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21 October 2024
Bank Manager Sentenced to 65 Months in Prison for Coordinating Multistate COVID-19 Relief Program Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A former branch manager of a national financial institution was sentenced to 65 months in prison for using his position to organize a conspiracy to help individuals obtain at least 38 fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling approximately $5 million, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Tommy Hawkins, 61, of Philadelphia, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams to one count of bank fraud conspiracy. Judge Williams imposed the sentence on Oct. 18, 2024, in Camden federal court. A codefendant, Sieff Robert Sargeant, 44, of Island Park, New York, previously pleaded guilty before Judge Williams to one count of money laundering and was sentenced on Oct. 2, 2024, to six months in prison and six months of home confinement.
According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in court:
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted in March 2020 and was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through a program referred to as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). To obtain a PPP loan, a qualifying small business was required to apply and provide information on its operations, including the number of employees and expenses. In addition, businesses generally had to provide supporting documentation.
In 2020 and early 2021, Hawkins worked as the branch manager of the Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, branch of a national bank that was accepting Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. Hawkins worked with Eric Rivera, Lisa Smith, and others to recruit individuals who owned companies with little or no operations to open bank accounts at Hawkins’ branch and apply for PPP loans. Hawkins helped the recruited individuals submit PPP loan applications that contained materially false representations about the companies’ number of employees and payroll expenses. The applications also included false documentation, including tax forms. Based on these applications, Hawkins’ bank approved at least 38 PPP loans and disbursed approximately $5 million. Hawkins received incentive compensation through the bank for opening business bank accounts for the companies that received fraudulent PPP loans and also had an agreement with Rivera and Smith for them to pay Hawkins $5,000 of the loan proceeds for each PPP loan that Hawkins helped to obtain.
In April 2021, Sargeant’s business received a PPP loan based on a fraudulent application that was submitted through Hawkins’ branch. Sargeant then paid another individual, James Wessels, to create fake payroll checks. Sargeant distributed fake payroll checks to a friend, who cashed the checks and returned the majority of the cash to Sargeant. This was done to conceal that the proceeds actually were being spent on non-payroll expenses.
In addition the prison term, Judge Williams sentenced Hawkins to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution of $5.3 million.
Lisa Smith has pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme. Charges remain pending against Rivera and Wessels, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of the Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Patricia Tarasca; special agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs in Philadelphia; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Boston-New York Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Corwin Rattler; and special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman and Attorney-in-Charge Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.
Baltimore Man Admits to Fentanyl ChargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Donald McDuffin Williams, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, has admitted to the possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, as part of an investigation into the sale and distribution of fentanyl, agents searched the defendant's home and discovered drugs, drug paraphernalia, and cash.
Williams faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Attempting to Impede Federal Tax Laws Lands Oklahoma City Man in Federal Prison for Three YearsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – KEVIN LANE BIERIG, 51, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 36 months in federal prison, the statutory maximum, for corruptly endeavoring to obstruct or impede the due administration of the federal tax laws, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On April 4, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a four-count Indictment against Bierig, charging him with one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct or impede the due administration of the federal tax laws and three counts of failing to file a tax return. According to the Indictment, Bierig, a career drilling consultant in the energy industry, has not filed a tax return since at least 2005, despite being required to do so based on his level of income. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) initiated enforcement action in 2013, which included the collection of levied funds from Bierig’s paychecks.
Court documents allege that beginning in 2017, while knowing of the IRS enforcement actions, Bierig forged the signature of an IRS revenue officer onto IRS forms, including an IRS Installment Agreement and an IRS Release of Levy, in an attempt to have levied funds paid to himself rather than be sent to the IRS.
On June 13, 2024, Bierig pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Indictment. As part of his plea, Bierig admitted that he has earned substantial income since 2004, yet has not filed a federal tax return since that year. He further admitted that he knew the IRS had been investigating him since at least 2017, that the IRS was attempting to collect the delinquent taxes, and that he forged official IRS forms and sent the fraudulent forms to his billing company in an effort to have the frozen funds sent to himself instead of the IRS.
At the sentencing hearing on October 17, 2024, U.S. District Judge Bernard M. Jones sentenced Bierig to serve 36 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release. The court also ordered Bierig to pay $951,643.62 in restitution to the IRS. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the escalation of Bierig’s criminal conduct over several years from not filing and paying his taxes, to willfully impeding the IRS’s efforts to collect taxes.
This case is the result of an investigation by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Brown prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Atlanta Attorney Pleads Guilty in Syndicated Conservation Easement Tax SchemeRead the Press Release
A Georgia man pleaded guilty last week to obstructing the IRS related to his participation in the promotion of abusive syndicated conservation easement tax shelters.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Vi Bui was an attorney and partner at Sinnott & Co., an Atlanta-based company. Beginning in at least in 2012 and continuing through at least May 2020, Bui participated in a scheme to defraud the IRS by organizing, marketing, implementing and selling illegal syndicated conservation easement tax shelters created and organized by Jack Fisher, Sinnott and others. For their involvement in the scheme, Fisher and Sinnott were convicted at trial and in January sentenced to 25 and 23 years in prison, respectively.
The scheme entailed the creation of partnerships that would purchase land and land-owning companies and then donate conservation easements over that land or the land itself. Appraisers would allegedly generate fraudulent and inflated appraisals of the conservation easements. The partnerships then claimed a charitable contribution tax deduction based on the inflated value of the conservation easement, resulting in a fraudulent tax deduction flowing to the wealthy clients who purchased units in the partnership. Many of these clients joined the tax shelters after the donation of the interest in land and after the close of the relevant tax year. Bui knew that, to make it appear that the participants had timely purchased their units in the tax shelters, Fisher, Sinnott and others backdated and instructed others to falsify documents, including subscription agreements, checks and other documents. And in at least one instance, Bui falsified documents himself.
Bui anticipated that the syndicated conservation easement transactions would be audited. To deceive the IRS, Bui and others took steps to make the partnerships appear as legitimate real estate development companies. They would create and disseminate lengthy documents disguising the true nature of the transaction, institute sham “votes” for what to do with the land that the partnership owned despite knowing that outcome was predetermined and falsify paperwork, such as appraisals and subscription agreements.
In one instance, when investigators conducted an undercover operation in 2018, Bui, believing that the IRS was auditing an individual’s 2014 tax return, prepared false documents that made it appear that the materials were executed before the purported donation of the conservation easement in 2014 and before the 2014 tax returns had been filed.
Bui earned substantial income for his role in the illegal scheme. He also used the fraudulent tax shelters to evade his own taxes, filing false personal tax returns from 2013 through 2018 that claimed false tax deductions from the illegal syndicated conservation easement tax shelters.
Bui is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 13, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. Bui also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
To date, in addition to the convictions of Fisher and Sinnott noted above, nine additional defendants have pleaded guilty to criminal conduct related to the syndicated conservation easement tax shelter scheme, including appraiser Walter Douglas “Terry” Roberts, accountants Stein Agee; Corey Agee, CPA; Ralph Anderson, CPA; James Benkoil, CPA; Victor Smith, CPA; William Tomasello, CPA; Herbert Lewis, CPA; and Attorney Randall Lenz.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia and Chief Guy Ficco of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement. They also thanked U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina for her office’s assistance.
IRS-CI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Richard M. Rolwing, Parker Tobin, Jessica Kraft and Nicholas J. Schilling Jr., of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Huber and deputy chief of the complex frauds section for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.
Armed Robber Gets 10 Year Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Antone Watkins, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for armed robbery and other firearm-related offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Watkins was found guilty by a Superior Court jury on July 3, 2024.
Superior Court Judge Robert Salerno sentenced Watkins to 120 months in prison for armed robbery, 120 months for each of the two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, 78 months for assault with a dangerous weapon, and 36 months for unauthorized use of a vehicle. Each sentence will run concurrent to each other. In addition, Judge Salerno imposed that Watkins serve five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, at around 10:47 p.m., on June 17, 2022, the victim was led into an alley near Howison Place and N Street SW. In that alley, Watkins brandished a firearm and hit the victim across the face with it, chipping his tooth. Watkins and two others then robbed the victim of his cash, chains, watch, and car keys. Video footage showed Watkins running from the alley, getting into the victim’s truck, and driving off. Further video footage showed Watkins only a few minutes later rummaging through the victim’s belongings in the truck. Police arrested Watkins on September 15, 2022, and he has been detained since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. Invaluable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Probation Office from early in the case and through the trial. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Levy and Gregory Evans, who prosecuted the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Rubb, who investigated the case.
Anderson Accountant Sentenced to over Three Years in Federal Prison for Embezzling Nearly One Million Dollars from his EmployerRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS—Nathaniel Wills, 34, of Anderson, has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $877,507 in restitution after pleading guilty to wire fraud.
According to court documents, for nearly six years, Wills was employed as an accountant and Director of Administration for an Indiana business. In these roles, Wills was entrusted with performing business accounting functions including among other things, writing and signing checks, making electronic payments, performing reconciliations between the company’s accounting and banking records, and maintaining the company’s accounting ledgers.
Beginning in August 2020, and continuing until at least February 2022, Wills defrauded his employer by transferring nearly $1 million to which he knew he was not entitled from the company’s payroll and operating accounts to his personal bank accounts.
The stolen funds were used to pay off his outstanding personal debts and for his own personal use, including online gambling.
It an attempt to conceal his scheme, Wills made false entries in the company’s accounting system by recording that transfers of funds were payments of invoices, falsifying inventory logs, listing jobs as unpaid, and voiding checks. Wills also obtained a principal advance of $80,000 from his employer’s line of credit in order to meet the company’s payroll and vendor payment obligations.
In total, Wills stole approximately $952,237.06 from his employer through 120 transactions. Wills’ conduct resulted in substantial financial hardship to the company.
“For a year and a half, this defendant repaid the trust of his employer with deceit and theft, helping himself to nearly one million dollars and cooking the books to hide the evidence,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Fraud and embezzlement can have devastating effects on the victim individuals and companies. The federal prison sentence imposed here demonstrates that those who commit financial crimes will pay a serious price. I commend the FBI and our federal prosecutors for their efforts to investigate these crimes and hold the defendant accountable.”
“This was not just a financial crime but an act of betrayal of the defendant’s employer that could have had a devastating and crippling effect on the business and its employees,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “Anyone who believes they can steal without consequence will find out the FBI aggressively pursues those who exploit their positions of trust for personal gain to ensure they are held accountable.”
The FBI investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith Wood and Tiffany J. Preston, who prosecuted this case.
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Anchorage man charged with firearm crime connected to September encounter with Anchorage PoliceRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging an Anchorage man with being a felon in possession of a firearm during an encounter with the police.
According to court documents and a press release from the Anchorage Police Department (APD), on Sept. 23, 2024, Jalen Baker, 23, possessed a firearm during an encounter with police.
The release alleges APD officers responded to a shooting in Anchorage where two victims were shot. Officers located the shooting suspect in a nearby trailer home park. The suspect fired at responding officers, striking one in the lower body, and barricaded himself inside a trailer home.
The investigation identified the suspect as Baker and he was taken into custody at the scene. At the time of the event, Baker had a prior felony conviction for assault in the State of Alaska in 2022.
Baker is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm at a school zone. The defendant will make his initial court appearance on a later date before a U.S. Magistrate Judge from the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais and Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Anchorage Police Department, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers, are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody Tirpak is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Aliquippa Resident Pleads Guilty to Cocaine and Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to drug trafficking charges, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Kijana Stephaun Lowe, 27, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl, as well as one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that federal, state, and local law enforcement operating under the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program in Beaver County conducted a joint investigation into a local drug trafficking organization in which Lowe was a participant. Law enforcement determined that Lowe frequently communicated with a co-defendant who was an inmate at State Correctional Institution Phoenix. Prison call recordings between Lowe and the inmate revealed that Lowe would order kilogram quantities of cocaine and fentanyl from the prisoner, who would then direct a co-defendant to deliver the controlled substances to Lowe. Lowe supplied the drugs to another co-defendant, who would subsequently sell them to end users.
In November 2021, investigators learned that an in-person delivery of kilogram quantities of cocaine was planned to Lowe in the Western District of Pennsylvania. On November 8, 2021, law enforcement conducted a surveillance operation at the Greyhound Bus Station in downtown Pittsburgh, where they observed two co-defendants exit the bus station with suitcases and enter a vehicle driven by third co-defendant. Mobile surveillance followed the vehicle to a motel in Coraopolis.
A separate surveillance detail followed Lowe from his residence to the same motel, where they observed Lowe enter the motel room occupied by the three co-defendants, and then, back outside, accept one of the suitcases transported from the bus station. Law enforcement detained the individuals and executed search warrants on the suitcase, the motel room, and Lowe’s vehicle. The suitcase contained nearly 10 kilograms of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance, while Lowe’s vehicle contained over $280,000 that was to be used to purchase the seized cocaine. In conjunction with the interdiction, law enforcement obtained search warrants for cell phones found in the possession of Lowe and one of the co-defendants. Digital extractions revealed numerous communications and photographs between the conspirators regarding their drug trafficking activity.
Judge Stickman scheduled Lowe’s sentencing for March 12, 2025. The law provides for a total maximum sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the Court remanded Lowe to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kara Cotter are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Lowe.
One of Lowe’s co-defendants, Adelin Hernandez Amparo of the Dominican Republic, today was sentenced, also by Judge Stickman, to 41 months of imprisonment, to be followed by two years of federal supervised release, for his role in the conspiracy.
18 October 2024
Washington Man Sentenced for Hate Crimes and Firearm Offense for Four Attacks on Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom HallsRead the Press Release
A Washington man was sentenced today to 11 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for federal civil rights and firearms offenses in connection with four attacks that damaged or destroyed several Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls in western Washington.
Mikey Diamond Starrett, also known as Michael Jason Layes, 52, of Olympia, was also ordered to pay restitution in a total amount of $714,608.70, including: $4,921.73 to the Kingdom Hall of Tumwater; $1,749.20 to the Kingdom Hall of Yelm; and $707,937.73 to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
Specifically, Starett was sentenced on four counts of violating the Church Arson Prevention Act — one count for each attack — as well as one count of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
“The defendant in this case committed four attacks on Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls, causing fear and anguish to its members,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The freedom to practice the religion we choose, without discrimination or violence, is a fundamental civil right in our nation and a hallmark of our democracy from its very inception. Violence based on religious prejudice has no place in our society. The Justice Department will continue to prosecute those who target and harm houses of worship.”
“Starrett’s attacks irrevocably destroyed the sense of safety and peace that a house of worship is supposed to provide, and caused severe, permanent harm to the Jehovah’s Witness community in Washington,” said U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman for the Western District of Washington. “These were not crimes against buildings, but a series of attacks against a community and a faith.”
“ATF and our law enforcement partners spent many thousands, if not tens of thousands, of hours investigating these attacks and ensuring that the right person was identified,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais of the ATF Seattle Field Division. “His guilty plea is a validation of the hard work put in by all the law enforcement involved in the investigation, and this sentence is appropriate for his egregious actions. We are all committed to defending the right of people to practice their religion, and investigating when someone acts to deprive them of that right, in this case through acts of arson and use of a firearm during, and in relation to, a crime of violence.”
According to court documents and statements made during the plea and sentencing hearings, Starrett intentionally set fire to the Kingdom Hall of Tumwater, Washington, on March 19, 2018; intentionally set fire to the Kingdom Hall of Olympia on March 19, 2018; intentionally used a firearm to shoot into the Kingdom Hall of Yelm, Washington, on May 15, 2018; and intentionally set fire to the Kingdom Hall of Olympia on July 3, 2018. The defendant admitted he committed these attacks because of the religious character of the Kingdom Halls. The attacks resulted in significant damage to each of the Kingdom Halls, including the destruction of the Olympia Kingdom Hall on July 3, 2018.
The ATF Seattle Field Division, FBI Seattle Field Office, Tumwater Police Department and Olympia Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonas Lerman for the Western District of Washington and Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. Appoints Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Thornhill as Election Officer for the Middle District of LouisianaRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Jessica Thornhill will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Thornhill has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Middle District of Louisiana, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Gathe said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Gathe further stated, “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Thornhill will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. She can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 225-389-0443.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 225-291-5159.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
United States Attorney Gathe said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
United States Attorney Chris Kavanaugh Appoints Dedicated Officials to Answer Western District of Virginia Election ComplaintsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys Lena Busscher and Ronald Huber will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSAs Busscher and Huber have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers (DEO) for the Western District of Virginia, and in that capacity are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“The right to vote is the cornerstone of our Republic,” United States Attorney Kavanaugh said today. “The Department of Justice will always work to protect the integrity of the election process and to ensure that every citizen has the ability to vote without interference or discrimination. In addition, election officials, staff, and others working to ensure a free and fair election is carried out will be protected from unlawful threats of violence this and every election season.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying, and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEOs Busscher and Huber will be on duty in the Western District while the polls are open. AUSA Busscher can be reached at 276-739-2954. AUSA Huber can be reached at 434-296-3912.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at tips.fbi.gov.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate,” United States Attorney Kavanagh added. “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
US Attorney Darcie McElwee Appoints District Election Officer to Ensure Voter Access, Poll Worker SafetyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: United States Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) John Osborn will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election.
AUSA Osborn has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Maine, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
“The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy,” U.S. Attorney McElwee said. “We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.
In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities:
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maine: AUSA/DEO Osborn will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. Anyone with election day concerns can contact AUSA Osborn at 207-771-3214 or AUSA Andrew McCormack in the Bangor office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 207-262-4615.
- Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI): The FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI office in Maine can be reached by the public at 207-541-0700.
- Civil Rights Division: Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
- In the case of a crime of violence or intimidation: Please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities in all cases involving a crime of violence or intimidation. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
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U.S. Marshals Focus on Violent Fugitives During Operation Nazare WaveRead the Press Release
The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) announced the results of Operation Nazare Wave, which focused on violent crime in Washington, D.C., and the National Capital Region. This operation was spearheaded by the USMS’ Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF) between April and September and resulted in the arrest of 826 fugitives (63 for homicide); recovery and seizure of 54 firearms; and seizure of 6.4 kg of narcotics and $1,115,365 in U.S. currency.
“This successful operation reflects the collaborative approach the Justice Department has taken to turn the tide against violent crime,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “From April to September, the U.S. Marshals Service brought together more than 30 law enforcement agencies spanning the Washington, D.C. area to arrest 826 fugitives and seize significant quantities of firearms and narcotics. I am deeply grateful to every Deputy U.S. Marshal and law enforcement partner who took part in this operation.”
“I wish to thank all of the Deputies, Task Force Officers, and participating agencies for their steadfast commitment and tremendous work,” said USMS Director Ronald L. Davis. “This operation coincided with Operation North Star FY2024 in 10 other metropolitan areas which demonstrates the commitment of the United States Marshals Service and the Department of Justice to work with local law-enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime.”
Operation Nazare Wave focused on reducing violent crime in the NCR but resulted in arrests crossing 19 different districts across the United States and internationally. While some fugitives wanted in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) fled to other districts, in other instances fugitives wanted outside the DMV traveled into the DMV and were apprehended.
Significant arrests include:
- On July 31, based on information developed by CARFTF, the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and Prince Georges County police assisted a special branch of the Guyana police in locating Rakeem Gilgeours, who fled the country following a July 4 shooting that resulted in the death of a 6-year-old boy and injuries to other community members who had gathered to celebrate the holiday at a Temple Hills, Maryland, park. CARFTF arrested Gilgeours in Miami after Guyana deported him.
- On June 1, Emmanuel Sewell was arrested in Putnam County, West Virginia, by the Southern District of West Virginia Violent Offender Task Force, in collaboration with CARFTF. Sewell, a registered sex offender, was wanted in Montgomery County, Maryland, in connection with the May 31 death of Maryland Parole and Probation Officer David Martinez in his Chevy Chase home. Martinez was Sewell’s probation officer.
- On April 29, CARFTF arrested a 16-year-old juvenile in Suitland, Maryland, for aggravated assault with a gun and attempted murder following an April 19 shooting at a Greenbelt park where a large group of youth had gathered for a senior skip day. A search warrant executed at the suspect’s mother’s house, where he’d been staying, yielded $246,780 in currency, 40.5 grams of crack cocaine, and two handguns.
Agencies participating in Operation Nazare Wave include: Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; Metro Transit Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; Immigrations and Customs Enforcement; Diplomatic Security Service; Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; D.C. Department of Corrections; Bowie Police Department; Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office; Bladensburg Police Department; Prince George’s County Police Department; Montgomery County Police Department; Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office; Maryland State Police; Charles County Sheriff’s Office; Hyattsville Police Department; Maryland Department of Public Safety; Howard County Police Department; Forest Heights Police Department; Fairfax County Police Department; City of Fairfax Police Department; Prince William County Police Department; Alexandria Police Department; Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office; Stafford County Sheriff’s Office; Virginia State Police; and City of Dumfries Police Department.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida Supports Justice Department’s Nationwide Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida announced today that designated Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in his office will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. These AUSAs will be responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
United States Attorney Markenzy Lapointe said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department of Justice for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Markenzy Lapointe stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to support the FBI’s investigation of any complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, the designated AUSAs will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.”
The FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (754) 703-2000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at (800) 253-3931.
United States Attorney Markenzy Lapointe said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont’s Statement Relating to November 2024 General ElectionRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Jason Turner will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Turner has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Kerest said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Kerest stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Turner will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 802-651-8246.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
United States Attorney Kerest said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
U.S. Attorney’s Office announces points of contact for election fraud and voting rights concernsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) Jordan Harvey, Avi Panth, and Anthony Mozzi will lead the Office’s efforts in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 5, 2024, general election. AUSAs Harvey, Panth, and Mozzi have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers (DEOs) for the Eastern District of Virginia, and in that capacity are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said U.S. Attorney Aber. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
“The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy,” said U.S. Attorney Aber. “We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. To respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSAs/DEOs Harvey, Panth, and Mozzi will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.”
Contact information for the DEOs is as follows:
Northern Virginia - Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey, 703-299-3700
Tidewater region - Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Mozzi, 757-441-6331
Central Capitol region - Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth, 804-819-5400
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The FBI field offices in the Eastern District of Virginia can be reached by the public at:
Washington Field Office - 202-278-2000
Richmond Field Office 804-261-1044
Norfolk Field Office - 757-455-0100
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC, by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate,” said U.S. Attorney Aber. “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgin Appoints Election Officer for the District of UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Bryant Watson will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Watson has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Utah, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Higgins said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Higgins stated that: “Voting is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to vote can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA Watson will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: (801) 325-3311.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 1-800-Call-FBI.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
United States Attorney Higgins said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs is committed to protecting the fairness and integrity of the electoral process in the Eastern District of TexasRead the Press Release
PLANO, Texas – United States Attorney Damien M. Diggs announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Anand Varadarajan will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Varadarajan has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of Texas, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Diggs said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process. If you have specific information about voter discrimination, election fraud, or threats to election officials and staff, I encourage you to report it to my Office, the Civil Rights Division, or the FBI.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Diggs stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.” In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Varadarajan will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers 972-509-1201.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 972-559-5000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
United States Attorney Diggs said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
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U.S. Attorney Announces District Election Officer for 2024 ElectionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Elizabeth Aloi will lead the efforts of the Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Aloi has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Columbia, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Graves said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Graves stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Aloi will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. She can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: 202-252-7212.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (202) 278-2000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
United States Attorney Graves said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Threats to Shoot Auto Shop Workers Get Man Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rashaud Williams, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday to 80 months in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and other related firearm charges, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur sentenced Williams on October 17, 2024, to 60 months in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and 60 months for possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, to run concurrently. Judge Arthur also sentenced him to 20 months in prison for threatening to injure or kidnap a person, to run consecutively.
Williams was found guilty by a Superior Court jury on May 3, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, on August 1, 2023, Williams brought his car into a Petworth area auto shop for repairs. Later in the day, the shop owner called the defendant’s mother to tell her that the car would not be ready until the next day, after they obtained a needed part. Shortly after that call, Williams went to the auto shop and made threats to “shoot up” the entire establishment. The repairman’s girlfriend was there and tried to calm Williams down. Williams then turned the gun on her and threatened to shoot her, then pointed the gun at the owner before leaving.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emmanuel Hampton, Erica Rudolf, and Kathryn Bartz, who prosecuted the case.
Syracuse Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – William Seneca, Sr., age 64, of Syracuse, pled guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of 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 guilty plea, Seneca admitted that from approximately 2000 through 2008 he engaged in sexual conduct with V1, starting when V1 was about seven years old. On several different occasions during that period, Seneca created child pornography depicting V1. Seneca also admitted that, on at least one occasion, he distributed the material he created depicting V1 to someone in Canada.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 13, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes. Seneca faces a term of imprisonment of least 15 years and up to 50 years, post-release supervision of between five years and life, a fine of up to $250,000, and restitution to the victim. Seneca also will be required to register as a sex offender upon release.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the New York State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian 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.
Statement by U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza Regarding the November 2024 General ElectionRead the Press Release
AUSTIN, Texas – United States Attorney Jaime Esparza announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Matthew Devlin will lead the efforts of his office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Devlin has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Western District of Texas, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said U.S. Attorney Esparza. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
“The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy,” said U.S. Attorney Esparza. “We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Devlin will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at (512) 916-5858.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The San Antonio FBI field office can be reached at (210) 225-6741; the El Paso FBI field office can be reached at (915) 832-5000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate,” said U.S. Attorney Esparza. “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation at or near a polling place, call 911 immediately before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
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Springfield Man Sentenced for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for the sexual exploitation of a child.
Ricky Lane Bowers, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to 17 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Bowers to 20 years of supervised release following incarceration.
On July 25, 2023, Bowers pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Bowers admitted that he had been in contact with a man who was arrested in Texas, who had sent Bowers images and videos of child sexual abuse. Bowers also admitted that he had taken pornographic photos of a child victim and sent them to the man in Texas.
Investigators seized Bowers’s cell phone that he used to communicate with the Texas defendant. Forensic examiners found files of child pornography on the cell phone, as well as evidence of images and videos of the child victim whom Bowers used to produce child pornography.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Spartanburg Drug Trafficking Organization Members Sentenced to a Total of 1,257 Months for Drug Trafficking and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Nine defendants of a Spartanburg area illegal drug trafficking ring were sentenced to a total of 1,257 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute illegal drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. Three defendants (Bobo, Jacobs, and Canty) were also convicted of money laundering.
The follow defendants were sentenced:
Terrance Bobo, 53, of Conyers, Georgia, was sentenced to 204 months.
Michael Jacobs, 40, of Spartanburg, was sentenced to 277 months.
Maurice Canty, 48, of Spartanburg, was sentenced to 292 months.
Kevin Jeter, 49, of Spartanburg, was sentenced to 172 months.
Shuler Holmes, 39, of Spartanburg, was sentenced to 144 months.
James Foster, 61, of Spartanburg, was sentenced to 72 months.
Daniel Gregory, 43, of Spartanburg, was sentenced to 65 months.
Jahid Warden, 29, of Spartanburg, was sentenced to 22 months.
Danny Goode, 46, of Spartanburg, was sentenced to nine months.
“These nine defendants were responsible for trafficking large amounts of illegal narcotics, including fentanyl, in the Upstate, said Adair Ford Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. “Our community is safer thanks to this thorough investigation by our law enforcement partners.”
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message we will not tolerate drug trafficking in our communities,” said HSI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant. “Homeland Security Investigations will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to dismantle these dangerous networks and protect the safety of our citizens.”
Evidence presented to the court showed that Terrance Bobo was a Georgia-based supply source for a Spartanburg drug trafficking organization. Bobo began sourcing cocaine in 2013 and was responsible for distributing more than 190 kilograms of cocaine. Bobo owned and operated a real estate business called All in One, LLC, which he used to further and conceal the drug trafficking operation. During the drug trafficking conspiracy, Bobo and another co-conspirator purchased a car garage/repair shop at 501 Textile Road.
In 2021, Michael Jacobs was released from federal prison and returned to his hometown of Spartanburg and restarted his drug trafficking business. Jacobs became the primary spoke of the Spartanburg-based distribution ring and operated the car garage at 501 Textile Road as a stash house and distribution hub, using a hydraulic press to package kilograms of illegal drugs at the location.
In at least 2023, Maurice Canty, another former federal defendant previously sentenced for drug trafficking charges in Spartanburg, joined the drug trafficking conspiracy. Canty had his own subordinates, Jahid Warden and James Foster, who drove Canty and conducted drug sales of methamphetamine and fentanyl on his behalf.
In September of 2023, Canty and Foster were arrested in a car, which contained methamphetamine, crack cocaine, cocaine, and fentanyl. Gregory was another sub-distributor of fentanyl for Canty and began working with Jacobs directly when Canty was arrested.
Law enforcement also identified Kevin Jeter as a sub-distributor of fentanyl and cocaine, responsible for over 50 kilograms of cocaine during the conspiracy. Jeter sold drugs from a business he operated, Blood Brothers Wash and Detail, formerly known as Litt. In February of 2022, Jeter was pulled over by Spartanburg officers with crack cocaine, marijuana, and a loaded handgun.
During the investigation, Danny Goode was arrested during a traffic stop on October 26, 2023, after obtaining over four ounces of cocaine for distribution from Jacobs.
In November of 2023, law enforcement executed a targeted arrest operation on the drug trafficking organization and conducted searches in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, including at the homes of Bobo, Jacobs, and Jeter. Search warrants were also executed at the garage at 501 Textile Road and at Blood Brothers Wash and Detail. Officers recovered numerous firearms during the searches. Thirteen kilograms of fentanyl was also recovered.
Shuler Holmes, a sub-distributor of pounds of methamphetamine and kilograms of opioids was also arrested on the federal charges, and his home was searched. In his house, law enforcement found with fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, and a firearm.
United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins sentenced Canty to 292 months imprisonment, Jacobs to 277 months imprisonment, Bobo to 204 months imprisonment, Jeter to 172 months imprisonment, Holmes to 144 months imprisonment, Foster to 72 months imprisonment, Gregory to 65 months imprisonment, Warden to 22 months imprisonment, and Goode to 9 months imprisonment. All sentences were ordered to be followed by a term of court-ordered supervision.
Judge Coggins also entered the following money judgements: $4,500,000 (Bobo), $3,800,000 (Jacobs), $2,500,000 (Canty), $1,000,000 (Jeter), $50,000 (Gregory), and $50,000 (Holmes). Additionally, law enforcement seized numerous bank accounts for Jacobs and Bobo, $510,270 in cash from Jacobs, and $33,720 from Bobo. The judge also entered forfeiture judgments regarding numerous properties and vehicles including: a Tesla Model 3, a 2023 Dodge Ram TRX, a Chrysler Town and Country, a BMW X6 SUV, a Peterbilt Semi-truck, two Ford F-350s, a 1977 Caprice Classic, an ATV, a Monte Carlo, two Ford Mustangs, a RV, a dump truck, a skid steer tractor, a Chevy El Camino, a trailer, a Chevrolet truck, a semi-trailer, a F-650 Tow Truck, an Excavator. Four physical addresses were forfeited from Jacobs, and four were forfeited from Bobo.
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.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with assistance from Border Enforcement Security Task Force – Upstate South Carolina, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Schoen is prosecuting the case.
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Schenectady Man Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Straw Purchasing a Shotgun Later Used to Fire Shots Outside of Temple IsraelRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Andrew Miller, age 38, of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today to 14 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, for conspiring with Mufid Fawaz Alkhader to illegally purchase, from a gun shop, a shotgun for Alkhader.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.
As part of his earlier guilty plea, Miller admitted that between October 1, 2023 and November 6, 2023, he and Alkhader conspired to lie to a firearms dealer in Albany County that he (Miller) was the actual buyer of a Kel-Tec 12-gauge pump shotgun, when in fact, Alkhader was the true buyer. Miller and Alkhader came up with the plan because they believed that Alkhader could not lawfully purchase the shotgun himself. Miller further admitted that on November 5, 2023, he lied on the Firearms Transaction Record (ATF Form 4473) submitted to the gun shop when he falsely stated that he was the true purchaser of the shotgun. On November 6, 2023, Miller and Alkhader returned to the gun shop and Miller took possession of the shotgun. Miller also admitted that later on November 6, he transferred the shotgun to Alkhader.
According to a criminal complaint, Alkhader used the shotgun to fire shots outside of Temple Israel in Albany on December 7, 2023. Alkhader is currently charged by criminal complaint alleging that he and Miller conspired to lie to a firearms dealer in Albany County surrounding the straw purchase of the Kel-Tec 12-gauge pump shotgun. The charges in the complaint against Alkhader are merely accusations. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the ATF, and the Albany Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Belliss and Alexander Wentworth-Ping are prosecuting this case.
Saline County Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Jason Davis, a multi-convicted felon, will spend more than 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a sawed-off shotgun. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, Chief United States District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
In addition to the 188 months’ imprisonment, Chief Judge Baker sentenced Davis, 43, of Benton, to five years supervised release. Davis will begin serving his federal sentence only after he serves his current six-year state sentence for first degree domestic battery, which began in 2023. During Davis’s federal sentencing, Chief Judge Baker took into consideration Davis’s lengthy and violent criminal history.
Davis was indicted on June 6, 2023, in a two-count indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a sawed-off shotgun. On October 16, 2024, Davis pled guilty to both counts in the indictment. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation revealed that on May 3, 2023, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AG&F) received a call reporting four people that were trespassing on private property in Saline County. Officers with AG&F initiated contact with all four suspects and identified Davis as the owner of the vehicle on the property. While speaking with the suspects, officers observed a sawed-off, 20-gauge Harrington and Richardson shotgun in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. Officers then located 20-gauge shotgun shells in the vehicle that matched the live round found in the shotgun.
Chief Judge Baker determined Davis to be an Armed Career Criminal due to numerous prior violent convictions, included four different convictions for second degree battery, two different convictions for first degree domestic battery, and convictions for third degree battery, third degree domestic battery, aggravated assault, and terroristic threatening.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with assistance from the AG&F. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katie Hinojosa.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
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Registered sex offender sentenced to 10 years in prison for latest convictionRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Woodford man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, on April 7, 2023, Theodore William Cathers, 49, uploaded four files of CSAM depicting prepubescent and pubescent children in sexually explicit behavior. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) forwarded a report of the uploaded material to the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD).
On June 27, 2023, VBPD obtained a search warrant for an online storage account belonging to Cathers and recovered approximately 2,200 CSAM files, including images of pre-pubescent children and depictions of bondage and sadomasochism. A large portion of the CSAM files were collage images of prepubescent and pubescent children, partially or completely nude, engaged in sexually explicit acts.
Cathers is a registered sex offender after having been convicted of two counts of Taking Indecent Liberties with Children Under the Age of 15. In 2012, Cathers was discovered naked in the bedroom of two children aged eleven and seven years old. The eleven-year-old informed law enforcement that Cathers came into their bedroom and got into her bed with her. A short time later, Cathers got into the seven-year-old’s bed and removed all his clothing. Cathers was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to 10 years in prison with 10 years suspended.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Kosky prosecuted 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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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-17.
This release was updated to show the number of CSAM files identified in Cathers' storage account as 2,200. The original total of 2,900 included 700 files identified as "child erotica."
Recidivist Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Accessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Manchester man was sentenced today in federal court for a child exploitation offense, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Philip Longeway, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante to 15 years in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release. On June 20, 2024, Longeway pleaded guilty to access with intent to view child pornography.
“This defendant has demonstrated time and again that he is a dangerous sexual predator,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. “Today’s sentence ensures that the community will be protected from Mr. Longeway for the next 15 years. Prosecuting offenders of child exploitation has been a focus for this office, and we will continue to expend every resource available to protect our children from harm.”
“Longeway is a repeat sex offender who targets children. Over and over, he’s been caught but offends again. Today's sentence takes him off the streets and away from children for many, many years,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England.
Longeway is a sex offender based on a 2006 conviction for travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. While on federal supervised release in connection with that case, Longeway’s internet activity was monitored using software, which captured chat communications between Longeway and a fifteen-year-old minor, “John Doe.” In the chats, John Doe stated that he was fifteen years old. The monitoring software also captured screenshots of John Doe performing sexual acts for Longeway during a Zoom video call on two separate occasions. John Doe was later identified as a fifteen-year-old minor in New Jersey. In addition to his 2006 conviction, Longeway also had prior convictions for contributing to the delinquency of a child, felonious sexual assault, and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.
Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Providence Man Charged in Alleged Scheme to Obtain Veterans’ Health Care BenefitsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A U.S. Army veteran, who allegedly made false claims of combat injuries in order to obtain veterans’ health care benefits that he was not entitled to receive, has been charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with making false statements relating to health care matters and making false statements to agents, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
It is alleged in court documents that Nicholas Ash, 38, of Providence, fraudulently claimed to a Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center doctor that he was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as the result of a combat deployment to Iraq/Middle East where, he claimed, he experienced a blast from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Ash claimed that the IED blast caused him to suffer from seizures.
As alleged in court documents, Defense Department records reflect that Ash served in the U.S. Army from July 2005 to September 2007. Following completion of basic training in Oklahoma, Ash was assigned to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, where he served as a motor transport operator. While stationed in Hawaii, for an unrelated medical matter Ash was hospitalized and placed on non-deployable status, having been deemed not medically fit to deploy on any military operation. Defense Department records show no indication that Ash was ever deployed anywhere outside of the United States.
When initially confronted with these facts by the VA doctor, and when interviewed later by a federal agent, Ash is alleged to have claimed to have been injured after he was discharged from the Army, as the result of an IED blast he experienced while employed overseas as a private military contractor.
Court records reflect that investigators could find no record Ash ever worked for the private contractor.
In support of his claim that he was injured in the Middle East and that he experienced an IED blast, Ash allegedly presented the physician with a letter written by a veteran who served in the Middle East, and claimed to know of Ash’s tour of duty in Iraq. The individual, an Army veteran, later told an investigator that he did not meet Ash until 2015 or 2017, and that he wrote the letter at Ash’s request.
Ash made an initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate on Thursday and was released on unsecured bond. A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.
United States Attorney Cunha thanks the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Services and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Police Service for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.
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Poplar Bluff Man Admits Recording His Rape of MinorRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A man from Poplar Bluff, Missouri on Friday admitted recording his rape of a minor with an intellectual disability.
Jason R. Hicks-Simpson, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
The 17-year-old victim sought help from Hicks-Simpson’s girlfriend in getting the abuse to stop, according to the plea agreement. The girlfriend contacted the victim’s mother, who called the Poplar Bluff Police Department in March of 2024. The victim told investigators that Hicks-Simpson had been sexually abusing her since she was five, the plea says. She also said Hicks-Simpson threatened to kill her and her kittens if she did not keep it a secret.
After his arrest, Hicks-Simpson told police that it had only happened once several months earlier. Investigators found videos dating back to May of 2023 on his phone, the plea says.
Hicks-Simpson is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 31, 2025. As part of the plea agreement, both sides have agreed to recommend 20 years in prison.
The Poplar Bluff Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Peruvian National Sentenced in Transnational Scheme to Defraud Spanish-Speaking United States ConsumersRead the Press Release
A Peruvian national was sentenced yesterday to 98 months in prison and to pay nearly $700,000 in restitution to his more than 1,100 victims for his role overseeing a transnational fraud conspiracy that targeted recent immigrants to the United States.
According to court documents, Jose Alejandro Zuñiga Cano, 40, of Lima, was the operator of a Peruvian call center that defrauded and extorted Spanish-speaking United States residents by falsely threatening them with arrest, court proceedings and immigration consequences. Zuñiga was extradited from Peru in March to face charges related to the scheme and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in July.
In pleading guilty, Zuñiga admitted that he owned and operated a call center in Lima, that placed unsolicited calls to Spanish-speaking consumers in the United States and falsely claimed that they had won or qualified for free products, including computer tablets and English language courses. On later calls, Zuñiga and his co-conspirators falsely claimed that victims were contractually obligated to pay large sums to receive the products. Zuñiga and his co-conspirators impersonated lawyers, court officials, police officers and representatives of a supposed “minor crimes court” to intimidate victims and force them to send payments. Zuñiga and his co-conspirators queried potential victims about their country of origin and threatened victims with court proceedings, arrest and immigration consequences if they did not pay.
Many victims who made payments following these lies and threats were frequently re-victimized by Zuñiga and his co-conspirators with a related restitution scheme. The defendant and his co-conspirators placed additional calls to victims who had already paid and, while posing as lawyers for a U.S. court, falsely represented that victims were entitled to restitution payments and would receive their money back if they paid additional fees. In reality, there was no lawyer, no restitution order and no funds returned to the victims who made those additional payments. Instead, Zuñiga kept those additional victim payments for himself.
“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch is dedicated to protecting vulnerable U.S. consumers from fraudsters no matter where those fraudsters reside,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that individuals who defraud our immigrant communities will be held accountable in U.S. courts. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that individuals who impersonate government and court officials are brough to justice.”
“The long arm of the American justice system has no limits when it comes to reaching fraudsters who prey on our nation’s most vulnerable populations, to include the elderly and recent immigrants,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “We will not allow transnational criminals to use fear tactics and intimidation to steal money from the public we serve. Individuals who defraud American consumers will be brought to justice, no matter where they are located.”
“Today’s sentencing of Jose Alejandro Zuñiga Cano is proof of the dedication between the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to stop at nothing to bring those suspects who victimize our citizens to justice,” said Inspector in Charge Juan A. Vargas of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Miami Division.
With today’s sentencing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, 12 defendants have now been convicted and sentenced in connection with a $15 million transnational fraud scheme that defrauded and threatened Spanish-speaking U.S. consumers, claiming they would suffer legal consequences if they did not pay for English-language learning products they never requested. Collectively, the scheme was responsible for defrauding more than 30,000 Spanish-speaking residents of the United States. Many of the victims were recent immigrants who had merely expressed interest in learning English.
The 12 defendants include eight Peruvian call center owner-operators and four distribution center owner-operators who processed payments, distributed products and facilitated the fraud in the United States. Many of the defendants shared strategies on how to defraud Spanish-speaking residents of the United States.
Zuñiga is the eighth defendant to be extradited from Peru and plead guilty in federal court to fraud charges related to Peruvian call centers involved in the English language learning scam. In 2021 and 2022, U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr., sentenced Henrry Milla, Carlos Espinoza, Jerson Renteria, Fernan Huerta, Omar Cuzcano, Evelyng Milla and Josmell Espinoza to sentences ranging from 88 months to 110 months in prison.
USPIS and the Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney and Transnational Criminal Litigation Coordinator Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Carolyn Rice of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Peruvian National Prosecutor General’s Office and Peruvian National Police provided critical assistance.
The Justice Department continues to investigate and bring charges in other similar matters involving threats against Spanish-speaking residents of the United States.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints can be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.
Peruvian National Sentenced in Transnational Scheme to Defraud Spanish-Speaking United States ConsumersRead the Press Release
Note: View the Spanish translation here.
MIAMI – A Peruvian national was sentenced yesterday to 98 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $700,000 in restitution to his more than 1,100 victims for his role overseeing a transnational fraud conspiracy that targeted recent immigrants to the United States.
According to court documents, Jose Alejandro Zuñiga Cano, 40, of Lima, was the operator of a Peruvian call center that defrauded and extorted Spanish-speaking United States residents by falsely threatening them with arrest, court proceedings and immigration consequences. Zuñiga was extradited from Peru in March to face charges related to the scheme and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in July.
In pleading guilty, Zuñiga admitted that he owned and operated a call center in Lima, that placed unsolicited calls to Spanish-speaking consumers in the United States and falsely claimed that they had won or qualified for free products, including computer tablets and English language courses. On later calls, Zuñiga and his co-conspirators falsely claimed that victims were contractually obligated to pay large sums to receive the products. Zuñiga and his co-conspirators impersonated lawyers, court officials, police officers and representatives of a supposed “minor crimes court” to intimidate victims and force them to send payments. Zuñiga and his co-conspirators queried potential victims about their country of origin and threatened victims with court proceedings, arrest and immigration consequences if they did not pay.
Many victims who made payments following these lies and threats were frequently re-victimized by Zuñiga and his co-conspirators with a related restitution scheme. The defendant and his co-conspirators placed additional calls to victims who had already paid and, while posing as lawyers for a U.S. court, falsely represented that victims were entitled to restitution payments and would receive their money back if they paid additional fees. In reality, there was no lawyer, no restitution order and no funds returned to the victims who made those additional payments. Instead, Zuñiga kept those additional victim payments for himself.
“The long arm of the American justice system has no limits when it comes to reaching fraudsters who prey on our nation’s most vulnerable populations, to include the elderly and recent immigrants,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “We will not allow transnational criminals to use fear tactics and intimidation to steal money from the public we serve. Individuals who defraud American consumers will be brought to justice, no matter where they are located.”
“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch is dedicated to protecting vulnerable U.S. consumers from fraudsters no matter where those fraudsters reside,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that individuals who defraud our immigrant communities will be held accountable in U.S. courts. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that individuals who impersonate government and court officials are brough to justice.”
“The sentencing of Jose Alejandro Zuñiga Cano is proof of the dedication between the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to stop at nothing to bring those suspects who victimize our citizens to justice,” said Inspector in Charge Juan A. Vargas of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Miami Division.
With this sentencing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, 12 defendants have now been convicted and sentenced in connection with a $15 million transnational fraud scheme that defrauded and threatened Spanish-speaking U.S. consumers, claiming they would suffer legal consequences if they did not pay for English-language learning products they never requested. Collectively, the scheme was responsible for defrauding more than 30,000 Spanish-speaking residents of the United States. Many of the victims were recent immigrants who had merely expressed interest in learning English.
The 12 defendants include eight Peruvian call center owner-operators and four distribution center owner-operators who processed payments, distributed products and facilitated the fraud in the United States. Many of the defendants shared strategies on how to defraud Spanish-speaking residents of the United States.
Zuñiga is the eighth defendant to be extradited from Peru and plead guilty in federal court to fraud charges related to Peruvian call centers involved in the English language learning scam. In 2021 and 2022, U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr., sentenced Henrry Milla, Carlos Espinoza, Jerson Renteria, Fernan Huerta, Omar Cuzcano, Evelyng Milla and Josmell Espinoza to sentences ranging from 88 months to 110 months in prison.
USPIS and the Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney and Transnational Criminal Litigation Coordinator Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Carolyn Rice of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Peruvian National Prosecutor General’s Office and Peruvian National Police provided critical assistance.
The Justice Department continues to investigate and bring charges in other similar matters involving threats against Spanish-speaking residents of the United States.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints can be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.
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Pair Face Charges in Overdose Death of Northern Virginia TeenRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A pair of individuals responsible for distributing the fatal dose of fentanyl that killed an 18-year-old high school student in 2023 have been criminally charged with the teen’s death.
In separate court proceedings, the United States Attorney’s Office charged two people for the January 2023 overdose death of Cayden David Foster, a resident of Centreville, Virginia.
On August 28, 2024, a grand jury sitting in Charlottesville, returned a one-count Indictment charging Bessy Jimenez Mejia, 26, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, with distribution of fentanyl resulting in the death of Foster. If convicted, Mejia faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The following day, Liam Conaway, 22, of Harrisonburg, Virginia pled guilty to a one-count Information charging him with distribution of fentanyl.
Mejia was arrested this week and made her initial court appearance.
According to court documents, in January 2023, Foster was an 18-year-old high school student living in Northern Virginia. Foster contacted Conaway, who was then a student at James Madison University (JMU), to purchase pills. Conaway and Foster had previously consumed pills together during Conaway’s recent academic winter break from JMU.
On January 27, 2023, Foster sent Conaway $105 through Venmo to pay for the drugs. Conaway purchased approximately ten pills from his supplier, Jimenez, in Harrisonburg. The pills Conaway purchased from Jimenez were designed to appear as though they were 30 mg Percocet pills but were in fact counterfeit and contained fentanyl.
Two days later, a friend of Foster’s delivered three pills, sourced from Jimenez through Conaway in Harrisonburg to Foster in Northern Virginia.
On January 30, 2023, Foster consumed a portion of one of the pills purchased from Conaway. That night, Foster died from fentanyl poisoning.
First responders arrived at Foster’s home the next morning and pronounced Foster dead on arrival.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Washington Division made the announcement today.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Fairfax County Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Sally J. Sullivan and Melanie A. Smith are prosecuting the case for the United States.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Owner of Majestic Seals & Stripes, Inc. Sentenced to Federal Prison for Payroll Tax FraudRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Linda Davis to four years in federal prison for willfully failing to pay to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employment taxes that were withheld from employees’ paychecks. Davis was also ordered to pay $719,049.62 in restitution. Davis entered a guilty plea on November 9, 2023.
According to court documents, Davis owned and operated a pavement maintenance company, known as Majestic Seals & Stripes, Inc. (Majestic), in Clearwater. As the owner of Majestic, Davis was responsible for withholding employment taxes from the Majestic employees’ paychecks and paying the taxes owed. Instead of paying these amounts to the IRS, Davis diverted the funds for her own personal use. Davis also failed to pay to the IRS the employer’s portion of the payroll taxes. Specifically, between June 2016 and December 2021, Davis failed to pay $557,249.62 in payroll taxes.
Further, in February 2021, Davis applied for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan on behalf of Majestic. In support of the loan application, Davis submitted a false IRS Form. As a result of the application package, the PPP loan was approved and funded in the amount of $161,800.
“When you work somewhere, you trust that your employer will do the right thing,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-CI Tampa Field Office. “For an employer to take advantage of their employees for their own personal gain in such a blatantly criminal way is downright shameful. My hope is that this sentencing will urge others to always do right by their employees.”
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany E. Fields.
Omaha Nation Man Sentenced for Domestic Assault by a Habitual OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Nelson W. McCauley, age 44, of Sioux City, Iowa, most recently residing on the Omaha Nation Indian Reservation, was sentenced on October 18, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for two counts of domestic assault by an habitual offender in Indian Country. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr., sentenced McCauley to 90 months’ imprisonment on each count to be served concurrently. There is no parole in the federal system. After McCauley’s release from prison, he will begin concurrent 3-year terms of supervised release on both counts.
In August 2023, McCauley physically assaulted a female victim known to him by striking her repeatedly with his fists. In May 2024, McCauley physically assaulted the same female victim again by striking her multiple times with his fists. The victim required medical attention after each of McCauley’s assaults to address substantial bodily injuries, including large bruises, contusions, and a hematoma on her head. Prior to his assaults on the victim in August 2023 and May 2024, McCauley had already been convicted on multiple occasions of domestic violence offenses in federal and tribal courts.
This case was prosecuted in federal court because the offenses were felonies and occurred on the Omaha Nation Indian Reservation in Nebraska.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 132 Months’ for Receipt and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Brian I. Gonzalez, age 44, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on October 18, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for receipt and distribution of child pornography. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Gonzalez to 132 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Gonzalez’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Chief Judge Rossiter ordered Gonzalez to pay a $1,500 assessment pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 (AVAA).
In August of 2023, the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force received CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a Google User uploaded possible child sexual abuse material on three dates in March of 2023. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant to view the images in the CyberTips and confirmed the images portrayed child sexual abuse material depicting children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The IP address associated with the CyberTips resolved to the residence Gonzalez shared with his parents. Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Gonzalez’s Google account and located images of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
On November 15, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Gonzalez’s residence in Omaha and seized his devices for forensic examination. Law enforcement interviewed Gonzalez and he admitted to downloading, sending, and viewing child sexual abuse material. Forensic examination and analysis of Gonzalez’s electronic devices located approximately 350 visually unique media files depicting child sexual abuse material, which included 19 videos. These media files included prepubescent children as young as infant and toddler age engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
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 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Jeffrey Scott Beran, age 51, of Omaha, Nebraska was sentenced October 18, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, for his involvement in a methamphetamine conspiracy. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Beran to 240 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 10-year term of supervised release.
On March 30, 2023, the Omaha Police Department utilized a confidential informant (CI) to purchase 91 grams of meth from Beran. On May 31, 2023, another controlled buy was done utilizing a CI. The CI met with Beran, who told the CI that he had to go meet someone to get the meth. Beran was under surveillance and was observed meeting with a silver Malibu at the Oakview Mall parking lot. Beran returned to the CI and sold him 98 grams of meth.
Beran’s sentence was increased after the court determined that Beran was a Career Offender. Beran had numerous criminal convictions, including serious felony drug convictions from 2007 and 2018.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.
Olympia, Washington man who attacked religious buildings with gunshots and fires sentenced to 11 years in prisonRead the Press Release
Tacoma –A 52-year-old Olympia, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 11 years in prison for a series of arsons and a shooting spree in 2018 that damaged or destroyed several Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Mikey Diamond Starrett, aka Michael Jason Layes, pleaded guilty in May 2024 to four counts of damage to religious property and one count of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. At today’s sentencing hearing, Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo said, “There are significant and troubling facts…. Terrorizing a group of individuals because of their religious beliefs.”
“Mr. Starrett’s attacks irrevocably destroyed the sense of safety and peace that a house of worship is supposed to provide, and caused severe, permanent harm to the Jehovah’s Witness community in Washington,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “These were not crimes against buildings, but a series of attacks against a community and a faith.”
“The defendant in this case committed four attacks on Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls, causing fear and anguish to its members,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “The freedom to practice the religion we choose, without discrimination or violence, is a fundamental civil right in our nation and a hallmark of our democracy from its very inception. Violence based on religious prejudice has no place in our society. The Justice Department will continue to prosecute those who target and harm houses of worship.”
According to records in the case, Starrett set fire to Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls on three occasions. On March 19, 2018, he set fire to the Kingdom Halls in Tumwater and Olympia, Washington. On July 3, 2018, Starrett returned to the Olympia Kingdom Hall and burned it down completely. In a fourth attack on May 15, 2018, Starrett used an assault-style rifle to shoot rounds into another Kingdom Hall in Yelm, Washington. Starrett’s attacks caused more than $700,000 in damage to these Kingdom Halls. Starrett admitted in his plea agreement that he defaced, damaged, and destroyed the Kingdom Halls because of the properties religious character.
After an extensive investigation, Starrett was arrested in September 2021 and has been in federal custody since then.
“ATF and our law enforcement partners spent many thousands, if not tens of thousands, of hours investigating these attacks and ensuring that the right person was identified,” said ATF Seattle Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais. “His guilty plea is a validation of the hard work put in by all the law enforcement involved in the investigation, and this sentence is appropriate for his egregious actions. We are all committed to defending the right of people to practice their religion, and investigating when someone acts to deprive them of that right, in this case through acts of arson and use of a firearm during, and in relation to, a crime of violence.”
Prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo that Starrett “committed several violent, premeditated attacks using fire or a dangerous weapon. His attacks were brazen and show that he believed he could engage in extensive criminal conduct without consequence. Starrett’s disregard for the safety of the Kingdom Halls, its congregants, first responders, and the surrounding area, which is vulnerable to devastating wildfires, underscores the danger that he poses to the public.”
At the sentencing hearing, a spokesman for the Jehovah’s Witness community read a series of statements that had been submitted by community members. They wrote of the fear and anxiety the attack engendered writing: “I wondered if the arsonist would strike again with people inside; any new face at the meeting made me worry: and …the gunshots and bomb left, were clear threats, we worried someone would come to a meeting with a gun.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Field Division, the FBI, the Tumwater, Washington Police Department, and the Olympia, Washington Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jonas Lerman of the Western District of Washington and Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
For more information and resources about DOJ’s work to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
Northern District of Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – United States Attorney Jason R. Coody announced today that Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Grogan will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Grogan has previously been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern District of Florida, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Coody said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice has and will continue to work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying, and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Coody stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Grogan will be on duty in the district while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at (850) 216-3838.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (904) 248-7000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
United States Attorney Coody said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Distributing Quantities of Fentanyl, Heroin, Cocaine, Marijuana, and Firearm Possession in Furtherance of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ROLAND ROBINSON (“ROBINSON”), age 44, of New Orleans was sentenced on October 15, 2024, after previously pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl and, possession with intent to distribute, fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Specifically, ROBINSON was sentenced on each of 4 charged counts to 60 months imprisonment. As to the charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, ROBINSON was sentenced to 60 months to run consecutive to any other sentence. ROBINSON was also sentenced to four years of supervised release and payment of a $500 mandatory special assessment fee.
ROBINSON distributed fentanyl and possessed with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana within the New Orleans area. During this time, ROBINSON also possessed firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes.
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.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Being Felon in Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on October 10, 2024, BRIAN WARD (“WARD”), age 30, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). Sentencing is set for January 2, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe.
WARD faces up to fifteen (15) years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
According to court documents, on January 7,2024, WARD was arrested by the New Orleans Police Department following a physical altercation between WARD and another man in the 300 block of Bourbon Street. During the altercation, WARD produced a firearm he possessed and shot at the man. After WARD’s arrest, his firearm, a Taurus Model PTl40 G2, .40 caliber pistol, was recovered near the tire of a van where WARD had hidden it. Also, law enforcement recovered a spent .40-caliber shell casing from the scene. It was later determined to be a match to the gun recovered. The incident was additionally recorded by RealTime Crime Cameras in the area.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit.
Milwaukee Woman Indicted for Multimillion Dollar Health Care Fraud and Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on October 16, 2024, a federal grand jury indicted Lakia Jackson (age: 34) for perpetrating a $3.7 million health care fraud and kickback scheme that involved Jackson lying about having provided prenatal care coordination services and childcare coordination services to at-risk and low-income pregnant women and new mothers in Milwaukee.
According to the indictment, from June 2020 through December 2021, Jackson owned We Care Services, which was a Prenatal Care Coordination (PNCC) agency operating in Milwaukee. PNCC agencies are reimbursed by Medicaid when they provide services intended to address Wisconsin’s historically high rate of infant mortality among at-risk populations. Specifically, PNCC services are supposed to ensure that women at high risk are identified as early as possible in their pregnancies, receive psychosocial support, prenatal care services, and health and nutrition education, and are referred to available community services that they need to help them achieve positive birth and parenting outcomes.
The indictment alleges that Jackson offered and provided kickbacks to induce women to sign up for prenatal care coordination services with We Care Services, and then allegedly submitted millions of dollars of fraudulent claims for services never actually provided to those women. Jackson also allegedly submitted claims for services she contended were provided to her clients before she or anyone from her agency had ever met the client.
The indictment charges Jackson with multiple counts of Health Care Fraud and False Statements Relating to Health Care Matters, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347 and 18 U.S.C. § 1035, violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b, Money Laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957, and Aggravated Identity Theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. If convicted, Jackson faces a mandatory sentence of two years in prison for each count of Aggravated Identity Theft, up to twenty years in prison for each count of Health Care Fraud, up to ten years in prison for each count of Anti-Kickback Statute violations and Money Laundering, and up to five years in prison for each count of False Statements.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Medicaid Fraud Control and Elder Abuse Unit of the Wisconsin Department of Justice investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Julie F. Stewart and Kate M. Biebel will prosecute.
An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Miami Man Sentenced to over 5 Years in Prison and Ordered to Pay over $3.8 Million for Fraudulently Billing Medicaid for Psychosocial Rehabilitation ServicesRead the Press Release
MIAMI –Jose Davila Nunez, 51, of Miami, was sentenced on Oct. 11, to 63 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for Medicaid fraud. Davila was also ordered to pay $3,869,703 in restitution.
Davila pled guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud on June 14. According to the court record, to include the agreed upon factual proffer, Davila and his co-conspirators opened a mental health clinic called New Behavior Health Direction, Incorporated (New Behavior) located in Hialeah Gardens, Fla. and installed a nominee owner. Between April 2019 and September 2020, Davila and his co-conspirators submitted $3,869,703 in false claims to Medicaid for psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) services, a type of mental health counseling designed to help people with depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders. In September 2020, the nominee owner helped to withdraw the fraud proceeds, gave some of that money to Davila, and then the nominee owner fled to Cuba. Davila’s company Max Medical Consulting Services, Incorporated of Miami, Fla. received approximately $500,000 in fraud proceeds from New Behavior.
At the sentencing hearing, Davila was also held accountable for an additional $2,617,992 related to Davila and his co-conspirator’s conduct in paying illegal bribes to patients between November 2018 and December 2022 in exchange for PSR services at three other Miami clinics. Those three clinics are Davila Medical Center, Incorporated, Advanced Community Wellness Center, and Larkin Behavior Health, Incorporated.
The U.S. government was able to seize approximately $1.7 million in cash related to New Behavior’s bank accounts.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe; Special Agent in Charge Stephen Mahmood of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody for the Florida Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) made the announcement.
HHS-OIG Miami, FBI Miami, and MFCU investigated this case. AUSA Timothy Abraham prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jorge Delgado is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under 23-cr-20390.
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Mexican national admits attempted distribution of 1.4 million pills containing nearly 153 kilograms of fentanylRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas - A 38-year-old man is facing life in prison after pleading guilty in one of the largest fentanyl cases prosecuted in the Southern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Juan Jesus Orozco-Vargas admitted he knew drugs were hidden within pallets of limes he helped import from Mexico.
On April 5, a tractor-trailer containing 24 pallets of limes crossed into Texas from Mexico through the Pharr Port of Entry and arrived at a warehouse in McAllen. Orozco-Vargas was waiting at the warehouse to supervise the transfer of the pallets. While warehouse workers were unloading the boxes of limes, a pallet broke, causing pink and blue fentanyl pills stamped “M30” to spill out onto the floor.
Orozco-Vargas attempted to flee upon law enforcement’s arrival on scene, but they quickly apprehended him.
He admitted he was there to make sure the pallets were not damaged. He planned to move the pallets containing the fentanyl pills to the side so they could be transported from the warehouse. He admitted he was going to be paid for his services.
Authorities examined the pallets and discovered they concealed approximately 1.4 million fentanyl pills totaling 152.98 kilograms.
“At 1.4 million doses, this is one of the largest seizures of fentanyl the Southern District of Texas has prosecuted,” said Hamdani. “Removing these deadly pills from the streets of American cities, especially streets that are a few miles away from Mexico, will only save countless lives. My office is committed to dismantling the drug trafficking organizations that flood the United States with deadly fentanyl. This prosecution is emblematic of that commitment.”
“Today’s guilty plea further emphasizes how critical the investigative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are, particularly those involving the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States,” said HSI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. “HSI is relentless in its fight against those who deliberately engage in the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of dangerous drugs. We will continue to identify and investigate those who seek to introduce lethal drugs into our communities.”
U.S. District Judge Tipton will impose sentencing Feb. 4, 2025. At that time, Orozco faces up to life in federal prison as well as a possible $10 million maximum fine.
He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda McColgan is prosecuting the case.
Mexican Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine and Fentanyl ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Rigoberto Madrid-Morga, age 34, of Durango, Mexico, was sentenced October 18, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for his involvement in distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Madrid-Morga to 46 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 2-year term of supervised release.
In 2021, the DEA was utilizing a confidential informant (CI) to purchase narcotics from various individuals in the Omaha area. One of the targets the CI identified was Neri Mendoza-Rodriguez. Over the course of several days in April 2021, the CI and Mendoza-Rodriguez communicated regarding a controlled delivery of meth.
On April 5, 2021, law enforcement observed two individuals leave Mendoza-Rodriguez's residence and get into a vehicle registered to Madrid-Morga. Mendoza-Rodriguez drove. The two individuals were observed traveling to Village Inn where they met the CI. The CI was observed getting into Mendoza-Rodriguez’s vehicle and leaving a short time later. The CI purchased 400 grams of meth. The CI later identified Mendoza-Rodriguez as the driver and Mendoza-Rodriguez’s “cousin” as the passenger, Madrid-Morga.
On April 26, 2021, the CI contacted Mendoza-Rodriguez to purchase 1000 fentanyl pills. On April 29, 2021, the CI went to the same Village Inn and met with Madrid-Morga. The CI got into Madrid-Morga’s vehicle where he exchanged money for 106 grams of fentanyl pressed into pills.
Mendoza-Rodriguez was sentenced on March 10, 2023, to a term of imprisonment of 120 months.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Omaha Police Department.
Massachusetts Man Charged in Rhode Island on Federal Interstate Travel & Attempted Enticement ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Wilmington, Massachusetts, man was arrested yesterday and charged by complaint in Rhode Island federal court, after allegedly travelling to Rhode Island to meet and have sexual contact with a person he believed to be a fourteen-year-old girl, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Robert Consorti, 63, was arrested on Thursday by members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations after arriving in Warwick at a location where he believed he would be meeting with the girl.
As reflected in court documents, for more than a week prior to his arrest, Consorti allegedly communicated online and by text message with a person who he thought to be a young teenage girl, but who was, in reality, an East Providence Police Department Detective assigned to the ICAC Task Force.
It is alleged that, at Consorti’s direction, the communications rapidly turned sexual in nature, and that Consorti proposed that the two meet for sexual encounters. On Thursday, when Consorti arrived at a Warwick location where he was allegedly expecting to meet the 14-year-old, he was instead met by members of the ICAC Task Force and arrested. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement officers seized a backpack that allegedly contained condoms, lubricant, massage oils, and a vibrator from Consorti’s vehicle.
Consorti appeared on Thursday before a U.S. Magistrate, charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity and interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being 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.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams.
The matter was investigated by the Rhode Island State Police ICAC Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations.
The ICAC Task Force is comprised of members of the Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit along with detectives from the Warwick Police Department, Cranston Police Department, East Providence Police Department, Pawtucket Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Bristol Police Department, Middletown Police Department, and Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations.
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Man Sentenced to 60 Years After Sexually Assaulting Toddlers, Hiding Videos Inside Fake Calculator AppRead the Press Release
A 25-year-old man who hid photos of himself raping preschool-aged children inside what appeared to be a calculator app on his phone has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Humberto Barreto, Jr., was indicted in January and pleaded guilty in June to two counts of production of child pornography. He was sentenced last Thursday by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix to 30 years per count to run consecutively for a total of 60 years and ordered to register as a sex offender.
“This lengthy sentence is proof that this defendant’s deviant behavior of victimizing and sexually exploiting children will not stand, “said Travis Pickard, Special Agent in Charge HSI Dallas. “Due to the collaboration between HSI and our law enforcement partners of the Howard County Sheriff's Office, Mr. Barreto will spend the next 60 years of his life behind prison walls, where he can no longer prey upon our society’s most vulnerable population.”
According to court documents, the investigation began when Mr. Barreto’s ex-girlfriend alerted police that she saw internet searches for child pornography on his phone. She told officers that when she confronted him, Mr. Barreto admitted to using cryptocurrency to purchase child sexual abuse imagery and said “age did not matter” to him.
Forensic examiners searched the phone and found hundreds of photos and at least 30 videos of adult men sexually abusing children, including toddlers. They also found a storage application disguised as a calculator, where Mr. Barreto hid videos of him sexually assaulting 4- and 5- year old girls.
“I mean, I can’t deny it,” he said, when confronted by officers. “I did what I did.”
“My baby girl, she seems to have been more withdrawn and sensitive… she’s had nightmares,” the mother of a victim said in a statement read into the record at sentencing. “Those acts he did are of a monster, and I believe he is one in the truest form.”
Homeland Security Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Howard County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Big Spring Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Tusing prosecuted the case.
Man Sentenced to 12 Months for Assault on a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Manuel Duarte-Ibarra, 32, of Mexico, was sentenced on Tuesday by United States District Judge Angela M. Martinez to 12 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Duarte-Ibarra pleaded guilty to one count of Assault on a Federal Officer on July 3, 2024.
On February 21, 2024, near Newfield, Duarte-Ibarra was encountered by a United States Border Patrol agent. When the agent attempted to place him in handcuffs, Duarte-Ibarra jerked his hands away and attempted to run. During a struggle, Duarte-Ibarra kicked the agent in the chest multiple times while they were on the ground. Duarte-Ibarra admitted to agents that he was in the area to illegally transport undocumented noncitizens. Duarte-Ibarra also admitted to being under the influence of methamphetamine.
Customs and Border Protection’s United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Houston, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 24-01307-TUC-AMM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-141_Duarte-Ibarra# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty in Car Dealership Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Jackson, Mississippi – A Louisiana man pled guilty today to two counts of conspiring to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme to use the stolen identity of others to purchase expensive vehicles in the Jackson, Mississippi metro area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately May 2023 through June 13, 2023, Paul Anthony Robinson, 33, of New Orleans, and his coconspirators, obtained the identity information of credit-worthy individuals, created false identity documents in the names of those individuals, then posed as those individuals at automotive dealerships in order to apply for vehicle financing. Robinson and his coconspirators filled out credit applications and purchased or attempted to purchase expensive vehicles from dealerships in the Jackson metro area. The conspirators fraudulently purchased two vehicles worth a total of more than $127,000, and had plans to fraudulently obtain more vehicles before law enforcement intervened.
Robinson is scheduled to be sentenced on February 19, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Robinson’s coconspirators, Sarah Elizabeth Calderon, Joshanique Elouise Bailey, David L. Jones, Jr., and Anna Waldei, are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Their cases are still pending trial. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis, and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made the announcement.
The United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office are investigating the case through their partnership in the Cyber Fraud Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.
Lexington Man Sentenced for Possession of Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Lexington man, David Allen Baxter, 40, was sentenced to 100 months, on Friday, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to his plea agreement, on February 9, 2024, law enforcement observed Baxter, who had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation, entering and exiting a building. Officers attempted to make contact, but Baxter fled on foot. While Baxter was fleeing, officers observed him reaching into his jacket pocket and attempting to grab something. Officers eventually caught Baxter, who was in possession of a loaded and chambered firearm. Baxter admitted that he knew he was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms.
Baxter had previously been convicted of the following: convicted felon in possession of a handgun, receiving stolen property, and possession of a controlled substance, in Scott Circuit Court in December 2019; convicted felon in possession of a firearm and wanton endangerment, in Fayette Circuit Court in September 2016; trafficking in a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance, in Fayette Circuit Court in December 2003; and robbery, in Fayette Circuit Court in May 2001.
Under federal law, Baxter must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The case was investigated by the ATF and Lexington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paco Villalobos prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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