Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
23 August 2024
Florida Telecommunications and Information Technology Worker Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Act as Agent of PRC GovernmentRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL - Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without notification to the Attorney General.
According to the plea agreement and other court filings, the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) is in charge of civilian intelligence collection for the PRC. The MSS often uses “cooperative contacts” located in countries outside of the PRC in furtherance of their intelligence goals, which include obtaining information concerning foreign corporate or industrial matters, foreign politicians or intelligence officers and information concerning PRC political dissidents residing in those countries. These cooperative contacts assist the MSS in a variety of ways, including by conducting research on topics of interest to the PRC that can be used to further the MSS’s mission.
Li was a United States citizen who immigrated to the United States from the PRC. At various times, Li worked for a major U.S. telecommunications company and an international information technology company.
Li admitted that, from at least as early as 2012, he served as a cooperative contact working at the direction of officers of the MSS to obtain information of interest to the PRC government. Li obtained a wide variety information at the request of the MSS, including information concerning Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy advocates, members of the Falun Gong religious movement and U.S.-based non-governmental organizations, and reported that information to the MSS. Li also provided the MSS with information obtained from his employer. Li used a variety of anonymous online accounts for the purpose of communicating with the MSS, and traveled to the PRC to meet with the MSS.
For example, in August 2012, an MSS officer requested that Li provide information about practitioners of Falun Gong and pro-democracy advocates in the United States. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a religious movement that originated in the PRC in the 1990s. Falun Gong is not one of the five religions formally recognized by the PRC government, and it has been banned since 1999. Its adherents both in China and abroad are of particular interest to the PRC government because of Falun Gong’s advocacy of ideas deemed subversive to the PRC government. Less than a week after receiving this request, Li sent the name and biographical information of an individual affiliated with Falun Gong residing in St. Petersburg, Florida.
In March 2015, an MSS officer requested information from Li about branch offices that Li’s employer, a major U.S. telecommunications company, had opened in the PRC. Li responded with the requested information three weeks later.
In March 2017, an MSS officer Li requested a training instruction plan from Li. In April 2017, Li responded indicating that he had uploaded materials to an online account that he shared with the MSS officer and asked the MSS officer to delete the materials after reading them.
In May 2021, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning hacking events targeting United States companies, including a widely publicized hacking of a major United States company by the Chinese government. Within four days, Li responded with the requested information.
In March 2022, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning Li’s new employer, an international information technology company, as well as materials relating to cybersecurity training. That same day, Li sent the requested information about his employer as well as materials relating to cybersecurity training.
In June 2022, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning an individual who, according to the officer, had resided in the PRC but fled to the United States, and provided the name and suspected residential address in the United States of that individual. That same day, Li responded with information about the owners of that residential address.
If convicted, Li faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the National Security Division, Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Marcet and Karyna Valdes for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Florida Telecommunications and Information Technology Worker Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Act as Agent of PRC GovernmentRead the Press Release
Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without notification to the Attorney General.
According to the plea agreement and other court filings, the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) is in charge of civilian intelligence collection for the PRC. The MSS often uses “cooperative contacts” located in countries outside of the PRC in furtherance of their intelligence goals, which include obtaining information concerning foreign corporate or industrial matters, foreign politicians or intelligence officers and information concerning PRC political dissidents residing in those countries. These cooperative contacts assist the MSS in a variety of ways, including by conducting research on topics of interest to the PRC that can be used to further the MSS’s mission.
Li was a United States citizen who immigrated to the United States from the PRC. At various times, Li worked for a major U.S. telecommunications company and an international information technology company.
Li admitted that, from at least as early as 2012, he served as a cooperative contact working at the direction of officers of the MSS to obtain information of interest to the PRC government. Li obtained a wide variety information at the request of the MSS, including information concerning Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy advocates, members of the Falun Gong religious movement and U.S.-based non-governmental organizations, and reported that information to the MSS. Li also provided the MSS with information obtained from his employer. Li used a variety of anonymous online accounts for the purpose of communicating with the MSS, and traveled to the PRC to meet with the MSS.
For example, in August 2012, an MSS officer requested that Li provide information about practitioners of Falun Gong and pro-democracy advocates in the United States. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a religious movement that originated in the PRC in the 1990s. Falun Gong is not one of the five religions formally recognized by the PRC government, and it has been banned since 1999. Its adherents both in China and abroad are of particular interest to the PRC government because of Falun Gong’s advocacy of ideas deemed subversive to the PRC government. Less than a week after receiving this request, Li sent the name and biographical information of an individual affiliated with Falun Gong residing in St. Petersburg, Florida.
In March 2015, an MSS officer requested information from Li about branch offices that Li’s employer, a major U.S. telecommunications company, had opened in the PRC. Li responded with the requested information three weeks later.
In March 2017, an MSS officer Li requested a training instruction plan from Li. In April 2017, Li responded indicating that he had uploaded materials to an online account that he shared with the MSS officer and asked the MSS officer to delete the materials after reading them.
In May 2021, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning hacking events targeting United States companies, including a widely publicized hacking of a major United States company by the Chinese government. Within four days, Li responded with the requested information.
In March 2022, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning Li’s new employer, an international information technology company, as well as materials relating to cybersecurity training. That same day, Li sent the requested information about his employer as well as materials relating to cybersecurity training.
In June 2022, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning an individual who, according to the officer, had resided in the PRC but fled to the United States, and provided the name and suspected residential address in the United States of that individual. That same day, Li responded with information about the owners of that residential address.
If convicted, Li faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the National Security Division, Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Marcet and Karyna Valdes for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Violent Kidnapping of Rival Drug TraffickerRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Mario Espino (25, Holiday) has pleaded guilty to five counts of a superseding indictment charging him with kidnapping, possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Espino faces minimum mandatory penalties amounting to 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 31, 2024.
According to the plea agreement, Espino lured his victim to Florida by claiming to have money to pay a drug debt. Espino did not actually intend to pay a debt. Rather, he intended to kidnap the victim in retaliation for cutting into Espino’s drug business. Espino recruited his co-conspirators, Jacob James Guest and Joey Lawrence Eugene Young, to assist with the kidnapping.
DEA agents attempted to thwart the kidnapping by intercepting the victim at Tampa International Airport and warning the victim of Espino’s plan. The victim ignored that warning and met Espino at a residence in Holiday. Once there, Espino, Guest, and Young struck the victim with the butt of a firearm and bound the victim’s hands and feet with zip ties. Espino and his co-conspirators violently beat the victim, tortured him, and threatened to kill him on multiple occasions. Espino and his co-conspirators called the victim’s drug supplier and demanded 10 kilograms of fentanyl as ransom.
While the victim was still being held hostage, one of Espino’s methamphetamine suppliers, Jacob Paul Arjona, arrived at the residence in Holiday. Arjona delivered approximately 22 kilograms of methamphetamine to Espino and his co-conspirators and left with $113,100 cash.
Espino, Guest, and Young transported the victim to various locations throughout the Middle District of Florida before arriving back at the residence in Holiday. When they returned, agents from the DEA and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office intervened and rescued the victim, who was found in the back seat of a car with his hands and feet bound in electrical cord and zip ties. Inside the vehicle, agents located 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, 154 grams of fentanyl, a Micro Draco 7.62 x 39 mm firearm, and a pillowcase that had been placed over the victim’s head.
Prior to the kidnapping, Espino had conspired with others to bring substantial quantities of methamphetamine to the Middle District of Florida for distribution. On one occasion, Espino and his co-conspirators traveled to Arizona where they purchased 55 kilograms of methamphetamine. The Navajo County (Arizona) Sheriff’s Office seized that methamphetamine after stopping the driver Espino had paid to transport the methamphetamine back to Florida.
Another time, Espino and his co-conspirators arranged to have 79 kilograms of methamphetamine transported from Georgia to the Middle District of Florida. That shipment was intercepted by deputies from the Turner County Sheriff’s Office.
Guest, Young, and Arjona have been charged for their alleged roles in this case. They are pending trial.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (Arizona), and the Turner County Sheriff’s Office (Georgia). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David P. Sullivan and Suzanne C. Nebesky.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Five Individuals Sentenced for Child Abuse and Neglect on the Red Lake ReservationRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – Five members of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians have been sentenced to prison for child abuse and neglect on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, between January 1, 2021, and April 29, 2022, Trina Mae Johnson, 50, directed the torture, endangerment, neglect, and abuse of a child who was in Johnson’s legal custody through a foster care placement. Johnson was aided and abetted by Bertram Calvin Lussier, Jr., 43, and Johnson’s three sisters, Bobbi Jo Johnson (a/k/a Bobbi Jo Kingbird), 46, Ellie Mae Johnson, 48, and Patricia Ann Johnson, 40, who all regularly assumed responsibility for all or a portion of the care and supervision of the minor victim. The abuse included withholding food from the victim to the point of starvation, forcing the victim to stand in uncomfortable positions for long periods of time, and assaulting the victim in various ways. As a result of Johnson’s and her accomplices’ abuse, the victim suffered serious and substantial physical, mental and emotional harm.
On February 29, 2024, Trina Mae Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of child torture, one count of child neglect—deprivation of food and health care, one count of child endangerment and one count of assault on a minor with a dangerous weapon. She was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Katherine M. Menendez to 216 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
On April 15, 2024, Bobbi Jo Johnson was convicted by a federal jury on one count of child neglect—deprivation of food and health care, and one count of child endangerment. She was sentenced yesterday by Judge Menendez to 72 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Ellie Johnson, Patricia Johnson, and Lussier each pleaded guilty to one count of child endangerment. Ellie Johnson was sentenced to 48 months and three years of supervised release. Patricia Johnson was sentenced to 48 months and three years of supervised release. Lussier was sentenced to 24 months and two years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, with support from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Beltrami County Sherriff’s Office, the Bemidji Police Department, and the Blackduck Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ruth S. Shnider and Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.
Fitchburg Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fitchburg man was sentenced yesterday in Worcester federal court for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Satron Pridgen, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In May 2024, Pridgen pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
At approximately 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 16, 2023, Pridgen was outside of Mill City Pub in Fitchburg. An altercation ensued between two men. During the altercation, Pridgen approached a third man from behind, grabbed him and held him around the neck in a chokehold, then pulled out a loaded pistol which he used to beat the man in the head multiple times. When law enforcement intervened, Pridgen ran off and attempted to discard the firearm by a dumpster before being apprehended.
Pridgen is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to numerous prior convictions out of Worcester Superior Court including: a November 1999 conviction of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon for which he was sentenced to 9-10 years in state prison; an October 2011 conviction of armed assault with intent to rob, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and possession of a firearm and ammunition as a career criminal for which he was sentenced to 10-12 years in state prison; and an October 2011 conviction of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and distribution of cocaine, for which he was sentenced to 9-10 years in state prison.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Division; and Fitchburg Police Chief Ernest F. Martineau made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Federal Jury Convicts Registered Sex Offender of Child Exploitation CrimesRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – After three days of trial, a federal jury convicted Alex Kai Tick Chin, 39, of San Francisco, California, on August 22, 2024, of production of child pornography, enticement of a minor, and committing a sex crime against a minor while a registered sex offender.
Evidence at trial proved that from on or about December 12, 2020, through on or about February 14, 2021, Chin did employ, use, persuade, induce, entice and coerce a minor female residing within the Southern District of West Virginia to record and send him sexually explicit images of herself via the Snapchat multimedia instant messaging app. To do so, Chin would compliment the minor female and say they were in a romantic relationship, but he would also threaten to harm himself if she did not send him sexually explicit images. Chin was a registered sex offender at the time, and has been following his felony conviction for possession of child pornography in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, on December 27, 2017.
Chin exchanged messages with a second minor female during the same time period who also resided within the Southern District of West Virginia, engaging in sexual conversations and soliciting nude images from her as well. Chin also threatened to harm himself in conversations with the second minor female unless she complied with his demands. Chin sent photos and videos of himself to the second minor female, including an image of himself masturbating. Chin continued to communicate with both minor females until early March 2022, when he drove from California in a white panel van equipped with a mattress to the Southern District of West Virginia. There, he attempted unsuccessfully to meet both minor females in person.
Chin is scheduled to be sentenced on December 9, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of 35 years and up to life in prison.
“Mr. Chin preyed upon a minor female, attempted to do the same with a second female child, and then lied repeatedly to the jury to conceal and avoid responsibility for his criminal conduct,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson “I commend the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for the investigative work in this case, and Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rada Herrald and Courtney L. Finney and our trial team for securing guilty verdicts on all three counts in the indictment.”
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the jury trial.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-87.
###
Federal Jury Convicts Dunn Man on Drug Trafficking and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Harnett County man on drug trafficking and firearm charges after he led police on a high-speed chase and then abandoned his still running vehicle. Demarkee Rayheem Midgette, age 28, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and cocaine, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Midgette faces up to life in prison when sentenced.
“This armed drug trafficker fled from police in a high-speed chase at great risk to the public and his juvenile passenger,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Guns, drugs, and kids don’t mix. The potential sentence this drug trafficker faces is evidence of that.”
“I want to commend the officers of the Fuquay-Varina Police Department for their vigilance and professionalism in handling this incident, demonstrating exceptional police work from start to finish. I also extend my gratitude to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney's Office for their outstanding partnership in this case. Our successful collaboration sends a strong message that criminal activity will not be tolerated,” said Chief Tim Smith of the Fuquay-Varina Police Department.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, a Fuquay Varina Police officer noticed a car that appeared to be missing a headlight traveling on US-401. The officer followed the vehicle for a period of time and smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. At that time, the officer initiated his emergency lights and siren, however the vehicle failed to pull over. Instead, the vehicle continued to travel at high speeds, running a stop sign and leaving its lane multiple times. As the vehicle reached a subdivision, it slowed down and the driver and passenger fled the vehicle on foot while leaving the vehicle running. The driver was observed to be wearing a red jacket and black shorts and the officer continued his pursuit on foot and notified other responding officers of the driver’s location. The driver, later identified as Midgette, was arrested. Another juvenile male, identified as the passenger, approached officers, and volunteered that the vehicle belonged to his uncle.
A search of the vehicle found marijuana, cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, mushrooms, drug paraphernalia, and two guns, including a Taurus 1911 and a Glock Model 17, 9 mm pistol. The Glock was later determined to be stolen. Ammunition matching the Taurus 1911 was found in the passenger’s pocket. Midgette was found with cocaine and nearly $1,000 in cash in his jacket. Midgette has prior convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon and drug possession.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the verdict. The Fuquay Varina Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jaren Kelly and Kimberly Dixon are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:24-CR-00079-BO-KS.
Denver Woman Sentenced to 20 Years for Armed Carjacking SpreeRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Alexis Dicarlo, 24, of Denver, was sentenced to 240 months in prison, and five years of supervised release for her role in an armed carjacking spree that involved shots fired at multiple victims.
On February 27, 2023, Denver Police responded to a call at a convenience store on East Hampden Avenue on a report of a person trying to carjack multiple victims and shooting a firearm. During her spree in the busy shopping plaza, Dicarlo threatened victims with handguns, demanded their wallets and cars, and ultimately gained access to multiple vehicles. During this spree, she fired bullets into the air and at two victims, narrowly missing them. One shot ultimately passed through a wall into an occupied neighboring business. DiCarlo was unsuccessful in fleeing the scene and possessed five handguns upon her arrest. Additionally, an officer involved in in the arrest suffered a broken leg.
“Our office’s primary focus is to keep the citizens of Colorado safe,” said Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch. “We will not tolerate brazen, violent crimes like this one in our communities.”
“Crime sprees like these strike fear into our communities and jeopardize the safety and security of innocent people,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “Together with our partners at the Denver Police Department, FBI Denver will work tirelessly to identify and bring to justice those who commit acts of violence, ensuring our neighborhoods remain safe and secure for everyone.”
“Let this be a warning to those who commit violent crimes in our community that we will leverage our federal partnerships, when appropriate, to achieve the greatest possible consequences for offenders,” said Denver Chief of Police Ron Thomas. “We are grateful to our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado for their great work achieving a 20-year sentence in this case.”
The defendant was sentenced by Judge Nina Y. Wang on August 21, 2024. The Denver Police Department and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force handled the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Albert Buchman handled the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Case Number: 1_23-cr-00100-NYW
Convicted Child Abuser Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Enticing Minors to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Steven Andrew Gunn (31, Winter Haven) to 20 years in federal prison for enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and possession of child sexual abuse material. The court also ordered Gunn to serve a lifetime of supervised release and register as a sex offender. Gunn pled guilty on March 28, 2024.
According to court documents, between September 2020 and October 2020, Gunn used his cell phone to engage in sexually explicit online conversations with an 11-year-old child. During these conversations, Gunn discussed his desire to engage in sexual activity with the child and sent videos of himself masturbating. Investigators obtained a federal search warrant for Gunn’s cell phone and discovered that he was also having sexually explicit online conversations with another 14-year-old child. During an interview with law enforcement, Gunn admitted that he had used Snapchat to solicit child sexual abuse material from multiple girls ranging between 8 and 13 years old.
According to court records, Gunn had been previously convicted of child abuse in 2012 when he had sexually explicit conversations with another minor on the internet.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation—Orlando Resident Agency. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit and Ross Roberts.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Conspirators in Multi-Million Dollar International Money Laundering Conspiracy Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza has sentenced Jihad Williams Morales (23, Sanford), Michael Gabriel Robles Vazquez (24, Orlando), and Jorge Ivan Ortiz Bull (32, Orlando) to federal prison terms for conspiracy to commit money laundering and structuring. In total, these individuals and their conspirators, Cristian Rodriguez Labour and Aramys Gonzalez Rodriguez, pleaded guilty to 35 counts of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering, money laundering, and structuring.
An additional individual, Gabriel Aldemar Velez-Torres, was indicted on May 22, 2024, for his role in this conspiracy along with 14 additional counts of money laundering and structuring. He is currently scheduled for trial in October.
Name
Plea Date
Count(s)
Pleaded Guilty
Sentencing Date
Sentence Imposed
Cristian Rodriguez Labour
2/21/24
1 (conspiracy)
6/21/24
7 years
Jihad William Morales
5/2/24
1 (conspiracy)
2-8 (money laundering)
9-11 (structuring)
8/22/24
5 years,10 months
Michael Gabriel Robles Vazquez
4/9/24
1 (conspiracy)
12-14 (money laundering)
8/22/24
2 years, 10 months
Aramys Gonzalez Rodriguez
3/25/24
1 (conspiracy)
15-23 (money laundering)
24-29 (structuring)
9/18/24
Jorge Ivan Ortiz Buil
4/9/24
1 (conspiracy)
30-34 (money laundering)
35 (structuring)
8/22/24
5 years, 3 months
According to court documents, Labour recruited Morales, Robles Vazquez, Gonzalez Rodriguez, and Ortiz Buil to incorporate fake businesses in Florida and open business bank accounts in Deltona and Orlando. In setting up the accounts, the recruited individuals lied to banks about the legitimacy of their businesses – pretending that they were operating legitimate businesses involved in wholesale kitchen appliances (Ortiz-Buil), electronics (Robles Vazquez), or industrial laundering machines (Morales).
Unnamed conspirators hacking into the computer systems of small businesses throughout the country then directed wire transfers to the fake businesses in Florida and, when received, Labour, Morales, Robles Vazquez, Gonzalez Rodriguez, and Ortiz Buil immediately transferred the bulk of the funds to businesses in the Zhejiang, Weifang, Shouguang, Huzhou, and Hangzhou regions of China while withdrawing a portion as payment for their role in hiding these proceeds. The transfers were designed to conceal the source of the fraud proceeds and the conspirators further obscured their withdrawals by structuring them to avoid bank reporting requirements.
During the course of two weeks in early March 2021, Labour and Morales laundered more than $560,000 and attempted to launder another $200,000 using a single account in Deltona – sending the fraud proceeds to accounts in Zhejiang and Weifang and taking $80,000 in structured withdrawals as payment.
From June through November 2021, Labour and Robles Vazquez then used at least four different bank accounts in Orlando to launder or attempt to launder more than $280,000. From August through December 2021, Labour and Gonzalez-Rodriguez used at least three different bank accounts in Orlando to launder more than $1 million. Labour and Ortiz Buil attempted to launder $1 million in one bank account in December 2021 before successfully laundering around $250,000 at four different banks from December 2021 through February 2022, using other individuals that Ortiz-Buil had recruited into the scheme.
Overall, members of the conspiracy successfully laundered $3,323,941 to offshore accounts in China and unsuccessfully attempted to launder another $5,057,777, all of which were the proceeds or attempted proceeds of computer fraud and cyber intrusions on small businesses throughout the United States.
This case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
Columbus Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Stolen Pistol with Extended MagazineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – A Columbus resident with prior felony drug convictions who crashed his car into a fire station and was subsequently found to have a stolen pistol with a high-capacity magazine and illegal drugs entered a guilty plea in federal court.
Joseph Harold Taylor, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime before U.S. District Judge Clay Land on Aug. 20. Taylor is facing a minimum of five years up to a maximum of life imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The sentencing date will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.
“It is fortunate that that no one was injured when the defendant crashed his car into a fire station, and that police were able to remove a stolen firearm with a high-capacity magazine from the streets of Columbus,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “We are committed to keeping our communities safe and upholding federal law, especially when it pertains to offenders caught with stolen assault weapons.”
“Criminals must understand that there are serious repercussions for the illegal possession of firearms and that ATF and our law enforcement partners will contribute all necessary time and effort to ensure criminals are brought to justice,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka.
"Joseph Taylor's reckless actions put lives at risk. Possessing a stolen firearm with a high-capacity magazine while engaged in illegal drug activity is a serious threat to our community. The Columbus Police Department remains committed to removing illegal weapons from our streets and holding offenders accountable,” said Columbus Police Department Chief Stoney Mathis.
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, shortly before 2 a.m. on March 15, 2023, Taylor crashed the car he was driving into Fire Station 11 on Warm Springs Road in Columbus. Columbus Police Department officers were called to the single-vehicle crash and found that Taylor—who was uninjured in the crash and was the sole occupant of the sedan—had left the roadway, crashed into the fire station and hit a truck belonging to an employee of the fire department.
The officers observed what appeared to be a bullet hole in the vehicle and noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the car. Officers found a stolen 9mm semiautomatic pistol with an extended 21-round magazine attached on the front floorboard of the driver’s side. A satchel was found inside the car containing cocaine and suspected marijuana, as well as other commonly used drug distribution items. Taylor has two prior state felony drug convictions.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by ATF and the Columbus Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the Government.
Colorado Dentist Charged Federally for Attempting to Solicit Minor Online and Transporting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Jason James Atha, 50, a dentist from Broomfield, Colo., was indicted yesterday in the Southern District of Florida for attempted enticement of a minor and transportation of child pornography.
According to allegations in the court record, to include the indictment and previously filed criminal complaint, beginning on Oct. 3, 2023, Atha used a social networking application on his phone in Colorado to solicit sex with an 8-year-old child through conversations with the child’s mother in the Southern District of Florida. The child’s purported “mother” was in fact an undercover Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent. Atha’s communications detailed the sexual acts he wanted to engage in with the child. On Aug. 9, Atha flew to Palm Beach International Airport, in the Southern District of Florida, to consummate the sexual act and was arrested at the airport. A search of Atha’s devices revealed child pornography videos.
Atha had his initial appearance in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Aug. 12. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26, at 10:00 a.m. before a U. S. Magistrate Judge in West Palm Beach. If convicted of the charged offenses, Atha faces a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison for attempted enticement of a minor and 20 years in prison for transportation of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of HSI Miami made the announcement.
HSI West Palm Beach investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller is prosecuting it.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/project-safe-childhood.
Anyone with information regarding child sexual exploitation and abuse is encouraged to call (877) 4-HSI-TIP [(877) 447-4847].
A criminal complaint and indictment contain mere allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-80102.
###
Clewiston Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Firearm and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Javier Velasquez, Jr. (38, Clewiston) to 8 years and 10 months in federal prison for distribution of cocaine, being a felon in possession of firearms, illegal possession of a machinegun, and carrying firearms during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. The court also ordered Velasquez to forfeit the firearms used in committing the offenses.
According to court documents, between July 13 and September 19, 2023, Velasquez sold an undercover federal agent cocaine, multiple firearms, and a Glock switch – a device used to convert a semiautomatic weapon into a machinegun. Velasquez, a convicted felon, is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Cheyenne felon sentenced for being in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
Juan Manuel Miranda, 52, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced on Aug. 21, to 88 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on Oct. 31, 2023, Cheyenne Police Department officers responded to the 1800 block of Rainbow Road for a "shots fired" disturbance. Witnesses said that Miranda shot at an unknown male and then drove away. Officers pursued Miranda and during the pursuit, he threw a pistol out of his vehicle into the driveway of a business. Miranda eventually stopped his car, and officers arrested him. Officers later recovered the 9mm pistol that Miranda had tossed out of his car. A criminal history report indicated Miranda is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
Miranda was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm on Jan. 10, 2023, and pleaded guilty on May 28. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the 88-month sentence.
“The Justice Department is committed to reducing violent crime by aggressively prosecuting violent criminals who illegally possess guns,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann. “This case shows how federal, state, and local law enforcement in Wyoming can work together to win a significant prison sentence against a violent felon, and make the Cheyenne community safer. We thank the Cheyenne Police Department and Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation for their good work, and for referring this case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for federal prosecution.”
“This is an excellent example of agencies coming together to protect our Wyoming communities,” said Chief Mark Francisco. “We’re proud that this collaboration resulted in a successful prosecution.”
This crime was investigated by the Cheyenne Police Department and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Criminal Division Chief Nicole Romine with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Case No. 24-CR-00011
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Buffalo pharmacy pays more than $140,000 to settle record keeping and misbilling allegationsRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, NEW YORK – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Dexter Prescription Center a/k/a Dexter Pharmacy, has agreed to pay the United States $141,727 to resolve allegations that it violated the record keeping provisions of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and overcharged federal health care programs.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Coriell, who handled the case, stated that the CSA requires entities that dispense controlled substances to maintain certain records and to conduct periodic inventories to prevent against diversion of controlled substances. An inspection by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration revealed that between January 1, 2018, and February 1, 2021, Dexter Pharmacy failed to maintain accurate records relating to its purchases and sales for certain controlled substances. Dexter Pharmacy also billed federal healthcare programs for medications, including controlled substances, that were never dispensed by Dexter Pharmacy.
“My office is committed to stopping the potential abuse of prescription drugs in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross. “The requirement that pharmacies maintain accurate books and records is critical in preventing the diversion of prescription drugs, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that pharmacies take their obligations to safeguard prescription drugs seriously.”
“Pharmacies are not exempt from their regulatory responsibilities especially when dealing with controlled substances and the dangerous effects they have when misused,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino. “This settlement reflects DEA’s commitment to making sure measures are in place to safeguard the community and hold DEA registrants accountable. I commend our Diversion Investigators for bringing this matter to a resolution.”
This case was investigated by DEA Buffalo District Office’s Diversion Group and Tactical Diversion Squad; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and the United States Attorney’s Office.
This civil settlement agreement is not an admission of any liability by Dexter Pharmacy, nor a concession by the United States that its claims were not well-founded.
# # # #
Buffalo man pleads guilty to his role in the murder of a federal informant, gun, and drug chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Gregory Hay, a/k/a Gunner, a/k/a Franklin Gambino, a/k/a Reggie, 35, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to narcotics conspiracy, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and discharge of firearm causing death in furtherance of crimes of violence and a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who is handling the case, stated that between early 2016, and August 28, 2019, Hay conspired with co-defendant Alphonso Payne and others, to sell cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and heroin. The conspiracy began with Hay selling drugs in the Salamanca, NY, area, before moving his operation to the Olean area, where he used co-defendant Alphonso Payne to assist him with selling drugs. In April 2017, Hay’s vehicle was stopped by Buffalo Police and in May 2017 his vehicle was stopped by Salamanca Police. Buffalo officers seized marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin, while Salamanca officers seized a quantity of marijuana and a digital scale. In May 2019, investigators executed a search warrant at Hay’s residence, seizing two firearms, several magazines, ammunition, a digital scale, cash, and several cell phones. Hay used social media to display himself with firearms, letting others know that he could protect himself, his drugs, and his money. The conspiracy continued to operate until Hay was arrested in July 2019.
Following his arrest, Hay believed that an individual named Joshua Jalovick provided information to law enforcement that led to the search of his residence and subsequent arrest. As a result, Hay, Alphonso Payne, and another co-conspirator wanted Jalovick dead. On July 1, 2019, Hay and Payne lured Jalovick to a residence on Freund Avenue, where Payne fired approximately 11 rounds of ammunition toward Jalovick, striking him several times. Hay initially ran down the driveway, but then ran back toward Jalovick, stood over his body, and shot Jalovick five times. According to the Erie County Medical Examiner Report, Joshua Jalovick died from more than 15 gunshot wounds. Afterwards, Hay disposed of the murder weapons and his cell phone.
Charges remain pending against Alphonso Payne.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. Additional assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Jeffrey Burr, and the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 10, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. before Judge Arcara.
# # # #
Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Detonating an Explosive Device Outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s OfficeRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – Today, Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, Alabama, pleaded guilty in federal court to the malicious use of an explosive device.
“This defendant built a bomb using nails and screws as shrapnel and detonated it outside the Alabama Attorney General's Office, endangering a public institution and members of the community,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Public servants should never be targeted for doing their jobs. The Justice Department will not tolerate such conduct, and we will use every resource at our disposal to prevent these attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.”
"The defendant pleaded guilty today to setting off a shrapnel-filled explosive at public offices in the middle of downtown Montgomery,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Violence and destruction of property will never be tolerated, and the FBI and our partners will continue to work together to ensure anyone who attempts to harm or intimidate the community will be held accountable."
“This attack on the Alabama Attorney General's Office was an attack on the American justice system,” said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach. “Violent, targeted attacks like this, aim to harm, whether physically or through fear and intimidation, the civil servants and public officials who serve our communities and country. ATF is committed to holding those who attack American institutions accountable. I commend the work of the ATF and all our federal and local partners in bringing this defendant to justice.”
“Calvert’s offense was a very serious one and today’s plea ensures that he will face significant consequences,” said United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross. “Calvert would not have been held accountable had it not been for the thorough and painstaking investigation conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement agents working together. I am grateful for the efforts of everyone involved.”
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, during the early morning hours of February 24, 2024, Calvert detonated an explosive device outside of the Alabama Attorney General's Office in downtown Montgomery. No injuries were reported. Calvert admitted during the plea hearing to manufacturing the device. He used, nails and screws as shrapnel and accelerants to cause an explosion. Prior to planting the device, Calvert placed stickers on various downtown buildings. The stickers had graphics advocating for various political ideologies. Some stickers included the phrase “Support your local antifa.” As reflected in the plea agreement, Calvert claims he has no affiliation with antifa. After placing the explosive device near the Attorney General’s Office, Calvert lit its fuse and fled the scene. Law enforcement arrested Calvert on April 10, 2024.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for Calvert in the coming months. At that hearing, Calvert faces a minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison with no possibility of parole. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Assistant United States Attorneys Russell T. Duraski and Brett J. Talley for the Middle District of Alabama are prosecuting the case.
Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Detonating an Explosive Device Outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s OfficeRead the Press Release
Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, Alabama, pleaded guilty in federal court to the malicious use of an explosive device.
“This defendant built a bomb using nails and screws as shrapnel and detonated it outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, endangering a public institution and members of the community,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Public servants should never be targeted for doing their jobs. The Justice Department will not tolerate such conduct, and we will use every resource at our disposal to prevent these attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.”
“The defendant pleaded guilty today to setting off a shrapnel-filled explosive at public offices in the middle of downtown Montgomery,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Violence and destruction of property will never be tolerated, and the FBI and our partners will continue to work together to ensure anyone who attempts to harm or intimidate the community will be held accountable.”
“This attack on the Alabama Attorney General’s Office was an attack on the American justice system,” said Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Violent, targeted attacks like this, aim to harm, whether physically or through fear and intimidation, the civil servants and public officials who serve our communities and country. ATF is committed to holding those who attack American institutions accountable. I commend the work of the ATF and all our federal and local partners in bringing this defendant to justice.”
“Calvert’s offense was a very serious one and today’s plea ensures that he will face significant consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Ross for the Middle District of Alabama. “Calvert would not have been held accountable had it not been for the thorough and painstaking investigation conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement agents working together. I am grateful for the efforts of everyone involved.”
According to the court documents, Calvert detonated an explosive device during the early morning hours of Feb. 24, outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in downtown Montgomery. No injuries were reported. Calvert admitted during the plea hearing to manufacturing the device himself, using items such as nails and screws to act as shrapnel along with accelerants to cause an explosion. Prior to planting the device, Calvert placed stickers on various state buildings depicting different graphics and advocating for various political ideologies. Some stickers included the phrase “Support your local antifa.” As reflected in the plea agreement, Calvert claims he has no affiliation with antifa. After placing the explosive device near the Attorney General’s Office, Calvert lit its fuse and fled the scene. Law enforcement arrested Calvert on April 10.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for Calvert at a later date. Calvert faces a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell T. Duraski and Brett J. Talley for the Middle District of Alabama are prosecuting the case.
Activity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Bankruptcy Fraud Scheme
Peter Szanto, 73, of Oceanside, California, was sentenced to time served (two days), three years of supervised release, a $7,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment for bankruptcy fraud scheme. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on August 21. According to court documents, the defendant engaged in a nine-year scheme to defraud JPMorgan Chase by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises, in order to hinder and obstruct the lawful foreclosure of his Newport Beach, California home, valued at approximately $4.5 million, through the repeated misuse of the U.S. bankruptcy courts, including the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Wyoming. Szanto was indicted in July 2023 and pleaded guilty on May 10. This crime was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Violent Crime
John Darwin Whiteman, 34, of Ethete, Wyoming, was sentenced to 57 month’s imprisonment and ordered by the court to pay $5,301.40 in restitution and a $100 special assessment for assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm. According to court documents, he and a companion had been drinking when an argument ensued and turned violent. The victim’s injuries consisted of significant bruising across the body, swollen eyes and lips; a broken tooth; a broken nose; a broken left orbital socket; red marks and bruising around the neck; a burn on the back; various lacerations; and human bite marks on the arm and leg. This crime was investigated by the FBI and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Elmore.
Child Sexual Assault Material
Kevin Snyder, 36, of Casper, Wyoming, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography with a life term of supervised release. The court ordered him to pay $12,000 in restitution and $200 in special assessments. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on August 20. According to court documents, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force was contacted by staff members at the Casper Re-Entry Center for an inmate who they believed was accessing child pornography on his phone. Their investigation concluded that he had downloaded approximately 2,600 files of child sexual assault materials involving lewd and lascivious acts, sadomasochism, and bestiality. This crime was investigated by the ICAC task force and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Z. Seth Griswold.
Failure to Register as a Sex Offender
Ben Murray, 58, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for failure to register as a sex offender. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on August 12. According to court documents, on April 7, 2023, Aurora Police Department in Colorado issued an arrest warrant for Murray for failure to register. Wyoming Fugitive Task Force received information that Murray was residing in Cheyenne. Murray is an unregistered sex offender and has not registered in Wyoming or any other jurisdiction since February 2020. He waived indictment and pleaded guilty to an Information on May 14. This crime was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Morrison.
Delray James Quiver, 46, of Riverton, Wyoming, was sentenced on Aug. 19, to 26 months in federal prison for failure to register as a sex offender. According to court documents, on Jan. 17, Quiver was released from custody and was required to register within three business days of his release from jail. The U.S. Marshal’s office advised that as of March 5, Quiver had not registered or updated his registration anywhere in Wyoming or anywhere that reports to the federal sex offender database. He was indicted on March 13, and pleaded guilty on May 28. U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence in Cheyenne. This crime was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist.
Illegal Re-entry of a Previously Deported Alien
Enrique Gomez-Salazar, 34, of San Luis, Potosi, Mexico, was sentenced to time served plus 10 days to allow for deportation proceedings, for illegal entry into the United States. According to court documents, on May 10, Gomez-Salazar was arrested by the Rawlins Police Department for driving while under the influence. He was booked into the Carbon County Jail. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deportation Officer processed the defendant and obtained his fingerprints. They matched pre-existing fingerprints in their database indicating he had previously been deported. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on June 13.
Martin Avina-Gonzalez, 34, of Fresnillo, Zaxatecas, Mexico, was sentenced to 104 days in prison and then his deportation proceedings will begin, for illegal entry into the United States. According to court documents, on May 3, Avina-Gonzales was arrested by the Evanston Police Department for strangulation of a household member, domestic battery, stalking, and violation of a protection order. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deportation Officer processed the defendant and obtained his fingerprints. They matched pre-existing fingerprints in their database indicating he had previously been deported. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on Aug. 21
About the United States Attorney’s Office
The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Office is involved in several programs designed to make our communities safer. They include:
Environmental Justice
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a DOJ initiative that combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for sexual contact is well-known and serious.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a nationwide commitment to reducing gun and gang crime in America by networking existing local programs that target gun crime and providing these programs with additional tools necessary to be successful.
Victim Witness Assistance
The Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to making sure that victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect.To report a federal crime, go to: https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime#trafficking
20 Year Prison Sentence Handed to District Woman for First-Degree Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Griselda Martinez-Moz, 42, of Maryland, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison on two counts of first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the sentence.
Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe sentenced Martinez-Moz to 120 months of incarceration on each count, to run consecutive, for a total of 240 months. Upon her release, Martinez-Moz will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of her life. Martinez-Moz was convicted in March 2024 after a seven-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
According to the evidence and testimony presented at trial, on two occasions in 2015 and 2016, Martinez-Moz sexually abused a child who was eight years old at the time. A close friend of the child’s family, Martinez-Moz, on multiple occasions, subjected the child to sexual acts.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen Houck, Niki Holmes, and Dana Joseph who investigated and prosecuted the case.
22 August 2024
Wexford Resident Charged with Attempting to Transmit Obscene Material to Minor and Coerce Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Wexford, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of attempting to transmit obscene material to a minor and attempting to induce a minor to engage in sexual activity, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
The four-count Indictment named Albert Maximillian Jeremias, 79, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on multiple occasions between January 2023 and May 2023, Jeremias made contact via internet chats with undercover agents in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Coral Gables, Florida, areas who he believed were young girls between the ages of 12 and 15. During those conversations, Jeremias sent pornographic photographs and livestream images of himself to the undercover agents and requested that the agents send sexually explicit pictures of themselves to him, even sending one of them a $50 gift card as enticement.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Brown is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Northern Regional Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Virginia Beach bookkeeper sentenced for wire fraud stemming from embezzlement and COVID-19 program schemesRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach woman was sentenced today to four years in prison for two counts of wire fraud after perpetrating embezzlement and COVID-19 program schemes resulting in over a million dollars in losses.
According to court documents, Maria Gene Reich, 45, was President of ASOC. Inc. d/b/a On Call Accountants (OCA), a Virginia Beach-based business which offered bookkeeping, accounting, and payroll services to small business clients. Beginning in February 2012, Reich and On Call Accountants performed bookkeeping for a family-owned company, identified in court records as Company A, that manufactures condiments. Reich would prepare checks and schedule electronic payments on behalf of Company A to pay the company’s bills.
For most of the period during which she performed services for Company A, Reich did not have signature authority over any of the company’s financial accounts, but possessed a stamp bearing the signature of the owner of Company A, which she used to draft checks for Company A’s business expenses. Reich also had online access to Company A’s financial accounts, which enabled her to view account balances, transfer funds, and initiate electronic payments as needed.
Based on the agreement between Reich and Company A, the maximum total compensation she should have received for services rendered to the company between January 2015 and December 2018 was $98,400. A financial analysis of activity during that time period revealed that Reich’s OCA business account received 270 payments totaling $596,418 from Company A accounts, including 138 checks and 132 electronic payments. Reich also used Company A’s money to pay off her credit cards, which she used for numerous personal expenses. The financial analysis showed that Reich made 366 payments totaling approximately $629,265 to her Capital One personal and business credit card accounts using funds from Company A’s business bank accounts. Reich used Company A’s money to pay for personal expenses such as dining, travel, entertainment, and retail purchases.
In total, Reich stole approximately $1,132,693 from Company A.
In March 2020, Reich applied to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for a $150,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) on behalf of OCA and requested a $150,000 loan. The purpose of the EIDL program was to enable small businesses to meet financial obligations and operating expenses in light of the coronavirus pandemic. In the EIDL application, Reich certified that none of the EIDL funds would be used for non-business expenses. In May 2020, the SBA funded the loan.
In April 2021, Reich applied for a modification of the EIDL loan to increase the amount to $500,000. In July 2021, the SBA approved the modification and funded the loan for an additional $350,000. On Aug. 3, 2021, a wire deposit from the SBA for $350,000 was made to OCA’s bank account, and Reich immediately transferred $150,000 to her personal banking accounts. On Sept. 27, 2021, Reich withdrew approximately $93,416 from her savings account and used the money for a downpayment on the purchase of a home in Virginia Beach, where Reich and her family continue to reside.
In addition to the downpayment for the residence, Reich used the EIDL funds from that transfer to put money into her minor children’s bank accounts and to make payments for her mortgages, credit cards, personal loan, and life insurance policy.
Of the remaining EIDL funds from the $350,000 EIDL loan, Reich used them to pay for: personal, household, and family expenses; payments to her credit card and PayPal accounts; home improvement costs and automobile expenses; and dining, grocery, and entertainment expenses.
In total, Reich illegally spent $249,102 of the EIDL funds she received.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Yusi prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-135.
United States Files Suit Against the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech Research Corporation Alleging Cybersecurity ViolationsRead the Press Release
The United States joined a whistleblower suit and filed a complaint-in-intervention against the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Georgia Tech Research Corp. (GTRC) asserting claims that those defendants knowingly failed to meet cybersecurity requirements in connection with the Department of Defense (DoD) contracts. GTRC is an affiliate of Georgia Tech that contracts with government agencies for work to be performed at Georgia Tech. The whistleblower suit was initiated by current and former members of Georgia Tech’s Cybersecurity team.
“Government contractors that fail to fully implement required cybersecurity controls jeopardize the confidentiality of sensitive government information,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative was designed to identify such contractors and to hold them accountable.”
Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that until at least February 2020, the Astrolavos Lab at Georgia Tech failed to develop and implement a system security plan, which is required by DoD cybersecurity regulations, that set out the cybersecurity controls that Georgia Tech was required to put in place in the lab. Even when the Astrolavos Lab finally implemented a system security plan in February 2020, the lawsuit alleges that Georgia Tech failed to properly scope that plan to include all covered laptops, desktops, and servers.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges until December 2021, the Astrolavos lab failed to install, update or run anti-virus or anti-malware tools on desktops, laptops, servers and networks at the lab. Instead, Georgia Tech approved the lab’s refusal to install antivirus software — in violation of both federal cybersecurity requirements and Georgia Tech’s own policies — to satisfy the demands of the professor who headed the lab.
The lawsuit further alleges that in December 2020 Georgia Tech and GTRC submitted a false cybersecurity assessment score to DoD for the Georgia Tech campus. DoD requires contractors to submit summary level scores reflecting the status of their compliance with applicable cybersecurity requirements on covered contracting systems that are used to store or access covered defense information. The submission of this score was a “condition of contract award” for Georgia Tech’s DoD contracts. The lawsuit alleges that the summary level score of 98 for the Georgia Tech campus that Georgia Tech and GTRC reported to DoD in December 2020 was false because (1) Georgia Tech did not actually have a campus-wide IT system and (2) the score was for a “fictitious” or “virtual” environment and did not apply to any covered contracting system at Georgia Tech that could or would ever process, store or transmit covered defense information.
“Cybersecurity compliance by government contractors is critical in safeguarding U.S. information and systems against threats posed by malicious actors,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “For this reason, we expect contractors to abide by cybersecurity requirements in their contracts and grants, regardless of the size or type of the organization or the number of contracts involved. Our office will hold accountable those contractors who ignore cybersecurity rules.”
“Deficiencies in cybersecurity controls pose a significant threat not only to our national security, but also to the safety of the men and women of our armed services who risk their lives daily,” said Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the DoD's Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “As force multipliers, we place a substantial amount of trust in our contractors and expect them to meet the strict standards our service members deserve.”
The whistleblower lawsuit was filed by Christopher Craig and Kyle Koza, who were previously senior members of Georgia Tech’s cybersecurity compliance team, under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and to receive a share of any recovery. The act permits the United States to intervene and take over responsibility for litigating these cases, as it has done here. A defendant who violates the act is subject to liability for three times the government’s losses, plus applicable penalties.
On Oct. 6, 2021, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the department’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative to hold accountable entities or individuals that put U.S information or systems at risk by knowingly providing deficient cybersecurity products or services, knowingly misrepresenting their cybersecurity practices or protocols or knowingly violating obligations to monitor and report cybersecurity incidents and breaches. Information on how to report cyber fraud can be found here.
Senior Trial Counsel Jake M. Shields of the Justice Department's Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam D. Nugent and Melanie D. Hendry for the Northern District of Georgia are handling the matter.
The case is captioned United States ex rel. Craig v. Georgia Tech Research Corp, et al., No. 1:22-cv-02698 (N.D. Ga.). Investigative support is being provided by the DoD Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Air Force Office of Special Investigations and Air Force Material Command.
The claims alleged by the United States are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
ComplaintUnited States Files Suit Against the Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech Research Corporation Alleging Cybersecurity ViolationsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – The United States has filed a complaint-in-intervention against the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) raising claims under the False Claims Act and federal common law alleging that those defendants failed to meet cybersecurity requirements in connection with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contracts.
GTRC is an affiliate of Georgia Tech that contracts with government agencies for work to be performed at Georgia Tech and its related entities. On February 20, 2024, the United States intervened in a whistleblower suit brought by current and former members of Georgia Tech’s cybersecurity team against Georgia Tech and GTRC.
“Cybersecurity compliance by government contractors is critical in safeguarding U.S. information and systems against threats posed by malicious actors,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “For this reason, we expect contractors to abide by cybersecurity requirements in their contracts and grants, regardless of the size or type of the organization or the number of contracts involved. Our office will hold accountable those contractors who ignore cybersecurity rules.”
“Government contractors that fail to fully implement required cybersecurity controls jeopardize the confidentiality of sensitive government information,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative was designed to identify such contractors and to hold them accountable.”
“Deficiencies in cybersecurity controls pose a significant threat not only to our national security, but also to the safety of the men and women of our armed services that risk their lives daily,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Darrin K. Jones, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “As force multipliers, we place a substantial amount of trust in our contractors and expect them to meet the strict standards our service members deserve.”
The United States’ complaint alleges that, from at least as early as 2019 and extending for multiple years, Georgia Tech essentially had “no enforcement” of federal cybersecurity regulations in connection with DoD contracts and fostered a “culture of somebody up the line is going to overturn me . . . [so] I might as well go ahead and ignore the policy” with respect to cybersecurity compliance. Georgia Tech, the suit alleges, routinely acquiesced to the demands of “star researchers”—who were treated like “star quarterbacks” because they secured large government contracts—when those researchers “pushed back” on cybersecurity compliance because the researchers found it troublesome.
Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that from at least May 2019 until at least February 2020, the Astrolavos Lab at Georgia Tech failed to develop and implement a required system security plan that set out the cybersecurity controls that were put in place in the lab to comply with applicable DoD cybersecurity requirements. Nor, until August 2019 at the earliest, did Georgia Tech undertake to implement the required DoD cybersecurity controls at the lab the suit alleges. Even when the Astrolavos Lab finally implemented a system security plan in February 2020, the lawsuit alleges that Georgia Tech failed to properly scope that plan to include all covered laptops, desktops, and servers, and then in the ensuing years failed to monitor and update that plan as required by applicable cybersecurity rules and regulations.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that from at least as early as May 2019 until December 2021, the Astrolavos lab failed to install, update, or operate anti-virus or anti-malware tools on desktops, laptops, servers, and networks at the lab. Georgia Tech allegedly approved the lab’s refusal to install antivirus software—in violation of both federal cybersecurity requirements and Georgia Tech’s own policies—to satisfy the demands of the professor who headed the lab. In connection with contracts that DoD entered into with GTRC on behalf of Georgia Tech, defendants were obligated to implement these and other cybersecurity controls at the Astrolavos Lab.
The lawsuit further alleges that in December 2020, Georgia Tech and GTRC submitted a false and fraudulent cybersecurity assessment score to DoD for the Georgia Tech campus. DoD requires contractors to submit summary level scores reflecting the status of their compliance with applicable cybersecurity requirements on covered contracting systems that are used to store or access covered defense information. The submission of this score is a “condition of contract award” for most DoD contracts. The lawsuit alleges that the summary level score of 98 for the Georgia Tech campus that Georgia Tech and GTRC reported to DoD in December 2020 was false and fraudulent because: (1) Georgia Tech did not have, nor could it ever have, a campus-wide IT system; (2) the score was for a “fictitious” or “virtual” environment that was a “construct” since it was not “specifically associated to any active research at Georgia Tech” and was “not actually describing something that exists;” and (3) the score was not for any covered contracting system at Georgia Tech that could or would ever process, store, or transmit covered defense information.
On October 6, 2021, the Deputy Attorney General announced the Department’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative to hold accountable entities or individuals that put United States information or systems at risk by knowingly providing deficient cybersecurity products or services, knowingly misrepresenting their cybersecurity practices or protocols, or knowingly violating obligations to monitor and report cybersecurity incidents and breaches. Information on how to report cyber fraud can be found here. This lawsuit is the first matter the United States has litigated as part of the Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative.
The whistleblower lawsuit was filed by Christopher Craig and Kyle Koza, who were previously senior members of Georgia Tech’s cybersecurity compliance team, under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. The act allows private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and to receive a share of any recovery. The act also permits the United States to intervene and assume responsibility for litigating these cases, as it has done here. A defendant who violates the act is subject to liability for three times the government’s losses, plus applicable penalties.
This case is being handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Division and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. The case is captioned United States ex rel. Craig v. Georgia Tech Research Corp, et al., No. 1:22-cv-02698 (N.D. Ga.). Investigative support is being provided by the DoD Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and Air Force Material Command.
This matter is being handled by Senior Trial Counsel Jake M. Shields and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam D. Nugent and Melanie D. Hendry.
The claims in which the United States has intervened are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Conviction of Church Rock Man for Shooting at Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Church Rock man has pleaded guilty in federal court in federal court to charges related to attack on law enforcement officers on the Navajo Nation.
According to court documents, in the early morning of July 22, 2023, the Navajo Police Department (NPD) received reports of a man identified as Elijah Touchine, 24, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, walking near his residence, shooting a gun, and threatening to hurt someone. Officers from the NPD and New Mexico State Police responded to the area and came under fire from an unknown direction, prompting them to take tactical action to protect themselves. Law enforcement could hear the bullets whizzing past and striking the ground nearby. They pursued the shooter into a canyon but had to discontinue the search after twelve hours due to dark conditions.
Later that day, the FBI, with assistance from the Gallup Police Department, located Touchine at a local gun store in Gallup, NM. He was taken into custody without incident. During the investigation, it was determined that Touchine had forced his grandmother to purchase ammunition and an AR-15 firearm for him through threats of violence. When asked why he was buying a gun, Touchine replied, “I don’t know, shoot up any cop I see.”
Law enforcement recovered a .40 caliber Taurus handgun and ammunition in a black bag from the trunk of his grandmother’s vehicle.
At sentencing, Touchine faces 12 to 17 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Touchine will be subject to up to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau Investigation investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigation, New Mexico State Police and Gallup Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Marshall is prosecuting the case.
# # #
U.S. Attorney Dena J. King Meets with Faith Leaders in AshevilleRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King and U.S. Attorney’s Office personnel met with faith leaders in Asheville today, to discuss community matters, address local challenges, and collaborate on joint priorities, including public safety, youth violence prevention and intervention, civil rights, and the protection of houses of worship. The meeting was part of an ongoing effort to further collaboration between law enforcement and faith-based organizations to promote the safety of Asheville communities.
During the meeting, U.S. Attorney King emphasized the importance of a united approach to identifying and addressing the challenges that impact communities. “Faith leaders play a vital role in assisting and uplifting the communities they serve. Their partnership is essential in addressing the root causes of criminal activity that threatens the safety of our citizens, ensuring the protection of civil rights, and fostering trust between law enforcement and the communities we are sworn to protect,” said U.S. Attorney King.
The discussion focused on the unique perspective that faith leaders add to conversations centered on community safety, and how their knowledge, influence, and collaboration can assist federal prosecutors and law enforcement in preventing and combating criminal activity and promoting community safety. Topics covered during the meeting included strategies for reducing violence, intercepting drug trafficking, and removing illegal firearms from the streets. The group also discussed the protection of civil rights and explored ways to enhance collaboration between law enforcement and faith communities to reduce youth violence and foster trust through shared efforts and open dialogue.
“Community safety is not just the responsibility of law enforcement,” U.S. Attorney King noted. “It requires the collective effort of all stakeholders, including our faith-based partners. Together, we can create safer neighborhoods and thriving communities through stronger alliances.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to partnering with faith leaders and other community partners to address issues pressing to local communities. Following today’s discussion, U.S. Attorney King and her team will continue to engage with faith leaders, listen to their concerns, and work collaboratively on proposed solutions.
Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found here.
Two Former Presidents of Boilermakers International Union Among Seven Indicted for $20M Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Kansas returned an indictment yesterday charging seven defendants, including five current and former high-level officers of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmith, Forgers and Helpers (Boilermakers Union) for their alleged roles in a 15-year, $20 million embezzlement scheme.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit offenses under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as other charges including embezzlement, health care fraud, wire fraud, and theft in connection with health care and retirement plans.
“As alleged in the indictment, these defendants, including two former presidents of the Boilermakers Union, enriched themselves by spending millions of dollars in union funds for their own benefit, including for salary and benefits for no-show jobs, tuition, rent, luxury international travel, meals, vacation payouts, and unauthorized loans,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This indictment marks an important step in restoring financial security to the Boilermakers Union and control of the union’s future to its membership. The department is committed to protecting union members from officials who abuse their positions of authority for their own personal ends.”
The defendants are former union president Newton Jones, 71, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; former secretary-treasurer William Creeden, 76, of Kearney, Missouri; former president Truman “Warren” Fairley, 59, of Chapel Hill; current secretary-treasurer Kathy Stapp, 53, of Shawnee, Kansas; former vice president Lawrence McManamon, 76, of Rocky River, Ohio; Kateryna Jones, 32, of Chapel Hill; and Cullen Jones 35, of Chapel Hill.
“Union members pay their dues believing union leaders will use the money in support of the organization’s mission to advocate for and protect employment rights,” said U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher for the District of Kansas. “The Department of Justice is deeply concerned whenever there are accusations of fraud and misappropriation of union funds.”
“The employees believed the Union executives would promote and protect their best interests. Instead, they allegedly utilized their positions for personal and financial gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Stephen A. Cyrus of the FBI Kansas City Field Office. “By allegedly unlawfully misappropriating Union funds, the defendants betrayed their members’ trust and confidence. Anyone who unlawfully profits at the expense of others will be held accountable.”
“We would like to thank our fellow law enforcement partners, the Criminal Division, and the United States Attorney’s Office for working collaboratively to bring change within the Boilermakers International Union,” said District Director Christiane Abendroth of the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS). “Today’s indictment of seven defendants, including five current and former high-level officers, is a direct result of OLMS’s audit findings and a multi-agency criminal investigation. We look forward to obtaining justice for the rank-and-file union members by removing officers who allegedly treated the union as their personal piggy bank.”
Over the course of 15 years, the defendants, led by Newton Jones and William Creeden, allegedly engaged in widespread embezzlement of the funds of the Boilermakers Union including:
- Over $5 million in unnecessary luxury international travel;
- Over $2 million in salary and benefits to Kateryna Jones and Cullen Jones for no-show jobs, at which they were not required to work, including payment of two years of salary to Kateryna Jones for a period when she resided in Ukraine and was dating Newton Jones;
- Hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition, rent, and relocation expenses for members of the family of Newton Jones;
- Millions of dollars in cash payments relating to fraudulently claimed vacation time;
- Hundreds of fraudulent restaurant charges by Newton Jones and Kateryna Jones in their hometown;
- Funds wrongly expended to engage in email surveillance of Union employees to defend Newton Jones and McManamon from internal union charges; and
- $7 million in loans from the Boilermakers Union MORE Fund executed by Newton Jones and Creeden to the Bank of Labor, which were not authorized under the terms of the Boilermakers Union constitution or its conflict-of-interest policy.
The indictment also charges Newton Jones and Creeden with wire fraud relating to their alleged demand and acceptance of no-show employment with the Bank of Labor for which they were paid more than $3.4 million each in salary, benefit contributions, and other paid benefits. The indictment additionally seeks forfeiture of $20 million.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the RICO conspiracy count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Kansas City Field Office and the Department of Labor are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Vincent Falvo of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Faiza Alhambra and Jabari Wamble for the District of Kansas are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Three Men Charged with December 2023 Armed Robbery of Lawrence Jewelry StoreRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Yesterday, a criminal complaint was unsealed charging three men with the December 2023 armed robbery of a jewelry store in Lawrence, during which they allegedly stole over $500,000 worth of jewelry and precious metals.
Eric Rosario, a/k/a “Maniactico,” 26; Rosnel Polanco, 26; and Robert Santana, a/k/a “Amaury Perez,” a/k/a “Piccarine,” 29, all of Lawrence, were charged with one count each of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (commonly referred to as Hobbs Act robbery). Santana was arrested yesterday. Rosario and Polanco were previously arrested on related state charges and remain in custody. The defendants will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to charging documents, on Dec. 15, 2023, the defendants allegedly entered a Lawrence jewelry store armed with firearms. Numerous employees of the store were present at the time, and it is alleged that the defendants robbed them of their jewelry and cell phones. The defendants then allegedly pointed firearms at the victims’ heads and pressed the firearms to their backs as they brought the victim employees downstairs to the basement where the jewelry store’s office and safes were located.
Once downstairs, the defendants allegedly forced the owner of the store to open the safes containing the jewelry and other precious metals. In total, approximately $500,000 in jewelry and precious metals are alleged to have been taken. The second safe could not be successfully opened. It is alleged that the defendants then fled the scene in a rented Nissan Altima that was later found burned and torched in a field in Maine the following day.
The charge of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 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 United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Lawrence Police Chief Millix Bonilla made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Cumberland County (Maine) Sheriff’s Department (Maine) and the Norway (Maine) and Oxford (Maine) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
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.
Three Florida Men Plead Guilty in Multimillion-Dollar Tax Refund SchemeRead the Press Release
Christopher Johnson, of Orlando, Florida, and Jasen Harvey, of Tampa, Florida, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to defraud the United States by promoting a tax fraud scheme called the “Note Program.”
Arthur Grimes, of Ocoee and Orlando, Florida, previously pleaded guilty on April 2 to obstructing the IRS in connection with the scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2015 to 2018, Johnson and Harvey conspired to promote a scheme in which Harvey and others prepared tax returns for clients that claimed large nonexistent income tax withholdings had been paid to the IRS, and sought large refunds based on those purported withholdings. The conspirators charged clients fees and required them to pay over a portion of the fraudulently obtained refunds.
Overall, the defendants claimed over $3 million in fraudulent refunds on their clients returns, of which the IRS paid about $1.5 million.
Grimes participated in the scheme by causing four false income tax returns prepared by Harvey to be filed. When the IRS attempted to recover a refund issued to Grimes based on one of those returns, Grimes made false statements and submitted false documents to an IRS revenue officer and transferred funds to a nominee bank account.
Johnson was paid more than $200,000 in 2016 and more than $100,000 in 2017 as his share of the proceeds from the scheme. Johnson filed false tax returns for those years that did not report that income, resulting in a tax loss of $78,259.
A sentencing hearing will be set at a later date for Johnson and Harvey. They each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge.
Grimes is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 12. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for the tax obstruction charge.
All three defendants also face a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Melissa Siskind, Jeffrey McLellan and Caroline Pearson of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Hu for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
Texas Man Charged with Armed Kidnapping of Rideshare DriverRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Texas man was charged with kidnapping a rideshare driver at gunpoint and forcing the driver to travel to South Florida.
According to allegations in the criminal complaint, a rideshare driver working in Arlington, Texas, picked up Miguel Alejandro Pastran Hernandez, 23, on Aug. 16 at approximately 10:30 p.m. Pastran Hernandez had ordered a ride to a closed gas station. When they arrived at the gas station, Pastran Hernandez pulled out a gun and the victim heard a round being chambered in the firearm. Pastran Hernandez threatened to tie up and put the driver in the back of the vehicle. Pastran Hernandez then ordered the victim to drive to Florida, through multiple states. When they arrived in south Florida, Pastran Hernandez discussed his plan to kidnap another victim for ransom. On Aug. 19, Pastran Hernandez made the victim drive to a store in Hialeah to buy supplies for the second kidnapping. While at the store, the victim fled from Pastran Hernandez who was later arrested and found in possession of a bag containing a loaded firearm.
During his appearance in Miami federal court on Aug. 20, on charges of kidnapping, carjacking and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, Pastran Hernandez was ordered detained. A pre-trial detention hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for Sept. 3.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the charges.
FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Hannah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce 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.
A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-mj-3751.
###
Tennessee Man and Company Plead Guilty to Violating the Clean Water ActRead the Press Release
On Aug. 20, Christopher Domermuth, 49, and Domermuth Environmental Services LLC (DES), based in Knoxville, Tennessee, both pleaded guilty today to violating the Clean Water Act by knowingly discharging pollutants into a navigable waterway without a permit. Sentencing has been set for Dec. 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Domermuth faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison, followed by a term of supervised release of up to one year. The parties have recommended to the Court that DES pay a $50,000 fine and be placed on probation for three years.
According to court documents, Domermuth operated DES, which was engaged in the business of processing petroleum-contaminated soil and water in Knoxville. On July 26, 2018, DES workers rolled over a previously exhumed underground storage tank, which spilled a mixture of petroleum and water onto a concrete pad at the facility. DES employees and Domermuth threw absorbent pads into the spilled mixture and then used a portable pump to pump the petroleum-contaminated mixture over a retaining wall at DES. The oily mixture flowed over a neighboring property and into a culvert leading to the Holston River.
“Domermuth Environmental Services and Christopher Domermuth were supposed to be cleaning up contaminated water and soil to protect the environment, but instead caused the discharge of pollutants. These felony guilty pleas demonstrate our commitment to enforcing the Clean Water Act,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.
“Our office is committed to protecting our natural resources in East Tennessee,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee. “I applaud the collaborative efforts of the federal and state law enforcement agencies that brought these violators to justice.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Tennessee Valley Authority-OIG, FBI and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy S. Dykes for the Eastern District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
Tennessee Man and Company Plead Guilty to Violating the Clean Water ActRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On August 20, 2024, Christopher Domermuth, 49, and Domermuth Environmental Services, LLC (“DES”), based in Knoxville, both pleaded guilty today to violating the Clean Water Act by knowingly discharging pollutants into a navigable waterway without a permit, in violation of 33 U.S.C. §§ 1311 and 1319(c), in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. Mr. Domermuth faces a maximum term of up to three years in Federal prison, followed by a term of supervised release of up to one year.
According to court documents, Mr. Domermuth operated DES, which was engaged in the business of processing petroleum-contaminated soil and water in Knoxville. On July 26, 2018, DES workers rolled over a previously exhumed underground storage tank which spilled a mixture of petroleum and water onto a concrete pad at the facility. DES employees and Mr. Domermuth threw absorbent pads into the spilled mixture and then used a portable pump to pump the petroleum-contaminated mixture over a retaining wall at DES. The oily mixture flowed over a neighboring property and into a culvert leading to the Holston River.
“Domermuth Environmental Services and Christopher Domermuth were engaged in a business that was supposed to be cleaning up contaminated water and soil to protect the environment,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim. “Their actions instead led to the discharge of pollutants into the environment they were supposed to help protect. These felony guilty pleas represent our commitment to enforcing the Clean Water Act.”
“Our office is committed to protecting our natural resources in East Tennessee,” said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “I applaud the collaborative efforts of the federal and state law enforcement agencies that brought these violators to justice.”
This prosecution was the result of a joint investigation between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Criminal Investigation Division, EPA - Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Tennessee Valley Authority-OIG, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation conducted the investigation. Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of the Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy S. Dykes are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
###
Tattnall County mechanic pleads guilty to tampering with logging equipment to evade environmental controlsRead the Press Release
STATESBORO, GA: A Tattnall County man awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to operating a business that tampered with government-mandated emissions controls on commercial logging equipment.
Justin Taylor, 30, of Collins, Ga., pled guilty in U.S. District Court to an Information charging him with Conspiracy to Tamper with a Monitoring Device, and Fraud and False Statement, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The plea subjects Taylor to a possible statutory sentence of up to five years in prison and substantial financial penalties, followed by a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Emissions controls on heavy duty commercial equipment exist to help prevent excessive pollution from diesel engines, and evading those controls makes the air dirtier and less safe for everyone,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “With this plea agreement, Justin Taylor will no longer profit at the expense of our communities.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Taylor was a mechanic working from a shop at his home and at remote job sites from as early as Jan. 1, 2018, through Jan. 20, 2021. Using a high-powered computer that supported diagnostic tools for heavy-duty logging equipment, Taylor performed emission-control “deletes” for more than 200 owners of diesel engines.
The changes Taylor made to the emission controls on those machines disabled the electronic monitoring devices and methods required under the Clean Air Act. Taylor routinely charged $2,000 for this service, earning more than $1.2 million during this period while reporting only $166,853 in income.
As a consequence of falsifying the information on his tax filings for the years 2018, 2019, and 2020, Taylor agrees in his plea to pay a total of $279,642 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, along with accrued interest.
U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule sentencing for Taylor upon completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.
“Justin Taylor has pled guilty to conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act and tampering with the emissions control equipment on hundreds of Tigercat brand heavy-duty diesel logging equipment throughout the Southeast,” said Acting Director Jennifer Lynn of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. “These crimes would increase air pollution which intensifies respiratory illnesses and environmental degradation. This guilty plea serves as a reminder that EPA and our partners are steadfast in our commitment to protect human health and the environment.”
“Justin Taylor assisted others in illegally evading EPA rules, receiving payments for it and failing to pay taxes on it,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Special Agent in Charge, Atlanta Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigations. “Justin Taylor enriched himself substantially and did not fully report his income or pay taxes. IRS Special Agents will continue to investigate and hold tax cheats accountable”
The case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division and IRS Criminal Investigations, and prosecuted for the United States of America by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Darron J. Hubbard.
Swanzey Man Indicted for Stealing Firearms from a Federal Firearms LicenseeRead the Press Release
CONCORD –A Swanzey man was indicted in federal court for stealing firearms from a federally licensed gun store, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Khale Guillou, 19, of Swanzey, was indicted on one count of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee. Guillou is in Massachusetts state custody on unrelated charges. He will appear in federal court on a later date.
On July 6, 2024, Guillou stole 17 firearms from the premises of a person federally licensed to deal in firearms, including one rifle and 16 pistols.
The charge of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee provides for a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to a 3-year term of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Keene Police Department, Swanzey Police Department, Winchester Police Department, and Tewksbury Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
St. Michael Woman Pleads Guilty to Child Abuse and Related Charges in Death of One-Year-OldRead the Press Release
BISMARCK – United States Attorney Mac Schneider announced that Kenzie Rose Baker, age 27, from St. Michael, North Dakota, is scheduled to be sentenced on January 22, 2025, for her role in the death of a one-year-old child on the Spirit Lake Reservation. Baker appeared in federal court on August 16, 2024, in Fargo and pleaded guilty before District Court Judge Peter Welte to accessory after the fact, child abuse in Indian country, and child neglect in Indian country.
“The abuse and death of this young child was senseless, wasteful, and utterly cruel,” Schneider said. “There is no undoing the disregard for life shown in this case, but by holding child abusers accountable in federal court we hope that future tragedies can be prevented. Our partners in federal law enforcement and career prosecutors will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect kids.”
As noted in court documents, Baker called 911 on February 18, 2023, from a home in St. Michael on the Spirit Lake Reservation and reported a one-year-old child was not breathing. The child was transported to CHI St. Alexius in Devils Lake, North Dakota and was pronounced dead.
An autopsy concluded the cause of death was “battered child” due to multiple, repeated injuries of various ages which were evident upon external and internal examination. The child’s internal injuries were untreated, giving rise to infection and sepsis.
Baker admitted she observed swelling present for two weeks but failed to seek medical care. After the child’s death, Baker’s co-defendant, Collin Ray Delorme, claimed an external injury to the child’s back, which was above a spinal fracture, occurred when he misjudged a step and his boot slipped and a flashlight hit the child. Law enforcement attempted to locate and seize the flashlight and Baker said she would provide it, but she did not.
Delorme, the co-defendant, is charged with four offenses including felony murder in Indian country, child abuse in Indian country, and child neglect in Indian country. Delorme is scheduled for jury trial on November 19, 2024. Baker and Delorme are detained in custody pending Baker’s sentencing and Delorme’s trial. The Indictment in this case pertaining to Delorme is not evidence of guilt, Delorme is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lori H. Conroy and SheraLynn Ternes.
######
Solar Company Owner Indicted for FraudRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – On August 14, 2024, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned an 11-count indictment against Daniel Jarrett Ridlinghafer, 37, of Marana for Bank Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Mail Fraud.
The indictment alleges that Ridlinghafer owned and operated Psalm 112 LLC, d.b.a. Tucson Solar Pros, a solar installation company based in Tucson. Beginning in January 2021 and continuing through July 7, 2022, Ridlinghafer engaged in a scheme to defraud at least 25 homeowners and two federally insured credit unions. Ridlinghafer, or his employees, signed fraudulent contracts with victim homeowners for the purchase and installation of solar power electrical systems on the victims’ homes. The victim credit unions then funded loans for many of the projects based on those contracts. After receiving payment from the victim homeowners and credit unions, Ridlinghafer abandoned the projects, failed to provide the victim homeowners any of the equipment they had purchased, and did not install any solar equipment on their homes. Ridlinghafer allegedly defrauded the victim homeowners and credit unions out of at least $695,000.00.
A conviction for Bank Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000.00 fine. A conviction for Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-2024-05232 TUC-RM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-115_Ridlinghafer# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Sevierville Man Sentenced to over 12 Years Imprisonment for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On August 21, 2024, Ronnie Joe Maples, 47, currently of Sevierville, Tennessee was sentenced to 151 months by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. Following his incarceration, Maples will be on lifetime supervised release and will be required to register with state sex offender registries and to comply with special sex offender conditions.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Maples pled guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(2).
According to documents filed in the case, Maples and another individual discussed actively molesting children and producing child pornography on the internet. During these discussions, Maples received child pornography from this individual. In November 2022, the individual with whom Maples was communicating began cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Secret Service (USSS). Law enforcement subsequently obtained a search warrant for Maples’ Facebook account and cellular phone, which confirmed that Maples received child pornography.
U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Tennessee, Francis M. Hamilton III, and FBI Special Agent in Charge, Joseph E. Carrico made the announcement.
The criminal information was the result of an investigation by the FBI and the USSS.
Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab "resources.”
###
Salisbury Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Possessing a Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on August 21, 2024, Scott Clark, 41, of Salisbury, Vermont, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mae D’Agostino to 78 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Clark previously pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen firearm on July 13, 2023.
According to court records, on September 23, 2022, Clark unlawfully entered a camper which had been parked at a campground in Salisbury, Vermont. While inside of the camper, Clark located and took possession of a Glock Model G23 .40 caliber pistol that belonged to the camper’s owner. Clark was confronted by a Vermont State Police trooper responding to complaints of a suspicious person attempting to break into campers at the campground. While Clark was being questioned he clandestinely removed the Glock from his person and provided it to his girlfriend, who was standing nearby and then placed the Glock in her purse. The Vermont State Police trooper observed the Glock in the girlfriend’s purse and seized the pistol.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of the Vermont State Police, the Middlebury Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan A. Ophardt and Thomas J. Aliberti. Clark was represented by Karen Shingler, Esq.
Saint Tammany Parish Man Sentenced for Violating Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – LARRY JAMES (“JAMES”), age 23, of Madisonville, Louisiana, was sentenced on August 20, 2024 after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute, 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. JAMES also pled guilty to three counts of distribution of fentanyl and, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846.
JAMES was sentenced to 63 months imprisonment, four years of supervised release, and a $500 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, JAMES sold fentanyl pills to an undercover agent on August 25, 2023, September 8, 2023, and September 15, 2023. On September 28, 2023, law enforcement searched JAMES’s residence pursuant to a state search warrant and found additional fentanyl pills, packaging materials, two digital scales, and three firearms.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit oversees the prosecution.
SBA employee indicted in COVID-19 fraud schemeRead the Press Release
PLANO, Texas – A Carrollton man has been charged with federal violations related to a COVID-19 fraud scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Faruk Syed, 44, was named in the two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on August 15, 2024, in the Eastern District of Texas. The indictment charges Syed with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Syed made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly C. Priest Johnson.
According to information presented in court, Syed was employed by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a loan specialist and was responsible for reviewing and approving applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Syed allegedly conspired to submit multiple fraudulent applications for EIDL loans requesting hundreds of thousands of dollars of CARES Act funds. As an SBA loan specialist, Syed approved these fraudulent loan applications in his official capacity. He then received the loan proceeds and laundered the money through his Fidelity Investment account.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
If convicted, Syed faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the SBA-OIG and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean J. Taylor.
A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Pendleton County Couple Sentenced for Armed Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. – A DeMossville, Ky., couple, Robert Gullion, 31, and Catelyn Simpson-Barnett, 33, were sentenced on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, to 204 months and 138 months, respectively, for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Gullion was also sentenced for possession of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking.
According to their plea agreements, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle occupied by Gullion and Simpson-Barnett, finding two bags of fentanyl, a loaded syringe on the passenger floorboard, and three bags of a crystal substance later confirmed to be 722.8 grams of methamphetamine. Law enforcement also seized multiple safes in the vehicle, one containing a bag of 27 grams of methamphetamine, a handgun with an extended magazine, other drug paraphernalia, miscellaneous pills, and $5,509.04.
Gullion and Simpson-Barnett both admitted to their roles in conspiring to distribute the controlled substances for approximately two months. Gullion claimed ownership of the firearm and admitted that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Under federal law, Gullion and Simpson-Barnett must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences. Upon their release from prison, they will both be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Erek Davodowich, Acting Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Brian Valenti, Covington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA and Covington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Bracke prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
— END —
Palm Beach County Man Sentenced to over Nine Years in Prison for Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition as a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Aug. 20, Charles Grim Rudolph, 32, of Riviera Beach, Fla., a 23-time convicted felon, was sentenced to 114 months in federal prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra after having been convicted at trial for being a felon in unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
After 9:30 p.m., July 26, 2023, a West Palm Beach Police officer spotted a car with illegal tint pull out of a motel parking lot and conducted a traffic stop on the car, driven by Rudolph. Rudolph did not have a valid license, and after the officer saw two baggies of drugs in plain view near the gear shifter, conducted a search of the car. Rudolph’s girlfriend, the passenger, had a purse inside the car by her seat. Inside the purse was a loaded .38 special revolver. A DNA test identified Rudolph’s DNA on the gun.
The guilty verdict in this case resulted in Rudolph’s fifth conviction for being a felon in unlawful possession of a firearm. Rudolph was on probation for the same offense at the time of his arrest in this matter.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division, and West Palm Beach Police Chief Frank Adderley announced the sentence.
The case was investigated by the FBI, ATF and West Palm Beach Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Walters and Adam McMichael 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.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-80002.
###
Owner of North Carolina High Performance Car Business Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax CrimeRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – North Carolina businessman George William Taylor Jr. of Wilmington pled guilty today to not paying more than $2 million in employment taxes and not filing employment tax returns.
“The vast majority of working Americans pay their fair share in taxes, supporting our nation’s infrastructure, education, and national security. But for years this businessman took millions from employees’ paychecks, supposedly for taxes, and spent it to pad his business and personal expenses,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Tax cheating like this undermines faith in our system and can’t be tolerated in honest business. Hardworking taxpayers won’t stand for it, and neither will the IRS.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, Taylor, owned and operated National Speed, a high-performance automotive services business. As the chairman and president of National Speed, Taylor was responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare, and income taxes from employees’ wages and paying those taxes to the IRS. From 2014 through 2021, Taylor withheld the taxes, but did not pay those withholdings over to the IRS, nor did he file the necessary employment tax returns. During the same period, he also did not pay the employer’s share of those taxes to the IRS.
In total, Taylor caused a tax loss to the IRS of $2,272,072.
“Employment tax evasion results in the loss of tax revenue to the United States government and can cause financial hardship to employees in the form of lost or delayed social security or Medicare benefits,” said Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins, Charlotte Field Office, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “Failure to pay over withheld taxes is a serious offense. Business owners have a responsibility to withhold income taxes for their employees and then remit those taxes to the IRS. CI special agents will pursue anyone who collects these taxes and uses the funds for their own personal gain.”
Taylor is scheduled to be sentenced on November 19, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Michael Easley, of the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Brian Flanagan of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Ontjes of the Eastern District of North Carolina are prosecuting the case.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Cory A. Goforth, age 42, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was sentenced August 22, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, after having pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and delivery of methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Goforth to 168 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Goforth’s release he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On July 5, 2023, a cooperating witness purchased 27 grams of actual meth from Goforth at an Omaha location. On July 26, 2023, a search warrant was conducted at Goforth’s Omaha residence. Officers found 115 grams of meth along with evidence of drug dealing. Goforth was home at the time and during a post arrest interview, admitted to purchasing 2-3 pounds per week for the past 4-5 months from his supplier.
This case was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Norfolk Man Sentenced to 120 Months for Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that John E. Kohler, age 53, of Norfolk, Nebraska was sentenced on August 22, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Kohler to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Kohler will be required to complete a 5-year term of supervised release.
Kohler sold methamphetamine to an undercover investigator in Nebraska on three occasions in 2022. The first sale occurred on April 18, 2022, and yielded approximately one ounce of meth. The second sale occurred on April 26, 2022, and yielded 1¾ ounces of meth. The third sale occurred on August 24, 2022, and yielded 2 ounces of meth.
On March 2, 2023, the undercover investigator arranged another deal to purchase 8 ounces of meth from Kohler. Kohler was pulled over in Lincoln, Nebraska before completing the sale. During a search of Kohler’s vehicle, over 8 ounces of meth was found in his possession.
Evidence from Kohler’s phone dating back to February 13, 2022, corroborated Kohler’s involvement in meth trafficking with other parties.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol as part of the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force.
New York Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Interstate Travel in Aid of Drug Trafficking and Violating His Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Marcello Whyte, age 40, of Queens, New York, was sentenced on August 21, 2024, to five years imprisonment for interstate travel in aid of drug trafficking and an additional two years of imprisonment for violating the terms of his supervised release on his prior federal drug conviction.
According to United States Attorney Gerard Karam, Whyte was convicted in federal court in 2011 for conspiring to distribute between 100 and 400 kilograms of marijuana and sentenced to serve 70 months’ imprisonment to be followed by four years of supervised release. Approximately five months after his release from federal prison, and while on supervised release, Whyte was stopped on March 18, 2016, by Pennsylvania State Police Troopers on I-81 driving a rented vehicle from New York to Pennsylvania. Troopers recovered approximately 249 grams of cocaine inside the vehicle and Whyte pled guilty to interstate transportation in and of drug trafficking in 2019 and remained free pending sentencing. In July 2020, Whyte was arrested in New York and found to be in possession of a loaded firearm and marijuana. Whyte posted bail for that offense but failed to appear for his federal sentencing. He remained a fugitive for approximately four years, until March 23, 2024, when he was arrested in New York and charged with controlled substance offenses. The New York charges remain pending.
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 Pennsylvania State Police and the Drug Enforcement Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William Behe and Assistant United States Attorney Bruce Brandler.
###
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –HORACE WASHINGTON (“WASHINGTON”), age 55, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on August 21, 2024 by United States District Judge Ivan L. R. Lemelle for violating the Federal Controlled Substances Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) received information from a confidential source that WASHINGTON, who had previously been convicted of a federal drug trafficking offense, was again dealing drugs. Through investigation, DEA agents learned that WASHINGTON was getting the drugs from sources near the Texas/Mexico border. These sources would fly to New Orleans, while another co-conspirator drove a car with the drugs to New Orleans. The agents eventually seized ten kilograms of cocaine that WASHINGTON’s coconspirator left in a car in a Westbank parking lot.
Judge Lemelle sentenced WASHINGTON to 121 months imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Morganton Man Is Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Allen Lee Henson, 54, of Morganton, N.C., was sentenced today to 168 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Charlotte District Office, and Sheriff Banks Hinceman of the Burke County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and court proceedings, in March 2021, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation after learning that Henson was acquiring methamphetamine and then re-distributing it to others within the Burke County area. During the investigation, BCSO investigators used a confidential source to purchase methamphetamine from Henson at his residence on at least two occasions. On April 23, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Henson’s residence. During the search, deputies seized distribution quantities of methamphetamine, marijuana, digital scales, drug paraphernalia, and $23,733 in U.S. currency. Court records show that on February 10, 2022, Henson met with an undercover officer (UC) in Caldwell County, where Henson sold the UC more than 71 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for $1,400 in cash.
On November 15, 2023, Henson pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Lenoir Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
Man Who Threatened to Kill Federal Judges and Other Public Officials Sentenced to 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who sent letters from state prison expressing a desire to kill federal judges, U.S. Marshals, and federal prosecutors was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison.
During a hearing in Miami, on Aug. 19, Michael Dean Drew, 51, was sentenced to 240 months in prison, to run consecutive to the sentence he is currently serving. Drew had previously been sentenced, five times, for sending threatening letters to federal judges, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and federal law enforcement officers.
“The public officials who work to keep our country safe and uphold the rule of law should not have to fear for their lives or the lives of their families,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This sentence should make clear that the Justice Department has no tolerance for violence or threats of violence against public servants.”
“Law enforcement officers, judges, and prosecutors work every day to keep us safe against an ever-growing list of threats,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Threatening them for doing their jobs to keep our communities safe strikes at the very heart of our society. This long sentence sends a strong message that we will take all measures to protect the public servants who dedicate their lives to ensure our public safety.”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not tolerate heinous threats of violence that target prosecutors, the judiciary, and our partners in law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “As evidenced in the case against Michael Dean Drew, we will continue to investigate threats against public servants and aggressively seek penalties against those who engage in such abhorrent crimes. We must protect our dedicated government employees, so that they may carry out their jobs without fear and ensure the functions of our democracy.”
“The U.S. Marshals Service is dedicated to protecting our justice system and those who serve it,” said U.S. Marshal Gadyaces Serralta for the District of Southern Florida. “We will not tolerate threats against prosecutors, judges, or law enforcement. Just as we did in the case of Michael Dean Drew, we will continue to investigate and hold accountable anyone who tries to intimidate public servants. Protecting those who enforce the law is crucial to maintaining our democracy and keeping our communities safe.”
According to the court record, in May 2023, Drew mailed a letter to a federal judge in the Southern District of Florida threating that the judge would die a violent death for presiding over a particular criminal case. In August 2023, Drew mailed two letters to the federal courthouse in Miami, in which he threatened another federal judge and members of the U.S. Marshal Service. In each of the letters, Drew described how he was recruiting other people to violently murder the judge and members of the U.S. Marshal Service. In September 2023, Drew mailed letters from his place of incarceration in Florida to Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Virginia and Georgia stating that he had recruited gang members and members of the Aryan Nation to carry out the violent murder of the Assistant U.S. Attorneys and their family members. In all the letters, Drew expressed his sincere intent to carry out the threats and described in detail how each of the victims would die.
In one letter, Drew said he would “take great pleasure in knowing you will suffer and die” and that the judge’s body would be “discarded as a piece of trash, thrown in a ditch.” In the letter addressed to the U.S. Marshals Service, Drew said he was “recruiting” as many fellow inmates as possible into the Aryan Nation gang and that “[o]ur first objective is to murder as many U.S. Marshals as possible… I and my fellow comrades have taken a blood oath to kill, harass, terrorize and destroy federal agents.” In each of the letters, Drew explained how the victim’s death would be in retaliation for their role in the judicial system.
On June 6, Drew pleaded guilty to five counts of mailing threatening communications.
The FBI Miami Field Office and the U.S. Marshals Service Miami investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Funk, Zachary E. Keller, and Emily Rose Stone for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.
Man Who Threatened to Kill Federal Judges and Other Public Officials Sentenced to 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A man who sent letters from state prison expressing a desire to kill federal judges, U.S. Marshals, and federal prosecutors was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison.
During a hearing in Miami, on Aug. 19, U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno sentenced Michael Dean Drew, 51, to 240 months in federal prison, a term of incarceration above the guideline range, to run consecutive to the sentence he is currently serving. Drew had previously been sentenced, five times, for sending threatening letters to federal judges, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and federal law enforcement officers.
“The public officials who work to keep our country safe and uphold the rule of law should not have to fear for their lives or the lives of their families,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This sentence should make clear that the Justice Department has no tolerance for violence or threats of violence against public servants.”
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not tolerate heinous threats of violence that target prosecutors, the judiciary, and our partners in law enforcement,” stated U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “As evidenced in the case against Michael Dean Drew, we will continue to investigate threats against public servants and aggressively seek penalties against those who engage in such abhorrent crimes. We must protect our dedicated government employees, so that they may carry out their jobs without fear and ensure the functions of our democracy.”
“Law enforcement officers, judges, and prosecutors work every day to keep us safe against an ever-growing list of threats,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Threatening them for doing their jobs to keep our communities safe strikes at the very heart of our society. This long sentence sends a strong message that we will take all measures to protect the public servants who dedicate their lives to ensure our public safety.”
"Threats against officers of the court strike at the very heart of our judicial system,” said Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Office. “The dedicated agents and prosecutors who investigate and prosecute criminal activity and the judges who impartially operate our court system must be unburdened by intimidation. This is fundamental to the rule of law. The FBI will relentlessly investigate and bring to justice those individuals who attempt to tip the scales of justice through fear and threats.”
"The U.S. Marshals Service is dedicated to protecting our justice system and those who serve it," said Gadyaces Serralta, U.S. Marshal for the District of Southern Florida. "We will not tolerate threats against prosecutors, judges, or law enforcement. Just as we did in the case of Michael Dean Drew, we will continue to investigate and hold accountable anyone who tries to intimidate public servants. Protecting those who enforce the law is crucial to maintaining our democracy and keeping our communities safe."
According to the court record, in May 2023, Drew mailed a letter to a federal judge in the Southern District of Florida threating that the judge would die a violent death for presiding over a particular criminal case. In August of 2023, Drew mailed two letters to the federal courthouse in Miami, in which he threatened another federal judge and members of the U.S. Marshal Service. In each of the letters, Drew described how he was recruiting other people to violently murder the judge and members of the U.S. Marshal Service. In September of 2023, Drew mailed letters from his place of incarceration in Florida to Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Virginia and Georgia stating that he had recruited gang members and members of the Aryan Nation to carry out the violent murder of the Assistant U.S. Attorneys and their family members. In all the letters, Drew expressed his sincere intent to carry out the threats and described in detail how each of the victims would die.
In one letter, Drew said he would “take great pleasure in knowing you will suffer and die” and that the judge’s body would be “discarded as a piece of trash, thrown in a ditch.” In the letter addressed to the U.S. Marshals Service, Drew said he was “recruiting” as many fellow inmates as possible into the Aryan Nation gang and that “[o]ur first objective is to murder as many U.S. Marshals as possible… I and my fellow comrades have taken a blood oath to kill, harass, terrorize and destroy federal agents.” In each of the letters, Drew explained how the victim’s death would be in retaliation for their role in the judicial system.
On June 6, Drew pled guilty to five counts of mailing threatening communications.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and U.S. Marshal Gadyaces S. Serralta of the U.S. Marshals Service made the announcement.
FBI Miami and the U.S. Marshals Service Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Funk and Zachary A. Keller prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily R. Stone is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case no. 24-CR-20039.
###