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Friday 23 August 2024
Omaha Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Anthony Stephens, age 38, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced August 23, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, for his involvement in a methamphetamine conspiracy. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Stephens to 188 months’ imprisonment. Stephens also agreed to the forfeiture of $10,500. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 10-year term of supervised release.
On September 9, 2022, law enforcement was called to the Microtel Inn and Suites in Bellevue, Nebraska to remove a party from one of the rooms. The hotel manager informed the officers that a male occupant in the room had rented the room for one night and was supposed to check out by noon but had not. The manager and officers went to the room. After gaining access, they found Stephens unresponsive with no pulse. Defendant was ultimately shaken awake.
In the hotel room, officers located $10,500 in United States currency, drug paraphernalia, a black baton, brass knuckles, baggies, two vehicle fobs, digital scales, two cell phones, approximately 465.5 grams of marijuana, 851 grams of pure meth, and a smattering of pills. Stephens was arrested and told officers that he had been dealing pound quantities of meth since April 2022.
This case was investigated by the Bellevue Police Department.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that John C. Shores, Jr., age 55, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 23, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for attempted sexual exploitation of a child. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Shores to 240 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Shores’ release from prison, he will begin a 20-year term of supervised release. Shores was also ordered to pay $7,600 in special assessments as part of his sentence.
In pronouncing his sentence, Chief Judge Rossiter told Shores “I don’t discount what you’ve done with the community in the light, but what you’ve done here was in the dark.”
From August 4, 2023, through August 10, 2023, Shores used his cell phone to engage in an online conversation via the chat application Whisper and text messages with an undercover officer who was purporting to be a 13-year-old girl. During the conversations, Shores asked who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl to exchange naked and sexually explicit pictures for the purpose of masturbation. Shores also sent sexually explicit images to the other user.
On August 10, 2023, Shores made arrangements to meet with who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl and arrived at the meeting location in Omaha as arranged. Law enforcement contacted Shores and seized four cell phones from Shore’s vehicle. Forensic examinations of Shore’s cell phones revealed numerous sexually explicit online conversations to include conversations with individuals claiming to be as young as 11 years old. In one conversation, occurring primarily between July 7, 2020, and July 27, 2020, Shores contacted and conversed with 13-year-old female who resided in southeastern Nebraska.
This case was investigated by law enforcement agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office as part of the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –HORACE WASHINGTON (“WASHINGTON”), age 55, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on August 21, 2024 by United States District Judge Ivan L. R. Lemelle for violating the Federal Controlled Substances Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) received information from a confidential source that WASHINGTON, who had previously been convicted of a federal drug trafficking offense, was again dealing drugs. Through investigation, DEA agents learned that WASHINGTON was getting the drugs from sources near the Texas/Mexico border. These sources would fly to New Orleans, while another co-conspirator drove a car with the drugs to New Orleans. The agents eventually seized ten kilograms of cocaine that WASHINGTON’s coconspirator left in a car in a Westbank parking lot.
Judge Lemelle sentenced WASHINGTON to 121 months imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel and Project Safe Neighborhoods Coordinator.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Distributing Fentanyl and Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –KENTRELL HUBBARD (“HUBBARD”), age 25, of New Orleans, was sentenced on August 22, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to 70 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to distributing fentanyl, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C) and, to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
According to court documents, on June 9, 2023, a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, purchased fentanyl from HUBBARD after meeting him near a supermarket that was a known hotspot for drug trafficking in the Iberville housing project. The next week, special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation saw HUBBARD with a handgun as they were executing an unrelated search warrant.
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 Franklin Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A New Franklin, Mo., man has pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to rob a local bank but being foiled when the front door was locked.
Jacob Lowell Hessing, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr. on Thursday, Aug. 22, to one count of attempted bank robbery. Hessing has been detained in federal custody since his arrest.
By pleading guilty, Hessing admitted that he attempted to rob Exchange Bank of Missouri in New Franklin on Sept. 9, 2023.
According to today’s plea agreement, the Howard County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department received calls from concerned citizens about a masked man dressed in black walking in downtown New Franklin, which has a population of about 1,000 residents. The man, later identified as Hessing, was reportedly carrying an AR-style rifle and attempted to enter Exchange Bank of Missouri. On Saturdays, however, the bank’s lobby is open by appointment only, and the outer door is locked.
Surveillance video showed Hessing walk to the bank and attempt to open the lobby door. He then got back into a red Chevy Equinox, which drove off at a high rate of speed. Investigators traced the vehicle to Hessing and executed a search warrant at his residence (about a block and a half from the bank) on Oct. 30, 2023. Federal agents found a Diamondback rifle, hidden in the basement, with a loaded magazine capable of holding more than 40 5.56mm cartridges, which was consistent with the weapon Hessing carried when he attempted to rob the bank. Ammunition also was found in the kitchen utensil drawer and several cartridges for the Diamondback rifle were found in the Equinox. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Hessing must forfeit the Diamondback rifle to the government.
Under federal statutes, Hessing is subject to a sentence of up to 20 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. Attorney Melissa A. Pierce. It was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Howard County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Nevada, Mo., Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Leading Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Nevada, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for leading a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Trenton D. Wallace, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
On Dec. 14, 2023, Wallace pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and attempting to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
An Oklahoma State Highway Patrol trooper stopped Wallace, who was driving a Chevrolet Impala, on Interstate 44 on Feb. 16, 2022. Wallace denied being in possession of any firearms, but the trooper seized a Freedom Arms .22-caliber pistol (disguised to look like a belt buckle) when Wallace reached for it as a drug-sniffing dog was being deployed. Wallace also was in possession of $4,206 in cash.
When a police dog alerted to the presence of drugs, troopers searched the vehicle and found a duffel bag that contained approximately 25 pounds (9.9 kilograms) of methamphetamine, packaged in 10 large plastic bags. Troopers also found a loaded H&K 9mm semi-automatic pistol under the driver’s seat and a loaded Sig Sauer .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol under the passenger’s seat.
According to court documents, Wallace is an admittedly active and high-ranking member of the Southwest Honkey’s prison gang. The methamphetamine seized from Wallace would be enough to supply two doses (.25 grams) of methamphetamine to every man, woman, and child in Vernon County, Mo.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team.
Nashua Felon Sentenced to 68 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing a GunRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Nashua man was sentenced today in federal court in connection with a firearm-related charge, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Joshua Smith, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante to 68 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release. On February 6, 2024, Smith pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In March 2022, Nashua Police detectives were executing a warrant for the defendant’s arrest. Detectives apprehended and arrested the defendant as he was leaving a building to get into a taxi. At the time of his arrest, the defendant was carrying a duffle bag that contained a 40 mm caliber riot gun. The defendant had previously been convicted of several felonies, including a robbery in 2013, and was therefore was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to keeping guns out of the hands of felons,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. “This office will continue to hold felons possessing firearms accountable for their continued disregard of the law and will ensure that they pay the penalty for their recidivism.”
“Getting firearms away from convicted felons not allowed to have them is vital as we work to combat violent crime in New Hampshire,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Joshua Smith has a lengthy criminal record and wasn’t permitted to have a gun. The FBI’s Major Offender Task Force will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to imprison criminals who refuse to respect the law in an effort to make our communities safer.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Nashua Police Department led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Gingrande and Charles Rombeau are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Daniel Hernandez-Casiano (44, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to illegal reentry by a deported alien. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 4, 2024.
According to court records, Hernandez-Casiano was found in the United States on January 9, 2024, after being arrested and convicted on state charges for possession of fentanyl and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license. Hernandez-Casiano was previously removed from the United States to Mexico on three separate occasions.
This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie McNeff.
Mesa Business Owner Who Exploited the American Indian Health Plan Sentenced to over 5 Years for AHCCCS FraudRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. –Diana Marie Moore, 44, of Mesa, was sentenced this week by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 66 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Moore was also ordered to pay restitution to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (“AHCCCS”) in the amount of $21,730,674.04. In addition, the Court ordered the forfeiture of four single-family homes owned by Moore as well as 117 other items, including seven luxury vehicles, designer apparel, luxury jewelry, and artwork. All the items were purchased by Moore using the proceeds of her fraud scheme. Moore pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud and Money Laundering on July 10, 2023.
Moore admitted that she owned two behavioral health counseling services, Harmony Family Services (HFS) and Harmony Family Services II (HFS II) and that she had also submitted the application for a third behavioral health counseling service, Logan Family Health, LLC (“LFH”). All three then applied to be medical providers for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona’s Medicaid agency- HFS applied in 2019, HFS II applied in 2020, and LFH applied in 2022. AHCCCS approved all three applications. At the time HFS and HFS II applied to AHCCCS, Moore failed to disclose her ownership interest in the other entity. Moore also failed to disclose her prior felony conviction, which was required to be disclosed on the AHCCCS application form.
Moore further admitted that she engaged in a fraudulent billing practice targeting AHCCCS and exploiting a program that enables Native Americans to seek behavioral health treatment without first obtaining a pre-payment review. Specifically, starting in January 2020, Moore began obtaining AHCCCS identification numbers for AHCCCS enrollees by paying other providers to transport AHCCCS enrollees to the HFS or HFS II facility for a single day, and then obtaining enrollees’ identification numbers once they arrived. Nearly all of the AHCCCS enrollees billed for by Moore were members of the American Indian Health Plan. After these AHCCCS enrollees left the HFS or HFS II facility, Moore would submit bills to AHCCCS, which falsely claimed that HFS and HFS II continued providing services to those same enrollees for up to 90 days. Moore regularly claimed that HFS or HFS II provided counseling services to a given AHCCCS enrollee for eight or more hours each day, five days a week, for months in a row, even though Moore knew such services were not provided. In addition, Moore submitted claims to AHCCCS, which falsely claimed that HFS or HFS II provided services to certain AHCCCS Enrollees who were, in fact, deceased or imprisoned at the time Moore claimed to have provided services.
At the sentencing hearing, the Court noted the particular harm done to the Native American populations in Arizona as a result of this type of fraud.
“The American Indian Health Plan exists to help an underserved community surmount barriers to treatment,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “Defendant misused this program, and the unique identification numbers generated by it, to benefit herself -- in some cases by billing for patients she never treated, and in other cases by falsely inflating the duration of treatment. Thanks to the Internal Revenue Service for its financial acumen in bringing defendant to justice, and to the AHCCCS Inspector General’s Office for its valuable assistance.”
“The sentencing of Diana Moore should be a reminder there are serious consequences to this type of criminal behavior,” said Carissa Messick, IRS CI Special Agent in Charge, Phoenix Field Office. “IRS CI methodically works to bring fraudsters to justice and restore confidence in our public programs.”
Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aron Ketchel, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-0040-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-116_Moore# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Member of "Black Rain" Drug Crew Pleads Guilty, Admits to his Involvement in Three Queens Cold Case MurdersRead the Press Release
Earlier today, Jerome Jones, also known as “Sha,” pleaded guilty at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, to murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking for his participation in the 1991 murder of Oscar Flow. As part of his plea, Jones, 60, also admitted to his role in the 1992 murders of Robert Arroyo and Dorothy Taylor. Today’s proceedings took place before United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis. When sentenced, Jones faces 20 years to life in prison. He was indicted in February 2019.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Edward A. Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the guilty plea.
“After over 30 years, Jones has finally admitted his role in the calculated murders of three individuals,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Despite the passage of time, my Office persisted in pursuing all leads to seek justice for the victims and their families. This case should stand as a reminder that even when the trail appears to have gone cold, we will never waver from our mission of holding wrongdoers, especially violent actors, accountable.”
“Today’s admission of guilt reflects the tireless dedication of NYPD detectives to hold criminals accountable, no matter how much time passes, because a cold case is never a forgotten case,” stated NYPD Commissioner Caban. “The NYPD will continue to work with the FBI, the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and our other law enforcement partners to ensure that no investigative stone goes unturned as we work to establish justice for all crime victims and their families.”
Jones was a high-ranking member of a Queens-based crew, known as “Black Rain,” that sold narcotics at several locations on Rockaway Boulevard in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The crew spread its poison in the community by trafficking in massive quantities of drugs, selling heroin under the brand name “Black Rain,” cocaine under the brand name “White Lightning” and crack cocaine under the brand name “Thunder.” In the early 1990s, a single Black Rain drug spot brought in approximately $15,000 per day in narcotics sales. To protect its profitable operation, the gang committed serious acts of violence, including murder.
The murder of Oscar Flow took place in Springfield Gardens, Queens, in December 1991, after Jones learned that Flow had stolen from Black Rain. Jones and a co-conspirator shot Flow multiple times in the head and body.
The murder of Robert Arroyo took place in the vicinity of 128th Street and Rockaway Boulevard in South Ozone Park, where Jones managed a drug spot. In August 1992, Jones recruited and paid two co-conspirators to murder Robert Arroyo, whom Jones believed was a drug-trafficking competitor and a police informant. In their first attempt, the recruits mistakenly shot and seriously injured another man they incorrectly believed to be Arroyo. The victim survived his wounds. On September 8, 1992, at Jones’s direction, the recruits located Arroyo on a crowded street and shot him multiple times, killing him.
In November of 1992, Jones ordered the killing of Dorothy Taylor, who he blamed for having a Black Rain drug spot shut down by law enforcement when she failed to pay the rent. Jones again paid a co-conspirator to commit murder. On November 2, 1992, Jones’s recruit hid in Taylor’s driveway and shot her to death when she arrived home.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Tanya Hajjar, Emily J. Dean, Lindsey R. Oken and Raffaela S. Belizaire are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Theodore Rader.
The Defendant:
JEROME JONES (also known as “Sha”)
Age: 60
West VirginiaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-54 (NGG)
Maryland Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Stealing More Than $32,000 in High-End GoodsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Maryland man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for stealing thousands of items from a high-end outlet store in Wrentham, Mass.
Nathaniel Owens, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 30 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Owens also was ordered to pay $32,000 in restitution to the Gucci store in Wrentham, Mass. In April 2024, Owens pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods.
On the evening of Sept. 16, 2021, Owens, along with his co-defendant Linworth Hayes Crawford III and allegedly others, traveled from the Washington D.C. area to the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets in Massachusetts. In the early morning hours of Sept. 17, 2021, Owens, Crawford and allegedly others entered the Gucci store by smashing the store’s glass front door and stole $32,000 in high-end merchandise including handbags, duffle bags, backpacks and sunglasses.
Owens was captured on mall security videos inside the mall visiting the Nike Store. After the robbery, the car used by the defendants crossed the George Washington Bridge going south. During a stop on their way to Washington, D.C., a store video surveillance camera filmed one of the men allegedly taking a Gucci bag out of the car to examine it.
The day after the theft, another codefendant allegedly posted on his Instagram account that he had Gucci bags available for sale. Images of the bags appeared to be identical to the Gucci bags stolen during the burglary earlier that day.
At his sentencing, the government alleged and Owens did not contest that he had participated in approximately 10 other similar burglaries throughout the East Coast of the United States and that the total value of merchandise stolen was in hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Crawford pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy in February 2024 and was sentenced on Aug. 20, 2024 to eight months in prison. The government alleged at sentencing that Crawford had participated in one other similar burglary.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Wrentham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Man Charged with Threats Against the President, the Vice President, and a Former PresidentRead the Press Release
MEMPHIS, TN - United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz today announced that a Memphis-area man has been charged with making threats against President Joseph R. Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Barack Obama.
On July 27, 2024, Kyl Alton Hall, 37, made numerous posts on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). Specifically, in the posts, he threatened to kill, assassinate, shoot, and crash the plane of President Biden; assassinate Vice President Harris; and assassinate former President Obama.
A federal indictment returned on August 20, 2024, charged Hall with two counts of threats to a sitting President and Vice President in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 871(a), and one count of a threat to a former President under Section 879(a)(1). Each charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison.
The United States Secret Service investigated this case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Will Crow of the National Security and Civil Rights Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.
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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.
Lodge Grass man admits sexually abusing child on Crow Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Lodge Grass man accused of sexually abusing a child on the Crow Indian Reservation admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Marty Edward Plenty Hawk, 29, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact of a child as charged in an indictment. Plenty Hawk faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and not less than five years to a lifetime of supervised release on each crime.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Plenty Hawk was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents, the government alleged that between 2021 and May 2023 near Lodge Grass, on the Crow Indian Reservation, Plenty Hawk forced the victim, identified as Jane Doe 1, who was under the age of 12, to engage in a sexual act and caused the victim to engage in sexual conduct. On May 2, 2023, law enforcement arrested Plenty Hawk after a domestic disturbance at his residence. While in custody, Plenty Hawk notified jail staff that he wanted to write a confession and wrote that he had been carrying on a sexual relationship with Jane Doe 1. A sexual assault examination of Jane Doe 1 noted injuries consistent with child sexual abuse. In an interview with the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs, Plenty Hawk again admitted to having a sexual relationship with Jane Doe 1 and having sexual intercourse with the victim multiple times.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI and BIA conducted the investigation.
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Lehigh Acres Armed Drug Dealer Sentenced to 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Roberney Julien (26, Lehigh Acres) to six years in federal prison for possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The court also ordered Julien to forfeit the firearm and ammunition he possessed during the offense. Julien entered a guilty plea on May 14, 2024.
According to court documents, on the morning of January 30, 2024, an officer from the Fort Myers Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Julien along Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers. Before approaching the vehicle, the officer observed something being thrown out of the vehicle’s window by one its occupants. The officer later identified the item tossed from the vehicle as a plastic baggie containing cocaine. The officer also found a loaded GSG handgun adjacent to the vehicle which had been discarded during the traffic stop as well. A subsequent investigation identified Julien as a local cocaine distributor who had unlawfully possessed the loaded firearm recovered from the scene.
This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.
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.
Latham Man Sentenced to More Than 8 Years for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Scott Weinbloom, age 49, of Latham, New York, was sentenced today to 97 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, Weinbloom admitted that on May 18, 2022, he possessed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on a USB flash memory stick found in his residence and that two computers recovered from his residence had also been used to store and view child pornography.
In addition to the imprisonment and supervised release terms, Weinbloom was ordered to pay a total of $72,000 in restitution to child victims depicted in the files he possessed, and will be required to register as a sex offender upon release from imprisonment.
The FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case. The Task Force includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Dustin C. Segovia prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locates, 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.
Lander man sentenced on methamphetamine and fentanyl chargesRead the Press Release
Brennon Scott, 25, of Lander, Wyoming was sentenced Aug. 20, by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl to 60 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
According to court documents, on Feb. 2, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on Scott after witnessing him swerve and drive over the fog line. Officers could see drug paraphernalia in plain view and Scott appeared to be impaired. A search of the vehicle recovered approximately two ounces of methamphetamine, one fentanyl pill, baggies commonly used in the distribution of controlled substances, and a digital scale with methamphetamine residue on it. Scott was arrested and initially charged through the Fremont County Attorney's Office.
Scott was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 12, and pleaded guilty on May 3.
This crime was investigated by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, with assistance by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist.
Case No. 24-CR-00041
Lakeland Man Indicted for Possessing Ammunition as A Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Solomon Smith (22, Lakeland) possessing ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, Smith faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Smith that the United States intends to forfeit assorted rounds of ammunition, which are alleged to have been used in the commission of the offense.
According to the indictment, on July 2, 2024, Smith, knowing that he had been previously convicted of felony offenses – including carrying a concealed firearm – was in possession of assorted rounds of ammunition. As a convicted felon, Smith is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is part of the 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 for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lakeland Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.
Lake Forest Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Defrauding Buyers of Medical-Grade Gloves During COVID-19 PandemicRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An Orange County man was sentenced today to 87 months in federal prison for defrauding companies who in mid-2020 paid more than $3 million for COVID-related medical protective equipment that was never delivered.
Christopher John Badsey, 63, of Lake Forest, was sentenced by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton, who also ordered him to pay $1,938,990 in restitution.
Badsey pleaded guilty in April 2023 to four counts of wire fraud.
In June and July of 2020, Badsey lied to three victim companies when he told them he had access to millions of boxes of nitrile gloves through his Irvine-based company, First Defense International Security Services Corp. (FDI). This type of personal protective equipment was in high demand and short supply during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Badsey agreed by contract to sell millions of boxes of gloves to each of the three companies. But he told the companies’ representatives that before they could inspect the gloves, which he claimed were stored in a Los Angeles warehouse, the companies would be required to pay deposits of upwards of $1 million to FDI. In fact, Badsey did not have any gloves stored in any warehouse.
Badsey instructed the companies to wire the deposits to accounts controlled by himself, FDI or a co-schemer. Relying on Badsey’s false statements, the companies wired a total of $3,231,990 to these accounts.
“[Badsey]…used the deposit money to make expensive purchases, all while stringing would-be purchasers along with false stories, including absurd claims that government agents were blocking access to his warehouse of gloves,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum.
He has forfeited all title and interest in money or items derived from his crimes, including a yacht, a pontoon boat, two Mercedes-Benz automobiles, two Ford pickup trucks, an RV, a tractor, three ATVs, miscellaneous fishing equipment, and $58,923 in cash.
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin N. Spencer and Melissa S. Rabbani of the Santa Ana Branch Office prosecuted this case.
LaBelle Felon Sentenced to Prison for Unlawfully Possessing A Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Angel Gabriel Hernandez (29, LaBelle) to two years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Hernandez entered a guilty plea on April 26, 2024.
According to court documents, on August 9, 2023, Hernandez—a previously convicted felon—unlawfully possessed a loaded Beretta handgun, which he then sold to an undercover officer in a supermarket parking lot in LaBelle. As a convicted felon, Hernandez is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.
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.
Kanawha County Sex Offender Sentenced to Prison for Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Benson Cline II, 49, of Cedar Grove and a convicted sex offender, was sentenced on August 22, 2024, to seven years and eight months in prison, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $8,800 in restitution for possession of prepubescent child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between on or about July 24, 2023, to on or about November 6, 2023, Cline possessed 22 images and 134 videos of child sexual abuse material on his instant messaging app account that he accessed through his cell phone. The child pornography included digital files depicting infant, toddler and prepubescent males and females being sexually assaulted and also included instances of bestiality, sadomasochism and torture.
Cline is a registered sex offender, as a result of his conviction for soliciting a minor via computer in Kanawha County Circuit Court on February 24, 2011.
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 Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander A. Redmon prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit 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. 2:24-cr-42.
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Justice Department Sues RealPage for Algorithmic Pricing Scheme that Harms Millions of American RentersRead the Press Release
The Justice Department, together with the Attorneys General of North Carolina, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today against RealPage Inc. for its unlawful scheme to decrease competition among landlords in apartment pricing and to monopolize the market for commercial revenue management software that landlords use to price apartments. RealPage’s alleged conduct deprives renters of the benefits of competition on apartment leasing terms and harms millions of Americans. The lawsuit was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and alleges that RealPage violated Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.
The complaint alleges that RealPage contracts with competing landlords who agree to share with RealPage nonpublic, competitively sensitive information about their apartment rental rates and other lease terms to train and run RealPage’s algorithmic pricing software. This software then generates recommendations, including on apartment rental pricing and other terms, for participating landlords based on their and their rivals’ competitively sensitive information. The complaint further alleges that in a free market, these landlords would otherwise be competing independently to attract renters based on pricing, discounts, concessions, lease terms, and other dimensions of apartment leasing. RealPage also uses this scheme and its substantial data trove to maintain a monopoly in the market for commercial revenue management software. The complaint seeks to end RealPage’s illegal conduct and restore competition for the benefit of renters in states across the country.
“Americans should not have to pay more in rent because a company has found a new way to scheme with landlords to break the law,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We allege that RealPage’s pricing algorithm enables landlords to share confidential, competitively sensitive information and align their rents. Using software as the sharing mechanism does not immunize this scheme from Sherman Act liability, and the Justice Department will continue to aggressively enforce the antitrust laws and protect the American people from those who violate them.”
“Today’s complaint against RealPage illustrates our corporate enforcement strategy in action. We identify the most serious wrongdoers, whether individuals or companies, and focus our full energy on holding them accountable,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “By feeding sensitive data into a sophisticated algorithm powered by artificial intelligence, RealPage has found a modern way to violate a century-old law through systematic coordination of rental housing prices — undermining competition and fairness for consumers in the process. Training a machine to break the law is still breaking the law. Today’s action makes clear that we will use all our legal tools to ensure accountability for technology-fueled anticompetitive conduct.”
“RealPage’s egregious, anticompetitive conduct allows landlords to undermine fair pricing and limit housing options while stifling necessary competition,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “The Department remains committed to rooting out illegal schemes and practices aimed at empowering corporate interests at the expense of consumers.”
“As Americans struggle to afford housing, RealPage is making it easier for landlords to coordinate to increase rents,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Today, we filed an antitrust suit against RealPage to make housing more affordable for millions of people across the country. Competition – not RealPage – should determine what Americans pay to rent their homes.”
The complaint cites internal documents and sworn testimony from RealPage and commercial landlords that make plain RealPage’s and landlords’ objective to maximize rental pricing and profitability at the expense of renters. For example:
- RealPage acknowledged that its software is aimed at maximizing prices for landlords, referring to its products as “driving every possible opportunity to increase price,” “avoid[ing] the race to the bottom in down markets,” and “a rising tide raises all ships.”
- A RealPage executive observed that its products help landlords avoid competing on the merits, noting that “there is greater good in everybody succeeding versus essentially trying to compete against one another in a way that actually keeps the entire industry down.”
- A RealPage executive explained to a landlord that using competitor data can help identify situations where the landlord “may have a $50 increase instead of a $10 increase for the day.”
- Another landlord commented about RealPage’s product, “I always liked this product because your algorithm uses proprietary data from other subscribers to suggest rents and term. That’s classic price fixing…”
The complaint alleges that RealPage’s agreements and conduct harm the competitive process in local rental markets for multi-family dwellings across the United States. Armed with competing landlords’ data, RealPage also encourages loyalty to the algorithm’s recommendations through, among other measures, “auto accept” functionality and pricing advisors who monitor landlords’ compliance. As a result, RealPage’s software tends to maximize price increases, minimize price decreases, and maximize landlords’ pricing power. RealPage also trained landlords to limit concessions (e.g., free month(s) of rent) and other discounts to renters. The complaint also cites internal documents from RealPage and landlords touting the fact that landlords have responded by reducing renter concessions.
The complaint separately alleges that RealPage has unlawfully maintained its monopoly over commercial revenue management software for multi-family dwellings in the United States, in which RealPage commands approximately 80% market share. Landlords agree to share their competitively sensitive data with RealPage in return for pricing recommendations and decisions that are the result of combining and analyzing competitors’ sensitive data. This creates a self-reinforcing feedback loop that strengthens RealPage’s grip on the market and makes it harder for honest businesses to compete on the merits.
RealPage Inc., is a property management software company headquartered in Richardson, Texas.
Justice Department Sues RealPage for Algorithmic Pricing Scheme that Harms Millions of American RentersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department, together with the Attorneys General of North Carolina, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today against RealPage Inc. for its unlawful scheme to decrease competition among landlords in apartment pricing and to monopolize the market for commercial revenue management software that landlords use to price apartments. RealPage’s alleged conduct deprives renters of the benefits of competition on apartment leasing terms and harms millions of Americans. The lawsuit was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and alleges that RealPage violated Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.
The complaint alleges that RealPage contracts with competing landlords who agree to share with RealPage nonpublic, competitively sensitive information about their apartment rental rates and other lease terms to train and run RealPage’s algorithmic pricing software. This software then generates recommendations, including on apartment rental pricing and other terms, for participating landlords based on their and their rivals’ competitively sensitive information. The complaint further alleges that in a free market, these landlords would otherwise be competing independently to attract renters based on pricing, discounts, concessions, lease terms, and other dimensions of apartment leasing. RealPage also uses this scheme and its substantial data trove to maintain a monopoly in the market for commercial revenue management software. The complaint seeks to end RealPage’s illegal conduct and restore competition for the benefit of renters in states across the country.
“Americans should not have to pay more in rent because a company has found a new way to scheme with landlords to break the law,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We allege that RealPage’s pricing algorithm enables landlords to share confidential, competitively sensitive information and align their rents. Using software as the sharing mechanism does not immunize this scheme from Sherman Act liability, and the Justice Department will continue to aggressively enforce the antitrust laws and protect the American people from those who violate them.”
“Today’s complaint against RealPage illustrates our corporate enforcement strategy in action. We identify the most serious wrongdoers, whether individuals or companies, and focus our full energy on holding them accountable,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “By feeding sensitive data into a sophisticated algorithm powered by artificial intelligence, RealPage has found a modern way to violate a century-old law through systematic coordination of rental housing prices — undermining competition and fairness for consumers in the process. Training a machine to break the law is still breaking the law. Today’s action makes clear that we will use all our legal tools to ensure accountability for technology-fueled anticompetitive conduct.”
“RealPage’s egregious, anticompetitive conduct allows landlords to undermine fair pricing and limit housing options while stifling necessary competition,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “The Department remains committed to rooting out illegal schemes and practices aimed at empowering corporate interests at the expense of consumers.”
“As Americans struggle to afford housing, RealPage is making it easier for landlords to coordinate to increase rents,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Today, we filed an antitrust suit against RealPage to make housing more affordable for millions of people across the country. Competition – not RealPage – should determine what Americans pay to rent their homes.”
The complaint cites internal documents and sworn testimony from RealPage and commercial landlords that make plain RealPage’s and landlords’ objective to maximize rental pricing and profitability at the expense of renters. For example:
- RealPage acknowledged that its software is aimed at maximizing prices for landlords, referring to its products as “driving every possible opportunity to increase price,” “avoid[ing] the race to the bottom in down markets,” and “a rising tide raises all ships.”
- A RealPage executive observed that its products help landlords avoid competing on the merits, noting that “there is greater good in everybody succeeding versus essentially trying to compete against one another in a way that actually keeps the entire industry down.”
- A RealPage executive explained to a landlord that using competitor data can help identify situations where the landlord “may have a $50 increase instead of a $10 increase for the day.”
- Another landlord commented about RealPage’s product, “I always liked this product because your algorithm uses proprietary data from other subscribers to suggest rents and term. That’s classic price fixing…”
The complaint alleges that RealPage’s agreements and conduct harm the competitive process in local rental markets for multi-family dwellings across the United States. Armed with competing landlords’ data, RealPage also encourages loyalty to the algorithm’s recommendations through, among other measures, “auto accept” functionality and pricing advisors who monitor landlords’ compliance. As a result, RealPage’s software tends to maximize price increases, minimize price decreases, and maximize landlords’ pricing power. RealPage also trained landlords to limit concessions (e.g., free month(s) of rent) and other discounts to renters. The complaint also cites internal documents from RealPage and landlords touting the fact that landlords have responded by reducing renter concessions.
The complaint separately alleges that RealPage has unlawfully maintained its monopoly over commercial revenue management software for multi-family dwellings in the United States, in which RealPage commands approximately 80% market share. Landlords agree to share their competitively sensitive data with RealPage in return for pricing recommendations and decisions that are the result of combining and analyzing competitors’ sensitive data. This creates a self-reinforcing feedback loop that strengthens RealPage’s grip on the market and makes it harder for honest businesses to compete on the merits.
RealPage Inc., is a property management software company headquartered in Richardson, Texas.
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Justice Department Sues California Towing Company for Auctioning a Servicemember’s Vehicle in Violation of Federal LawRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against Tony’s Auto Center Inc., doing business as Tony’s Auto Center, in Chula Vista, California, alleging that it illegally auctioned off a deployed U.S. Navy Lieutenant’s car, in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). The SCRA prohibits a towing company from auctioning off a vehicle owned by a servicemember unless it first obtains an order from a court allowing it to do so.
“When towing companies ignore their legal obligations under the SCRA, it can have serious financial consequences for servicemembers,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We hope that bringing this case encourages other towing companies to review and improve their policies and ensure that the rights of all servicemembers are honored and respected.”
“The law provides specific and necessary protections to active duty servicemembers so they can dedicate themselves to protecting our freedom,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California. “As the filing of this complaint demonstrates, we will fight to enforce those protections.”
The department’s lawsuit, which was filed today in the Southern District of California, alleges that Tony’s Auto Center illegally auctioned the Lieutenant’s 2011 Mazda 6 while he was deployed at sea aboard the USS Bunker Hill. Prior to deployment, the Lieutenant placed some personal belongings in his car and parked it in front of a friend’s house. While the Lieutenant was at sea, Chula Vista Police Department impounded the car due to an expired registration, and Tony’s Auto Center towed the car to its facility. About two months later, Tony’s Auto Center, through its agent, sold the Lieutenant’s car at auction without obtaining a court order authorizing the sale.
According to the complaint, in March 2023, the Lieutenant returned home from deployment to find that his car had been towed. He then contacted Tony’s Auto and learned that they had sold his car. Even though he no longer had the car, he had to continue making his monthly car loan payments to Navy Federal Credit Union, which totaled over $2,500.
Individuals with information that may be relevant to this case should call the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California at 619-546-7516.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe their SCRA rights have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil/.
The Justice Department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the department has obtained over $481 million in monetary relief for over 147,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. Additional information on department’s enforcement of the SCRA and other laws protecting servicemembers is available at www.servicemembers.gov.
Jessamine County Man Sentenced for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Nicholasville, Ky., man, Lenny Needy, 66, was sentenced on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, to 18 months in prison, for bank robbery by intimidation.
According to his plea agreement, on August 17, 2023, Needy robbed Traditional Bank on Nicholasville Road in Lexington. Specifically, Needy approached the teller window and handed her a note, then saying words to the effect: “This is a robbery, give me everything you have!” A teller was able to hit a silent alarm; but as she hit the alarm, Needy said not to hit any buttons and to hurry up with the money. Needy obtained $6,943 in cash from the teller and fled the scene. Law enforcement later identified Needy through cameras and DNA testing on his clothing.
Under federal law, Needy must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Lexington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Chapman is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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Jacksonville Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that William Earl Union, Jr. (32, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to possessing firearms as a convicted felon. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on November 25, 2023, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD), and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) responded to a 911 call of shots fired at a residence located along Rugby Road in Jacksonville. Upon their arrival, JFRD and EMTs encountered Union, Jr., who had sustained what appeared to be penetration wounds near his chest and multiple injuries to his hands, including burns. EMTs transported Union, Jr. to the hospital for medical treatment.
JSO officers observed blood drops on the front porch of the residence and a blood trail leading toward the center of the backyard. Officers entered the backyard to conduct a protective sweep of the area and followed the blood trail to what appeared to be a blast site near a stone fire pit. The JSO Hazardous Devices Unit (HDU) examined the blast site and observed a single drywall screw partially submerged in the dirt. Officers also found two live 12-gauge shotgun shells on the ground.
JSO detectives secured a search warrant for the residence for explosives, firearms, and ammunition. Inside the residence, JSO found three firearms, including a Taurus International P22 (22 caliber pistol), a Smith and Wesson 642 Airweight (38 caliber revolver), and a Mossberg 500A 12-gauge shotgun.
Prior to November 25, 2023, Union, Jr. had been convicted of several felony offenses, including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, dealing in stolen property, burglary, grand theft auto, and possession of cocaine. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Aakash Singh.
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.
Iowa Man Charged with Distributing Videos Depicting Monkey Torture and MutilationRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today in which an individual was charged based on his involvement with online groups dedicated to creating and distributing videos depicting acts of extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys.
Philip Colt Moss, of Iowa, was charged with conspiracy to create and distribute so-called “animal crush videos,” and with distributing animal crush videos. According to court documents, in March and April 2023, Moss allegedly conspired with Nicholas Dryden and Giancarlo Morelli to create and distribute videos depicting acts of sadistic violence against baby, adolescent and adult monkeys. Dryden and Morelli were previously indicted and are awaiting trial.
The videos alleged to have been created as part of the conspiracy included depictions of monkeys having their genitals burned, having their genitals cut with scissors, being sodomized with a wooden skewer and being sodomized with a spoon.
If convicted, Moss faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and a maximum penalty of seven years in prison for the charges related to the creation and distribution of animal crush videos. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio made the announcement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FBI investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Oakley for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Houtzdale Woman Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Houtzdale, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Joanna Shylock, 36, pleaded guilty to Count Two of the Superseding Indictment before Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around March 2020 to in and around April 2020, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Shylock conspired with others to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. Shylock was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that she distributed to others.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for January 22, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Shylock. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Millcreek Police Department, Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Houston custom home builder admits to misusing construction fundsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 39-year-old Houston man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Brett Michael Detamore, operating as a custom home builder under Detamore Development LLC, fraudulently obtained at least $1.5 million for his personal use by misusing funds intended for the construction of private residences.
Detamore pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with one count of wire fraud. Detamore submitted false and fraudulent invoices to banks holding construction loans for single-family residences he had been contracted to build. The false invoices caused the banks to send funds to bank accounts Detamore controlled. Detamore then used the funds for his personal benefit.
As part of his plea agreement, Detamore agreed to forfeit at least $1.5 million he illegally obtained.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks will impose sentencing Nov. 5. At that time Detamore faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine as well as full restitution to the victim home owners.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the West University Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Lansden and Suzanne Elmilady are prosecuting the case.
Honduran National and Florida Sex Offender Found Illegally in the United StatesRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Teofilo Samuel Molina-Espinoza (39, Palm Coast) with illegal reentry by a deported alien and failure to register as a sex offender. If convicted on all counts, Molina-Espinoza faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, in February 2012, Molina-Espinoza was convicted of lewd/lascivious battery on a child (12-16 years old). He was deported from the United States to Honduras on April 16, 2012, but was found to be back in the United States illegally on July 18, 2024. Additionally, after returning to the United States, Molina-Espinoza failed to register as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Marshals Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie McNeff.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.jutice.gov/psc.
Georgia Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Georgia man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 60 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release for Receipt of Child Pornography.
According to court documents, Jacob Adam Waldroup, 32, of LaGrange, Ga. had been communicating with a 14-year-old female using an online instant messaging program from on or about April 1, 2020 through about June 15, 2020. The chats were sexual in nature, with Waldroup repeatedly referencing sexually explicit acts he desired to perform with the child victim, sending sexually graphic photos of himself, and repeatedly asking the child victim for sexually explicit photos and videos of herself in return. In response, the child victim sent three videos to Waldroup that contained child pornography.
Additionally, the child victim reminded Waldroup of her age, to which Waldroup advised her to not tell her mother and asked the child victim to mail items to his address in Georgia.
Waldroup was arrested Oct. 14, 2020. He pleaded guilty May 11, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District for Texas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Del Rio Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rex Beasley prosecuted the case with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ben Tonkin and Katy Garner.
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 www.justice.gov/psc.
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Fort Dodge Man to Federal Prison for Illegal Purchase of Firearm ConvictionRead the Press Release
A man who illegally purchased three firearms was sentenced on August 20, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City.
Hunter Collier, 22, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, pled guilty on April 1, 2024, to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that Collier, a marijuana user, purchased a .380 ACP pistol in July of 2022, from a federally firearms licensed business, in Fort Dodge. At the time of the purchase, Collier represented on the federal purchasing form that he was not a marijuana user, and that he was purchasing the firearm for himself, when in fact he was purchasing the firearm for another. The next day, Collier illegally purchased two additional firearms in Des Moines, Iowa.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Collier was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment and must serve a two-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Collier was taken into U.S. Marshals custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-3035.
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Former Fulton Varsity High School Coach Sentenced to 12 Years for Receiving, Transporting and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Joshua Demars, age 38, of Fulton, New York, was sentenced yesterday to serve 12 years in federal prison following his conviction for multiple charges of receipt, transportation, and possession of child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office, and New York State Police (NYSP) Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.
As part of his prior guilty plea, Demars admitted that he communicated with minors using the Snapchat application to receive images and videos of child pornography. Demars also admitted that he used his Dropbox account to upload a video of a 5–7-year-old female being sexually abused by an adult male. Moreover, Demars acknowledged that he possessed hundreds of videos and images of child pornography on several of his personal devices.
Following his term of imprisonment, Demars will be placed on supervised release for 10 years, and will be required to register as a sex offender. Demars was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims that he solicited on Snapchat.
HSI, the NYSP Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the NYSP Troop D Computer Crime Unit investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Carbone prosecuted Demars as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Florida Telecommunications and Information Technology Worker Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Act as Agent of PRC GovernmentRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL - Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without notification to the Attorney General.
According to the plea agreement and other court filings, the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) is in charge of civilian intelligence collection for the PRC. The MSS often uses “cooperative contacts” located in countries outside of the PRC in furtherance of their intelligence goals, which include obtaining information concerning foreign corporate or industrial matters, foreign politicians or intelligence officers and information concerning PRC political dissidents residing in those countries. These cooperative contacts assist the MSS in a variety of ways, including by conducting research on topics of interest to the PRC that can be used to further the MSS’s mission.
Li was a United States citizen who immigrated to the United States from the PRC. At various times, Li worked for a major U.S. telecommunications company and an international information technology company.
Li admitted that, from at least as early as 2012, he served as a cooperative contact working at the direction of officers of the MSS to obtain information of interest to the PRC government. Li obtained a wide variety information at the request of the MSS, including information concerning Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy advocates, members of the Falun Gong religious movement and U.S.-based non-governmental organizations, and reported that information to the MSS. Li also provided the MSS with information obtained from his employer. Li used a variety of anonymous online accounts for the purpose of communicating with the MSS, and traveled to the PRC to meet with the MSS.
For example, in August 2012, an MSS officer requested that Li provide information about practitioners of Falun Gong and pro-democracy advocates in the United States. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a religious movement that originated in the PRC in the 1990s. Falun Gong is not one of the five religions formally recognized by the PRC government, and it has been banned since 1999. Its adherents both in China and abroad are of particular interest to the PRC government because of Falun Gong’s advocacy of ideas deemed subversive to the PRC government. Less than a week after receiving this request, Li sent the name and biographical information of an individual affiliated with Falun Gong residing in St. Petersburg, Florida.
In March 2015, an MSS officer requested information from Li about branch offices that Li’s employer, a major U.S. telecommunications company, had opened in the PRC. Li responded with the requested information three weeks later.
In March 2017, an MSS officer Li requested a training instruction plan from Li. In April 2017, Li responded indicating that he had uploaded materials to an online account that he shared with the MSS officer and asked the MSS officer to delete the materials after reading them.
In May 2021, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning hacking events targeting United States companies, including a widely publicized hacking of a major United States company by the Chinese government. Within four days, Li responded with the requested information.
In March 2022, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning Li’s new employer, an international information technology company, as well as materials relating to cybersecurity training. That same day, Li sent the requested information about his employer as well as materials relating to cybersecurity training.
In June 2022, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning an individual who, according to the officer, had resided in the PRC but fled to the United States, and provided the name and suspected residential address in the United States of that individual. That same day, Li responded with information about the owners of that residential address.
If convicted, Li faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the National Security Division, Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Marcet and Karyna Valdes for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Florida Telecommunications and Information Technology Worker Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Act as Agent of PRC GovernmentRead the Press Release
Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without notification to the Attorney General.
According to the plea agreement and other court filings, the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) is in charge of civilian intelligence collection for the PRC. The MSS often uses “cooperative contacts” located in countries outside of the PRC in furtherance of their intelligence goals, which include obtaining information concerning foreign corporate or industrial matters, foreign politicians or intelligence officers and information concerning PRC political dissidents residing in those countries. These cooperative contacts assist the MSS in a variety of ways, including by conducting research on topics of interest to the PRC that can be used to further the MSS’s mission.
Li was a United States citizen who immigrated to the United States from the PRC. At various times, Li worked for a major U.S. telecommunications company and an international information technology company.
Li admitted that, from at least as early as 2012, he served as a cooperative contact working at the direction of officers of the MSS to obtain information of interest to the PRC government. Li obtained a wide variety information at the request of the MSS, including information concerning Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy advocates, members of the Falun Gong religious movement and U.S.-based non-governmental organizations, and reported that information to the MSS. Li also provided the MSS with information obtained from his employer. Li used a variety of anonymous online accounts for the purpose of communicating with the MSS, and traveled to the PRC to meet with the MSS.
For example, in August 2012, an MSS officer requested that Li provide information about practitioners of Falun Gong and pro-democracy advocates in the United States. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a religious movement that originated in the PRC in the 1990s. Falun Gong is not one of the five religions formally recognized by the PRC government, and it has been banned since 1999. Its adherents both in China and abroad are of particular interest to the PRC government because of Falun Gong’s advocacy of ideas deemed subversive to the PRC government. Less than a week after receiving this request, Li sent the name and biographical information of an individual affiliated with Falun Gong residing in St. Petersburg, Florida.
In March 2015, an MSS officer requested information from Li about branch offices that Li’s employer, a major U.S. telecommunications company, had opened in the PRC. Li responded with the requested information three weeks later.
In March 2017, an MSS officer Li requested a training instruction plan from Li. In April 2017, Li responded indicating that he had uploaded materials to an online account that he shared with the MSS officer and asked the MSS officer to delete the materials after reading them.
In May 2021, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning hacking events targeting United States companies, including a widely publicized hacking of a major United States company by the Chinese government. Within four days, Li responded with the requested information.
In March 2022, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning Li’s new employer, an international information technology company, as well as materials relating to cybersecurity training. That same day, Li sent the requested information about his employer as well as materials relating to cybersecurity training.
In June 2022, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning an individual who, according to the officer, had resided in the PRC but fled to the United States, and provided the name and suspected residential address in the United States of that individual. That same day, Li responded with information about the owners of that residential address.
If convicted, Li faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the National Security Division, Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Marcet and Karyna Valdes for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Violent Kidnapping of Rival Drug TraffickerRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Mario Espino (25, Holiday) has pleaded guilty to five counts of a superseding indictment charging him with kidnapping, possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Espino faces minimum mandatory penalties amounting to 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 31, 2024.
According to the plea agreement, Espino lured his victim to Florida by claiming to have money to pay a drug debt. Espino did not actually intend to pay a debt. Rather, he intended to kidnap the victim in retaliation for cutting into Espino’s drug business. Espino recruited his co-conspirators, Jacob James Guest and Joey Lawrence Eugene Young, to assist with the kidnapping.
DEA agents attempted to thwart the kidnapping by intercepting the victim at Tampa International Airport and warning the victim of Espino’s plan. The victim ignored that warning and met Espino at a residence in Holiday. Once there, Espino, Guest, and Young struck the victim with the butt of a firearm and bound the victim’s hands and feet with zip ties. Espino and his co-conspirators violently beat the victim, tortured him, and threatened to kill him on multiple occasions. Espino and his co-conspirators called the victim’s drug supplier and demanded 10 kilograms of fentanyl as ransom.
While the victim was still being held hostage, one of Espino’s methamphetamine suppliers, Jacob Paul Arjona, arrived at the residence in Holiday. Arjona delivered approximately 22 kilograms of methamphetamine to Espino and his co-conspirators and left with $113,100 cash.
Espino, Guest, and Young transported the victim to various locations throughout the Middle District of Florida before arriving back at the residence in Holiday. When they returned, agents from the DEA and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office intervened and rescued the victim, who was found in the back seat of a car with his hands and feet bound in electrical cord and zip ties. Inside the vehicle, agents located 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, 154 grams of fentanyl, a Micro Draco 7.62 x 39 mm firearm, and a pillowcase that had been placed over the victim’s head.
Prior to the kidnapping, Espino had conspired with others to bring substantial quantities of methamphetamine to the Middle District of Florida for distribution. On one occasion, Espino and his co-conspirators traveled to Arizona where they purchased 55 kilograms of methamphetamine. The Navajo County (Arizona) Sheriff’s Office seized that methamphetamine after stopping the driver Espino had paid to transport the methamphetamine back to Florida.
Another time, Espino and his co-conspirators arranged to have 79 kilograms of methamphetamine transported from Georgia to the Middle District of Florida. That shipment was intercepted by deputies from the Turner County Sheriff’s Office.
Guest, Young, and Arjona have been charged for their alleged roles in this case. They are pending trial.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (Arizona), and the Turner County Sheriff’s Office (Georgia). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David P. Sullivan and Suzanne C. Nebesky.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Five Individuals Sentenced for Child Abuse and Neglect on the Red Lake ReservationRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Five members of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians have been sentenced to prison for child abuse and neglect on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, between January 1, 2021, and April 29, 2022, Trina Mae Johnson, 50, directed the torture, endangerment, neglect, and abuse of a child who was in Johnson’s legal custody through a foster care placement. Johnson was aided and abetted by Bertram Calvin Lussier, Jr., 43, and Johnson’s three sisters, Bobbi Jo Johnson (a/k/a Bobbi Jo Kingbird), 46, Ellie Mae Johnson, 48, and Patricia Ann Johnson, 40, who all regularly assumed responsibility for all or a portion of the care and supervision of the minor victim. The abuse included withholding food from the victim to the point of starvation, forcing the victim to stand in uncomfortable positions for long periods of time, and assaulting the victim in various ways. As a result of Johnson’s and her accomplices’ abuse, the victim suffered serious and substantial physical, mental and emotional harm.
On February 29, 2024, Trina Mae Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of child torture, one count of child neglect—deprivation of food and health care, one count of child endangerment and one count of assault on a minor with a dangerous weapon. She was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Katherine M. Menendez to 216 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
On April 15, 2024, Bobbi Jo Johnson was convicted by a federal jury on one count of child neglect—deprivation of food and health care, and one count of child endangerment. She was sentenced yesterday by Judge Menendez to 72 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Ellie Johnson, Patricia Johnson, and Lussier each pleaded guilty to one count of child endangerment. Ellie Johnson was sentenced to 48 months and three years of supervised release. Patricia Johnson was sentenced to 48 months and three years of supervised release. Lussier was sentenced to 24 months and two years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, with support from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Beltrami County Sherriff’s Office, the Bemidji Police Department, and the Blackduck Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ruth S. Shnider and Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.
Fitchburg Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fitchburg man was sentenced yesterday in Worcester federal court for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Satron Pridgen, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In May 2024, Pridgen pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
At approximately 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 16, 2023, Pridgen was outside of Mill City Pub in Fitchburg. An altercation ensued between two men. During the altercation, Pridgen approached a third man from behind, grabbed him and held him around the neck in a chokehold, then pulled out a loaded pistol which he used to beat the man in the head multiple times. When law enforcement intervened, Pridgen ran off and attempted to discard the firearm by a dumpster before being apprehended.
Pridgen is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to numerous prior convictions out of Worcester Superior Court including: a November 1999 conviction of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon for which he was sentenced to 9-10 years in state prison; an October 2011 conviction of armed assault with intent to rob, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and possession of a firearm and ammunition as a career criminal for which he was sentenced to 10-12 years in state prison; and an October 2011 conviction of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and distribution of cocaine, for which he was sentenced to 9-10 years in state prison.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Division; and Fitchburg Police Chief Ernest F. Martineau made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of the Worcester Branch Office 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 gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Federal Jury Convicts Registered Sex Offender of Child Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – After three days of trial, a federal jury convicted Alex Kai Tick Chin, 39, of San Francisco, California, on August 22, 2024, of production of child pornography, enticement of a minor, and committing a sex crime against a minor while a registered sex offender.
Evidence at trial proved that from on or about December 12, 2020, through on or about February 14, 2021, Chin did employ, use, persuade, induce, entice and coerce a minor female residing within the Southern District of West Virginia to record and send him sexually explicit images of herself via the Snapchat multimedia instant messaging app. To do so, Chin would compliment the minor female and say they were in a romantic relationship, but he would also threaten to harm himself if she did not send him sexually explicit images. Chin was a registered sex offender at the time, and has been following his felony conviction for possession of child pornography in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, on December 27, 2017.
Chin exchanged messages with a second minor female during the same time period who also resided within the Southern District of West Virginia, engaging in sexual conversations and soliciting nude images from her as well. Chin also threatened to harm himself in conversations with the second minor female unless she complied with his demands. Chin sent photos and videos of himself to the second minor female, including an image of himself masturbating. Chin continued to communicate with both minor females until early March 2022, when he drove from California in a white panel van equipped with a mattress to the Southern District of West Virginia. There, he attempted unsuccessfully to meet both minor females in person.
Chin is scheduled to be sentenced on December 9, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of 35 years and up to life in prison.
“Mr. Chin preyed upon a minor female, attempted to do the same with a second female child, and then lied repeatedly to the jury to conceal and avoid responsibility for his criminal conduct,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson “I commend the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for the investigative work in this case, and Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Courtney L. Finney and our trial team for securing guilty verdicts on all three counts in the indictment.”
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the jury trial.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit 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. 3:22-cr-87.
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Federal Jury Convicts Dunn Man on Drug Trafficking and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Harnett County man on drug trafficking and firearm charges after he led police on a high-speed chase and then abandoned his still running vehicle. Demarkee Rayheem Midgette, age 28, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and cocaine, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Midgette faces up to life in prison when sentenced.
“This armed drug trafficker fled from police in a high-speed chase at great risk to the public and his juvenile passenger,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Guns, drugs, and kids don’t mix. The potential sentence this drug trafficker faces is evidence of that.”
“I want to commend the officers of the Fuquay-Varina Police Department for their vigilance and professionalism in handling this incident, demonstrating exceptional police work from start to finish. I also extend my gratitude to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney's Office for their outstanding partnership in this case. Our successful collaboration sends a strong message that criminal activity will not be tolerated,” said Chief Tim Smith of the Fuquay-Varina Police Department.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, a Fuquay Varina Police officer noticed a car that appeared to be missing a headlight traveling on US-401. The officer followed the vehicle for a period of time and smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. At that time, the officer initiated his emergency lights and siren, however the vehicle failed to pull over. Instead, the vehicle continued to travel at high speeds, running a stop sign and leaving its lane multiple times. As the vehicle reached a subdivision, it slowed down and the driver and passenger fled the vehicle on foot while leaving the vehicle running. The driver was observed to be wearing a red jacket and black shorts and the officer continued his pursuit on foot and notified other responding officers of the driver’s location. The driver, later identified as Midgette, was arrested. Another juvenile male, identified as the passenger, approached officers, and volunteered that the vehicle belonged to his uncle.
A search of the vehicle found marijuana, cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, mushrooms, drug paraphernalia, and two guns, including a Taurus 1911 and a Glock Model 17, 9 mm pistol. The Glock was later determined to be stolen. Ammunition matching the Taurus 1911 was found in the passenger’s pocket. Midgette was found with cocaine and nearly $1,000 in cash in his jacket. Midgette has prior convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon and drug possession.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the verdict. The Fuquay Varina Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jaren Kelly and Kimberly Dixon are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:24-CR-00079-BO-KS.
Denver Woman Sentenced to 20 Years for Armed Carjacking SpreeRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Alexis Dicarlo, 24, of Denver, was sentenced to 240 months in prison, and five years of supervised release for her role in an armed carjacking spree that involved shots fired at multiple victims.
On February 27, 2023, Denver Police responded to a call at a convenience store on East Hampden Avenue on a report of a person trying to carjack multiple victims and shooting a firearm. During her spree in the busy shopping plaza, Dicarlo threatened victims with handguns, demanded their wallets and cars, and ultimately gained access to multiple vehicles. During this spree, she fired bullets into the air and at two victims, narrowly missing them. One shot ultimately passed through a wall into an occupied neighboring business. DiCarlo was unsuccessful in fleeing the scene and possessed five handguns upon her arrest. Additionally, an officer involved in in the arrest suffered a broken leg.
“Our office’s primary focus is to keep the citizens of Colorado safe,” said Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch. “We will not tolerate brazen, violent crimes like this one in our communities.”
“Crime sprees like these strike fear into our communities and jeopardize the safety and security of innocent people,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “Together with our partners at the Denver Police Department, FBI Denver will work tirelessly to identify and bring to justice those who commit acts of violence, ensuring our neighborhoods remain safe and secure for everyone.”
“Let this be a warning to those who commit violent crimes in our community that we will leverage our federal partnerships, when appropriate, to achieve the greatest possible consequences for offenders,” said Denver Chief of Police Ron Thomas. “We are grateful to our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado for their great work achieving a 20-year sentence in this case.”
The defendant was sentenced by Judge Nina Y. Wang on August 21, 2024. The Denver Police Department and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force handled the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Albert Buchman handled the prosecution.
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.
Case Number: 1_23-cr-00100-NYW
Convicted Child Abuser Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Enticing Minors to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Steven Andrew Gunn (31, Winter Haven) to 20 years in federal prison for enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and possession of child sexual abuse material. The court also ordered Gunn to serve a lifetime of supervised release and register as a sex offender. Gunn pled guilty on March 28, 2024.
According to court documents, between September 2020 and October 2020, Gunn used his cell phone to engage in sexually explicit online conversations with an 11-year-old child. During these conversations, Gunn discussed his desire to engage in sexual activity with the child and sent videos of himself masturbating. Investigators obtained a federal search warrant for Gunn’s cell phone and discovered that he was also having sexually explicit online conversations with another 14-year-old child. During an interview with law enforcement, Gunn admitted that he had used Snapchat to solicit child sexual abuse material from multiple girls ranging between 8 and 13 years old.
According to court records, Gunn had been previously convicted of child abuse in 2012 when he had sexually explicit conversations with another minor on the internet.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation—Orlando Resident Agency. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit and Ross Roberts.
This is another case 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.justice.gov/psc.
Conspirators in Multi-Million Dollar International Money Laundering Conspiracy Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza has sentenced Jihad Williams Morales (23, Sanford), Michael Gabriel Robles Vazquez (24, Orlando), and Jorge Ivan Ortiz Bull (32, Orlando) to federal prison terms for conspiracy to commit money laundering and structuring. In total, these individuals and their conspirators, Cristian Rodriguez Labour and Aramys Gonzalez Rodriguez, pleaded guilty to 35 counts of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering, money laundering, and structuring.
An additional individual, Gabriel Aldemar Velez-Torres, was indicted on May 22, 2024, for his role in this conspiracy along with 14 additional counts of money laundering and structuring. He is currently scheduled for trial in October.
Name
Plea Date
Count(s)
Pleaded Guilty
Sentencing Date
Sentence Imposed
Cristian Rodriguez Labour
2/21/24
1 (conspiracy)
6/21/24
7 years
Jihad William Morales
5/2/24
1 (conspiracy)
2-8 (money laundering)
9-11 (structuring)
8/22/24
5 years,10 months
Michael Gabriel Robles Vazquez
4/9/24
1 (conspiracy)
12-14 (money laundering)
8/22/24
2 years, 10 months
Aramys Gonzalez Rodriguez
3/25/24
1 (conspiracy)
15-23 (money laundering)
24-29 (structuring)
9/18/24
Jorge Ivan Ortiz Buil
4/9/24
1 (conspiracy)
30-34 (money laundering)
35 (structuring)
8/22/24
5 years, 3 months
According to court documents, Labour recruited Morales, Robles Vazquez, Gonzalez Rodriguez, and Ortiz Buil to incorporate fake businesses in Florida and open business bank accounts in Deltona and Orlando. In setting up the accounts, the recruited individuals lied to banks about the legitimacy of their businesses – pretending that they were operating legitimate businesses involved in wholesale kitchen appliances (Ortiz-Buil), electronics (Robles Vazquez), or industrial laundering machines (Morales).
Unnamed conspirators hacking into the computer systems of small businesses throughout the country then directed wire transfers to the fake businesses in Florida and, when received, Labour, Morales, Robles Vazquez, Gonzalez Rodriguez, and Ortiz Buil immediately transferred the bulk of the funds to businesses in the Zhejiang, Weifang, Shouguang, Huzhou, and Hangzhou regions of China while withdrawing a portion as payment for their role in hiding these proceeds. The transfers were designed to conceal the source of the fraud proceeds and the conspirators further obscured their withdrawals by structuring them to avoid bank reporting requirements.
During the course of two weeks in early March 2021, Labour and Morales laundered more than $560,000 and attempted to launder another $200,000 using a single account in Deltona – sending the fraud proceeds to accounts in Zhejiang and Weifang and taking $80,000 in structured withdrawals as payment.
From June through November 2021, Labour and Robles Vazquez then used at least four different bank accounts in Orlando to launder or attempt to launder more than $280,000. From August through December 2021, Labour and Gonzalez-Rodriguez used at least three different bank accounts in Orlando to launder more than $1 million. Labour and Ortiz Buil attempted to launder $1 million in one bank account in December 2021 before successfully laundering around $250,000 at four different banks from December 2021 through February 2022, using other individuals that Ortiz-Buil had recruited into the scheme.
Overall, members of the conspiracy successfully laundered $3,323,941 to offshore accounts in China and unsuccessfully attempted to launder another $5,057,777, all of which were the proceeds or attempted proceeds of computer fraud and cyber intrusions on small businesses throughout the United States.
This case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
Columbus Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Stolen Pistol with Extended MagazineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – A Columbus resident with prior felony drug convictions who crashed his car into a fire station and was subsequently found to have a stolen pistol with a high-capacity magazine and illegal drugs entered a guilty plea in federal court.
Joseph Harold Taylor, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime before U.S. District Judge Clay Land on Aug. 20. Taylor is facing a minimum of five years up to a maximum of life imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The sentencing date will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.
“It is fortunate that that no one was injured when the defendant crashed his car into a fire station, and that police were able to remove a stolen firearm with a high-capacity magazine from the streets of Columbus,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “We are committed to keeping our communities safe and upholding federal law, especially when it pertains to offenders caught with stolen assault weapons.”
“Criminals must understand that there are serious repercussions for the illegal possession of firearms and that ATF and our law enforcement partners will contribute all necessary time and effort to ensure criminals are brought to justice,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka.
"Joseph Taylor's reckless actions put lives at risk. Possessing a stolen firearm with a high-capacity magazine while engaged in illegal drug activity is a serious threat to our community. The Columbus Police Department remains committed to removing illegal weapons from our streets and holding offenders accountable,” said Columbus Police Department Chief Stoney Mathis.
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, shortly before 2 a.m. on March 15, 2023, Taylor crashed the car he was driving into Fire Station 11 on Warm Springs Road in Columbus. Columbus Police Department officers were called to the single-vehicle crash and found that Taylor—who was uninjured in the crash and was the sole occupant of the sedan—had left the roadway, crashed into the fire station and hit a truck belonging to an employee of the fire department.
The officers observed what appeared to be a bullet hole in the vehicle and noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the car. Officers found a stolen 9mm semiautomatic pistol with an extended 21-round magazine attached on the front floorboard of the driver’s side. A satchel was found inside the car containing cocaine and suspected marijuana, as well as other commonly used drug distribution items. Taylor has two prior state felony drug convictions.
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 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.
This case was investigated by ATF and the Columbus Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the Government.
Colorado Dentist Charged Federally for Attempting to Solicit Minor Online and Transporting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Jason James Atha, 50, a dentist from Broomfield, Colo., was indicted yesterday in the Southern District of Florida for attempted enticement of a minor and transportation of child pornography.
According to allegations in the court record, to include the indictment and previously filed criminal complaint, beginning on Oct. 3, 2023, Atha used a social networking application on his phone in Colorado to solicit sex with an 8-year-old child through conversations with the child’s mother in the Southern District of Florida. The child’s purported “mother” was in fact an undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent. Atha’s communications detailed the sexual acts he wanted to engage in with the child. On Aug. 9, Atha flew to Palm Beach International Airport, in the Southern District of Florida, to consummate the sexual act and was arrested at the airport. A search of Atha’s devices revealed child pornography videos.
Atha had his initial appearance in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Aug. 12. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26, at 10:00 a.m. before a U. S. Magistrate Judge in West Palm Beach. If convicted of the charged offenses, Atha faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison for attempted enticement of a minor and 20 years in prison for transportation of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of HSI Miami made the announcement.
HSI West Palm Beach investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller is prosecuting it.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/project-safe-childhood.
Anyone with information regarding child sexual exploitation and abuse is encouraged to call (877) 4-HSI-TIP [(877) 447-4847].
A criminal complaint and indictment contain mere allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80102.
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Clewiston Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Javier Velasquez, Jr. (38, Clewiston) to 8 years and 10 months in federal prison for distribution of cocaine, being a felon in possession of firearms, illegal possession of a machinegun, and carrying firearms during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. The court also ordered Velasquez to forfeit the firearms used in committing the offenses.
According to court documents, between July 13 and September 19, 2023, Velasquez sold an undercover federal agent cocaine, multiple firearms, and a Glock switch – a device used to convert a semiautomatic weapon into a machinegun. Velasquez, a convicted felon, is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.
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 out 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 first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Cheyenne felon sentenced for being in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
Juan Manuel Miranda, 52, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced on Aug. 21, to 88 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on Oct. 31, 2023, Cheyenne Police Department officers responded to the 1800 block of Rainbow Road for a "shots fired" disturbance. Witnesses said that Miranda shot at an unknown male and then drove away. Officers pursued Miranda and during the pursuit, he threw a pistol out of his vehicle into the driveway of a business. Miranda eventually stopped his car, and officers arrested him. Officers later recovered the 9mm pistol that Miranda had tossed out of his car. A criminal history report indicated Miranda is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
Miranda was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm on Jan. 10, 2023, and pleaded guilty on May 28. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the 88-month sentence.
“The Justice Department is committed to reducing violent crime by aggressively prosecuting violent criminals who illegally possess guns,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann. “This case shows how federal, state, and local law enforcement in Wyoming can work together to win a significant prison sentence against a violent felon, and make the Cheyenne community safer. We thank the Cheyenne Police Department and Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation for their good work, and for referring this case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for federal prosecution.”
“This is an excellent example of agencies coming together to protect our Wyoming communities,” said Chief Mark Francisco. “We’re proud that this collaboration resulted in a successful prosecution.”
This crime was investigated by the Cheyenne Police Department and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Criminal Division Chief Nicole Romine with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Case No. 24-CR-00011
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Buffalo pharmacy pays more than $140,000 to settle record keeping and misbilling allegationsRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, NEW YORK – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Dexter Prescription Center a/k/a Dexter Pharmacy, has agreed to pay the United States $141,727 to resolve allegations that it violated the record keeping provisions of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and overcharged federal health care programs.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Coriell, who handled the case, stated that the CSA requires entities that dispense controlled substances to maintain certain records and to conduct periodic inventories to prevent against diversion of controlled substances. An inspection by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration revealed that between January 1, 2018, and February 1, 2021, Dexter Pharmacy failed to maintain accurate records relating to its purchases and sales for certain controlled substances. Dexter Pharmacy also billed federal healthcare programs for medications, including controlled substances, that were never dispensed by Dexter Pharmacy.
“My office is committed to stopping the potential abuse of prescription drugs in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross. “The requirement that pharmacies maintain accurate books and records is critical in preventing the diversion of prescription drugs, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that pharmacies take their obligations to safeguard prescription drugs seriously.”
“Pharmacies are not exempt from their regulatory responsibilities especially when dealing with controlled substances and the dangerous effects they have when misused,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino. “This settlement reflects DEA’s commitment to making sure measures are in place to safeguard the community and hold DEA registrants accountable. I commend our Diversion Investigators for bringing this matter to a resolution.”
This case was investigated by DEA Buffalo District Office’s Diversion Group and Tactical Diversion Squad; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and the United States Attorney’s Office.
This civil settlement agreement is not an admission of any liability by Dexter Pharmacy, nor a concession by the United States that its claims were not well-founded.
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Buffalo man pleads guilty to his role in the murder of a federal informant, gun, and drug chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Gregory Hay, a/k/a Gunner, a/k/a Franklin Gambino, a/k/a Reggie, 35, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to narcotics conspiracy, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and discharge of firearm causing death in furtherance of crimes of violence and a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who is handling the case, stated that between early 2016, and August 28, 2019, Hay conspired with co-defendant Alphonso Payne and others, to sell cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and heroin. The conspiracy began with Hay selling drugs in the Salamanca, NY, area, before moving his operation to the Olean area, where he used co-defendant Alphonso Payne to assist him with selling drugs. In April 2017, Hay’s vehicle was stopped by Buffalo Police and in May 2017 his vehicle was stopped by Salamanca Police. Buffalo officers seized marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin, while Salamanca officers seized a quantity of marijuana and a digital scale. In May 2019, investigators executed a search warrant at Hay’s residence, seizing two firearms, several magazines, ammunition, a digital scale, cash, and several cell phones. Hay used social media to display himself with firearms, letting others know that he could protect himself, his drugs, and his money. The conspiracy continued to operate until Hay was arrested in July 2019.
Following his arrest, Hay believed that an individual named Joshua Jalovick provided information to law enforcement that led to the search of his residence and subsequent arrest. As a result, Hay, Alphonso Payne, and another co-conspirator wanted Jalovick dead. On July 1, 2019, Hay and Payne lured Jalovick to a residence on Freund Avenue, where Payne fired approximately 11 rounds of ammunition toward Jalovick, striking him several times. Hay initially ran down the driveway, but then ran back toward Jalovick, stood over his body, and shot Jalovick five times. According to the Erie County Medical Examiner Report, Joshua Jalovick died from more than 15 gunshot wounds. Afterwards, Hay disposed of the murder weapons and his cell phone.
Charges remain pending against Alphonso Payne.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. Additional assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Jeffrey Burr, and the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 10, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. before Judge Arcara.
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Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Detonating an Explosive Device Outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s OfficeRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – Today, Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, Alabama, pleaded guilty in federal court to the malicious use of an explosive device.
“This defendant built a bomb using nails and screws as shrapnel and detonated it outside the Alabama Attorney General's Office, endangering a public institution and members of the community,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Public servants should never be targeted for doing their jobs. The Justice Department will not tolerate such conduct, and we will use every resource at our disposal to prevent these attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.”
"The defendant pleaded guilty today to setting off a shrapnel-filled explosive at public offices in the middle of downtown Montgomery,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Violence and destruction of property will never be tolerated, and the FBI and our partners will continue to work together to ensure anyone who attempts to harm or intimidate the community will be held accountable."
“This attack on the Alabama Attorney General's Office was an attack on the American justice system,” said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach. “Violent, targeted attacks like this, aim to harm, whether physically or through fear and intimidation, the civil servants and public officials who serve our communities and country. ATF is committed to holding those who attack American institutions accountable. I commend the work of the ATF and all our federal and local partners in bringing this defendant to justice.”
“Calvert’s offense was a very serious one and today’s plea ensures that he will face significant consequences,” said United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross. “Calvert would not have been held accountable had it not been for the thorough and painstaking investigation conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement agents working together. I am grateful for the efforts of everyone involved.”
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, during the early morning hours of February 24, 2024, Calvert detonated an explosive device outside of the Alabama Attorney General's Office in downtown Montgomery. No injuries were reported. Calvert admitted during the plea hearing to manufacturing the device. He used, nails and screws as shrapnel and accelerants to cause an explosion. Prior to planting the device, Calvert placed stickers on various downtown buildings. The stickers had graphics advocating for various political ideologies. Some stickers included the phrase “Support your local antifa.” As reflected in the plea agreement, Calvert claims he has no affiliation with antifa. After placing the explosive device near the Attorney General’s Office, Calvert lit its fuse and fled the scene. Law enforcement arrested Calvert on April 10, 2024.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for Calvert in the coming months. At that hearing, Calvert faces a minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison with no possibility of parole. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Assistant United States Attorneys Russell T. Duraski and Brett J. Talley for the Middle District of Alabama are prosecuting the case.
Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Detonating an Explosive Device Outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s OfficeRead the Press Release
Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, Alabama, pleaded guilty in federal court to the malicious use of an explosive device.
“This defendant built a bomb using nails and screws as shrapnel and detonated it outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, endangering a public institution and members of the community,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Public servants should never be targeted for doing their jobs. The Justice Department will not tolerate such conduct, and we will use every resource at our disposal to prevent these attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.”
“The defendant pleaded guilty today to setting off a shrapnel-filled explosive at public offices in the middle of downtown Montgomery,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Violence and destruction of property will never be tolerated, and the FBI and our partners will continue to work together to ensure anyone who attempts to harm or intimidate the community will be held accountable.”
“This attack on the Alabama Attorney General’s Office was an attack on the American justice system,” said Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Violent, targeted attacks like this, aim to harm, whether physically or through fear and intimidation, the civil servants and public officials who serve our communities and country. ATF is committed to holding those who attack American institutions accountable. I commend the work of the ATF and all our federal and local partners in bringing this defendant to justice.”
“Calvert’s offense was a very serious one and today’s plea ensures that he will face significant consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Ross for the Middle District of Alabama. “Calvert would not have been held accountable had it not been for the thorough and painstaking investigation conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement agents working together. I am grateful for the efforts of everyone involved.”
According to the court documents, Calvert detonated an explosive device during the early morning hours of Feb. 24, outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in downtown Montgomery. No injuries were reported. Calvert admitted during the plea hearing to manufacturing the device himself, using items such as nails and screws to act as shrapnel along with accelerants to cause an explosion. Prior to planting the device, Calvert placed stickers on various state buildings depicting different graphics and advocating for various political ideologies. Some stickers included the phrase “Support your local antifa.” As reflected in the plea agreement, Calvert claims he has no affiliation with antifa. After placing the explosive device near the Attorney General’s Office, Calvert lit its fuse and fled the scene. Law enforcement arrested Calvert on April 10.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for Calvert at a later date. Calvert faces a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell T. Duraski and Brett J. Talley for the Middle District of Alabama are prosecuting the case.