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29 August 2024
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl DistributionRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – CHARVAN MORRIS (“MORRIS”), age 27, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on August 29, 2024 before U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe to two counts of distributing fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).
According to court documents, on February 16, 2024, MORRIS sold 3.26 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives at the London Lodge Motel on Airline Highway. During the transaction, MORRIS was in the driver’s seat of a vehicle while the front seat passenger sat armed with a visible AR-style pistol. On February 20, 2024, MORRIS sold 5.53 grams of fentanyl to the same confidential informant at the London Lodge.
MORRIS faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, a minimum of three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00 as to each count.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MAURICE FLORANT (“FLORANT”), age 36, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty today, before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).
FLORANT faces up to15 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The offense also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
Judge Barbier scheduled sentencing for December 5, 2024.
Court documents reveal that on September 9, 2022, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (“JPSO”) deputies responded to a stolen vehicle alert and saw FLORANT at a gas station, seated in the stolen vehicle. When deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, FLORANT fled, triggering a high-speed and dangerous chase. FLORANT struck a JPSO police vehicle before crashing into the exterior air conditioning unit of an apartment complex. The defendant fled on foot and was eventually arrested. Deputies searched the vehicle and found two firearms; a Palmetto State Armory Model PA-15, .556 - millimeter pistol, located on the rear driver's side floorboard, and a CZ Scorpion Model EVO 3 S1, nine- millimeter pistol, located on the front passenger side floorboard.
Court documents also revealed that FLORANT had been previously convicted of Manslaughter in Orleans Parish District Criminal Court.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office, and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Mark A. Miller of the Narcotics Unit is assigned the prosecution.
New Jersey Man Convicted of Firearms TraffickingRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Hackensack, New Jersey man was convicted by a jury on federal firearms charges, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Kadir Reeves, 40, was convicted of two counts of aiding and abetting the false statement in connection with the acquisition of firearms.
The jury heard testimony about how Reeves and another defendant conspired to have others purchase and transport guns to New Jersey where Reeves had street gang affiliations. One of the firearms transported was recovered following an incident where shots were fired at a high school football game in Jersey City, New Jersey.
“West Virginia is a source state for firearms that are used to commit crimes in other parts of the country,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “We’ll continue to crack down on all those who unlawfully obtain guns here, especially when they’re used to engage in violence.”
Three other defendants, Curtis Neal, 46; Kareem Neal, 43; and Bukiye Hatten, 41; all of Morgantown, West Virginia are awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to firearms charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zelda Wesley and Christie Utt prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
New Hampshire Man Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Harass and Intimidate Two JournalistsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Hampshire man was sentenced on Aug. 27, 2024 for his role in a conspiracy to stalk journalists employed by New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR). The harassment and intimidation of the victims included the vandalism – on five separate occasions – of the victims’ homes and the home of one of the victims’ parents with bricks, large rocks and red spray paint.
Tucker Cockerline, 33, of Salem, N.H., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Cockerline pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston in December 2023 to one count of conspiracy to commit stalking through interstate travel and using a facility of interstate commerce. Cockerline was initially arrested and charged by criminal complaint in June 2023. He was later indicted along with co-defendants Eric Labarge, Michael Waselchuck, and Saniatan. Labarge and Waselchuck have both pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Saniatan is expected to plead guilty in federal court in Boston on Sept. 5, 2024.
In March of 2022, after a year-long investigation, an NHPR journalist (Victim 1) published an article detailing allegations of sexual and other misconduct by a former New Hampshire businessperson (Subject 1). Another NHPR journalist (Victim 2) also contributed to the article, which appeared on NHPR’s website during and after March 2022. In response to this reporting, Labarge – who is a close personal associate of Subject 1 – Cockerline, Waselchuck, and allegedly Saniatan, agreed to harass and intimidate Victims 1 and 2 and their immediate family members by vandalizing their homes in the middle of the night with bricks, rocks and red spray paint.
Specifically, Labarge solicited Cockerline to vandalize Victim 1’s former residence in Hanover, N.H., using a brick and red spray paint. On the evening of April 24, 2022, Cockerline spraypainted the word “C*NT” in large red letters on the front door of the home and threw a brick through an exterior window. Saniatan allegedly agreed with Labarge to vandalize Victim 2’s home in Concord, N.H., and Victim 1’s parents’ home in Hampstead, N.H., using large rocks and red spray paint. On the evening of April 24, 2022, Saniatan allegedly spraypainted the word “C*NT” in large red letters on the front door and threw a large rock at the exterior of Victim 2’s home; and he allegedly threw a softball-sized rock through a front exterior window and spraypainted the word “C*NT” in large red letters on the front of Victim 1’s parents’ home.
Labarge also solicited Cockerline to vandalize Victim 1’s parents’ home in Hampstead, N.H., and Victim 1’s home in Melrose, Mass., using bricks and red spray paint. Cockerline, in turn, recruited Waselchuck to vandalize Victim 1’s residence, providing him with a brick and a can of red spray paint. On the evening of May 20, 2022, Cockerline spraypainted the word “C*NT” in large red letters on the front of Victim 1’s parents’ home, and left a brick on the ground near the front door. Several hours later, Waselchuck threw a brick through an exterior window of Victim 1’s home and painted the phrase “JUST THE BEGINNING” in large red letters on the front of the house.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Concord, Hampstead and Hanover, N.H. Police Departments, the Melrose, Mass. Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason A. Casey and Torey B. Cummings of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mother and Son Guilty of Federal Controlled Substances Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JERAD M. BARRETT (“BARRETT”), age 40, and JENNIE L. JAMES (“JAMES”), age 67, both of New Orleans, pled guilty on August 28, 2024, before United States District Judge Ivan L. R. Lemelle. Specifically, BARRETT pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, fifty (50) kilograms or more of marijuana, two counts of possession with intent to distribute, fifty (50) kilograms or more of marijuana, and maintaining a drug-involved premises, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), 846, and 856(a)(1). JAMES pled guilty to maintaining a drug-involved premises, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 856(a)(1), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
After receiving information regarding BARRETT’s narcotics distribution activity and conducting an investigation, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies, recovered approximately 940 kilograms of marijuana in both his residence and multiple storage units. Agents also uncovered communications between JAMES and BARRETT related to distribution, packaging, and relocation of narcotics within the Eastern District of Louisiana.
BARRETT and JAMES are scheduled to be sentenced on December 11, 2024. For conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, BARRETT faces up to twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, and at least five (3) years of supervised release. For maintaining a drug-involved premises, BARRETT and JAMES each face up to twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $500,000, and up to three (3) years of supervised release. As to each charge, both BARRETT and JAMES face payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Louisiana State Police, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
Mission Man Sentenced for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited PersonRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on August 28, 2024.
Tevin Thin Elk, Sr., age 27, was sentenced to time served through September 25, 2024, or approximately 16 months in custody, three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. He was also ordered for forfeit the firearm.
Thin Elk Sr. was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2023. He pleaded guilty on May 30, 2024.
The conviction stemmed from a traffic stop on August 19, 2022, in Mission, within the Rosebud Indian Reservation. During the course of the traffic stop a drug K9 alerted to the vehicle, resulting in a search. Officers located marijuana, a methamphetamine pipe, and an extended magazine on Thin Elk’s person, and a Glock pistol in the backseat of the vehicle. Thin Elk admitted to officers the firearm was his and he was a regular user of marijuana and methamphetamine. Thin Elk’s UA that day was positive for both substances.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Thin Elk Sr. was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Miami Tax Return Preparer Agrees to Permanent Injunction and DisgorgementRead the Press Release
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida issued a permanent injunction today against Miami tax return preparer Richard Louis, which bars him from preparing federal income tax returns, working for or having any ownership stake in any tax preparation business, assisting others (including family members) prepare tax returns or set up business as a preparer and transferring or assigning customer lists to any other person or entity. The court also ordered Louis to disgorge $390,000 in ill-gotten gains he received from his return preparation business. Louis agreed to both the injunction and ordered disgorgement.
In June, the Court enjoined seven independent contractors who worked with Louis — Harold Bornelous, Romeo Davis, Teddy Davis, Joseph Garrett, Demetrius Knowles, Daniel Oku and Marlyne Wah — from preparing returns for others, but allowed the seven defendants to apply for reinstatement as return preparers after two years if they successfully complete the IRS' Annual Filing Season Program. The independent contractors agreed to the injunctions entered against them.
The complaint alleged that Louis and the independent contractors prepared returns for customers that claimed various false or fabricated deductions and credits, including fabricated residential energy credits, false and exaggerated itemized deductions and fictitious and inflated business expenses. According to the complaint, Louis marketed himself as Taxman and he, acting in concert with the seven independent contractors, prepared thousands of tax returns for customers over the past ten years.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers guidance on the credentials and qualifications that taxpayers should seek from their return preparer.
In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Louis Injunction and Disgorgement Order_0.pdf June 2024 Injunction Order_0.pdfMexican Citizen Indicted for Illegally Reentering the United StatesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Ulises Perez-Herrera, age 35, a Citizen of Mexico, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien.
According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Perez-Herrera was previously removed from the United States on June 15, 2019, through Hidalgo, Texas. It is alleged that he was subsequently found in the United States on July 27, 2024, in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, without having first obtained legal permission to reenter the country.
This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Assistant United States Attorney K. Wesley Mishoe is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty upon conviction for the charged offense is 10 years imprisonment, three years of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and a special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by a court after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Man Admits Embezzling $2 Million from Newington Business, Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that EVAN BOBZIN, 39, of Chester, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to offenses stemming from a $2 million embezzlement scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from July 2013 until December 2023, Bobzin was an employee of Hoffman’s Gun Center (“Hoffman’s”) in Newington and, in 2016, he became the head of information technology at Hoffman’s. In January 2016, Bobzin began to steal cash receipts from a safe in Hoffman’s front office. Bobzin would arrive at work before other employees, disconnect ethernet cables from the company’s computers servers to cameras that captured views of the safe, enter the front office, open the safe, steal thousands of dollars in cash from receipt pouches, return the pouches to the safe, and then reconnect the ethernet cables. He would then deposit some of all of the cash proceeds into his personal bank accounts.
Between 2016 and 2023, Bobzin and his former spouse made 287 cash deposits of stolen money from Hoffman’s totaling $1,901,250 into his bank accounts, and seven cash purchases of cashier’s checks totaling $161,330. Bobzin used the funds to pay for personal expenses, including to pay monthly American Express bill and to make mortgage payments.
In October 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office notified Bobzin that he was conducting cash transactions in amounts below $10,000 in a manner indicative of structuring to avoid having his bank file Currency Transaction Reports. Bobzin ceased making cash deposits at his bank, opened new accounts at a different bank, and resumed making structured cash deposits into those accounts.
Bobzin failed to report the stolen income on his federal personal income tax returns for the 2016 through 2022 tax years, resulting in a loss to the IRS of $436,178. As an example, on his income tax return for the 2020 tax year, Bobzin reported taxable income of $9,914 and tax owed of $0. The return omitted income of approximately $432,615 and understated tax due and owing by approximately $110,530.
Bobzin pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transmission of stolen money, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and one count of tax evasion, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for November 26.
Bobzin has agreed to pay restitution of $2,062,580, and to cooperate with the IRS to pay $436,178 in taxes, as well as penalties and interest.
Bobzin is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
Magoffin County Man Convicted of Methamphetamine and Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
PIKEVILLE, Ky. – A Salyersville, Ky., man, Daniel Jackson, was convicted on Wednesday, by a federal jury sitting in Pikeville, following a two-day trial, of possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to evidence at trial, on February 7, 2024, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle being driven by Jackson. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement located and seized over 70 grams of methamphetamine. Jackson then attempted to discard a bag of fentanyl, in the police car, after his arrest.
Jackson was indicted on May 23, 2024.
Jackson will appear for sentencing on December 9, 2024. He faces a maximum of 40 years in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Erik Davodowich, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Louisville Field Division; and Sheriff William “Bill” Meade of the Magoffin County Sheriff’s Department made the announcement.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, the Magoffin County Sheriff’s Office, and Operation UNITE. Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Trimble is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
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Madison Man Sentenced for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that John A. Maser, 35, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 4 months in federal prison for attempting to possess fentanyl intended for distribution. Maser pleaded guilty to this charge on April 11, 2024. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
The government’s investigation revealed a large-scale drug trafficking organization that was responsible for bringing over 4 kilograms of fentanyl pills into Madison from Arizona. Law enforcement began investigating the organization in January 2022, following the seizure of two mail packages that each contained one kilogram of fentanyl pills. The packages had been mailed by an individual in Arizona to addresses in Madison.
One of the packages was addressed to Maser’s residence. That package contained 1,075 grams of fentanyl pills (9,949 pills in total). On January 24, 2022, officers conducted a controlled delivery of the package at his residence. Maser was observed picking up the package. Officers then executed a search warrant at his residence. Maser told officers that he had agreed to accept the package for Deshawn Davis, who was his drug dealer.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson noted that Maser was responsible for the package addressed to his residence, which contained a significant quantity of fentanyl. Judge Peterson also said that the overall drug trafficking organization that Maser was involved with posed a serious danger to the community, and even minor participants like Maser needed to be held accountable. In arriving at a sentence, Judge Peterson weighed the seriousness of Maser’s actions with other factors including his lack of criminal record, his lesser role in the conspiracy, and his recovery efforts confronting his serious drug addiction.
Five other defendants involved in this fentanyl trafficking operation were charged in a separate indictment and have already been sentenced. Dejon C. Glover was sentenced on May 16, 2024, to 4 ½ years in federal prison for attempting to possess fentanyl intended for distribution. Lloyd M. McKire-Bennett was sentenced on May 17, 2024, to more than 13 ½ years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possessing firearms and ammunition as a felon. Deshawn P. Davis was sentenced on May 22, 2024, to 5 ½ years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl. Yoshi R. Walker was sentenced on July 24, 2024, to 6 years in federal prison for attempting to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Christopher S. Wilson was sentenced on July 29, 2024, to 5 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Two others were charged in connection with this trafficking organization: Jessica E. Leyvas and Dantrell T. Stevenson. Leyvas has pleaded guilty, and her sentencing hearing is yet to be scheduled. Stevenson’s case is scheduled for trial, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge against Maser was the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and Dane County Narcotics Task Force. The investigation was conducted and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a multi-agency task force that coordinates long-term narcotics trafficking investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this case.
Macy Man Sentenced for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Victor Miller, age 32, of Macy, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 29, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian Country. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Miller to 41 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Miller’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
In May 2023, Miller approached a group of people playing horseshoes in a residential area of Macy, Nebraska. Miller ran up to one of the players, a male victim known to Miller, and began slashing at the victim with a blade. The victim shouted to others present that Miller had a knife, and Miller’s blade cut the victim’s hand and wrist. The victim and others present began throwing horseshoes at Miller to stop his attack, and Miller fled the scene. After a call for emergency medical services, the victim was transported for care and required several sutures to close the lacerations caused by Miller.
This case was prosecuted in federal court because the assault was a felony and occurred on the Omaha Nation Indian Reservation in Nebraska.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Luzerne County Attorney Pleads Guilty to Multiple Charges of Failing to Pay Income TaxesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Department of Justice, Tax Division announced that Jill Moran, age 55, of Conyngham, Pennsylvania, appeared in federal district court today and pleaded guilty to a three-count criminal information charging her with failing to pay individual income taxes for calendar years 2016, 2017, and 2018, in connection with substantial legal fees she earned as the owner and operator of The Powell Law Group, P.C., a Luzerne County-based law firm, and as a member of the Trust Advisory Committee for the mass tort litigation described below. Moran was released on an unsecured bond while awaiting her sentencing.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Moran did not pay individual income taxes for tax year 2016 on approximately $1,215,000 she received, and also did not pay individual income taxes for substantial income that she received in tax years 2017 and 2018.
In total, Moran caused a tax loss to the IRS of between $250,000 and $550,000.
Below is a detailed statement of facts that accompanied the guilty plea. In 2009, Moran became the Managing Director and President of the Powell Law Group, when the founder and owner of the firm, Robert J. Powell, was suspended from the practice of law and ultimately disbarred. Moran and Powell agreed, however, that she would collect 10% and he would collect 90% of any future fees the firm earned after the payment of expenses. Specifically, The Powell Law Group represented thousands of plaintiffs in a mass tort litigation that settled for approximately $5.15 billion in 2015, from which the firm was expected to receive approximately $120 million in attorneys’ fees.
Prior to the attorneys’ fees disbursement, The Powell Law Group and its co-counsel used those future legal fees as collateral to obtain a series of loans totaling over $125 million. In 2014 and 2015, Moran received two disbursements of $500,000 each from those loan proceeds. Moreover, Moran received approximately $215,000 for her work on the Trust Advisory Committee.
In June 2016, most of the attorneys’ fees were finally disbursed and the loans were repaid. Nevertheless, Moran did not pay taxes on both the $1,000,000 she received in attorney’s fees that year, and the $215,000 she received for her work on the Trust Advisory Committee. Likewise, in both 2017 and 2018, Moran received substantial income, but nonetheless did not pay taxes on it.
On August 14, 2024, Robert Powell pleaded guilty to evading taxes on the millions of dollars in income he received in legal fees from the mass tort litigation. Powell awaits sentencing.
"Running a business is not a license to avoid paying taxes,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Denise Leuenberger. “Moran’s misconduct by not reporting her income cheated all Americans, since we all pay our fair share for the government services and protections that we enjoy."
The cases were investigated by the Scranton office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. Senior Litigation Counsel Phillip J. Caraballo, Tax Division Trial Attorney Alexandra Fleszar, and Criminal Division Chief Bruce D. Brandler are prosecuting the cases.
The maximum penalty under federal law is one year in prison for each failure to pay count, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine and restitution. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Statement of Facts
Defendant Jill Moran is an attorney and a resident of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Jill Moran is the owner and operator of The Powell Law Group, P.C. (“Powell Law Group”), and has been since on or about August 31, 2009. The Powell Law Group is a law firm located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and incorporated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in or about December 2002. Prior to August 31, 2009, Robert J. Powell was the founder and owner of the Powell Law Group. In or about August 2009, Robert J. Powell’s license to practice law was suspended by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Robert J. Powell subsequently was disbarred from the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in or about January 2015.
Prior to Robert J. Powell’s suspension from the practice of law, he owned 90% of the shares, and Jill Moran owned 10% of the shares of the Powell Law Group. On or about August 31, 2009, Robert J. Powell relinquished his directorship of the Powell Law Group, and Jill Moran became the Managing Director and President of the Powell Law Group. Robert J. Powell also surrendered his shares in the Powell Law Group, leaving Jill Moran the sole shareholder.
Beginning prior to Robert J. Powell’s suspension from the practice of law, the Powell Law Group served as counsel for approximately 4,300 plaintiffs in a mass tort litigation (the “Mass Tort Litigation”). On or about September 15, 2009, Robert J. Powell and Jill Moran entered a Memorandum of Understanding whereby they agreed that any future attorneys’ fees from the Mass Tort Litigation would first be applied to pay the Powell Law Group’s expenses, with 90% of the remaining fees disbursed to Robert J. Powell, and 10% of the remaining fees disbursed to Jill Moran. In or about April 2014, the Mass Tort Litigation settled for approximately $5.15 billion. Of that settlement, the Powell Law Group expected to receive attorneys’ fees in excess of approximately $120 million.
In or about May 2014, the Powell Law Group and two co-counsel law firms entered a loan agreement with Financing Company #1. Pursuant to that loan agreement, Financing Company #1 agreed to loan approximately $100 million to the Powell Law Group and the two co-counsel law firms. The loan was collateralized by the anticipated attorneys’ fees from the Mass Tort Litigation. In or about June 2014, Jill Moran received $500,000 of those loan proceeds.
In or about May 2015, the Powell Law Group and the two co-counsel law firms refinanced the loan agreement with Financing Company #1, by entering an agreement with Financing Company #2. Pursuant to that agreement, Financing Company #2 agreed to repay Financing Company #1, and to distribute an additional approximate $7.6 million to the Powell Law Group and the two co-counsel law firms. The funds distributed by Financing Company #2 were collateralized by the anticipated attorneys’ fees from the Mass Tort Litigation. In or about December 2015, Jill Moran received another $500,000 of the refinancing proceeds.
Between in or about February and June 2016, the trustee overseeing the Mass Tort Litigation (the “Tort Trustee”) repaid Financing Company #2 in full, by distributing approximately $125,849,595.59 in attorneys’ fees due to the Powell Law Group. In 2016, as a member of the Trust Advisory Committee for the Mass Tort Litigation’s trust, Jill Moran received approximately $215,000 for services rendered to the Trust Advisory Committee.
On or about April 18, 2017, Jill Moran willfully failed to pay taxes for tax year 2016, on the $1,000,000 she received from the Mass Tort Litigation, and on the $215,000 she received for services rendered to the Trust Advisory Committee.
In tax year 2017, Jill Moran received a substantial income and was required to pay federal income taxes. However, on or about April 17, 2018, Jill Moran willfully failed to pay taxes on personal income earned in tax year 2017.
In tax year 2018, Jill Moran received a substantial income and was required to pay federal income taxes. However, on or about April 15, 2019, Jill Moran willfully failed to pay taxes on personal income earned in tax year 2018.
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Lincoln Man Sentenced for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Michael A. Nolte, age 38, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced August 29, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for receipt of child pornography. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Nolte to 60 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Nolte’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On July 25, 2022, KIK reported a CyberTip to NCMEC indicating that KIK user “stvhp44” had uploaded one file on or about July 19, 2022, which would be considered child pornography. The IP addresses associated with the CyberTip came back to a Nebraska residence belonging to Michael Nolte.
On December 15, 2022, the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force served a residential search warrant at Nolte’s residence in Lincoln where Nolte resided with his family. During the contact with law enforcement, Nolte admitted to previously using the KIK messenger application on his phone but deleted the application.
During a forensic examination of a laptop belonging to Michael Nolte, law enforcement observed at least 553 photographs and at least 5 videos depicting child pornography. These photographs depicted toddlers and other children under the age of twelve, including files depicting sadism. These files also included depictions of fellatio, and digital, penile, vaginal and anal penetration. There were also at least 500 photographs depicting child erotica.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
Level III Sex Offender Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A level III sex offender who has four prior state convictions on child pornography charges has now been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for additional federal child pornography offenses, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
In July 2023, less than one month after being released from state prison after completing a four-year term of incarceration, Patrick M. O’Donnell, 63, was found to be in possession of two cellphones, in violation of the conditions of the terms of his state probation, which forensic review determined to have been used to access child pornography.
O’Donnell pleaded guilty in federal court on April 8, 2024, to a charge of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court William E. Smith to 10 years of incarceration to be followed by lifetime federal supervised release.
The case in federal court was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Cranston Police, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc
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Lafayette Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to a Decade in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS—Kyle Lee Stacy, 44, of Lafayette, Indiana, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on August 17, 2023, Kokomo Police Department officers pulled over Kyle Lee Stacy for committing multiple traffic violations. During the traffic stop, a specially trained narcotics detecting canine alerted to the presence of a controlled substance coming from the driver’s side of the vehicle.
A search of the interior of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of 459.8 grams of pure methamphetamine, hidden inside a black Adidas lunch bag. A subsequent search of Stacy’s cell phone revealed a text message he sent to an individual shortly before the traffic stop, which read: “All right cuz, I’m almost there ....and I got a pound of dope on me.”
Stacy has amassed a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1998. His prior felony convictions include, burglary, theft, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and five separate charges for possession of methamphetamine.
“The federal prison sentence imposed against this drug dealer demonstrates that there will be serious consequences for those who traffic in deadly drugs with utter disregard for human life,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Our federal prosecutors are committed to working closely with our partners including the DEA and Kokomo Police Department to get dealers off the streets of every community.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Kokomo Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Senior Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry D. Glickman, who prosecuted this case.
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Kentucky Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Transporting a Minor Across State Lines and Engaging in Sex ActsRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin P. Davidson announced the sentencing of a Lexington, Kentucky man for unlawfully transporting a minor across state lines with intent to engage in sexual activity. On August 28, 2024, a federal judge ordered that 44-year-old Glendon Arnold Carpenter, Jr., serve 240 months in prison. The judge also ordered that Carpenter remain on supervised release for life following his prison term. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole.
According to court records, in 2023, Carpenter began communicating with a 14-year-old girl in Lee County, Alabama through an online messaging application. After establishing a relationship with the minor, Carpenter convinced her to leave home. In July of 2023, Carpenter traveled to Alabama to pick up the 14-year-old and take her back to Kentucky where the two engaged in sexual activity. The victim’s parents reported her missing and law enforcement immediately began searching for her. Agents located Carpenter and the victim in Kentucky within two days. A federal grand jury indicted Carpenter for unlawfully transporting a minor across state lines in August of 2023. On February 12, 2024, Carpenter pleaded guilty to the charge.
The FBI Mobile Field Office and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case, with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Richmond, Kentucky Police Department, and the FBI Louisville Field Office. Assistant United States Attorney Tara S. Ratz prosecuted the case.
Jury Convicts Colorado Man for Kidnapping Employee from Michael Bloomberg’s RanchRead the Press Release
CHEYENNE - A federal jury convicted a Colorado man yesterday for kidnapping a woman from Michael Bloomberg’s ranch in February 2022.
Joseph Beecher, 51, of Craig, was convicted of kidnapping, carjacking, using/carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and transportation of stolen firearms.
According to evidence presented at trial, Beecher lived and worked at an apartment complex in Craig. In the early morning hours of Feb. 2, 2022, Beecher was informed by his employer that his services were no longer needed. Beecher broke into his employer’s home and stole two firearms, including a Bushmaster AR-style rifle. Beecher then drove to a ranch in Colorado owned by Michael Bloomberg, intent on killing Mr. Bloomberg, but finding only a female employee present on the property. Beecher took the woman hostage at gunpoint and forced her to drive him to various locations in an effort to locate and kill another media mogul in Colorado. Unable to find his second target, Beecher eventually forced the woman at gunpoint to drive him to the Stage Coach Motel in Cheyenne, where Beecher could rest and figure out his next criminal act. In the early morning hours of February 3, 2022, SWAT officers with the Cheyenne Police Department rescued the woman and arrested Beecher at the motel. The woman was physically unharmed.
The trial was held before U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson in Cheyenne.
Beecher was indicted on March 17, 2022, and pleaded not guilty on March 21, 2022. Sentencing has been set for November 18. Beecher faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years and up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Vierbuchen prosecuted the case.
The FBI, Cheyenne Police Department, Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and the Craig Police Department investigated the case.
Case No. 22-CR-00028
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
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Indictment Charges New Haven Man with Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging BRANDEN HARPER, also known as “Olie” and “Ollie,” 30, of New Haven, with the unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
The indictment was returned on August 20, 2024. Harper appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge. Harper has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on March 27, 2024.
The indictment alleges that between approximately November 2 and November 16, 2023, Harper unlawfully possessed a loaded Glock 22 .40 caliber firearm with an extended magazine. As alleged in court documents, the firearm, which was affixed with a “Glock switch” that converted it to a fully automatic weapon, was used in a shooting in New Haven on November 12, 2023.
The indictment further alleges that, in 2015, Harper was convicted in state court of manslaughter in the first degree. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. A charge is only an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the New Haven Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Guevremont through Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case is also being pursued through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Indiana Man Sentenced to 180 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Elliott Gruss, 34 years old, of Ossian, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady, after pleading guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Gruss was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, between September and October 2019, Gruss did attempt to employ, use, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct and for the purpose of producing a live visual depiction of that conduct.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Allen County Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Houston-area residents charged for narcotics and firearms trafficking in ongoing crime initiativeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON– A total of 20 people are now in custody in the newest charges brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Houston Violent Crime Initiative.
A federal grand jury returned six separate, but related indictments at varying times between July 31-Aug. 22. Of the 17 arrested this week, all have made initial appearances with detention hearings set for Sept. 3 and 4 before U.S. Magistrate Judges Christina Bryan and Yvonne Ho, respectively. The remaining three had previously been in custody on related charges and are expected to make initial appearances before a U.S. magistrate judge in the near future.
The charges allegedly encompass over 30 firearms, meth and more than 15 kilograms of cocaine, collectively. In connection with this week’s arrests, law enforcement executed search warrants that resulted in the seizure of 10 firearms, $26,000 in cash as well as cocaine and crack cocaine.
A total of 15 are charged in two of the indictments with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances as well as multiple substantive counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Some are also charged with illegal possession of firearms and/or criminal possession of a machine gun - a firearm altered with a machine gun conversion device aka switch to fire automatically with one pull of the trigger. One faces a charge of maintaining drug premises.
These indictments are the latest of 23 charging 77 people as a result of the Criminal Division’s Houston Violent Crime Initiative, first announced in September 2022.
This joint effort includes the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local, state and federal law enforcement addresses violent crime by employing, where appropriate, federal laws to prosecute gang members in the southwest and southeast areas of Houston. As part of the initiative, the Criminal Division has dedicated attorneys and other resources to prosecuting violent offenders and assisting intervention, prevention and reentry efforts to address the root causes of violent crime, such as narcotics trafficking. The Office of Justice Programs provides some of the funding for this effort.
If convicted in the drug conspiracies, 15 face up to life in prison as well as varying terms for the substantive counts up to life. Being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a possible 15-year-term of imprisonment, while possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime could result in a consecutive term of at least five years and up to life in prison.
The FBI, Houston Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation with assistance from Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Office of Inspector General; police departments in Sugar Land, Missouri City, Pasadena and Pearland; Texas Anti-Gang Center; Texas Highway Patrol; Virginia State Police and departments in Newport News (Virginia), Cincinnati (Ohio) and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport; Sheriff’s Offices in Brazoria, Walker, Madison, Harris, Ft. Bend and Boyd (Kentucky) Counties; District Attorney’s Offices in Harris and Ft. Bend counties; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Anh-Khoa Tran of the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorneys Amy L. Schwartz, George Meggali and Shriram Harid of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. SDTX AUSA John Ganz and Trial Attorney Adam Tisdall of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section also provided assistance.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Houston-Area Residents Charged for Narcotics and Firearms Trafficking in Ongoing Crime InitiativeRead the Press Release
A total of 17 people were arrested this week in connection with firearms and drug crimes as part of the Justice Department’s Houston Violent Crime Initiative.
Of the 17 defendants arrested this week, all have made initial appearances, and detention hearings are set for Sept. 3 and 4 before U.S. Magistrate Judges Christina Bryan and Yvonne Ho, respectively. Three additional defendants were already in custody on related charges and are expected to make initial appearances before a U.S. magistrate judge in the near future.
According to court documents, between July 31 and Aug. 22, a federal grand jury returned six separate, but related, indictments charging 16 people with crimes related to drug distribution. Two defendants were indicted for illegal possession of a machine gun. One defendant faces a charge of maintaining drug premises.
The charges allege conduct involving over 30 firearms, over 150 grams of methamphetamine, and more than 15 kilograms of cocaine, collectively. In connection with the arrests, law enforcement executed search warrants that resulted in the seizure of 10 firearms, $26,000 in cash, as well as cocaine and crack cocaine.
Sixteen of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances as well as multiple substantive counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Eight of the defendants are charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and/or possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison for the felon in possession of a firearm offense and a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison for the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime offense. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas; Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI Houston Field Office; and Chief J. Noe Diaz of the Houston Police Department made the announcement.
The FBI, Houston Police Department, and Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service and Pearland, Texas, Police Department. The investigation was also assisted by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Office of Inspector General and state and local law enforcement agencies in Texas, Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky.
Trial Attorney Amy L. Schwartz, George Meggali, and Shriram Harid of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anh-Khoa Tran for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ganz for the Southern District of Texas and Trial Attorney Adam Tisdall of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section also provided assistance.
These indictments represent the latest of 23 indictments charging 77 defendants as part of the Criminal Division’s Houston Violent Crime Initiative, first announced in September 2022.
This joint effort by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, and local, state, and federal law enforcement addresses violent crime by employing, where appropriate, federal laws to prosecute gang members and associates in the southwest and southeast areas of Houston. As part of the initiative, the Criminal Division has dedicated attorneys and other resources to prosecuting violent offenders and assisting intervention, prevention, and reentry efforts to address the root causes of violent crime, such as narcotics trafficking. The Department’s Office of Justice Programs provides some of the funding related to this effort.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Harahan Man Sentenced to 200 Months in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DOMINICK ANTHONY VALOTTA (“VALOTTA”), age 38, a resident of Harahan, Louisiana, was sentenced by United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey to 200 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of children, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a). VALOTTA was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release following imprisonment and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. VALOTTA must register as a sex offender. Judge Zainey scheduled a restitution hearing in this matter for November 5, 2024.
According to court documents, based on a 2022 complaint by a minor resident in Rhode Island, law enforcement authorities executed search warrants on social media accounts, electronic devices, and a residence in Harahan, Louisiana, belonging to VALOTTA. A review of the items seized revealed that throughout 2022 and early 2023, VALOTTA met at least three (3) minor females on social media applications on which VALOTTA created a false persona. When chatting with the minors, VALOTTA typically engaged in sexually charged correspondence. His pattern included, and culminated in, VALOTTA requesting sexually explicit images, videos and depictions from minors. VALOTTA often offered to take and transmit sexually explicit pictures of himself to the minors to encourage them to do the same for him. VALOTTA also sent messages to the minors seeking to arrange in-person sexual liaisons. VALOTTA’s victims included a North Carolina resident born in August 2007 (Victim 1), an Ohio resident born in July 2008 (Victim 2), and a North Carolina resident born in March 2008 (Victim 3).
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States 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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, was in charge of the prosecution.
Guns and Drugs Lead to 86-Month SentenceRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Thursday sentenced a felon caught with fentanyl and methamphetamine and twice with guns to 86 months in prison.
Davion Dixon, of Ferguson, Missouri, and others were in a stolen BMW on Oct. 31, 2022, when the vehicle crashed in Richmond Heights, Missouri after a shooting. Dixon had an AR-style pistol, which he discarded as he fled from the crash. He was arrested in a nearby backyard.
Dixon was arrested again on March 23, 2023, this time by the St. Louis County Police Department on a warrant from St. Louis County Circuit Court. Officers spotted Dixon with an AR-style pistol before the arrest, and found the gun inside his home, along with a 60-round magazine and an “auto sear” that would have made the gun fully automatic if installed. The auto sear, even if it has not been attached to a firearm, is defined as a machine gun under federal law. Officers also found 16.67 grams of meth, 56 capsules containing fentanyl and 2.078 grams of cocaine base.
Dixon, now 22, pleaded guilty in May to five felonies: possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of a machine gun and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The St. Louis County Police Department, the Richmond Heights Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the 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.
Georgia Man Admits to Defrauding Multiple Banks in UtahRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A Georgia man pleaded guilty today to multiple federal crimes after he admitted to engaging in a check fraud scheme to defraud several federally insured financial institutions in the District of Utah.
Toddorius Goodwin, 34, of Lithonia, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity fraud.
According to court documents and admissions made during Goodwin’s change of plea hearing, Goodwin and his associates traveled from Georgia to engage in a check fraud scheme in Utah and elsewhere. They recruited impoverished individuals locally to assist with their scheme. Goodwin and his associates stole payroll checks from private mailboxes, altered the “payable to” names on the checks to the recruited individual’s name, and sent that individual into various banks to cash the forged checks in exchange for a cut of the profit. Goodwin and his associates successfully cashed at least $214,179.51 worth of counterfeit checks in Utah within just a few months, from April to October 2022.
Goodwin is scheduled to be sentenced November 7, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 3.4. before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Special Assistant United States Attorney Sachi Jepson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
Four defendants charged following Niagara Falls drug raidsRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that four Niagara Falls men were arrested and charged in separate criminal complaints for their roles in a drug trafficking ring operating in Niagara Falls, NY.
- Paul Fields, 39, and Edward Rollie, 49, are charged with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $5,000,000 fine.
- Rashawn Salmon, 39, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, which carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life and a $10,000,000 fine.
- Jermaine McQueen, 46, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carry a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaints, on August 28, 2024, search warrants were executed at multiple residences associated with all four defendants. During the searches, law enforcement recovered 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl, over a kilogram of cocaine, three firearms, and $25,000 in U.S. currency.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The complaints are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the Niagara Falls Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Nick Ligammari, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti, the North Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief Keith Glass, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Stanley Edwards, and the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Former youth pastor sentenced on child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Nathan L. Rogers, 40, of East Aurora, NY, who was convicted of attempted receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno, who handled the case, stated that in July 2019, at Darien Lake Park in Genesee County, NY, Rogers, a church youth pastor, set up iPhones in his camper to surreptitiously record, for the purposes of his own sexual gratification, nude images of a minor victim. Shortly after setting up the phones, Rogers invited the minor victim to change out of her bathing suit in his camper. She agreed and, as she changed, the iPhones recorded nude images. After changing, the minor victim noticed the phones recording her, she attempted to delete the videos, and then reported the incident to authorities. Responding law enforcement officers detained and questioned Rogers. Subsequently, nude images of the minor victim were located on the phones.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr.
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Former Navy Petty Officer Admits to Role in Stealing and Selling Military GearRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A California man who served for more than twenty years in the United States Navy before his discharge as a Petty Officer First Class has admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island that, while actively serving in the Navy, he participated in a scheme to steal and sell hundreds of thousands of dollars of government property from a Navy base responsible for supplying ships in the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Richard Allen, 52, of Citrus Heights, CA, pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiracy and six counts of money laundering as previously charged in a federal grand jury indictment.
According to information presented to the court, while stationed at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown-Cheatham Annex, in Williamsburg, VA, Allen and others repeatedly broke into a warehouse on the Navy base that held U.S. Navy gear, including working uniforms, winter gear, flame retardant shirts and pants, soft body armor, goggles, infrared flag patches, Navy SEAL Trident insignia, and Small Arms Protective Insert plates. Allen and his co-conspirators stole $856,433 worth of Navy gear and supplies, storing the items in various locations, including in Rhode Island. Allen and others then identified bulk-sale domestic and international customers for the stolen goods and arranged for delivery either in person or via commercial shipping. Payment for the stolen goods was frequently made and received via PayPal, including dozens of payments made from an account in China. The proceeds were transferred to co-conspirators bank accounts, including Allen’s, in increments of less than $10,000, in an effort to avoid bank reporting requirements.
Allen is scheduled to be sentenced on November 26, 2024.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine D. Lowell and Paul F. Daly, Jr.
The matter was investigated by Naval Criminal Investigative Service-Northeast Field Office; Defense Criminal Investigative Service-Northeast Field Office; Homeland Security Investigations-New England; Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement-Boston Field Office; and FBI- Providence Resident Agency.
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Former National Guardsman convicted in smuggling conspiracyRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 24-year-old man has admitted to being a scout for an alien smuggling group, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Derrick Terelle Sankey, a native of Alabama, was serving under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Rio Grande Valley in 2021.
From March to September 2021, conspirators recruited Sankey into an existing alien smuggling group in which he would provide insight into counter-smuggling activities. He also scouted for vehicles he knew contained individuals who were illegally present in the United States in order to thwart law enforcement from detecting them.
As part of his plea, Sankey also admitted to providing law enforcement information to an alien smuggling organization. He also worked as a scout when loads of aliens would move from Starr and Hidalgo Counties to near the Border Patrol Checkpoint in Jim Wells County.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane will impose sentencing Nov. 12. At that time, Sankey faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
Homeland Security Investigations and DHS – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert L. Guerra Jr. is prosecuting the case.
Former MPD Sergeant Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Fatally Shooting a D.C. MotoristRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Enis Jevric, 42, a former Sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), was sentenced today in federal court to 60 months in prison for the August 2021 shooting death of 27-year-old An’Twan Gilmore, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office.
Jevric pleaded guilty February 23, 2024, in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. to violating Mr. Gilmore’s constitutional rights by using deadly excessive force. Jevric also pleaded guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter under D.C. law. In addition to the prison term, Jevric was ordered to serve five years of supervised release.
According to documents filed with the court, Jevric willfully used unconstitutionally excessive and unreasonable force by shooting Mr. Gilmore. Specifically, shortly before 3 a.m. on August 25, 2021, Jevric and 17 other MPD officers responded to the intersection of New York Ave. and Florida Ave., N.E. for a report of a man asleep in the driver’s seat of a car stopped at the intersection. Officers approached the car and noticed that the sleeping driver, later identified as Mr. Gilmore, had a handgun in his waistband. After officers had been on scene for about 10 minutes and had cleared the avenues of civilian pedestrian and vehicle traffic, Jevric approached the car and directed another officer to knock on its windows to rouse Mr. Gilmore. When Mr. Gilmore awoke, the car moved forward several feet, stopped briefly, and then moved forward again. As it did so, Jevric fired his MPD-issued firearm at the car four times. The car then rolled down New York Avenue, and Jevric fired at it six more times. Three of Jevric’s shots struck Mr. Gilmore, who died a short time later from his wounds. No other officer fired at Mr. Gilmore. When officers pulled the bleeding, unresponsive, and unconscious Gilmore out of the car after it came to a rest, Gilmore’s gun was in the same spot it had been observed, tucked into his waistband, underneath his buckled seatbelt.
As part of his guilty plea, Jevric admitted that his conduct constituted unconstitutional, unreasonable force, and that he acted willfully, in reckless disregard of Mr. Gilmore’s Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force by police. He also admitted that his conduct created an extreme risk of death to Mr. Gilmore and was a gross deviation from a reasonable standard of care.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with extensive assistance from the FBI Laboratory including the Laboratory Shooting Reconstruction Team. It is being prosecuted by the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Former East Chicago Police Commander Sentenced to 36 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Louis Arcuri, 55 years old, of Portage, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund after pleading guilty to distribution of cocaine announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Arcuri was sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. He has been in federal custody since February 29, 2024.
According to documents in the case, Arcuri was on duty and armed as an East Chicago Police Commander on June 11, 2021, when he provided cocaine to an associate.
"The public rightly expects that those charged with enforcing the law will themselves abide by the law. Most law enforcement officers live up to this expectation,” said United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. “However, this defendant, while a sworn officer, violated federal law by distributing illegal drugs. Today, the court sentenced him for his criminal activity. This case demonstrates my office’s commitment to promoting public safety through prosecution even when the offender wears a police badge.”
"Law enforcement officers take an oath to protect and serve and are held to the highest standards of conduct so when an officer is found to be involved in criminal activity, it undermines the public’s trust,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are firmly committed to holding officers accountable when they violate their oaths.”
“This case illustrates the level of partnerships among law enforcement to hold accountable those who violate the law, regardless of their profession,” said ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Aaron R. Wheeler of the Chicago Field Division. “No one is above the law, and I commend the United States Attorney’s Office for their dedication in prosecuting this case.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the East Chicago and the Whiting Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick and Thomas M. McGrath.
Five gang members plead guilty in murder near YorktownRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Five members of the Black P. Stone Nation gang pled guilty to federal charges relating to an abduction of the victim in Richmond and her ultimate murder in York County.
According to court documents, in the early morning hours of May 6, 2023, Hezekiah Carney, 25, of Norfolk, Jamica Langley, 25, of Richmond, Donnisha Goodman, 27, of Portsmouth, and Acacia Jackson, 19, of New York, traveled to the victim’s residence on Bethel Street in Richmond, Virginia, to conduct a physical beating of the victim for a gang infraction. The group left the apartment after beating the victim.
Around an hour later, Goodman, Jackson, Carney, and Langley returned to the victim’s apartment, this time with an additional co-conspirator and fellow gang member, Jayquan Jones, 21, of Richmond. Some of them were armed and wearing masks. The group attacked the victim again before taking her from her residence. The group drove the victim in a Hyundai Sonata approximately an hour east of Richmond to a remote area off Old Williamsburg Road in York County, where they removed her from the car and executed her. The Medical Examiner found eight gunshot wounds to the head, abdomen, back, buttocks, and legs.
Upon returning to Portsmouth after the murder, Carney instructed Goodman, Jackson, and Langley on ways to evade law enforcement, including burning their clothing, and told them to stay together and not to speak with law enforcement.
At approximately 6:30 a.m., deputies with the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office found the victim’s body, along with numerous shell casings with an "S&B” headstamp. On May 7, 2023, the Norfolk Police Department located and stopped the Sonata. Jackson, Goodman, and Langley were in the vehicle at the time. Investigators recovered a 9mm cartridge from the vehicle with the same “S&B" headstamp from casings found at the scene of the murder.
Carney, Goodman, and Jones pled guilty to using a firearm causing death. Under the terms of their plea agreements, each faces a minimum of 35 years in prison and up to 45 years in prison. Carney and Jones are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 9, 2025. Goodman is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7, 2025.
Jackson and Langley pled guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and each faces up to life in prison. Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 31. Langley is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 7.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Norfolk Field Office; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; James VanVliet, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Ronald Montgomery, York County Sheriff, made the announcement.
The Richmond Area Violent Enterprise (RAVE) Task Force provided significant assistance in the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa McKeel and Mack Coleman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Levey-Weinstein are prosecuting the case with substantial assistance provided by the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-1.
Farmington Accountant Admits Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that MARK LEGOWSKI, 60, of Farmington, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to filing false tax returns.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from January 2015 through December 2017, Legowski was a self-employed accountant and tax return preparer doing business as Legowski & Company, Inc. (“LCI”) in Farmington. Legowski prepared income tax returns for approximately 400 to 500 individual clients and approximately 50 to 60 businesses. For the 2015 through 2017 tax years, in order to reduce his personal income tax liability, Legowski willfully underreported LCI’s gross receipts in LCI’s computer bookkeeping system by excluding some customer payment checks. He then filed false personal income tax returns that failed to report a total of more than $1.4 million in business income, which resulted in a loss to the IRS of $499,289.
For example, on his 2017 income tax return, Legowski reported taxable income of $56,060 and a tax liability of $6,070, and failed to report an additional $496,808 in business income, which resulted in an income tax deficiency of $178,581.
Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for November 25, at which time Legowski faces a maximum term of imprisonment of three years. Legowski also has agreed to cooperate with the IRS to pay $499,289 in back taxes, as well as penalties and interest.
Legowski is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen.
Fall River Man Arrested for Selling Drugs and Machineguns on Telegram AppRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fall River man was arrested yesterday and charged with selling drugs and machineguns that he advertised on the Telegram app.
Benjamin Hunt, 26, was charged by criminal complaint with three counts of distribution of controlled substances and one count of transferring machineguns. Hunt was arrested yesterday morning, and following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was detained pending a hearing scheduled for Sept. 5, 2024.
As described in court documents, Hunt allegedly advertised drugs, firearms and other contraband on Telegram, a cloud-based application. Hunt would then allegedly use the U.S. mail to ship drugs, firearms and other contraband around the country in exchange for payment via Bitcoin. Specifically, Hunt allegedly used Telegram to advertise various types of controlled substances, including counterfeit pharmaceutical pills containing fentanyl and other drugs. It is alleged that he also used Telegram to sell firearms and firearm parts including privately made firearms, commonly referred to as “ghost guns.” According to court documents, ghost guns are firearms assembled or otherwise produced by a person other than a licensed manufacturer, typically without a serial number, as well as machinegun conversion devices, commonly referred to as “switches,” which are designed to convert firearms into fully automatic weapons.
On two separate occasions in February and May 2024, Hunt allegedly used Telegram to sell 100 and 500 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, respectively, to undercover law enforcement in exchange for Bitcoin. In both instances, Hunt allegedly shipped the narcotics via U.S. mail after receiving Bitcoin payment.
It is further alleged that, in June 2024, law enforcement made another undercover purchase from Hunt via Telegram, this time of a Glock-type privately made firearm without a serial number, two switches or machinegun conversion devices, 110 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, an extended magazine and 3D printed brass knuckles.
According to court documents, earlier this week, Hunt allegedly mailed another package containing 1,600 counterfeit pills believed to contain fentanyl to undercover law enforcement in exchange for Bitcoin.
Law enforcement also intercepted multiple packages allegedly being sent to or from Hunt, including one package sent by him that contained a smoke grenade and one package sent to an address associated with him that contained 13 switches or machinegun conversion devices.
As further described in court documents, law enforcement executed multiple search warrants that led to the seizure of significant quantities and types of drugs, in addition to the seizure of an arsenal of firearms. Among other things, a large quantity suspected fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, morphine codeine, and mushrooms; approximately 10 firearms; several machine gun conversion devices; several silencers; several extended magazines, including with a large capacity drum; significant amounts of ammunition; many privately made firearm parts and accessories; and 3D printers capable of producing the seized privately made firearms were seized during the search.
“This arrest underscores our commitment to dismantling dangerous networks that use technology to facilitate the illegal distribution of deadly drugs and highly dangerous and illegal firearms. As alleged, Mr. Hunt exploited encrypted messaging platforms and the anonymity of cryptocurrency to peddle lethal narcotics and untraceable weapons, endangering communities across the country. The sheer volume of drugs and firearms seized during this investigation highlights the significant threat posed by these activities. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to protect the public from the scourge of illegal drugs and violent crime,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy.
“As we all know, drug trafficking in our communities, along with the gun and physical violence that often accompanies it, is a serious threat to our families and communities,” said Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “These crimes rob the neighborhoods of safety and hold law abiding citizens of Massachusetts hostage to drug fueled lawlessness. This is unacceptable and will not be allowed to happen. DEA and its local, state and federal partners are dedicated to investigating anyone that commits these crimes.”
“ATF is committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and dismantle the sources of illegal drugs in our communities,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division. “Drugs are often found alongside guns, so we are also taking decisive action to prevent the illegal sale and use of machine gun conversion devices.”
“Hunt’s arrest should give fair warning that trafficking in narcotics and firearms on encrypted applications does not give anonymity. Working collaboratively with our law enforcement partners, investigations like this highlight our ever-evolving abilities to identify and locate suspects engaged in similar conduct. The use of the U.S. Mail to distribute illicit substances and illegal firearms will not be tolerated and Postal Inspectors here in Massachusetts, and across the country are aggressively investigating these types of cases,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division.
The charges of distribution of controlled substances each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of transfer of machineguns provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy, DEA Acting SAC Belleau, ATF SAC Ferguson and USPIS INC Larco-Ward made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in New England; the Massachusetts State Police; and the Attleboro, Fairhaven, Fall River, New Bedford, Norton, Scituate and Taunton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Mackenzie Duane and Kunal Pasricha of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Dominican National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Onassis Alexander Tejeda-Arias, age 31, of the Dominican Republic, was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 28, 2024, for illegal reentry into the United States by a previously deported alien.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Lopez-Zamora was previously removed from the United States on October 16, 2016, through Alexandria, Louisiana. It is alleged that he was subsequently found in the United States on October 6, 2022, in Dauphin County, without having first obtained legal permission to reenter the country.
This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Dodge Woman Sentenced for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Kristin M. Uhing, age 54, of Dodge, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 29, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for bank fraud. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Uhing to 15 months’ imprisonment and ordered that she pay $172,806 in restitution. There is no parole in the federal system. After Uhing’s release from prison, she will begin a 4-year term of supervised release.
Starting in about 2015, Uhing gained unauthorized online access to bank accounts and certificates of deposit owned by her mother- and father-in-law, an elderly couple who lived nearby. From then until 2021, Uhing used that unauthorized access to transfer funds from the victims’ accounts to her own account. Uhing kept the victims from learning about the unauthorized transfers by altering bank statements and by changing the account settings to paperless. Uhing also used the victims’ credit cards without authorization. In total, Uhing stole over $200,000 from the victims, which included all their retirement savings. By the time of sentencing, Uhing had paid back about $27,612.
This case was investigated by the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Culver City Restauranteur Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining More Than $4 Million in COVID-19 Business-Relief LoansRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A Culver City man and restauranteur who owns a hospitality company that has developed restaurants and hotels in California, Tennessee, and Kentucky pleaded guilty today to fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million COVID-19 economic-relief loans.
Philip Frederick Camino, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
During the spring of 2020, Congress created two federal programs to provide financial assistance to Americans suffering economic harm because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to his plea agreement, Camino owns several companies based in Hollywood, Westwood, Studio City, and Beverly Hills as well as in Arizona. From April 2020 to April 2021, Camino submitted and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent applications to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) and banks for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).
In these applications, Camino made false statements, including inflating the number of employees to whom were paid wages, providing fictitious federal tax forms that were never filed with the IRS, and falsely certifying that the loan proceeds would be used for permissible business purposes.
Relying on Camino’s false information, the SBA and lenders approved and funded these loans, the proceeds of which were transferred to a bank account under Camino’s control. Camino used most of the fraudulently obtained money for expenses prohibited under the PPP and EIDL programs, including paying more than $100,000 in kickbacks to his accomplice.
For example, in June 2020, Camino emailed a bank containing false documentation to support a $144,270 fraudulent PPP loan application on behalf of a company controlled by a co-conspirator.
In total, Camino submitted more than 20 fraudulent loan applications from which he obtained more than $4 million.
United States District Judge Fred W. Slaughter scheduled a March 6, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Camino will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Waier of the Santa Ana Branch Office is prosecuting this case.
Court Shuts Down Ohio Return Preparer and His BusinessesRead the Press Release
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio issued a permanent injunction today against an Ohio tax return preparer.
Emmanuel Antwi and his Cincinnati businesses — Manny Travel Agency & Business Services Inc. and Manny Financial, Insurance & Accounting Firm LLC — consented to the injunction, which permanently bars them from preparing federal tax returns for others. The United States’ claim for an order demanding Antwi turnover ill-gotten gains he received in the form of tax preparation fees remains pending.
According to the civil complaint, since at least 2020, Antwi filed hundreds of tax returns each filing season with at least 95% of the returns he prepared annually claiming a refund. Allegedly, Antwi knowingly took unreasonable or incorrect positions on returns he prepared that resulted in understatements of the tax his customers owed and overstatements of the refunds to which they were entitled to receive. In particular, the complaint alleges that Antwi prepared returns that claimed deductions for purported business losses or employee business expenses that he knew were false. The complaint also alleges that Antwi prepared returns where he knowingly reported the wrong filing status.
As a result of the court’s order, Antwi must send notice of the injunction to each person for whom he or his businesses prepared federal tax returns, amended tax returns or claims for refund between Jan. 1, 2019, to the present. Additionally, the order provides that Antwi must post a copy of the permanent injunction both on websites that he and his businesses maintain and at physical locations where any type of business is conducted.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers 10 tips to avoid tax season fraud and ways to safeguard their personal information.
In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Antwi Injunction Order.pdfConvicted Felon Sentenced for Firearm and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Haverhill man with multiple prior felony convictions, including manslaughter, was sentenced to 10 years in prison yesterday in federal court in Boston for possessing a loaded firearm and drugs intended for distribution.
Ramon Silvelo-Miles, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 10 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In February 2024, Silvelo-Miles pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
In the early morning hours of Sept. 20, 2021, Silvelo-Miles was stopped by law enforcement for driving erratically on Route 24 in West Bridgewater. Field sobriety tests administered on-site indicated that Silvelo-Miles was too impaired to drive. During a subsequent search of his car over 200 grams of cocaine and 9 grams of fentanyl packaged in 51 small, clear plastic bags in a small backpack inside the glove compartment were found. Hidden inside a black sock with the drugs was a Raven Arms MP-25 .25 caliber pistol. The gun was loaded with one bullet in the chamber and five bullets in the magazine. Silvelo-Miles is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to multiple prior felony convictions including a 2014 conviction for manslaughter.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit 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.
Convicted Felon Charged with Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal grand jury indicted a convicted felon for illegally possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.
A one-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Darrie Dewayne Ziegler, 31, of Birmingham, with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to the indictment, on August 15, 2024, Ziegler illegally possessed a Shadow Systems 9mm pistol.
ATF investigated the case, along with the Birmingham Police Department and the Irondale Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristy M. Peoples is prosecuting the case.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Claremore Man Sentenced After Offering to Pay a Minor Victim to Perform Sex ActsRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced David Leon Strickland, 46, for Coercion and Enticement of a Minor. Judge Russell ordered Strickland to 162 months imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon his release, Strickland will also be required to register as a sex offender.
“Child predators like Strickland target unsuspecting children through social media and gaming sites,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “With the increase of online access, child exploitation is at an all-time high. Take the time today to know who your children are talking to online.”
Beginning in November 2017, Strickland admitted to using meth daily and knowingly began contacting a minor under 18 years old. Via text, Strickland repeatedly requested the minor victim to engage in sex. If the minor victim complied, Strickland offered to pay the minor.
Strickland will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI, Verdigris Police Department, and Claremore Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jolly prosecuted the case.
If you believe sexually explicit photos or videos of you were posted online, Take It Down can help. Take It Down is a free online website hosted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. You can anonymously request help to remove or stop the sharing of sexually explicit content. Take It Down also provides services for victims, survivors, siblings and caregivers looking for mental health and peer support. Further, if you are being threatened by image sharing or other forms of online exploitation, you can submit a report online.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
California Woman Sentenced to over 7 Years for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, Heroin, and CocaineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Yuri Mulato, age 42, of California, was sentenced on August 29, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for one count of possession with intent to distribute. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Mulato to a total of 87 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Mulato’s release from prison, she will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
On January 23, 2024, a state trooper stopped a vehicle driving along Interstate 80 in Nebraska. There were two occupants in the vehicle. The driver, and owner of the vehicle, was identified as Mulato. The trooper asked for permission to search the vehicle, which Mulato agreed to. The trunk area of the vehicle contained a potato chip box that was duct taped closed and a spare tire that was too large for the vehicle. The box and tire contained bricks of meth, cocaine, heroin, and pills containing fentanyl. The State Crime Lab confirmed that there was 22 kilograms of meth, including at least 2 kilograms of meth actual, just over 1 kilogram of heroin, just over 1 kilogram of pills that tested positive for fentanyl, and 475 grams of cocaine.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
California Man Sentenced to 10 Months for Using a Debit Card Stolen from the U.S. MailRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Jason C. Nottingham, age 42, of Sacramento, California, was sentenced on August 29, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for use of an unauthorized access device. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Weaver to 10 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Weaver will be required to complete a 3-year term of supervised release.
On September 19, 2023, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) began investigating an attempted burglary at the Henderson, Nebraska, post office at 1049 N. Main Street. Employees reported that the damage suggested someone unsuccessfully attempted gain entry to the locked retail lobby door using a crowbar or a similar tool. On September 25, 2023, the Henderson Postmaster received a call from a deputy who reported finding mail in a ditch. The mail included mail from rural mailboxes in Henderson, Nebraska.
On September 28, 2023, the USPIS began investigating an attempted burglary at the Fairmont, Nebraska, post office located at 455 6th Avenue. Investigators observed that approximately thirteen post office boxes had been pried open. Similar pry-bar markings were observed on the locked retail lobby door, but the door had not been opened. The post office reported similar box break-ins the weekend prior. Fairmont Police reviewed surveillance camera footage and observed a silver SUV stop at the post office for approximately twenty minutes.
On September 29, 2023, a victim reported to the Fairmont Police Department that multiple fraudulent charges were posted to his account. The police identified the suspect as Joseph Weaver and identified the suspect vehicle as a silver Toyota SUV bearing California license plates.
On October 16, 2023, the USPIS began investigating a reported attempted burglary at the Trumbull, Nebraska, post office located at 125 Main Street. Employees reported break-ins of approximately nine post office boxes and the appearance of an attempt to access the main lobby door.
On October 18, 2023, the Geneva, Nebraska, post office reported break-ins of three post office boxes, two of which were unused. On the same date, several local law enforcement agencies coordinated the execution of a search warrant at 304 West Ash in Sutton, Nebraska, where Weaver resided. Officers located numerous items of stolen mail, including mail addressed to victims with post office boxes in Geneva, Henderson, and Trumbull. Officers contacted Weaver at the residence and arrested him for possession of methamphetamine and obstruction.
On October 19, 2023, a postal inspector interviewed the Weaver at the Clay County Jail. Weaver initially stated that he received the mail from a guy in a Walmart parking lot but later admitted he lied. Weaver admitted to breaking into post office boxes in Fairmont, Geneva, and Trumbull. Weaver admitted to looking for checks and other financial instruments. Weaver was also in possession of a counterfeit arrow key (a master key to postal locks). Weaver admitted to making purchases with the Fairmont victim’s stolen debit card. The aggregate value of the items obtained by the Weaver using the victim’s stolen debit card was close to $3,000.00. Weaver stated he also took a stolen check to a bank in Lincoln, Nebraska, but left when the clerk indicated he was going to verify the check.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
California Man Sentenced for Walmart TheftsRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Jabaree Mabrey, 27, of California, was sentenced August 29, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for fraudulent use of an unauthorized access device. Senior United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Mabrey to 64 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Mabrey’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Mabrey was also ordered to pay $690,484 in restitution.
In April of 2023, Mabrey was identified and arrested after a co-defendant, Marlon Tigner had been arrested in Nebraska on state charges. Tigner was previously sentenced to 71 months in prison by Judge Gerrard for the same charges.
In the course of the investigation, it was learned that Walmart’s cash registers utilize a master key, apparently universal to all Walmart registers, regardless of location. This key is accessible only to managers and front-end supervisors. At some point, Tigner and Mabrey had come into possession of a master key and has been using that key to steal from Walmart. Documentation gathered during the investigation showed a loss of $690,484 from stores spanning from Washington state to Massachusetts and from Texas to Wisconsin attributable to Tigner and Mabrey over the last few years.
The case was prosecuted in Nebraska after Tigner was contacted on a traffic stop in Lancaster County, identified as a suspect in the nationwide thefts, and master keys were recovered from his person. Further investigation led to the identification of Mabrey as Tigner’s accomplice. Law enforcement was also able confirm that the two used the keys to steal from several Omaha Walmart stores.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department and numerous other law enforcement partners across the nation.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Illegal Depressant Etizolam over the InternetRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A California man pleaded guilty today for conspiracy to sell the illegal depressant Etizolam over the internet.
Paul Z. Lamberty, 52, of Folsom, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of the introduction of misbranded drugs with the intent to defraud and mislead. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Dec. 13, 2024.
Lamberty operated websites Encern.com and Ohmod.com and used those sites to sell the drug etizolam to customers throughout the United States, including Massachusetts. Payments for etizolam through those websites could only be made through cryptocurrency and it would be shipped to customers through U.S. Priority Mail. Encern.com has no corporate records in the State of California and the Encern.com website did not provide a physical address for the business. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved etizolam for use as a drug, and thus it cannot be sold or prescribed in the United States. Despite this, Lamberty purchased drugs from suppliers in China and imported those drugs into the United States and sold the drugs with false labelling stating that the products were sold “For Research Purposes Only” and “Not for Human Consumption.” Based on an analysis of bank and cryptocurrency records, Lamberty and his co-conspirator conducted gross sales of over $550,000 of etizolam through the internet during the course of the conspiracy.
According to the charging document, etizolam is a drug known as a thienodiazepine, a class of drugs chemically related to benzodiazepines, which produce central nervous system depression. Physicians may prescribe FDA-approved benzodiazepines to treat insomnia and anxiety, but benzodiazepines and thienodiazepines also carry risks of dependency, toxicity, and even fatal overdose, particularly when combined with other central nervous system depressants.
The charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of introduction of misbranded drugs with the intent to defraud and mislead provides for a sentence up to three years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Fernando P. McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared C. Dolan and Lauren A. Graber of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
Boston Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Firearm, Ammunition and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition and for distributing cocaine.
Herbert Small, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to two years in prison, to be followed by six years of supervised release. In April 2024, Small pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and two counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
On Aug. 17, 2023, Small sold 20 grams of cocaine and two firearms – a .22 caliber revolver and a .40 caliber pistol with a magazine containing 11 rounds of ammunition – to a cooperating witness in Dorchester. On Oct. 16, 2023, Small sold approximately 65 grams of cocaine base (commonly known as crack cocaine) to the same cooperating witness.
Small is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to a previous federal drug conviction in 2017.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip C. Cheng and Lucy Sun of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit 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.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Binghamton Woman Pleads Guilty to Escaping Federal Custody and Possessing with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jade A. Pittsley, age 34, of Binghamton, New York, pled guilty today to escaping from federal custody, and possessing and intending to distribute methamphetamine.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo, New York Field Office; and United States Marshal David L. McNulty made the announcement.
Pittsley admitted that in November 2023, while she was serving a federal term of imprisonment for a drug offense involving methamphetamine, she was under the supervision of a halfway house. Pittsley was directed to return to the halfway house but never did. Days later, law enforcement found Pittsley carrying methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in her purse.
At sentencing, scheduled for December 30, 2024, before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino, Pittsley faces a minimum term of 5 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 4 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The case was investigated by HSI and the U.S. Marshals Service with assistance from the Broome County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mikayla Espinosa and Kristen Grabowski are prosecuting this case.
Billings woman sentenced to more than seven years in prison for armed carjackingRead the Press Release
BILLINGS —A Billings woman who admitted carjacking a vehicle while armed was sentenced today to seven years and four months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Talena Florence Boyiddle, 20, pleaded guilty in May to carjacking and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
In court documents, the government alleged that on Jan. 23, 2023, the victim, identified as John Doe 1, reported to the Billings Police Department that he had been carjacked. The victim told law enforcement that he had met a woman he knew as “Nicole” online and that at 1 a.m. on Jan. 23, 2023, she arranged for him to pick her up. When the victim arrived, the woman got into the front seat and two unknown males got into the back seat. The three individuals instructed the victim to drive to an alley behind a laundromat. There, the woman pulled out a Glock pistol, racked it twice and pointed it at John Doe 1. All three individuals made statements that they intended to rob the victim. The victim got out of the car and ran away, and the three individuals took his car, a 2003 Honda Civic. An officer found the car with switched plates later the same day and had it towed. A few days after the car was returned to the victim, it was stolen again. In February 2023, police found Boyiddle in the victim’s car and in possession of a Glock 9mm handgun. Investigators determined through a Facebook photo that “Nicole” was Boyiddle. The government further alleged that Boyiddle and her associates were able to steal the car a second time by using keys they had obtained from the carjacking.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Baltimore Man Found Guilty for Sexual Exploitation of A Minor to Produce Child Pornography, Cyberstalking, and for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – After a three-day trial, a federal jury returned a verdict of guilty against Christopher Kenji Bendann, age 40 of Baltimore, on five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor to produce child pornography, one count of cyberstalking, and three counts possession of child pornography, all relating to his sexual exploitation of a minor male victim.
The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.
According to the evidence presented at trial, from approximately September 16, 2017 to February 9, 2019, the Defendant produced multiple videos of a minor male engaged in sexually-explicit conduct. The victim was 16 and 17 years old during this time. These same videos were stored on the Defendant’s iCloud and comprised a possession of child pornography charge. Additionally, as detailed at trial, between May and December 2022, the Defendant cyberstalked the same victim by sending electronic cellphone messages to the victim, demanding contact and explicit images of him, and threatening to make public sexually-explicit images of the victim if he did not comply. The evidence at trial likewise established that on February 3, 2023, the date of the Defendant’s arrest, the Defendant possessed multiple depictions of child pornography on the Defendant’s multiple electronic devices.
The Defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each count of sexual exploitation of a child to produce child pornography; a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count of possession of child pornography; and, a maximum sentence of 5 years in federal prison for cyberstalking. U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for January 21, 2025 at 1:30 p.m.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI, the Baltimore County Police Department and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn and Kim Y. Hagan, who are prosecuting the federal case. He also recognized the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Julie Jarman.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Automated trading bots scheme results in millions of dollars, Teslas, Rolexes, and federal wire fraud convictionsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Great Falls man pled guilty on July 23 to wire fraud and a Florida man was sentenced yesterday for his role in the wire fraud conspiracy.
According to court documents, Rick Tariq Rahim, 56, defrauded customers who wanted to invest using Rahim’s automated trading bots, some of which traded forex, and by “copying” Rahim’s supposed trading activities that he posted to Discord. He marketed his products under BotsforWealth, TradeAutomation.com, ProChartSignals.com, OptionCopier.com, CopyAndWin.com, SnipeAlgo.com, and QQQtrade.com. Rahim charged customers a subscription fee for access to Rahim’s bots, software, and copying his supposed trades. Rahim also offered a “lifetime membership” to which customers received access to Rahim’s private Discord channel, some of his products, as well as his “in-office” trading days. Additionally, Rahim personally traded stocks for at least two individuals, claiming that "We'll hit home runs and make $500k+ per day very very often." Instead, Rahim lost over $300,000 of his clients’ funds in eight months.
Rahim induced customers to subscribe to his products by using video-centric, internet-based social media tools, including TikTok, YouTube, and Discord. He posted false information to his websites and to his social media accounts claiming to “beat the stock market every day” and promising extreme profit margins.
Rahim also sought to induce customers by claiming he was extremely wealthy, boasting about trading millions of dollars and posting about his large home, pool, and luxury cars, including his Lamborghini. Despite claiming to regularly beat the market, however, he exaggerated his personal trading success, in part by not posting trades in which he lost money. In fact, Rahim realized over $500,000 in losses from February 2021 through December 2022. He did not invest millions in the market during this time period as he had claimed. As part of his fraud scheme, Rahim also created at least 20 Discord user profiles to post emojis, likes, and symbols showing agreement and excitement regarding Rahim’s posts. Rahim earned at least $1,397,000 in subscription fees during the course of his schemes. After accepting the guilty plea, the court ordered that Rahim not give any financial investment advice to anyone for a fee.
Ian Taylor Higgins, 33, conspired with Rahim on one of Rahim’s bot offerings, TradeAutomation. Higgins owned and ran FXPrimary, an online trading platform that purportedly acted as a brokerage house and would manage investors’ cryptocurrency deposits for TradeAutomation. Higgins admitted that investors had little chance of making any profit despite being told they could. He also admitted that the investments were much higher risk than advertised by Rahim. Higgins profited by over $4 million, with which he purchased a Florida home for over $2 million, two Teslas for $70,000, Rolexes for $44,500, as well as other luxury goods. Higgins was sentenced to three years in prison and will be ordered to pay restitution.
On March 15, Rahim pled guilty to failing to pay over to the IRS the taxes withheld from his employees’ paychecks. Rahim has not filed a personal income tax return since 2012 despite earning more than $34 million in gross income, resulting in a loss to the IRS of at least $1,844,489.
Rahim is scheduled to be sentenced for both the wire fraud scheme and his tax fraud on Dec. 20. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud scheme and five years in prison for his tax fraud conviction. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David E. Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the plea for Rahim and after the sentencing of Higgins by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly M. Shartar and Kenneth R. Simon Jr. are prosecuting Rahim for his wire fraud conduct and, with assistance from the Tax Division, his tax fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shartar is prosecuting Higgins for his role in the investment fraud scheme.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 1:24-cr-179 (Rahim’s Investment Fraud Case), 1:23-cr-173 (Rahim’s Tax Fraud Case), and 1:24-cr-26 (Higgins’s Investment Fraud Case).