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Tuesday 4 June 2024
Convicted Felon Arrested for Smuggling Machinegun Conversion Devices into the United States and Possession of Firearms, Ammunition, and SilencerRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Phillip Michael Valeriani (41, Plant City) with smuggling machinegun conversion devices into the United States, possession of firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon, and possession of unregistered machineguns and a silencer. If convicted, Valeriani faces up to 20 years in federal prison for smuggling machinegun conversion devices, up to 15 years for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for possession of an unregistered machinegun and silencer.
According to the complaint, in April 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized a suspicious package shipped from Shenzhen, China and destined for a residence in Plant City. The package contained 63 machinegun conversion devices, commonly referred to as “Glock switches.” A Glock switch is an illegal conversion device that converts a semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic weapon. Under the National Firearms Act, a Glock switch is classified as a machinegun.
(Pictured below: Glock Switches)
After confirming Valeriani was the intended recipient of the package containing the 63 Glock switch parts, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Valeriani’s residence. During the search, law enforcement seized firearms, including a pistol with a foldable stock and Glock switch, ammunition, a silencer, narcotics, a tactical vest with ballistic plates, and FBI and DEA raid jackets.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Plant City Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Tampa International Airport Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Haynes.
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.
Columbia Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Unlawful Possession of 60 Firearms and Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. —Christopher Miles Huntington, 33, of Lugoff, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and distribution of methamphetamine.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on multiple occasions in March through May 2023, Huntington sold 37 firearms, including stolen weapons, short-barreled rifles, and firearms with high-capacity magazines to undercover agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Huntington also sold more than 2,400 grams of methamphetamine to undercover agents during these transactions. On June 29, 2023, Huntington was arrested with 23 additional firearms. Huntington is a felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. Huntington has prior convictions for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, burglary, grand theft of motor vehicle, and safecracking.
United States District Court Judge Sherri Lydon sentenced Huntington to 168 months in prison to be followed by a term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
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 (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), West Columbia Police Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and Richland County Sheriff’s Department. The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office is handling the prosecution of additional defendants facing state charges related to this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elle E. Klein prosecuted the case.
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Columbia Man Sentenced to 10 Years and Ordered to Pay $35,000 for Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. —Joseph Dean Dyches, 42, of Orangeburg, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on Nov. 13, 2019, Dyches sold a .45 caliber handgun and a loaded, stolen, unregistered, short-barreled shotgun to an undercover agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). During the transaction, Dyches admitted to being a “five-time felon.” Approximately one week later, Dyches was pulled over by the South Carolina Highway Patrol and found to be in possession of a .40 caliber handgun, a loaded .22 caliber handgun, multiple rounds of ammunition, and methamphetamine. Dyches is a felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. Dyches has prior convictions for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, strong armed robbery, assault and battery 1st degree, and criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature.
United States District Court Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Dyches to 120 months in prison to be followed by a term of court-ordered supervision. Dyches was also ordered to pay a $35,000 fine. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elle E. Klein.
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Clearwater Man Charged with Producing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Brett Michael Reichold (34, Clearwater) with production of child sexual abuse material. Reichold was arrested on May 28, 2024, and has been ordered detained pending trial.
According to court documents, Reichold coerced several minors to send sexually explicit photos of themselves via a mobile application in exchange for money. Reichold also went to one minor victim’s home four to five times and asked the victim to engage in sexual conduct.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Clay County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Using the Internet to Distribute Videos of Young Children Being Sexually AbusedRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Chief United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Carl Stephen Smith, Jr. (34, Green Cove Springs) to 10 years in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse materials using the internet. Smith was also ordered to serve a 20-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and pay $12,000 in restitution to victims. Smith was arrested on January 31, 2023, at his residence in Green Cove Springs and has been detained since that time.
According to court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTipline report in July 2022 from a popular online social media application (app) that three child sexual abuse videos had been uploaded on the app by a user named “daddysir142.” The Internet Protocol (IP) address used to upload these materials was traced to an internet service provider in Green Cove Springs, Florida.
On January 31, 2023, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), together with other law enforcement personnel, executed a federal search warrant at Smith’s residence. During an interview with law enforcement, Smith admitted that he communicated with purported minors on social media, that he used two different social media apps to search for child sexual abuse materials, and that he masturbated while viewing such materials.
During the search, HSI agents seized a cellular phone belonging to Smith. A forensic review of this device revealed that it contained at least 22 videos and 37 photos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The cellular phone contained online conversations between Smith and other users in which Smith distributed materials depicting the sexual abuse of young children.
On December 30, 2022, Smith messaged another user, “Well, id love to send you cp at least.” On January 6, 2023, Smith distributed a video to this same user that depicted a prepubescent child wearing an animal costume while being sexually abused by an adult male.
“This sentencing reflects the severity of this predator’s reprehensible actions and the harm inflicted upon innocent victims by possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “United in purpose, the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force law enforcement partners stand in the gap to intercept and erase this vile content from existence.”
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This case was investigated by the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, to include Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Cheektowaga man going to prison for possessing 200,000 images of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Michael P. Daly, 49, of Cheektowaga, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison, and 25 years supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. Daly was also ordered to pay $23,000 in victim-related assessments.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who handled the case, stated that in June 2019, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a report from Microsoft Bing that one of their users uploaded an image of child pornography. Subsequent investigation traced the image to Daly. On October 22, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at Daly’s residence in Cheektowaga, seizing a laptop computer, a flash drive, and an iPhone. A forensic search of all three items recovered over 200,000 images and 95 videos of child pornography. Some of the images include prepubescent minors and depictions of violence.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Miraglia, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Stanley Edwards, III, and the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons.
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Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Chidi Anthony Okafor, 26, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 31, 2022, Okafor sold approximately 338.3 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Charleston.
Okafor is scheduled to be sentenced on September 11, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). 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.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander A. Redmon and Ryan A. Keefe are prosecuting 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. 2:24-cr-75.
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Buffalo man pleads guilty to buying stolen data from Genesis MarketRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Wul Isaac Chol, 27, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices with intent to defraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who is handling the case, stated that Genesis Market is an online marketplace whose operators compile stolen data, such as computer and mobile device identifiers, email addresses, usernames, and passwords, from malware-infected computers around the globe and package it for sale on the market. Purchases made through Genesis Market are conducted using virtual currency, such as bitcoin. Between June 2019, and January 2021, Chol deposited approximately $105.08 worth of bitcoin in a Genesis account that he had created. Chol used the funds he deposited in his Genesis account to purchase 21 packages of unauthorized access devices. Those packages contained, in total, approximately 778 unauthorized access devices. In addition, Chol admits that he obtained, without authorization, $25,164.00 from the New York State Department of Labor.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 13, 2024, before Judge Sinatra.
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Brooklyn Man Arrested for Illegal Sports Betting Scheme Involving National Basketball Association PlayerRead the Press Release
A criminal complaint was filed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Long Phi Pham, also known as “Bruce,” with conspiring with others to defraud a sports betting company (Betting Company 1) by placing “under prop” bets on a National Basketball Association (NBA) player (Player 1) in NBA games on January 26, 2024 and on March 20, 2024. Pham was arrested on Monday and made his initial appearance this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak. Pham was ordered detained pending trial. Three co-conspirators charged in the scheme remain at large.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrest and charge.
“Whether on the court or in the casino, every point matters. As alleged, the defendant and his co-conspirators, as well as an NBA player, participated in a brazen, illegal betting scheme that had a corrupting influence on two games and numerous bets,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This prosecution serves as a warning that fraud and dishonesty in professional sports will not be tolerated and those who engage in this flagrant flouting of the law will be prosecuted.”
"Long Phi Pham allegedly participated in a conspiracy to defraud an online sports betting website, encouraging an NBA player to unnecessarily withdraw himself from select games in an attempt to profit from personal bets made with this advanced, insider knowledge. These alleged actions violated the prohibition of using non-public information - eliminating the risk associated with the unpredictable nature of the betting world – an unfair advantage not afforded to other bettors. There is no 'over/under' when intentionally circumventing rules for financial gain, the FBI remains vigilant in its investigations of those who engage in such fraudulent conspiracies," stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.
The Betting Scheme
The NBA is a professional basketball league in North America. The NBA maintains a code of conduct for all of its players which prohibits wagering in connection with NBA games.
As alleged in the complaint, Pham and his co-conspirators placed “under prop” bets on Player 1’s performance in two NBA games, knowing in advance that Player 1 planned to withdraw from those games for purported health reasons. A “prop,” or proposition bet is a wager placed on a player’s performance, rather than the outcome of the game. For example, a betting platform could offer users a wager that a player would score more (referred to as betting the “over”) or fewer (betting the “under”) points than a certain number of points designated by the betting platform for a given game.
The January 26, 2024 Game
In early 2024, Player 1 had amassed large gambling debts to certain of the co-conspirators. Player 1 was encouraged to clear those debts by withdrawing from certain games prematurely to ensure that under prop bets on Player 1’s performance were successful. On January 22, 2024, Player 1 sustained a purported eye injury during a game. He was evaluated and diagnosed with a corneal abrasion, but was not placed on the NBA injury list. Shortly before the game on January 26, 2024 (the January 26 Game) Player 1 told the defendant that he would be removing himself early from the game, claiming that he was injured. Player 1 entered the January 26 Game midway through the first quarter. After playing just four minutes and recording zero points, three rebounds and one assist, Player 1 removed himself from the game after he complained to team officials that he had reaggravated the eye injury.
Player 1’s performance in several statistical categories during the January 26 Game was under the designated amounts set by Betting Company 1 in its prop bets related to Player 1. Thus, several bettors, including co-conspirators, who wagered the “under” on prop bets related to Player 1’s performance for the January 26 Game won those bets.
For example, a relative of a co-conspirator placed a $10,000 parlay bet through Betting Company 1 on the “under” for Player 1’s three pointers, assists and steals. As a result of Player 1 removing himself from the January 26 game, the bet was successful and the relative won $85,000 (netting a profit of $75,000). Additionally, a co-conspirator placed a $7,000 parlay bet through Betting Company 1 on the “under” for Player 1’s three pointers, points, assists and rebounds. As a result of Player 1 removing himself from the January 26 Game, the bet was successful and the co-conspirator won $40,250 (netting a profit of $33,250).The March 20, 2024 Game
Prior to a game on March 20, 2024 (the March 20 Game), Pham and his co-conspirators discussed in a Telegram group chat that Player 1 would be removing himself early from the game, claiming that he felt ill. They agreed to share the profits for money won on successful under bets placed on Player 1, and that Pham would receive approximately 24% of the profits. On March 20, 2024, Pham and his co-conspirators met at a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and placed several bets on Player 1. After playing just three minutes and recording zero points, three rebounds and zero assists, Player 1 removed himself from the March 20 Game, complaining he felt ill. Several bettors, including the co-conspirators, who wagered the under on prop bets related to Player 1’s performance won those bets. In total, the defendant and his co-conspirators netted over $1 million in profits.
On April 4, 2024, in a group chat between Player 1 and the conspirators, Player 1 wrote to the group that they “might just get hit w a rico,” referring to a racketeering charge, and asked if the group chat participants had “delete[d] all the stuff” from their personal cell phones.The charge in the complaint is based on allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of wire fraud, the defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section and General Crimes Sections. Assistant United States Attorneys Kaitlin Farrell, Benjamin L. Weintraub and David Berman are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
LONG PHI PHAM (also known as “Bruce”)
Age: 38
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 24-MJ-404
Brimhall Man Sentenced for Murder and Attempted Cover-UpRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Brimhall man was sentenced to 21 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder of a man whose body he later burned in an attempt to conceal the evidence.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on July 1, 2019, an individual brought Gilbert John, Jr. a stolen car and told him to "get rid of" a person locked in the trunk. John and the individual drove around smoking meth before stopping in a remote area using back roads.
When the victim tried to escape from the trunk, John stabbed the victim repeatedly with a machete and slammed the trunk door on him. After driving the car to a residence and leaving it for days, John later towed the car to a remote area and set it on fire with the body inside.
The charred remains were identified by medical device serial numbers, as the body was almost entirely burned.
After completing his term of imprisonment, John will be required to serve 5 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark A. Probasco and Alexander F. Flores are prosecuting the case.
View the Plea Agreement# # #
Bridgeport Man Sentenced for Bank Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that RONALD BOYD, 38, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for operating a bank fraud scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between November 2021 and April 2022, Boyd and others recruited individuals (“runners”) to open bank accounts at Newtown Savings Bank. Boyd and others then used the bank accounts to conduct transactions so that the accounts appeared legitimate, known as “seasoning” the account. Boyd deposited into the runners’ accounts counterfeit checks, as well as checks that were stolen from the U.S. Mail with the original payee and amount information “washed” and altered. Boyd often obtained the illegitimate checks from other coconspirators and either provided the checks to the runners for deposit into their Newtown Savings Bank accounts, or he made the deposits himself through ATM transactions and through mobile deposits. He then withdrew money from the accounts using a runner’s debit card to make purchases and obtain cash back, or to conduct ATM and in-branch withdrawals.
Boyd has been detained since May 8, 2023, when he was arrested on unrelated state charges. On March 8, 2024, he pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Dearington.
Bremerton Washington, man sentenced to 3 years in prison for extensive swatting campaign targeting victims in US and CanadaRead the Press Release
Tacoma –A 21-year-old Bremerton, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to three years in prison for four federal felonies stemming from his extensive illegal harassing activity known as “swatting,” announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Ashton Connor Garcia pleaded in January 2024 to two counts of extortion, and two counts of threats and hoaxes regarding explosives. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle said, “Swatting is cruel. It is uncivilized. It is the willful terrorizing of other human beings.” Judge Settle added that he saw great need to “send a message that engaging in swatting will get more than a slap on the hand.”
“This conduct is not only outrageous, it is dangerous for the victims, for first responders and for members of the public who may need emergency response but cannot get it because resources are tied up at a false report,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “I hope this prosecution and sentence is a wake-up call for those who think swatting is fun or entertaining. It is a federal crime with potentially fatal consequences.”
According to the plea agreement and records in the case, from early June 2022 through March 2023, Garcia used voice over internet technology and social media platforms to make false emergency calls to dispatch services while urging others watch his illegal activity via social media. In his plea agreement, Garcia admits he intended his calls to cause a large-scale deployment of special weapons and tactics (SWAT) teams, bomb squads, and other police units to the targeted locations. He made these calls with malicious intent to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against certain individuals and organizations, and to obtain items of value through extortion.
The plea agreement details 20 different false emergency reports targeting victims in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Washington, and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Garcia gathered personal information about his victims, and then threatened some of his victims with harm, including placing swatting calls to send an armed police presence to their home. Garcia demanded money, virtual currency, credit card information, or sexually explicit photos from some of the people he threatened.
Garcia made fake reports to non-emergency police numbers claiming things such as that he and others had planted explosive devices in particular locations. He falsely accused other individuals of committing crimes, such as murder, rape, and kidnapping, and he falsely claimed that these individuals possessed dangerous weapons, such as knives, firearms, and explosive devices. Frequently, he used the same scripts claiming that his father was holding him hostage, false claims that he shot his parents, false claims that his father stabbed his mother, and false claims that his father had raped female members of the family.
The false reports tied up law enforcement resources that could have been used for actual emergencies. In some instances, law enforcement entered the victim residence with weapons drawn and detained people at the residence.
In asking for a four-year prison sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Manca described some of the people harmed by Garcia’s crimes. In her sentencing memo, she wrote, “In Edmonton, Alberta, an 8-year-old boy and his mother were woken up in the night by a team of law enforcement officers with rifles. 20 officers and 7 civilian staff members were directly involved in that law enforcement response. In New Jersey, a man was removed from his house and detained at gunpoint, and an elementary school was locked down on the first day of school. Over 19 officers responded to the area, along with several officers from a neighboring police agency. In Colorado, a family was traumatized when officers suddenly broke down their front door to rescue a woman whom they believed was bleeding to death on the floor. At least 9 police units were dispatched to that incident.”
Commander Dan Grispino from the Shaker Heights Ohio Police Department traveled to Tacoma for the sentencing to ensure Garcia was held accountable. He recalled how a 12-year-old girl, was home alone when Garcia’s false call sent armed police to her home. “To see the terrified look on her face will always be with me,” Grispino said. “Swatting is not a prank, real lives were at stake…. Mr. Garcia showed no regard for the lifelong trauma he imposed on a 12-year-old girl.”
Garcia treated the swatting calls like entertainment. He broadcasted his swatting calls via the internet platform Discord. Garcia told other Discord users that he considered himself a “cyber terrorist.”
Today in court he expressed remorse saying, “I knew what I was doing was wrong…. I just didn’t realize the trauma I was causing.”
Garcia has been detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, Washington since he violated the terms of his pretrial release last year.
The case was investigated by the FBI, with substantial assistance from numerous local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and in Canada.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Manca.
Belgrade felon sentenced to two years in prison for illegal possession of firearmRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A Belgrade felon who admitted illegally possessing a firearm for five years and while on state probation was sentenced today to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Mark John Littlefield, 49, pleaded guilty in January to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Littlefield was convicted in December 2011 of felony driving under the influence in Gallatin County District Court. One of the conditions of Littlefield’s sentence was that he could not own or possess firearms. In 2020, Littlefield was explicitly informed he could not possess firearms, and he signed a form affirming his understanding of the prohibition. Littlefield illegally possessed a firearm for five years, beginning with his acquisition of a .357 pistol in 2018. For all the time from 2018 until June 2023, when probation officers found the pistol in his bedroom, Littlefield was on supervision with the Montana Department of Corrections. Once Littlefield became aware officers had located the firearm, he stated, “I’m going federal, I’m going federal.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian C. Lowney and Zeno B. Baucus prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Montana Probation and Parole conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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Arizona man sentenced to 10 years for role in trafficking fentanyl to AlaskaRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Arizona man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison and three years’ supervised release for supplying hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to Alaska over multiple months.
According to court documents, Odarious Shaw, 25, distributed fentanyl pills to Alaska twice a week for over six months in quantities of 40-50,000 pills per shipment. In some instances, the defendant would ship as many as 500,000 pills at a time.
Law enforcement learned that Shaw would obtain pills in Arizona and instruct buyers in Alaska to send him $150 via a money transferring service to confirm the transaction. He would then provide a date when a courier would arrive on a commercial flight at the Anchorage airport with the drugs in their checked luggage. Upon arrival, the courier would deliver the pills to the buyer, pick up the cash payment for the drugs and immediately board a flight back to Arizona to deliver the money to Shaw.
On June 25, 2023, Shaw’s courier and codefendant, Corrion James, 26, arrived at the Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage on a flight from Phoenix, Arizona, with a package containing over 41,000 fentanyl pills. James was arrested at the airport after attempting to sell the pills to the arranged buyer. Those pills had an estimated street value of $400-600,000 in Anchorage, and as much as $4.8 million in rural Alaska.
Shaw continued to try to sell drugs in Alaska after James was arrested but was subsequently arrested in Arizona in August 2023. James pleaded guilty in February 2024 and was sentenced to over three years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
At sentencing, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason found that Shaw was a leader or organizer of the drug trafficking activity in this case and said that she hopes this sentence deters people motivated by greed from trafficking this deadly drug to Alaska.
“A single pill can destroy someone’s life and the amount of fentanyl Mr. Shaw supplied to Alaska could destroy entire communities,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “Illegal fentanyl has absolutely no place here. My office will continue to hinder the inflow of illegal fentanyl into our state by working with our law enforcement partners to disrupt the supply and distribution of this poisonous drug.”
“During the course of this investigation, the FBI and our law enforcement partners intercepted tens of thousands of illicit fentanyl pills before reaching local Alaska communities, preventing untold violence and devastation,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “With a task force approach, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to identify, disrupt, and hold accountable those who are fueling drug trafficking activities in Alaska.”
The Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage Police Department and the FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case as part of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Alaska High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) initiative.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Schroeder prosecuted the case.
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Amtrak Employee Arrested on Charges of Lying to Federal AgentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A five-count indictment, filed in U.S. District Court and unsealed today, charges Maurice Driver, 35, of Gloucester City, New Jersey, with lying to a Federal Agent. The charges were announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Mike Waters of the Amtrak Office of Inspector General Eastern Area Field Office.
According to the indictment, Driver was employed by Amtrak and was working as a Lead Service Attendant in the café car on an Amtrak train, which departed from Washington, D.C. in the afternoon of January 3, 2024, and ended in Chicago, Illinois, in the morning of January 4, 2024. While working on that train, Driver met a passenger. Driver spoke and texted with the passenger, and Driver allowed her to use a vacant sleeper car on the train. On January 4, in Chicago, that passenger reported to Amtrak Police that Driver sexually assaulted her in a sleeper car on the train. Amtrak-OIG then initiated an investigation of the sexual assault allegations.
As the indictment alleges, on January 5, 2024, during an interview with an Amtrak-OIG Special Agent, Driver made multiple false and misleading statements about his communications and contacts with the passenger. These false and misleading statements included (1) Driver’s falsely denying his personal phone number; (2) Driver falsely denying that he gave the passenger his personal phone number; (3) Driver falsely denying that he texted with the passenger; and (4) Driver falsely denying that he showed the passenger to a sleeper car.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison for the charged offenses of making false statements. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided for informational purposes. If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being investigated by the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General’s Eastern Region. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca G. Ross and Brian P. Kelly, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Monday 3 June 2024
Winter Haven Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison for Fraud and Sexually Exploiting A 15-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Billie Harold McDuffie, Jr. (37, Winter Haven) to 18 years in federal prison for enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, possession of device making equipment, possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered McDuffie to forfeit a cellphone, two black card encoders, and two desktop computers, which McDuffie used to commit the offenses in this case. McDuffie entered a guilty plea on February 15, 2024.
According to court documents, McDuffie met a 15-year-old child victim online and enticed her to engage in sexually explicit conversations via cellphone and social media. For five months, McDuffie repeatedly engaged in sexual contact with the child victim, even after she confirmed that she was a minor. An online tipster notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation of McDuffie’s sexual misconduct with the child.
On July 21, 2022, a search warrant was executed at McDuffie’s residence, where agents found McDuffie and the child victim. Agents returned the child to her family and arrested McDuffie.
During their search of McDuffie’s residence, agents also found evidence of fraud committed by McDuffie. Evidence included blank check paper, packets of stolen identities, multiple fraudulent debit and credit cards, fraudulent driver licenses, card encoders, and printers.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney D. Richardson-Jones.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
West Covina Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing and Distributing Hundreds of Sexually Explicit Images and Videos of ChildrenRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Gabriel Valley man pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for knowingly distributing, receiving, and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from his home and admitted to possessing hundreds of images and videos of sexually explicit material involving children, including infants and toddlers.
Herbert Redholtz, 74, of West Covina, pleaded guilty to five felonies: two counts of distribution of child pornography, two counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. Redholtz remains free on $20,000 bond.
According to his plea agreement, from at least April 2014 to November 2014, Redholtz knowingly distributed, received, and possessed CSAM using his personal email account. Specifically, he possessed hundreds of videos and images of CSAM via this email account, which he accessed from his personal computer while at home.
Redholtz’s email account contained approximately 448 images and 109 videos depicting sexually explicit content involving children as well as 402 images and 25 videos depicting child erotica. This account also contained approximately 1,109 emails containing evidence of similar images sent to or from Redholtz’s email address.
Redholtz admitted in his plea agreement that he knew the production of such visual depictions involved minors, including victims under the age of 12 years old being used for sexual acts, including infants and toddlers.
United States District Judge Mark C. Scarsi scheduled an October 7 sentencing hearing, at which time Redholtz will face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison for each child pornography distribution and receipt count, and a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count charged.
Redholtz was charged in Los Angeles Superior Court after his arrest in March 2021 for allegedly possessing CSAM. That charge was dismissed so the federal case against Redholtz could proceed.
Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Nisha Chandran of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section and Amanda B. Elbogen of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, and U.S. Justice Department to Monitor Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws in New JerseyRead the Press Release
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NEWARK, N.J. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the U.S. Justice Department announced today that they will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in Union County, New Jersey, for the June 4 primary election.
The Justice Department will assign federal observers to monitor the election in Union County to observe the county’s compliance with the Voting Rights Act. In 2023, a federal court approved a consent decree to resolve the department’s claims under Sections 203 and 208 of the Voting Rights Act regarding the availability of election assistance and materials in Spanish for Spanish-speaking voters with limited English proficiency in Union County. Section 203 requires that certain jurisdictions, including Union County, provide election materials and assistance in other languages, in addition to English. Section 208 provides a right for voters who need assistance with voting – due to inability to read or write, blindness or disability – to receive that assistance from the person of their choice, with certain limited exceptions. The consent decree authorizes federal observers to monitor election day activities in the county’s polling places.
The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities across the country. In addition, the department also deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, when 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.
Individuals may also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey at https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/civil-rights-enforcement or by telephone at 1-855-281-3339.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Recognizes Medicare Fraud Prevention WeekRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Medicare Fraud Prevention Week is being observed June 3–June 9, 2024. The Department of Justice prioritizes combating health care fraud, a commitment reflected in fiscal year 2023's outcomes. Over $2.68 billion in fraud settlements and judgments were secured, with more than $1.8 billion relating specifically to the health care sector.
These recoveries replenish funds to federal programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE, the health care program for service members and their families. Equally important is the role of federal fraud statutes enforcement and the prosecution of offenders, which serve as deterrents against fraudulent schemes. These actions not only prevent financial loss but also shield patients from unnecessary or potentially harmful medical interventions.
Join us in observing Medicare Fraud Prevention Week by visiting the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota Twitter/X account @DSDNews1 to learn about ways to stop Medicare fraud from occurring.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams Announces the Selection of Deputy U.S. Attorney and Executive Assistant U.S. AttorneyRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the selection of Edward Y. Kim as Deputy U.S. Attorney and Lillian Evans as Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, as well as the departure of Andrea Griswold, Deputy U.S. Attorney, and Neil M. Corwin, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Since February 2024, Mr. Kim has served as the Chief Counsel to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Kim was previously an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Office from 2008 to 2017, serving in the Criminal Division. From 2015 to 2016, Mr. Kim was Chief of the General Crimes Unit, and from 2016 to 2017, he was Chief of the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. During his tenure, Mr. Kim twice received the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award. He also received the Assistant Attorney General’s Exceptional Service Award and was named a prosecutor of the year by the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation. From 2017 to 2024, Mr. Kim was a partner at Krieger Kim & Lewin LLP, a firm which he co-founded, where he represented individuals and entities in white collar criminal and regulatory matters. Mr. Kim graduated magna cum laude from Brown University in 1998 and cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2004. Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Kim served as a law clerk to the Honorable Naomi Reice Buchwald of the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.
Ms. Evans joins the Office from the New York City Law Department, where she has worked since 2012. Since 2021, she has served as that office’s Director of Legal Recruitment, in which capacity she has overseen recruiting, hiring, and career counseling. Ms. Evans graduated from the University of Michigan in 2005 and from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2011.
In making these selections, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “I am pleased to appoint Ed Kim as Deputy United States Attorney. Ed’s intellect and leadership have already been invaluable to the Office, and I look forward to benefiting from his wise counsel as the newest Deputy. Lillian Evans’s impressive work in recruiting, hiring, and career counseling at the New York City Law Department makes her an ideal person to continue the uniquely important role of staffing this Office with the most talented lawyers in the country. Lillian has big shoes to fill, and I commend and thank Neil Corwin for his remarkable tenure in this Office and wish him well in retirement. Neil’s reputation for combining excellence and kindness is reflected in the many AUSAs and interns he has recruited and mentored. Lastly, I want to thank Andrea Griswold for her service to this Office. Having worked side-by-side with Andrea for nearly a decade, I know Andrea to be a relentless investigator, a talented trial lawyer, and a strategic counselor and leader with excellent judgement. Andrea is a generational talent. I will miss her dearly.”
Two Detroit Men Sentenced to Prison for Roles in Huntington Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Today, Talon Aaron McIntosh, also known as “Trey” and “T,” 28, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and Mario Alonzo Pettway III, also known as “Mike,” 23, of Detroit, was sentenced to six years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, each for distribution of a quantity of mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. Both men admitted to their roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Huntington area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 3, 2023, McIntosh sold a half-pound of methamphetamine for $1,000 to a confidential in Huntington. McIntosh admitted to that transaction and to selling approximately 439 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $2,000 in Huntington on September 7, 2023.
On October 3, 2023, Pettway sold approximately 2 ounces of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $200 in Nitro. Pettway admitted to that transaction and to selling a total of approximately 8 grams of fentanyl to the confidential informant in St. Albans on three occasions between April 13, 2023, and May 2, 2023. Pettway further admitted to selling approximately 29 grams of methamphetamine to the confidential informant in St. Albans on June 26, 2023.
McIntosh and Pettway admitted that they participated in the DTO from at least February 2023 through November 2023. McIntosh and Pettway also admitted that on August 14, 2023, McIntosh arranged for Pettway to distribute approximately 55 grams of methamphetamine and 3.5 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Huntington.
On November 15, 2023, law enforcement officers arrested McIntosh and Pettway and executed search warrants at two residences in Nitro. McIntosh and Pettway each admitted that the DTO conspirators used the residences to store and distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Officers seized approximately 206 grams of methamphetamine and a Ruger LCP .380-caliber pistol and ammunition at one of the residences, and seized 11 firearms and quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and ammunition at the other residence. Pettway admitted that he possessed the firearms and intended to sell the methamphetamine and fentanyl seized at the second Nitro residence.
McIntosh and Pettway are among 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment that charges the defendants with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.
McIntosh and Pettway are also among 21 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the main case. One other of the 27 indicted individuals pleaded guilty to a related offense in a separate case. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the 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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Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Fentanyl and Cocaine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Springfield man pleaded guilty on May 31, 2024 in federal court in Springfield to a drug offense involving fentanyl and cocaine.
Christian Caballero, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Aug. 1, 2024.
On July 31, 2023, Caballero possessed fentanyl and cocaine with the intent to distribute. At the time of his arrest, Caballero possessed 501 bags of fentanyl and 10.82 grams of cocaine.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. 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 and Chicopee Police Chief Patrick J. Major made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Seventeen Southwest Virginia Co-Conspirators Face Federal Fraud Charges in Pandemic Unemployment Benefit SchemeRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A federal grand jury in Abingdon, Virginia returned an indictment May 21, 2024 charging 17 individuals with conspiring to defraud the United States by filing fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment benefits.
The grand jury has charged Josef Ludwig Brown, Crystal Samantha Shaw, Jonathan Scott Webb, Christopher Kirk Webb, Stephanie Amber Barton, Haleigh McKenzie Wolfe, Terrence Brooks Vilacha, Cara Camille Bailey, Jessica Dawn Lester, Brian Edward Addair, Russell Eric Stiltner, Joseph Frederick Hass, Daneil Wayne Horton, Justin Warren Meadows, Jason Dale Worley, Jeramy Blake Farmer, and Clinton Michael Altizer with conspiring to defraud the United States, fraud in connection with emergency benefits, and conspiring to commit mail fraud.
“The COVID-19 global pandemic significantly influenced the world economy and caused increased unemployment and jobless claims throughout our country,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “Many Virginians who lost their jobs due to the pandemic were able to endure because of the CARES Act. However, some cheated the system and diverted resources intended to help those most affected by the pandemic, and my Office remains committed to not only recovering fraudulently obtained funds, but also vigorously prosecuting those responsible.”
“Special agents from our office teamed up with our federal and local law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney to take down a conspiracy of incarcerated individuals alleged to have defrauded the unemployment insurance benefits program under the CARES Act,” said Brian D. Miller, Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. “SIGPR will remain dedicated to holding accountable those who targeted pandemic recovery funds until it is disbanded in March 2025.”
“These defendants took advantage of a global pandemic that caused immense suffering across the country and exploited relief programs intended to help those in dire need. We remain committed to holding criminals accountable for their crimes,” said FBI Richmond Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador. “We are proud to have worked this investigation with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office to bring justice to these victims.”
“Bad actors seized on the opportunity to exploit the chaos and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic and shamelessly pocketed CARE Act funds intended to support unemployed Virginians whose lives were uprooted by COVID-19,” said Attorney General Miyares. “Collaboration among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies yield results, and I'm proud to be one step closer to justice.”
According to court documents, in March of 2020, Josef Brown, Jonathan Webb, and Crystal Shaw began their scheme to steal money intended for legitimate victims of the severely impacted Virginia economy by gathering the dates of birth, social security numbers, and other personal identification information of friends and acquaintances incarcerated at Haysi Regional Jail in Dickenson County, and then filling out pandemic unemployment claim forms for each of the ineligible inmates via the Virginia Employment Commission’s website dedicated to pandemic relief.
In all, the defendants stole $341,205 in pandemic relief to which they were not entitled.
As part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Task Force, this investigation was conducted by the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. The PRAC’s 20-member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending.
Agencies that assisted with this investigation included the Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Virginia Employment Commission.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Stone are prosecuting the case for the United States.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
San Bernardino Man Sentenced to 15½ Years in Federal Prison for Marijuana Armed Robbery that Led to Victim’s DeathRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – A San Bernardino man who arranged a drug deal that resulted in a 21-year-old man being shot and killed was sentenced today to 186 months in federal prison.
Dillion Jones, 20, was sentenced by United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal, who also ordered him to pay $14,342 in restitution.
Jones pleaded guilty in March 2023 to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), one count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence resulting in death, one count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of possessing a stolen firearm.
Previously in this case, Rontrell Brainell Shaw, 22, of San Bernardino, the robbery crew’s getaway driver, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison and his brother, Martrell Patrick Shaw, 20, also of San Bernardino, who participated in the fatal robbery, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
“This defendant’s reckless disregard for human life resulted in a senseless murder and a grieving family left behind,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “We cannot accept violence on our streets. Today’s sentence sends a message that my office is committed punishing and deterring violent gun crime.”
“These violent criminals create unsafe communities with their horrific acts,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of ATF Los Angeles Field Division Jose Medina. “ATF is dedicated to using all its federal tools and resources to make our communities safer. Our agents will continue to work alongside state and local law enforcement targeting violent career criminals while protecting our neighborhoods.”
In July 2021, Jones placed an order with the victim for one pound of marijuana. Jones placed the order knowing that neither Martrell Shaw nor Rontrell Shaw nor he had enough money to pay for it. Instead, the trio planned to rob the victim at gunpoint. Jones and Martrell Shaw brought a loaded firearm with them while Rontrell Shaw acted as their driver.
Once the victim arrived at what he thought was the drug deal location in San Bernardino County, Martrell Shaw and Jones robbed him at gunpoint. During the robbery, one of the robbers discharged the firearm twice, striking the victim in the neck and torso. Martrell Shaw and Jones then stole the marijuana and a firearm belonging to the victim, who later died from the gunshot wounds he suffered. Rontrell Shaw then picked up Martrell Shaw and Jones and fled the scene.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the San Bernardino Police Department investigated this case.
Operation Safe Cities establishes strategic enforcement priorities with an emphasis on prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime. Across this region, the most damaging and horrific crimes are committed by a relatively small number of particularly violent individuals. This strategic enforcement approach is expected to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of recidivists engaged in the most dangerous conduct. It is designed to improve public safety across the region by targeting crimes involving illicit guns, prohibited persons possessing firearms, or robbery crews that cause havoc and extensive losses to retail establishments.
Assistant United States Attorney Peter H. Dahlquist of the Riverside Branch Office prosecuted this case.
Repeat Offender Sentenced to Prison for Felony Second-Degree Theft for a Series of Package Thefts Near Adams MorganRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Rodrigo Miranda, 43, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in Superior Court to more than seven years in prison for felony second-degree theft, unlawful entry, and destruction of property stemming from events occurring between July 19, 2022, and April 4, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
After hearing the impact of Miranda’s conduct on the community, the Court imposed 60 months for one theft conviction, 24 months for another theft conviction, and 180 days for a third theft, all to run consecutively, resulting in a total sentence of seven years plus 180 days in prison.
According to the government’s evidence, between July 19, 2022, and April 4, 2023, Miranda took packages from several locations in the Adams Morgan area. In doing so, Miranda unlawfully entered areas he was not legally allowed to be in and destroyed property to gain access. Miranda had multiple prior theft convictions and was therefore subject to the enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in prison. The government had indicted Miranda on 43-counts, and Miranda had accepted a plea agreement to resolve all his charges on March 29, 2024.
At sentencing, the Court heard several victim impact statements, including one victim who shared that “Miranda’s crimes have . . . . left [him] feeling deeply unsafe in [his] own home and neighborhood.” The Court learned that the “community has vested a good amount of time and effort into bring Mr. Miranda to justice. And it appears to have paid off, as, interestingly, once Mr. Miranda was arrested, the attempted package thefts in [the] building plummeted. It’s barely a problem at all now. His absence has brought a sense of relief to [the] community.”
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Connor Mulvey and Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalie Anderson.
Plymouth Man Sentenced for Submitting Multiple Fraudulent Claims for Pandemic ReliefRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Plymouth, Mass. man was sentenced today for his involvement in a COVID-19 relief fund fraud scheme.
Ferris Brooks, 41, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to three years of supervised release, with the first six months to be served in home confinement. In February 2024, Brooks pleaded guilty to theft of government property.
From April to December 2020, Brooks submitted multiple applications for government benefits, both in his own name and in the names of friends and family, that contained false information. Specifically, Brooks submitted an application for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan with the U.S. Small Business Administration in the name of a fake business. Brooks also submitted applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and filed tax returns for Economic Impact Payments in the names of friends and family that contained false employment information. Brooks directed payments on the various fraudulent claims to bank accounts that he controlled and split the proceeds with his friends and family. The various fraudulent claims paid out more than $150,000 in pandemic relief funds.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Markham of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted 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, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Pittsburgh Woman Sentenced to 30 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Carla Brown, age 45, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on May 31, 2024, by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner, to 30 months’ imprisonment following her conviction on the charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the charges stem from an investigation in which the Pennsylvania State Police made a traffic stop on May 14, 2020, in Lebanon County, of a vehicle in which Brown was an occupant. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately 350 grams of cocaine, and $5,020 in U.S. currency.
The driver of the vehicle, William Shaw, was convicted on the charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment.
The charge against the defendant resulted from an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Scott R. Ford prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Norman Gray, Founder and CEO of A Biomedical Company, Convicted at Trial for Defrauding Victim of Nearly $1.5 MillionRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that on May 29, 2024, a jury returned a guilty verdict against NORMAN GRAY for wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud a victim (“Victim-1”) of nearly $1.5 million through false promises and bogus documents. GRAY falsely represented to Victim-1 that Victim-1’s funds would be invested in GRAY’s biomedical company (the “Biomedical Company”) and in deals to support the Biomedical Company through the sale of personal protective equipment (“PPE”) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In reality, Victim-1’s funds were not used by GRAY as promised, and he instead used Victim-1’s funds to, among other things, retire prior debts and purchase himself a high-end automobile and a large home in Connecticut. GRAY’s scheme to defraud Victim-1 also involved the use of fabricated documents and the wholesale invention of a fake mortgage company and a fictitious mortgage broker. GRAY was found guilty after a seven-day trial before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer. Judge Engelmayer remanded GRAY to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service earlier today.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Norman Gray meticulously crafted a relationship of trust and confidence with his victim by lying about his background, the financial health of his company, and how he would invest the victim’s money. Over the course of just a few weeks in 2020, Gray induced his victim to send him nearly $1.5 million after learning that the victim had recently been awarded a substantial sum of money in a commercial arbitration. Gray’s brazen scheme involved lie after lie, which included the use of fake documents and a made-up mortgage company. Gray’s lies have finally caught up with him, and he now faces substantial time in prison.”
According to the Superseding Indictment, public filings, public court proceedings, and the evidence presented at trial:
At all relevant times, GRAY was the founder and CEO of the Biomedical Company, which is headquartered in Hamden, Connecticut. GRAY presented himself to Victim-1 and others as a billionaire scientist with a Ph.D. from MIT at the helm of a company he was personally funding that was potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In reality, GRAY did not have a Ph.D., and, as of August 2020, both he and the Biomedical Company were in significant debt. In or about August 2020, GRAY induced Victim-1 to send him $250,000 as a purported investment in the Biomedical Company. Rather than purchase equity for Victim-1, GRAY used nearly all of Victim-1’s $250,000 payment to repay a loan that GRAY had taken out from a tenant in the same building where the Biomedical Company is headquartered in order to make payroll. In the ensuing weeks, GRAY extracted an additional $1,217,000 from Victim-1, representing that Victim-1’s funds would be invested in deals involving the procurement of PPE for two major universities in the tristate area. GRAY falsely represented that his prior PPE deals had turned a 40% profit within 90 days, that he already had purchase orders in hand for PPE worth nearly $8 million, and that, therefore, the risk was “virtually zero.” In reality, over the preceding months, GRAY had accumulated a vast inventory of unsellable PPE, the purported purchase orders were fake, and GRAY did not invest Victim-1’s funds in PPE. Instead, GRAY misappropriated Vicitm-1’s funds, in part, to purchase himself a nearly $1 million home, a $50,000 luxury SUV, and to pay down $200,000 of his and his family’s credit card debt.
As part of his scheme to defraud Victim-1, and as a means of dispelling Victim-1’s concern that an investment with GRAY might require Victim-1 to forego the purchase of a home, GRAY offered Victim-1 a mortgage from a purported boutique mortgage company of which he was the sole investor. GRAY directed Victim-1 to a purported mortgage broker that worked for this boutique mortgage company. In reality, both the mortgage company and the mortgage broker were completely fabricated by GRAY and did not exist. To further this aspect of the fraud on Victim-1, GRAY registered an internet domain in the name of the purported mortgage company and created an email address in the name of the invented mortgage broker contemporaneously with making his false representations to Victim-1. As GRAY’s fraud began to unravel in or about early November 2020, GRAY promised to return all of Victim-1’s money. Ultimately, GRAY never returned any money to Victim-1, and after Victim-1 asked GRAY to provide her with the purported PPE purchase orders from the two universities, she never heard from GRAY again.
As demonstrated at trial, at the outset of the scheme to defraud Victim-1, GRAY separately attempted to defraud a board member of the Biomedical Company who had introduced Victim-1 to GRAY. GRAY solicited a $150,000 loan from the board member to make the Biomedical Company’s payroll and sent the board member a fake wire transfer supposedly demonstrating that GRAY would soon receive over half a million dollars and therefore would be able to repay the board member in short order. In reality, GRAY forged the wire transfer document, and no such money actually arrived.
If you believe you are a victim of any crimes related to NORMAN GRAY, please email [email protected].
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GRAY, 68, of Hamden, Connecticut, was convicted of one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. GRAY is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Engelmayer on September 12, 2024, at 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations. Mr. Williams also thanked the New Haven Police Department, as well as law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom and Spain and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, for their assistance.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin A. Gianforti, Vladislav Vainberg, and Jessica Greenwood are in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Role in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DERRICK BRUMFIELD (“BRUMFIELD”), age 23, of New Orleans, was sentenced on May 28, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey to 45 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release, along with a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and tapentadol, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 846.
According to court documents, BRUMFIELD conspired with three of his co-defendants to sell cocaine and tapentadol. On May 19, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at his co-conspirators’ residence in the Lower Ninth Ward area of New Orleans. Inside the residence, the FBI found several baggies of cocaine, seven boxes of tapentadol pills, a digital scale and other drug trafficking supplies, large amounts of cash, and five firearms.
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 Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Jersey Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Leading One of the Largest No-Fault Insurance Frauds in New York HistoryRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that BRADLEY PIERRE was sentenced to 10 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe for conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) in connection with his orchestration of a $60 million fraud targeting No-Fault automobile insurance companies. PIERRE pled guilty before Judge Gardephe on December 18, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Bradley Pierre’s deceitful orchestration of a $60 million fraud — the largest in New York’s history — targeting No-Fault automobile insurance companies exemplifies a blatant disregard for justice and fairness. Through bribery and manipulation, Pierre callously exploited the system, denying accident victims the rightful care they deserved. We commend the diligent work of the investigative team and career prosecutors whose dedication ensured accountability in this complex case.”
According to the Indictment, the plea agreement, and statements made in court:
New York and New Jersey No-Fault insurance laws require a driver’s automobile insurance company to pay automobile insurance claims automatically for certain types of motor vehicle accidents, provided that the claim is legitimate and below a particular monetary threshold. Pursuant to these requirements, insurance companies will often pay medical service providers directly for the treatment they provide to automobile accident victims without the need to bill the victims themselves. This process resolves automobile claims without apportioning blame or fault for the accident, thereby avoiding protracted disputes and the costs associated with an extended investigation of the accident.
From at least in or about 2008 through in or about 2021, PIERRE agreed with others (the “Clinic Controllers”) to unlawfully own and run medical clinics located in the New York area, including, among others, Veda Medical, Sky Medical, Sun Medical, and Rutland Medical (the “Clinics”). PIERRE knew that clinics are unable to bill insurance companies for No-Fault benefits if the medical facilities are controlled by non-physicians. PIERRE nonetheless agreed with others, including doctors, to submit bills to insurance companies falsely representing that the Clinics were owned and operated by licensed doctors and to direct doctors to lie under oath during Examinations under Oath (“EUOs”) about the ownership, control, and finances of the Clinics. PIERRE personally coached doctors to lie under oath in these EUOs.
PIERRE used his control of the Clinics for personal profit. Between 2008 and 2021, PIERRE took over $20,000,000 from the Clinics by either transferring the funds directly to bank accounts under his control or using the Clinics’ bank accounts to pay his personal finances. PIERRE also used his control of the Clinics to steer prescriptions to pharmacies in return for over a million dollars in kickbacks and to steer patients to seek legal representation from his wife’s law firm, the Law Firm of Nonna Shikh (the“Shikh Firm”). The Shikh Firm then filed lawsuits against insurance companies on these patients’ behalf. PIERRE maintained an office at the Shikh Firm and was actively involved in the legal practice as a “manager.” The Shikh Firm made millions of dollars from the scheme and transferred over $4 million of illegal proceeds to PIERRE through a “marketing” arrangement between PIERRE’s shell companies and the Shikh Firm.
PIERRE used his control of the Clinics and his managerial role at the Shikh Firm to also steer patients to seek MRIs at a medical facility over which he exercised substantial control (the “MRI Facility”). PIERRE also agreed with the purported sole owner of the MRI Facility, who was a doctor, that the doctor would falsely report injuries in MRI reports. These falsified injuries allowed the Clinics to bill insurance companies for additional, unnecessary medical services and allowed attorneys to falsely claim injuries in lawsuits against insurance companies. PIERRE and the doctor agreed that the doctor would lie to insurance companies during EUOs about PIERRE’s role in the MRI Facility.
PIERRE hid his control over several of the Clinics and the MRI Facility using phony loan arrangements. These agreements claimed that PIERRE was making non-recourse loans to the Clinics and the MRI Facility, which would only have to be paid back if insurance companies paid the medical practices’ claims. The agreements also set PIERRE’s “fee” as twice the amount loaned to the practices. However, in reality, PIERRE took almost $10,000,000 in excess of what these purported loan agreements permitted.
PIERRE further agreed to pay bribes to fill the Clinics and the MRI Facility with patients. From at least in or about 2015 up to and including 2021, PIERRE agreed with others to pay bribes to hospital employees, 911 dispatchers, and other individuals (collectively, “lead sources”) for the confidential names and numbers of motor vehicle accident victims. PIERRE agreed that others, including Anthony Rose, a/k/a “Todd Chambers,” would then call victims and lie to them to induce victims to receive medical treatment at the Clinics and legal representation from the Shikh Firm. PIERRE helped Rose expand his bribery operation to New Jersey by recommending clinics and attorneys in the state that would pay kickbacks for referrals. PIERRE also recommended that Rose open a shell company to hide the illegality of the payments, which Rose in fact did. PIERRE paid Rose over $800,000 as part of the bribery scheme.
PIERRE further recruited his own lead sources to participate in the bribery scheme. For instance, in or about 2017, PIERRE recruited Andrew Prime, knowing that Prime was bribing 911 operators and a hospital employee for confidential information. PIERRE paid Prime over $800,000 as part of the bribery scheme. PIERRE also personally recruited and bribed several of his own lead sources, including 911 operators and a source in 2019 that PIERRE codenamed the “Motherload” or “ML.”
PIERRE also agreed to bribe medical offices to send patients to the MRI Facility for MRIs. These medical offices included, among others, Epione Medical Center and Modern Brooklyn Medical. PIERRE facilitated these bribe payments through several intermediaries, including Anthony Rose, Jelani Wray, and others. PIERRE paid Jelani Wray over $800,000 in connection with these bribes.
PIERRE then engaged in tax evasion. PIERRE utilized two companies in connection with the healthcare fraud and bribery schemes: Medical Reimbursement Consultants (“MRC”) and Marketing 4 You (“M4Y”). PIERRE hid income from the IRS by concealing multiple bank accounts for MRC and using a series of check cashers for checks made out to MRC and M4Y. PIERRE also paid personal expenses from MRC and M4Y’s bank accounts but improperly reported these payments as “business expenses.” These included payments for his wedding, home renovations, jewelry, furniture, luxury clothing, travel, and gifts. In total, PIERRE underreported income, falsely reported expenses of over $4 million, and deprived the IRS of approximately $1.5 million in taxes due.
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In addition to the prison term, PIERRE, 41, of Closter, New Jersey, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. PIERRE was also ordered to forfeit a money judgment of $3,500,000 and pay $1,500,000 in restitution.
Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit and the White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mathew Andrews, Qais Ghafary, and Michael Lockard are in charge of the prosecution.
New Assistant United States Attorney Appointed to Serve in the District of Rhode IslandRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha today announced the appointment and swearing-in of Rachna Vyas as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island. Ms. Vyas will serve in the Office’s Civil Division, focusing on complex, white collar matters with a particular emphasis on health care fraud cases related to the opioid crisis.
Prior to joining the District of Rhode Island, Ms. Vyas served as an Associate with the law firm of Verrill Dana, LLP, where she handled health care and life science matters. Prior to that, Ms. Vyas was a Senior Associate at Choate, Hall, & Stewart, LLP, where she specialized in government enforcement and white collar matters. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley, School of law, and served as a legal affairs intern with International Maritime Organization, London, UK, and as a judicial intern in Suffolk Superior Court, Boston.
“Rachna Vyas is an exceptionally talented lawyer whose ability and experience make her a tremendous addition to the District,” remarked U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “She joins an exceedingly capable group of civil litigators and prosecutors who work tirelessly to pursue corporate accountability and protect Rhode Islanders, and I have every confidence that she will make a great contribution to our team.”
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Maryland Man Sentenced for His Role in a Drug Trafficking OperationRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Marcus Deon Longus, age 44, of Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced today to 168 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base, and cocaine hydrochloride.
According to the evidence established through court documents and statements made in court, Longus worked with others to distribute the drugs from a Hagerstown, Maryland appliance store named Top 3 Sources. Longus supplied a number of drug dealers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. As part of the drug enterprise, Longus traveled to New York where he picked up the drugs and transported them back to Hagerstown for redistribution.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The large scale investigation included the following agencies: FBI-Pittsburgh Division; the U.S. Marshals Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the West Virginia Air National Guard; the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative (which includes the West Virginia State Police, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, the Ranson Police Department, the Charles Town Police Department, and the Martinsburg City Police Department); the West Virginia State Police; Customs and Border Protection; the Hagerstown Police Department; the National Resources Police Department; FBI-New York Safe Streets Task Force; the New York City Police Department; the New Jersey State Police; the Washington County (Maryland) Drug Task Force; the Maryland State Police; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Madison County Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing and Selling FirearmsRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Richmond, Ky., man, Aaron Shanks, 49, was sentenced on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, to 60 months in prison, for two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of an unregistered firearm.
According to his plea agreement, between December 20, 2022 and January 17, 2023, law enforcement used a confidential informant to make several controlled purchases of firearms from Shanks. During one transaction, on December 21, 2022, Shanks sold a 9mm pistol and a silencer, which did not have any manufacturer’s marks or identification. Shanks admitted that he knew it was a firearm silencer, that it was in operating condition, and that it was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
At the time of these transactions, Shanks was prohibited from possessing firearms due to several prior felony convictions, including one prior offense for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm..
Under federal law, Shanks must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Louisville Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by ATF, with assistance from the Madison County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paco Villalobos prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
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Latham Woman Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kristy Koldis, age 46, of Latham, New York, pled guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
Koldis admitted that she created sexually explicit content depicting V-1 from the time V-1 was approximately 9 years old through the time V-1 was approximately 13 years old and distributed the files to Joshua White. The files depicted V-1’s genitals exposed to the camera in a lewd and lascivious manner.
If United States District Judge Mae D’Agostino accepts the parties’ agreed-upon disposition at sentencing on October 3, 2024, Koldis will receive a prison term of 180 months, at least 10 years of supervised release to follow that term of imprisonment, and pay restitution to the victim. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statutes the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Koldis would also have to register as a sex offender upon her release from prison.
White pled guilty on December 11, 2023, to distribution and possession of child pornography; his sentencing is scheduled for July 23, 2024.
Homeland Security Investigations and the New York State Police investigated this case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Lake City Couple Indicted for Fraudulently Stealing Almost Three Million DollarsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of a thirteen-count indictment charging Treashonna P. Graham (40, Lake City) and Joey L. Williams (39, Lake City) with multiple offenses, including one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, seven counts of wire fraud, and five counts of money laundering. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison for each conspiracy and wire fraud offense, and up to 10 years’ imprisonment, for each money laundering offense. Graham and Williams were arrested on May 31, 2024.
According to the indictment Graham and Williams created a company called “Grant Bae,” which was designed to assist minority business owners obtain government grants. These government grants ranged from $25,000 to $250,000. Graham and Williams would charge a fee for their services and would advise clients that they were in the process of obtaining grant money on their behalf. However, during their fraudulent scheme, Graham and Williams allegedly stole approximately $2,904,667 of their clients’ grant funds and used those funds to live an extravagant lifestyle. The two purchased vehicles, jewelry, clothing, and other personal property. They also gambled away some of the proceeds.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro.
Kanawha County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Isaiah Vaniah McDade, 47, of South Charleston, was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of a quantity of fentanyl and a quantity of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between August 10, 2022 and September 16, 2022, McDade sold approximately 5 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant over the course of five separate transactions. McDade admitted to those transactions and further admitted to selling the confidential informant a quantity of methamphetamine during the September 2, 2022 transaction and 3.46 grams of cocaine during the September 16, 2022 transaction.
From November 3, 2022 through December 2, 2022, McDade discussed the distribution of controlled substances during phone calls intercepted by law enforcement officers. McDade admitted that those intercepted discussions were of the distribution of 33.5 grams of heroin, 7 grams of methamphetamine and 30.8 grams of cocaine.
On August 17, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at McDade’s residence and seized $5,115.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), and the South Charleston Police Department. 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 Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-143.
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Justice Department to Monitor Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws in New JerseyRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that they will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in Union County, New Jersey, for the June 4 primary election.
The Justice Department will assign federal observers to monitor the election in Union County to observe the county’s compliance with the Voting Rights Act. In 2023, a federal court approved a consent decree to resolve the department’s claims under Sections 203 and 208 of the Voting Rights Act regarding the availability of election assistance and materials in Spanish for Spanish-speaking voters with limited English proficiency in Union County. Section 203 requires that certain jurisdictions, including Union County, provide election materials and assistance in other languages, in addition to English. Section 208 provides a right for voters who need assistance with voting – due to inability to read or write, blindness or disability – to receive that assistance from the person of their choice, with certain limited exceptions. The consent decree authorizes federal observers to monitor election day activities in the county’s polling places.
The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities across the country. In addition, the department also deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, when 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.
Individuals may also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey at www.justice.gov/usao-nj/civil-rights-enforcement or by telephone at 1-855-281-3339.
Jaffrey Man Pleads Guilty to the Illegal Possession of Machine Guns and SilencersRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Jaffrey man pleaded guilty today in federal court to the possession of machine guns and silencers that were not registered to him under the National Firearms Act, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Luke Czekalski, 38, pleaded guilty to possession of firearms which were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty scheduled sentencing for September 23, 2024.
In November 2022, New Hampshire state parole officers made an unannounced visit to the defendant’s residence in Jaffrey. The defendant was on parole following his release from custody for a prior felony conviction. While the parole officers conducted their search, they located several bins in the basement containing firearms, ammunition, loaded magazines, body armor and other miscellaneous items. Jaffrey Police then provided additional assistance, leading to the seizure of eight homemade firearms and five homemade silencers in addition to assorted firearm ammunition. Three of the firearms displayed fully automatic firing capabilities during test fires, thus making them “machineguns” under federal law.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $10,000. 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 Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the Jaffrey Police Department led the investigation. The New Hampshire Department of Corrections’ Division of Field Services and New Hampshire Forensic Laboratory provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau is prosecuting the case.
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Iowa Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Senior District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Des Moines, Iowa, man convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact. The sentencing took place on May 16, 2024.
Douglas Hennigar, age 66, was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Hennigar was indicted for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor and Abusive Sexual Contact by a federal grand jury in September of 2023. He pleaded guilty on March 15, 2024.
In 2010, Hennigar moved to the Pine Ridge Reservation after meeting the victims’ grandmother/mother through social media. The grandmother cared for multiple children, including her 10-year-old daughter at the time. Almost immediately after moving in with the grandmother, Hennigar sexually abused two female children, who were between the ages of 5-10. The abuse spanned multiple years and occurred on and off the Pine Ridge Reservation. At the time of the abuse, the youngest child was five years old, but did not disclose the abuse until she was 14 years of age.
This case was investigated by the FBI. U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
Hennigar was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Hurricane Man Sentenced to Prison for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Paul Richard Spurlock, 67, of Hurricane, was sentenced today to eight months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $106,500 in restitution for bank fraud. Spurlock admitted that he embezzled approximately $106,500 from a fraternal organization’s historic charitable care home by using his position as its board’s treasurer.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows - West Virginia had operated the Odd Fellows and Rebekah Home in Elkins beginning in the early 1900s. Over its history, the institution provided housing and care for orphans, widows, seniors and people with disabilities.
Spurlock had been the treasurer of the home’s board of directors for several years when he lost his seat on the board in October 2018. Spurlock admitted that from on or about July 8, 2015, to on or about January 22, 2019, he embezzled approximately $106,500 from the Odd Fellows Home. Spurlock falsely told his wife, who was acting as the home’s bookkeeper, that the home’s board of directors had approved a loan for their family.
Spurlock admitted that as part of his scheme, he caused an unauthorized check for $4,000 from the Odd Fellows Home’s account to be issued to his wife on January 22, 2019, and deposited into their shared Huntington bank account. Spurlock further admitted that he signed at least 33 unauthorized Odd Fellows Home checks made payable to his wife and deposited into their joint account, and used an authorized signatory’s signature stamp on each check without his wife’s knowledge.
The Odd Fellows Home closed and was auctioned off in 2022 because of financial difficulties.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage 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-172.
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Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Javonte Dejuan Perry, also known as “Dre,” 33, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 30, 2023, Perry sold a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Huntington.
Perry is scheduled to be sentenced on September 16, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least 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 Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor is prosecuting 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-114.
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Helena man suspected of threatening to attack Helena Public Schools sentenced to seven and one-half years in prison for illegally possessing homemade bombs, silencerRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Helena man who admitted to illegally possessing homemade bombs and a silencer after being suspected of planning to attack a Helena Public Schools building was sentenced today to seven and one-half years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Logan Sea Pallister, 25, pleaded guilty in January to possession of unregistered destructive devices and to possession of an unregistered silencer.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in May 2022, the Helena Police Department received information from a juvenile girl that Pallister possessed multiple bombs, had access to multiple firearms and had been making threats of committing an attack at a local high school. The person also indicated that Pallister discussed a desire to commit a Columbine-style attack at the high school. Further, Pallister had shown the individual numerous firearms and a large amount of ammunition that he kept in his car and had purchased a black trench coat and the same type of duffle bag used by the shooters in the attack at Columbine High School. Pallister showed the individual a homemade pipe bomb that he said he’d made and retrieved from his car. The individual later reported that Pallister threatened to kill her if she told anyone about what he had shown her. Although Pallister disputed making the threat, the individual reported the incident to law enforcement.
At about 4 a.m. on May 31, 2022, police officers arrested Pallister as he was walking toward his car from his residence. Pallister was wearing a black trench coat, carrying a bag and had eight loaded firearms concealed on his person, including semi-automatic pistols and AR-style rifles equipped with high-capacity magazines. Following Pallister’s arrest, law enforcement searched his car and recovered nine additional firearms, miscellaneous firearms accessories, body armor, trigger modification systems designed to increase the fire-rate of guns, an ammunition canister containing four homemade pipe bombs and an oil filter modified to function as a silencer. In a search of Pallister’s residence, law enforcement located a large quantity of ammunition, additional firearms parts and materials used to make explosives.
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Garrard County Man Sentenced for Armed Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A Lancaster, Ky., man, Harley Jones, 30, was sentenced on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, to 115 months in prison, for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to his plea agreement, between February 2022 and August 2022, Jones conspired with his co-conspirator, Angela Nichole Brown, to obtain methamphetamine from various sources of supply and sell the methamphetamine to other users and dealers. Jones and Brown worked together to obtain and distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.
In April 2022, law enforcement used a confidential informant to make a controlled purchase of 56 grams of methamphetamine from Jones and Brown. Following the controlled purchase, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on their vehicle and found 60 grams of methamphetamine and two pistols, one of which was loaded.
For her role, Brown was previously sentenced to 96 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release.
Under federal law, Jones and Brown must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences. Upon his release from prison, Jones will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for four years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Louisville Field Division; and Phillip J. Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police (KSP); jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by ATF and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Trimble prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
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Former U.S. Soldier Turned Foreign Fighter Extradited from Ukraine to the United States for 2018 Double Homicide, Armed Robbery, Immigration Document Offenses, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Other ChargesRead the Press Release
A U.S. citizen will make his initial appearance in Fort Myers, Florida, today at 2 p.m. EDT following his extradition from Ukraine to the United States to face numerous charges in three federal districts relating to double homicide, armed robbery, false statements in a passport application, aggravated identity theft, and misuse of a passport in violation of conditions and restrictions, among other charges.
Craig Austin Lang, 34, of Surprise, Arizona, faces criminal charges in the Middle District of Florida, the Eastern District of North Carolina, and the District of Arizona.
“As alleged in the indictments, Craig Austin Lang went on an international crime spree that included a double murder in Florida, attempts to travel internationally to engage in other acts of violence outside the United States, and a plot to evade law enforcement detection by trading guns, a grenade, and cash to use another person’s identifying information to apply for a U.S. passport under an assumed name,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Lang’s alleged conduct is shocking in its scope and its callous disregard for human life. His wrongdoing, however, was no match for the efforts of dedicated law enforcement personnel and prosecutors in the United States and abroad to investigate, locate, arrest, and extradite Lang so he would face justice before courts in the United States.”
“The alleged conduct of Craig Austin Lang, which includes homicide and armed robbery, will not be tolerated by the FBI,” said Executive Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. “Individuals that engage in such activity must face the consequences of their actions. We would like to thank our partner law enforcement agencies for their efforts in ensuring that criminals face justice. If you cause harm to the American public, we will relentlessly pursue you even if you are located beyond our borders.”
Middle District of Florida
According to the superseding indictment returned in the Middle District of Florida in December 2019 and other court documents, Lang and a co-defendant, Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer, 27, of Bloomer, Wisconsin, allegedly murdered a couple from Brooksville, Florida, in 2018.
In 2017, Lang and Zwiefelhofer, both former soldiers in the U.S. Army, met in Ukraine, where Zwiefelhofer claimed they were both members of a volunteer battalion fighting Russian separatists. The pair allegedly also traveled to Kenya, where Zwiefelhofer claimed they intended to fight against terrorists, before attempting to enter South Sudan. They were allegedly detained by authorities in South Sudan and deported back to the United States, where they met up in Florida in April 2018.
The superseding indictment alleges that the Brooksville couple planned to purchase firearms that Lang and Zwiefelhofer had listed for sale on a website called “ARMSLIST.” Lang and Zwiefelhofer allegedly killed the couple in the course of an armed robbery to steal the $3,000 that the couple intended to use to buy the firearms. Lang and Zwiefelhofer allegedly robbed the victims to pay for travel to Venezuela, where the defendants planned to fight the Venezuelan regime.
Lang and Zwiefelhofer are charged with violating the Neutrality Act, conspiracy to kill, kidnap, or maim persons in a foreign country, conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, and conspiracy to discharge a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, as well as interference with commerce by robbery and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death. If convicted on all counts, Lang and Zwiefelhofer face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
On March 8, a federal jury convicted Zwiefelhofer on all of the above charges. Zwiefelhofer is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 6.
The FBI and Lee County Sheriff’s Office are investigating this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jesus M. Casas and Michael V. Leeman for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting this case.
Eastern District of North Carolina
According to the indictment returned in the Eastern District of North Carolina in August 2019, Lang and his co-conspirators allegedly took various actions in September 2018 to evade law enforcement detection and minimize scrutiny when travelling internationally. They allegedly devised a plan to provide two co-conspirators’ identity documents to Lang and a fourth co-conspirator, Matthew Scott McCloud, for the purpose of applying for U.S. passports under assumed names. While in North Carolina, Lang allegedly submitted a U.S. passport application in the assumed name of one of his co-conspirators, Dameon Shae Adcock. Approximately two days later, Lang allegedly gave Adcock a suitcase containing multiple firearms, a military smoke grenade, and approximately $1,500 in cash as payment for use of Adcock’s personal information. Several days later, Lang and McCloud, who had applied for a U.S. passport using the identity of co-conspirator Jordan Dean Miller, allegedly acquired airline tickets to travel from Georgia to New York and then on to Ukraine.
“The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is committed to working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies around the world to investigate and prosecute all allegations of criminal activity related to identity theft,” said Assistant Director Andrew Wroblewski of DSS Domestic Operations. “The strong relationship we enjoy with our domestic and overseas law enforcement partners is vital towards ensuring the integrity of U.S. travel documents and protecting greater U.S. interests.”
Lang was charged with conspiracy to commit passport fraud and aggravated identify theft, passport fraud, aggravated identity theft, fraud, and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents, and aiding and abetting these offenses, as well as false representation of a social security account number. Adcock, Miller, and McCloud were also charged in connection with the criminal scheme. If convicted, Lang faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison on the fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents charge.
Adcock pleaded guilty in November 2019 and was sentenced in September 2020 to two years and eight months in prison. McCloud pleaded guilty in April 2020 and was sentenced in July 2020 to time served. Miller pleaded guilty and was sentenced in May 2020 to one year of probation.
The DSS is investigating this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabe Diaz for the Eastern District of North Carolina is prosecuting this case.
District of Arizona
The indictment returned in the District of Arizona in June 2019 charges Lang with misuse of a passport for allegedly presenting a U.S. passport to Mexican authorities to obtain a Mexican visa, which was in violation of the conditions and restrictions contained on the passport. If convicted, Lang faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, or more under certain aggravating circumstances.
The FBI is investigating this case.
Trial Attorney and Co-Director of Joint Task Force Alpha James Hepburn and Trial Attorney and Director of the War Crimes Accountability Team Christian Levesque of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bridget Minder for the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case.
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Lang’s extradition from Ukraine occurred after the European Court of Human Rights recently rejected his claim challenging extradition under the European Convention on Human Rights.
U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona joined in the announcement.
The FBI escorted Lang from Ukraine to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI Tampa Field Office Fort Myers Resident Agency provided significant assistance in securing the arrest, extradition, and removal of Lang to the United States. The United States also thanks Ukrainian authorities for their valuable assistance.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Soldier Turned Foreign Fighter Extradited to Face Charges in April 2018 Double Homicide and Armed Robbery of Brooksville CoupleRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the extradition of Craig Austin Lang (34, Surprise, Arizona) from Ukraine to the United States to stand trial for six federal offenses. Lang, along with his co-defendant Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer (27, Bloomer, Wisconsin), was charged in 2019 in a conspiracy to commit robbery and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, robbery interfering in commerce, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, which resulted in the death of a couple from Brooksville, Florida. Lang is also charged with conspiring to kill, kidnap, or maim persons in a foreign country and a violation of the Neutrality Act. If convicted on all counts, Lang faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Zwiefelhofer was convicted as charged at trial on March 8, 2024, and is scheduled for sentencing on August 6, 2024.
According to court documents, on April 10, 2018, two individuals, S.L., Jr. and D.L., were found dead in Estero, Florida from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and body. Further investigation revealed that the couple had traveled to Estero from Brooksville to complete the purchase of several firearms from an individual who had listed them for sale on a website known as Armslist. As a result of the investigation, Zwiefelhofer and Lang were identified as the individuals who were believed to have murdered the couple during an armed robbery of the $3,000 the couple had intended to use to purchase the firearms.
The superseding indictment further alleges that Zwiefelhofer and Lang formed and pursued a plan to fight the Venezuelan government and committed the robbery of S.L., Jr. and D.L. to obtain money to fund their travel to Venezuela for that purpose. Both Lang and Zwiefelhofer were formerly in the U.S. military before traveling overseas to Ukraine to engage in fighting, where they met. They then traveled to Kenya to fight in South Sudan before they were arrested and deported back to the United States. After being in the United States for a short time, both Lang and Zwiefelhofer planned to travel to Venezuela to fight alongside others. Lang and Zwiefelhofer met in Florida in April 2018, where they allegedly planned to take a boat to Venezuela, but their plan fell through.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jesus M. Casas and Michael V. Leeman.
Lang’s extradition from Ukraine occurred after the European Court of Human Rights recently rejected his claim challenging extradition from Ukraine under the European Convention on Human Rights.
The FBI escorted Lang from Ukraine to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI Tampa Field Office Fort Myers Resident Agency provided significant assistance in securing the arrest, extradition, and removal of Lang to the United States. The United States also thanks Ukrainian authorities for their valuable assistance.
Former FCI Danbury Inmate Pleads Guilty to Assault ChargeRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JONATHAN CRUZ-CARMONA, 33, formerly incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Danbury, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Cruz-Carmona is currently serving a federal sentence for murder with a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On December 18, 2023, while incarcerated at FCI Danbury, Cruz-Carmona used a weapon fashioned from a broken pencil and two razor blades to assault another inmate, causing wounds to the victim’s chin and neck. The injury was not life-threatening.
At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Cruz-Carmona faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.
Florida Man Facing Federal Charges for Covid-19 Unemployment Insurance Fraud in Maryland and CaliforniaRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging David Godin, a/k/a “James St Patrick,” a/k/a “David Wetty,” a/k/a “Vic Pro” for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme to defraud the Maryland Department of Labor (“MD-DOL”) and California Employment Development Department (CA-EDD”) of unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier today, Godin was arrested by law enforcement in Florida and had his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court in Miami, Florida.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (“DOL-OIG”), and Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to the indictment, beginning in June 2020, Godin created disposable email addresses and used them to file fraudulent UI claims with the MD-DOL and CA-EDD. The UI claims contained false and fraudulent information and contained the personal identifiable information of identity theft victims from Maryland, California, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi and Washington, D.C.
If convicted, Godin faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud and a consecutive term of 2 years’ imprisonment for aggravated identity theft. Furthermore, if convicted, Godin must forfeit any property derived from the scheme to defraud to the United States.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
This case is part of the District of Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force, a Strike Force that is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DOL-OIG, and IRS-CI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Bijon A. Mostoufi, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Fleming Island Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing CocaineRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that James Matthew Doyle (37, Fleming Island) has pleaded guilty to distributing cocaine. Doyle faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to the plea agreement, in January and February 2023, Doyle sold cocaine on two occasions to a confidential source working for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as to an undercover agent.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brenna Falzetta.
Final Defendant in Trio Responsible for Eight Armed Robberies of Indianapolis Area Businesses in One Month Found Guilty by Federal JuryRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- A federal jury has found Robdarius Williams, 21, of Indianapolis, guilty of interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, following a one-and-a-half-day trial.
In April of 2024, Quintez Tucker, 20, and D’Maurah Bryant, 21, each plead guilty to eight counts of robbery and eight counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, from November 8, 2021, through December 3, 2021, Tucker and Bryant worked together to rob eight cell phone retailers around Indianapolis. During each robbery, the men brandished firearms and pointed them at employees, demanding cash, cell phones, and accessories from the store and customers. Williams joined in the eighth and final armed robbery as the getaway driver, stole a license plate for the vehicle, and took Tucker to pick up an AR-style rifle used in the robbery.
In total, the trio robbed eight businesses:
Date
Location
Defendants
November 8, 2021
Verizon, Olio Rd., Fishers.
Tucker & Bryant
November 18, 2021
T-Mobile, Southport Rd.
Tucker & Bryant
November 23, 2021
Verizon, Kessler Blvd.
Tucker & Bryant
November 26, 2021
T-Mobile, E. 86th St.
Tucker & Bryant
November 29, 2021
T-Mobile, Fox Rd.
Tucker & Bryant
December 1, 2021
T-Mobile, E. Stop 11 Rd.
Tucker & Bryant
December 1, 2021
T-Mobile, W. 38th St.
Tucker & Bryant
December 3, 2021
AT&T, S. Emerson Ave.
Tucker & Williams
The FBI investigated this case. The Fishers Police Department, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and the Marion County Prosecutors Office also provided valuable assistance. U.S District Court Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson presided over the trial and will impose sentences for all three men at a later date.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy C. Fugate and Peter A. Blackett, who prosecuted this case.
This case was 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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Evadale Little League coach sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for child exploitation violationsRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Lumberton man has been sentenced to federal prison on child exploitation charges in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Adam Dale Isaacks, 40, pleaded guilty to four counts of transporting a minor for purposes of sexual activity and was sentenced to 480 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on June 3, 2024.
According to information presented in court, on Dec. 13, 2021, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office responded to an Evadale home in reference to a report of several sexual assaults. As the investigation progressed, Isaacks was identified as the assailant. Isaacks, a youth baseball coach and president of the Evadale Little League Baseball organization and a trusted member of the community, was reported to have sexually assaulted eight minor members of his baseball team. The boys were between 9 and 11 years old the time of the offenses. The investigation revealed instances where several minor victims were transported by Isaacks from the Eastern District of Texas outside the state. While outside the state of Texas, Isaacks engaged in illicit sexual conduct with the minor victims. The trips were verified with records from airlines, credit card information, photos, and witnesses.
“We expect our little league coaches to protect the children entrusted to their care; this defendant did not do that and will now serve a lengthy sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. “Coaches like the defendant, Mr. Isaacks, who have sex with minors should take note of today’s sentence, which reflects the consequences of abusing one’s position of trust by taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of minors and repeatedly engaging them in unlawful sexual activities. This case shows how local and federal agencies can work together to combat the growing epidemic of child exploitation—a crime that our office will aggressively prosecute.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, and the San Augustine County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Grove.
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