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15 October 2024
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee Observes Domestic Violence Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – October marks the observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren joins the U.S. Department of Justice in commemorating DVAM, paying tribute to victims and survivors, and saluting the dedication of advocates, service providers, justice professionals, law enforcement officers, and first responders who tirelessly work in support of survivors.
DVAM serves as an important reminder to raise awareness and engage the community in efforts to end intimate partner violence. According to the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women, domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship, used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological, or technological actions or threats of actions or other patterns of coercive behavior that influence another person within an intimate partner relationship. Domestic violence can happen to anyone regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, sex, or gender identity. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and educational levels and occurs in both opposite-sex and same-sex relationships. It can also happen to intimate partners who are married, living together, dating, or share a child.
“Domestic violence is more prevalent than most people realize,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Fondren. “We want the community to know that federal prosecutors for the Western District of Tennessee are using all the tools at our disposal — and leveraging our partnerships with local law enforcement and prosecutors — to ensure victims have a viable path to safety and justice. Our office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of domestic violence offenders who unlawfully possess firearms, or whose criminal conduct occurs online or crosses state lines.”
Domestic violence, dating violence, and intimate partner violence can have long-lasting impacts and consequences. Data from the National Domestic Violence Hotline suggests that approximately one in four women and one in seven men will experience severe domestic violence in their lifetimes. Rates are disproportionately higher for historically underserved populations, including LGBTQI+ individuals, persons with disabilities, and racial and ethnic minorities. DVAM provides an opportunity to spread awareness about domestic violence and encourage everyone to play a role in ending gender-based violence.
Purple Thursday, observed this Thursday, October 17, 2024, is a National Day of Action during DVAM. It is an opportunity to raise awareness about domestic violence and to show commitment to promoting safe communities. Please join us on October 17 by wearing purple and starting a conversation about domestic violence.
If you need help, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or the Strong Hearts Native Helpline at 1-844-762-8483. For more information on domestic violence, visit: https://www.justice.gov/ovw/domestic-violence#dv.
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For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont Observes Domestic Violence Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont — During Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) this October, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont reaffirms our unwavering commitment to supporting survivors, raising awareness, and promoting justice for all affected by domestic violence.
DVAM serves as a crucial opportunity to shed light on the profound impacts of domestic violence and emphasize the importance of collective action. Each year, millions of individuals are impacted by intimate partner violence, and far too many families endure the tragic consequences of domestic abuse. We are committed to ensuring that survivors are heard and perpetrators are held accountable and to strengthening partnerships with communities to prevent domestic violence.
This year is a special year to commemorate DVAM because it is also the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act. In 1994, the passage of this landmark, bipartisan legislation transformed the way our nation addresses domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by increasing protections for survivors, providing critical federal resources to support a coordinated community response to these crimes, and awarding grants at the local, state, territory, Tribal, and national levels.
“At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we are determined to use all of our tools to combat domestic violence,” said U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest. “To that end, we work with our partners in state, county, and local law enforcement to promote the rights of domestic violence victims and to hold domestic abusers accountable. Too often in these cases, we see the intersection of domestic violence and firearms. Safe firearm storage can help prevent this dangerous intersection. One of the tools we created with our partners is www.gunsafevt.org, a website where individuals can find resources for safe firearm storage. We encourage victims and survivors and anyone who works in support of survivors to use this resource.”
Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking can have long-lasting impacts and consequences, and survivors in underserved communities are disproportionately impacted due to the lack of resources or barriers to accessing services. DVAM provides an opportunity to spread awareness about domestic violence and encourage everyone to play a role in ending gender-based violence.
We also encourage everyone to learn more about domestic violence and take steps to support friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors who may be affected. By understanding the signs of abuse, providing a safe space for survivors, and connecting them to available resources, we can all play a role in creating safer communities.
Victims of domestic violence deserve safety, dignity, and justice. We are committed to prosecuting those who violate federal laws, collaborating with local law enforcement and prosecutors to identify domestic violence offenders who violate federal firearms prohibitions, and ensuring survivors have access to the resources they need for safety and healing. Together, we can bring hope to those in need and build a future free from domestic violence. For more information on resources, please see a PDF version of our 2023 Vermont Victim Services Resource Guide and the mobile downloadable version at https://vtvictimresources.com/.”
U.S. Attorney's Office Announces Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – United States Attorney Dena J. King announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) Michael Savage in Charlotte, and Don Gast in Asheville, 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.
AUSAs Michael Savage and Don Gast have been appointed to serve as District Election Officers (DEOs) for the Western District of North Carolina, and in that capacity they 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.
United States Attorney King 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).
U.S. Attorney King 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, AUSAs/DEOs Savage and Gast will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. AUSA Savage can be reached by the public in Charlotte at 704-344-6222, and AUSA Gast can be reached in Asheville at 828-271-4661.
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 704-672-6100.
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.
U.S. Attorney King 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 Nearly $1.5 Million in Grants for Domestic Violence and Victims Services During Domestic Violence Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming joins the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) in announcing $1,483,668 in domestic violence and victim services grants to combat intimate partner violence and assist victims of violence, survivors, and their families in Wyoming. This comes as the nation observes October as Domestic Awareness Month.
Domestic violence is prevalent in nearly every Wyoming community, and affects all people regardless of age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, or nationality. The devastating consequences of domestic violence can cross generations and last a lifetime. Approximately one in four women and one in seven men will experience severe domestic violence in their lifetimes; however, rates are disproportionately higher for American Indian and Alaska Native populations, women of Color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, two-spirit people, and people with disabilities.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month is an opportunity for the U.S. Attorney’s Office to remind the community that the Office is committed to working with the community to ensure that victims and survivors can find safety and justice. The Office collaborates with local partners year-round to strengthen Wyoming’s awareness of available resources, prevent domestic violence and hold offenders accountable.
The following grants were awarded to Wyoming recipients by the Office on Violence Against Women:The Attorney General of Wyoming received $833,657 for the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program. It was authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 and reauthorized by subsequent legislation. The STOP Formula Grant Program encourages partnerships between law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim services organizations to enhance victim safety and hold offenders accountable in cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The goal of the grant program is to develop and strengthen law enforcement, prosecution, and court strategies to combat violent crimes against women and to develop and strengthen victim services, including community based, culturally specific services, in cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This grant will help support the designated special prosecutor in Fremont County announced in September.
The Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault was awarded $367,379 for the OVW State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program. This grant supports coordinating victim services activities, collaborating and coordinating with federal, state, territory, and local entities engaged in violence against women activities.The following grant was awarded by the Office of Justice Program and the Office for Victims of Crime: The Northern Arapaho Tribe was awarded $282,632 for the OVC FY24 Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside (TVSSA) Formula Program. This grant will be used to implement services for victims of crime that meet needs identified by the community and reflect tribal community values and traditions. This aligns with the Congressional intent for the set-aside from the Crime Victims Fund, which was created in 2018 to improve services for victims of crime in Tribal communities.
The awards announced above are being made as part of the regular end-of-fiscal year cycle and are not a comprehensive list of all grants awarded in Wyoming. More information about these and other OJP awards can be found on the OJP Grant Awards Page.
Two Hudson County Men Sentenced to Prison for Gas Station Robberies and Attempted CarjackingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Two Hudson County, New Jersey, men were sentenced to prison terms for their involvement a string of armed robberies of gas stations, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Wendell Bradley Jr., 27, of Bayonne, New Jersey was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court on Oct. 10, 2024, to 160 months in prison. Joseph Brown, 26, of Jersey City, New Jersey, was sentenced by Judge Arleo on Oct. 3, 2024, to 92 months in prison. Bradley previously pleaded guilty before Judge Arleo to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of attempted carjacking, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Brown previously pleaded guilty to one count of attempted Hobbs Act robbery and one count of Hobbs Act robbery.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From Jan. 3, 2022, to Feb. 4, 2022, Bradley – either alone or with Brown – would drive to a gas station, pull up to a gas pump, ask the gas station attendant to put gas in the car’s tank, and, while the tank was being filled, would pull a gun on the attendant and demand money. On Jan. 20, 2022, in Union, Brown pointed a gun at a gas station attendant, demanded money, and threated to kill him. Bradley then grabbed the attendant from behind, but the attendant was able to break free and escape into the gas station before Brown or Bradley could take any money from him.
The spree ended after Bradley and Brown robbed a gas station attendant at gunpoint in Secaucus, New Jersey. Bradley and Brown fled, and officers chased them from Secaucus to Newark, where Bradley crashed his car. While both men were running away from police, Bradley pulled his gun, approached an off-duty Essex County Sheriff’s officer, and demanded that the officer give Bradley his car. The officer disarmed Bradley and detained him.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Arleo sentenced Bradley and Brown to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the ATF, under the direction of special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Newark Field Division; the Clifton Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas Rinaldi, the Hillside Police Department, under the direction of Chief Vincent P. Ricciardi, Jr, the Jersey City Department of Public Safety, under the direction of Director James Shea, the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Emanuel Miranda, the North Bergan Police Department, under the direction of Chief Peter Fasilis, the Secaucus Police Department, under the direction of Chief Dennis Miller, and the Union Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Chris Donnelly, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Webman of the Economic Crimes Unit and Megan Linares of the Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
Tip to CyberTipline Leads to 3 1/2-Year Sentence for Former Portland Educator Who Possessed Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for possessing child sexual abuse material.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Travis McCutcheon, 54, to 42 months in prison, to be followed by eight years of supervised release. McCutcheon pleaded guilty on May 15, 2024.
According to court records, in December 2022, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit (MSPCCU) received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that in November 2022, two video files containing child sexual abuse material had been detected in a cloud-based storage account serviced by Google Drive. Investigators traced the related subscriber information and IP addresses used to access the Google Drive account to McCutcheon. Investigators executed a search warrant on the account and found two additional video files containing child sexual abuse material and emails from McCutcheon in which he solicited child sexual abuse material.
“Although the evidence discovered does not reflect that Mr. McCutcheon possessed materials involving any of his students, his conduct was egregious,” said U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee. “Child sexual abuse material documents the exploitation and abuse of children who suffer revictimization every single time the images are shared or viewed. That an educator could be engaged in such child victimization is unconscionable.”
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the MSPCCU investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – in legal terms, “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are shared or viewed. File a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at https://report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
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Tax preparer imprisoned for tax fraud resulting in over half a million in lossesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A local tax business owner has been sentenced for aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of false income tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Krystal Wright pleaded guilty April 17.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown has now ordered Wright to serve 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay $525,404 in restitution. At the hearing, the court heard how her criminal history, the length of her scheme and the harm to the taxpayers warranted a prison sentence. In handing down that sentence, the court noted that he hoped Wright would learn from her actions.
Wright was the sole owner and only tax preparer at WW2F in Freeport for six years.
Most of Wright’s clients did not have a business nor did they discuss any business income or expenses with her. After Wright completed a tax return, she did not review the completed documents with clients and only provided them with the refund amount and first two pages of the return. This prevented her clients from identifying overstated or false items on their tax returns.
From 2017 through 2020, Wright prepared and filed approximately 83 federal income tax returns that contained false and fraudulent items. Some included qualified solar electric property costs, gifts by cash or check, business expenses, wages, salaries, tips and supplies.
The false and fraudulent filings resulted in a total sustained tax harm of $525,404.
She will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rodolfo Ramirez and James Hu prosecuted the case.
Syracuse Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Anthony Beverly, age 34, of Syracuse, was sentenced today to serve 84 months in federal prison following his convictions for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person (convicted felon).
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 Joseph L. Cecile, Chief of the Syracuse Police Department (SPD), made the announcement.
As part of his previous guilty plea, Beverly admitted that on October 26, 2023, he knowingly possessed in his Onondaga County apartment three pistols, extended ammunition magazines, and approximately 615 rounds of ammunition of various calibers. Beverly further admitted that when he possessed the firearms and ammunition, he knew that he had previously been convicted of a felony. Specifically, in 2015 he was sentenced in Onondaga County Court to 2 to 6 years’ imprisonment as a result of his conviction of possession of a forged instrument in the first degree. Beverly further admitted that in his apartment he possessed various controlled substances which he intended to distribute to others, including cocaine base, powder cocaine, N,N-Dimethylpentylone (sold as “molly”), fentanyl, and methamphetamine.
Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release to follow his term of imprisonment.
The FBI and Syracuse Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie prosecuted the case as 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.
Statement of United States Attorney Clare E. Connors Regarding November 2024 General ElectionRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – United States Attorney Clare E. Connors announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Michael Nammar 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 Nammar has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Hawaii, 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 United States Attorney Connors. “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 Connors 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 Nammar will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 808-541-2850.”
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 808-566-4300.
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 Connors 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.
San Diego Man Admits to Sexual Exploitation of 14-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO – Eric Jin of San Diego pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he persuaded a 14-year-old girl to send him sexually explicit photographs of herself, including an image of her leg where she had carved the defendant’s name into her skin with a knife at his direction.
Jin was indicted on May 15, 2024. He pleaded guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in connection with his online communications with the girl. For example, according to his plea agreement, Jin demanded that she take sexually graphic pictures of herself without clothing in December 2022 and again in February 2023. The girl did as Jin directed and sent him the photos. It was on the February date that he ordered her to carve his first name into her skin and send him a photo.
Jin also admitted to sending the victim images of other minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
“This defendant repeatedly victimized, exploited, and literally scarred a child,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This horrific crime serves as a reminder to keep a very close eye on who kids are talking to online.”
“While all crimes we investigate are deplorable, the sexual exploitation of children is an especially flagitious violation,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. “Let Eric Jin’s guilty plea be a clear message that the FBI and its partners will aggressively pursue people who intend to exploit children in such a despicable manner.”
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Sherwood and Katie Grammenidis.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on January 24, 2025.
DEFENDANT Case Number 24cr1071-JO
Eric Jin Age: 30 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Sexual Exploitation of a Minor – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2251(a) and (e)
Maximum penalty: Thirty years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Sallisaw Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Ammunition ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Devon Ray Gillispie, age 33, of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to an Information of one count of Felon in Possession of Ammunition.
The Information alleged that on January 31, 2022, Gillispie, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, and knowing of such conviction, possessed forty-two rounds of ammunition which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Sallisaw Police Department.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea, and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Gillispie will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.
Ringleader Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Key Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Derrell Cashawn Massey, also known as “Rell” and “Fat Rell,” 34, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Massey admitted to a leading role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 3, 2023, Massey distributed approximately 1 pound of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at a Ninth Street residence in Huntington where Massey was living. The confidential informant had called Massey beforehand to arrange the transaction, agreeing to pay $2,000 in exchange for the methamphetamine.
Massey admitted to the transaction and further admitted to participating in the DTO from at least November 2022 through November 2023. Massey’s participation included arranging for quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl to be transported from Detroit and other areas to Huntington for distribution. Massey also distributed at least 30 pounds of methamphetamine to a specific customer in Nitro, West Virginia, and directed other individuals to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl to various customers. Massey admitted that he aided and abetted the distribution of a total of 8.6 pounds of methamphetamine on 10 separate occasions between February 27, 2023, and September 7, 2023.
Massey and other DTO participants used multiple residences to store and distribute quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl, including Massey’s Ninth Avenue residence in Huntington. On September 12, 2023, law enforcement officers seized six 9mm semiautomatic pistols at Massey’s Ninth Avenue residence.
Massey is among 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment that charges the defendants with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.
Massey is also among 21 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the main case. One other of the 27 indicted individuals pleaded guilty to a related offense in a separate case. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-180.
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Repeat Sex Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Traffic Four Women Using Violence and ThreatsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Stoughton man, previously convicted of multiple counts of sex trafficking, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to sex trafficking multiple adult women.
Marvin Pompilus, 39, pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. Pompilus was previously arrested and charged in in November 2023, and indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2024. U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Jan. 23, 2025.
In February 2018, Pompilus was convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of multiple counts of trafficking a person for sexual servitude and deriving support for prostitution. He was sentenced to six years in state prison and was released in October 2021.
“Marvin Pompilus targeted and brutalized his victims, and this was promptly after he was released from jail following his conviction on similar state charges,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “These crimes are a violation of human dignity and human rights. Our office, along with our federal, state and local partners, are dedicating substantial resources to both protecting victims of trafficking and holding defendants accountable by prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law. This is especially true for repeat offenders like Mr. Pompilus.”
“This defendant callously picked up right where he left off when he was released from state prison, believing that he could profit by peddling drugs and misery to people suffering with substance abuse issues,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant specifically targeted victims who were struggling with addiction to opioids and cocaine, coerced them into sex trafficking and cruelly exploited them because of their vulnerability. The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute human traffickers who exploit for their own personal gain the most vulnerable members of society, such as those experiencing substance abuse disorders.”
“Marvin Pompilus admitted today that after being released from state prison for sex trafficking, he started doing it again, targeting and exploiting four vulnerable women using violence and threats to force them to engage in commercial sex. What he did is unconscionable, and the harm he’s inflicted on these women is immeasurable,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division. “The FBI will do everything in its power to protect trafficking victims from further harm and see the predators who so viciously abuse them brought to justice.”
Following his release from state custody in October 2021, Pompilus conspired to exploit and recruit multiple women into the commercial sex trade, using a combination of physical violence, sexual violence, threats of violence, verbal abuse and withholding of controlled substances from drug dependent victims to coerce and/or force them to engage in commercial sex acts. He then collected all of the proceeds. Pompilus required his victims to check in with him, forbade them from interacting with other men, and precluded them from obtaining drugs from anyone other than him. If one of the victims attempted to keep any of the proceeds from commercial sex or attempted to refuse to see a sex buyer, Pompilus would become physically violent, at times striking the victim in the face and kicking them. Pompilus would also engage in other forms of abuse as well such as using degrading names toward his victims, spitting on them, and throwing drinks on them, as well as isolating them from others.
If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please contact [email protected].
The charge of conspiracy to sex traffic by force, fraud, or coercion provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least two years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy; AAG Clarke; and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Boston and Randolph Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley, Chief of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Tokash of the Justice Department’s Human Trafficking Protection Unit are prosecuting the case.
Repeat Offender Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing AmmunitionRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Jamar Johnson, 30, of Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Dec. 8, 2019, a shooting occurred at the ARCO station at Fresno and C Streets in Fresno. During the incident, Johnson drove his silver Mercedes in the ARCO lot and fired a handgun at another vehicle. After the Johnson left the area, a cellphone belonging to Johnson was found in the parking lot where the Mercedes had been parked along with .45 caliber shell casings.
The judge noted a number of factors supporting the sentence, including this being Johnson’s third firearms-related conviction, each of the firearms-related convictions involving Johnson discharging a firearm, Johnson’s history of violating the terms of his supervision, and continued risky behavior that put the community in danger. At the time of this offense, Johnson was on federal supervised release for a federal conviction for conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He violated the terms of his supervised release on that conviction within 71 days of commencing supervision.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Fresno Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice 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.
Repeat Federal Offender to Federal Prison for Meth DistributionRead the Press Release
Jermiah Preston, 41, from Fort Dodge, Iowa was sentenced on October 9, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City. Preston pled guilty May 22, 2024, to distribution of methamphetamine.
In March 2017, Preston was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and distributing a controlled substance in the United States District Court in Northern District of Iowa.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that on January 23, 2023, law enforcement, utilizing a confidential informant, set-up and conducted a 1.5 ounce controlled methamphetamine transaction from Preston. During a traffic stop after the transaction, Preston was observed to throw two bags of methamphetamine out the window of the vehicle. The controlled buy money expended was found on Preston’s person and DNA came back on each bag of methamphetamine matching Preston.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Preston was sentenced to 66 months’ imprisonment which was imposed consecutive to his 24-month sentence previously imposed on the revocation of his previous federal supervised release. Preston must also serve a term of four years of supervised release following the imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Preston remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa DCI Laboratory, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa State Patrol, and the Fort Dodge Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-3029. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Poplar Bluff Man Sentenced to 100 Months in Prison for Selling MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Monday sentenced a man who sold methamphetamine to an undercover officer to 100 months in prison.
Rashad Marshall, 33, of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, pleaded guilty in July to one count each of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. He admitted conspiring with Joshua E. Forbes and two others to sell methamphetamine. A member of the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force purchased meth from the conspirators on six occasions between June and August of 2023.
In May, Judge Limbaugh sentenced Forbes to 12 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and three counts of distribution of methamphetamine.
The Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Poplar Bluff Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter is prosecuting the case.
Pineville Woman Sentenced to Consecutive Life Sentences in Prison for Kidnapping, Murder of Pregnant Arkansas Woman and Unborn ChildRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Pineville, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for the kidnapping and murder of a pregnant Arkansas woman and her victim’s unborn child.
Amber Waterman, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to consecutive life sentences in federal prison without parole.
On July 30, 2024, Amber Waterman pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of thereby causing the death of a child in utero. Waterman admitted that she kidnapped Ashley Bush in order to claim her unborn child, Valkyrie Willis, as her own. Waterman transported Ashley Bush from Maysville, Ark., to Pineville. The kidnapping resulted in the deaths of both Ashley Bush and Valkyrie Willis.
Her husband, Jamie Waterman, 44, pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of being an accessory after the fact to the kidnapping resulting in death. Jamie Waterman admitted that he knew Amber Waterman had kidnapped Bush, causing the death of her unborn child, and provided assistance in order to hinder or prevent the apprehension, trial, and punishment of Amber Waterman.
Amber Waterman, using a false name, contacted Bush, who was approximately 31 weeks pregnant, via Facebook. Amber Waterman pretended to help Bush obtain employment, suggesting she had a job opportunity for her. That prompted an in-person meeting between the two women on Oct. 28, 2022, at the Gravette, Ark., public library. They agreed to meet again on Oct. 31, 2022.
On Oct. 31, 2022, at roughly 11:45 a.m., Bush met Amber Waterman at the Handi-Stop convenience store in Maysville, Ark. Under the pretext that Amber Waterman was taking her to meet a supervisor to further discuss employment, Bush got into a truck driven by Amber Waterman. Amber Waterman then kidnapped and abducted Bush, driving her from Maysville to the Waterman residence in Pineville.
According to court documents, Amber Waterman led Jamie Waterman to Bush’s body. Jamie Waterman assisted in hiding and disposing of the body.
At about 5 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2022, first responders reported to the Longview store in Pineville for an emergency call of a baby who was not breathing. Amber Waterman admitted that she claimed to first responders that she had given birth to the child in the truck while on the way to the hospital. But in reality, she admitted, the child was Bush’s child, who died in utero, as a result of Amber Waterman’s kidnapping that resulted in the death of Bush.
An autopsy indicated that Bush died as a result of penetrating trauma of the torso and her death was classified as a homicide.
Under federal statutes, Jamie Waterman is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie L. Wan and James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the FBI, the Benton County, Ark., Sheriff’s Department, and the McDonald County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas and the Benton County, Ark., Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Domestic Violence ChargeRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on October 10, 2024.
Kristopher Kerbaugh, Sr., 36, was sentenced to a total of two years and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Kerbaugh was indicted for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate Partner by a federal grand jury in May of 2024. He pleaded guilty on July 15, 2024.
The conviction stems from Kerbaugh stabbing the victim, his wife of ten years. Kerbaugh, who at the time was intoxicated, became angry with the victim while accusing her of infidelity and stabbed her three times with a pocketknife. He also beat her. After stabbing her, he attempted to cover her wounds with duct tape. A third party called the police, and the victim was airlifted to the hospital for treatment of her injuries. In sentencing Kerbaugh, District Judge Schreier stated this was one of the more serious assaults she had seen between a husband and wife.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.
Kerbaugh was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Pediatric Physician Pleads Guilty to Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Overland Park, Kansas, pediatric physician pleaded guilty in federal court today to using concealed video cameras to secretly record 13 child victims for the purpose of producing child pornography over a three-year period from Oct. 4, 2020, to Oct. 28, 2023. Aalbers also admitted that he was in possession of child pornography.
Brian Michael Aalbers, 50, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lajuana M. Counts to 13 counts of attempting to produce child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.
Aalbers, a pediatric neurologist at Overland Park Regional Hospital in Overland Park, Kan., remains in federal custody without bond.
Concerns were received by both the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office regarding the potential victimization of patients of Aalbers’s pediatric practice. During the investigation, it was determined there was no evidence to indicate any current or former patients were victimized by Aalbers. To protect and maintain the privacy of Aalbers’s victims, no additional information regarding the victims will be released.
According to today’s plea agreement, Kansas City, Mo., police officers investigated a report regarding concealed video cameras that had been found on Oct. 28, 2023. A witness later contacted officers to report that Aalbers was sending suicidal text messages. Lenexa, Kan., police officers located Aalbers and transported him to a local hospital to obtain voluntary mental health treatment. The hospital took possession of two laptop computers, two iPad tablets, and a cell phone that were inside a backpack Aalbers brought with him when he entered the facility.
Investigators obtained search warrants for those devices, as well as other cameras and electronic devices owned by Aalbers. Investigators found more than 50,000 video files associated with the hidden video cameras used by Aalbers, including more than 1,000 videos that contained pornographic depictions of the 13 child victims.
Investigators also obtained a search warrant for Aalbers’s iCloud account, which contained 1,000 additional images and 163 additional videos of child pornography, which included videos of the identified child victims that had been produced by Aalbers.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government and Aalbers are jointly requesting a sentence of at least 20 years, but no more than 30 years, in federal prison without parole. The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen A. Brackett. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Lenexa, Kan., Police Department, the Merriam, Kan., Police Department, and the Overland Park, Kan., Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Kansas.
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."
Pasco Man Who Attempted to Meet a 13-Year-Old for Sex at Richland Hotel Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Richland, Washington – On October 15, 2024, Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian sentenced Julio Cesar Anaya, age 45, of Pasco, Washington, to 84 months in federal prison on child exploitation charges. Chief District Judge Bastian also imposed a lifetime of supervised release.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in March of 2022, a Kennewick detective working with the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (SER-ICAC) working in an undercover capacity as a 13-year-old girl, posted an ad on a website that is a well-known platform for sexual encounters. Anaya responded to the ad and began communicating with the detective, believing the detective to be a 13-year-old girl. Over the next three weeks, Anaya repeatedly discussed engaging in sexual intercourse with the child and requested that the child send him child pornography—that is, naked pictures of herself. Anaya also attempted to persuade the person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl to come to his house in Pasco. In one particularly deliberate act, he even offered to pay for her Uber.
Ultimately, Anaya said he planned to rent a hotel room in Richland near her home to facilitate a meeting with the girl. On April 11, 2023, Anaya booked a hotel room in Richland, told the purported child the hotel location and instructed her when to arrive. He also shared his detailed plans to engage in sex with the child.
On April 12, 2023, Anaya arrived at the hotel and checked in. A few moments later he was placed under arrest by detectives with the Richland Police Department. Anaya was carrying two cell phones and two bags when he was arrested. A search warrant for his bags revealed that he had brought with him massage oil, condoms, erectile dysfunction medication, lubricant, and hand sanitizer. In Anaya’s primary phone, he had communications with the purported 13-year-old; in his other phone he had saved more than 300 images of child pornography involving minor children – including infants and toddlers.
“Mr. Anaya booked a hotel room in Richland and made detailed plans to meet a person he believed was a 13-year-old child for illicit sex. Further investigation revealed Mr. Anaya was in possession of dozens of videos and images showing the sexual exploitation of young children,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “I’m grateful for the important and difficult work that detectives on the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force do everyday to prevent horrific victimization of children, remove dangerous offenders from our community, and protect the most vulnerable among us.”
“It is incredibly fortunate that this child predator’s attempt at victimizing a person whom he believed to be a teenage girl was thwarted by our law enforcement partnerships,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “The devasting impact of online predators cannot be overstated. This sentence sends a strong message that abusing children will not be tolerated, whether it is downloading and possessing child pornography, trying to meet children for sex, or any other form of child exploitation.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Southeast Regional ICAC Task Force, consisting of Homeland Security Investigations and the Richland and Kennewick Police Departments. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laurel J. Holland.
4:23-cr-06023-SAB
O’Fallon, Missouri Man Admits Child Sex ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from O’Fallon, Missouri on Tuesday admitted engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old that he met online and discussing child sex with another 15-year-old victim.
Andrew Haller, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to all of the charges he faced: two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography.
Haller admitted separately meeting two 15-year-old girls on Tumblr before moving their conversations to the encrypted app Telegram.
The 15-year-old California victim told the FBI that Haller introduced the topic of “daddy dom,” and told her he was also sexually abusing another teen. Haller listed rules for the victim, including that she would have to ask his permission once a day to urinate, wear a collar at all times, and refer to him only as “Sir,” Dad” or “Daddy.” He also asked her for nude photos and sent her photos and videos of the other victim.
After identifying Haller and performing a court-approved search of his home in November of 2023, the FBI identified the other victim. She told the FBI that she sent Haller sexually explicit photos at his direction. They met in person twice in 2023 and engaged in sexual activity. Haller struck her during the first visit and took pictures and videos of her, his plea says. He also discussed with her his desire to abuse children too young to talk or remember the abuse.
Haller possessed 195 images and 92 videos of known or suspected child sexual abuse material, and sent that material to others via Telegram and Signal, another encrypted app, his plea says.
Haller is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 28, 2025. The coercion charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and the child pornography charges each carry a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes has agreed as part of the plea to ask for no more than 25 years in prison.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes 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.
North Carolina Woman Sentenced for Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Greensboro, North Carolina, woman convicted of False Statement. The sentencing took place on October 10, 2024.
Dr. Erin Lynn Hower, age 39, was sentenced to time served, followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $22,832.00 in restitution.
Hower was indicted on two counts of False Statement by a federal grand jury in January of 2023. She pleaded guilty on June 10, 2024.
Between January and February of 2018, Hower was employed as an urgent care locum tenens pediatrician in a pediatric clinic in North Carolina, where she held a medical license. During that time, Hower saw a male patient twice in January and once in February. Thereafter, Hower engaged in a sexual relationship with the male patient. After the sexual relationship was discovered, the North Carolina Medical Board began an investigation into Hower’s sexual relationship with the patient, as well as other complaints that had been made against her. Hower was made aware of the North Carolina Medical Board’s investigation and knew that one of the allegations being investigated was the sexual relationship with a patient.
In July of 2020, while the North Carolina Medical Board investigation was underway, Hower applied for a pediatric position with Indian Health Service (“IHS") in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. As part of the application, Hower completed a credentialing application, which was sent to and reviewed by several individuals, including the Acting Chief Executive Officer for IHS. The application contained several questions that Hower was required to answer, including whether there were any disciplinary actions or investigations against her by any state licensure board. Hower failed to disclose that the disciplinary action or investigation by the North Carolina Medical Board involved sexual misconduct allegations. Based on her false responses in her application, Hower was hired to work as a pediatrician at IHS in Pine Ridge and began in August of 2020. At no time during her employment did Hower disclose that she was under investigation by the North Carolina Medical Board for having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a patient. While Hower was employed at IHS, the North Carolina Medical Board completed its investigation and concluded Hower’s sexual relationship with a patient constituted unprofessional conduct. On January 4, 2021, the North Carolina Medical Board ordered Hower’s medical license to be indefinitely suspended. Thereafter, Hower continued to work at IHS for several weeks despite her medical license being suspended.
“We trust pediatricians with the most vulnerable among us—our children,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “When pediatricians betray that trust by concealing allegations of sexual misconduct, they not only endanger the lives of those in their care, but they undermine the very foundation of medical ethics. It is therefore imperative that such actions are met with accountability. I am grateful to our partners at HHS-OIG and my colleagues at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for holding this defendant to account in federal court.”
“This physician sentenced in this case lied to conceal the fact that she was under investigation for sexual misconduct allegations when applying for a position in the Indian Health Service, thus jeopardizing patient safety through her dishonesty,” said Special Agent in Charge Linda T. Hanley of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to hold accountable those who undermine the integrity of federal health care programs to ensure that patients are provided quality care by appropriately licensed providers.”
This case was investigated by Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
North Carolina Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Keith Deshon Adams, 39, of Statesville, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 13 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 7, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in Oak Hill in which Adams was a passenger. Adams admitted that he tried to flee on foot after he was asked to exit the vehicle and stand at the front of an officer’s cruiser. An officer deployed a taser to stop Adams. While struggling with the officer, Adams opened a cross-body bag he was wearing and retrieved a plastic baggy containing fentanyl powder from it. Adams tore open the bag, causing the fentanyl to spill out of the bag and onto the officer’s clothing, face and mouth. The officer ingested some of the fentanyl and began suffering an apparent overdose.
Other officers secured Adams. A second officer suffered an apparent overdose after ingesting some of the spilled fentanyl. Both officers were taken to the hospital and treated with naloxone.
Adams admitted that the cross-body bag contained controlled substances including methamphetamine, fentanyl and tablets containing methamphetamine and ecstasy.
Adams has a long criminal history with prior convictions for such offenses as unlawful transport of firearms, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and failure to register as a sex offender.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Oak Hill Police Department, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-152.
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New Orleans Men Guilty of Conspiracy, Distribution of Fentanyl and Machinegun PossessionRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOSEPH MILLER (“MILLER”), age 21, and KENNETH TURNER (“TURNER”), age 37, residents of New Orleans, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk on October 2 and October 9, 2024, respectively.
MILLER pled to five counts of distributing various quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(C). MILLER also pled to possession of a machinegun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2).
TURNER pled to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).
According to court documents, MILLER made five distributions of fentanyl and methamphetamine to undercover agents and a confidential informant with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”). TURNER conspired with MILLER to distribute and possess with intent to distribute, the fentanyl and methamphetamine MILLER sold to ATF agents and, furthered the conspiracy, by supplying the drugs to MILLER to sell. MILLER also negotiated with an ATF undercover agent to sell a privately made semi-automatic pistol equipped with a machinegun conversion device, that turned this firearm into a fully automatic machinegun. The firearm was recovered by ATF agents during a search of MILLER’s residence.
As to his convictions for distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, MILLER faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to 40 years in prison, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release as to each count. As to his conviction for possession of a machinegun, he faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release.
For his conspiracy conviction, TURNER faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to 40 years in prison, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release.
Each individual count against MILLER and TURNER also mandates payment of a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Being Felon in Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on October 10, 2024, that WILLIE SYLVESTER (“SYLVESTER”), a/k/a “Wooso,” age 29, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). SYLVESTER faces up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
According to court records, on April 16, 2020, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO) deputies were sent to the 1500 block of Westwood Drive in connection with a shooting at that location. Deputies located the victim, SYLVESTER, in a canal bank suffering from gunshots wounds to the hand and thigh. Crime scene technicians collected thirty-seven (37) nine-millimeter casings, as well as a copper jacket, some located near SYLVESTER. Testing determined that the casings were shot from two different weapons.
Between April and September of 2020, JPSO continued to investigate SYLVESTER for his involvement in the April 2020 shooting. Additionally, between April and September of 2020, investigators observed SYLVESTER post several social media messages with weapons and acknowledging an exchange of gunfire with another subject. SYLVESTER also specifically acknowledged in a separate message that he fired a gun during this shooting before being shot in the hand.
Federal law prohibits convicted felons, such as SYLVESTER, from possessing ammunition. In 2013, SYLVESTER was convicted of a felony in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court and again, on November 6, 2014, SYLVESTER was convicted in Louisiana’s 24th Judicial District Court. SYLVESTER knew he had been convicted of these felonies at the time that he possessed the ammunition.
Chief United States District Judge, Nannette Jolivette Brown, will sentence SYLVESTERon January 16, 2025.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Public Integrity Unit.
New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Causing the Death of A Seven-Year-Old Boy and A 48-Year-Old Woman in Hudson River Boat CapsizingRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that RICHARD CRUZ pled guilty to misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death, in connection with the deaths of a seven-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman after the motor vessel Stimulus Money capsized in the Hudson River in July 2022. CRUZ pled guilty before United States District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, who will sentence CRUZ on January 25, 2025, at 3:30 p.m.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Richard Cruz admitted today that his misconduct and negligent actions caused the tragic deaths of a young boy and a woman when Cruz’s vessel capsized in the Hudson River. This prosecution should send a message to all captains and operators of commercial vessels that there will be consequences when they fail to follow the federal regulations and safety protocols that exist to keep passengers safe.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint, Information, and statements made in court:
On or about July 12, 2022, at approximately 2:40 p.m., the motor vessel Stimulus Money capsized in the Hudson River resulting in the death of two passengers — a seven-year-old boy (“Victim-1”) and a 48-year-old woman (“Victim-2”). At the time of the capsizing, RICHARD CRUZ was the owner and captain of the vessel. CRUZ had purchased the vessel approximately three months before the capsizing. CRUZ conducted boat “tours” for paying customers onboard the vessel on multiple occasions in the months leading up to the capsizing, despite not having the required United States Coast Guard (“USCG”) credentials and certifications to do so.
CRUZ’s negligent actions and omissions caused the capsizing and the deaths of Victim-1 and Victim-2. At the time of the capsizing, among other things: (i) CRUZ operated Stimulus Money with 13 people on board, exceeding the vessel’s maximum allowable capacity; (ii) CRUZ operated Stimulus Money at a high rate of speed even though an advisory had been issued to alert small watercraft of hazardous conditions, including high winds and heavy seas; (iii) CRUZ had not obtained a required USCG certification to operate the vessel with paying customers on board; and (iv) CRUZ operated Stimulus Money without a valid USCG Certificate of Inspection, which is required for a vessel to operate with paying customers on board.
All 13 people on board Stimulus Money were thrown overboard when it capsized in the Hudson River. Shortly after the capsizing, boats from the New York City Police Department’s (“NYPD”) Harbor Unit and the New York City Fire Department’s (“FDNY”) Dive Rescue Team, and ferries operating nearby, arrived at the scene of the capsizing to render emergency assistance. All but two passengers were recovered conscious and in varying medical conditions. They were subsequently transferred to hospitals in Manhattan and survived the capsizing. Approximately 25 minutes after the capsizing, members of the FDNY Dive Rescue Team recovered Victim-1 and Victim-2 from the Hudson River. They were trapped underneath the capsized vessel and found unconscious. Emergency medical personnel subsequently pronounced Victim-1 and Victim-2 deceased. The cause of death was drowning.
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Please report any illegal passenger charters to the USCG at https://www.p3tips.com/878.
CRUZ, 32, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, pled guilty to one count of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the USCG Investigative Service and the Special Agents and NYPD Detectives assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey W. Coyle is in charge of the prosecution.
New Jersey Construction Company Owner Admits Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The owner of several New Jersey masonry construction companies pleaded guilty to willfully evading taxes, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Joseph Caravella, 58, of Randolph, New Jersey pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court on Oct. 10, 2024, to a superseding information charging him with tax evasion for tax years 2008 to 2019.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2008 to 2016, the IRS assessed approximately $650,000 in Trust Fund Recovery Penalties against Caravella for causing three masonry businesses that he owned to fail to pay their employment taxes. From March 2008 through April 2019, Caravella attempted to evade these taxes by placing companies that he controlled in the names of nominee owners; providing the IRS with false and misleading information as part of an Offer in Compromise; filing a false individual income tax return; using bank accounts in the names of nominees for his own purposes; causing his personal expenses to be paid with corporate funds; and causing his compensation to be inaccurately reported or not reported to the IRS on Forms W-2.
The tax evasion charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 18, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shontae D. Gray of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark, and Trial Attorneys Kenneth Vert and Evan Mulbry of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
caravella.sinformation.pdfNationwide Telecommunications Provider and its CEO Plead Guilty to Massively Defrauding Federal Government Programs Meant to Aid the NeedyRead the Press Release
MIAMI –Issa Asad, 51, of Southwest Ranches, Fla., and Q Link Wireless LLC, of Dania Beach, Fla., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud and commit offenses against the United States in connection with a years-long scheme to steal over $100 million from a celebrated federal program providing discounted phone service to people in need. Asad, Q Link’s CEO, also pleaded guilty to laundering money from a separate scheme to defraud a different federal program meant to aid individuals and businesses hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asad and Q Link each pleaded guilty to Count 1 of an Information, which charges them with conspiring to commit wire fraud and to steal government money, and also with conspiring to defraud the United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Asad pleaded guilty as well to Count 2 of the Information, which charges him with money laundering in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957. Both defendants also pleaded guilty to the Information’s forfeiture allegations. U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II accepted the guilty pleas and set the Defendants’ sentencing hearings for Jan. 15, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.
Asad’s plea agreement contains a joint recommendation that he serve the statutory maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment on Count 1. The statutory maximum sentence on Count 2 is 10 years’ imprisonment. Asad’s exact sentence will be determined by the Court after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Asad and Q Link also agreed to pay jointly $109,637,057 in restitution to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) no later than the time of their sentencing hearings. Asad separately agreed to pay $1,758,339.25 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and to a forfeiture judgment against him of at least $17,484,118.00.
“Issa Asad and his company, Q Link Wireless, purposefully defrauded two critical federal programs helping individuals and businesses suffering financial hardship, unlawfully taking hundreds of millions of dollars for their own use and profit, while obstructing the United States’ ability to help people who, unlike the Defendants, needed it,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “The plea agreements in this case impose extraordinary and unprecedented financial penalties, as they should. They also reflect our Office’s commitment to ensuring that individuals who orchestrate business scams are punished personally, not just corporations. That Asad cheated two different programs meant to help people in need makes this prosecution even more imperative. We will continue to investigate and prosecute vigorously all types of fraud, whether perpetrated by individuals or businesses, and seek justice for victims of these scams.”
“Brazen fraud schemes that prey on vulnerable populations and target federal telephone and broadband subsidy programs, designed to ensure that low-income consumers can access critical telecommunications services, demand the most serious punishments like the ones included in today’s plea agreement,” said FCC Inspector General Fara Damelin. “This result was made possible by dedicated investigators and our investment in a robust data analytics capability. The FCC OIG is committed to using all of our resources, and working with our outstanding law enforcement partners, to investigate and hold accountable those who abuse the FCC’s public subsidy programs and to protect all those who rely on them to stay connected.”
“Stealing over $100 million for programs meant to support people in times of need is a crime against the entire nation.” said Juan A. Vargas, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division. “Asad and Q Link’s guilty pleas send a clear message: those who cheat the government for personal gain will be held accountable.”
“This is precisely the type of conduct IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners are committed to deterring,” said Kareem Carter, Executive Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office. “These crimes are far from victimless, as they financially harm taxpayers and erode public trust in our government. I want to extend my gratitude to our law enforcement partners for their unwavering commitment to safeguarding the integrity of federal relief programs and ensuring that the system works for those it was designed to help.”
“SIGPR is proud to have played a significant role teaming with its law enforcement partners in exposing Q Link Wireless LLC and CEO Issa Asad for operating schemes to defraud the FCC and the SBA’s federal program meant to aid individuals and businesses hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to using some of the proceeds outside the U.S.,” said Brian Miller, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR).
According to court records, the cases arose out of the Defendants’ scheme to defraud the FCC’s Lifeline program. Lifeline makes basic communications services more affordable for low-income consumers. It provides subscribers a deep discount on qualifying monthly cellphone service, broadband Internet service, or bundled voice-broadband packages purchased from participating telecommunications providers. The discount helps ensure that low-income consumers can afford 21st century connectivity services and the access they provide to jobs, healthcare, and educational resources.
During their guilty pleas today, the Defendants agreed that they purposefully conspired to defraud this program. Specifically, beginning as early as 2012 and continuing through at least 2021, Q Link, directed by Asad, its CEO, cheated the Lifeline program by making repeated false claims for reimbursement, taking and retaining Lifeline funds that it was not entitled to receive, providing false information about its Lifeline customers, and deceiving the FCC about its compliance with program rules. Asad directed these illegal activities and conspired with others to commit the fraud.
Among other things, according to court records, the Defendants engaged in multiple tricks designed to mislead the FCC about how many people were actually using Q Link’s Lifeline phones, and to prevent customers who did not want the phones from ending their relationship with Q Link (which would have prevented Q Link from billing the program for them). The Defendants manufactured non-existent cellphone activity and engaged in coercive marketing techniques to get people to remain Q Link customers. On one occasion, for example, the Defendants devised the following automated script to be played for Q Link customers: “Hello, your Medicaid, Food Stamp and Lifeline benefits are about to get cancelled. To avoid cancelation of these benefits, press 1 now to indicate that you wish to remain enrolled in these government programs. Press 2 if you wish to speak to a representative about your government benefits. To opt out of any future calls, press 3.” The Defendants used this false and threatening script to coerce customers into accepting Lifeline services. In another recorded call in which a similar script was deployed, a customer who called to cancel due to a non-working cellphone asked the Q Link customer service representative “do you want me to throw it in the garbage?” The representative responded instead: “Just make sure you continue to use the device at least once every 30 days.”
Upon learning that the FCC was investigating their Lifeline billing, the Defendants created and provided false records to the FCC to conceal the scam and to continue collecting reimbursement. As part of this plan, the Defendants, with the help of others, simply manufactured cellphone activity on behalf of Q Link customers who were not using their cellphones. At no point did Q Link amend past Lifeline claims for customers who were not using their cellphones or return any of the Lifeline payments.
The plea agreements state that a reasonable estimate of the total actual loss to the FCC that resulted from the conduct of the Defendants and their co-conspirators was $109,637,057. As part of his plea, Asad admitted that he personally received approximately $15 million from Q Link as a result of the fraud.
Meanwhile, Asad defrauded another federal government program, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), by making false statements about Q Link’s business. Congress created the PPP program during the Covid-19 pandemic to authorize forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. Asad, in Q Link’s name, executed a fraudulent scheme to obtain, and keep, PPP proceeds. To further the scheme, he made false statements about Q Link’s business, including a false claim that Q Link’s Lifeline reimbursements substantially decreased as a result of the pandemic. According to court records, Asad spent the proceeds of this PPP loan on the construction of a new home. Over $140,000 in PPP funds were used to make donations to a local university, purchase items at a jewelry store and to pay Asad’s property taxes on his residence.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) also assisted with this matter.
As part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery investigated the COVID-19 fraud related to this case with its other law enforcement partners. The PRAC was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Young, Dan Bernstein, and John Shipley are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Pastor and Sara Klco are handling asset forfeiture.
Present or former Q Link subscribers who seek more information may follow this link at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/united-states-v-issa-asad.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-20363.
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Mother Pleads Guilty in Death of Three-Year-Old Child from Fentanyl PoisoningRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Sasha McCoy, 28, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on October 15, 2024, on the charge of voluntary manslaughter in the death of her 3-year-old daughter on October 28, 2022, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), announced.
McCoy has been in custody since her arrest on February 15, 2024. Her guilty plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon 4 to10-year prison sentence, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, at approximately 1:00 p.m. on October 28, 2022, McCoy took her two children to the back bedroom of the location she was staying for a nap and placed them in the bed. When McCoy went to check on her children, she found her 3-year-old daughter unconscious and unresponsive. She later died at the hospital. A small plastic bag that contained two blue round pills with a monogram “M” and half of an oval pill were discovered on top of the bed that the children were sleeping in. The drug analysis determined that the partial tablet was Alprazolam – that is Xanax. The oval pills were determined to contain 4-ANPP, Acetaminophen, Fentanyl, Flurofentanyl, as well as other substances. Medical examiners determined the decedent died from fentanyl and flurofentanyl intoxication.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Assistant United States Attorney Emma McArthur for her efforts in prosecuting this case.
Media Advisory – U.S. Attorney to Announce Charges Against 16 Individuals Related to Hells Angels’ Racketeering Enterprise in Raleigh and FayettevilleRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – United States Attorney Michael Easley, along with several federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, will hold a press conference tomorrow to announce indictments and arrests related to an alleged Hells Angels’ racketeering enterprise in Raleigh and Fayetteville.
WHERE: U.S. Attorney’s Office – 150 Fayetteville Street, Suite 2100, Raleigh, NC 27601
WHEN: Wednesday, October 16th at 2:00 p.m.
Media: please arrive by 1:30 for set up.
McDowell County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Lansen Sharif Waugh, 44, of Kyle, was sentenced today to two years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 15, 2021, Waugh sold controlled substances that contained cocaine and methamphetamine to a confidential informant at a residence in Kyle where Waugh was staying. Waugh admitted to the transaction and further admitted to selling cocaine and a controlled substance containing heroin and fentanyl to the confidential informant on two other occasions.
On July 2, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Waugh’s residence in Kyle and found two firearms and additional quantities of cocaine. Waugh admitted that he intended to distribute the cocaine found during the search.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. The task force consists of members of the West Virginia State Police, the Bluefield Police Department, the Princeton Police Department, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, the McDowell County Sheriff’s Department, and the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-121.
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Massachusetts Man Sentenced to Two Years for Stealing U.S. Postage Stamps Using Fraudulent Checks, and an Additional 20 Months for Violating His Conditions of Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – William Soto, age 32, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced to serve 24 months in federal prison following his conviction for twelve (12) counts of theft of government property, United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) announced.
As part of his previous guilty plea, Soto admitted that, while on supervised release for a 2021 federal conviction for distributing controlled substances, he used fraudulent checks to purchase more than $30,000 worth of United States Postal Service postage stamps over the course of two days in Oneida County, Oswego County, and Onondaga County in August 2023. Soto stole stamps from 12 different Post Offices, and, in one instance, he bought $9,438.00 in stamps from a post office in Oswego County using a fake check.
United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also ordered that Soto pay $31,101.84 in restitution to the United States Postal Service, be subject to a forfeiture judgement in the amount of $31,101.84, and to serve a three-year term of post-incarceration supervised release. In addition to the 24-month prison sentence, Soto was also sentenced to a consecutive 20-month term of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release from his prior offense.
The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) investigated the case with assistance from the Fulton Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck prosecuted the case.
Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Civil Rights Charges for Committing Sex Trafficking of Victims Addicted to Opioids and Cocaine and Other OffensesRead the Press Release
A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today to four counts of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.
According to court documents, Marvin Pompilus, 39, of Stoughton, conspired to use force, threats of force, fraud and coercion to compel three adult victims to engage in commercial sex acts in the Randolph, Massachusetts, area between October 2021 and October 2022. He also conspired to compel another other adult victim to engage in commercial sex acts in September 2022. In addition, Pompilus pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute in September 2022. Pompilus was previously arrested and charged in November 2023. He has remained in federal custody.
According to court documents, Pompilus knew that the victims abused opioids and cocaine, and he specifically targeted the victims because of this vulnerability. For example, Pompilus promised the victims cocaine, heroin and fentanyl in exchange for engaging in commercial sex, with all the profits of the sex acts going directly to Pompilus. Pompilus also possessed distribution quantities of cocaine and fentanyl when Randolph Police Department conducted a car stop in September 2022 and found these drugs inside the crotch of his pants.
Court documents also demonstrate that Pompilus was previously convicted in Suffolk Superior Court in February 2018 of multiple counts of trafficking a person for sexual servitude and deriving support for prostitution. Pompilus was sentenced to six years in state prison and he was released in October 2021. Within days of his release, Pompilus began the sex trafficking conspiracy to which he pleaded guilty today.
“This defendant callously picked up right where he left off when he was released from state prison, believing that he could profit by peddling drugs and misery to people suffering with substance abuse issues,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant specifically targeted victims who were struggling with addiction to opioids and cocaine, coerced them into sex trafficking and cruelly exploited them because of their vulnerability. The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute human traffickers who exploit for their own personal gain the most vulnerable members of society, such as those experiencing substance abuse disorders.”
“Marvin Pompilus targeted and brutalized his victims, and this was promptly after he was released from jail following his conviction on similar state charges,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts. “These crimes are a violation of human dignity and human rights. Our office, along with our federal, state and local partners, are dedicating substantial resources to both protecting victims of trafficking and holding defendants accountable by prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law. This is especially true for repeat offenders like Mr. Pompilus.”
“Marvin Pompilus admitted today that as soon as he got out of state prison for sex trafficking, he started doing it again, targeting and exploiting four vulnerable women using violence and threats to force them to engage in commercial sex,” said Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Boston Field Office. “What he did is unconscionable, and the harm he’s inflicted on these women is immeasurable. The FBI will do everything in its power to protect trafficking victims from further harm and see the predators who so viciously abuse them brought to justice.”
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2025. According to the plea agreement, Pompilus faces a minimum penalty of 12 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Boston Field Office, Massachusetts State Police and Randolph Police Department investigated the case. Massachusetts State Police Troopers Ashleigh Moore and John Hagerty are especially commended for identifying Pompilus and detecting his trafficking scheme during a routine car stop in the summer of 2021.
Chief of the Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit Liz Riley-Cunniffe for the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorney Meghan Tokash of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Mason City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
A man who possessed a firearm as a prohibited person and possessed methamphetamine with the intent to distribute was sentenced October 11, 2024, to more than 8 years in federal prison.
Tirrell Harlan Hopkins, Jr., age 24, from Mason City, Iowa, received the prison term after a plea on May 3, 2024, to one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
At the plea hearing Hopkins admitted that on November 18, 2023, in Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, he knowingly possessed a firearm, a Springfield Armory, Model: Saint, Caliber: 2.33 NATO, Type: Pistol. At the time, Hopkins possessed the gun, he knew he was a user of illegal drugs, had been convicted of a felony, and convicted of a crime of domestic violence, all of which prohibited him from legally possessing a gun. Hopkins also admitted that on or about November 18, 2023, in the Northern District of Iowa, he was in possession of methamphetamine, and intended to distribute some or all of the methamphetamine to another person.
Hopkins was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Hopkins was sentenced to 98 months. He must also serve a 6-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Hopkins is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and was investigated by the Mason City Police Department, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Cerro Gordo County Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations Laboratory, and the United States Marshal’s Service.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-03008.
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Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison Following the Fentanyl Poisoning of an Auburn TeenagerRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – On October 10, 2024, a federal judge sentenced 23-year-old Jay Quan Adams, a resident of Auburn, Alabama, to 144 months in prison, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson and Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Orleans Field Division. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Fentanyl is a deadly drug that is destroying lives and devastating families,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Davidson. “This case is a tragic example of the toll the drug is taking on communities right here in the Middle District of Alabama. My office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of anyone selling these deadly pills.”
“Yesterday’s sentence brings a measure of justice to the victim’s family,” said Special Agent in Charge Hofer. “Fentanyl is a silent killer that has claimed countless lives, and this case is a reminder of the dangers of the synthetic opioid. We must continue to educate ourselves, and our communities, about the risks associated with fentanyl in hopes of preventing future tragedies.”
According to the plea agreement and other court records, on March 26, 2021, law enforcement responded to a report of a teenager found unresponsive in his Auburn home. It was determined that he died as a result of ingesting a pill which, without his knowledge, contained fentanyl. An investigation following the victim’s death revealed that he had gone to Adams’ Auburn residence the previous night and paid Adams $80. On March 29, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Adams’ residence and found numerous pills containing fentanyl. During his plea hearing on May 15, 2024, Adams admitted that he possessed the pills found during the search with the intent to distribute them.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Auburn Police Department investigated this case, with assistance from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson prosecuted the case.
Local man convicted of recording himself while engaging in sexual intercourse with minorRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 29-year-old McAllen resident has entered guilty pleas to enticement of a minor and production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Christian Hanks recorded himself with a minor victim in December 2023.
The investigation also revealed Hanks had engaged in conversation with another minor victim in the Western District of Louisiana to entice her to engage in sexual conduct with him. The investigation revealed he also engaged in sexual intercourse with the second minor victim.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez will impose sentencing Jan. 15, 2025. At that time, Hanks faces up to 30 years in federal prison for the production of child pornography and up to life for enticing the second minor victim.
He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Homeland Security Investigations in Texas and Louisiana conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cahal P. McColgan and Earl M. Campbell prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
LeFlore County Resident Sentenced for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Michael John Jones, age 41, of Talihina, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 63 months in prison for one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On February 6, 2024, Jones pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on January 24, 2023, law enforcement conducting a routine traffic stop discovered Jones driving on a suspended license while travelling northbound on Highway 63 west of Talihina. A subsequent search revealed Jones to be in possession of multiple plastic baggies containing over 124 grams of methamphetamine intended for distribution.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Jones will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Robinson represented the United States.
LA Autoridad De Vivienda De Chicopee Resuelve Una Demanda De Discriminación Por Discapacidad Y RacialRead the Press Release
BOSTON- La Autoridad de Vivienda de Chicopee (CHA) y su ex Director Ejecutivo, han resuelto una demanda que alegaba que la CHA y su Director llevaban a cabo un modelo de prácticas de discriminación contra inquilinos de la CHA basadas en su raza, nacionalidad de origen o discapacidad.
La Orden de Consentimiento requiere que la CHA pague $435,000 para compensar a las personas perjudicadas por sus prácticas discriminatorias, y una multa civil de $25,000 a los Estados Unidos. El acuerdo también requiere que la CHA realice amplios cambios para proteger los derechos de los inquilinos con discapacidades, incluida la contratación de un Coordinador de Derechos por Incapacidad, la implementación de nuevas medidas para manejar las solicitudes de los inquilinos para alojamiento y mudanzas y la construcción de nueve nuevas unidades de vivienda para personas con discapacidades. La Orden de Consentimiento también prohíbe la discriminación en el futuro y requiere que la CHA implemente nuevos procedimientos para quejas por discriminación y la capacitación de los empleados.
De conformidad con el acuerdo, la Directora de la CHA, Monica Blazic, renunciará a su cargo en la CHA al final del 2024 y no tendrá ninguna vinculación adicional con la CHA. El asunto surgió de una investigación del Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano (HUD), que, en Marzo del 2021 halló que la CHA y Blazic violaron la Ley de Vivienda Justa al no permitir que una persona con enfermedad renal en etapa terminal se transfiriera a una unidad de un cuarto en un primer piso o con acceso a un ascensor, para que pudiese recibir tratamiento diario de diálisis en su hogar. Los Estados Unidos inicialmente presentaron una demanda contra los acusados en Abril del 2021 por no proveer alojamiento razonable. En Diciembre del 2021, los Estados Unidos modificaro su demanda, de modo que incluyese reclamos adicionales de que los demandados discriminaban a inquilinos negros e hispanos, al realizar declaraciones discriminatorias a inquilinos negros e hispanos acerca de ellos, incluyendo insultos raciales y lenguaje despectivo.
“Es completamente inaceptable que los funcionarios de vivienda pública discriminen por motivos de raza y discapacidad. Este acuerdo compensará a los inquilinos que fueron perjudicados por las prácticas ilegales de la CHA y garantizará que la autoridad de vivienda avance con un nuevo liderazgo y nuevos sistemas para proteger a sus inquilinos de la discriminación en el futuro”, dijo el fiscal federal interino Joshua S. Levy. "Al crear nuevas unidades de vivienda accesibles, la CHA también podrá satisfacer mejor las necesidades de la comunidad".
"La discriminación racial y de origen nacional, y la discriminación contra personas que viven con discapacidades, son ilegales y no se permitirán en el mercado inmobiliario de nuestro país", dijo la subsecretaria adjunta principal Diane M. Shelley de la Oficina del Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano (HUD) de Vivienda Justa e Igualdad de Oportunidades. "La HUD aplaude al Departamento de Justicia por llegar a este acuerdo y continuará apoyando sus esfuerzos para responsabilizar a los proveedores de vivienda cuando no cumplan con sus obligaciones conforme a las leyes de vivienda del país".
Los inquilinos de CHA pueden ser elegibles para participar del presupuesto del acuerdo si previamente solicitaron transferir apartamentos para adaptarse a una discapacidad, y la CHA retrasó o negó indebidamente la transferencia. Se recomienda a esos inquilinos que se comuniquen con la Oficina del Fiscal Federal llamando al 617-275-8756 o enviando un correo electrónico a [email protected].
El fiscal federal interino Levy; La Fiscal General Adjunta Kristen Clarke; y la subsecretaria adjunta principal de la HUD, Shelley, hicieron el anuncio hoy. Los fiscales federales adjuntos Hillary Harnett, Anuj Khetarpal, Gregory Dorchak, Michelle Leung y Jennifer Serafyn de la Unidad de Derechos Civiles se encargaron del asunto. La resolución de este asunto fue el resultado de un esfuerzo coordinado entre la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito de Massachusetts y el Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de los Estados Unidos.
La Unidad de Derechos Civiles de la Fiscalía Federal se estableció en 2015 con la misión de mejorar la aplicación federal de los derechos civiles. Para obtener más información sobre los esfuerzos de derechos civiles de la Oficina, visite www.justice.gov/usao-ma/civil-rights.
Kanawha County Man Sentenced to Prison for Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jerry Dewayne Carroll, 43, of Crown Hill, was sentenced today to seven years in prison, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution for possession of prepubescent child pornography. Carroll must also register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about April 10, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant for Carroll’s person and seized his cell phone. A search of Carroll’s cell phone revealed 2,087 images of child pornography, including images depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers by adult men and through the use of animals. A search of Carroll’s encrypted cloud storage account held by Mega Ltd., accessible through his seized cell phone, revealed an additional 82 videos of child pornography. The videos include footage of the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, bestiality, and sadomasochistic material. The images and videos possessed by Carroll depict 56 known child victims.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Holly Wilson and Josh Hanks prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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 those who sexually exploit children, and 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 Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-122.
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Justice Department’s Nationwide Election Day Program for the General ElectionRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. Attorney Clinton J. Johnson announced that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Steven Briden 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 Briden has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer for the Northern District of Oklahoma, 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.
U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson 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).
In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming elections, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA Briden will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached at 918-703-7832 or by email at [email protected]
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 405-290-3700.
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.
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.
Justice Department to Monitor Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws in Portage County, OhioRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in Portage County, Ohio, during the early voting period and on Election Day.
The Justice Department enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot. The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country. In addition, the department also deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order.
Voters in Portage County have raised concerns about intimidation resulting from the surveillance and the collection of personal information regarding voters, as well as threats concerning the electoral process. Attempted or actual intimidation, threats or coercion directed toward any person for voting and related activities or urging or aiding others in voting is prohibited by Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Acts and Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
Reports related to voter intimidation in Portage County and complaints about any other possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s internet reporting portal at www.civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931. More information about voting and elections, including guidance documents and other resources, is available at www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section.
Justice Department Secures $8M from Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation to Address Redlining in Black Communities in Birmingham, AlabamaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced today that Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation (Fairway) has agreed to pay $8 million and a $1.9 million civil money penalty to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination by redlining predominantly Black neighborhoods in and around Birmingham, Alabama.
Redlining is an illegal practice by which lenders avoid providing credit services to individuals living in communities of color because of the race, color, or national origin of residents in those communities.
With this settlement, the Justice Department’s Combating Redlining Initiative surpassed $150 million in relief for communities of color nationwide that have experienced lending discrimination. This settlement marks the Justice Department’s 15th redlining settlement in three years. Under the Combating Redlining Initiative, the Department has secured a historic amount of relief that is expected to generate over $1 billion in investment in communities of color in places such as Houston; Memphis; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; and Birmingham.
“This settlement, and the over $150 million in relief the Justice Department has secured for communities across the country through our Combating Redlining Initiative, will help to ensure that future generations of Americans inherit a legacy of home ownership that they too often have been denied,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This case is a reminder that redlining is not a relic of the past, and the Justice Department will continue to work urgently to combat lending discrimination wherever it arises and to secure relief for the communities harmed by it.”
The Justice Department and CFPB allege that Fairway illegally redlined Black neighborhoods in Birmingham, including through its marketing and sales actions, and discouraged residents of those neighborhoods from applying for mortgage loans. The settlement announced today requires Fairway to provide $7 million for a loan subsidy program to offer affordable home purchase, refinance, and home improvement loans in Birmingham’s majority-Black neighborhoods, invest an additional $1 million in programs to support that loan subsidy fund, and pay a $1.9 million civil penalty to the CFPB’s victims relief fund.
This case is the third redlining enforcement action brought jointly by the Justice Department and the CFPB under the initiative, highlighting the strong partnership between the agencies to root out and address lending discrimination.
“Birmingham lies at the heart of our nation’s civil rights struggle but is also a community that bears the legacy of discriminatory redlining and other exclusionary policies,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This settlement will provide Birmingham’s Black neighborhoods with the access to credit they have long been denied and increase opportunities for homeownership and generational wealth. This settlement makes clear our intent to uproot modern-day redlining in every corner of the country, including in the deep South. With more than $150 million in total relief secured in three short years, our Combating Redlining Initiative is generating real economic opportunity for communities of color while sending a strong message to mortgage lenders, no matter their business model, that discriminatory lending will not be tolerated in America.”
“The settlement reached with Fairway Mortgage is a win for communities of color here in Birmingham that have historically been denied access to vital economic resources,” said U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama. “Our office is committed to ensuring that these communities have equal access to housing and credit resources.”
“The CFPB and Justice Department are holding Fairway accountable for redlining Black neighborhoods,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. “Fairway’s unlawful redlining discouraged families from seeking loans for homes in Birmingham’s Black neighborhoods.”
Fairway is a non-depository mortgage company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2022, Fairway was the nation’s fifth-largest lender by origination volume and ninth-largest by application volume. Fairway operates in the Birmingham area under the trade name MortgageBanc.
The complaint describes how Fairway redlined majority-Black neighborhoods in the Birmingham Metropolitan Statistical Area (Birmingham MSA). During the period covered by the complaint, the Birmingham MSA included six counties in north central Alabama with a combined population of about 1.1 million. While Fairway claimed to serve the entire metropolitan area, it concentrated all its retail loan offices in majority-white areas, directed less than 3% of its direct mail advertising to consumers in majority-Black areas, and for years discouraged homeownership in majority-Black areas by generating loan applications at a rate far below its peer institutions.
The Justice Department and CFPB allege that Fairway violated the Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and Consumer Financial Protection Act. Specifically, the government alleges problematic conduct by Fairway including:
- Failing to address known signs of discrimination: Fairway’s own data showed that, since at least 2017, it was failing to serve majority-Black neighborhoods in the Birmingham area, but before October 2022, it took no meaningful actions to address redlining risk. Between 2018 and 2022, only 3.7% of Fairway’s applications were for properties in majority-Black areas, compared to 12.2% for Fairway’s peer lenders. In other words, Fairway’s peer lenders generated applications for properties in majority-Black areas at over three times the rate of Fairway. This disparity was even higher in neighborhoods with 80% or more Black residents, where Fairway made loans at less than one-eighth of the rate of its peer lenders. Despite these figures, Fairway failed to adopt any written plan for marketing or growth to address the concern.
- Redlining Black neighborhoods: From 2015 through 2022, Fairway operated three retail loan offices and three loan production desks within real estate offices in the Birmingham MSA, all of which were in majority-white areas. Fairway also relied on referrals from real estate professionals and its loan officers’ personal contacts to generate applications, and the vast majority of Fairway’s referral sources and referred consumers were located in majority-white areas. Fairway predominantly directed its marketing to majority-white areas and failed to train or incentivize its existing loan officers to better serve majority-Black areas. By taking these actions, Fairway discriminated against, and unlawfully discouraged mortgage loan applications for properties in, majority-Black neighborhoods.
The proposed consent order, which awaits approval by the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, would require Fairway to:
- Provide $7 million for a loan subsidy program: The order would require Fairway to offer home purchase, refinance, and home improvement loans on a more affordable basis than otherwise available in majority-Black neighborhoods in the Birmingham MSA. The program may provide lower interest rates, down payment assistance, closing cost assistance, or payment of initial mortgage insurance premiums.
- Invest at least $1 million in redlined neighborhoods: Fairway would be required to open or acquire a new loan production office or full-service retail office in a majority-Black neighborhood in the Birmingham MSA. The company must also spend at least $500,000 on advertising and outreach, at least $250,000 on consumer financial education, and at least $250,000 on partnerships with one or more community-based or governmental organizations to serve the affected neighborhoods.
- Pay a $1.9 million penalty: The proposed order imposes a $1.9 million civil penalty against Fairway, which would be paid into the CFPB’s Civil Penalty Fund, also referred to as the victims’ relief fund.
Information about the Justice Department’s fair lending enforcement work can be found at www.justice.gov/fairhousing. Individuals may report lending discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291 or submitting a report online.
Consumers can submit complaints about financial products and services by visiting the CFPB’s website or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372).
Employees who believe their company has violated federal consumer financial protection laws are encouraged to send information about what they know to [email protected]. To learn more about reporting potential industry misconduct, visit the CFPB’s website.
Justice Department Secures $8M from Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation to Address Redlining in Black Communities in Birmingham, AlabamaRead the Press Release
The Justice Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced today that Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation (Fairway) has agreed to pay $8 million and a $1.9 million civil money penalty to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination by redlining predominantly Black neighborhoods in and around Birmingham, Alabama.
Redlining is an illegal practice by which lenders avoid providing credit services to individuals living in communities of color because of the race, color, or national origin of residents in those communities.
With this settlement, the Justice Department’s Combating Redlining Initiative surpassed $150 million in relief for communities of color nationwide that have experienced lending discrimination. This settlement marks the Justice Department’s 15th redlining settlement in three years. Under the Combating Redlining Initiative, the Department has secured a historic amount of relief that is expected to generate over $1 billion in investment in communities of color in places such as Houston; Memphis; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; and Birmingham.
“This settlement, and the over $150 million in relief the Justice Department has secured for communities across the country through our Combating Redlining Initiative, will help to ensure that future generations of Americans inherit a legacy of home ownership that they too often have been denied,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This case is a reminder that redlining is not a relic of the past, and the Justice Department will continue to work urgently to combat lending discrimination wherever it arises and to secure relief for the communities harmed by it.”
The Justice Department and CFPB allege that Fairway illegally redlined Black neighborhoods in Birmingham, including through its marketing and sales actions, and discouraged residents of those neighborhoods from applying for mortgage loans. The settlement announced today requires Fairway to provide $7 million for a loan subsidy program to offer affordable home purchase, refinance, and home improvement loans in Birmingham’s majority-Black neighborhoods, invest an additional $1 million in programs to support that loan subsidy fund, and pay a $1.9 million civil penalty to the CFPB’s victims relief fund.
This case is the third redlining enforcement action brought jointly by the Justice Department and the CFPB under the initiative, highlighting the strong partnership between the agencies to root out and address lending discrimination.
“Birmingham lies at the heart of our nation’s civil rights struggle but is also a community that bears the legacy of discriminatory redlining and other exclusionary policies,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This settlement will provide Birmingham’s Black neighborhoods with the access to credit they have long been denied and increase opportunities for homeownership and generational wealth. This settlement makes clear our intent to uproot modern-day redlining in every corner of the country, including in the deep South. With more than $150 million in total relief secured in three short years, our Combating Redlining Initiative is generating real economic opportunity for communities of color while sending a strong message to mortgage lenders, no matter their business model, that discriminatory lending will not be tolerated in America.”
“The settlement reached with Fairway Mortgage is a win for communities of color here in Birmingham that have historically been denied access to vital economic resources,” said U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama. “Our office is committed to ensuring that these communities have equal access to housing and credit resources.”
“The CFPB and Justice Department are holding Fairway accountable for redlining Black neighborhoods,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. “Fairway’s unlawful redlining discouraged families from seeking loans for homes in Birmingham’s Black neighborhoods.”
Fairway is a non-depository mortgage company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2022, Fairway was the nation’s fifth-largest lender by origination volume and ninth-largest by application volume. Fairway operates in the Birmingham area under the trade name MortgageBanc.
The complaint describes how Fairway redlined majority-Black neighborhoods in the Birmingham Metropolitan Statistical Area (Birmingham MSA). During the period covered by the complaint, the Birmingham MSA included six counties in north central Alabama with a combined population of about 1.1 million. While Fairway claimed to serve the entire metropolitan area, it concentrated all its retail loan offices in majority-white areas, directed less than 3% of its direct mail advertising to consumers in majority-Black areas, and for years discouraged homeownership in majority-Black areas by generating loan applications at a rate far below its peer institutions.
The Justice Department and CFPB allege that Fairway violated the Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and Consumer Financial Protection Act. Specifically, the government alleges problematic conduct by Fairway including:
- Failing to address known signs of discrimination: Fairway’s own data showed that, since at least 2017, it was failing to serve majority-Black neighborhoods in the Birmingham area, but before October 2022, it took no meaningful actions to address redlining risk. Between 2018 and 2022, only 3.7% of Fairway’s applications were for properties in majority-Black areas, compared to 12.2% for Fairway’s peer lenders. In other words, Fairway’s peer lenders generated applications for properties in majority-Black areas at over three times the rate of Fairway. This disparity was even higher in neighborhoods with 80% or more Black residents, where Fairway made loans at less than one-eighth of the rate of its peer lenders. Despite these figures, Fairway failed to adopt any written plan for marketing or growth to address the concern.
- Redlining Black neighborhoods: From 2015 through 2022, Fairway operated three retail loan offices and three loan production desks within real estate offices in the Birmingham MSA, all of which were in majority-white areas. Fairway also relied on referrals from real estate professionals and its loan officers’ personal contacts to generate applications, and the vast majority of Fairway’s referral sources and referred consumers were located in majority-white areas. Fairway predominantly directed its marketing to majority-white areas and failed to train or incentivize its existing loan officers to better serve majority-Black areas. By taking these actions, Fairway discriminated against, and unlawfully discouraged mortgage loan applications for properties in, majority-Black neighborhoods.
The proposed consent order, which awaits approval by the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, would require Fairway to:
- Provide $7 million for a loan subsidy program: The order would require Fairway to offer home purchase, refinance, and home improvement loans on a more affordable basis than otherwise available in majority-Black neighborhoods in the Birmingham MSA. The program may provide lower interest rates, down payment assistance, closing cost assistance, or payment of initial mortgage insurance premiums.
- Invest at least $1 million in redlined neighborhoods: Fairway would be required to open or acquire a new loan production office or full-service retail office in a majority-Black neighborhood in the Birmingham MSA. The company must also spend at least $500,000 on advertising and outreach, at least $250,000 on consumer financial education, and at least $250,000 on partnerships with one or more community-based or governmental organizations to serve the affected neighborhoods.
- Pay a $1.9 million penalty: The proposed order imposes a $1.9 million civil penalty against Fairway, which would be paid into the CFPB’s Civil Penalty Fund, also referred to as the victims’ relief fund.
Information about the Justice Department’s fair lending enforcement work can be found at www.justice.gov/fairhousing. Individuals may report lending discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291 or submitting a report online.
Consumers can submit complaints about financial products and services by visiting the CFPB’s website or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372).
Employees who believe their company has violated federal consumer financial protection laws are encouraged to send information about what they know to [email protected]. To learn more about reporting potential industry misconduct, visit the CFPB’s website.
Juniata County Woman Pleads Guilty to Social Security and Housing Choice Voucher Program FraudRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Doris Santana, age 53, of Thompsontown, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on October 11, 2024, to a three-count criminal information charging her with social security fraud and theft of public money related to her theft of social security and federal housing funds.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between February 2008 and December 2021, Santana was a participant in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), which provided rental assistance to eligible recipients. Between May 2018 and September 2024, Santana also received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from the Social Security Administration (SSA). In April 2011, Santana married Individual 1. However, Santana concealed the marriage from the SSA and HUD. Santana’s marriage to, cohabitation with, and receipt of income from, Individual 1 rendered Santana ineligible to receive SSI and Housing Choice Voucher Program funds.
As alleged by the government, over the relevant time period, Santana’s conduct resulted in a total loss of $145,397.30 from the SSA and HUD.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General and Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney David C. Williams is prosecuting the case.
The total maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is up to 25 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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Inmate sentenced for distributing child pornography from Beaumont federal prisonRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A federal inmate has been sentenced to an additional 21 years in federal prison for committing child exploitation violations while incarcerated in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Jonathan Lee Edwards, 42, of Houston, pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography and was sentenced to 262 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on October 15, 2024. Edwards was ordered to begin serving his sentence following the completion of his current federal sentence of 23 years.
According to information presented in court, in December 2021, federal agents received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding images of possible child pornography being uploaded to an online email account. Further investigation linked the accounts to Edwards, who was currently serving a 23-year sentence in the Bureau of Prisons’ Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont for possession of child pornography. During the investigation, Edwards used a cellular phone to send five videos containing child pornography to a person he believed to be a minor. The cellular phone was seized by correctional officers. Based on the evidence, Edwards is responsible for possessing 477 images of child pornography while in federal custody.
This case is 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. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Houston; Palm Beach, Florida; and Beaumont. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Grove.
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Hull, Iowa Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Meth Distribution and Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
Victor Perez-Martinez, 24, from Hull, Iowa was sentenced on October 11, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City. Perez-Martinez pled guilty May 24, 2024, to seven counts, which included conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, four counts of distribution of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that Perez-Martinez was involved in the distribution of sizable quantities of pure methamphetamine during four controlled drug purchases with law enforcement, some within 1000 feet of a protected location (totaling more than 264 grams of methamphetamine). In October 2023, during a search warrant executed at Perez-Martinez’s residence, law enforcement seized: 329 grams of methamphetamine, two cellular telephones; various items of drug use and distribution paraphernalia; $4,267 in cash, and a .380 ACP pistol. Evidence also showed that Perez-Martinez was involved in a conspiracy that distributed over 500 grams of methamphetamine to a number of individuals in the Spencer and Orange City, Iowa area.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Perez-Martinez was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment and must serve a term of ten years of supervised release following the imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Perez-Martinez remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa DCI Laboratory, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Spencer, Iowa Police Department, and the Iowa State Patrol.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-4067. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Houston man guilty in $160M Medicare fraud schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A 59-year-old man has been convicted of all 15 counts as charged for heading a massive Medicare fraud scheme involving the fraudulent billing of expensive topical creams, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
The jury deliberated for less than five hours before convicting Mohamad Mokbel following a 10-day trial.
From 2014 through 2021, Mohamad Mokbel led a company called 4M Pharmaceuticals which operated 14 pharmacies with straw owners. The jury heard evidence that Mokbel illegally purchased thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, including their identification number, personal health and physician information. Mokbel targeted elderly diabetic patients who are dependent on diabetic testing supplies to manage their blood sugar levels. Mokbel paid $16 to $40 per Medicare beneficiary.
To maximize reimbursements and without regard for medical necessity, Mokbel then directed 4M employees to use the Medicare beneficiaries’ patient data to run insurance claims to determine if Medicare or other insurance plans would cover and reimburse at a high rate for the topical creams, Omega-3 pills and other medications that Mokbel intended to sell through 4M pharmacies.
At Mokbel’s direction, 4M employees would then fax pre-filled prescription requests to the patients’ doctors appearing to be for diabetic testing supplies with topical creams added at the bottom. They also included false representations that the patient was requesting a 4M Pharmacy fill their medications. In reality, Mokbel had previously purchased the patient’s personal information, the patient had not selected a 4M Pharmacy and the patient was often unaware the request was being made on their behalf.
Many doctors apparently took the representations in the fax at face value and did sign and send back the prefilled prescription requests to 4M. Mokbel’s call center in Houston and later in Egypt then contacted the patients and made false and misleading statements about the topical cream and their doctor’s order. Mokbel’s pharmacies then shipped out numerous topical creams, often on auto-refill, and excessively billed Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance plans.
Mokbel made over $200 million as a result of the scheme.
From 2015 through 2020, Mokbel also corruptly gave a series of bribe payments, ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 and totaling over $188,000 an employee of a pharmacy benefits manager - OptumRx - in exchange for favorable treatment for 4M pharmacies. They were credentialed and recredentialed with OptumRx which allowed them to enter into retail network agreements with OptumRx, participate in the Medicare Part D program and submit claims for prescriptions for Medicare beneficiaries. Mokbel also received information and advice about responding to audits and preventing and/or delaying OptumRX termination of many 4M pharmacies.
U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal accepted the verdict and set sentencing for Jan. 7, 2025. At that time, Mokbel faces up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and health care fraud, 10 years for each of five counts of health care fraud, each of six counts of money laundering and one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds as well as five years for
conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and conspiracy to commit bribery. He could also be ordered to pay up to a total of $4 million in fines and possible restitution in excess of $160 million.
Previously released on bond, Mokbel was taken into custody pending sentencing.
The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration and the Texas Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Leigh Olson and Adam Laurence Goldman are prosecuting the case.
Horry County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Machine Gun and Machine Gun Conversion DevicesRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. —Orlanier Colon Menendez, 21, of Conway has pleaded guilty to possession of a machine gun and multiple machine gun conversion devices.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Conway Police Department officers responded to a vehicle crash within the city limits involving Menendez. While investigating the crash, the responding officer found a .45 caliber handgun that had a machine gun conversion device installed on the firearm. During a search, officers found a backpack that contained an additional 12 machinegun conversion devices, also known as Glock conversion switches, and a rotary tool with accessories commonly used to install the devices.
Menendez faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Joseph Dawson accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Menendez after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Conway Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Hixson is prosecuting the case.
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Haverhill Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Haverhill man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for his role in a North Shore-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) that allegedly distributed tens of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.
David Delauri, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dennis F. Saylor IV to 102 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release. In July 2024 Delauri pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; aiding and abetting; one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine; and aiding and abetting.
According to court documents, the DTO distributed counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine, among other things, to various individuals in the Lynn area.
On May 10, 2022, Delauri allegedly arranged to acquire nearly 600 counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine from co-defendant Lawrence Michael Nagle. Delauri immediately distributed the pills to co-defendant Savannah Bartone. Bartone was subsequently stopped by police, who seized the pills.
Bartone pleaded guilty in November 2023 and is pending sentencing. Lawrence Michael Nagle has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for trial on Jan. 6, 2024.Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; and Geoffrey Noble, Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Beverly, Everett, Peabody, Revere, Salem, Saugus and Swampscott Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan D. Panich of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on October 11, 2024, CHEVON GRANT, 27, of Hartford, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to a federal firearm charge stemming from a gang-related shootout.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 18, 2022, after an unidentified shooter, who is suspected of being a member of a rival gang, opened fire at individuals who were standing in a parking lot outside of a memorial gathering at a party venue on Main Street in Hartford, surveillance cameras at the location recorded at least nine individuals drawing firearms, some of whom returned fire. Shot Spotter technology recorded approximately 50 shots fired within approximately 90 seconds in and around the location, and law enforcement recovered at least 31 shell casings from the scene. Grant was present at the memorial gathering and was recorded on surveillance videos brandishing a handgun.
Following the shooting, Hartford Police obtained a warrant for Grant’s arrest in relation to the April 18 shootout. At the time, Grant was also subject to two additional state arrest warrants for other alleged offenses. On May 7, 2022, officers encountered Grant in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle, retrieved a loaded Ruger P90 .45 firearm from beneath the driver’s seat, and took Grant into custody.
Grant’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for robbery and larceny offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for January 9, at which time Grant faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Grant is detained in state custody, and state charges against him are pending.
This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Dearington and John T. Pierpont, Jr.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the Hartford State Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this matter.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.