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20 August 2024
Atlantic County Man Admits Possessing Unregistered Machineguns and Other ItemsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic County, New Jersey, man today admitted possessing unregistered machineguns and other items, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Michael John James, 30, of Somers Point, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Keil to an information charging him with possessing unregistered machineguns and other firearms, as defined under the National Firearms Act.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In February 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at James’ residence, where they recovered dozens of firearms and ballistics items. Among the recovered items were three operable machine guns, an operable weapon modified to be shorter than a standard rifle, an operable weapon modified to be shorter than a standard shotgun, and three silencers. James admitted that he possessed all of the items recovered from his residence. James also admitted that these machine guns and other firearms were operable when he possessed them.
The charge to which James pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 30, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ross A. Marchetti; special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker; personnel from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor William Reynolds; and officers of the Somers Point Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert C. Somers, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn Waegener and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
james.information.pdfAssistant Pastor Convicted at Trial for $800,000 Investment Scheme Is Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Michael Mandel Baldwin, 55, of Alexandria, Virginia, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on charges of wire fraud and securities fraud, for orchestrating an $800,000 investment scheme, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Jason Byrnes, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, joins U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to trial evidence, witness testimony, and filed court documents, from 2009 to 2021, Baldwin served as Assistant Pastor and Musical Director for a church in Northern Virginia, and Chief Executive Officer of the Miracle Mansion, LLC (Miracle Mansion). Trial evidence established that Baldwin used his position of trust within the church and fake promotional material to promote his investment scheme to victims that included churches, congregation members, and individual investors. To convince victims to invest in the Miracle Mansion project, Baldwin repeatedly lied about the viability, legitimacy, and success of the project, and used the names of well-known corporations and organizations to falsely claim they had endorsed the project.
According to evidence presented at trial, Baldwin solicited investments from a Charlotte-area church and its congregation members, as well as other entities located throughout the United States, including in Virginia, Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia. As part of the fraud, Baldwin’s promotional material falsely described Miracle Mansion as “a one-of-a-kind entertainment complex that [would] reshape the face of family entertainment in the Washington Metropolitan region,” with a mission that “promotes family-focused inspiration, entertainment and enrichment anchored by a Biblical worldview.” To promote the scheme, Baldwin held in-person and virtual meetings with potential investors, during which he falsely claimed the investors’ money would be used to develop, create, and construct Miracle Mansion, including to purchase the land on which Miracle Mansion would be built.
According to witness testimony, in furtherance of the scheme, Baldwin presented to investors several investment opportunities, including “GroundSwell 73,” which he described as “73 acres = 7,300 people, investing $73 per month, for 73 months.”
As court documents reflect, Baldwin lied to victims and would-be investors that The Kennedy Center and high-level executives at Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A had endorsed and supported Miracle Mansion. However, contrary to Baldwin’s claims, high-level executives with Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A testified at trial that they neither knew nor supported Baldwin and his project.
Rather than using the victims’ money to create, develop, and construct Miracle Mansion as promised, Baldwin spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on his personal lifestyle, including to pay for personal expenses, travel, gym memberships, and meals at restaurants. He also made large credit card payments and cash withdrawals. Baldwin also used a portion of the victims’ money to pay others involved in Miracle Mansion, and to make Ponzi style payments to some of the investors who were questioning the status and the legitimacy of the project.
At today’s sentencing hearing, federal prosecutors contended that Baldwin preyed on his victims’ religious affiliations, charitable inclinations, and trust in the defendant as a friend and religious advisor and noted that Baldwin inflicted emotional and spiritual harm on his victims.
Baldwin will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney King thanked the U.S. Secret Service for leading the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caryn Finley and Kenneth Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
92K Rounds of Ammo Found During Bridge of the Americas Bus Inspection, Drivers Arrested on Smuggling of Goods ChargesRead the Press Release
EL PASO, Texas – Two Mexican national bus drivers were arrested Saturday in El Paso on criminal charges related to their alleged smuggling of firearm ammunition.
According to court documents, Lucio Enriquez Garcia, was the driver of a charter bus bearing a Mexico license plate when he approached the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry. Garcia told the Customs and Border Protection officer that he was carrying 16 passengers with some children from Phoenix, Arizona to Zacatecas, Mexico and there were no firearms on board. An assistant bus driver, Ramiro Antonio Barbosa Resendiz, also denied possession of firearms.
Further inspection revealed 26 black totes, 11 of which contained 33,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. The remaining 15 totes contained 59,900 rounds of .223 caliber rifle ammunition for a total of 92,900 rounds of ammunition.
Garcia and Resendiz made their initial appearances in court Monday and are each charged with one count of smuggling goods from the United States. If convicted, they each face up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and CBP are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg McDonald is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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19 August 2024
Woman Who Used the Dark Web to Commit a Murder-for-Hire to Kill an Ex-Boyfriend’s New Girlfriend is Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A Utah woman who attempted to commit murder-for-hire by using the dark web was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment today after she engaged in a murder for hire scheme.
“I am very troubled by this case,” said Senior U.S. District Court Judge David Sam, who went on to express his deep appreciation to law enforcement for their hard work in this case. “As a result of all that work, a life was saved,” said Judge Sam.
Krista Renae Stone, 23, of Salt Lake City, was sentenced Monday morning after she pleaded guilty in May 2024 to the use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. In addition to her term of imprisonment, Stone was sentenced to three years’ supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea and sentencing hearing, beginning in March 2023 and continuing through September 2023, Stone used the internet, specifically the dark web, with the intent to murder an ex-boyfriend’s girlfriend. In return for the murder, Stone agreed to pay money. Stone further admitted she engaged with a website offering “hitman for hire” type services and “ordered” the killing of the victim for $5,000 using Bitcoin to complete the order. Stone included a detailed description of the victim, including a photograph, the victim’s location, and how she wanted the murder committed. The website, which is not run by law enforcement, is under investigation.
“Ms. Stone’s murder-for-hire plot was a brazen attempt against another person’s life that caused extreme emotional harm. Without law enforcement discovering the website Ms. Stone was using and the extensive investigation by law enforcement, the outcome would be far more devastating,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “We are grateful to the agents who worked on this case and hope today’s sentence brings a sense of closure to the victim and her family.”
"Murder-for-hire turns the sanctity of life into a transaction, making our communities vulnerable to further acts of violence,” said Christopher Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations. “HSI luckily prevented this plot being carried out, and our agents are committed to preventing crimes that would commodify human life.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant United States Attorney Carol A. Dain of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Washington, D.C. Man Sentenced to Twenty Years Imprisonment for the Armed Robberies of Two Phone Stores in MarylandRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – On Monday, August 19, United States District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Donte Antwaun Herring, of Washington, D.C. to 20 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, as a result of his convictions for the armed robberies of two phone stores in December 2020. On March 1, 2024, a federal jury convicted Herring of the robberies after less than an hour of deliberation.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to the evidence presented at his five-day 2024 trial, on December 17 and 23, 2020, Herring and his co-conspirators robbed phone stores in Halethorpe and Owings Mills, Maryland, respectively. In each robbery, Herring and his co-conspirators used firearms.
Specifically, according to trial testimony, on December 17, 2020, at shortly after 7:15 p.m., Herring and a co-conspirator entered a phone store in the 3900 block of Washington Boulevard, in Halethorpe, Maryland. After initially posing as customers browsing for cell phones, the co-conspirator and Herring announced a robbery and brandished firearms—pointing them in the direction of the victim employee. Trial evidence proved that Herring ordered the victim employee to take him and the co-conspirator to the store’s safe, then ordered the victim to open the safe. Herring and the co-conspirator then removed various electronic devices from the safe, including multiple boxes of Apple cellular telephones, watches and iPads, along with cash from the store’s register. They then fled in a maroon minivan.
Witnesses testified that in the robbery on December 23, 2020, co-defendant Rico Dashiell entered a telephone store in the 10000 block of Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills, Maryland and acted like a customer. Herring and another co-conspirator then entered the store brandishing firearms and Dashiell pointed a gun at a victim employee. Witnesses testified that Herring and the co-conspirator pointed their guns at a victim customer and other employees and ordered them to get down on the floor. The victim customer was also ordered to empty his pockets and Herring and the co-conspirator took the victim’s wallet (containing his driver’s license and credit cards), along with his car keys and an Apple iPhone 8S plus, valued at approximately $350. Herring and the co-conspirator went to the back room and Dashiell escorted a victim employee to the back room at gunpoint and ordered the victim to open the store safe. Once the victim complied, Herring and the co-conspirator removed nearly all of the electronic devices from the safe—including Apple and Samsung Galaxy devices (76 devices total)—and placed them in large garbage bags they had brought with them. When Herring and the co-conspirator finished emptying the safe, they ordered the three victims from the main floor of the store to the room in the back of the store where the safe was kept. According to trial testimony, as Herring and the co-conspirator left the room, the co-conspirator pepper sprayed the victims’ faces. In the meantime, Dashiell directed a victim employee to open the store’s cash register and stole $322.
Herring and his co-conspirators then fled in a vehicle that had been stolen earlier in the day and that had tags stolen from another vehicle. According to trial evidence, law enforcement was able to track the vehicle to a home in Catonsville, Maryland, where aviation units were able to film Herring, Dashiell and the co-conspirator unloading the stolen merchandise from the car and taking it into the residence.
As detailed in trial testimony, law enforcement officers arrived at the residence and attempted for hours to make contact with the suspects and other occupants of the residence. After two young children who lived at the residence (who had no relation to the robbers) came out of the house, law enforcement executed a search warrant of the residence and arrested the robbers, who had been hiding in the attic. During a search incident to arrest, law enforcement seized, among other things, $622.16 from the co-conspirator ($322 of which was proceeds from the robbery), along with a round of ammunition.
According to trial evidence, during their search of the residence, law enforcement also recovered, among other things, the clothing, gloves, and headwear worn by the robbers during the robberies; the 76 stolen devices; the canister of pepper spray used to spray the victims; the stolen wallet belonging to one of the victims; and, the three firearms used by Herring, Dashiell and the co-conspirator, as well as a Polymer 80 Gray Grip with a black slide 9mm semi-automatic pistol, with no serial number, commonly known as a “ghost gun,” which was also loaded.
Electronic evidence presented at trial included multiple text messages in which Herring discussed his planning of the December 23, 2020 robbery. It likewise included photographs from a co-conspirator’s iCloud account that showed Herring holding large amounts of cash within hours of the robbery on December 17, 2020.
Co-defendant Rico Dashiell, age 25, of Fort Washington, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. Co-Defendant Jones’s trial is set to commence on September 23, 2024.U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI and Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Michael F. Aubin, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office recovers approximately $700,000 for victims of Kalispell fraudsterRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — The U.S. Attorney’s Office recently recovered approximately $700,000 for victims of a Kalispell man who defrauded investors in a multi-million-dollar scheme involving oil and gas leases and artwork, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
The defendant, John Kevin Moore, also known and Kevin Moore, of Kalispell, was convicted in August 2018 by a federal jury of 21 counts of wire fraud, money laundering and false statement crimes and sentenced in 2019 to more than 10 years in prison, ordered to pay more than $2.2 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $1.9 million.
“In addition to obtaining a federal prison sentence, the collection of restitution for victims of fraud is essential in the pursuit of justice, although it is often difficult to obtain restitution because the fraudster usually spends all the money. Here, however, through the extraordinary dedication and hard work of our financial litigation team, we were able to track down and recover a significant amount of money for victims of Moore’s fraud and prevent Moore from benefiting from the sale of a ranch in which he had invested,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
In seeking to collect restitution, the U.S. Attorney’s financial litigation division asserted its restitution lien against Moore’s interest in a ranch in Valley County held by Moore’s now-dissolved business, Milk River Hunting Preserve, LLC. Through a civil settlement reached in U.S. District Court in July, the government secured approximately $700,000 in restitution for the victims in Moore’s criminal case from the proceeds of the sale of the ranch.
At Moore’s criminal trial, the government presented evidence that Moore set up two companies, Big Sky Mineral Resources LLC and Glacier Gala, and used them to solicit money from investors by purporting to buy oil and gas leases and to buy and sell lucrative artwork. Instead, prosecutors alleged, Moore used investors’ money to pay off earlier investors and to pay for personal expenses, including payments on multi-million-dollar properties. Moore received more than $2 million from victims based on false claims he made regarding the mining of oil and gas and minerals and the sale of art.
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U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Conviction of Bloomfield Man for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Bloomfield man pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to a July 4th domestic abuse incident.
According to publicly available court documents, on July 4, 2024, Deshaun Begay, 20, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, repeatedly assaulted Jane Doe by biting, punching and kicking her, and using dog leash, a dumbbell and a chain with a lock on it. As a result of the assault, the victim suffered serious bodily injuries, including scalp lacerations and fractures to her nasal bone and eye socket.
The Court ordered that Begay remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
At sentencing, Begay faces up to 10 years in prison followed by to three 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 Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department, the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case.
View the Plea Agreement# # #
U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Conviction in Unemployment Fraud CaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man pleaded guilty in federal court to mail and wire fraud charges stemming from a scheme exploiting CARES Act provisions.
According to publicly available court documents, between April 2020 and October 2020, Pholopater Faltas, 26, submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance applications to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions in the names of at least eight individuals. To that end, Faltas solicited personally identifying information from these individuals, falsely promising to access benefits on their behalf. The fraudulent applications contained materially false statements to ensure approval and allowed Faltas to control the disbursed funds.
As a result of this scheme, the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions disbursed at least $66,867 in unemployment benefits, which Faltas controlled through debit cards and bank accounts. Faltas misled the purported applicants about their eligibility and retained the majority of the funds for himself.
In his plea agreement, Faltas acknowledged that the offenses were related to the federal CARES Act, enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and involved the use of interstate mailings and wire communications.
The Court ordered that Faltas remain on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
At sentencing, Faltas faces up to 30 years in prison followed by to five years of supervised release and a fine not to exceed $1 million.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today.
The United States Secret Service - Albuquerque Resident Office and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case with assistance from the Department of Labor – Office of the Inspector General. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico prosecuted the case.
View the Plea Agreement# # #
U.S. Attorney Announces $600,000 False Claims Act Settlement with Medical Practice and Its Owners for Improper Medicare and Medicaid BillingRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Naomi Gruchacz, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Regional Office of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”), announced today that the United States has filed and simultaneously settled a civil fraud lawsuit against ORANGE MEDICAL CARE, P.C. (“ORANGE MEDICAL”) and its owners, ASHIKKUMAR A. RAVAL and MANISH A. RAVAL (together, the “RAVALS” and with ORANGE MEDICAL, the “Defendants”).
The RAVALS are physicians who own and operate ORANGE MEDICAL, a family medicine practice that provides primary care services to patients in Newburgh, New York. The settlement resolves claims that ORANGE MEDICAL and the RAVALS fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid by submitting claims for primary care services that were not rendered or supervised by the physician identified in the claim for payment and had, in fact, been rendered by non-credentialed providers.
Under the settlement approved Saturday, August 17, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe, ORANGE MEDICAL and the RAVALS will pay $268,800 to the U.S. and have admitted and accepted responsibility for conduct alleged in the Complaint as further described below. ORANGE MEDICAL and the RAVALS have also agreed to pay $331,200 to the State of New York to resolve the State of New York’s claims, for a total recovery of $600,000. The settlement amount is based on the Office’s and the State of New York’s assessment of ORANGE MEDICAL’s and the RAVALS’ ability to pay based on the financial information they provided. The parties have also executed a Consent Judgment in the amount of $1,646,835, which may be enforced if the Defendants do not make the payments required under the settlement agreement.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Orange Medical and the Ravals submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid, failing to accurately identify who was involved in their patients’ treatment. This Office is committed to ensuring that individuals and entities billing federal health care programs do so in an honest manner.”
HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz said: “As a part of this settlement, the defendants acknowledged that Orange Medical obtained funds from the Medicare and Medicaid programs for claims that did not comply with those programs’ billing rules. Individuals and entities that participate in the federal health care system are required to obey the laws meant to preserve the integrity of program funds and the provision of appropriate, quality services to patients.”
As alleged in the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court:
From November 2006 through December 2022, ORANGE MEDICAL and the RAVALS submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid that listed one of the RAVALS as the rendering provider even though the services had been rendered by non-credentialed providers, without the direct supervision of the RAVALS. On many such occasions, the RAVALS were traveling outside of the U.S. at the time the patient received the treatment.
As part of the settlement, ORANGE MEDICAL and the RAVALS admitted and accepted responsibility for certain conduct alleged by the U.S., including the following:
- ORANGE MEDICAL and the RAVALS understood that they were prohibited by relevant federal healthcare program rules from submitting claims for reimbursement to Medicaid in the State of New York for primary care services if the physician listed as the rendering provider on the claim for reimbursement had not actually rendered the services and, with respect to Medicare, if the services were not, at minimum, rendered “incident to” medical services actually provided by the physician listed on the claim. ORANGE MEDICAL and the RAVALS further understood that, in order to receive reimbursement from Medicaid, a healthcare provider must be enrolled as a provider in the Medicare or Medicaid program at the time the services are rendered.
- Nonetheless, ORANGE MEDICAL and the RAVALS frequently submitted claims to Medicaid and Medicare for primary care services that listed Manish Raval or Ashikkumar Raval as the rendering provider, even though they had not rendered the services for which reimbursement had been sought. In fact, the services had been performed by providers who had not enrolled in the Medicare or Medicaid programs. Further, the providers that had rendered the services were often not physicians, but instead nurse practitioners or physician assistants. On many such occasions, the RAVALS had no personal involvement or supervision in the treatment of the patient and were traveling outside of the U.S. at the time that the services were furnished.
- ORANGE MEDICAL and the RAVALS also altered patient records to reflect falsely that one of the RAVALS had seen a patient when, in fact, the patient had been seen by a different provider.
- As a result of the conduct described above, ORANGE MEDICAL received reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid for primary care claims that did not comply with those programs’ billing rules.
In connection with the filing of the lawsuit and settlement, the Government joined a private whistleblower lawsuit that had been filed under seal pursuant to the False Claims Act.
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Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of HHS-OIG, and he thanked the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the New York State Attorney General’s Office for its extensive collaboration in the investigation and resolution of this case.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Farber is in charge of the case.
Two More Defendants Sentenced to Prison for Roles in Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Charles Clinton Cordle, 66, of Ashland, Kentucky, and Josie Irene Copley, 59, of Flatwoods, Kentucky, were each sentenced today to three years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for their roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 23, 2023, Cordle received approximately 14 grams of methamphetamine and 9 grams of fentanyl in the area of the 2700 block of Highlawn Avenue in Huntington after arranging to receive the controlled substances during a phone call with another person. A law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Cordle following the transaction, and the officer located and seized the methamphetamine and fentanyl during the traffic stop. Cordle admitted that he intended to distribute the controlled substances.
On October 25, 2023, Copley purchased approximately 13.98 grams of fentanyl in Huntington from co-defendant Kyla Smith after calling Smith and arranging the transaction. After Copley purchased the fentanyl, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Copley was a passenger. Copley told the officer she had drugs in her possession and surrendered the fentanyl she had obtained from Smith. Copley admitted that the officer also seized approximately 2.11 grams of methamphetamine during the traffic stop that she possessed and intended to sell.
On November 15, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Copley’s residence in Flatwoods, Kentucky. Officers seized quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl and a New England Firearms .410-gauge shotgun.
Cordle, Copley and Smith are among 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment that charges the defendants with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.
Cordle pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl, and Copley pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl. Smith, also known as “Flaca,” 29, of Huntington, pleaded guilty on April 3, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and awaits sentencing. Cordle, Copley and Smith are among 21 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the main case. One other of the 27 indicted individuals pleaded guilty to a related offense in a separate case. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentences. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-180.
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Third Individual Sentenced to Federal Prison Following Armed Robbery of Convenience StoreRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama announced the sentencing of the third and final defendant for his role in the armed robbery of a convenience store.
On August 15, 2024, 33-year-old Marquis Shawn McKeithen, from Montgomery, Alabama, received a sentence of 141 months in prison. Earlier, on October 19, 2023, Kallisa Ann Mendenhall, 27, a resident of Tyler, Alabama, received a sentence of 114 months. Finally, on July 13, 2023, 21-year-old Jon'derius Lashon Scott, also from Montgomery, received a 94-month sentence. All three defendants previously pleaded guilty to charges of interference with interstate commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during a federal crime of violence.
According to court records, on December 1, 2022, McKeithen, Mendenhall, and Scott entered a convenience store on U.S. Highway 331 in Montgomery County, Alabama, all carrying firearms. Scott watched the door with his firearm out and ready while McKeithen and Mendenhall approached the counter. McKeithen leapt over the counter and grabbed the clerk, placing his gun to the clerk’s head. Mendenhall remained on the other side of the counter with her gun pointed at the clerk. McKeithen demanded the clerk give them money from the register. Once McKeithen had the money, the three exited the station and sped away in a vehicle.
McKeithen’s sentence reflects an additional unrelated charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On March 13, 2022, law enforcement in Shelby County found McKeithen in possession of a handgun. McKeithen has a previous felony conviction and is prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
The FBI Mobile Field Office and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case, with assistance from the Montgomery Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the Vestavia Hills Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Brandon W. Bates prosecuted the case.
Texas Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Kidnapping an Adult Victim and Transportation of a Minor Across State LinesRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A Texas man was sentenced today to 35 years in federal prison for 14 criminal offenses, including, among others, kidnapping an adult victim and transportation of a minor across state lines.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office made the announcement.
“I commend the excellent work of the trial team and that of our law enforcement partners, the FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Brentwood Tennessee Police Department, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, for their combined investigative effort in bringing the defendant to justice,” stated U.S. Attorney Bennett. “The lengthy sentence imposed by the Court reflects the outrageousness of the defendant’s criminal conduct toward the victims in this case and ensures he will not reoffend for decades to come.”
“The victims in this case never thought using an online dating service would subject them to the type of horrendous actions that this defendant inflicted upon them," said Special Agent in Charge Stansbury. “Today’s sentence affirms the FBI’s steadfast commitment to protecting our community from acts of violence and intimidation and is an important reminder to remain vigilant and cautious as we use the internet in our everyday lives to avoid predators, like this defendant, who wish to harm us all.”
According to court documents, Bryan Douglas Conley, age 42, was sentenced to 35 years in prison, followed by a 25-year period of supervised release, for 14 criminal offenses to include transportation of a minor for illegal sexual activity, and inveigle and decoy kidnapping. To “inveigle” a person means to lure, or entice, or lead the person to do something by making false representations or promises or using other deceitful means. “Decoy” means enticement or luring by means of some fraud, trick, or temptation. He was also convicted of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and interstate threats to ransom.
The defendant was convicted of these counts following a jury trial in December of 2023. At trial evidence was presented that in November of 2018, Conley, used an online dating website to lure and entice a minor from Ohio to travel to Tennessee to meet with him. Conley created and used a false online profile named “Bryant” and offers of money and property to lure the minor across state lines. Conley and the false profile “Bryant” offered the minor money for sexual activity in Kentucky and Tennessee. Conley ultimately abandoned the minor several days later in Texas and stole her purse and phone.
In January of 2019, Conley used an online date website to inveigle and decoy an adult victim. Conley created the online profile “Lance Debeers” and falsely claimed to be a modeling agent. Both Conley and “Lance” engaged the victim in discussions about modeling. On January 29, 2019, Conley met the victim in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. He took the victim’s phone and provided her an unknown substance to drink as part of the modeling contract. He bound the victim and drove around Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee issuing ransom demands to the victims’ parents in Tennessee. The ransom demands included threats to harm the victim if his demands were not met physically and sexually.
On January 30, 2019, Conley retrieved a ransom placed by the FBI in Oak Grove, Kentucky. He was arrested shortly after retrieving the ransom. The victim was located in the car. Prior to the kidnapping, Conley met the victim and took her credit card and attempted to make purchases at a retail store in Oak Grove, Kentucky. He also attempted to access her credit card customer profile using the victim’s social security number.
In June of 2019, after Conley had been arrested and released from custody and ordered to wear an ankle monitoring device, he removed the device and fled to Ohio. He was subsequently arrested and detained.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Brentwood Tennessee Police Department, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Judd and Joel King prosecuted the case with assistance from paralegal James Aaron Cooper.
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Texas Man Sentenced for Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Lonnie Embers, age 53, of San Marcos, Texas, was sentenced August 19, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Embers to 46 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Embers’s release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
Drug Enforcement Agents agents became aware of co-defendant Gary Pope II as a dealer of cocaine in the Omaha area. This led to a three-month wiretap of Pope’s cell phone in 2022. The wiretap intercepts and resulting investigation confirmed that Pope would receive cocaine deliveries from Texas in kilogram quantities and sell the cocaine in lesser quantities in the Omaha area.
Embers talked on the phone with Pope about distributing cocaine and was seen meeting with Pope at an Omaha hotel for a suspected one-kilogram transaction in June 2022. On July 15, 2022, Embers was arrested in Oklahoma with approximately two kilograms of cocaine and two firearms, a loaded 9 mm pistol and a .270-caliber rifle in a gun case. After being advised of his rights, Embers told investigators he was being paid to transport the cocaine to Omaha from San Antonio.
Pope, age 42, was sentenced to 87 months in prison earlier this year. Pope also received an additional 66-month sentence in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
Co-defendant Joseph Reyes, age 34, of Houston has been sentenced to 46 months in prison.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Ten Additional States Join Justice Department’s Suit Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for Monopolizing Markets Across the Live Concert IndustryRead the Press Release
Today, the Attorneys General of Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont joined a civil antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department, 29 other states and the District of Columbia against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for monopolization and other unlawful conduct in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.
The department, and its now-expanded group of 40 co-plaintiffs, filed an amended complaint in the Southern District of New York. The amended complaint also alleges additional details about Live Nation-Ticketmaster’s anticompetitive course of conduct in markets across the live entertainment industry.
Suburban Chicago Businessman Sentenced to a Year in Prison for Underreporting $1.47 Million in TaxesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The owner of three Chicago-area childcare and transportation businesses has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for underreporting more than $1.47 million in income on his tax returns.
JEREMIAH JOHNSON owned New Beginnings Academy, New Beginnings Child Development, and Epic Transportation. During the calendar years 2015 to 2020, Johnson obtained more than $1.47 million of income from the operation of those businesses but failed to report the money on his individual tax returns. Johnson filed individual tax returns for those years but reported lesser W2 wages and some rental income. The failure to disclose the additional income he received from his businesses resulted in the preparation and filing of materially false individual income tax returns.
During the same time period, Johnson also failed to file corporate tax returns or pay any of the required employer and employee withholdings for federal income tax, Social Security tax, and Medicare.
Johnson, 46, of Frankfort, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of filing a false tax return. In addition to the year-and-a-day prison term, U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly on Wednesday fined Johnson $10,000 and ordered him to pay $123,391 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Totten and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. King, Jr.
South L.A. Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Federal Prison for Using Instagram to Solicit Bank Account Holders to Deposit Stolen ChecksRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A South Los Angeles man was sentenced today to 87 months in federal prison for leading a conspiracy that defrauded banks and credit unions out of at least $2.7 million by depositing checks stolen from the mail into bank accounts belonging to accomplices he recruited via Instagram.
Carlos Corona, 37, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who also ordered him to pay $2,722,632 in restitution.
Corona pleaded guilty on May 1 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
From October 2020 to August 2023, Corona and other co-conspirators engaged in an elaborate bank fraud scheme using third-party bank accounts and stolen checks. Some co-conspirators stole checks from the U.S. mail stream, including from post office mail collection boxes located outside post offices.
The conspirators took possession of the stolen checks. They, along with others, then solicited bank account holders through social media to provide their debit cards and bank account information, promising these account holders a cut of any fraudulent funds deposited into their accounts.
To circumvent the fraud protections of the banks and credit unions, Corona and others specifically requested bank accounts that had been open for a certain amount of time so they could get access to the stolen funds more quickly.
Bank account holders responded to the social media advertisements and provided members of the conspiracy with the information requested on the ads, including bank account numbers, PIN numbers, debit cards and online banking log-in information.
Corona and other co-conspirators exchanged the bank account holders’ information with each other, and then they deposited the stolen checks into these bank accounts. In most cases, the stolen checks were falsely endorsed in the original payee’s name. Sometimes, the checks were washed or altered to make the payee name correspond to the bank account into which the checks were being deposited.
Corona and others then rapidly depleted the fraudulently deposited funds from the account holders’ accounts by making cash withdrawals, electronic transfers, and debit card purchases. To conceal the fraud, members of the conspiracy instructed account holders – if the banks and credit unions contacted them about the fraudulent deposits – to claim that their accounts had been compromised.
During the scheme, Corona intended to cause at least $5.3 million in losses to the banks and credit unions and caused actual losses to lenders of at least $2.7 million.
Prosecutors have secured 10 convictions in this case.
The United States Postal Inspection Service and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. The Los Angeles Police Department provided assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah E. Spielberger and Alexandra Michael, both of the General Crimes Section, prosecuted this case.
Sex Offender Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Maurice Fitzgerald Alexander, Jr., 33, of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge James A. Soto to 40 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release.
Earlier this year, Alexander was convicted by a federal jury after a three-day trial of Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud, or Coercion. The jury also found Alexander guilty of one count of Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking of a Minor Using Force, Fraud, or Coercion, one count of Transportation with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity, and one count of Production of Child Pornography. At the time of the offense, Alexander was already required to register as a sex offender.
On October 4, 2021, officers from the Tucson Police Department responded to a 911 call from the victim and learned she had possibly been trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation. A Tucson Police detective quickly responded to a local hospital and immediately initiated an investigation. The investigation revealed that Alexander trafficked the victim, who was 14 years old at the time, through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado between August 19, 2021, and October 4, 2021. Department of Homeland Security Special Agents and Task Force Officers arrested Alexander in Tucson on October 21, 2021. A subsequent review of Alexander’s phone showed that Alexander also forced the minor victim to create photos and videos depicting sexually explicit conduct that were later used in advertisements on social media and various other websites commonly used for prostitution.
The Tucson Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Nathaniel J. Walters and Monica E. Ryan, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-02972-JAS-EJM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-114_Alexander# # #
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.Rota Resident Sentenced to 10 years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
SAIPAN, CNMI– SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that Vincent Masga Songsong, age 40, from the island of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). The Court also ordered five years of supervised release following imprisonment and sex offender registration anywhere Songsong lives, works, or goes to school. A restitution hearing is set for September 27, 2024.
Songsong was convicted of the same crime in 2015 and sentenced to 78 months imprisonment. He began a term of supervised release thereafter. On June 23, 2023, a United States Probation officer visited Songsong’s place of employment on the island of Rota. Songsong was found in possession of a cellular phone not registered with the Probation Office. The Federal Bureau of Investigation seized the phone and, through forensic analysis, located more than 1,000 video and image files depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. To date, approximately 123 victims have been identified.
“The possession of CSAM is an unconscionable crime that affects the most vulnerable in our communities,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “The harm to child victims can last a lifetime. Our Project Safe Childhood initiative continues to target those who seek to prey on children. Our office will pursue these cases whenever the evidence supports prosecution.”
“The FBI is dedicated to ensuring the safety of children in the United States and its territories,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill. “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that crimes against children will never be tolerated. Our collective efforts to promote public safety in Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands remains steadfast, and the FBI will continue to investigate, disrupt, and hold accountable those who prey upon the children of our communities.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Albert S. Flores Jr., Assistant United States Attorney in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
This was a Project Safe Childhood (PSC) case, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, PSC 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 PSC, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Resolution of OCDETF Case Results in the Sentencing of Ten Defendants to a Total of over 59 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the resolution of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) case in Shreveport. This case involved the trafficking of cocaine and crack cocaine, money laundering and theft of government funds. United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote sentenced the following defendants who were convicted as follows:
Defendant Name
Conviction Charge and Sentence
Anthony Deon Pouncy, 45
Houston, TX
- Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Crack Cocaine
- Sentenced to 199 months in prison, 5 years of supervised release
Kavin Dewayne Steadman, 42
Bossier City, LA
- Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Crack Cocaine
- Wire Fraud
- Sentenced to 235 months in prison, 5 years of supervised release
Roderick Agnes, 43
Shreveport, LA
- Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
- Sentenced to 112 months, 3 years of supervised release
Reginald Cordale Pea, 38
Bossier City, LA
- Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Crack Cocaine
- Sentenced to 63 months, 3 years of supervised release
Demetrius Demontrae Richmond, 25
Bossier City, LA
- Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Crack Cocaine
- Sentenced to 51 months, 3 years of supervised release
Jamaal Dejuan Hill, 39
Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine
- Sentenced to 32 months, 3 years of supervised release
Stacey Michell Armstrong, 54
Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine
- Sentenced to 18 months, 3 years of supervised release
Evin Andrew Page, 27
Plain Dealing, LA
- Conspiracy to Cocaine
- Sentenced to 7 months, 2 years of supervised release
Brandi Nicole Dorsey, 46
Houston, TX
- Misprision of a Felony
- Sentenced to 2 years’ probation
Natalie Lane, 43
Katy, TX
- False Statement to a Court
- Sentenced to 1 year probation
This OCDETF investigation began in 2020 into drug trafficking activities of the above defendants. Law enforcement agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) learned that all of these defendants were distributing cocaine and crack cocaine in the Shreveport and Bossier City and in other parts of Northwest Louisiana. Specifically, agents learned that between January 2020 and May 2022, Pouncy would arrange for the transportation of cocaine and crack cocaine from Houston, Texas into the Western District of Louisiana. Once the drugs arrived in the district, Pouncy and Steadman would distribute the drugs to their co-defendants to be sold and distributed. The defendants were using residences in Keithville and Shreveport to distribute the cocaine. Evidence established that Pouncy and Steadman trafficked 17 kilograms of cocaine into the Western District of Louisiana, with an estimated street value of $600,000.
During their investigation, law enforcement agents received consent to monitor electronic communications on the cellular telephone numbers for Steadman, Pea and Hill and were able to intercept calls between these defendants about drug transactions that were taking place. In 2021, agents learned that Steadman deposited over $40,000 in cash deposits to his bank accounts but according to his income tax returns, he reported no income that year. In addition to his involvement in the drug trafficking conspiracy, Steadman applied for a fraudulent Payroll Protection Program (“PPP”) loan. In his PPP loan application, Steadman claimed that he operated a cattle breeding business in Shreveport and that he had three employees with an average monthly payroll of over $17,000. In addition, Steadman submitted false Schedule C documentation stating he had over $499,000 in gross receipts for his cattle business in tax year 2019 and also claimed to have over $200,000 in advertising, trucking, labor and other expenses. Based upon the false representations in the PPP loan application, Steadman received $28,889 in PPP loan benefits on June 2, 2021. Steadman admitted that he made these representations in his application knowing they were false.
Demetrius D. Richmond, Stacey M. Armstrong, and Evin A. Page admitted to getting their cocaine supply from Reginald Pea and Jamaal Hill and then sold and distributed cocaine and crack cocaine to others. Roderick Agnes was found with cocaine, digital scales, and currency during the execution of a search warrant. In addition, Agnes had three firearms: a loaded Taurus PT1911 .45 caliber, a loaded Century Arms Canik TP9 9mm, and a Maverick Arms Model 88 12 gauge shotgun in his possession.
Brandi Nicole Dorsey pleaded guilty to a Bill of Information charging her with misprision of a felony concerning her knowledge of the distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine and her concealment of same. Natalie Lane pleaded guilty to making false statements at a detention hearing conducted in United States District Court on December 22, 2022, wherein she testified on behalf of Anthony Pouncy. Lane admitted to knowingly making false statements during her testimony before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hornsby and inducing him to release Pouncy pending trial.
“This was an investigation that addresses some of the priorities of the Department of Justice, which include high level drug trafficking, money laundering, PPP loan fraud, and illegal firearm possession,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown “The OCDETF program’s goal is to attack interstate drug trafficking activity and violent crime using multiple federal and state law enforcement agencies. The culmination of this investigation proves that the federal government’s reach is far and wide and if drug dealers utilize major metropolitan areas in other states to move drugs into the Western District of Louisiana, you will be indicted, prosecuted and sentenced to lengthy sentences of imprisonment.”
The case was investigated by DEA, FBI, ATF, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office and Shreveport Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica D. Cassidy.
The investigation and conviction of these defendants is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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Reports of Shots Fired Lead to Guilty Plea from Portland Man for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Portland to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court records, on November 23, 2023, the Portland Police Department received reports of shots fired near the intersection of Commercial Street and Cross Street. The caller described the suspect pulling a firearm from his waistband and firing two shots into the air and provided a description of the vehicle. The description was later confirmed by video from a security camera located on a nearby building. Responding officers recovered two spent 9mm shell casings from the scene, and the vehicle was intercepted by South Portland police as it crossed the bridge into South Portland. After a brief attempt to flee, Mohamud Abdullahi, 31, was arrested. The firearm used in the shooting was recovered the next day from the front lawn of a residence near where the vehicle had been stopped.
Abdullahi’s previous convictions in Cumberland County Superior Court, including for assault and aggravated criminal trespass in 2017 and unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs in 2011, preclude him from possessing firearms. He faces up to 15 years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $250,000. Any sentence would be followed by up to three years of supervised release. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI, Portland Police Department, and South Portland Police Department investigated the case.
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Provider to Pay $600,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Liability Arising from Billing of Electro-Acupuncture DeviceRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Jacqueline C. Romero and United States Attorney for the District of Delaware David C. Weiss announced that PA Green Wellness (“PA Green”), a business located within King of Prussia and Harrisburg, Pa., and Greenville and Lewes, Del., agreed to pay $600,000 to resolve liability under the False Claims Act for the alleged improper billing of an electro-acupuncture device.
From September 2020 through July 2021, PA Green billed Medicare for the application of a percutaneous electrical nerve pulse stimulation device (the “P-Stim Device”) in an office setting.
The P-Stim Device is a device for treatment of chronic pain that, pursuant to manufacturer’s instructions, is affixed behind a patient’s ear using an adhesive. Needles are inserted into the patient’s ear and affixed using another adhesive. Once activated, the device then provides intermittent stimulation by electrical pulses. It is a single-use, battery-powered device designed to be worn for several days until its battery runs out, at which time the device is thrown away. Other brand names for this device include Stivax, NeuroStim, ANSiStim, E-Pulse, and NSS-2 Bridge.
PA Green applied the P-Stim Device simply using an adhesive and insertion of a limited number of needles. The procedure did not involve any surgery, anesthesia, or take place in an operating room (or even at a facility with such capabilities) but was billed to Medicare as a surgically implanted neurostimulator, contrary to repeated guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”).
On June 22, 2021, SafeGuard Services LLC, the Northeastern Unified Program Integrity Contractor of Medicare, provided notice to PA Green Wellness that CMS had suspended $50,845.99 of Medicare payments to PA Green Wellness pursuant to 42 C.F.R. § 405.371(a)(2) based on credible allegations of fraud. As part of the settlement, PA Green has agreed that the United States will retain the suspended payments.
“Along with other U.S. Attorneys around the country, CMS, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, we have held distributors and providers accountable for inappropriate acupuncture device billing. It may not be billed as surgically implanted neurostimulators,” said U.S. Attorney Romero.
“The decisions made by CMS about what procedures are reimbursable and how they may be billed are designed to ensure that all beneficiaries receive safe and effective treatment at an appropriate cost,” said U.S. Attorney Weiss. “Providers who seek to enrich themselves by inaccurate billing increase the costs for everyone. My office will continue to work with our partners at the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to hold those providers accountable.”
“Accurately billing for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries is required of all health care providers,” said Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. “HHS-OIG, CMS’s Center for Program Integrity, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to evaluate and pursue inaccurate billings of P-Stim and similar devices.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General. It was handled by District of Delaware Civil Chief Dylan J. Steinberg and Eastern District of Pennsylvania Civil Chief Gregory B. David and Auditors Dawn Wiggins and Andrew Schobert.
The settled civil claims are allegations only. There has been no determination of civil liability.
Prominent Oregon Drug Trafficker and Final Defendant in Large Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—The manager of an Oregon-based drug trafficking cell with ties to a large Mexico-based drug trafficking organization was sentenced to federal prison today following an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Horacio Luna-Perez, 42, of Hillsboro, Oregon, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, in November 2020, DEA special agents began investigating a drug trafficking organization with ties to Mexico operating in several states, including Oregon. In the early stages of the investigation, Luna-Perez was identified as the leader of an Oregon-based drug trafficking cell responsible for maintaining a constant supply and sale of various narcotics, including methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl, in Portland and Eastern Washington. In his role, Luna-Perez directed a network of associates and couriers responsible for obtaining, selling, and redistributing the narcotics.
As part of the same investigation, DEA agents identified a separate drug trafficking cell responsible for redistribution and sale of drugs in Portland and Salem, Oregon led by 34-year-old Portland resident Jesus Miramontes-Castaneda.
On August 11, 2021, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Miramontes-Castaneda and five associates with conspiring with one another to traffic large quantities of heroin and methamphetamine from California for distribution in Portland and Salem. One month later, on September 14, 2021, Luna-Perez and nine associates were charged in a separate indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine from California for distribution in and around Portland and in Eastern Washington. Luna-Perez’s cell also had ties to drug traffickers in Colorado and California.
Following these indictments, in August and October 2021, coordinated law enforcement operations targeting Luna-Perez and Miramontes-Castaneda’s drug trafficking cells led to the arrests of both men and sixteen associates, including several individuals whose involvement in the conspiracies had been previously unknown. Additional charges were brought against those defendants in several parallel cases.
As a result of the various interdictions and takedowns in this investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 200,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, two pounds of powdered fentanyl, 40 pounds of methamphetamine, 45 pounds of heroin, 13 pounds of cocaine, nine firearms, and more than $1.4 million in cash that had been bundled and stuffed into suitcases.
On August 12, 2022, Miramontes-Castaneda pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine. Two months later, on December 8, 2022, he was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.
On January 22, 2024, Luna-Perez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl.
In addition to Luna Perez and Miramontes-Castaneda, as part of this investigation, 17 members of their cells have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in the various drug conspiracies, with sentences ranging from time served to 151 months’ imprisonment.
These cases were investigated by the DEA with assistance from Oregon State Police, Portland Police Bureau, Tigard Police Department, the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF) including member agencies the Canby Police Department, Oregon City Police Department, and Tualatin Police Department; and Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE). They were prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
These cases resulted from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Prison Sentence for District Man Who Sexually Assaulted Multiple StrangersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Christopher Sharp, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on August 16, 2024, to over five years in prison for one third degree sexual abuse conviction and five misdemeanor sexual abuse convictions against six different victims. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Superior Court Judge Robert Okun sentenced Sharp to 48 months of incarceration for the third degree sexual abuse count and 90 days of incarceration for each of the misdemeanor sexual abuse counts, to run consecutive to each other. In addition, Judge Okun ordered five years of supervised release with special conditions and ordered Sharp to pay a fee to the Victim’s Compensation Fund. Sharp will also have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
Sharp pleaded guilty to these charges on April 19, 2024. According to the factual proffer to which he plead guilty, and other court documents, at three separate times on the morning of August 13, 2023, Sharp approached three women who were walking on sidewalks in various parts of Northwest Washington, D.C. As he passed each of the women, he grabbed their breasts or buttocks.
Two days later, on August 15, 2023, Sharp left the George Washington University Hospital. Upon the leaving the building, he saw a woman standing near the exit. Sharp smacked the woman’s buttock. Sharp then walked away in the direction of Washington Circle. Five minutes later, he encountered another woman walking in the 2100 block of K Street, Northwest. As Sharp and the woman passed each other, Sharp grabbed her buttock. A short time later, Sharp encountered yet another woman near the intersection of 19th Street, Northwest and Eye Street, Northwest. He approached her from behind, touched her vagina, and lifted her into the air. Sharp then walked several feet forward before sitting down on the sidewalk with the woman still in his grasp. Once on the ground, Sharp pinned the woman to the ground, pulled up her dress, and attempted to sexually assault her. His efforts were thwarted when bystanders intervened, forcing Sharp to release the woman. All six of the victims were total strangers to the defendant.
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 Sexual Assault Unit and acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raha Mokhtari and Kristin Sourbeer.
Pair Accused of Kickback Scheme Involving Lab TestingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – An indictment has accused a St. Louis County man and an Alabama woman of engaging in an illegal kickback scheme involving genetic and COVID-19 tests given to seniors.
Willie Ann Cleveland and Timothy C. Peoples were indicted August 7 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on one count of conspiracy to receive and pay health care kickbacks. Peoples, 56, of Bridgeton, Missouri, appeared in court Friday and pleaded not guilty. Cleveland, 41, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was arrested August 14 and pleaded not guilty the same day.
From 2017 through Aug. 7, 2024, Peoples collected biological specimens for genetic and COVID-19 testing, primarily from Medicare patients at senior citizen centers in eastern Missouri, the indictment says. Cleveland introduced Peoples to laboratory personnel so that they could set up the kickback scheme, the indictment says. It says that Peoples and Cleveland created sham contracts to conceal the kickbacks as a “monthly flat marketing fee.”
Cleveland received $9,000 from a laboratory on March 1, 2022, and wired $7,000 to Peoples three days later, according to one allegation in the indictment.
The indictment also says Cleveland and Peoples offered to pay a physician a $100 kickback in exchange for each lab test ordered.
Finally, the indictment accuses both Cleveland and Peoples of lying to federal agents who were investigating.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The conspiracy charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Orlando Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Byron Louder (34, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Louder faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. Sentencing is set for November 6, 2024.
According to court records, on December 25, 2022, officers from the Orlando Police Department observed Louder make several hand-to-hand transactions while possessing a firearm in his waistband. After arresting Louder, he admitted to possessing the firearm and knowing that he was prohibited from doing so. Prior to this incident, Louder was convicted of multiple felonies including delivery of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell or deliver. As a convicted felon he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orlando Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie McNeff.
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.
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jermaine Demaul Cathey, 43, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April, 20, 2023, law enforcement officers arrested Cathey on an outstanding warrant from Ohio after conducting a traffic stop of a vehicle Cathey was driving in Huntington. Officers searched the vehicle following the arrest and found a loaded SCCY model CPX-1 9mm pistol under the vehicle’s center console. Cathey admitted to possessing the firearm.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Cathey knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for aggravated robbery in Franklin County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas on August 28, 2006, being a felon in possession of a firearm and attempting to commit a felony in Cabell County Circuit Court on January 17, 2013, and being a felon in possession of a firearm in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on December 11, 2017.
Cathey is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor 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 result.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-179.
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Norwich Man Who Trafficked Meth is SentencedRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSEPH WILK, JR., 53 of Norwich, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to three years probation including six months of home confinement, a $5,000 fine and a $100 special assessment; for trafficking methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2022, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service identified a series of parcels suspected to contain controlled substances that were being mailed to Wilk’s Norwich residence and a P.O. Box in Norwich that he opened. On November 21, 2022, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of a suspicious USPS Priority Express parcel mailed from California to his P.O. Box and found that it contained more than one pound of pure methamphetamine. Investigators determined that Wilk’s co-conspirator, Michael Mihalko, had been tracking the package.
On December 8, 2022, Wilk picked up the package in Norwich and drove to his residence. Shortly thereafter, Norwich police officers arrived at his residence. After Wilk gave his consent, investigators searched his home and seized approximately 2.575 kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately 16 grams of ecstasy, items used to process and package narcotics, two handguns, and $1,740 in cash. Wilk was arrested on state charges at that time.
The investigation revealed that approximately 17 parcels suspected to contain narcotics were mailed to Wilk between May and December 2022. After Wilk received methamphetamine that had been mailed to him, he would deliver some of it to Mihalko, who at the time was living in the Boston area, and distribute some of his to his own customers in Southeastern Connecticut and Rhode Island. Wilk also trafficked liquid Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB).
On May 31, 2023, Wilk pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Mihalko, 41, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty to the same charge on October 12, 2023, and awaits sentencing.
This investigation has been conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force and the Norwich Police Department. The Task Force includes members from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service – Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut Army National Guard, and the Hartford, New Britain, Meriden, and Town of Groton Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.
Nigerian Man Arrested in Alleged $10 Million Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Nigerian man was arrested on Aug. 13, 2024 upon arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on charges that he, and others, conspired to fraudulently obtain at least $10 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits.
Yomi Jones Olayeye, a/k/a “Sabbie,” 40, of Lagos, Nigeria, is charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. He made an initial appearance in the Eastern District of New York on Aug. 14, 2024 and will appear in federal court in Boston tomorrow.
According to the charging document, between March and July 2020, Olayeye and others defrauded three pandemic assistance programs administrated by the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance and other states’ unemployment insurance agencies: traditional unemployment insurance (UI), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC).
Specifically, Olayeye and his co-conspirators allegedly used personally identifiable information (PII) they purchased over criminal internet forums to apply for UI, PUA and FPUC – falsely representing themselves to be eligible state residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Olayeye and his co-conspirators allegedly used the same fraudulently obtained PII to open U.S. bank and prepaid debit card accounts to receive the assistance payments. It is also alleged that Olayeye and his co-conspirators recruited U.S.-based account holders to receive and transfer the fraud proceeds via cash transfer applications. Olayeye and his co-conspirators then allegedly used the fraudulent proceeds to purchase Bitcoin via online marketplaces. It is further alleged that Olayeye and his co-conspirators concealed the conspiracy’s connection to Nigeria by leasing Internet Protocol addresses assigned to computers located in the United States for use in the fraudulent transactions.
In total, Olayeye and his co-conspirators allegedly applied for at least $10 million in fraudulent UI, PUA and FPUC from Massachusetts, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Montana, Maine, Ohio and Washington and received more than $1.5 million in assistance to which they were not entitled.
The charges of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, forfeiture and restitution. The charge of aggravated identity theft calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison to be added to any sentence imposed on the wire fraud charge. 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; Special Agent in Charge Andrew Murphy of the U.S. Secret Service Boston Field Office; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto, Deputy Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
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 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 and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.
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 via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.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.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Trafficking Fentanyl and HeroinRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – RODNEY OFFRAY (“OFFRAY”), age 49, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on August 13, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion after previously pleading guilty to a three-count indictment charging him with distribution of fentanyl and heroin, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(C), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents began investigating OFFRAY in July 2023 for narcotics distribution in New Orleans. The ATF used an undercover operation to conduct three controlled purchases from OFFRAY, totaling 125 grams of heroin and fentanyl. On October 10, 2023, agents arrested OFFRAY, searched his residence, and located a semi-automatic rifle, 85 grams of heroin, 69 grams of cocaine, 120 fentanyl pills, and 13 grams of crack cocaine.
Judge Papillion sentenced OFFRAY to 84 months imprisonment on all counts to run concurrently. Judge Papillion also ordered that OFFRAY be placed on four (4) years of supervised release and pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Briana Williams of the Narcotics Unit.
Monroe Methamphetamine Trafficker Is Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Nicki Wayne Parker, 36, of Monroe, N.C. was sentenced today to 135 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.
Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Sheriff Eddie Cathey of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, in December 2022, ATF agents initiated an investigation into Parker for suspected distribution of methamphetamine in and around Union County. During the investigation, Parker participated in the distribution of methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement. In January 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence in Monroe, N.C., where Parker was residing. Law enforcement found a pound of methamphetamine hidden in a cardboard box in the garage of the residence, and a pistol located inside a toolbox. At the time, Parker was on federal supervised release following a conviction in the Western District of North Carolina for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
On November 28, 2023, Parker pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Parker remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending placement by the federal Bureau of Prisons.
This prosecution is the result of a joint investigation by the ATF and the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) William Wiseman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case. Mr. Wiseman is a state prosecutor with the office of the 26th Prosecutorial District and was assigned by District Attorney Spencer Merriweather to serve as a SAUSA with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte. Mr. Wiseman is sworn in both state and federal courts. The SAUSA position is a reflection of the partnership between the office of the 26th Prosecutorial District and the United States Attorney’s Office.
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.
Mexican Man Sentenced for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that IGNACIO SORIANO-RUIZ (“SORIANO”), age 29, a Mexican national, was sentenced on August 15, 2024 after previously pleading guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to court documents, SORIANO was encountered during a traffic stop on Interstate 10 in St. Tammany Parish on April 24, 2024 after being previously deported on January 14, 2018. SORIANO was sentenced by United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to time served, equaling nearly four months of imprisonment.
Database checks indicated that SORIANO re-entered the United States without permission, inspection, or parole by an immigration officer and without the express consent of the United States Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for readmission to the United States and was encountered in the Eastern District of Louisiana by law enforcement.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Customs and Border Protection in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon M. Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Methamphetamine Trafficker Is Sentenced to 15+ Years on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. Jonathan Craig Otuel, 36, of Stallings, N.C., was sentenced today to 181 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine and related firearms offenses.
According to court documents, evidence presented at Otuel’s trial, and witness testimony, on November 19, 2019, officers with the Pineville Police Department responded to a call for service at a hotel room, where they located Otuel and three other individuals. Officers also located methamphetamine and a firearm that Otuel had thrown from the balcony. A search warrant was issued and executed on the hotel room. During the search, law enforcement recovered multiple bags of methamphetamine, and an additional firearm. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Otuel was responsible for trafficking significant amounts of methamphetamine in Mecklenburg and Gaston Counties.
On August 2, 2023, a federal jury convicted Otuel of conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Otuel also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Otuel remains in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pineville Police Department and the Gaston County Police Department for their investigation of the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Regina Pack and Timothy Sielaff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Members of Bradenton Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization Plead GuiltyRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Bradenton residents Clemente Betancourt (28), Estevan Betancourt (19), Larry Lee Woodard, Jr. (29), Adonis Bonilla (29), Omar Mejia (29), Jesse Leahy (48), and Alexander Perez (30) have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Each faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. Sentencing dates have not yet been set.
According to court documents, between March 2022 and May 2023, the above-named individuals were involved in a conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in Bradenton and throughout Manatee County. In addition to the conspiracy charges, the individuals have also pleaded guilty to substantive charges on specific dates.
At the time of the arrests, a search warrant was executed at Clemente and Estevan Betancourt’s house in Bradenton. As a result of that search, three firearms, approximately one pound of methamphetamine, 22 cellphones, cocaine, and marijuana were seized.
The United States intends to forfeit any and all property, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses.
This case was investigated by a joint Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) which includes Homeland Security Investigations Tampa (HSI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Central Florida Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug trafficking Area (HIDTA) which includes the Bradenton Police Department, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the North Port Police Department, the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Palmetto Police Department, the Sarasota Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also assisted with the investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Guzman, David Sullivan, and Suzanne Nebesky.
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.
Media Advisory – Press ConferenceRead the Press Release
EDENTON, N.C. – United States Attorney Michael Easley, along with representatives from local, state, and federal law enforcement will hold a press conference on Tuesday to provide an update on the Albemarle Region Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP). The update will include information on recent arrests and seizures.
WHERE: Edenton Town Chambers – 504 South Broad Street, Edenton
WHEN: Tuesday, August 20 at 1:00 p.m.
Media please arrive at the Police Department by 12:30 p.m. for set up.
For logistical information in advance of the media availability, please contact the Public Information Office at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. No case specific information is available until the press conference.
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Maryland Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Eric Malik Smith, also known as “Star,” 25, of Hyattsville, Maryland, was sentenced today to one year and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for aiding and abetting false statements related to the purchase of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 1, 2022, Smith traveled with Timothy Lanier Allen III to a Barboursville, West Virginia, business where Smith instructed Allen to purchase a Glock 27 .40-caliber pistol on Smith’s behalf. Smith admitted that Allen falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that he was the purchaser of the firearm when he knew Smith was the actual buyer of the firearm. Smith then took possession of the firearm following the purchase and eventually took it back with him to Maryland. Additional documents and statements made in court showed that Allen purchased at least 4 additional firearms on behalf of Smith.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Courtney L. Finney and Owen Reynolds prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-156.
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Manhattan Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Possessing and Intending to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – William De La Rosa, age 29, of Manhattan, was sentenced on Friday to 60 months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute 1 kilogram of cocaine.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea earlier this year, De La Rosa admitted that on January 25, 2024, he drove to a hotel in Amsterdam, New York, where he planned to distribute 1 kilogram of cocaine to another person. When he arrived, law enforcement searched his vehicle and discovered the cocaine.
United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a 4-year term of supervised release, which will start when De La Rosa is released from prison. The DEA investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikayla Espinosa prosecuted the case.
Manhattan Franciscan Friar Charged with Wire and Mail Fraud Related to Fake Medical Charity in Beirut, LebanonRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that, on Saturday, August 17, 2024, PAWEL BIELECKI, a/k/a “Paul Bielecki,” a/k/a “Paul HRH Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,” a/k/a “Dr. Phaakon Sonderburg-Glucksburg,” a/k/a “Father Paul,” a/k/a “Father Kowal,” was arrested on charges of wire fraud and mail fraud. BIELECKI will be presented in White Plains federal court later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Pawel Bielecki exploited his position as a friar to gain the trust of victims across the country and steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from them. Bielecki is now facing federal charges for allegedly illegally profiteering on the trust his victims placed in him.”
As alleged in the Complaint:[1]
BIELECKI is a friar in the Capuchin Order, a Catholic order of priests and brothers. BIELECKI is a brother in a Province based in White Plains (the “Province”), which operates friaries in, among other places, New York City. To become a Capuchin friar, BIELECKI took a vow of poverty that requires him to renounce and not to hold any property or bank accounts in his name for his personal benefit. The Province provides friars, including BIELECKI, with a monthly stipend of approximately $250 for personal expenses, as well as a credit card, paid for by the Province, for friary-related expenses.[2]
BIELECKI has engaged in an ongoing fraudulent scheme related to fake medical clinics he claims to operate in Lebanon. As described further in the Complaint, through appearances and advertisements on radio programs and online podcasts, as well as various other media, including campaigns on various crowdfunding websites, BIELECKI has fraudulently obtained donations from victims by claiming, among other misrepresentations, to run medical clinics in Beirut, Lebanon, when in fact BIELECKI was keeping victims’ donations for his personal use.
For example, from at least in or about June 2015 through at least in or about December 2023, BIELECKI repeatedly appeared as a guest or through advertisements on a particular local New York radio show (“Radio Program‑1”). During these appearances and advertisements, BIELECKI repeatedly represented that he was a Catholic priest and physician living in Lebanon and running medical clinics there, with the goal of assisting Christians living in the Middle East. BIELECKI also made similar appearances on other radio programs and electronic media. For example, on or about April 1, 2023, BIELECKI appeared on a second radio show (“Radio Program-2”) to tell his “story” and to solicit donations for his purported medical clinics. Radio Program-2 continued to solicit donations on behalf of BIELECKI on numerous occasions from at least in or around June 2023 through at least in or around August 2024.
In these radio and media appearances, BIELECKI falsely represented, in sum and substance, among other things, the following:
- BIELECKI is a physician, vascular surgeon, cardiac surgeon, and/or general surgeon, and he has also earned multiple Ph.D. degrees;
- BIELECKI runs two medical clinics in Lebanon and is raising money for medicine, medical equipment, baby incubators, food, and an ambulance for his clinics in Lebanon;
- And BIELECKI, at the time of recording certain shows, was physically present in Lebanon, and he was badly injured and his clinics badly damaged by a widely reported August 2020 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon.
These representations were false. In fact, BIELECKI is not a physician or surgeon of any kind, he has not also earned multiple Ph.D. degrees, and he does not operate any medical clinics in Lebanon. In fact, travel records show that BIELECKI was in the U.S. continuously from in or around December 2019 through in or around April 2022, and on specific dates when he claimed during media appearances to be in Lebanon working on behalf of his medical clinics, BIELECKI was actually present in New York. Indeed, on and around the date of the explosion in Beirut in which BIELECKI told victims he was injured, BIELECKI made several purchases at coffee shops, restaurants, and other businesses in New York, New York.
BIELECKI has caused victims of his fraud scheme to send him donations through various means. Between approximately 2016 and 2019, BIELECKI directed victims from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Georgia, and Florida, among other locations, to send checks to the Province with “Fr. Paul Bielecki’s Mission” or a similar endorsement in the memo line. From at least April 2021, BIELECKI directed victims to send donations by mail to “St. Francis in Beirut Inc.”—a non-profit entity established in or about March 2021—at the address of a particular Capuchin Order friary in New York, New York, where BIELECKI resides. At various times during the fraudulent scheme, BIELECKI also obtained donations through crowdfunding websites and directly provided his bank account and Zell payment information to victims via email and other means of communication.
Despite his vow of poverty, BIELECKI maintained multiple credit or debit card accounts and multiple bank accounts. Dozens of victims have cumulatively provided BIELECKI with at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations as a result of BIELECKI’s fraudulent misrepresentations. Between approximately December 2017 and approximately February 2024, BIELECKI withdrew almost $50,000 in cash from his bank accounts; transferred more than $600,000 to two credit card companies to pay for personal expenses, including spending up to $334.40 per month for a membership at a luxury gym chain, and paying for multiple trips to the Hamptons and numerous meals at high-end restaurants; spent thousands of dollars on an aesthetic plastic surgery procedure at a liposuction clinic; and paid for numerous other personal expenses through debit card payments and other means.
There may be more victims of this alleged conduct. If you have information to report, contact Special Agent Sean Smyth, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, at (914) 993-1900 or by following the instructions available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/report-crime.
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BIELECKI, 48, of New York, New York, is charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud, each of which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Division. Mr. Williams also thanked the New York Field Office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their assistance in the investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Levander and Ryan W. Allison are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
[2] The Province conducted an internal investigation of BIELECKI’s fraudulent scheme, referred the matter to law enforcement, and has since provided assistance in the law enforcement’s investigation.
Man Who Smuggled Seven Undocumented Immigrants Through Sewer Tubes Between Mexico and the United States Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 19, 2024
SAN DIEGO – Kevin Noe Campos Villa of Tijuana was sentenced in federal court today to seven months in prison for human smuggling.
Campos previously pleaded guilty, admitting he guided seven unauthorized immigrants through sewer pipes during heavy rains. Several had to be rescued from the Tijuana River by San Diego lifeguards.
Campos was arrested on January 22, 2024, after U.S. Border Patrol agents observed Campos directing the individuals from Mexico into the United States through the pipes about two miles west of the San Ysidro Port of Entry during heavy rains.
When confronted by Border Patrol agents, Campos and three of the immigrants he was guiding ran to avoid apprehension. While attempting to escape, they fell into the Tijuana River, known to be contaminated, and had to be rescued by San Diego lifeguards.
According to court records, two of the unauthorized immigrants who were rescued stated that they feared for their lives when crossing the river because they did not know how to swim. One stated that he was swept away by the river’s current and was able to grab and hold onto a tree branch until his rescue.
Sewer tubes between the United States and Mexico have grates to prevent individuals from illegally entering the United States. During heavy rain, the grates are opened to let water flow through the sewer tubes without damaging the grates. Due to heavy rain that was occurring in the area at the time, the grates were open, and Campos used the opportunity to smuggle the unauthorized immigrants into the United States.
Court documents established Campos agreed to guide the group in the January event, and in exchange he would have his own smuggling fee reduced to $6,000. Campos also admitted that he has been working for smugglers by building ladders to smuggle people across the U.S.-Mexico border fence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Adeline Schulberg.
DEFENDANT Case Number 24CR0290-LL
Kevin Noe Campos Villa Age: 20 Tijuana, Mexico
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 8, United States Code, §1324(a)(1)(A)(i)— Bringing in Illegal Aliens at a Place other than a Designated Port of Entry
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison; $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
United States Border Patrol
San Diego Lifeguard River Rescue
Man Pleads Guilty to Carjacking, Armed Robbery, and Firearms Offenses in August 2023 Crime SpreeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Montello Washington, 18, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking, one count of armed robbery, and two counts of possession of a firearm during crimes of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Washington entered his guilty plea on August 16, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz. Judge Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for October 25, 2024. Carjacking carries a mandatory minimum term of seven years of incarceration and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum term of five years of incarceration.
During the plea hearing, Washington admitted that at around 1:00 a.m., on August 16, 2023, the victim arrived at the courtyard of an apartment complex in the 5400 block of 9th Street NW after his work shift via Uber. When the victim got out of his Uber, Washington and another male got out of a red Hyundai sedan and approached him. Washington brandished a firearm with a red laser sight and pointed it at the victim, telling him it was a robbery. The victim handed over his phone, wallet, and keys.
On the same day, at approximately 2:20 a.m., another victim parked his car, a white BMW, in the 1300 block of Missouri Avenue NW. The victim was closing the driver’s side door when a red sedan stopped next to his car. Washington exited the driver’s side of the red sedan, brandished a firearm, and demanded the victim’s car keys and phone. The victim gave Washington his car keys but refused to give up his phone. Washington then got into the victim’s BMW and drove away.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie Dinan and Sabena Auyeung of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Lawrence Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Trafficking Approximately 50 Pounds of Methamphetamine into New HampshireRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Lawrence man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Concord to a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Ronny O. Ramos, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, specifically methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Samantha D. Elliot scheduled sentencing for November 25, 2024. A trial date for co-defendant Riley P. Thibodeau has been set for September 17, 2024.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Ramos conspired to traffic approximately 50 pounds of methamphetamine from Massachusetts to New Hampshire on five occasions. From March through October 2023, Ramos received five separate orders of methamphetamine from Thibodeau, via an intermediary. The payments to Thibodeau for the methamphetamine were made via the same intermediary. The amounts per order ranged from 10-12 pounds at a price of approximately $20,000 for each order. The methamphetamine was delivered to Thibodeau in New Hampshire. On October 31, 2023, law enforcement agents arrested Ramos in Methuen, Massachusetts, and seized 10 pounds of methamphetamine destined for New Hampshire.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least 3 years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. The Manchester Police Department, the Salem Police Department, and the Methuen Police Department provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cesar A. Vega is prosecuting the case.
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Justice Department to Monitor Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws in AlaskaRead the Press Release
Note: View the release in Yup'ik here.
The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in certain jurisdictions in the State of Alaska for the Aug. 20 primary election. The department will assign federal observers to monitor in Bethel Census Area, Dillingham Census Area, Kusilvak Census Area, Nome Census Area and North Slope Borough, Alaska. The federal observers, permitted by court order, will monitor for compliance with the language requirements of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, including the provision of election assistance in Yup’ik dialects.
The Justice Department enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot. The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country. In addition, the division also deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order.
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Acts and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.
Justice Department Secures Agreement to Eliminate Voting Barriers for Native Americans in South DakotaRead the Press Release
The Justice Department has secured an agreement with Bennett County, South Dakota, and county officials to resolve claims that the county has failed to make its registration and early voting opportunities equally open to Native American voters as required by Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
Under the terms of the agreement, Bennett County will operate a satellite office in Allen, South Dakota, to provide in-person registration and absentee voting services during regular business hours for the full state-mandated 46-day absentee voting period prior to federal, state and county elections.
“It is time to eliminate all barriers standing between Native American voters and the ballot box across our country. An inclusive democracy must provide all of its eligible voters access to the full range of voter registration and early voting opportunities required by law,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “With this agreement, we will ensure that Native American voters will have the same access to registration and early voting as do other voters. The Justice Department will continue to challenge discriminatory election-related laws and policies and will vigorously enforce federal law to move us ever closer to a fully enfranchised Native electorate.”
“The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy, but that right is hollow without access to registration and early voting opportunities,” said U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota. “We are grateful Bennett County has agreed to improve voting access for Native Americans in South Dakota by adding and staffing a satellite office in Allen.”
The Justice Department’s investigation found that Native Americans in Bennett County did not have equal access to the in-person registration and absentee voting available under state law. American Indians who live on Tribal lands disproportionally lack the ability to travel long distances to the county seat of Martin, South Dakota, for those in-person voting services. Since 2015, the state has made Help America Vote Act funds available to counties like Bennett to establish a satellite office on Tribal lands.
More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931. Individuals can also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota either by emailing [email protected] or by calling 605-330-4400.
Jacksonville Repeat-Offender Pleads Guilty to Possessing MachinegunRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Markee Washington (33, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. Washington faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. As part of his plea, Washington has agreed to forfeit a Glock pistol, machinegun conversion device, and ammunition involved in the case.
According to the plea agreement, on February 11, 2023, at approximately 10:45 p.m., a trooper from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) conducted a traffic stop of a car that Washington was driving. The trooper was quickly joined at the scene by two officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO). Based on Washington’s statements that he had been smoking marijuana, as well as the smell of the drug emanating from him and the car, officers searched the car. Inside the gap between the car’s ceiling and roof (which was accessible by removing the overhead sunglasses compartment), an officer located a bundle of cash and a 9mm Glock pistol.
The pistol was loaded with 31 rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine. It also was outfitted with a so-called Glock-switch, that is, a device installed on the pistol that converted it into a fully automatic machinegun. Washington surrendered to the officers a small bag of marijuana that he had hidden down his pants. He also had a stack of cash in his pants’ pocket. In total, $2,447 was in the car and on Washington.
An investigator later obtained a search warrant authorizing law enforcement to obtain a DNA sample from Washington. Laboratory testing determined that his DNA was both on the exterior of the Glock pistol and on ammunition loaded inside the pistol’s magazine.
At the time, Washington had previously been convicted of various felonies, including multiple drug-trafficking offenses. As a convicted felon, he was prohibited by law from possessing firearms and ammunition.
This case was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Coolican and Kelly S. Milliron.
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.
Jackson County Man Sentenced for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A McKee, Ky., man, David Jason Parkey, 41, was sentenced on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, to 270 months in prison, for production of child pornography.
According to his plea agreement, on January 18, 2023, in a Facebook messenger conversation, Parkey exchanged a series of sexually explicit messages and images with a minor victim. In these messages, Parkey directed the victim to take sexually explicit photos, and then send them to him, via Facebook messenger.
Under federal law, Parkey must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Blankenship is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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.
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Houston felon sent to prison for possessing machine gunRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 28-year-old Houston man has been sentenced for being a felon in possession of a firearm and machine gun conversion devices (MCDs), announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Lenard Butler pleaded guilty April 22.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now handed Butler a 37-month-term of imprisonment to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
On May 28, 2022, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a Dodge Challenger on Highway 59 near Edna. Butler was driving.
At that time, they detected an odor of marijuana and asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle – including weapons – which Butler denied. He stated he had smoked marijuana “hours ago.”
Authorities conducted a search of the vehicle which resulted in the discovery of a small baggie of marijuana residue and a Glock pistol located under the front passenger seat. Attached to the firearm was a gold MCD with the word “Glock” inscribed on the back of the device.
MCDs alter the firing mechanism of the guns to allow them to fire multiple shots automatically. MCDs are considered machine guns under the law and are illegal to possess.
Additionally, as a convicted felon Butler is prohibited from possessing firearms per federal law.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patti Booth prosecuted the case.
Greece man pleads guilty to child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Isolino S. Presutti, Jr., 36, of Greece, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas M. Testani and Meghan K. McGuire, who are handling the case, stated that in March, 2023, Presutti possessed three desktop and two laptop computers, which contained approximately 5690 images and 28 videos of child pornography. Some of the images and videos depicted prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct and violence against children.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2024, at 9:15 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
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Grants Pass Man Accused of Causing Train DerailmentRead the Press Release
MEDFORD, Ore.—A Grants Pass, Oregon man is facing federal charges for manipulating railroad track equipment and causing a derailment.
Craig David Saddler, 50, has been charged by criminal complaint with wrecking, derailing, or disabling railroad equipment and vehicles.
According to court documents, on August 12, 2024, officers responded to reports of Saddler trespassing at the Union Pacific Railroad (UPR) yard in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He was reported to be on the railroad near a lever that redirects the train to different tracks. While a train occupied by UPR employees was in motion, Saddler pulled the lever causing the tracks to switch and the train to derail. The derailment caused an estimated one million dollars in damage to the railway, four railcars, and surrounding property.
Saddler fled the railyard, but officers quickly located him less than a mile away. Saddler stated he witnessed the train derail but denied involvement. He was arrested after a witness identified him as the man who pulled the lever causing the derailment.
Saddler made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from other agencies. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Judi Harper.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Fort Liberty Soldier Charged with Unlawful Firearms Trafficking and Lying About His Involvement in Insurrectionist GroupsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Aug. 14, charging Kai Liam Nix, also known as Kai Brazelton, 20, with unlawful firearms trafficking, including the sale of two stolen firearms. Nix was also charged with making a false statement to the government. Nix is an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, stationed at Fort Liberty in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He was arrested on Aug. 15 and made his initial appearance in court today.
According to the court documents, Nix made a false statement on his Security Clearance Application Standard Form (SF) 86 when he claimed he had never been a member of a group dedicated to the use of violence or force to overthrow the U.S. Government.
Nix was also charged with one count of dealing in firearms without a license and two counts of selling a stolen firearm. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 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 Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Michael Easley for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch and Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.
The FBI, ATF and U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Department are investigating the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section 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.
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Former Kent resident sentenced to prison for selling narcotics near drug treatment centerRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 37-year-old former Kent, Washington, resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release for selling narcotics near a drug treatment center announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Mohamed Aweys Muse has been in custody since his arrest in March 2023. At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John H. Chun said, “Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous drug that has been ravaging our community… I am particularly concerned with the targeting of a methadone clinic.”
According to records filed in the case, Muse came to the attention of law enforcement in late 2022, when Muse was observed leaving an apartment in Kent each morning and making hand-to-hand drug sales in the area of Airport Way South and South Holgate Street in Seattle. Muse appeared to target the clients of a methadone clinic which was only a block away from where he was selling drugs.
In January, Muse started staying overnight at a Lynwood, Washington apartment. On February 2, 2023, law enforcement served a court-authorized search warrant on both the Lynnwood and Kent apartments. In the Lynnwood apartment, investigators found fentanyl, cocaine, and three firearms. In the Kent apartment, law enforcement found additional cocaine.
In asking for the three-year sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, “Muse regularly sold fentanyl in hand-to-hand transactions near a methadone clinic, targeting vulnerable individuals struggling to treat their addictions. This makes his drug trafficking particularly egregious and in reckless disregard for the safety of others.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration in collaboration with the King County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yunah Chung.
Former Congressman George Santos Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, former Congressman George Anthony Devolder Santos pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Joanna Seybert. When sentenced, Santos faces a minimum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 22 years’ imprisonment. As part of the plea Santos will pay restitution of $373,749.97 and forfeiture of $205,002.97. Santos was initially charged in May 2023, and a superseding indictment charging Santos with additional crimes was returned in October 2023.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Anne T. Donnelly, Nassau County District Attorney, and Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), announced the guilty plea.
“Today, for what may seem like the first time since he started his campaign for Congress, Mr. Santos told the truth about his criminal schemes. He admitted to lying, stealing and conning people,” stated U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “By pleading guilty, Mr. Santos has acknowledged that he repeatedly defrauded federal and state government institutions as well as his own family, supporters and constituents. His flagrant and disgraceful conduct has been exposed and will be punished. Mr. Santos’s conviction demonstrates this Office’s enduring commitment to rooting out corruption and grift by public officials.”
Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and the New York State Department of Labor, for their work on the case.
“As part of his campaign for election to the U.S. House of Representatives, George Santos committed fraud and identity theft, and lied to the American people about his personal finances and campaign supporters,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “In doing so, Santos violated laws designed to ensure that the public has accurate information about the personal finances of individuals who seek to represent them in Congress and how their political campaigns are funded. The transparency and accuracy that these laws require are essential to the integrity of the election process, and today’s conviction is proof that the Criminal Division is committed to enforcing them.”
“Today, George Santos admitted that he did in fact lie, cheat, and steal his way to elected office. When public officials place their self-interests above those they swore an oath to serve, it undermines confidence in our system of government and damages the very foundation of our democracy. The FBI is committed to investigating and eradicating public corruption—no matter the form it takes,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Curtis.
“George Santos lied to his constituents, cheated his supporters and quite simply made a mockery of his position in public office. Today’s guilty plea is a step towards getting justice for those he has wronged. CI New York worked closely with the Eastern District of New York, the FBI and Nassau County DA’s office to ensure that Santos faces the consequences for his years of fraud and deceit, because corruption is not to be tolerated,” stated IRS CI Special Agent in Charge Fattorusso.
“George Santos built a career on deception and funded his lifestyle using the identities of people he misled, including Nassau County residents who believed they were contributing to Santos’ campaign and participating in the electoral process. The defendant rode a wave of his lies all the way to Congress and endlessly abused the trust of his constituents,” stated Nassau County District Attorney Donnelly. “We will continue to work together with our federal partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to root out corruption on Long Island and hold public officials to the highest standards of integrity.”
The counts to which Santos pled guilty relate to the following criminal scheme, as set forth in the superseding indictment:
The Party Program Scheme
During the 2022 election cycle, Santos was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in New York’s Third Congressional District. Nancy Marks, who pleaded guilty on October 5, 2023 to related conduct, was the treasurer for his principal congressional campaign committee, Devolder-Santos for Congress. During this election cycle, Santos and Marks devised and executed a fraudulent scheme to obtain money for the campaign by submitting materially false reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on behalf of the campaign, in which they inflated the campaign’s fundraising numbers for the purpose of misleading the FEC, a national party committee, and the public.
Specifically, the purpose of the scheme was to ensure that Santos and his campaign qualified for a program administered by the national party committee, pursuant to which the national party committee would provide financial and logistical support to Santos’s campaign. To qualify for the program, Santos had to demonstrate, among other things, that his congressional campaign had raised at least $250,000 from third-party contributors in a single quarter.
To create the public appearance that his campaign had met that financial benchmark and was otherwise financially viable, Santos and Marks agreed to falsely report to the FEC that at least 11 of their family members had made significant financial contributions to the campaign. In fact, Santos and Marks both knew that these individuals had neither made the reported contributions nor given authorization for their personal information to be included in such false public reports. In addition, Santos and Marks knew that the national party committee relied on FEC fundraising data to evaluate candidates’ qualification for the program, and agreed to falsely report to the FEC that Santos had loaned the campaign significant sums of money, when, in fact, Santos had not made the reported loans and, at the time the loans were reported, did not have the funds necessary to make such loans. These falsely reported loans included a $500,000 loan, when in fact Santos had less than $8,000 in his personal and business bank accounts.
Through the execution of this scheme, Santos and Marks ensured that Santos met the necessary financial benchmarks to qualify for the program administered by the national party committee. As a result of qualifying for the program, the congressional campaign received significant financial support.
As part of his plea agreement, Santos stipulated that he had engaged in the following additional criminal conduct, as set forth in the superseding indictment and other court filings, and agreed that this criminal conduct will be considered by the Court at the time of sentencing:
The Credit Card Fraud Scheme
Between approximately July 2020 and October 2022, Santos devised and executed a fraudulent scheme to steal the personal identity and financial information of contributors to his campaign. He then charged contributors’ credit cards repeatedly, without their authorization. Because of these unauthorized transactions, funds were transferred to Santos’s campaign, to the campaigns of other candidates for elected office, and to his own bank account. To conceal the true source of these funds and to circumvent campaign contribution limits, Santos falsely represented that some of the campaign contributions were made by other persons, such as his relatives or associates, rather than the true cardholders, in filings with the FEC. Santos did not have authorization to use their names in this way.
Fraudulent Political Contribution Solicitation Scheme
Beginning in September 2022, during his successful campaign for Congress, Santos operated a limited liability company (Company #1) through which he defrauded prospective political supporters. Santos enlisted a Queens-based political consultant (Person #1) to communicate with prospective donors on Santos’s behalf. Santos directed Person #1 to falsely tell donors that, among other things, their money would be used to help elect Santos to the House, including by purchasing television advertisements. In reliance on these false statements, two donors (Contributor #1 and Contributor #2) each transferred $25,000 to Company #1’s bank account, which Santos controlled.
Shortly after the funds were received into Company #1’s bank account, the money was transferred into Santos’s personal bank accounts—in one instance laundered through two of Santos’s personal accounts. Santos then used much of that money for personal expenses. Among other things, Santos used the funds to make personal purchases, including of designer clothing, to withdraw cash, to discharge personal debts, and to transfer money to his associates.
Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme
Beginning in approximately February 2020, Santos was employed as a Regional Director of a Florida-based investment firm (Investment Firm #1). By late March 2020, in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, new legislation was signed into law that provided additional federal funding to assist out-of-work Americans during the pandemic.
In mid-June 2020, although he was employed and not eligible for unemployment benefits, Santos applied for government assistance through the New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL), claiming falsely to have been unemployed since March 2020. From that point until April 2021—during which time Santos was working and receiving a salary on a near-continuous basis, and throughout his first unsuccessful run for Congress—he falsely affirmed each week that he was eligible for unemployment benefits when he was not. As a result, Santos fraudulently received more than $24,000 in unemployment insurance benefits.
False Statements to the House of Representatives
Santos, like all candidates for the House, had a legal duty to file with the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives a Financial Disclosure Statement (House Disclosures) before each election. In his House Disclosures, Santos was personally required to give a full and complete accounting of his assets, income, and liabilities, among other things. He certified that his House Disclosures were true, complete, and correct.
In September 2022, in connection with his second campaign for election to the House, Santos filed a House Disclosure in which he vastly overstated his income and assets. In this House Disclosure, he falsely certified that during the reporting period:
- He had earned $750,000 in salary from the Devolder Organization LLC, a Florida‑based entity of which Santos was the sole beneficial owner;
- He had received between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000 in dividends from the Devolder Organization LLC;
- He had a checking account with deposits of between $100,001 and $250,000; and
- He had a savings account with deposits of between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000.
These assertions were false: Santos had not received from the Devolder Organization LLC the reported amounts of salary or dividends and did not maintain checking or savings accounts with deposits in the reported amounts. Further, Santos failed to disclose that, in 2021, he received approximately $28,000 in income from Investment Firm #1 and more than $20,000 in unemployment insurance benefits from the NYS DOL.
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In July 2022, Mr. Peace was selected as the Chairperson of the White Collar Fraud subcommittee for the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC). As the leader of the subcommittee, Mr. Peace plays a key role in making recommendations to the AGAC to facilitate the prevention, investigation and prosecution of various financially motivated, non-violent crimes including wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section and Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division, along with the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division (PIN). Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan Harris, Anthony Bagnuola, and Laura Zuckerwise, along with Trial Attorneys Jacob Steiner and John Taddei, are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Rachel Friedman and Dinora Orozco. Senior Litigation Counsel Victor R. Salgado and former Trial Attorney Jolee Porter of PIN also provided substantial contributions to the prosecution.
The Defendant:
GEORGE ANTHONY DEVOLDER SANTOS
Age: 36
Queens, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-197 (S-2) (JS)