Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
5 December 2024
Fraud Ringleader and Former Fugitive William Mize Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison, Ordered to Pay $7.1 Million in RestitutionRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – On December 5, 2024, United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced William Oldham Mize to 144 months in federal prison in connection to a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving false and fabricated insurance claims. Judge Rice also imposed 3 years of supervised release and $6,657,209.00 in restitution to insurance companies and $436,399.00 in restitution to the IRS.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, Mize was the ringleader of a massive insurance fraud scheme to intentionally cause automobile and boat collisions as well as staged home “accidents” in order to file false and fraudulent insurance claims and collect the proceeds. According to court documents, the scheme took place between 2013 and 2018, involved numerous staged collisions in Washington and Nevada, and obtained more than $6 million, most of which was kept by Mize. The United States seized and forfeited more than $2 million in assets – including numerous houses, cars, boats, and cash – from Mize and his co-conspirators and has returned that money to the victims of his crime.
Mize originally appeared in federal court on his indictment on January 9, 2019. Following his initial appearance, he was released pending trial. In July 2019, Mize fled from supervision and became a fugitive, living under a number of false identities.
On November 28, 2023, the U.S. Marshals apprehended Mize in Jacksonville, Florida based on a lead that Mize, using a false identity, was attempting to sell a yacht in which was living in the Jacksonville area. Mize was then located and arrested at a marina in central Florida and transported to Eastern Washington, where he has remained in custody.
“For many years Mr. Mize recruited, directed, and elaborately staged automobile and boat collisions as well as other injury accidents to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars. Not only did this scheme cause serious physical harm to his co-conspirators, including his wife and children, but it placed the community in significant danger. Furthermore, Mr. Mize defrauded the public out of more than $400,000 by cheating on his taxes. When indicted by prosecutors in my office, Mr. Mize fled, to avoid accountability for his crimes,” stated U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref. “I am grateful for the dedication of the U.S. Marshals who located and returned Mr. Mize to the Eastern District and prosecutors and investigators who worked many hours over the years to achieve justice in this case.”
“I want to commend and express special thanks for the exceptional investigative work done by the talented agents and investigative professionals with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Marshals Service. Their close collaboration and partnership, and their persistence and hard work throughout a complex and lengthy investigation, are what made this result possible. We look forward to continuing to work with our law enforcement partners to strengthen and safeguard Eastern Washington,” said Assistant United States Attorney Dan Fruchter.
“Mr. Mize spent years living off the misery he caused.” said Gregory L. Austin, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “While he enriched himself, his co-conspirators, which included family members, were left with physical injuries and jail sentences. To make matters worse, rather than answer for his crimes, he became a fugitive for almost five years. I would like to commend our investigators, partners, and specifically the US Marshals Service, who ultimately tracked him down and took him into custody.”
“Mr. Mize endangered his family and the public for money,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “As long as money is a motivation for crime, we will assist our law enforcement partners with investigations like this one.”
“The elaborate fraud schemes that William Mize orchestrated not only caused financial injury to various insurance companies, but these crimes add to the cost for responsible citizens to have insurance. It should also not be forgotten that the collisions, and physical injuries to those participating in the schemes, were acts of unconscionable violence and added risk to the public. Mize fled after his original appearance in federal court, which led to a long and protracted fugitive investigation,” said Craig Thayer, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Washington. “The partnership and teamwork between local, state, and federal agencies including the IRS and FBI was instrumental in the eventual arrest of Mize. Judge Rice has now made Mize accountable with today’s sentence and order for restitution.”
The FBI, Internal Revenue Service, and U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter, Jeremy J. Kelley, and Brian M. Donovan prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
2:18-cr-00232-TOR
Founder of Beverage Company Charged with Defrauding Investors of Millions of DollarsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The founder and executive chairman of a beverage company appeared in court for lying to solicit investments in his company, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Todd O’Gara, 44, of Austin, Texas was charged by complaint with one count of wire fraud and appeared in court today to before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Howell in Austin federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
O’Gara, who founded and managed a beverage company, Wanu Water, Inc., raised at least $3.4 million dollars from individual victim investors. O’Gara repeatedly lied to solicit those investments and to encourage investors to maintain their investments. Among other things, O’Gara lied about the size of purchase orders from retailers and about major investments from private equity firms. As part of this fraudulent scheme, O’Gara sent investors fake documents including doctored emails and forged term sheets.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain to the defendant or gross loss to the victim, whichever is greatest.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger added that the investigation is continuing. If you believe you are a victim of or otherwise have information concerning this scheme, please contact the FBI at [email protected].
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado, Newark Field Division, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron L. Webman and Carolyn Silane of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
ogara.complaint.pdf
Former EMT Sentenced for Drug TamperingRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A Cordova, Tennessee woman has been sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for tampering with a vial of Benadryl while on duty as an Emergency Medical Technician. Reagan Fondren, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, Cleola Hogan, 40, was working her shift as an EMT on March 20, 2022, when she removed Benadryl from a vial using a syringe and injected the Benadryl into her arm. Hogan then replaced the missing Benadryl with saline solution and glued the cap back onto the Benadryl vial. Benadryl is commonly used to treat patients with severe allergic reactions, and replacing Benadryl with saline would place patients who needed Benadryl at risk of death or serious bodily injury.
Hogan entered a guilty plea on September 3, 2024, to tampering with a consumer product with reckless disregard that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury.
On December 4, 2024, Chief United States District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Hogan to 12 months and one day of incarceration with a three-year period of supervised release to follow. Hogan was also ordered to undergo drug and mental health treatment and counseling. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the United States Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, working with the Priority Ambulance Diversion Task Force.
Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren thanked Assistant United States Attorney Carroll L. André III and former Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Lewis who prosecuted this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.
###
For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Former Commerce City Manager and Former Baldwin Park City Attorney Bribery Guilty Pleas and Plea Agreements UnsealedRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Two former top city officials in Commerce and Baldwin Park have pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme involving bribes in exchange for a corrupt Baldwin Park politician’s votes and influence over his city’s cannabis permitting process, the Justice Department announced today.
Edgar Pascual Cisneros, 42, of Montebello, who served as Commerce’s city manager from November 2017 to December 2023, pleaded guilty on November 6, 2023, to federal bribery. Robert Manuel Nacionales Tafoya, 62, of Redondo Beach, who served as Baldwin Park’s city attorney from December 2013 to October 2022, pleaded guilty on December 5, 2023, to federal bribery and tax evasion charges.
Federal prosecutors today unsealed the criminal charges and plea agreements, in which both Cisneros and Tafoya agreed to cooperate in ongoing public corruption investigations.
According to the plea agreements, shortly after Baldwin Park began issuing marijuana permits in June 2017, then-Baldwin Park City Councilmember Ricardo Pacheco solicited bribes from companies seeking those permits. Cisneros helped a company obtain a marijuana permit and related approvals through approximately $45,000 in bribes and that the company promised to pay Cisneros at least $235,000 to help secure the permit. Tafoya facilitated a bribery scheme involving former Compton City Councilmember Isaac Galvan, in which Galvan sought to obtain a marijuana permit for his consulting client also through bribes to Pacheco. Tafoya further admitted to evading payment of approximately $650,000 in federal tax liability.
Pacheco pleaded guilty in June 2020 to a federal bribery charge unrelated to the marijuana-permit scheme. Pacheco further admitted to orchestrating bribery schemes involving Tafoya and Gabriel Chavez, a former San Bernardino County planning commissioner who pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge in November 2022. Pacheco’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 2025. Chavez’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 2025.
In September 2023, Galvan and his consulting client, Yichang Bai, were arrested on a federal grand jury indictment alleging they paid $70,000 in bribes to Pacheco in exchange for his vote and support for marijuana permits for Bai’s company, W&F International Corp. Both men have pleaded not guilty. Their trial is scheduled for June 10, 2025.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating these matters.
Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas F. Rybarczyk, Michael J. Morse, and Lindsey Greer Dotson of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting these cases.
Any member of the public who has information related to this or any other public corruption matter is encouraged to send information to the FBI’s tip line at tips.fbi.gov or to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.
Former California Correctional Officer Sentenced for Accepting BribesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Stephen Joseph Crittenden, 44, of Suisun City, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to two years and one month in prison for bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Crittenden was a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation correctional officer at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville. From 2021 through 2023, he accepted bribes from inmates, totaling more than $45,000, to smuggle cellphones into the California Medical Facility.
“Crittenden abused the trust placed in correctional officers by repeatedly taking bribes to smuggle contraband into a prison,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of his abuse of trust and should deter other correctional officers from engaging in the same conduct.”
“The FBI has no tolerance for corruption by public employees – especially law enforcement officers – who are entrusted to uphold the law and serve the public. No person is above the law,” said FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel. “This case exemplifies the strong partnership between the FBI and CDCR. The FBI works tirelessly to ensure corrupt public officials are held accountable to preserve the public’s trust in and integrity of these vital positions.”
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Fogg prosecuted the case.
Federal judge convicts Boulder man of illegally possessing firearmRead the Press Release
HELENA — A federal judge on Dec. 4 convicted a Boulder felon accused of illegally possessing a firearm he had tried to hide and while he was on state supervision, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
After a one-day bench trial on Nov. 25, Chief U.S. Judge Brian M. Morris announced the verdict on Dec. 4, finding Paul Anthony LaFournaise, 59, guilty of prohibited person in possession of a firearm. LaFournaise faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for April 16, 2025. LaFournaise was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that on May 11, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to reports that LaFournaise was threatening a sister at the family residence because believed the sister had stolen an item of his, a “black bag.” LaFournaise also called 911 to report that his brother had punched him in the face. The brother told deputies he had punched LaFournaise because LaFournaise had threatened his mom and sister and shoved him. Deputies ultimately identified LaFournaise as the primary aggressor and arrested him for partner/family member assault. The investigation determined that the sister had found items belonging to LaFournaise-- a 9mm pistol, a holster, ammunition, drugs and drug paraphernalia-- inside a black bag that was under a sweatshirt in a flowerpot inside a shed. The sister then hid the bag and contents from LaFournaise and was concerned because he is a felon, was on state supervision and prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. LaFournaise told investigators he had handled the gun and had purchased the drugs that were in the black bag. He had received the bag and knew it contained a gun before May 11. LaFournaise further explained that he had hidden the bag earlier in the day on May 11 by placing it in a planter and putting things on top of it.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Montana Probation and Parole and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
XXX
Federal investigation into meth, fentanyl trafficking on Blackfeet Indian Reservation results in multiple indictmentsRead the Press Release
BROWNING — U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich, for the District of Montana, today announced that a six-month-long enforcement initiative led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, in cooperation with, federal, tribal and local enforcement, into drug trafficking on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation has resulted in indictments of multiple individuals.
U.S. Attorney Laslovich, joined by representatives from the DEA, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and Bureau of Indian Affairs, discussed the initiative during a press conference held at the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council offices in Browning, on the Blackfeet Reservation.
The DEA-led the enforcement action was initiated under its Operation Overdrive, which is aimed at combatting rising rates of drug-related violent crime and overdose deaths plaguing American communities. The initiative identifies hot spots to devote its law enforcement resources to communities where criminal drug organizations or networks are causing the most harm. The DEA, working in partnership with federal, tribal and local law enforcement agencies, identified the Blackfeet Reservation as a community for Operation Overdrive.
“Our office is well aware that the scourge of methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking is devastating to Montana communities and disproportionally harming Indian Country, including the Blackfeet Nation. Drug traffickers attempt to move into reservations and enlist residents to deal drugs and collect the proceeds. Focused enforcement actions, like this operation on the Blackfeet Reservation, not only get violent drug dealers and suppliers off the street, but also send the message that traffickers have no safe place on Montana’s Indian reservations. The progress we’ve made with this operation would not have happened without the cooperation of our federal, tribal, and local law enforcement partners, for which I am sincerely grateful,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
“DEA’s Operation Overdrive shows our commitment to areas of the country experiencing high drug cartel activity, and the violence and crime that comes with it,” said DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen. “I send our sincere thanks to the Blackfeet Reservation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Montana, and commend our tribal, federal, state and local law enforcement partners for their hard work, dedication, and cooperation in bringing criminals to justice.”
The DEA initiative on the Blackfeet Reservation ran from approximately May to October and has resulted so far in the indictments of 11 individuals on various federal drug crimes, primarily involving methamphetamine and fentanyl, and firearms crimes.
Assisting DEA in the enforcement action were Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Glacier County Sheriff’s Office and FBI.
XXX
Federal Inmate Convicted at Trial Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Assault with Intent to Commit MurderRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Shane McMillan (51, Texas) to 25 years in federal prison following jury verdicts finding McMillan guilty of assault with the intent to commit murder and possession of a prohibited object by a federal inmate.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, McMillan was an inmate in the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. On July 9, 2023, McMillan followed another inmate into a cell, closed the door, and then stabbed the victim approximately 10 times with a shank. Another inmate heard screaming and opened the cell door, which allowed the victim to escape. The victim suffered multiple puncture wounds to his neck, chest, and torso. The victim was transported by helicopter to a nearby hospital where he eventually recovered from the injuries. When interviewed by the FBI, McMillan admitted that he wanted to kill the victim.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.
Federal Inmate and His Sister Charged with Cyberstalking and Conspiring to Extort Victims by Threatening to Release Sexually Explicit MaterialsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; and James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the unsealing of a Complaint charging FRED MASTROIANNI and DOREEN MASTROIANNI with cyberstalking, extortion, and conspiracy to commit extortion. DOREEN MASTROIANNI and FRED MASTROIANNI will be presented in White Plains federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Victoria Reznik on December 11, 2024, at 3:00 p.m.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Fred and Doreen Mastroianni have cyberstalked and conspired to extort victims by threatening to release compromising images of them to the public, allegedly engaging in this conduct even though Fred is already serving a 35-year prison sentence for receiving, distributing, and producing child pornography. This Office will continue to protect the community from those who repeatedly try to harm and exploit vulnerable citizens.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy said: “The Mastroianni siblings allegedly preyed on individuals who were victimized by Fred Mastroianni; stalking and conspiring to extort them for the siblings’ financial benefit. Victimization by sexual exploitation is beyond appalling and will not be tolerated. FBI New York will work tirelessly to hold accountable anyone attempting to utilize stalking and extortion for financial gain."
As alleged in the Complaint unsealed today:[1]
FRED MASTROIANNI (“FRED”) is currently serving a 35-year sentence imposed by the Honorable Philip M. Halpern, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York, on August 15, 2024, for receiving and distributing child pornography and for the sexual exploitation of a minor. DOREEN MASTROIANNI (“DOREEN”) is FRED’s sister.
Since at least October 2024, FRED and DOREEN have engaged in a plot to extort victims by threatening to release sexually explicit images and videos of the victims that FRED has saved. The extortion attempts are designed to compel victims to contribute money to FRED’s commissary account in prison and to fund the purchase of an insurance policy against DOREEN’s life for the benefit of FRED. FRED has used another inmate’s email account to send DOREEN draft extortion threats in furtherance of this scheme. At FRED’s direction, DOREEN has forwarded those extortion threats to victims on FRED’s behalf.
There may be more victims of this alleged conduct. If you have information to report, contact the FBI through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or https://tips.fbi.gov.
* * *
FRED, 54, formerly of White Plains, New York, and DOREEN, 69, of Yorktown Heights, New York, are each charged with one count of cyberstalking, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of interstate extortion, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison; and one count of conspiracy to commit interstate extortion, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the work of the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Allison, Margaret N. Vasu, and Courtney Heavey are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Extradited Nigerian National Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Business Email Compromise SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Okechuckwu Valentine Osuji, 39, a Nigerian national, was sentenced yesterday in New Haven, Connecticut, to eight years in prison for operating a business email compromise scheme out of multiple countries, including the United States.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Osuji and his co-conspirators targeted specific individuals and businesses by masquerading as trustworthy entities in electronic communications to obtain money. They used witting and unwitting “money mules” to receive fraud proceeds in their bank accounts and then either transferred those funds from the money mule accounts to accounts under the co-conspirators’ control or converted the stolen proceeds to cash for further transfer. Over the years-long operation of the scheme, numerous victims were tricked into transferring funds into bank accounts the victims believed were under the control of legitimate recipients as part of normal business operations. In reality, the bank accounts were controlled by Osuji and his co-conspirators. The victims included a Connecticut-based financial company, a Colorado-based lending company, an Alaska-based nonprofit performing arts organization, a New York-based food and beverage company, and many others.
The scheme also involved the exploitation of elderly individuals through romance scams to serve as some of the unwitting money mules, including one woman who testified at trial that she was duped into sending her own personal savings and income, including Social Security checks, to an individual she believed to be her romantic partner, but who was in fact one of Osuji’s co-conspirators. The scam resulted in the near-total depletion of her life savings, caused her to declare bankruptcy, and led to the repossession of her house. Her personal bank account was also used to facilitate the fraud against one of the companies targeted by Osuji.
Osuji was arrested in Malaysia and extradited to the United States in 2022. On May 1, 2024, a jury in New Haven found Osuji guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. As a result of the scheme, losses and intended losses totaled over $6 million. At his sentencing hearing, Osuji was ordered to pay restitution to his victims.
Osuji’s alleged co-conspirator, John Wamuigah, remains in Malaysia and is pending extradition proceedings. An indictment is merely an allegation, and Wamuigah is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Another co-conspirator, Tolulope Bodunde, also a citizen of Nigeria, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Oct. 16 to two years in prison.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery for the District of Connecticut; and Special Agent in Charge Robert Fuller of the FBI New Haven Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI New Haven Field Office and the Stamford Police Department investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, Royal Malaysia Police, and Malaysian Attorney General’s Chambers provided valuable assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Osuji.
Trial Attorney Lydia Lichlyter of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel for the District of Connecticut are prosecuting the case.
To learn more about business email compromise scams, please visit www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/business-email-compromise and www.ic3.gov/CrimeInfo/BEC.
Extradited Nigerian National Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Business Email Compromise SchemeRead the Press Release
Okechuckwu Valentine Osuji, 39, a Nigerian national, was sentenced yesterday in New Haven, Connecticut, to eight years in prison for operating a business email compromise scheme out of multiple countries, including the United States.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Osuji and his co-conspirators targeted specific individuals and businesses by masquerading as trustworthy entities in electronic communications to obtain money. They used witting and unwitting “money mules” to receive fraud proceeds in their bank accounts and then either transferred those funds from the money mule accounts to accounts under the co-conspirators’ control or converted the stolen proceeds to cash for further transfer. Over the years-long operation of the scheme, numerous victims were tricked into transferring funds into bank accounts the victims believed were under the control of legitimate recipients as part of normal business operations. In reality, the bank accounts were controlled by Osuji and his co-conspirators. The victims included a Connecticut-based financial company, a Colorado-based lending company, an Alaska-based nonprofit performing arts organization, a New York-based food and beverage company, and many others.
The scheme also involved the exploitation of elderly individuals through romance scams to serve as some of the unwitting money mules, including one woman who testified at trial that she was duped into sending her own personal savings and income, including Social Security checks, to an individual she believed to be her romantic partner, but who was in fact one of Osuji’s co-conspirators. The scam resulted in the near-total depletion of her life savings, caused her to declare bankruptcy, and led to the repossession of her house. Her personal bank account was also used to facilitate the fraud against one of the companies targeted by Osuji.
Osuji was arrested in Malaysia and extradited to the United States in 2022. On May 1, 2024, a jury in New Haven found Osuji guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. As a result of the scheme, losses and intended losses totaled over $6 million. At his sentencing hearing, Osuji was ordered to pay restitution to his victims.
Osuji’s alleged co-conspirator, John Wamuigah, remains in Malaysia and is pending extradition proceedings. An indictment is merely an allegation, and Wamuigah is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Another co-conspirator, Tolulope Bodunde, also a citizen of Nigeria, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Oct. 16 to two years in prison.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery for the District of Connecticut; and Special Agent in Charge Robert Fuller of the FBI New Haven Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI New Haven Field Office and the Stamford Police Department investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, Royal Malaysia Police, and Malaysian Attorney General’s Chambers provided valuable assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Osuji.
Trial Attorney Lydia Lichlyter of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel for the District of Connecticut are prosecuting the case.
To learn more about business email compromise scams, please visit www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/business-email-compromise and www.ic3.gov/CrimeInfo/BEC.
Eleven-Time Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Bryan Jermaine Davis (37, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. Davis faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to court documents, on July 5, 2024, an officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of Davis for failing to wear a seatbelt. During questioning, Davis admitted to having marijuana in his possession. The officer conducted a search of Davis’s vehicle and recovered a bag containing assorted rounds of ammunition and a ghost gun under the driver’s seat. Ghost guns have no serial number and are therefore untraceable. When the officer found the ammunition and ghost gun, Davis attempted to flee on foot but was caught and detained by officers who had responded to the scene. At the time of the offense, Davis had multiple prior felony convictions including robbery, selling heroin, possession of cocaine, dealing in stolen property, and possession of a weapon by a state prisoner. As a convicted felon, Davis is prohibited from possessing ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brenna Falzetta.
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.
Edina Financial Adviser Sentenced to over Two Years in Prison for Stealing $2.1 Million from ClientsRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – An Edina financial adviser has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,104,395, in a wire fraud scheme where millions in client investment funds were misappropriated, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, Kristi Margaret Berge, 48, was the founder and CEO of Keep Safe Investments, LLC, or “KSI Financial,” a financial planning and investment services firm. Berge also co-owned and operated J&K Connect LLC, a company that invested in real estate through buying, renovating, and re-selling properties. Berge maintained offices for her companies in Edina, Minnesota. Berge is registered as an investment adviser with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and licensed as an investment adviser with the State of Minnesota.
According to court documents, from June 2020 through February 2023, Berge fraudulently misappropriated approximately $2.1 million from some of her clients’ accounts by falsely representing to clients that she would maintain their money in safe and secure investment accounts, such as individual retirement accounts and 401(k) retirement savings plans. Instead, Berge fraudulently misappropriated the money by repeatedly withdrawing client funds in varying amounts between $5,000 and $220,000 and depositing the funds into bank accounts she controlled. Berge then used the clients’ funds to purchase multiple properties in Edina for her real estate business. Berge tried to conceal her fraud by falsely labeling her illicit withdrawals as “management” or “administrative” fees and by creating fabricated records to give the false impression that she had authorization to withdraw clients’ investment funds.
Berge pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud earlier this year, and was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Eric C. Tostrud.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Harry M. Jacobs, and Craig Baune prosecuted the case.
Dubuque, Iowa, Man Guilty of Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A man who conspired with others to distribute large quantities of cocaine that resulted in the death of a young Dubuque woman pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Maurice Randolph, age 44, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of more of cocaine within 1000 feet of several parks and schools in Dubuque, Iowa, between 2017 and April of 2021, that resulted in the death of a young Dubuque woman on February 14, 2021.
At the plea hearing, Randolph admitted he was a member of a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine in the Dubuque area near numerous parks and schools. He admitted that on February 14, 2021, one of his coconspirators distributed cocaine to a young woman in Dubuque who went home, used the cocaine and died.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Randolph remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Randolph faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and 8 years to life on supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick J. Reinert and Nicole Nagin and investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office and the Dubuque Drug Task Force, comprised of Dubuque Police Department, Dubuque Sheriff’s Office. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-CR-01013.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Department of Justice awards nearly $975,000 for youth suicide prevention in Pacific CountyRead the Press Release
Seattle – The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has awarded almost $975,000 to Pacific County organizations to execute a comprehensive youth suicide prevention project.
“Tragically, Pacific County has the tenth highest suicide rate in the state,” said U.S. Attorney, Tessa M. Gorman. “Those working with youth in Pacific County have crafted this project to try to combat youth suicide and build community resilience. The Department of Justice supports these efforts with the hope that other communities can learn from these programs.”
Pacific County Public Health & Human Services (PCHHS), in collaboration with WestEd’s Justice and Prevention Research Center (JPRC), aim to specifically address the high rates of suicidal ideation and attempt among 8th – 12th graders in Pacific County. This project will deliver suicide awareness and prevention training in academic settings, establish a trauma response protocol, conduct comprehensive evaluation of current suicide prevention policies and procedures, and ultimately implement sustainable resilience-building activities in the community.
The recipients of the award will utilize a series of evidence-based programs to equip individuals with the necessary skills to identify and effectively respond to signs of mental health struggle and suicidal ideation. By providing a comprehensive education of suicide prevention strategies for young people, this project intends to create a safer and more supportive environment long-term for the youth of Pacific County.
Connecticut Real Estate Agent Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Clients in Long Running Short Sale Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The manager of a real estate agency was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with a multi-year scheme to defraud his clients by engaging in fraudulent short sales of government and bank-owned properties to straw buyers acting at the direction of the defendant.
James Macchio, 46, of Glastonbury, Conn., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 42 months in prison and two years of supervised release. Macchio was also ordered to forfeit $621,579 and to pay at least $2,567,154 in restitution. In May 2024, Macchio pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Macchio and another real estate agent, Sheldon Haag, used straw buyers to acquire properties owned by the clients of Macchio’s brokerage, which included banks, federal agencies, bankruptcy trustees and other mortgage holders. The straw buyers included a shell company set up by a co-conspirator as a purported construction company. Macchio and his co-conspirators hid their involvement as the de facto buyers of short sale properties from their clients, the owners of the properties, and used their inside knowledge as the owner’s broker to minimize sale prices in order to maximize their gain from later “flipping” the properties.
While perpetrating the “flipping scheme,” Macchio and his co-conspirators further defrauded clients by submitting fraudulent renovation bids from contractors to their own clients, including from a fake construction company they controlled through a co-conspirator. Once their clients accepted a fraudulent bid, Macchio and his co-conspirators hired different contractors at much lower cost and pocketed the difference between the fraudulent bid and the actual cost of the property repairs.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Macchio and co-conspirators defrauded the Small Business Administration by obtaining pandemic relief loans to fund their ongoing real estate fraud scheme.
Sheldon Haag previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and, in October 2024, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison to be followed by supervised release.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Jonathan Wlodyka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement today. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil, Deputy Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Columbia Police Officer Recognized with Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community PolicingRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has announced the recipients of the Seventh Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing, including Lance Corporal Justin Boyd of the Columbia Police Department.
This prestigious award recognizes law enforcement officers who demonstrate exceptional dedication to strengthening trust, promoting community engagement, and enhancing public safety.
“Community policing is essential to building trust and ensuring public safety,” said Attorney General Garland. “These officers have gone above and beyond their duty to foster partnerships with the communities they serve. Their work is an inspiration to us all and a reminder of the profound impact law enforcement can have on individuals, neighborhoods, and society.”
The best of community policing is demonstrated throughout the work of Lance Corporal Boyd – from the partnerships he forms, to the community outreach that’s a regular part of his work, to the investigations he successfully conducts to make his community safer. And that involves all segments of the community -- including those disenfranchised residents who often go unseen and unheard. Thanks to his efforts, their voices are now part of the conversation, and the community is safer for it.
“Lance Corporal Boyd represents the best of South Carolina law enforcement. Our community is stronger and safer thanks to his dedicated service,” said U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “Now, more than ever, we need officers like him, dedicated to community policing. Congratulations, LCpl Boyd.”
“This prestigious award is proof that law enforcement officers care about the people who live, work, and play in the various communities in which they serve. And that is exactly the gift that Lance Corporal Boyd offers City of Columbia citizens,” said Columbia Police Chief W.H. ‘Skip’ Holbrook. “He has a genuine way of connecting with people in a relatable, caring level. For him, community policing goes beyond a daily assignment -- he embraces it wholeheartedly.”
The Attorney General’s Award recognizes individual state, local, and Tribal sworn officers, deputies, and troopers for exceptional efforts in community policing. The awarded individuals have demonstrated active engagement with the community in one of three areas: criminal investigations, field operations, or innovations in community policing.
The awardees were selected from a nationwide pool of nominees for their outstanding achievements in fostering safer, more inclusive communities.
The Department of Justice commends these officers for their service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to their communities. For more information about the awards, visit www.justice.gov.
###
Chesapeake man who used company credit card for over $100,000 in personal expenses pleads guilty to wire fraudRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man pled guilty today to wire fraud after using his position to charge unauthorized personal expenses totaling over $100,000 to a company credit card.
From June 2015 to February 2023, Brandon Thompson, 44, was an administrator with a Virginia joint venture among physicians in conjunction with Sentara Hospital. Thompson’s responsibilities included purchasing equipment, implementing capital and operating budgets, and promoting cost containment and efficient use of facility resources.
From at least January 2018 through February 2023, Thompson used a company card for, among other things, his rent, wedding reception, divorce attorney, and groceries. He also used the card for such luxury items as diamonds, airline tickets, and an initiation fee for a country club membership.
Thompson is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9, 2025, and faces up to 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton D. LaForge is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-128.
Chelsea Man Sentenced for Selling Fake Social Security Cards and Green CardsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chelsea man was sentenced today for selling fraudulent Social Security cards and Legal Permanent Resident cards, often referred to as “Green Cards.”
Wilberto Sandoval Mazariego, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to one month in prison, followed by six months of home confinement. In July 2024, Sandoval Mazariego pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful transfer of a document or authentication feature. In October 2023, Sandoval Mazariego was arrested and charged by criminal complaint and later indicted by a federal grand jury.
During an investigation into Tomas Xirum for selling fraudulent Green Cards and fraudulent Social Security cards, Sandoval Mazariego was identified as the creator of the fraudulent documents Xirum was selling. Following Xirum’s arrest in August 2022, a text message string was discovered between Xirum and Sandoval Mazariego that contained approximately 568 attachments. Xirum would regularly text Sandoval Mazariego pictures of unknown persons along with a name, date of birth and country of birth – to which Sandoval Mazariego would later respond with pictures of Social Security cards and/or Green Cards with a person’s photo and information that Xirum provided.
On Aug. 17, 2023, Sandoval Mazariego sold a fraudulent Green Card and a fraudulent Social Security card to an undercover agent. On Oct 3, 2023, Sandoval Mazariego was arrested after leaving his Chelsea residence. During a search of his residence, all items necessary to produce counterfeit forms of identification were found, including two laminators, card stock paper, photo paper, glue, trimmers and printers. Also recovered were nine Legal Permanent Resident cards, six Social Security cards and five driver’s licenses. Five of the recovered Social Security cards contained the names provided by the undercover agent to Sandoval Mazariego as part of the investigation. A total of $17,095 in cash was also recovered from the residence.
On Aug. 21, 2023, Xirum pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful transfer of document or authentication feature and three counts of unlawful production of document or authentication feature. In January 2024, Xirum was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, a specialized investigative group comprising personnel from various state, local and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity and benefit fraud schemes.
Cape Girardeau Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU - A man from Cape Girardeau on Thursday and admitted recording his sexual abuse of a child.
Steven Lee Brown, 33, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of production of child pornography. According to court documents, last May, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office received a report that Brown had sexually abused a 10-year-old child. The child was interviewed and confirmed the abuse. Officers immediately responded to Brown’s residence. During an interview, Brown admitted that he engaged in various sexual acts with the child. Brown further admitted that he used his cell phone to record some of the sexual activity. Officers seized Brown’s phone and discovered several sexually explicit images of the minor child on the device. At his plea hearing, Brown admitted that he used his cell phone to produce the sexually explicit material.
Brown’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 6, 2025. He faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years.
This case was investigated by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Jack Koester is handling the prosecution for the Government.
Camden Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 260 Months in Prison for Sex Trafficking MinorsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden man was sentenced today to 260 months in prison for trafficking three minors to engage in commercial sex acts, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Semaj A. Gilmore, 34, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Renée Marie Bumb to three counts of a superseding indictment charging him with sex trafficking minors. Judge Bumb imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From September 2020 to April 2021 Gilmore transported, at various times, three minor victims from Philadelphia to New Jersey knowing they would engage in a commercial sex act at Gilmore’s direction. Each of the victims was under age 18 at the time. During that time period, Gilmore had been required to register as a sex offender as a result of a prior conviction.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Bumb sentenced Gilmore to 10 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs in Philadelphia, with the investigation leading to the sentencing. He also thanked members of the Mount Laurel Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn Waegener of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
Buckhannon Man Admits to Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – David Walter McCauley of Buckhannon, West Virginia, has pleaded guilty to possessing images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit acts, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
McCauley, age 66, appeared in federal court today and entered a plea of guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. According to court documents and statements made in court, McCauley enticed a 17-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct for photo and video production. Investigators searched McCauley’s residence and office and seized electronic devices containing illegal images and videos of the minor engaged in sexual acts with McCauley.
McCauley faces up to 10 years in prison, and the United States Attorney’s Office will recommend that McCauley receive the maximum sentence. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“Manipulating a child to produce pornographic images is a despicable crime,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “I’m grateful for the hard work of our law enforcement partners to ensure that David McCauley will no longer pose a threat to the community.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pittsburgh Police Department, and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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 Justice.gov/PSC.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Boone Man Is Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison for Using the Dark Web to Transport Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jacob Elijah Kilgore, 29, of Boone, N.C., was sentenced to eight years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release today for using the dark web to transport child pornography, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Kilgore was also ordered to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.
Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, and Chief Andy LeBeau of the Boone Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, in February 2023, law enforcement determined that Kilgore was using the dark web to share over 150 videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of children. On February 23, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Kilgore’s apartment, seizing a homemade laptop that contained 11 integrated hard drives. A forensic analysis of one of the seized hard drives revealed that it contained an extensive collection of videos and images of child pornography, with a running time of more than 66 hours for the video files, and approximately 55 gigabytes of storage space for the image files. Some of the videos and images in Kilgore’s library depicted children as young as infants and toddlers being sexually abused. During an interview with law enforcement, Kilgore admitted to accessing the dark web to download child pornography and using a peer-to-peer network to transfer child pornography to others.
On December 8, 2023, Kilgore pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In announcing Kilgore’s sentence, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell said that the public should know that “this kind of conduct leads to long prison sentences.”
The investigation was handled by HSI and the Boone Police Department with the assistance of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Cervantes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Bookkeeper and Sister Sentenced to Federal Prison for Embezzling $1.5M from Florence County BusinessRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — Margaret Ward Heilman, 66, of Darlington County and Katherine Ward Gray, 60, of Florence County, were sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Heilman was the bookkeeper for a business in Florence County. As bookkeeper, she had access to the business’s bank accounts and had signature authority. Beginning in 2014, Heilman began to write checks to herself and others, to include her sister, Gray, for personal expenses. When Heilman wrote the checks to herself, and others, she made them look like legitimate business expenses on the business’s general ledger.
Through the course of the scheme, Heilman defrauded the company out of $1.5 million.
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Heilman to 20 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. Heilman was also ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution. Gray was sentenced to seven months in imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. Gray was ordered to pay $234,131.82 in restitution. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Florence County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy F. Bower is prosecuting the case.
###
Bay Area Man Indicted After Escaping from Federal Custody for Nearly 8 YearsRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Eric Pree, 55, of San Francisco, charging him with escape from custody, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in 2012, Pree was convicted on federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. He was sentenced to 101 months and transferred to serve his sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary Atwater. On Jan. 29, 2017, Pree was discovered missing from the facility. Pree did not have permission to leave the Atwater facility and remained at large until his arrest.
In October 2024, investigators arrested Pree in Walnut Creek. At the time of his arrest, Pree had several cellphones, ID cards, debit and credit cards in different peoples’ names, as well as multiple driver’s licenses and a fake Harvard University Student ID. He is back in federal custody serving the remainder of his original sentence while also facing his new indictment for the escape.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Diplomatic Security Service's San Francisco Field Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Pree faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Baton Rouge Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that James S. Burland, age 69, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles to possession of child pornography. Burland was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Office pending sentencing. His conviction is punishable by a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to a lifetime period of supervised release which includes sex offender registration requirements.
According to admissions made during his plea, on November 11, 2022, Burland uploaded a file containing an image of child pornography to his internet-based cloud storage account. A subsequent investigation identified that between that date and April 9, 2024, Burland possessed at least 150 additional files containing images of child pornography in his internet-based cloud storage account and on some of his personal computers and storage devices. Some of the images of child pornography depicted prepubescent minors and minors under the age of 12.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Attorney General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul L. Pugliese.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.
Baldwin County Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to More Than 24 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Baldwin County man, Teddy Rivers, 57, was sentenced yesterday in federal court on his conviction for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Rivers pled guilty to the charge in August of 2024.
Court documents show that Rivers is a long-time Baldwin County drug dealer. In August 2022, law enforcement executed a traffic stop on Rivers. Rivers was found to be in possession of 48.8 grams of pure methamphetamine. Rivers admitted that he regularly sold methamphetamine to a number of individuals and had been doing so for some time. Rivers has a prior federal conviction for Conspiracy to Manufacture Methamphetamine in 2007, and a prior state conviction for Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute in 2021.United States District Court Judge Callie V.S. Granade sentenced Rivers to 292 months in custody. When Rivers is released from custody, he will serve an eight-year term of supervised release. Rivers will be subject to search upon reasonable suspicion that he has violated the conditions of supervision, and he will also be subject to drug testing and treatment. No fine was imposed in the case, but the judge ordered that Rivers pay $100 in special assessments.
The case was investigated by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration.Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Arkansas Man Sentenced to More than 16 Years in Federal Prison for a Scheme to Obtain More Than $16 Million in COVID-19 Relief FundsRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – On December 5, 2024, United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Tyler Keith Andrews, age 39, of Russellville, Arkansas, to 196 months in federal prison in connection to a scheme to obtain millions of dollars in COVID-19 funds by directing, assisting, facilitating, and submitting false and fraudulent loan applications. Judge Rice also imposed 3 years of supervised release, restitution of $16,330,814.30 to the Small Business Administration, and forfeiture of $4,300,474.75.
On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act provided a number of programs through which eligible small businesses could request and obtain relief funding intended to mitigate the economic impacts of the pandemic for small and local businesses. One program, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) program, offered forgivable loans to eligible small businesses in order to retain or rehire employees who lost their jobs, or were in danger of doing so, due to the pandemic. Another program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, provided low interest loans that could be deferred until the conclusion of the pandemic to provide “bridge” funding for small businesses to maintain their operations during shutdowns and other economic circumstances caused by the pandemic. The PPP and EIDL programs have provided billions of dollars in aid, the vast majority of which has not been paid back, including hundreds of millions of dollars disbursed within Eastern Washington.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, between June 2020 and May 2022, Andrews, then a resident of Arkansas, directed, assisted, and facilitated the submission of dozens of EIDL loan applications using false and fraudulent information on behalf of his co-conspirators, including co-conspirators in the Eastern District of Washington. Andrews charged his co-conspirators a fee, usually 10% of the loan amount, to paid after receipt of the funding. In total, Andrews assisted co-conspirators in obtaining at least $13,449,179 in EIDL funding.
Andrews also submitted numerous false and fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications on behalf of his own businesses, including Andrews Associates, Inc., Texas Oil and Gas Express, Inc., Total Logistic Solutions, and numerous other businesses. In the applications, Andrews misrepresented active status, payroll, number of employees, revenue, and other information in order to obtain EIDL and PPP funding. In total, Andrews obtained at least $3,253,541 in PPP and EIDL funding for his own businesses. Andrews’s company, TE Andrews Holdings, LLC, obtained an additional $1,232,000 in Small Business Administration loan programs.
According to Court documents, after originally being released pending trial following his initial Indictment and arrest, in July 2023, Andrews was arrested and indicted by a grand jury in the Western District of Arkansas for passport fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with attempting to fraudulently obtain a passport using false information in an apparent attempt to flee the United States.
“Mr. Andrews developed a fraudulent scheme to assist and advise others on how to lie and cheat in order to obtain millions in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds – funds that were supposed to help small and local businesses that were struggling to stay afloat during a global crisis. He then took a percentage off the top of the over 13 million dollars fraudulently obtained through his scheme,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “I am proud of the work my office’s COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force. Our skilled prosecutors and law enforcement partners will continue to be relentless in tracking down fraudsters and holding them accountable.”
“Mr. Andrews took advantage of a program meant to help Americans affected by the pandemic to enrich himself.” said Gregory L. Austin, Acting Special Agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “While legitimate small business owners were struggling to stay open and pay employees, he fraudulently obtained millions in assistance funding. Despite his efforts to conceal the fraud, the dedication of the investigators and prosecutors were able to bring his scheme to an end.”
"Today’s charges highlight our unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of SBA programs,” said SBA OIG’s Western Region Special Agent in Charge Weston King. “Exploiting relief efforts for personal gain undermines public trust and deprives legitimate businesses of essential assistance. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s office and our law enforcement partners for their support and dedication to ensuring that those who engage in fraudulent schemes are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
In February 2022, U.S. Attorney Waldref and the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) began working with federal law enforcement agencies to create and launch a COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force that would leverage partnerships between different agencies to aggressively investigate and prosecute fraud against COVID-19 relief programs in Eastern Washington. The Strike Force consists of agency representatives from the USAO, Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs OIG, General Services Administration OIG, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) OIG, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Energy OIG, Department of Labor (DOL), and others.
This case was investigated by the Eastern District of Washington COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force, the FBI, the Small Business Administration, and TIGTA. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Fruchter. U.S. Attorney Waldref also wishes to thank the Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas for their assistance and coordination.
2:22-cr-00057-TOR
4 December 2024
Wallingford Men Charged with Trafficking Fentanyl Laced with XylazineRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment today charging ALEXANDER GARCIA, 28, and DANIEL VARGAS, 27, both of Wallingford, with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in August 2024, the FBI New Haven Safe Streets Gang Task Force initiated an investigation into a drug trafficking organization led by Garcia and Vargas, who were sometimes called “Drake and Josh” or “Mikey and Tony.” Between August and November 2024, investigators made several controlled purchases of fentanyl from Garcia and Vargas. Completed laboratory analysis of some of the purchased fentanyl revealed the presence of xylazine.
Garcia and Vargas were arrested on criminal complaints on November 13, 2024. On that date, a search of their residence on Lee Avenue in Wallingford revealed a firearm and more than $29,000 in cash. They have been detained since their arrests.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force includes members of the New Haven Police Department, East Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, and the Connecticut Department of Correction. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan J. Guevremont.
United States and State of Oklahoma File False Claims Act Complaint Against OKC Laboratory and DirectorRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – The United States and the State of Oklahoma filed a complaint under the federal False Claims Act and the Oklahoma Medicaid False Claims Act against Coordinated Care Health Solutions, LLC d/b/a HunterCare Coordinated Care Health Solutions (CCHS) and Eric P. Wallis, Ph.D., for submitting or causing the submission of false and/or fraudulent claims for payment to certain Government Health Benefit Programs (Government Programs) for testing services that were not rendered or not reimbursable. The Government Programs harmed by the alleged conduct are Medicare, Oklahoma Medicaid, the TRICARE health plan, the Civilian Health and Medical Programs of the VA, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
The complaint alleges CCHS purports to perform laboratory testing services ordered by third-party practitioners to monitor and treat patients. During the time relevant to the complaint, Wallis was employed by CCHS as its laboratory director. He was a management official, directed CCHS’s laboratory operations, and supervised the laboratory employees, including the CCHS billing supervisor.
The complaint alleges that from at least November 2018 through 2021, CCHS and Wallis disguised non-reimbursable urine drug tests as blood tests to by-pass Oklahoma Medicaid’s prior authorization requirement for definitive urine drug testing services. The complaint alleges CCHS submitted, and Wallis caused the submission of, claims for payment to Oklahoma Medicaid that misrepresented the services performed and included services that were not rendered.
The complaint also alleges CCHS systematically billed the federal agency Government Programs for presumptive urine drug testing that was not rendered, and that Wallis caused the submission of these claims. Defendants knew or should have known there was no medical purpose to report “presumptive results” and that those results were not used in the treatment of program beneficiaries. The claims were submitted to the Government Programs for payment for presumptive testing anyway and violated the False Claims Act.
The complaint further alleges that, from at least November 2018 through January 2023, CCHS routinely billed the federal agency Government Programs for medically unnecessary definitive urine drug testing services, and Wallis caused the submission of these claims. These tests were ordered and/or billed through impermissible blanket directives, were not ordered at all, and/or were not medically reasonable and necessary for the treatment of program beneficiaries.
The complaint alleges that, as a result of Defendants’ conduct, the Government Programs paid millions of dollars for thousands of false and/or fraudulent claims for non-reimbursable testing services. The United States and the State of Oklahoma seek to recover damages, along with appropriate trebling of those damages, and penalties for each false claim submitted or caused to be submitted by Defendants.
This matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General Office of Audit Services, Qlarant (the CMS Unified Program Integrity Coordinator for the Southwestern Jurisdiction), the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Criminal Investigations Division, and the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General provided substantial assistance in the investigation.
The case is U.S. et al. v. Coordinated Care Health Solutions, LLC, d/b/a HunterCare Coordinated Care Health Solutions et al., No. CIV-24-1185-JD (W.D. Okla.).
The claims asserted in this action are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
U.S. Attorney Will Thompson Presents 2024 Law Enforcement AwardsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson honored more than 80 federal, state and local law enforcement professionals today for their outstanding contributions to investigations and cases in the Southern District of West Virginia.
The 2024 Law Enforcement Awards, presented during a ceremony at the Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse in Charleston, recognize both invaluable assistance within specific categories of cases and office initiatives as well as overall exemplary service over the past year.
“Today, we recognize and honor those who did an outstanding job serving and protecting our communities during the past year. They provided vitally important assistance to our office in the pursuit of justice,” Thompson said. “We also celebrate and promote the cooperation among agencies. Through these awards, we salute collaborative efforts, including joint investigations and partnerships formed to spearhead criminal justice initiatives. These are so crucial to our shared mission.”
Law enforcement officers and organizations were honored in the following categories:
Category: White Collar Crime
Outstanding White Collar Crime Case: U.S. vs David K. Smith et al. (3:23-cr-5)
- Port Security Specialist Todd A. Childers, United States Coast Guard (USCG)
- Marine Science Technician First Class Caitlin Furman, USCG
- Marine Science Technician First Class Adam Krukowski, USCG
- Marine Science Technician First Class Lenn L. Pitt, USCG
- Chief Warrant Officer Michael D. Rushane, USCG
- Chief of Inspections Geoffrey Scibek, USCG
- Special Agent Nick Gillispie, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
- Special Agent Kim Taylor, USEPA
- Environmental Inspector Supervisor Ryan Harbison, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
An investigation revealed that David K. Smith, 69, of Paducah, Kentucky, was the sole owner and officer of Western River Assets LLC and River Marine Enterprises LLC. Western River Assets owned a towboat, Gate City, that docked along the West Virginia shore of the Big Sandy River.
The U.S. Coast Guard inspected the Gate City towboat and issued an administrative order in November 2017 that required Smith to remove all oil and hazardous materials from the Gate City towboat. This administrative order said in part that the Gate City presented an “imminent and substantial threat to the public health or welfare of the environment because of a threatened discharge of oil from the vessel.”
On or about January 10, 2018, the Gate City towboat sank while docked along the West Virginia shore of the Big Sandy River. The sinking discharged oil and other substances into the Big Sandy, leaving a sheen on the river and oily deposits beneath the surface. As a direct result of the Gate City’s sinking and oil spill, the City of Kenova, West Virginia, closed its municipal drinking water intake for three days. Various regulatory agencies had to take actions and expend resources to respond to the spill.
Smith pleaded guilty individually and on behalf of River Marine Enterprises and Western River Assets to the discharge of refuse into navigable waters on October 17, 2023. Smith was subsequently sentenced to one year and six months of federal probation, including six months on home detention. River Marine Enterprises and Western River Assets were each fined $100,000 and placed on corporate probation for five years. The defendants were also ordered to pay $1,856,957.92 in restitution, and the LLC defendants are prohibited from operating any business while on probation.
Outstanding White Collar Crime Case: U.S. vs Tabatha Deavers et al. (2:23-cr-14)
- Inspector Melissa Belmont, United States Postal Inspection Service
- United States Secret Service Special Agent Bryan Cruickshank (now with the United States Postal Inspection Service)
- Special Agent Gary Hilton, U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations
- Special Agent Brian Horvath, United States Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General
- Detective Brian Middleton, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office
From approximately December 2020 through at least December 1, 2022, Brittany King, 35, of East Bank, and Tabatha Deavers, 30, of Charleston, were employed by a Kanawha County business that cleaned local office spaces. King and Deavers unlawfully obtained the personal identification information of multiple individuals while cleaning these area businesses. They also rerouted the mail of their identity theft victims, which allowed King and Deavers to open lines of credit and bank accounts and obtain loans and credit cards in the names of their identity theft victims.
King and Deavers caused a loss of at least $260,239.19 to more than 10 victims as a result of their fraudulent schemes. They stole money and property from individuals, lenders, financial institutions, car dealerships and other companies.
King and Deavers pleaded guilty in the fall of 2023 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. They were both sentenced to five years in prison. The mother of Tabatha Deavers, Amy Deavers, pleaded guilty in October 2023 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with this case. Amy Deavers admitted that she helped access and attempt to transfer a veteran’s stolen disability benefits as part of the identity theft scheme.
Category: Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched by the Department of Justice in 2006. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, 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.
Outstanding PSC Case: U.S. vs Thomas John Mills (5:21-cr-96)
- Detective Wayne Long, Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office
- Detective Jarred Payne, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office
On or about March 10, 2020, Thomas John Mills, 37, of Beckley, was released from jail following a conviction for child abuse causing injury against a 15-year-old female victim. After being released from jail through October 2020, Mills communicated via his cell phone and Facebook Messenger to coerce the same15-year-old female victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct including masturbation and the lascivious exhibition of her genitals, for the purpose of creating images and videos of this conduct. Mills had the minor take pictures and videos to send to him and also had her participate in live video chats where he told her to engage in sexually explicit conduct. The Court described the case as “one of the worst set of circumstances” it has seen.” Mills pleaded guilty to production of child pornography. On February 23, 2023, Mills was sentenced to 30 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, and is required to register as a sex offender.
Category: Drug Trafficking
Outstanding Drug Trafficking Case: Operation Smoke & Mirrors
U.S. v. Jasper Wemh et al. (2:23-cr-4), U.S. v. Antonio Jeffries et al. (2:23-cr-31), U.S. v. Alexandria Estep et al. (2:23-cr-33), U.S. v. Ildiberto Gonzalez Jr. et al. (1:23-cr-32)
- Digital Forensic Specialist Kelsey Billups, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):
- Paralegal Specialist Amy Boyd, FBI
- Senior Digital Forensic Examiner Melinda Cash, FBI
- Tactical Specialist Rose Chestnut, FBI
- Intelligence Analyst Sarah Cole, FBI
- Special Agent Mark Phillip Gunther II, FBI
- Special Agent Jennifer L. King, FBI
- Senior Financial Investigator Dean A. Lauffer, FBI
- Evidence Technician Joshua VanMeter, FBI
- Keven Allen, Charleston Police Department, Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT)
- Detective Matthew Cooper, St. Albans Police Department, MDENT
- Corporal Wes Daniels, Charleston Police Department, MDENT
- Detective David Harvey, South Charleston Police Department, MDENT
- Detective Jordan Hilbert, Charleston Police Department, MDENT
- Corporal Paul J. Hodge, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, MDENT
- Corporal Brian Hudson, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, MDENT
- Corporal Seth Johnson, Charleston Police Department, MDENT
- Administrative Assistant Lori Lipscomb, MDENT
- Corporal Owen Morris, Charleston Police Department, MDENT
- Lieutenant Justin Raynes, Nitro Police Department, MDENT
- Detective Nigel Waller, Charleston Police Department, MDENT
- Deputy Chief of Police Jason Webb, Former MDENT Commander, Charleston Police Department
- Corporal Michelle R. Shaffer, West Virginia State Police
- Special Agent Ambra Dunn, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA):
- Detective Alexander Bobinger, Charleston Police Department
- Special Agent Dan Karshenas, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
The eight-month investigation dubbed Operation Smoke and Mirrors resulted in the largest seizure of methamphetamine to date in the state of West Virginia. It disrupted a drug trafficking organization (DTO) with connections to California and the southern border that was responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl in Charleston.
Law enforcement obtained more than 50 search warrants, culminating in waves of arrests in March 2023. Law enforcement seized well over 400 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms and $935,000 in cash.
Four federal indictments were returned charging 32 individuals for their roles in the DTO. Another 24 individuals were charged in state criminal complaints. Thirty of the federal defendants pleaded guilty. Another was convicted by a federal jury after a two-day trial. The remaining federal defendant, Deayria Eyshay Willis, 25, of Charleston, is a fugitive. Nearly two dozen of the federal defendants were sentenced to prison. Eight of those defendants were sentenced to 10 years or more of imprisonment.
This investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. It is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Critical to the success of this strategy is harnessing the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies while in cooperation with state and local law enforcement.
Outstanding Drug Trafficking Case: U.S. vs Raymond Jaquette Howard, et al. (3:22-cr-102)
- Special Agent Ben Henrich, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA):
- Special Agent Brian Roscoe, DEA
- Special Agent Matt Yount, DEA
- Corporal K.L. Adkins, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
- First Sergeant P.W. Boyles, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
- Captain Lacy J. Deskins, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
- Sergeant J.R. Garnes, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
- First Sergeant J.M. Parde, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
- Detective Jon Vernon, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
- Lieutenant T.L. Weese, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
- Sergeant A.M. Whittington, West Virginia State Police
On September 22, 2021, Howard, 34, of Las Vegas, Nevada, sold approximately 1.01 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant at a Huntington motel. On November 16, 2021, law enforcement searched Howard’s motel room and found approximately 4.6 pounds of fentanyl and a loaded Glock 43x pistol hidden in the ceiling. On December 24, 2021, Howard was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over by law enforcement officers. The vehicle was searched an officers found approximately 399.6 grams of fentanyl in a backpack. Howard admitted that the fentanyl was his and that he intended to sell the fentanyl or direct others to sell the fentanyl on his behalf.
Howard pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. He was sentenced on January 17, 2023, to 14 years and eight months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
A related defendant, Jamie Lyn Music, 41, also of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl.
This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that has sought to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.
Category: Violent Crime and Project Safe Neighborhoods
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) brings 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.
Outstanding Violent Crime and Project Safe Neighborhood Case: U.S v. Randell Lee Proctor (2:23-cr-74)
- Special Agent Jarrod Chittum, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
- Special Agent Mari Woodford, ATF
- Detective Chris Boner, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office
- Deputy Nathan Brill, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office
- Deputy T.D. Burks, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office
- Deputy D.J. Dorsey, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office
- Trooper D.M. Copley, West Virginia State Police
- Trooper Larry Holstein III, West Virginia State Police
- Forensic Scientist Farrah S. Machado, West Virginia State Police
- Corporal S.W. Perdue, West Virginia State Police
- Sergeant Joseph Robinson, West Virginia State Police
On December 29, 2022, Randell Lee Proctor, 45, of Belle, was engaged in a domestic altercation with his girlfriend while armed with a handgun. Proctor fired one round into the air while walking through a neighborhood in Rand. He fired a second round into the ceiling of a front porch at a residence where the girlfriend was inside. Proctor then entered the residence and began physically assaulting the girlfriend. Law enforcement officers responded after receiving complaints about the gunshots and found Proctor inside the residence. They recovered a Hi-Point, model C9, 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Proctor pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Proctor had four prior convictions for domestic battery in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. He was sentenced on December 7, 2023, to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
Outstanding Violent Crime and Project Safe Neighborhood Case: U.S. vs Thomas Ray III (3:21-cr-57)
- Officer Ernie Blackburn, Huntington Police Department
- Corporal Nicholas Bloomfield, Huntington Police Department
- Captain Steve Compton, Huntington Police Department
- PFC Angela Faircloth, Huntington Police Department
- Sergeant Steve Fitz, Huntington Police Department
- Detective Christopher Hurst, Huntington Police Department
- Officer Matt Keesee, Huntington Police Department
- Sergeant Joseph Koher, Huntington Police Department
- Sergeant Adrian Roasario, Huntington Police Department
- Corporal David Rowsey, Huntington Police Department
- Special Agent Jarrod Chittum, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
On October 23, 2020, Thomas Ray III, 54, of Huntington, entered an Artisan Avenue residence in Huntington where he physically assaulted two women, brandished a firearm, pointed it at the forehead of a third woman and fired two rounds into the air. Officers responding to the resulting 911 calls located Ray in an alley several blocks from Artisan Avenue. Ray fired a round at one officer and continued to flee. Ray fired several more shots at officers while fleeing before they returned fire and wounded him in the leg.
Ray was still holding the firearm while on the ground and resisted being placed into custody. Officers recovered the firearm, a loaded Smith & Wesson Model M&P Shield .40-caliber pistol, after Ray tossed it to the ground. Officers also found .40-caliber ammunition and a Harrington and Richardson revolver in Ray’s pants pockets.
A federal jury found Ray guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm on July 12, 2023, following a two-day trial. Ray knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for forcible detention while armed and giving a false bomb or gas alarm in Will County, Illinois, Circuit Court on February 28, 2012, and for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on December 9, 2013.
At the time of this offense, Ray was serving a term of federal supervised release for the 2013 conviction. Ray was sentenced on December 18, 2023, to 12 years in prison, including two years for committing a crime while on supervised release.
Outstanding Violent Crime and Project Safe Neighborhood Case: U.S. v. Stephen Simmons (3:23-cr-21)
- Senior Special Agent Jason J. Berty, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
- Branch Chief David Bullard, ATF
- Special Agent Jarrod C. Chittum, ATF
- Special Agent Kachine R. Jonese, ATF
- Special Agent Sean McNees, ATF
- Special Agent Mari Woodford, ATF
- Detective Mathew Cooper, St. Albans Police Department
- Lieutenant Brandon Perry, St. Albans Police Department
- Sergeant J.R. Farry, Nitro Police Department
On January 3, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the residence of Stephen Simmons, 41, of Nitro. Law enforcement seized two Glock switches, two drop-in auto sears, six firearm silencers, and more than 40 firearms including a Ruger, model 10/22, .22-caliber rifle that was reported stolen in Boone County.
Simmons pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered machinegun for possessing one of the Glock switches, admitting that he did not register device in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by federal law.
Investigators documented Simmons’ substantial history of unlawful drug use and addiction. Their investigation showed that Simmons was illegally using drugs at the same time he possessed firearms, silencers, and devices designed solely to convert semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic machineguns. The Court concluded that Simmons was an unlawful user of controlled substances, and as a result was prohibited from possessing firearms on January 3, 2023. Simmons was sentenced on September 12, 2023, to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
Drug and Violent Crime Task Force of the Year: Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT)
The U.S. Attorney’s Award for Drug and Violent Crime Task Force of the Year recognizes outstanding cooperative law enforcement efforts and endeavors that have significant and lasting community impact. This award is a highlight of our annual ceremony because it not only honors a task force for one or more specific cases but also for their continuing role in significant investigations and prosecutions.
The Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
This year’s award recognizes MDENT for its role in Operation Smoke and Mirrors.
Law Enforcement Officers of the Year
Our Law Enforcement Officer of the Year awards honor individual federal, state, and local officers selected for work that consistently stands out in significant cases.
- Federal Law Enforcement Officers of the Year: Special Agent Terrance “Terry” Taylor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
- State Law Enforcement Officers of the Year: Captain Lacy Deskins, West Virginia State Police
- Local Law Enforcement Officers of the Year: Deputy Jason A. Redden, Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office
Each of these individuals has distinguished himself in multiple cases prosecuted by this office. This award also honors them for their consistently outstanding contributions throughout their careers to the criminal justice system and the communities they serve.
Outstanding Community Partner: West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University has been a committed contributor as a West Virginia Civil Rights Stakeholder and a gracious host of the Stakeholders’ quarterly meetings. The Civil Rights Stakeholders are an array of federal, state and local agencies and organizations committed to addressing and responding to hate crimes and incidents in the Southern District of West Virginia.
West Virginia State University is also a valued partner with this office in the advancement of the Department of Justice’s United Against Hate initiative, a nationwide initiative to combat unlawful acts of hate and improve hate crime reporting.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
###
Two-time Federally Convicted Georgia Man Sentenced in Upstate Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The final defendant in an Upstate drug trafficking conspiracy, Jeffrey Michael Wilson, 54, of Commerce, Georgia, was sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, after having served a prior federal sentence on similar charges.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on Feb. 22, 2023, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on Wilson, locating more than 5,800 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded semi-automatic pistol with 19 rounds. The investigation revealed that over the course of the conspiracy, Wilson was responsible for trafficking over 89 kilograms of methamphetamine.
United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Wilson to 235 months imprisonment, followed by 120 months supervised release, and ordered a forfeiture judgement of $311,000.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, South Carolina Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, and Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Schoen is prosecuting the case.
###
Two Lake Charles Men Sentenced on Drug Trafficking and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that two Lake Charles men have been sentenced for illegally possessing firearms and drugs, including fentanyl. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced the defendants as follows:
Johnathan C. Norwood, 42, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. In early 2023, law enforcement agents investigated the suspected involvement of Norwood with drug distribution in the Calcasieu Parish area. On April 3, 2023, a traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle being driven by Norwood in order to arrest him pursuant to an active arrest warrant. During the traffic stop, agents searched Norwood’s vehicle and found approximately 29.21 grams of cocaine and over $3,000 in cash inside. A subsequent search warrant was obtained for his residence and upon execution, law enforcement officers found and seized four firearms and ammunition, approximately 6,535.3 grams of cocaine, 128,923.95 grams of marijuana, over 50 pill tablets containing hydrocodone, and over $80,000 in cash. Through their further investigation, agents learned that two of the seized firearms had been reported as stolen from their lawful owners.
This case was investigated by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, and the Combined Anti-Drug Task Force in Calcasieu Parish and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Danny Siefker.
The second defendant, Cohaynee D. Jones, 28, was sentenced to 72 months (6 years) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. On April 20, 2022, agents with the Combined Anti-Drug Task Force in Calcasieu Parish had four arrest warrants for Jones which were all active. Agents executed the warrants at his residence on 10th Street in Lake Charles and found Jones asleep on the couch with a rifle on the headrest where he was laying. Jones was taken into custody and a search of his residence was executed. Officers found two additional firearms on the couch where Norwood was laying, with one having been reported as stolen. Jones has a previous felony conviction for aggravated battery from 2020 and was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition. In addition, officers conducted a search of a rental vehicle in Jones’ driveway which officers had observed him driving. Inside the vehicle was a backpack containing several Ziploc bags with a substance that appeared to be narcotics, along with mail addressed to Jones. The substance was seized and sent to the crime lab for testing and confirmed to weigh approximately 57 grams and contained a detectable amount of fentanyl.
This 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 Jamilla A. Bynog.
# # #
Two Defendants Sentenced to 15 Years in 15-Year-Old’s Fentanyl Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
The pair that supplied fentanyl pills to a 15-year-old Carrollton girl who fatally overdosed have been sentenced to a combined 15 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Lizbeth Prieto, 19, also known as Lizbeth Escamilla, and Cristian Lopez, 24, were charged via criminal complaint in June 2023 and indicted the following month. Ms. Prieto pleaded guilty in November 2023 to distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 21 and was sentenced in April 2024 to 84 months in federal prison. Mr. Lopez pleaded guilty in July 2024 to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced Monday to 96 months in federal prison.
“Fentanyl rips through communities and decimates families. And with so many traffickers wantonly pushing these pills, all of our teenagers are vulnerable,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “I launched the Protect Our Children Project – aimed at using law enforcement resources to help schools prevent fentanyl overdoses and other tragedies – in honor of children like this victim, lost to drugs or guns in our schools. It is my fervent hope that we can drastically reduce fentanyl fatalities in North Texas. Removing traffickers from the streets is another step towards that goal.”
“Selling poison in the form of fentanyl to our youth is one of the most treacherous and evil ways to hurt our community,” said Eduardo A. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division. “To all of those who still continue to traffic fentanyl pills: DEA Dallas and our law enforcement partners such as Carrollton PD will find you and hold you accountable for your selfish actions. The safety of our families and community depends on it.”
According to court documents, Mr. Lopez supplied fentanyl pills to Ms. Prieto, who provided them to the victim, a 15-year-old student at Newman Smith High School in Carrollton identified in court documents as “J.G.”
Family members called 911 when they found the J.G. unresponsive, face down on her bed on Tuesday, June 13. She was transported to the hospital and pronounced deceased shortly thereafter.
Inside the child’s bedroom room, agents found ten counterfeit Percocet pills inscribed M/30, which later tested positive for fentanyl. On her Instagram, they found communications between the girl and Ms. Prieto from approximately 24 hours before the death.
In messages, Ms. Prieto allegedly offered to sell J.G. 13 fentanyl pills for $100 dollars, confirmed she could pay with cash, and asked for her address. A short while later, Ms. Prieto allegedly advised J.G. that she was pulling up to the home to deliver the pills.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division and the Carrollton Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phelesa Guy and Rick Calvert prosecuted the case.
Note: Illicitly produced, fentanyl-laced pills often look similar to legitimate prescription pills like Oxycontin or Percocet, but can pose significantly more danger. On the street, these pills are often referred to as “M30s” (a reference to the markings on some of the pills), “blues,” “perks,” “yerks,” “china girls,” or “TNT.” DEA research shows that five out of ten pills laced with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose. One pill can kill. For resources, visit https://www.dea.gov/onepill.
Two Charged with Sex Trafficking of A MinorRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Craig Coins, Jr., age 30, and Aubreanna Odendahl, age 26, both of Mississippi, were indicted on charges involving conspiracy, sex trafficking of a minor, transportation of a minor for sexual activities, and production of child pornography.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that the minor was transported from Mississippi to Tioga County, Pennsylvania in April and the criminal conduct took place from March to May of 2023 in Tioga County and elsewhere.
The case was investigated by the Wellsboro Police Department, Mississippi Capitol Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty under federal law is up to life in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
# # #
Two Admit Promoting Prostitution of Women in St. LouisRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men from Tennessee have admitted this week promoting the prostitution of women in the St. Louis area.
Martavis Walker, 30, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of interstate transportation for the purpose of prostitution. Walker admitted meeting a woman in Tennessee in late December 2023. He created online ads, forced her to work well-known prostitution areas in Memphis and forced her into at least a dozen sex acts there, Walker’s plea says. On Jan. 12, 2024, Walker took the woman to St. Louis, where he forced her to engage in commercial sex acts at hotels and Airbnb rentals.
Walker is scheduled to be sentenced March 12. The charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both prison and a fine.
Domaniko McCrary, 33, of Memphis, pleaded guilty Tuesday to the same charge in an unrelated case. McCrary admitted buying a bus ticket for himself and the victim and traveling to the Eastern District of Missouri on April 16, 2023. McCrary then rented two hotel rooms so that the victim could engage in commercial sex acts.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI investigated the Walker case. The Hazelwood Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the McCrary case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards is prosecuting both cases.
Three Idaho Falls Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
BOISE – Today, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced the results of three separate drug distribution cases in Eastern Idaho.
“The justice achieved in these cases reflects how the strong partnerships between my office and state and local law enforcement remove dangerous criminals from our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “We will continue to focus on prosecuting drug traffickers in all parts of Idaho, and I am grateful for the talented officers, investigators, and prosecutors making a difference in this fight.”
- Convicted Felon and Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Federal Prison
In one case, Jesus Rosas, 45, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced on November 25, 2024, to 55 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court records, on January 8, 2024, Rosas was pulled over for a traffic violation by Idaho Falls Police. Rosas’s passenger had several warrants for his arrest. The passenger fled the vehicle on foot and later shot at an officer with a handgun. The officer returned fire, striking the passenger, who ultimately died from the resulting injuries.
During the traffic stop, officers removed Rosas from the vehicle and located a loaded handgun next to the driver’s seat. While removing Rosas from the vehicle, officers observed Rosas reaching in the direction of the firearm. Officers searched Rosas before placing him in a patrol vehicle. During the search, officers discovered a black bag in Rosas’s jacket pocket which contained a glass pipe, small clear bags, and two bags containing 35.9 grams of methamphetamine.
Rosas’s criminal history includes five prior state felony convictions: delivery of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of controlled substances, grand theft, and burglary. Records with the Idaho Department of Correction show that he has suspected gang ties.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Rosas to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Rosas pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2024.
- Idaho Falls Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution of Methamphetamine
In a separate case, Brandon Luce, 43, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced on November 21, 2024 to 37 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court records, in early 2022, Luce, on two occasions, sold to another person a combined 83.24 grams of methamphetamine. Luce told the buyer that there was only one pound left in town and they were going to have to go get more.
Luce’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for possession of controlled substances and misdemeanor convictions for driving offenses, possessing burglary tools, and battery.
Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered Luce to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Luce pleaded guilty to the offense in August 2024.
- Idaho Falls Man Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Drugs
In a third case, Darren Payne, 51, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced on November 25, 2024 to 24 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court records, on January 18, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Payne’s home which included a search of his vehicle. During the execution of the search warrant, Payne was located alone in the master bedroom. He attempted to flee from the bedroom to the bathroom and attempted to swallow a bag containing methamphetamine, but ultimately spit it out.
During the search, officers found a plastic bag containing hundreds of light blue M30 pills tucked inside the bottom of a shoe. These were counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. Additionally, while searching the pockets of clothing items hanging in the closet, officers located a bag containing a box of suboxone, multiple small bags, and glass pipes. A search of the bedroom revealed the following items: a green bottle containing small purple pills imprinted K57, Oxycodone Hydrochloride; heroin; and cocaine. There were also three individually packaged light blue M30 pills which appeared to be for sale. The items found appeared to be for both personal use and for sale. Payne possessed 76.8 grams fentanyl for distribution.
Payne’s criminal history includes two state felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance. Payne has two pending felony charges in Bonneville County for drug trafficking in methamphetamine and in Fremont County for passing checks with insufficient funds.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Payne to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Payne pleaded guilty to the charge in July 2024.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit applauded the investigations by the Idaho Falls Police Department and the Idaho State Police for their work in all three cases and thanked the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office for their investigations, which led to charges in the Rosas and Payne cases. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoie Laggis prosecuted these cases.
These cases were handled by the U.S. Attorney Office’s specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in Eastern Idaho as well as the Idaho Department of Correction.
The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to use the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts.
This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 175 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 152 have been indicted on drug trafficking charges. The defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 10,639 months (approximately 886.5 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 73.87 months (6.12 years). Defendants indicted for drug trafficking offenses serve, on average, approximately 60.33 months (5.02 years) in federal prison.
###
Theft of firearms from Billings pawnshop burglary sends Joliet man to prison for more than six yearsRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Joliet man who admitted to stealing firearms from a Billings pawnshop during a burglary was sentenced today to six years and five months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
The defendant, Lucious Machiavelli, aka Robert Allen Boyden, 48, pleaded guilty in August to theft from a federal firearms licensee.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court also ordered $8,783 in restitution.
The government alleged in court documents that on Sept. 11, 2023, Pawnbrokers West, a federal firearms licensee, in Billings, was burglarized shortly before 3 a.m. Ten firearms were stolen during the break in. Five of the firearms are still at large. Law enforcement learned that Machiavelli was involved in the burglary. Some of the stolen firearms were recovered from the residence of a co-defendant, who told law enforcement that Machiavelli had brought the guns to the residence. Another co-defendant told law enforcement that he and Machiavelli broke into the pawn shop and stole the firearms.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
XXX
Texas Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Sextortion of Maine Children He Met on InstagramRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Texas man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for coercion and enticement of a minor.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Juan Jose Torres, 27, to 132 months in prison followed by seven years of supervised release.
According to court records, in December 2021, the father of one of the victims contacted law enforcement after discovering that the child had sent sexually explicit photos and videos to someone who had befriended the child on Instagram. The investigation showed that the victim and another child, both in their early teens, were coaxed and coerced into creating and sending graphic and sexually explicit material of themselves to Torres. If the victims hesitated, Torres threatened to harm himself or post the images online if they did not comply. When he was arrested in February 2023, Torres told investigators that he was “just having fun” and that he threatened the young victims because he “liked the attention from them.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office is limiting identifying information, including gender, location and ages, to protect the minor victims’ privacy.
“Mr. Torres pretended to be something he wasn’t to befriend these young victims, then manipulated and exploited them into a situation they were too young to handle. The crime of sextortion is increasing alarmingly, and these cases so often end tragically with young victims feeling they have no way out,” said U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee. “Thankfully, a vigilant parent realized what was happening and immediately contacted police, averting what could have been a tragedy and likely preventing additional victims. It is so important to talk to children about why it is never safe to share intimate images, videos or livestreams with anyone – even someone they know, love or trust.”
“Torres manipulated children into providing explicit photos to him, using fear and threats to coerce them after they realized they wanted to stop,” said HSI New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol. “This crime happens all too often, and victims often feel trapped and that there’s nowhere for them to turn. We want victims and families to know that they are not alone, and there is always help available through HSI and our partners.”
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case.
Online enticement is increasing: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported an alarming 300% increase in online enticement reports between 2020 and 2023. “Online enticement” involves an individual communicating with someone believed to be a child via the internet with the intent to commit a sexual offense or abduction. This type of victimization takes place across every platform, including social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, etc. Learn more about online enticement, including red flags and risk factors, at https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/onlineenticement. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project iGuardian program available to Maine communities, schools: The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) program Project iGuardian is focused on keeping children and teens safe from online predators through education and awareness. The in-person educational outreach effort was created to share information about the dangers of online environments, how to stay safe online, and how to report abuse and suspicious activity. Schools, parent groups, and other community groups interested in bringing the program to their community can find more information at: https://www.dhs.gov/know2protect/training.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
###
Supervisor of Luxury Jewelry Company Sentenced for Stealing, Selling Millions of Dollars Worth of Precious MetalsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A manufacturing supervisor for a luxury jewelry company was sentenced today for stealing over $1.7 million in gold, silver and platinum from his employer over a period of more than three years.
Benjamin Preacher, 54, of North Attleboro, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to 59 days in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, including 10 months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service. Preacher was also ordered to forfeit $1,267,093. The government recommended a sentence of 30 months in prison. In June 2024, Preacher pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods and one count of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.
From 2018 until early 2024, Preacher worked as a manufacturing supervisor at a Rhode Island facility operated by a company that sells luxury items, including jewelry made from gold, silver and platinum. Preacher used his position overseeing the production and security of high-end jewelry to steal scrap precious metals from the company’s facility in Rhode Island. Preacher then drove the stolen metals into Massachusetts and then sold them to various businesses in Massachusetts. An image of some of the stolen metals appears below.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jonathan Wlodyka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil, Deputy Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Spearfish Police Officer Recognized with Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community PolicingRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS — Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced the recipients of the Seventh Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing. Among the 13 nationwide recipients was Officer Reece Walno of the Spearfish Police Department in Spearfish, South Dakota.
This prestigious award recognizes law enforcement officers who demonstrate exceptional dedication to strengthening trust, promoting community engagement, and enhancing public safety.
“Community policing is essential to building trust and ensuring public safety,” said Attorney General Garland. “These officers have gone above and beyond their duty to foster partnerships with the communities they serve. Their work is an inspiration to us all and a reminder of the profound impact law enforcement can have on individuals, neighborhoods, and society.”
During the course of 2023, Officer Reece Walno showed his commitment to his department and his community by establishing a strong and diligent work ethic and personally fielding more than 1,200 calls for service. One traffic stop stood out from the rest: On August 8, Officer Walno stopped a vehicle for speeding and equipment violations. During the traffic stop, Officer Walno observed multiple indicators of criminal activity. Officer Walno was able to obtain consent for a K9 free-air sniff which provided additional narcotic detection resources. During the vehicle search, suspected methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia were located and seized. Officer Walno’s training and experience led him to determine the evidence located was involved in the distribution of illegal controlled substances. The driver was later taken into custody for active arrest warrants and other felony and misdemeanor charges.
Despite call volume and shift shortages, Officer Walno continued his proactive investigation and seized the suspect’s cellphone. Officer Walno began the search of the cellphone data and discovered information suggesting further narcotic activity occurring through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Officer Walno contacted the USPS Postal Inspector and provided actionable intelligence which led to an initial seizure of a dark web marijuana parcel from Wyoming. Officer Walno contacted drug agents with the UNET-N [Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team – North)] Drug Task Force and provided further intelligence.
Officer Walno’s investigative tenacity and attention to detail produced significant, well-documented intelligence which allowed law enforcement to stop more than a pound of controlled substances in addition to dark web marijuana from being distributed to Spearfish and other surrounding communities. Officer Walno completed a high-level narcotics investigation while also meeting the high-volume demand for calls for service and continuing other proactive police activities.
U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota Alison J. Ramsdell offered these comments, “I commend Officer Reece Walno on his selection for the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing. In the District of South Dakota, we rely heavily on the work of local law enforcement officers like Officer Walno to build impactful federal drug prosecutions. Officer Walno’s detailed and thorough investigations have been crucial in helping to piece together drug rings and bring drug traffickers to justice. Through the dedicated efforts of Officer Walno and others throughout the law enforcement community in South Dakota, we will continue to dismantle the drug trafficking organizations that are peddling poison in our communities.”
The Attorney General’s Award recognizes individual state, local, and Tribal sworn officers, deputies, and troopers for exceptional efforts in community policing. The awarded individuals have demonstrated active engagement with the community in one of three areas: criminal investigations, field operations, or innovations in community policing.
The awardees were selected from a nationwide pool of nominees for their outstanding achievements in fostering safer, more inclusive communities.
The Department of Justice commends these officers for their service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to their communities. For more information about the awards, visit www.justice.gov.
South Texan imprisoned for attempting to run over federal agentRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 23-year-old San Benito man has been ordered to federal prison after attempting to run over an FBI agent while trying to evade arrest in a stolen vehicle, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Damian Evans Lopez pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer Sept. 9.
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has now ordered him to serve 110 months to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. Judge Olvera enhanced the sentence for use of a motor vehicle as a deadly weapon, reckless endangerment during flight and official victim adjustments. At the hearing, the court heard how Lopez had a history of placing law enforcement and the public in danger given his three prior felony convictions for evading arrest with motor vehicles.
On June 28, an FBI agent was engaged in an investigation involving stolen vehicles being illegally exported into Mexico. He identified a stolen Chevrolet truck parked near the Gateway International Bridge Port of Entry in Brownsville and called for assistance.
The agent was wearing FBI gear with clear law enforcement markings and began approaching the vehicle. Authorities asked Lopez to exit from the driver’s seat, but he failed to do so. Instead, he turned the vehicle’s wheels to exit the parking space and aggressively accelerated directly at the FBI agent.
He managed to jump out of the way of the accelerating vehicle and avoided serious injury and or death by mere inches.
Authorities apprehended Lopez in San Benito, following a high-speed vehicle chase through the streets of Brownsville and onto the freeway. The pursuit, which lasted 20 minutes, involves speeds exceeding 100 mph.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI and Brownsville Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro prosecuted the case.
South Dakota Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Sioux Falls, South Dakota man and Guatemalan national was sentenced on November 26, 2024 to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a distribution quantity of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm as a felon and in relation to his drug trafficking.
According to public court documents, Johny Fernando Diaz-Mendez, 47, was arrested in March 2024 and found in possession of a firearm in his waistband and a large quantity of methamphetamine.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Diaz-Mendez will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and the Iowa State Patrol.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Smith County man sentenced for producing counterfeit identification documentsRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas –A Tyler man has been sentenced to federal prison for counterfeit documents scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Juan Carlos Rodriguez, Sr., 50, pleaded guilty to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on December 4, 2024.
According to information presented in court, in January 2024, Rodriguez produced and provided counterfeit permanent resident cards and social security cards for three individuals in exchange for $450. In March of 2024, Rodriguez again produced and provided fraudulent permanent resident cards and social security cards for another eight individuals in exchange for $1,200. A federal search warrant was executed at Rodriguez’s residence where law enforcement officers recovered additional fraudulent identification documents in various stages of manufacture and the equipment used to produce the documents. Rodriguez admitted to producing more than 25 fraudulent identification documents.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Smith County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan R. Jackson.
###
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to Nearly Three Years in Federal Prison for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schrier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on December 2, 2024.
Wilson Boneshirt, 50, was sentenced to two years and nine months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Boneshirt was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in May 2024. He pleaded guilty in September 2024.
Boneshirt is required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act due to a 2002 conviction in U.S. District Court, District of South Dakota, for Incest. In March 2024, Boneshirt was on parole with the South Dakota Department of Corrections and residing at the Glory House in Sioux Falls. On March 29, 2024, Boneshirt was granted a two-day furlough to attend a relative’s funeral, but he failed to return to the Glory House as required and did not update the sex offender registry with his new location. His whereabouts were unknown to registration officials until his arrest on May 23, 2024.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Beau J. Blouin prosecuted the case.
Boneshirt was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to 11 ½ Years in Federal Prison for Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute. The sentencing took place on December 2, 2024.
Larry Wayne Moss, a/k/a “Lucci,” age 48, was sentenced to 11.5 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Moss was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2023. He pleaded guilty on August 30, 2024.
The conviction stemmed from an investigation early in 2023. Moss sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant on three separate occasions between January and March of 2023. On March 6, 2023, investigators obtained a search warrant for the motel where Moss was staying. They executed the search warrant and discovered approximately two pounds of methamphetamine, 42 grams of fentanyl pills, ecstasy, and marijuana. Moss intended to distribute the methamphetamine to others in the District of South Dakota. Methamphetamine is a Scheduled II controlled substance.
This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
Moss was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Saratoga Springs Man Sentenced to 72 Months for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Christopher Barry, age 42, of Saratoga Springs, New York, was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for receiving child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
As part of his prior guilty plea, Barry admitted that between June 2021 and January 2022, he received child pornography, including images of prepubescent minors, and on February 9, 2023, possessed two phones containing child pornography. The offense involved more than 1,500 still images and at least four videos of child pornography.
United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci also ordered Barry to serve a 15-year term of post-incarceration supervised release, to forfeit the two phones involved in the offense, and to pay a total of $42,000 restitution to 14 victims. Barry will also be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.
HSI investigated the case with assistance from the New York State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Salt Lake Police Officer Recognized with Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community PolicingRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced the recipients of the Seventh Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing, including Detective Tyler Norman of the Salt Lake City Police Department.
This prestigious award recognizes law enforcement officers who demonstrate exceptional dedication to strengthening trust, promoting community engagement, and enhancing public safety.
“Community policing is essential to building trust and ensuring public safety,” said Attorney General Garland. “These officers have gone above and beyond their duty to foster partnerships with the communities they serve. Their work is an inspiration to us all and a reminder of the profound impact law enforcement can have on individuals, neighborhoods, and society.”
Detective Norman’s relentless pursuit of justice has not only disrupted gang activity but also established him as a leading expert in the field across the county. His tireless dedication, his work to build his own knowledge of the intricacies of the law, and countless hours of investigative work has resulted in the arrest of numerous violent street gang members and the seizure of firearms and narcotics. His efforts have profoundly strengthened public safety throughout the region.
“I want to thank Detective Norman for his outstanding and selfless work to protect our citizens and keep the community safe,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah. “Congratulations on this prestigious achievement.”
The Attorney General’s Award recognizes individual state, local, and Tribal sworn officers, deputies, and troopers for exceptional efforts in community policing. The awarded individuals have demonstrated active engagement with the community in one of three areas: criminal investigations, field operations, or innovations in community policing.
The awardees were selected from a nationwide pool of nominees for their outstanding achievements in fostering safer, more inclusive communities.
The Department of Justice commends these officers for their service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to their communities. For more information about the awards, visit www.justice.gov.
SCDC Inmate and 4 Florence Co-Conspirators Indicted for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Florence returned a four-count indictment against Samual Earl Ramu, 33; Kathy Denise Roberts-Poston, 57; Michael Allen Dorsey, 56; Justin Allen Cox, 40; and Ryan Marie Lovell, 37, all of Florence, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
The indictment alleges that the five named defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl in South Carolina since at least May 2021. Ramu faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and is currently incarcerated and serving a 15-year sentence with the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Dorsey faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and is currently detained on related state charges. Roberts-Poston, Cox, and Lovell each face maximum penalties of 20 years imprisonment and are currently detained awaiting their initial appearances before the Honorable Kaymani D. West, United States Magistrate Judge.
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 Homeland Security Investigations and the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the South Carolina Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Ellis is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs stated that all charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
###
Recidivist drug trafficker sentenced to over 26 years in prison for running drug operation from his apartmentsRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced today to 26 years and 10 months in prison for drug conspiracy and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, from at least June 2018 through his most recent arrest on Oct. 14, 2022, Lemoyne Williams, 44, conspired with others to manufacture, distribute, and possess with the intent to manufacture and distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
After conducting a controlled purchase of narcotics from Williams, Newport News Police executed a search warrant on Williams’ apartment and vehicles on Oct. 30, 2019. Though officers knocked for several minutes, they eventually had to force entry into Williams’ residence where they encountered not only Williams, but also his intimate partner and two of his children, aged three and twelve. Officers recovered, among other things, almost 50 grams of heroin and fentanyl, 45 grams of cocaine, other controlled substances, a pill press, digital scales, 10 cellphones, almost $3000 in cash, and a stolen handgun loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition that was hidden in a bathroom floor vent.
A federal grand jury indicted Williams on Aug. 10, 2022, in connection with his 2019 conduct. When officers attempted to execute the resulting arrest warrant, Williams did not comply with the officers’ directions and agents breached the door, observing narcotics and processing materials in plain view. The officers obtained a search warrant and recovered almost 45 grams of meth, two grams of crack cocaine, and five grams each of fentanyl and cocaine powder, along with processing materials, three phones, and five loaded firearms.
Williams has previous convictions, including for a 1999 manslaughter and possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it while wearing body armor and driving a stolen vehicle while pending trial in 2000. At the time of his lates offenses, Williams was under court supervision for a drug-trafficking conviction.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division; Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police; and Jimmie Wideman, Chief of Hampton Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Podlesni prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-cr-66.