Their FamiliesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wendell man was arrested on a criminal complaint for the interstate communication of threats toward executives at Advanced Auto Parts.
“Whether targeting a kid in a classroom or a boss in a boardroom, we won’t normalize violent threats meant to intimidate workers or strike fear in families. Threats to kill are not how we resolve differences in America, and it’s a federal crime,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “We’ll take swift action against anyone threatening an American anywhere in the world for what they believe, how they pray, or where they work. Period.”
According to court documents, on December 6, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was contacted by Advance Auto Parts about threatening messages sent through the company’s website demanding the company change the “moron who administrates your app and webpage” and provided a deadline of December 25. If the company did not comply, the customer stated threats such as:
“I live in Raleigh and am an expert sniper…I vow that I will hunt down your entire executive board and put bullets in their FAMILIES…there will be no stopping me from punishing your executives by murdering their families for refusing to improve the accuracy of your website search function.”
The complaint alleges that, through investigative means, law enforcement determined that Edward Scott Huffman, 46 of Wendell, sent the messages. The complaint alleges that Huffman was interviewed and admitted to sending the messages. The complaint further alleges that, during a search of Huffman’s cellphone, law enforcement found a picture of a rifle mounted with a scope and a text message conversation in which Huffman stated he would have murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, if he was given $50,000 and a rifle that couldn’t be traced back to him.
Huffman is charged with one count of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The FBI and Wendell Police Department are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonard Champaign is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Low-Income Housing Employee Sentenced for Stealing Rent MoneyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile woman was sentenced today to 14 months in federal prison for stealing rent money for government-assisted low-income housing.
According to court documents, Shannon Caruso, age 48, of Mobile, was employed as a property manager by two different government housing authorities that providing affordable housing to low-income individuals in the Mobile area. Caruso admitted that while working for both housing authorities, she fraudulently convinced renters that they needed to make rent checks out to her or to give her their rent checks with the payee line blank. Rather than depositing this rent money with her employer, Caruso stole the money for her own use. The two housing authorities absorbed the losses due to Caruso’s theft and did not evict any of the renters who reasonably believed they were properly paying rent by giving their checks to Caruso.
U.S. District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer expounded on how utterly selfish Caruso’s crimes were and how they likely affected innocent people who were already living in a difficult financial situation. Accordingly, Judge Moorer sentenced Caruso to 14 months in federal prison, which was the high end of her advisory sentencing guidelines range.
“Shannon Caruso admitted to using her position as a property manager to exploit the vulnerability of elderly and low-income individuals by stealing their monthly Housing Choice Voucher rent payments and depositing them into her personal bank account,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Jerome Winkle with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General. “HUD OIG will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to diligently pursue and hold accountable individuals who prey on vulnerable members of our community.”
“Stealing the rent money of vulnerable victims was a particularly egregious way for this crook to earn her sentence in federal prison,” said Sean P. Costello, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will hold to account anyone who takes advantage of the citizens of south Alabama.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Birmingham Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Lincoln Woman Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Angela Marie Bryant, age 46, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on January 10, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Bryant to 37 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Bryant’s release from prison, she will serve a 2-year term of supervised release.
In March of 2024, confidential informants working with the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force purchased meth from Bryant’s husband, Maurice Bryant, on two occasions for an estimated total of one ounce. On April 2, 2024, a search warrant was executed at the Bryants’ Lincoln residence, and investigators found a total of approximately 59 grams of meth. Angela Bryant agreed to talk to investigators and admitted selling meth in the Lincoln area to multiple customers. She said she obtained the meth she was selling from her husband.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Distribution of FentanylRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Arnaldo L. Rodriguez Santini, age 37, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on January 10, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln for distribution of fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Rodriguez Santini to 216 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Rodriguez Santini’s release from prison, he will begin a 4-year term of supervised release.
On the morning of June 21, 2022, a Lincoln man was found dead at a Lincoln halfway house. A spoon containing a blue/white substance, a broken pill, and a syringe were found in the man’s room. Two additional blue pills were found in his wallet. Testing at the Nebraska State Patrol laboratory showed the pills found in the victim’s wallet and the substance on the spoon all contained fentanyl. After an autopsy was conducted, it was determined the cause of death was fentanyl toxicity.
Text messages in the victim’s phone led investigators to suspect Rodriguez Santini and his wife, Regina Rodriguez, were the sources for this fentanyl. Rodriguez Santini was interviewed by Lincoln Police officers in August of 2022 about the text messages. He admitted to providing five fentanyl pills to the victim on the day prior to the victim’s death.
Regina Rodriguez was sentenced to 240 months in prison on a related charge in September of 2023.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.
Last Member of Wire Fraud Conspiracy SentencedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Bead Chan, age 23, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced January 8, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for conspiring to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Chan to 4 months’ imprisonment on the wire fraud charge and 24 months’ imprisonment on the aggravated identity theft charge for a total of 28 months. There is no parole in the federal system. After Chan’s release from prison, he will begin a 4-year term of supervised release on both charges.
A task force of Sarpy County, Douglas County, and Pottawattamie County agencies was assembled to investigate a significant spike in the Omaha and Council Bluffs metro areas in burglarized vehicles. The modus operandi of the thefts was that one member of the conspiracy would drive a vehicle slowly through a residential neighborhood while other members of the conspiracy, called “runners,” would enter vehicles parked in driveways or parked on the street outside of the residence and steal property like credit cards, identification, computers, money, and other valuables.
Bead Chan was identified as a member of this conspiracy through his Paypal account, which was linked to several unauthorized transactions using stolen victim cards.
The members of the conspiracy would take the stolen cards from the vehicles to area stores like Wal-Mart and other retailers and buy drinks, food, and prepaid cards that they would load up with money from the stolen cards. They would also purchase money orders to further conceal the source of the proceeds and the money orders would be deposited back to bank accounts or bitcoin accounts belonging to the members of the conspiracy.
Law enforcement was able to identify and arrest all five members of the conspiracy.
Co-conspirator Hassan Mohamed was sentenced on June 12, 2024, to 20 months imprisonment on the wire fraud charge and 24 months on the aggravated identity theft charge for a total of 44 months.
Co-conspirator Hazem Sarmin was sentenced on June 14, 2024, to 18 months imprisonment on the wire fraud charge and 24 months on the aggravated identity theft charge for a total of 42 months.
Co-conspirator Ian Betkie was sentenced on December 5, 2024, to 4 months imprisonment on the wire fraud charge and 24 months on the aggravated identity theft charge for a total of 28 months.
Co-conspirator and ringleader Abas Ali was sentenced on November 8, 2024, to 27 months imprisonment on the wire fraud charge and 24 months on the aggravated identity theft charge for a total of 51 months.
This case was investigated by the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Lake Charles Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Joseph Carlton Etienne, 40, of Lake Charles was sentenced this week in the Lake Charles Division of the Western District of Louisiana. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced Etienne to 71 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a firearm.
According to information presented in court, on or about September 7, 2022, Etienne was located at a Dollar General by detectives with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office for outstanding warrants. Etienne attempted to leave the Dollar General after observing law enforcement there and he was stopped and arrested. Law enforcement officers found Etienne in possession of a Glock 9mm handgun and ammunition inside his vehicle. Etienne has several prior felony convictions, including possession of controlled dangerous substances, resisting an officer, and attempted possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and knew he was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment in March 2024 charging him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Etienne pleaded guilty to the charge on September 6, 2024, and admitted to possessing the firearm and ammunition knowing he was prohibited from doing so.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Casey N. Richmond.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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Kenton County Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A Kenton County man, Frank Long, 53, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, before U.S. District Judge David Bunning, to illegal possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
According to his plea agreement, on November 1, 2024, law enforcement responded to a call for service, after someone identified a man urinating in public. Upon arriving at the scene, officers identified Long and his vehicle and approached him, detecting a strong odor of alcohol and finding a handgun in between the center console and the front passenger seat. Long was arrested for alcohol intoxication and a further search of his vehicle found five loaded firearms.
An investigation then revealed that Long has an active Domestic Violence Order, from Scott County, Kentucky, that was issued on April 20, 2022 and effective for three years.
“The defendant was in possession of several loaded firearms, despite the fact he was subject to a domestic violence protective order, a dangerous and potentially deadly combination,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “The critical teamwork of several law enforcement partners will now hold him accountable for his violation of federal law, and will inspire our combined efforts to make our communities safer.”
“Outcomes like this clearly show the continued importance of collaboration in protecting Kentucky families,” said Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General. “I’m proud of our colleagues from the Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) who worked with federal and local law enforcement to apprehend this dangerous suspect before he could further harm our Commonwealth.”
United States Attorney Shier; Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Attorney General Coleman; and Chief Kyle Rader, Erlanger Police Department, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, and Erlanger Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Leonhard is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Long is scheduled to be sentenced on April 25, 2025. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.
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Kearney Woman Sentenced to over 5 Years for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Jade Summers, age 42, of Kearney, Nebraska was sentenced on January 10, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for one count of distribution of 5 grams or more of meth. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Summers to a total of 60 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Summers’ release from prison, she will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
On April 4, 2023, a Confidential Informant (“CI”) set up a controlled purchase of meth from Jade Summers. Summers agreed to sell ¼ pound of meth. Law enforcement provided the CI with $1,600 to purchase the meth and video/audio recording devices for the controlled buy. The purchase occurred in Grand Island, Nebraska. The CI purchased the meth from Summers and the meth was packaged in three baggies. The State Crime Lab confirmed that the substance was meth and that it weighed over 100 grams. The largest baggie was confirmed to have a purity of 100% and to contain at least 55 grams of meth actual.
This case was investigated by the Tri-City Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT). TRIDENT is a task force with law enforcement personnel from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Hastings Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Kearney Police Department, and the Nebraska State Patrol.
KC Sex Offender Indicted for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to child pornography.
Bryan Keith Rice, 50, was charged in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Rice is required to register as a sex offender due to his prior felony conviction for possessing child pornography.
The federal indictment charges Rice with three counts of transporting child pornography across state lines, one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison D. Dunning. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigation, the Platte County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Jackson County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Justice Department Sues to Block Global Business Travel Group’s Proposed Acquisition of CWT HoldingsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today to stop Global Business Travel Group Inc. (Amex GBT), the largest business travel management company in the world, from acquiring its rival, CWT Holdings LLC (CWT), the third-largest business travel management company in the world. The complaint, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that the proposed $570 million transaction — Amex GBT’s fifth acquisition of another travel management company since 2018 — would harm competition for business travel management services to U.S. global and multinational businesses.
“American businesses rely on travel management companies to connect employees, control travel costs, make travel booking and expense management easier, and ensure their employees’ safety during travel,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “This acquisition is the latest in a series of acquisitions by Amex GBT that will further consolidate an already consolidated market with only a handful of competitive options capable of serving customers with the most need for travel management services. American businesses will face the consequences, seeing higher prices, less innovation and fewer choices.”
As alleged in the complaint, Amex GBT and CWT anticipated that the proposed acquisition would harm competition and benefit the merged firm at the expense of its customers. The complaint alleges that senior Amex GBT executives viewed the acquisition as an opportunity for “consolidation” of the market for business travel management services for global and multinational customers and a respite from its recent customer losses to CWT. The complaint further alleges that Amex GBT recognized that its valuation of the proposed acquisition should reflect the financial benefit of avoiding future loss business to CWT. For example, its CEO wrote to its president that the company “need[ed] to consider how much we might lose to [CWT] each year in a [business as usual] scenario.” During deal negotiations, CWT’s owners likewise believed Amex GBT should pay a higher price for CWT in recognition of the increased revenues Amex GBT would enjoy post-merger due to the reduction in “price pressure” from “removing [a] big competitor.”
The complaint alleges that the combination of Amex GBT and CWT would combine two of the three largest players in business travel management services for global and multinational companies located in the United States, giving the combined firm a significant share in a market that one of the largest owners of CWT has acknowledged is “oligopolistic.” Few other companies can effectively provide travel management services to global and multinational companies located in the United States at the scale of Amex GBT and CWT.
Today, Amex GBT and CWT compete fiercely to provide travel management services for large businesses and those with complex travel needs. CWT had recently begun pursuing new and innovative strategies to improve service and reduce prices in order to win over business from Amex GBT. As a result, Amex GBT recently lost several significant bid opportunities for large business customers to CWT. If Amex GBT is permitted to acquire CWT, this intense competition would be lost, risking higher prices, less innovation and fewer choices — costs that will be borne by the many businesses and employees for whom these services are critical to their productivity and operations.
Amex GBT is a publicly traded Delaware corporation with its principal executive office located in New York City and its operational headquarters located in London. In 2023, Amex GBT managed a total transaction value of approximately $28.2 billion, earning revenues of $2.29 billion.
CWT is a privately held company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota. In 2023, CWT managed a total transaction volume of approximately $14 billion, earning revenues of about $850 million.
Justice Department Secures Civil Forfeiture of over $20M in Foreign Bribery and Money Laundering Proceeds from Venezuelan Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Jan. 8, U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian entered a final judgment forfeiting to the United States over $20 million in foreign bribery and money laundering proceeds, including interest.
On Aug. 9, 2023, the Justice Department filed a civil forfeiture complaint against approximately $21,248,434.25 in U.S. currency alleging that the funds were proceeds of foreign bribery and money laundering offenses. As alleged in the complaint, from 2008 to 2014, a Venezuelan national, Naman Wakil, controlled a number of companies that sold food products to Venezuela’s state-owned food agency, Corporacion de Abastecimiento y Servicios Agricola (CASA). To obtain these food contracts, Wakil paid tens of millions of dollars in bribes to multiple presidents of CASA. As a result of those bribes, Wakil, through his companies, obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in proceeds into accounts he controlled in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland. Wakil laundered the proceeds from the scheme into South Florida and elsewhere.
“This forfeiture is a reminder that the United States is prepared to uphold the integrity of the U.S. financial system against those who elect to launder ill-gotten gains by depositing and transferring those funds through U.S. financial accounts and acquiring assets in an attempt to cover their tracks,” said Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
“This significant forfeiture underscores the HSI Miami El Dorado Task Force’s commitment to safeguarding the U.S. financial system from illicit activities. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that those who seek to launder money through our financial institutions are held accountable," said José R. Figueroa Acting Special Agent in Charge Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami.
“This announcement underscores our commitment to holding accountable those who engage in foreign bribery and money laundering,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Hipkins of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office. “This forfeiture of more than $20 million demonstrates our resolve to disrupt criminal networks and ensure their corrupt practices do not go unpunished. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to combat financial crimes that undermine the rule of law and global stability.”
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of HSI Miami, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Hipkins of IRS-CI Miami Field Office made the announcement.
HSI Miami Field Office and IRS-CI Miami Field Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marx P. Calderón, Michael Berger, and Joshua Paster prosecuted this case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cv-22987.
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Justice Department Announces Results of Review and Evaluation of the Tulsa Race MassacreRead the Press Release
Note: View Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke's remarks here.
The Justice Department issued a report today on the Tulsa Race Massacre. The report documents the department’s findings, made during its review and evaluation of the Tulsa Race Massacre, undertaken pursuant to the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act. The Civil Rights Division previously announced it was undertaking this review during a Cold Case Convening held on Sept. 30, 2024.
“The Tulsa Race Massacre stands out as a civil rights crime unique in its magnitude, barbarity, racist hostility and its utter annihilation of a thriving Black community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “In 1921, white Tulsans murdered hundreds of residents of Greenwood, burned their homes and churches, looted their belongings, and locked the survivors in internment camps. Until this day, the Justice Department has not spoken publicly about this race massacre or officially accounted for the horrific events that transpired in Tulsa. This report breaks that silence by rigorous examination and a full accounting of one of the darkest episodes of our nation’s past. This report lays bare new information and shows that the massacre was the result not of uncontrolled mob violence, but of a coordinated, military-style attack on Greenwood. Now, more than 100 years later, there is no living perpetrator for the Justice Department to prosecute. But the historical reckoning for the massacre continues. This report reflects our commitment to the pursuit of justice and truth, even in the face of insurmountable obstacles. We issue this report with recognition of the courageous survivors who continue to share their testimonies, acknowledgement of those who tragically lost their lives and appreciation for other impacted individuals and advocates who collectively push for us to never forget this tragic chapter of America’s history.”
The report documenting the department’s findings on the Tulsa Race Massacre, examines events that occurred between on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when white Tulsans mounted a concerted effort to destroy a vibrant Black community, remembered today as Black Wall Street. During the massacre, hundreds of Black residents were murdered, their businesses and homes burned to the ground and their money and personal property stolen. Survivors were left without resources or recourse. In the aftermath, the City of Tulsa resisted offers of meaningful help to the victims and utterly failed to provide necessary aid or assistance, and efforts to seek justice through the courts foundered.
Despite the gravity of the department’s findings, it is clear that no avenue of prosecution now exists for crimes that occurred during the massacre — the youngest potential defendants would today be more than 115 years old, and the relevant statutes of limitations expired decades ago. Nevertheless, as the federal government’s first thorough reckoning with this devastating event, our review officially acknowledges, illuminates and preserves for history the horrible ordeals of the massacre’s victims. As antilynching advocate Ida B. Wells said, “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” This report aims to do just that.
The Nature of the Review
A team of career lawyers and investigators from the Emmett Till Cold Case Unit of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division conducted the review. Members of the unit spoke with survivors and with descendants of survivors, examined firsthand accounts of the massacre given by individuals who are now deceased, studied primary source materials, spoke to scholars of the massacre and reviewed legal pleadings, books, and scholarly articles relating to the massacre. The team produced a thorough, 123-page, sourced report.
Factual Findings
The review revealed that, on the night of May 31, 1921, a violent attack by as many as 10,000 white Tulsans destroyed Greenwood, a uniquely prosperous Black community. The attack was so systematic and coordinated that it transcended mere mob violence. The review found that the trigger for the violence of the Tulsa Race Massacre was the kind of unfounded condemnation that, at the time, was commonly employed to justify unspeakable treatment of Black men; a white man alleged that a Black man, 19-year-old Dick Rowland, assaulted a white woman who operated an elevator he used. After Rowland’s arrest, a local newspaper then sensationalized the story and, soon, a mob of white Tulsans gathered outside the courthouse, demanding a lynching.
The local sheriff called on Black men from Greenwood, many recently returned from service during World War I, to come to the courthouse to prevent a lynching. The white mob saw this effort to protect Rowland as an unacceptable challenge to the social order. The mob grew. A confrontation broke out, and when someone fired a shot, horrific violence erupted. The Tulsa police deputized hundreds of white residents, many of whom — immediately before being awarded a badge — had been drinking and agitating for Rowland’s murder. Law enforcement officers helped organize these special deputies — as well as other white Tulsans — into the forces that would eventually ravage the Greenwood community.
Violence was initially unorganized and opportunistic. But at daybreak on June 1, a whistle blew, and the violence and arsons that had been chaotic became systematic. White Tulsans, many of whom had recently drilled together as the “Home Guard,” formed to replace members of the National Guard who had gone overseas during the Great War, became organized and efficient in their destruction. They looted, burned and destroyed 35 city blocks while Greenwood’s residents tried desperately to defend their homes. As the fires consumed Greenwood, many Black families fled for their lives, leaving behind their homes and valuable items. White residents chased them across and beyond the city, taking into custody men, women, children, the elderly and the infirm, and looting the homes they left behind. The destruction of the district was total. The survivors were left with little to nothing.
Law enforcement officers (both from the Tulsa Police and the National Guard) disarmed Black residents, confiscated their weapons and detained many in makeshift camps under armed guard. In addition, there are credible reports that at least some law enforcement officers did more than arrest and detain Black men; some participated in murder, arson and looting. After the devastation, city officials promised to help Greenwood rebuild, but the government of Tulsa not only failed to do so, it put up obstacles to residential reconstruction. White local leaders rejected outside aid, claiming they could handle the recovery, but then provided little to no financial support. Instead, claiming the area was best suited for industrial use, they imposed harsh new fire codes that priced residents out of the area.
Legal Findings
The department’s report concludes that, had today’s more robust civil rights laws been in effect in 1921, federal prosecutors could have pursued hate crime charges against the massacre’s perpetrators, including both public officials and private citizens. In addition, if modern interpretations of civil rights laws were in effect in 1921, police officers, public officials and any who acted in concert with such persons could have been prosecuted for willfully violating the civil rights of massacre victims. Many of these legal avenues, however, were not available in 1921. The few avenues for federal prosecution that were available in 1921 were not pursued.
Now, the statute of limitations has expired for all federal civil rights offenses. Moreover, the team could find no living perpetrators, and prosecution under any law (federal or state) would almost certainly be foreclosed by the Constitution’s Confrontation Clause, which requires the government to provide live witnesses who can be cross examined by the accused. Such witnesses would need to have sufficient knowledge to prove a particular defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The report recognizes that some may find the department’s inability to prosecute a painful or dissatisfying outcome. However, the review recognizes and documents the horrible events that occurred as well as the trauma and loss suffered by the residents of Greenwood. While legal and practical limitations prevent the perpetrators of the crimes committed in 1921 from being held criminally accountable in a court of law, the historical reckoning continues. Legal limitations may have stymied the pursuit of justice, but work continues to ensure that future generations understand the scale and significance of this atrocity.
Following issuance of the report, Assistant Attorney General Clarke will convene with members of the Greenwood District, survivors and descendants of the Tulsa Race Massacre, the Tulsa civil rights community and other stakeholders.
For further information please contact the Office of Public Affairs. If you have information about a civil rights cold case, meaning a hate crime or other civil rights offense that resulted in death and that occurred on or before Dec. 31, 1980, please contact the Civil Rights Division’s Cold Case Unit at [email protected].
James M. Warden, Longest-Serving Assistant U.S. Attorney in the History of the Southern District of Indiana, Retires After Nearly 40 Years of Public ServiceRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS— Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana issued the following statement on the retirement of Assistant United States Attorney, James M. Warden.
“Jim Warden is one of the finest and most dedicated public servants I’ve had the privilege to know. Throughout his career he has demonstrated tremendous commitment to the protecting the public, and holding offenders accountable for the harm they cause in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Myers. “Jim took on many of the most complex and serious prosecutions our office handled, working to master technical issues while representing the United States with unfailing civility and wit. Several generations of prosecutors, professional staff, and agents have benefited from his mentorship, wise counsel, and generosity with his time. I wish Jim and his family nothing but the best in his next chapter and am fortunate to call him a friend.”
Mr. Warden is a native of Bloomington and began serving as an U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana on May 20, 1985, after being selected by then-U.S. Attorney John D. Tinder. Warden retires as the longest-ever serving attorney in the Office’s ninety-seven-year history. His tremendous career spanned seven different Presidentially appointed U.S. Attorneys and twelve Presidentially appointed Attorneys General.
As a federal prosecutor, Warden led investigations and prosecutions of a wide variety of offenses, specializing in prosecution of criminal tax violations, complex frauds, violent crime, and public corruption. Throughout his illustrious career, James Warden has led the Office in prosecuting many ‘firsts,’ including the office’s first money laundering and currency transaction structuring cases.
In 1999, Warden secured the district’s first car-jacking conviction. Warden prosecuted numerous bank robbers, including the Curry Brothers, who robbed four Indiana banks in 2008 and stole over a million dollars before being convicted and sent to federal prison—Daniel Curry was sentenced to 90 years after his conviction at trial.
Warden secured major convictions against many public officials, including former Marion County Chief Deputy Prosecutor David Wyser, who accepted a $2,500 bribe in exchange for approving the early release of a convicted killer in 2013. Warden also served for many years as the office’s lead prosecutor for criminal offenses arising from the Bureau of Prisons’ Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, including murders, assaults against staff, official corruption, and trafficking of weapons and other contraband offenses.
In addition to his accomplishments as a federal prosecutor Warden founded and chaired the Indiana Bank Fraud Working Group for 35 years, led several other financial crime task forces, and mentored and trained many colleagues and investigators along the way.
Warden earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University-Bloomington in 1974, and his law degree from the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis in 1977. He began his legal career as a municipal court public defender in Marion County, before serving for two years as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Hancock County. He served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Marion County from 1979 until joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he held several supervisory and leadership positions, including as lead prosecutor for the white-collar crime unit and grand jury division. Warden proudly and honorably served his country for over thirty years in the United States Navy, rising to the rank of Captain and serving as a military judge.
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Jacksonville Man Sentenced to Fifteen Years as an Armed Career CriminalRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Jucory Randell Kirtsey (44, Jacksonville) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing of a firearm as a convicted felon. Kirtsey qualified for an enhanced sentence as an Armed Career Criminal. He entered a guilty plea on September 5, 2024.
According to court documents, on September 6, 2023, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Kirtsey’s residence due to narcotics activity. Officers located a loaded Taurus pistol inside the home. Kirtsey later admitted to possessing the pistol. As a convicted felon, Kirtsey is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. Kirtsey’s criminal history includes more than 10 felony convictions involving narcotic sales and trafficking.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro.
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.
Independence Man Indicted for Meth Trafficking, Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man who led police officers on a high-speed chase has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally possessing methamphetamine and four firearms.
Clinton W. Davis, 36, was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The federal indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Davis on Dec. 23, 2024.
The federal indictment charges Davis with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Independence police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop at approximately 2:23 a.m. on Dec. 8, 2024. Davis, who was driving a Honda Accord with an expired temporary license, accelerated and led officers in a high-speed chase that reached speeds up to 105 miles per hour on 23rd Street in Independence.
Shortly after Davis drove the Honda over stop sticks, or tire deflation devices, at 23rd Street and Blue Ridge Cutoff, his vehicle was found in the grassy area near the entrance ramp to I-435 northbound from 23rd Street. The Honda had four flat tires and Davis, according to a passenger in the vehicle, had fled on foot. Davis could not be located. Officers searched the Honda and found body armor and a backpack that contained a loaded Glock 9mm semi-automatic firearm and a Ruger .22-caliber semi-automatic firearm. The backpack also contained methamphetamine, mushrooms, and a drug ledger.
On Dec. 20, 2024, officers were conducting surveillance of Davis and followed him as he drove a BMW, which officers later learned had been stolen during a residential burglary, to a gas station. The SWAT team moved in after Davis parked at a gas pump, with law enforcement vehicles blocking his escape by pulling in behind and in front of the BMW. Davis, who initially attempted to drive away, refused to get out of the vehicle. Officers deployed several rounds of CS gas into the vehicle, shattering the windows, as well as one bean bag that struck Davis in the arm. Davis eventually got out of the car and was taken into custody.
Officers searched the BMW and found a loaded Smith & Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic firearm shoved between the driver’s seat and the center console. Officers also found a backpack that contained a loaded Ruger .45-caliber semi-automatic firearm that had been reported stolen, a box of .40-caliber ammunition, and methamphetamine.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Davis has two prior felony convictions for assault, as well as prior felony convictions for possessing methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashleigh A. Ragner. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
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.
Hudson County Convicted Felon Indicted for Possessing A Firearm and an Extended MagazineRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County man has been indicted for a firearms offense, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.
Richard Sharp, 25, of Bayonne, New Jersey and known on social media as “Famous Richard,” is charged with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. He was arrested earlier today and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On July 4, 2024, law enforcement responded to reports of an incident at a gas station in Bayonne, New Jersey. The investigation revealed that during an altercation at the gas station, Sharp had brandished a firearm with an extended magazine and threatened to shoot other people who were at the gas station. Several days later, Sharp posted a video on social media showing him dancing while holding a firearm equipped with an extended magazine.
Subsequently, on July 12, 2024, following a judicially authorized search of Sharp’s residence and vehicle, law enforcement recovering a loaded Beretta M9 semi-automatic handgun with a defaced serial number and an extended magazine that contained approximately 24 rounds of ammunition.
The count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition is punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newark Field Division under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Driscoll, with the investigation. He also thanked the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez and the Bayonne Police Department under the direction of Police Chief Robert Geisler.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Nadel of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Defense counsel: Areeb Salim, Esq.
sharp.indictment.pdfHastings Man Sentenced to over 2 Years for Possession with Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Jesse S. Flanagan, age 36, of Hastings, Nebraska, was sentenced on January 10, 2025, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Flanagan to a total of 28 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Flanagan’s release from prison, he will begin a 2-year term of supervised release.
On September 23, 2023, Flanagan was travelling on Interstate 80 with another individual. Shortly before 4:00 a.m., two Nebraska State Troopers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. Flanagan was identified as the driver and there was another individual in the front passenger seat. Flanagan and the other individual were separated while the troopers asked questions. The front seat passenger admitted that Flanagan had handed her a bag of fentanyl pills to hide from the troopers as they were getting pulled over. The bag was seized, and it was determined that the bag contained 656 pills. The State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed the pills contained fentanyl and that the combined weight of the pills was 69.67 grams.
This case was investigated by the Tri-City Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT). TRIDENT is a task force with law enforcement personnel from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Hastings Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Kearney Police Department, and the Nebraska State Patrol.
Hampton Woman Pleads Guilty to $161 Million Mortgage Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Kimberly Johnson has pleaded guilty for her role in a mortgage fraud scheme spanning more than three years and resulting in the approval of approximately 450 mortgage loans based on fabricated documents and false information. Many of the loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), resulting in claims being paid for mortgages that have defaulted.
“The defendant and her co-conspirators brazenly manipulated the real estate lending process out of sheer greed,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan. “Criminals like Johnson, who engage in mortgage fraud, threaten the soundness of the real estate market in our communities. Our office is committed to prosecuting these bad actors who abuse the system for their personal gain and to safeguard the mortgage lending system for those who rely on this financial support.”
“Kimberly Johnson engaged in a massive mortgage fraud scheme, fabricating material documents on over 450 loans to falsely qualify individuals for loans they would not have otherwise qualified for,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Jerome Winkle with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “When individuals commit fraud against federally funded programs, it creates significant risks to the programs and limits the financial resources available to assist hard working individuals realize the American dream of homeownership. HUD OIG will continue to work with its prosecutorial and law enforcement partners to vigorously pursue those who seek to profit by abusing HUD-funded programs.”
“Ms. Johnson’s guilty plea is the result of our commitment to hold anyone who exploits the mortgage lending system for personal gain fully accountable,” said Edwin S. Bonano, Special Agent in Charge of FHFA-OIG’s Southeast Region. “This case highlights the importance of collaboration between our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the housing market and prevent fraud that undermines public trust.”
“The defendant in this case pleaded guilty for her role in altering and fabricating supporting documents in fraudulent mortgage loan applications, as part of a scheme that resulted in the approval of approximately 450 mortgage loans,” said Kyle A. Myles, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC OIG), Atlanta Region. “The FDIC OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement colleagues to investigate those who commit fraudulent acts and threaten to undermine the safety and soundness of our nation’s financial system.”
“The FBI will vigorously investigate criminal offenses that impact the integrity of the residential mortgage market. In this case, Johnson had the duty to conduct business honestly but instead chose to engage in mortgage fraud, securing mortgages for individuals who otherwise would not have qualified for one,” said Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We are proud to have worked with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the effort to prosecute anyone who engages in this type of misconduct.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Kimberly Johnson participated in a conspiracy in which homebuyers and mortgage brokers submitted fraudulent loan applications to induce mortgage lenders to fund mortgages. Johnson’s role in the scheme was to alter or fabricate the supporting documents for the loans, including bank statements, pay stubs and Forms W-2. Over the course of more than three years, Johnson helped approximately 450 homebuyers to commit mortgage fraud by obtaining loans for which they were unqualified. The fraudulent loan applications were submitted to numerous mortgage lenders, and some of the mortgage brokers who worked on obtaining the loans were part of the conspiracy. These fraudulent loans totaled approximately $161 million. Many of those loans have already defaulted.
Kimberly Johnson, 55, of Hampton, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in a mortgage fraud scheme and, as part of her plea, has agreed to pay restitution to the victims of the conspiracy, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which insures many of the residential mortgages in the United States. Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Geraghty.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Prout is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Guthrie Man Sentenced to Serve 16 Months in Federal Prison for Communicating ThreatsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, JEFFREY ADAM WINDBIGLER, 32, of Guthrie, Oklahoma, was sentenced to serve 16 months in federal prison for communicating a threat, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On February 20, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a four-count Indictment against Windbigler, charging him with four counts of communicating a threat. According to the Indictment, in January 2024, Windbigler posted several threatening messages on social media, where he threatened to kill children and threatened to “shoot up” the Edmond public library, an Oklahoma school, and a Texas school.
On October 31, 2024, Windbigler pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Indictment, and admitted he communicated a threat to kill children, shoot up the Edmond library, and shoot up a school, and that he knew the communication would be viewed as a threat.
At the sentencing hearing today, U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Windbigler to serve 16 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Friot noted Windbigler’s history and characteristics, including his apparent obsession with violence. Judge Friot further noted that his sentence was based, in part, on the need for adequate incapacitation and to deter similar conduct.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Dillon is prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Granite City Postal Carrier Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Credit Cards from the MailRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A southern Illinois district judge sentenced a postal carrier in Granite City to 32 months in federal prison after she admitted to stealing credit cards from the mail and using for personal expenses.
Lakeatra E. White, 32, of Granite City, pleaded guilty in September 2024 to one count of theft of mail by postal employee, one count of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. In addition to imprisonment, White will serve three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $15,209.11 in restitution.
“Mail carriers are entrusted public servants, and postal workers who steal from their customers choose to break that trust,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to partner with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General to hold employees committing fraud accountable.”
While employed as a city carrier assistant at the Granite City Post Office, White stole several mail items from customers on her route containing gift cards, credit cards and credit card information.
According to court documents, she stole credit cards belonging to two victims, in which she tried to rack up personal charges estimated at nearly $27,000. During the investigation, White turned over 115 pieces of mail she had stolen to law enforcement.
“This sentencing represents the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG Special Agents working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges on this significant mail theft investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop, U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office. “The majority of postal employees are hard-working public servants dedicated to moving mail to its proper destination. The USPS OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”
U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General, led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Reed prosecuted the case.
Four Chicago Residents Charged in Federal Court as Part of Drug Trafficking InvestigationRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A drug trafficking investigation centered on the Northwest Side of Chicago has resulted in federal narcotics and firearm charges against four individuals.
The investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations and the Chicago Police Department, utilized covert surveillance operations, undercover narcotics purchases, and wiretapped communications to shut down an open-air drug market in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. As part of the investigation, law enforcement on Wednesday executed a court-authorized search of a residence in Chicago and discovered multi-kilogram quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine packaged for distribution.
Charged with federal drug offenses are JAUAN BROWN, 38, BRIUANNA MOORE, 26, and EYANNA ROSS, 21, all of Chicago. Charged with illegal firearm possession are Brown and WILLIAM DAVIS, 38, of Chicago. The four defendants made their initial appearances on Wednesday in federal court in Chicago.
In addition to the federal charges, 20 individuals were charged in state court as a result of this investigation.
The federal charges were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of HSI in Chicago, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of CPD. Valuable assistance was provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office and the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force (HIDTA). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian F. Williamson and Kate McClelland represent the government in the federal cases.
The case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies.
The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and 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.
ross_complaint.pdf moore_complaint.pdf davis_et_al_complaint.pdf brown_complaint_2.pdf brown_complaint.pdfFort Wayne Man Sentenced to 180 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Zavian I. Kizer, 23 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after he pled guilty to distributing and possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Kizer was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, from 2020 through 2022, Kizer obtained fentanyl pills in Arizona for transportation and distribution in the Northern District of Indiana. He had recruited various individuals to transport the pills to Indiana and thereafter ship the money back to Arizona.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fort Wayne Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which includes the Indiana State Police, the Allen County Sheriff’s Department, and the Fort Wayne Police Department, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s North Central Laboratory, the Phoenix (Arizona) Police Department, the Glendale (Arizona) Police Department, and the Allen County (Indiana) Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony W. Geller and Lesley J. Miller Lowery.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Former Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A former senior partner at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm based in New York, N.Y., that last month agreed to pay $650 million to resolve criminal and civil investigations into the firm’s consulting work with opioids manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma, L.P., pled guilty today to obstructing justice related to his work on Purdue matters.
Martin Elling, 60, a U.S. citizen residing in Bangkok, Thailand, waived his right to be indicted and pled guilty today to a one-count Information charging him with knowingly destroying records with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence the investigation and proper administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice.
“Today’s guilty plea moves us forward in holding accountable not only those corporations responsible for the opioid crisis in America, but also the executives that have exacerbated the tragedy,” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said today. “This prosecution would not have been possible without the efforts of many- including the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Boston and here in the Western District of Virginia, but also the countless hours of work by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Justice Civil Division, FDA, HHS, the Veteran’s Administration-OIG and the FBI. A matter this significant takes a team and we had a great one. I am thankful to each and every person who put in the time to make this prosecution happen.”
“Mr. Elling’s guilty plea is a significant step in our ongoing efforts to address the full scope of misconduct that fueled the opioid epidemic. By attempting to obstruct and influence the investigation into McKinsey’s work with Purdue Pharma, Mr. Elling sought to undermine justice and shield evidence about his and McKinsey’s role in this devastating public health crisis,” said Joshua S. Levy, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. “The Department of Justice remains steadfast in our resolve to ensure that those whose conduct contributed to this epidemic are held fully accountable for their actions.”
“Knowingly destroying records and documents to impede a government investigation into the unlawful prescribing of opioids impairs the ability of law enforcement to do its job and endangers the public health,” said Special Agent in Charge George A. Scavdis of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who attempt to thwart these important investigations and whose actions put profits over patient safety.”
“On the heels of a historic $650 million judgment against the world's largest consulting firm, I am pleased to see that those who knowingly obstructed justice will share in both the culpability and be held accountable for their actions,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. “The victims deserve to know the full truth and not a limited and antiseptic version of what happened. Justice deserves transparency and I am thankful to the US Department of Justice and Virginia's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their continued and exemplary work.”
According to court documents, in May 2013, Purdue engaged McKinsey to recover lost OxyContin sales. Purdue retained McKinsey to conduct a rapid assessment of the underlying drivers of OxyContin performance, identify key opportunities to increase near-term OxyContin revenue and develop plans to capture priority opportunities. This 2013 effort was called Evolve to Excellence, or “E2E,” and included McKinsey advising Purdue on how to “turbocharge” the sales pipeline for OxyContin by, among other strategies, intensifying marketing to High Value Prescribers.
Elling served as the director of the client services team for approximately 30 of McKinsey’s engagements with Purdue. He had a senior, relationship-focused role with respect to the E2E engagement and was involved in securing the engagement for McKinsey.
On July 4, 2018, Elling emailed another senior partner: “Just saw in the FT that [Purdue board member] is being sued by states attorneys general for her role on the [Purdue] Board. It probably makes sense to have a quick conversation with the risk committee to see if we should be doing anything other [than] eliminating all our documents and emails. Suspect not but as things get tougher there someone might turn to us.”
According to court documents, forensic analysis of Elling’s McKinsey-issued laptop found that Elling in fact deleted materials related to McKinsey’s work for Purdue from the laptop, as well as a Purdue-related folder from his Outlook email account. On August 22, 2018, Elling emailed himself an apparent to-do list, with the subject line, “When home.” The items listed included: “delete old pur [Purdue Pharma] documents from laptop[.]” Forensic analysis of Elling’s laptop by the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section determined that between approximately April 2018 and September 2018, Elling removed a folder titled “Purdue” (which included a subfolder entitled “Strategy”) from his Windows operating system that contained more than 100 items for whom the filenames indicate they were from as far back as 2004 and included the name of the Purdue Pharma CEO at the time of the origination of the Purdue Pharma engagements with McKinsey. The CEO was among the former Purdue Pharma executives who, in 2007, pled guilty and was convicted of misbranding in United States District Court in Abingdon.
On August 25, 2018, Elling emailed himself the following, “Remove Pur[due] folder from garbage[.]” Elling was aware of the investigations into Purdue Pharma’s conduct and knowingly deleted folders, documents, and emails from his McKinsey-issued laptop knowing these documents would be pertinent to those investigations.
Elling is scheduled to be sentenced on April 4 at 1:00 p.m. and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The criminal case against Elling and McKinsey is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Randy Ramseyer of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia; Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda P. Masselam Strachan and William B. Brady of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts; Senior Trial Counsel Kristen M. Echemendia of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section); Trial Attorneys Jessica Harvey and Steven R. Scott of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch; and Special Assistant United States Attorneys and Assistant Attorneys General Kristin Gray and Kimberly Bolton of the Virginia Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The matter was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Offices of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Office of Personnel Management, with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section.
Former President of Asphalt Paving Company Pleads Guilty to Bid RiggingRead the Press Release
The former president of a Michigan asphalt paving company pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in a conspiracy to rig bids for asphalt paving services contracts in Michigan.
According to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Timothy Baugher, former president of Pontiac-based Asphalt Specialists LLC (ASI), conspired with F. Allied Construction Company Inc. (Allied), and employees from those companies to rig bids in each other’s favor. Baugher participated in the conspiracy from July 2017 through May 2021.
Wednesday’s guilty plea is the 10th in the Antitrust Division’s ongoing investigation into collusion in the Michigan asphalt paving industry. Baugher’s former employer, ASI, and another former ASI executive also pleaded guilty for their participation in the conspiracy with Allied in January 2024. Allied and two of its executives previously pleaded guilty in August 2023 for their participation in the conspiracy. On Aug. 15, 2024, ASI was sentenced to pay a fine of $6,500,000.
Under the terms of the conspiracy, the co-conspirators coordinated each other’s bid prices so that the agreed-upon losing company would submit intentionally non-competitive bids. These bids gave customers the false impression of competition when, in fact, the co-conspirators already had decided among themselves who would win the contracts.
“Americans deserve to pay a fair, competitive price to fix transportation infrastructure,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The division and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable executives who cheat consumers by undermining the competitive process.”
“Fair and open marketplace competition is essential in providing consumers and taxpayers the integrity expected in procuring contracts funded with public dollars” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony Licari of the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, Midwestern Region. “Corporate executives who collude to fixing prices and rigging bids will be held accountable.”
“Activities related to bid-rigging and collusion do not promote an environment conducive to open competition which harms the consumer,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Cleevely of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. “The guilty plea in this case represents a win for all law enforcement agencies who investigate those who engage in this type of harmful conduct to ensure that justice is served."
Baugher pleaded guilty to one count of violating Section 1 of the Sherman Act. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine for the charge. The maximum penalty for corporations is a $100 million criminal fine. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Wednesday’s guilty plea resulted from an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the asphalt paving services industry being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office and the Offices of Inspectors General for the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Postal Service.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
Former Police Commissioner and Former Director of the Virgin Islands Office of Management and Budget Charged in Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today charging Ray Martinez, the former police commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), and Jenifer O’Neal, the former director of the Virgin Islands Office of Management and Budget, with participating in a bribery and money laundering conspiracy. Both defendants made their initial court appearances today in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
According to court documents, Martinez, 56, and O’Neal, 53, both of St. Thomas, accepted bribes from a then-government contractor, David Whitaker. The indictment alleges that the scheme began in at least November 2022 and continued until June 2024, with O’Neal joining the scheme no later than January 2024. The defendants also allegedly conspired to launder proceeds from the bribery scheme through a monetary transaction to pay rent on O’Neal’s coffee shop. In exchange for the bribes paid by the government contractor, Martinez and O’Neal, among other official acts, allegedly agreed to approve fraudulently inflated invoices and assist with obtaining payment for those invoices by the Virgin Islands to Whitaker. Martinez also agreed to assist Whitaker in obtaining a $1.48 million contract to provide services to the VIPD in October 2023. Additionally, after the investigation was originally made public, Martinez allegedly obstructed the investigation by encouraging Whitaker to destroy evidence associated with Martinez’s criminal activity and produced falsified documents in response to a subpoena.
Martinez and O’Neal are each charged with five counts of honest services wire fraud, which each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; one count of federal program bribery, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and one count of money laundering conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Martinez is also charged with two counts of obstruction of justice, which each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent S. Wible, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Delia Smith for the District of the Virgin Islands; and Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI San Juan Field Office, St. Thomas Resident Agency is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Alexandre Dempsey and Steve Loew of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Conley for the District of the Virgin Islands are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Police Commissioner and Former Director of the Virgin Islands Office of Management and Budget Charged in Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today charging Ray Martinez, the former police commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD), and Jenifer O’Neal, the former director of the Virgin Islands Office of Management and Budget, with participating in a bribery and money laundering conspiracy. Both defendants made their initial court appearances today in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
According to court documents, Martinez, 56, and O’Neal, 53, both of St. Thomas, accepted bribes from a then-government contractor, David Whitaker. The indictment alleges that the scheme began in at least November 2022 and continued until June 2024, with O’Neal joining the scheme no later than January 2024. The defendants also allegedly conspired to launder proceeds from the bribery scheme through a monetary transaction to pay rent on O’Neal’s coffee shop. In exchange for the bribes paid by the government contractor, Martinez and O’Neal, among other official acts, allegedly agreed to approve fraudulently inflated invoices and assist with obtaining payment for those invoices by the Virgin Islands to Whitaker. Martinez also agreed to assist Whitaker in obtaining a $1.48 million contract to provide services to the VIPD in October 2023. Additionally, after the investigation was originally made public, Martinez allegedly obstructed the investigation by encouraging Whitaker to destroy evidence associated with Martinez’s criminal activity and produced falsified documents in response to a subpoena.
Martinez and O’Neal are each charged with five counts of honest services wire fraud, which each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; one count of federal program bribery, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and one count of money laundering conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Martinez is also charged with two counts of obstruction of justice, which each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent S. Wible, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Delia Smith for the District of the Virgin Islands; and Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI San Juan Field Office, St. Thomas Resident Agency is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Alexandre Dempsey and Steve Loew of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Conley for the District of the Virgin Islands are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Office Manager Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in Federal Prison for Embezzling over $1 Million from a Family-Owned Business in GreenfieldRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS— Jennifer Lynn Horton., 49, of Shepherdsville, Kentucky has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud.
According to court documents, between 2011 and 2022, Jennifer Horton worked as the office manager for a family-owned contracting company located in Greenfield, Indiana. In that role, Horton was responsible for managing payroll, customer invoices, and company credit cards.
Beginning around January 2016, and continuing through December 2022, Horton devised and executed multiple schemes to brazenly defraud her employer of over a million dollars. First, by inflating her salary on 466 separate occasions, for a total of $515,000, without approval. In addition, in December 2020, Horton added her husband to the company’s payroll even though he had not been hired as a salaried employee. During that time, Horton stole an additional $107,000 under the guise of her husband’s name.
To conceal her conduct, Horton edited the company’s payroll data to make it appear that she was being paid her agreed-upon salary and to delete the payments to her husband. After the edited data was approved, Horton reverted the payroll system to make the unauthorized payments to herself and her husband. Horton misled her boss about the company’s financial reports, resulting in significant financial strain on the company when the true information was discovered.
Horton also redirected credit card payments made by the company’s customers into her own personal bank account over 185 times. She concealed the theft by altering the company’s accounting records to delete invoices or falsely mark them as being paid in full to the company.
Finally, Horton abused the company credit card to pay personal bills and make personal purchases, including a house, cars, and clothes. In total, Horton stole approximately $1,116,258 from her employer.
In addition to her prison sentence, the court ordered the forfeiture of her interest in four vehicles—a 2022 Ford F350, a 2022 Ford Mustang, a 2021 Ford Mustang, and a 2020 Ford EcoSport—and that she pay a judgment of $1,002,2680.
“This criminal abused her friendships and position of trust to swindle a family-owned company out of over a million dollars,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Family entrepreneurs are a critical driver of our economy, and fraud schemes against them harm those companies, their employees, and our community as a whole, and this serious federal prison sentence should send the message that this conduct will not be tolerated. My thanks to our partners in Hancock County and at the FBI for ensuring that there is accountability for economic crimes.”
“Holding individuals accountable for financial crimes like this is essential to protecting the integrity of our businesses and communities,” said Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton. “This case serves as a reminder that accountability for the defendant and justice for the victim are crucial in preventing fraud. I would like to thank the dedicated staff of the Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office and Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Detective Douglas Cook for their exceptional work and collaboration on this case.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case, with valuable assistance provided by the Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Corbin Houston, who prosecuted this case.
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Former Massachusetts Police Officer Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking Counterfeit Luxury Watches Imported from ChinaRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that KLEVIS NAKO, 24, of Worcester, Massachusetts, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 60 days of imprisonment, followed by 18 months of supervised release, for his participation in a conspiracy to sell counterfeit luxury and designer brand watches imported from China.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from November 2020 to April 2024, Nako conspired with other individuals to sell counterfeit luxury watches to customers across the United States. He illegally imported the counterfeit watches from China or obtained them from a co-conspirator in New York, and then advertised and sold the watches on the internet and through social media accounts he operated on Facebook and Instagram. During the investigation, law enforcement officers made multiple undercover transactions in which they purchased counterfeit Rolex watches from one of Nako’s Instagram accounts for approximately $100 to $300 per watch.
Between February and July 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized approximately 16 parcels containing a total of 138 counterfeit Rolex watches and five counterfeit Audemars watches that were addressed to Nako’s residence. Between April and June 2022, CBP seized three parcels, containing a total of 11 counterfeit Rolex watches and one counterfeit Movado watch, which were addressed to an office that Nako had rented in Holden, Massachusetts. The seized counterfeit watches had a total estimated manufacturers’ suggested retail price of approximately $3 million had the watches been authentic.
Judge Oliver ordered Nako to forfeit $271,585 in proceeds of his crime.
Nako was arrested on April 3, 2024. On that date, a court-authorized search of Nako’s residence revealed more than 60 counterfeit luxury watches, as well as counterfeit watch boxes and shopping bags. On August 21, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods.
Nako was employed as a police officer with the Framingham State University Police Department in Framingham, Massachusetts, at this time of his arrest.
Released on $50,000 bond, Nako is required to report to prison on February 13.
This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has assisted the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neeraj N. Patel and Shan Patel.
Former Fugitive Found Guilty at Trial of Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Billy Ruiz (46, California) guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Ruiz faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 8, 2025.
Ruiz was indicted on April 6, 2017. After his indictment, Ruiz evaded law enforcement for years, but he was ultimately arrested, then arraigned in the Middle District of Florida on July 12, 2024.
According to evidence presented at trial, Ruiz sold large amounts of methamphetamine in March 2016 to a lower-level drug dealer for redistribution in central Florida. Ruiz operated out of southern California and, along with one or more co-conspirators, shipped methamphetamine to Orlando by overnight delivery. The methamphetamine was then repackaged and distributed in central Florida. The evidence presented at trial showed that Ruiz sold two batches of methamphetamine, each of which weighed approximately two pounds.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lake Mary Police Department, and the Orlando Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Sowell and Chauncey Bratt.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Former Cruise Line Employee Guilty of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on January 8, 2025, ABDUL ROUVOOF SHAIK (“SHAIK”), age 30, a Republic of India national, pled guilty to Possession of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2). SHAIK faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, a period of supervised release of up to life, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, SHAIK was previously employed by Carnival Cruise Lines and was arrested in July 2024 after special agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, found SHAIK in possession of child pornography at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal in New Orleans.
Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for April 16, 2025 before United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle.
These cases were 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.