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Thursday 30 May 2024
Beaver County Farmer and Employee Sentenced for Using Toxic Pesticide to Kill Migratory BirdsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Two Western Pennsylvania men were sentenced on May 29, 2024, for their use of a toxic, banned pesticide to kill migratory birds, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy sentenced farm operator Robert Yost, 52, of New Galilee, to a year of probation, a $21,000 fine, and 100 hours of community service. Judge Hardy sentenced Jacob Reese, 27, an employee of Yost and resident of Enon Valley, to a year of probation, a $5,500 fine, and 50 hours of community service. Yost and Reese were found guilty by Judge Hardy in January 2024 following their October 2022 bench trial.
The evidence presented at trial established that, in June 2020, Yost—as operator of Yost Farms in Beaver County, Pennsylvania—and his employee Reese conspired to kill migratory birds present on leased farmland operated by Yost Farms using carbofuran, a registered restricted-use pesticide. The Environmental Protection Agency concluded no later than 2009 that the risks for all uses of carbofuran were unacceptable and that all products containing carbofuran generally caused unreasonable adverse effects on humans and the environment. As part of the conspiracy, Yost directed Reese to spread whole kernel corn coated in carbofuran in and around a leased field used for soybean cultivation where children were regularly present. The tainted corn attracted protected migratory birds that were killed within a short distance of where they ingested the corn.
Yost and Reese thereafter took steps to conceal their efforts to poison and kill the migratory birds, including destroying the feed bag containing the carbofuran-laced whole corn kernel. When confronted by officials from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Reese and Yost also lied about their use of poisoned corn to kill the birds. In total, Yost and Reese were responsible for killing approximately 17 Canada geese, 10 red-winged blackbirds, and one mallard duck.
Yost and Reese were each convicted of one count of conspiracy, one count of violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act for their use of carbofuran, and one count of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The Court indicated at sentencing that the defendants’ required community service should be focused on wildlife conservation or farm safety.
In imposing the sentences, Judge Hardy emphasized that the defendants’ crimes were serious, created a risk to the environment, and harmed the public’s trust in the source of their food. The Court also highlighted the defendants’ lack of remorse and noted that imposing a term of community service would serve to redeem the public’s trust in safe and ethical farming.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jacqueline C. Brown and Nicole A. Stockey and Special Assistant United States Attorney Perry D. McDaniel prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Office of Law Enforcement, Environmental Protection Agency - Criminal Investigation Division, Pennsylvania Game Commission, and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Yost and Reese.
Baton Rouge City Parish-Contractor Indicted for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury recently returned an indictment charging Blake Joseph Steiner, age 37, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with distribution of child pornography. Steiner appeared for his arraignment and pled not guilty to the pending charge.
According to the criminal complaint that preceded the indictment, in March 2024, Steiner sent a video of child pornography to an undercover agent. The video depicts a child engaging in sexually explicit conduct with an adult male. Steiner also expressed his sexual interests in children to the undercover agent, which included incest and bestiality.
Distribution of child pornography is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20–40 years in prison, depending on sentencing enhancements. Steiner also faces potential sex offender registration, supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Louisiana State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jene C. Clayton.
NOTE: An indictment is an accusation by a grand jury. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.
Bank Manager Admits Coordinating Multistate COVID-19 Relief Program Fraud Scheme; New York Man Admits Laundering ProceedsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A former branch manager of a national financial institution today admitted using his position to organize a conspiracy to help individuals obtain at least 38 fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling approximately $5 million, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. U.S. Attorney Sellinger also announced that a New York man admitted laundering the proceeds of one of the fraudulent PPP loans.
Tommy Hawkins, 61, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams to one count of bank fraud conspiracy. Sieff Robert Sargeant, 44, of Island Park, New York, pleaded guilty before Judge Williams to one count of money laundering.
According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in court:
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted in March 2020 and was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through a program referred to as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). To obtain a PPP loan, a qualifying small business was required to apply and provide information on its operations, including the number of employees and expenses. In addition, businesses generally had to provide supporting documentation.
In 2020 and early 2021, Hawkins worked as the branch manager of the Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, branch of a national bank that was accepting Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. Hawkins worked with Eric Rivera, Lisa Smith, and others to recruit individuals who owned companies with little or no operations to open bank accounts at Hawkins’ branch and apply for PPP loans. Hawkins helped the recruited individuals submit PPP loan applications that contained materially false representations about the companies’ number of employees and payroll expenses. The applications also included false documentation, including tax forms. Based on these applications, Hawkins’ bank approved at least 38 PPP loans and disbursed approximately $5 million. Hawkins received incentive compensation through the bank for opening business bank accounts for the companies that received fraudulent PPP loans and also had an agreement with Rivera and Smith for them to pay Hawkins $5,000 of the loan proceeds for each PPP loan that Hawkins helped to obtain.
In April 2021, Sargeant’s business received a PPP loan based on a fraudulent application that was submitted through Hawkins’ branch. Sargeant then paid another individual, James Wessels, to create fake payroll checks. Sargeant distributed fake payroll checks to a friend, who cashed the checks and returned the majority of the cash to Sargeant. This was done to conceal that the proceeds actually were being spent on non-payroll expenses.
The count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud is punishable by a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The count of money laundering is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Hawkins’ sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 3, 2024; Sargeant’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 2, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of the Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Patricia Tarasca; special agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs in Philadelphia; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Boston-New York Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley Parker; and special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman and Attorney-in-Charge Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations against Rivera, Smith, and Wessels are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
hawkins.information.pdf sargeant.information.pdfAvery County Man Is Sentenced to Prison for Making A Destructive Device and Related ChargesRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – An Avery County man was sentenced today to 97 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for making a destructive device and related offenses, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, Robert Schurmeier, Director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NC SBI), and Sheriff Mike Henley of the Avery County Sheriff’s Office, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
Thomas Dewey Taylor, Jr., 45, of Newland, N.C., previously pleaded guilty to attempting to damage and destroy a building used in interstate commerce by fire and explosive, possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act weapon, and making a destructive device. U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger imposed Taylor’s sentence today in federal court.
According to court records and today’s sentencing hearing, Taylor was a former employee of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, Inc. (GMHG), located in Linville, N.C. On September 27, 2021, Taylor disabled the alarm system to the GMHG office, turned off the main power breaker, and hid a destructive device in an office closet. The destructive device consisted of a 48-quart cooler housing fuses bundled together and tied to an electric burner hotplate. The fuses ran to fireworks and containers of ignitable liquids. The hotplate was plugged into an extension cord which was plugged into an electrical receptacle in the closet. Also inside the cooler was a glass pitcher with rocks and a PVC pipe bomb. Court records show that the destructive device was constructed so it would ignite once someone turned on the main power breaker, resulting in an explosion designed to cause property damage, injury, and death to persons nearby.
Taylor remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending placement by the Bureau of Prisons.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the ATF, the NC SBI, and the Avery County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, prosecuted the case.
Allen Park Man Sentenced to over 5 Years in Prison for Pandemic Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DETROIT – An Allen Park resident was sentenced today for defrauding the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (MUIA) out of approximately $512,000 as part of a pandemic unemployment insurance fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Niebel was also sentenced to a three-year term of supervised release and ordered to pay $512,000 in restitution to the MUIA.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Daniel Loza, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations Detroit Field Office and Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency Director Julia Dale.
Christopher Niebel, 46, was sentenced to 63 months in prison after having pleaded guilty in February 2024 to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft before United States District Judge Stephen J. Murphy III.
According to court documents, at the beginning of the pandemic, Niebel owned and operated a tax preparation service (“Tax Guy Chris”) in Allen Park, Michigan. Niebel also worked seasonally as a manager for Party City, a retail chain selling party supplies. Through his employment at Party City, Niebel had access to the files of individuals who had worked or applied to work at the company. These files included the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s I-9 employment verification forms of Party City employees and applicants, in which the applicants documented their eligibility for employment in the United States. In approximately 2019, Niebel stole a number of these I-9 forms from Party City, which contained a substantial volume of personal identifying information of the applicants (including names, social security numbers, and dates of birth). Niebel filed these documents away for his future use.
Once pandemic unemployment assistance funds became available, Niebel used the PII he had appropriated from Party City in a scheme to defraud the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency by submitting fictitious claims for those benefits. Specifically, Niebel submitted electronic applications seeking pandemic unemployment benefits using the personal identifying information of applicants for jobs with Party City, without the authorization, approval, or knowledge of those individuals. Niebel intentionally used the names and identifying information of individuals who were not from Michigan in submitting these claims, correctly surmising that such individuals would be unlikely to have submitted their own unemployment insurance claims in Michigan and thus making detection less likely.
Niebel opened numerous bank accounts in Michigan in order to capture the pandemic unemployment assistance funds, which were wired to those accounts. After obtaining the funds from these fraudulent unemployment assistance applications, Niebel spent the money on a variety of personal expenses, including food, lodging, lottery tickets, casino gambling, and transportation. Over the course of the scheme, Niebel obtained approximately $512,000 in pandemic unemployment assistance funds to which he was not entitled.
“Christopher Niebel stole over half a million dollars in funds intended to help unemployed Michigan citizens during an unprecedented pandemic. His theft of pandemic unemployment assistance followed his theft of the personal identifying information of numerous people from a previous employer,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. “My office is committed to holding to account all of those who illegally obtained Covid relief funds for their private gain.”
"Christopher Niebel filed fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims in the names of identity theft victims which caused him to receive UI benefits to which he was not entitled. He enriched himself by defrauding a program that was intended to assist struggling American workers during an unprecedented global pandemic," said Daniel Loza, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. "We and our law enforcement partners are committed to identifying and prosecuting the criminals who took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic by using stolen identities to fraudulently obtain pandemic-related UI benefits."
“It’s astounding the selfish schemes fraudsters cook up to steal money meant for hard-working Michiganders,” said Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency Director Julia Dale. “At the start of the pandemic, so many people needed help and all Chris Niebel thought about was how he could game the system for his personal gain. His actions – and those of more than 160 others who have been charged with unemployment fraud – erode the public’s trust. We are winning back the public’s trust with wide-ranging reforms that position the Michigan UIA as a national model for fast, fair, and fraud-free service.”
“Today’s sentencing of Christopher Niebel sends a clear message to anyone who intends to commit criminal actions against the U.S. government and innocent taxpayers,” said Charles Miller, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation (CI), Detroit Field Office. “Stealing innocent victims’ personal information to use in fleecing a government program created to help those in their time of need is reprehensible and CI is dedicated to working with our law enforcement partners to root out these criminals and hold them accountable.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John K. Neal. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations Division.
Adams County Man Sentenced for Straw Purchasing FirearmsRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Donovyn Lee Smallwood, age 25, of McSherrystown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on May 29, 2024, to 12 months and one day imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson following his conviction for straw purchasing four firearms for individuals who were prohibited from possessing firearms.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Smallwood previously pleaded guilty to these offenses, which involved Smallwood’s purchase of a total of four 9mm handguns on two separate occasions in September 2021 from a licensed firearms dealer. At the time of the purchases, Smallwood falsely stated that he was the actual purchaser. One of the firearms was subsequently used in a homicide and a separate carjacking.
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 and the Baltimore Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams prosecuted the case.
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Wednesday 29 May 2024
Volusia County Man Indicted for Attempting to Entice A 13-Year-Old to Produce Child Sexual Abuse PhotosRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Shane Christopher Abrams (36, Deland) with attempting to entice a 13-year-old to produce and send him photos depicting child sexual abuse. If convicted, Abrams faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison. He also faces a potential lifetime of supervised release. On May 20, 2024, Abrams was arrested by FBI agents at his place of employment in South Daytona.
According to court documents, on April 3, 2024, an undercover FBI agent posing as a 13-year-old child engaged in text conversation on a particular online social media application with a user named “Malicious_Malediction,” who was subsequently identified as Abrams. During this conversation, the “child” advised that “she” was 13 years old, and Abrams asked “her” questions about her body and discussed masturbation. The next day, Abrams provided the “child” with his cellphone number, and their conversation continued by text messaging. Between April 4 and April 20, 2024, Abrams and the “child” exchanged numerous text messages, and Abrams sent the “child” several explicit photos that he claimed were of himself. On several occasions during their text conversation, Abrams asked the “child” to produce and send him by text message explicit photos of “herself.” Abrams also gave the “child” specific and sexually explicit instructions regarding exactly how to comply with his request.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
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.
It is another case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.
Violent No Rats Allowed Member Sentenced for Possessing a Machine Gun and Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Bartwone Copeland, a previously convicted felon and member of the “No Rats Allowed” crew, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison in connection with his possession of firearms, including a machinegun, and distribution of fentanyl. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division; and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Copeland, 28, of Southwest Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on December 4, 2023, to unlawful possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. In addition to the 144-month prison term, the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich today ordered Copeland to serve five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Copeland was a member of “NRA” or “No Rats Allowed,” a street crew that trafficked drugs out of townhouses on the 200 block of K Street SW. NRA also used the homes as stash locations or “trap houses” for narcotics and firearms. Copeland sold controlled substances, including crack-cocaine and marijuana, but primarily focused his business on pills laced with fentanyl that he had arranged to be shipped to the District from California.
At the time of each of Copeland’s two arrests, he was in possession of Glock 23 .40 caliber handguns with obliterated serial numbers and extended magazines.
On November 3, 2021, MPD officers and FBI agents executed a search warrant at “the Dope Hole,” a trap house Copeland operated on the 200 block of K Street SW. Inside the townhome, officers encountered Copeland, aka “Bart” aka “Shmoney,” and four other people. Copeland was the only person in the kitchen. In the kitchen officers recovered about 37 grams of crack cocaine, 457 blue pills containing fentanyl (approximately 48.6 grams), about 980 grams of suspected marijuana, $1,686 on his person, and another $7,010 in a Prada bag. Police found three firearms in a kitchen drawer. One of the guns was a Glock 23 pistol that had been modified with a “switch” converting it into a fully automatic machine gun that could fire 20 shots with the single pull of a trigger. At the time of that arrest, Copeland was on escape status, as he had absconded from a halfway house.
On November 7, 2022, a week after his initial indictment, FBI agents stopped Copeland driving an Infiniti sedan after following him from the District to the Camden Potomac Yard Apartments in Arlington, Va. In Copeland’s lap was a bag which included $3,500 in cash, and a baggie containing 957 blue pills containing fentanyl. From Copeland’s waistband, FBI agents recovered a Glock 23, 40mm pistol loaded with a 22-round magazine. The firearm had an obliterated serial number. Copeland admitted that he had possessed the firearm, which had traveled in interstate commerce. After obtaining a search warrant, agents searched Copeland’s Alexandria apartment and recovered 57.8 grams of suspected crack-cocaine inside a pair of Dior shoes and about $5,000 in cash.
Across these two arrests Mr. Copeland possessed more than 1,400 pills with a total weight of more than 150 grams. However, text messages on Copeland’s digital devices indicated that he was trafficking in much larger amounts. Text messages suggest that over two weeks in August 2022, Mr. Copeland purchased 20,000 pills—an amount that would likely weigh well over a kilogram. Furthermore, although the pills looked like legitimate Oxycodone pills, Copeland knew they contained fentanyl, as he shared a news article about a drug bust involving “[his] folks” that identified the blue pills as containing fentanyl.
Copeland has an extensive criminal history that includes a conviction in D.C. Superior Court for assault with a dangerous weapon, a conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm, a guilty plea for attempt to commit robbery, and numerous violations of the terms of his supervised release.
This case was investigated by the MPD and the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Song and Joshua Gold.
22cr0378
United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison Announces First of Its Kind Civil Action in District to Combat International Fraud RingRead the Press Release
DETROIT – United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today that a Jackson resident has agreed to a court order preventing her from participating in behavior that facilitates a suspected international fraud ring. This civil action is the first of its kind in the Eastern District of Michigan and is part of a broader trend in recent years by the Department of Justice to disrupt international fraud rings that target United States citizens through fake social media profiles.
As part of a civil consent decree approved by U.S. District Judge Paul D. Borman, Holly Locke, 70, is permanently prohibited from assisting, facilitating, or participating in any romance scam. A romance scam is typically a scheme in which an individual starts talking to a stranger they meet online, not knowing the stranger intends to defraud them. Eventually, after developing a friendship or romantic relationship, the fraudster will ask the victim to send them money based on false representations about the need for the funds. If the victim does not have money to send, sometimes the fraudster will use that person as a money transmitter by routing payments from other victims to that person and instructing that person to transfer the money to the fraudster. A money transmitter plays a critical role in the scheme, by receiving the money from other victims and obscuring the transfer of funds from those victims to the fraudster.
Locke is alleged to have acted as a money transmitter after meeting and developing a romantic relationship with a fraudster online. Once the relationship developed, Locke then began receiving numerous packages from strangers containing money, which she passed on to her purported fiancé/husband. The money was sent from victims who believed they were assisting their own online romantic partners and friends. Locke did not admit liability as part of the consent decree.
“This office is committed to using every tool at our disposal to protect Americans from fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. “This consent decree cuts off the flow of money from the victims to the international fraudsters behind these scams. In an increasingly online world, people are under constant threat from unscrupulous people trying to compromise personal information or otherwise defraud them. This case should put fraudsters on notice that we will protect our citizens from this particularly cruel type of victimization.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to safeguarding all Americans from individuals who attempt to exploit them through fraudulent and deceptive schemes. Today's civil action, unprecedented in the Eastern District of Michigan, should serve as a warning to anyone engaging in or abetting similar scams – you will be held accountable and brought to justice," said Inspector in Charge Rodney M. Hopkins of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Detroit Division.
The agencies involved in this effort urge consumers to be on the lookout for signs someone is trying to recruit them to receive and transmit fraud proceeds. Do not agree to receive money or checks mailed to you or sent to your bank account for someone you have met over the phone or online. Do not open a bank or cryptocurrency account at someone else’s direction. Fraudsters will lie to persuade you to help them. They may falsely tell you that they are helping you get a lottery prize, initiate a purported romantic relationship, and then tell you that they need money, or pretend to offer you a job, an opportunity to invest in a business venture, or the chance to help in a charitable effort.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud, and promptly reporting certain financial losses due to fraud can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available. The Federal Trade Commission also provides a hotline at 877-FTC-HELP and a website at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov to receive consumer complaints.
More information about the Department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. The Justice Department provides information about a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which are available at www.ovc.gov.
U.S. Attorney’s Office announces additional charges against leader, member of Alaska organized drug crime ringRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned a superseding indictment adding new charges against the leader and a high-ranking member of a large-scale organized drug crime ring operating in Alaska.
In January, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Alaska announced charges against 53 defendants allegedly connected to the drug trafficking enterprise. Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, continuing criminal enterprise, killing in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise, kidnapping conspiracy, kidnapping resulting in death and carjacking resulting in death, were among the original charges against leaders, members and associates of the organization.
According to court documents, Heraclio Sanchez-Rodriguez, 57, is allegedly the leader of the transnational organized crime and drug trafficking ring targeting Alaska. Tamara Bren, 41, is a high-ranking member known as one of his “wives.” Per the new charges, from August 2022 to September 2023, Bren and Sanchez-Rodriguez allegedly conspired to launder money by directing members of the enterprise to use money transferring services, like wire transfers, mobile applications and money orders, to attempt to launder over $1.3 million in drug proceeds.
Court documents also charge Sanchez-Rodriguez with allegedly altering and falsifying investigative reports by the DEA, FBI, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, to impede, obstruct and influence the investigation on Dec. 20, 2023.
According to the superseding indictment, law enforcement has seized over 92 kilograms of fentanyl, 26 kilograms of meth, 11 kilograms of heroin and 110 grams of cocaine in connection to this enterprise.
In addition to the original charges, Sanchez-Rodriguez and Bren are charged with one count of money laundering conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1956(h), and Sanchez-Rodriguez is charged with one count of obstruction of justice in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1519.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska, Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Zahn of the Drug Enforcement Administration Anchorage District Office, Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Seattle Division, Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes of the IRS Criminal Investigation Seattle Field Office made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Division Office and Anchorage District Office, FBI Anchorage Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation Seattle Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Seattle Division and Anchorage Domicile, Homeland Security Investigations Anchorage, Alaska Office, Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage Police Department and Palmer Police Department, with significant law enforcement support from the U.S. Marshals Service, are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephan Collins, Christopher Schroeder, Karen Vandergaw and Alana Weber are prosecuting the case.
This investigation and prosecution are part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”), which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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U.S. Attorney Nicholas Vassallo announces his retirementRead the Press Release
After 29 years of service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming, U.S. Attorney Nicholas Vassallo announced that he is retiring from the Department of Justice on May 31. Mr. Vassallo began his career with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1995 as a Civil Assistant U.S. Attorney. He served as the office’s Civil Division Chief from 2009 until 2021, when he was appointed First Assistant U.S. Attorney. He became Acting U.S. Attorney in July 2022, and in January 2023, he was appointed to the position of U.S. Attorney by Chief District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl.
Mr. Vassallo obtained his law degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1986. After law school, he was a law clerk for Justice G. Joseph Cardine of the Wyoming Supreme Court. Following his clerkship, he was engaged in private practice in Cheyenne until 1993. From 1993 to 1995, he served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Tort Litigation Section of the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office.
As a Civil Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Civil Division, Mr. Vassallo represented the interests of the United States in a wide variety of civil litigation, appearing in hundreds of cases, primarily in federal district court. Among other things, his practice included actions involving recreational injuries, wrongful death and medical malpractice claims, and environmental and natural resources disputes. He also handled numerous cases in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and in federal bankruptcy court.
As U.S. Attorney, he was considered the chief federal law enforcement officer in Wyoming, responsible for overseeing all federal prosecutions and civil litigation involving the United States within the district. During his term, notable criminal cases handled by his office include the prosecution for the arson of the Wellspring Health Access Clinic in Casper and the conviction of a Wyoming physician for unlawfully distributing large quantities of opioids without any legitimate medical need. Mr. Vassallo was instrumental in the creation of the Wind River Tribal Community Re-entry Court, a program intended to reduce criminal recidivism on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
“It’s been a privilege to serve the citizens of Wyoming and to work with such a dedicated and talented group of attorneys and legal professionals,” said Mr. Vassallo. “I greatly enjoyed my years with the Civil Division. I can’t imagine another legal position in which you’d have such a varied and interesting practice. And for the last two years, it’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve Wyoming as U.S. Attorney.”
On June 1, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann will become the Acting U.S. Attorney. Mr. Heimann has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Wyoming since 2012 and has been the First Assistant since February 2023. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Heimann prosecuted drug felonies for the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office and prosecuted environmental and wildlife crimes for the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section in Washington, D.C. He graduated from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 2005 and began his legal career in Cheyenne as a law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Clarence Brimmer.
“For 29 years, Nick Vassallo represented the people of the United States with diligence and dedication,” said Mr. Heimann. “Nick’s leadership and personal example have prepared the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Wyoming for continued success protecting the American people by enforcing federal law, representing the interests of the United States in federal court, promoting the civil rights of all Americans, and guarding our national security. He will be missed.”
Two Manchester Residents Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Manufacture MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Manchester man and woman pleaded guilty in federal court to charges pertaining to the manufacturing of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Charles Winchell, age 41, and Catherine Quinn, age 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine with a child under the age of 18 present and the possession of equipment, chemicals, products and material to manufacture methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Barbadoro scheduled Winchell’s sentencing for September 16, 2024 and Quinn’s sentencing for September 30, 2024.
Quinn and Winchell purchased pseudoephedrine, an over-the-counter medication and the primary ingredient used for the manufacturing of methamphetamine, dozens of times in 2023. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at their Manchester residence and found pseudoephedrine and other ingredients used to manufacture methamphetamine present, as well as approximately 6 grams of methamphetamine. At the time, twelve individuals lived in the home; three of them under the age of five.
The crime of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least 3 years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. For committing this offense with a child under the age of 18 present, the statute provides for a consecutive sentence up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. For possessing the equipment, chemicals, products, and materials to manufacture methamphetamine, the statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and no more than five years of supervised release. 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 Drug Enforcement Administration and the Manchester Police Department led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather A. Cherniske is prosecuting the case.
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Two Brothers Plead Guilty to Human Smuggling, Hostage-Taking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE - Two brothers who operated a human smuggling stash house in Sunland Park, New Mexico, where migrants were held hostage pleaded guilty to federal charges.
On Jan. 18, 2023, U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended two groups of undocumented noncitizens (UNCs) in El Paso, Texas, who stated they had escaped from a stash house in Sunland Park. Border Patrol agents were able to link the two groups to the same stash house in the “Old Anapra” neighborhood of Sunland Park. The UNCs reported being threatened at gunpoint and were told to pay additional smuggling fees.
After identifying the stash house, Border Patrol agents contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, who conducted surveillance, obtained a search warrant, and found seven migrants being held against their will on the property, including a woman and her 7-year-old child.
In his plea agreement, Saul Castorena, 41, admitted that between January 15 and January 18 of 2023, he intentionally detained individuals in order to compel their family to pay for their release. To that end, Saul possessed a shotgun, knowing that he had previous felony convictions.
In his plea agreement, Steven Castorena, 40, admitted that he conspired with and acted independently with others to transport and harbor migrants.
The Court ordered that Steven and Saul remain detained pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
At sentencing, Saul faces up to life in prison. Upon his release from prison, Saul will be subject to up to five years of supervised release.
At sentencing, Steven faces up to 10 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Steven will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Eric McLoughlin, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations - El Paso, made the announcement today.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Castellano and Devon Aragon Martinez are prosecuting the case.
View Steven's Plea Agreement View Saul's Plea Agreement# # #
Two Bronx Men Sentenced for 2014 Harlem MurderRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that CARLOS LAUREANO was sentenced on May 23, 2024, to 30 years in prison for the murder of Luis Perez on August 12, 2014, and NNANDI BEN-JOCHANNAN was sentenced today to 10 years for his role in the murder. LAUREANO and BEN-JOCHANNAN were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman. LAUREANO previously pled guilty in October 2023 to discharging a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense and possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense. BEN-JOCHANNAN pled guilty in December 2023 to possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense, which was brandished, and aiding and abetting the same.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Carlos Laureano and Nnandi Ben-Jochannan participated in the murder of Luis Perez nearly 10 years ago in connection with a drug debt. Thanks to the hard work of the DEA, the NYPD, and the career prosecutors of this Office, the defendants have been sentenced for this heinous crime. We hope that these sentences bring some measure of comfort to the family of Luis Perez and make clear that this Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of anyone who takes another person’s life.”
According to Indictment, the Superseding Informations, other public filings, and statements made in Court:
On or about August 12, 2014, in the vicinity of 501 West 147th Street in Harlem, New York, LAUREANO shot and killed Perez in connection with a conspiracy to distribute heroin and marijuana. BEN-JOCHANNAN drove LAUREANO to the scene of the murder, knowing that LAUREANO was armed with a firearm and served as LAUREANO’s getaway driver after the murder. After successfully fleeing from the police, LAUREANO and BEN-JOCHANNAN cleaned BEN-JOCHANNAN’s car and disposed of evidence linking them to the murder.
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In addition to their prison terms, LAUREANO, 35, and BEN-JOCHANNAN, 30, both of the Bronx, New York, were sentenced to three and five years of supervised release, respectively.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. He also thanked the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its assistance.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rushmi Bhaskaran is in charge of the prosecution.
Twin Cities Man Pleads Guilty to a Robbery Spree of Gas StationsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Twin Cities man has pleaded guilty to the robberies of five gas stations throughout the Twin Cities, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, between June 26, 2023, and July 11, 2023, Mohamed Zaki Mohamed Elsayed, 28, participated in the robbery of five gas stations across the Twin Cities, including in Mounds View, Roseville, New Brighton, Fridley, and Eagan. On June 26, 2023, Elsayed aided and abetted the robbery of a gas station in Mounds View. Elsayed’s accomplice entered the gas station, approached the cashier, flashed what appeared to be a semiautomatic pistol, and demanded money from the cashier. The accomplice stole $354 from the business and fled the gas station to a vehicle where Elsayed was waiting.
According to court documents, over the following two weeks, Elsayed robbed four more gas stations. In each incident, Elsayed entered the business wearing a mask, he flashed a real-looking semiautomatic pistol at the cashier and demanded the business’s money. On July 13, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Elsayed’s residence and recovered a Glock replica airsoft handgun that Elsayed admitted to using in each of the gas station robberies.
Elsayed pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge David S. Doty to five counts of Hobbs Act robbery. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Mounds View Police Department, the Roseville Police Department, the New Brighton Police Department, the Fridley Police Department, the Eagan Police Department, and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead is prosecuting the case.
Tulsa Resident Sentenced for Tampering with A WitnessRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Courtnei Quincyion Wells, a/k/a Cortnei Quincyion Wells, age 22, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 74 months in prison for one count of Tampering with a Witness.
The charges arose from investigations by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On October 5, 2023, Wells pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, in April 2023, Wells sent a series of messages via social media attempting to intimidate and threaten the victim to influence, delay, or prevent testimony before a Federal grand jury.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Wells will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Edith Singer represented the United States.
Troy Man Indicted for COVID Unemployment FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jaliyl McMillan, age 33, of Troy, New York, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with mail fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino of the Buffalo Field Office; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region (USDOL-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone; U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Boston Division Postal Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward; and New York State Inspector General (NYSIG) Lucy Lang.
McMillan was arraigned today in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, and ordered detained pending a detention hearing.
The indictment alleges that between July 2020 and August 2021, McMillan perpetrated a scheme to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor using stolen identities. This scheme caused the electronic transfer of funds between states as well as the mailing of debit cards to an address McMillan directed. To execute the scheme, McMillan possessed individuals’ names, dates of birth, and social security numbers.
The mail and wire fraud charges filed against McMillan carry a maximum term of 20 years in prison; a fine of up to $250,000; and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. If convicted of the aggravated identity theft charges, McMillan would face an additional 2-year-term of incarceration which must, by law, run consecutively to any term imposed on the fraud charges.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
HSI, USDOL-OIG, USPIS and NYSIG are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, 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.
Three Men Admit Robbing Armored Car Driver of Cash, GunRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three men have admitted robbing an armored car driver of cash and a firearm in Overland, Missouri last year.
Herman Leon Woods, 31, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of robbery.
Woods’ co-defendant, David C. Greenwade, 62, pleaded guilty in April to one count of robbery. Phillip Keith Smith, 65, pleaded guilty in May to one count of robbery and one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
All three admitted robbing an armored car driver in the 9400 block of Midland Avenue in Overland, Missouri on April 14, 2023. The driver was making a cash drop at a store when two men wearing all black clothing, ski masks and body armor arrived in a black Jeep. One robber, who has not yet been identified, approached the driver while armed with a pistol and said, “Don’t die over this money,” their plea agreements say. The robber pointed his handgun at the driver when the driver didn’t immediately turn over his gun. After relinquishing his firearm, the driver ran into the store for help. Smith, armed with a rifle, and the unidentified robber took a bag containing $2,000 and a duffel bag containing empty bank bags.
As Smith tried to get back in the Jeep, Greenwade, who was driving, began pulling away, knocking Smith to the ground. Smith dropped his rifle and the magazine shattered, scattering bullets on the ground. Smith got in the Jeep and left the gun behind. Woods owned the Jeep and allowed it to be used for the robbery and for practice runs. Greenwade is Woods’ uncle and planned and led the robbery.
Woods is scheduled to be sentenced September 5, 2024. Greenwade is scheduled to be sentenced in July, and Smith in August. The robbery charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. Smith’s firearm charge carries an additional, consecutive mandatory minimum seven years in prison, but is punishable by up to life in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Overland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider is prosecuting the case.
Threats to blow up Dodson school send man to prison for more than one yearRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A man who admitted making threats to blow up the Dodson school was sentenced today to one year and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
Jacob Edwin Wilson, 40, a transient, pleaded guilty in January to false information and hoaxes as charged in an indictment.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court also ordered $7,000 restitution.
The government alleged in court documents that on Aug. 29, 2023, Wilson called both the Blaine County 911 emergency number and the Dodson school, located near the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, and said he was “about to blow Dodson school up.” Law enforcement responded, and the superintendent and principal evacuated students and staff from the school to a nearby church parking lot. Phillips County Sheriff’s Office first responders, the Malta Fire Department and U.S. Border Patrol responded, set up security around the school and searched the school for an explosive device. No explosive device was found. Wilson called 911 again and asked for someone to give him a ride off the reservation, said he was at an individual’s house and that he needed a ride from anyone except the Fort Belknap police. Officers located Wilson and arrested him.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Belknap Tribal Police, Phillips County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Border Patrol and Malta Fire Department conducted the investigation.
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Texas Man Charged with Federal Dogfighting OffensesRead the Press Release
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas unsealed a grand jury indictment today charging a Texas man with federal dogfighting violations.
Jesus Allen Stephens, of Waskom, Texas, made his initial appearance in court today. He is charged with participating in a major dogfighting event in November 2021 in Waskom, possessing fighting dogs and fighting dogs in an April 2021 dog fight.
According to court documents, Stephens organized and hosted a large-scale dogfighting event on family-owned property in Harrison County, Texas, on Nov. 13, 2021. Stephens and others arranged to fight dogs at the event for gambling and entertainment purposes. Prior to the event, Stephens announced a series of up to 14 matches and sent GPS coordinates to the property to multiple individuals. The fight included out-of-state participants. Law enforcement personnel who disrupted the event found a dogfighting pit structure in addition to other dogfighting evidence.
Under federal law, it is illegal to fight dogs in a venture that effects interstate commerce and to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes. The indictment charges Stephens with possessing seven dogs for dogfighting purposes. Stephens is also charged for his participation in another dog fight that occurred on April 10, 2021. Authorities recovered six dogs in conjunction with this investigation.
If convicted, Stephens faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count charged.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs for the Eastern District of Texas made the announcement.
The FBI’s Shreveport Resident Agency and Tyler, Texas, offices are investigating this case. Deputies with the Harrison County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office have also provided invaluable assistance.
Trial Attorney Sarah Brown and Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from James Noble of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Tennessee Man Sentenced to over 3 Years in Federal Prison for Crop Insurance FraudRead the Press Release
Bowling Green, KY – A Lafayette, Tennessee, man was sentenced yesterday to 3 years and 6 months in federal prison for defrauding the federal crop insurance program.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Miles Davis of the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, Administrator Marcia Bunger of the United States Department of Agriculture, Risk Management Agency (RMA), and RMA Special Investigations Division, and Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office made the announcement.
According to court documents, David Garrett Manion, 61, was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $3.5 million in restitution, for defrauding the federal crop insurance program between 2016 and 2022. Manion also has a prior 2016 conviction for defrauding the federal crop insurance program. As part of that 2016 case, Manion agreed to a five-year debarment from the federal crop insurance program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency. While that case was being resolved, however, Manion devised a scheme under which other family members applied for and received crop insurance for tobacco that was farmed by and belonged to Manion. In addition to $3.5 million in criminal restitution, Manion agreed to pay the Risk Management Agency nearly $5.5 million to resolve other outstanding issues.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency, Special Investigations, and the FBI Bowling Green Resident Agency.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Weiser prosecuted the case.
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Sturgis Man Charged with Selling Counterfeit Drugs on Dark WebRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Erik Miller, a 47-year-old resident of Sturgis, Michigan, faces multiple drug trafficking charges, including selling and holding for sale counterfeit drugs, such as fake Xanax®.
“Popping a fake pill is a game of Russian Roulette,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “One pill can kill.” He continued: “Only take prescription drugs prescribed by a trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist. Never trust your own eyes to determine if a pill is legitimate. If you have any doubt, DON’T. And get the word out to your kids, loved ones, and friends.”
The indictment alleges that Miller was working with a dark web vendor to distribute fake Xanax® pills, as well as illegal controlled substances and real prescription drugs. The fake pills were made to look like authentic Xanax® pills, which Pharmacia & Upjohn, Co., a division of Pfizer, Inc., manufactures for distribution in the United States. Other pharmaceutical companies also manufacture and sell Alprazolam (the active ingredient in Xanax®) under different brand names. Buyers purchased these pills on the “Dark Web,” a part of the Internet where users seek to hide their identities and locations and which is often used to traffic contraband, including illegal controlled substances and counterfeit prescription drugs.
“The dark web provides a false sense of security,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene. “Drug dealers think they can hide behind a computer keyboard and anonymously distribute drugs, and that is not the case. It doesn’t matter what means criminals use to distribute their deadly products; we will employ every resource to track down anyone who places profit over lives.”
“Safeguarding the American public is our top priority at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. We are committed to investigating and dismantling drug traffickers like Mr. Miller, who was recently indicted for illegally distributing counterfeit pills and narcotics nationwide,” said Inspector in Charge Rodney Hopkins of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Detroit Division. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will relentlessly pursue and apprehend those who exploit the U.S. Mail to distribute dangerous drugs in our communities.”
Counterfeit pills are fake medications that have different ingredients than the actual medication. They may contain no active ingredient, the wrong active ingredient, or have the right ingredient but in an incorrect quantity. Counterfeit pills may contain lethal amounts of fentanyl or methamphetamine and are extremely dangerous because they often appear identical to legitimate prescription pills, and the user is likely unaware of what the pills contain.
For more information on counterfeit pills and they dangers they pose, see this Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Fact Sheet and the DEA’s One Pill Can Kill website, www.dea.gov/onepill.
In addition to the charge for selling counterfeit drugs, the federal grand jury’s four-count indictment, attached to this press release, also charges Miller with conspiracy to distribute Xanax® and MDMA; possession of MDMA and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute; and with being a felon in possession of multiple firearms. If convicted of the drug trafficking charges, Miller faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The gun charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years and a $250,000 fine.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the DEA and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Carowan.
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SoCal Man Charged with Hate Crime for Physical Attack on Asian American Woman While Hurling Racial SlursRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today returned an indictment charging a Southern California man with a hate crime for allegedly punching an Asian American woman in the head in Culver City while he shouted racial slurs at her.
Jesse Allen Lindsey, 37, who is in state prison on an unrelated conviction, but whose last known address was in Fontana, was charged today with one count of committing a hate crime, a felony offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
“Hate-fueled violence has no place in our society,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “We live in one of the most diverse areas of the country, and that diversity brings us strength. Our community will stay united in condemning intolerance, and my office will not hesitate to investigate and prosecute those who harm others on account of bigotry.”
“The victim in this case was simply minding her own business when she was verbally abused and violently attacked based on nothing more than her appearance,” said Krysti Hawkins, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI is committed to the protection of civil rights in the United States and will hold accountable anyone so driven by hatred that they would target innocent people based on their race.”
According to the indictment, at approximately 1 a.m. on June 14, 2021, the victim was walking to work in Culver City when Lindsey, a white man, asked the victim for a lighter or cigarette. She responded that she did not smoke. Lindsey allegedly then began following her and yelled at the victim, whom he perceived to be an Asian American man, “You [expletive] Asian guy, turn around.” Lindsey allegedly called the victim “Korean” and shouted, “You [expletive] Asian guy, you don’t belong here,” the indictment states.
The indictment further alleges that, as captured on surveillance video, Lindsey yelled at the victim, “You can’t say hi to a [expletive] white boy?” Lindsey then punched the victim in the head, causing her to fall into the street and hit her head. While the victim was lying face down in the street, Lindsey shouted, “You hear what I said, [N-word]? I said good morning, bitch!”
Emergency personnel later transported the victim to a hospital, where she received approximately 11 stiches in her face. As a result of the attack, the victim sustained injuries to her head and ear, which left her unable to work for one month and caused ongoing pain for one year, the indictment alleges.
When he later learned from news reports that law enforcement was investigating the incident as a hate crime, Lindsey, fearful that hate crimes receive greater punishment, fled California, according to the indictment.
“The community we serve is rich in cultural diversity, and we are committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for all,” said Culver City Police Chief Jason Sims. “Hate has no place in Culver City. I am extremely proud of the work done by the Culver City Police Department to identify and locate the suspect who is responsible for this violent hate crime. In partnership with the FBI, we are not only seeking justice for the innocent victim in this case, but also underscoring that this type of heinous crime will not be tolerated in our neighborhoods.”
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Lindsey is currently in state custody and expected to appear in federal court in the coming weeks.
The FBI is investigating this case and received substantial assistance from the Culver City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Greer Dotson of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section is prosecuting this case.
Sex Offender Convicted on Sex Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Maurice Fitzgerald Alexander, Jr., 33, of Memphis, Tennessee, was convicted last week by a federal jury of various counts involving Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking of a Minor Using Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Transportation with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity; and Production of Child Pornography. Alexander also faces an additional 10 years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence of imprisonment, for committing these offenses while being required to register as a sex offender.
The guilty verdicts came after a three-day trial before United States District Judge James A. Soto. Alexander’s sentencing is set for August 14, 2024.
On October 4, 2021, officers from the Tucson Police Department responded to a 911 call from the victim and learned she had possibly been trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The investigation determined Alexander trafficked the victim, who was 14 years old at the time, through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado between August 19, 2021, and October 4, 2021. Homeland Security Investigations Special Agents and Task Force Officers later arrested Alexander in Tucson on October 21, 2021. In addition, a review of Alexander’s cellular phone showed that Alexander also forced the minor victim to create photos and videos depicting sexually explicit conduct that were later used in advertisements on social media and various other websites commonly used for prostitution.
A conviction for Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud, or Coercion carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, but no less than 15 years. A conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking of a Minor Using Force, Fraud, or Coercion carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison. Transportation with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, but no less than 10 years. A conviction for Production of Child Pornography carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison, but no less than 15 years.
This case was a joint investigation between the Tucson Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Nathaniel J. Walters and Monica E. Ryan, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-02972-JAS-EJM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-070_Alexander# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Serial Child Sexual Abuser Sentenced to 60 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
A Dallas man who filmed himself sexually assaulting girls as young as six years old was sentenced today to 60 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Gemond Copage Miller, 34, was indicted in December 2021 and pleaded guilty in January 2024 to two counts of production of child pornography. He was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr, who also ordered that the defendant be supervised for life following his release from prison.
According to plea papers, Mr. Miller filmed himself sexually assaulting children as young as six years old, then sold the footage on the internet.
Investigators were able to match distinctive tattoos shown in the footage to Mr. Miller’s tattoo.
At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors said Mr. Miller admitted to abusing at least ten girls under the age of twelve. Law enforcement identified at least 38 videos of child sexual abuse material produced by Mr. Miller. To date, not all of the victims have been identified.
Mr. Miller was also in possession of approximately 722 images and 1,733 videos constituting child sexual abuse material.
“My sense of safety and security has been shattered,” a 13-year-old victim, just six years old when she was first assaulted, said in a statement read aloud by her mother. “I am the first victim to come forward… Knowing that there are others shows that this is what he does. This is who he is. And he does not care that he took the innocence of children.”
Homeland Security Investigations' Dallas Field Office and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation, which began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Winters prosecuted the case.
San Juan County Man Sentenced to 180 Months’ Imprisonment Following Deadly Crash that Killed a 5-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – Qwana McCook, 30 of White Mesa, Utah, was sentenced today to 15 years’ imprisonment, five years supervised release and ordered by the court to pay $250,000 in restitution. The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby, comes after McCook admitted to stealing a truck from a victim, who had her 5-year-old daughter in the back seat, and later crashing the vehicle which ejected and killed the child.
According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, McCook pleaded guilty in March 2024 to robbery and first degree felony murder while on the White Mesa Indian Reservation.
On May 8, 2022, McCook unlawfully took a vehicle from the victim’s mother without her permission while on the White Mesa Indian Reservation. Despite pleas from the child’s mother and family members, McCook did not return the child home and instead purchased alcohol. As alleged, in court documents and by McCook’s passenger and co-defendant, McCook began drinking and driving. At the time of the crash, McCook was traveling well above the speed limit. As a result of the crash, the child was ejected from the truck and declared dead at the scene.
“This case is a horrific reminder that carjackings threaten the lives of innocent victims. McCook’s senseless actions are reprehensible and caused the terrible death of a young girl,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah. “My office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who use violence to destroy the safety of our communities.”
“McCook’s extremely selfish decisions that day will forever impact a family who is left grieving the loss of their young daughter,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Although nothing will bring the child back, we hope the sentence will send a sobering message about the devastating consequences of drinking and driving.”
McCook’s co-defendant, Augustice Yellow, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony and will be sentenced at a later date.
The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Monticello Resident Agency, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Nation Patrol and Investigations and the Utah Highway Patrol.
Assistant United States Attorney Thaddeus J. May of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Repeat Federal Offender Pleads Guilty to Meth DistributionRead the Press Release
Jermiah Preston, 41, from Fort Dodge pled guilty May 22, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City to distribution of methamphetamine.
In March 2017, Preston was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and distributing a controlled substance in the United States District Court in Northern District of Iowa.
At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on January 23, 2023, Preston participated in a meth transaction with a confidential informant. During a traffic stop after the transaction, Preston was observed to throw two bags of methamphetamine out the truck window. The buy money expended was found on Preston’s person, and DNA on the discarded bags of meth matched Preston’s.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Preston remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Preston faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $8,000,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa DCI Laboratory, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa State Patrol.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-3029. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Providence Man Admits to Illegal Acquisition of SNAP Benefits, Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Dominican national unlawfully in the United States and living in Providence admitted to a federal judge today that he participated in a conspiracy that defrauded the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of more than $213,000 in benefits, and that at the time of his arrest he was illegally in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Giomar Lopez Meireles, 41, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, illegal acquisition or use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and unlawful possession of a firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 4, 2024. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to information presented to the court, Lopez Meireles conspired with others as part of a scheme that used stolen identities and social security numbers to submit fraudulent applications for SNAP benefits in the form of electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards. Many of the ill-gotten government funded benefit cards were either mailed to Lopez Meireles’s residence or to nearby addresses. Upon receipt of the SNAP EBT cards, Lopez Meireles used the cards to make purchases for himself and others, or sold the cards to others for cash.
Fraudulent applications submitted between about September 2021 to November 2023 to the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, which administers the federally-funded SNAP program, resulted in approximately $213,397 in benefits being issued. A court-authorized search of Lopez Meireles’s residence resulted in the seizure of a collection of EBT cards, many of which were wrapped in a paper ledger listing the dollar amounts and PINs on the cards. Agents also seized a 9mm pistol found wrapped in clothing in Lopez Meireles’s bedroom closet.
This matter was investigated the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General and the Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit - Fraud Detection & Prevention Unit. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police Department, and Woonsocket Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julianne Klein.
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Drug Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on May 29, 2024, Jashier Gillespie, 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford to a term of 24 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Gillespie previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine base, fentanyl and heroin in Vermont between October 2021 and January 2023.
According to court records, Gillespie served as hand-to-hand distributor for the drug trafficking organization of which he was a part of, primarily in September 2022. He was arrested on related state assault charges in late September 2022 and has been detained since that time. Chief Judge Crawford ordered the federal sentence to run concurrently with any forthcoming state sentence on the assault charge.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Burlington Police Department for their work in this case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia A. P. Cowles. Gillespie was represented by John C. Mabie, Esq.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Pepin County Man Sentenced to More than 4 Years for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jesse Turnmire, 34, Durand, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 51 months federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Turnmire pleaded guilty to this charge on February 9, 2024.
On July 7, 2023, law enforcement was dispatched to the Town of Clear Creek, Wisconsin, in response to a report of a male, later identified as Turnmire, slumped over the steering wheel of his vehicle while at a stop sign. Officers investigating his condition suspected he was under the influence of drugs and searched his car. During the search they found a firearm wrapped in a restaurant uniform shirt, which was inside a bag that was hidden under the corner of the front bumper. They also discovered a gun magazine in the center console containing seven rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. Turnmire is prohibited from legally possessing firearms because of multiple drug-related felony convictions in La Crosse and Trempealeau Counties, as well as state and federal convictions for possessing a firearm as a felon. Turnmire was on federal supervised release at the time of this offense following the federal conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon.
Judge Peterson revoked Turnmire’s federal supervision and imposed a two-year sentence to run concurrently with the 51-month sentence on the new conviction.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
The charge against Turnmire was the result of an investigation conducted by the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson prosecuted this case.
Oregon man sentenced for trafficking kilograms of fentanyl and methRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Oregon man was sentenced today to eight years and six months in prison for conspiracy to distribute massive amounts of both fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Sean Michael Johnson, 26, is a long-time supplier of narcotics to customers across the nation. Law enforcement learned that, dating back to at least May 2020, Johnson had sold tens of thousands of fentanyl pills to an individual in Virginia. An undercover officer contacted Johnson to gauge his fentanyl drug supply. Johnson and the undercover officer agreed on a deal for 2,000 fentanyl pills and Johnson arranged for the pills to be mailed from California to Manassas, Virginia. In February 2023, Johnson and the undercover officer agreed to another sale, this time for 5,000 fentanyl pills and one pound of meth, both of which were mailed to Manassas. The meth tested at an approximate 100% purity rate.
Johnson arranged two more sales with delivery through the mail to Manassas, each for 5,000 fentanyl pills and 10 pounds of meth. Johnson and the undercover officer then negotiated an in-person deal for 25,000 fentanyl pills, 20 pounds of meth, and a kilogram of fentanyl powder to take place in California with Johnson’s supplier. Only three-fourths of the fentanyl powder was available, but the rest of the deal went forward as agreed. Eventually, the undercover officer and Johnson’s supplier negotiated another California in-person sale directly, from which Johnson expected a cut of the proceeds for making the connection. After the supplier distributed 100 pounds of meth as part of the deal, both Johnson and the supplier were arrested on Dec. 6, 2023.
In the six controlled purchases, Johnson was involved in distributing 63.1 kilograms of meth, 4.4 kilograms of fentanyl pills, and 800 grams of fentanyl powder. Johnson pled guilty on Feb. 29.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; David J. Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division; Ajay Lall, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Peter Newsham, Chief of Prince William County Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Carter prosecuted the case.
The Los Angeles Police Department provided significant assistance on this case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-41.
Orange County Man Charged with Firearm and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Joshua Grant Cobb (33, Orlando) with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. If convicted on both counts, Cobb faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Cobb that the United States intends to forfeit the firearms and ammunition which are alleged to have facilitated the offenses.
According to the indictment, on April 30, 2024, Cobb possessed with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Cobb is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug offense.
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 Drug Enforcement Administration and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.
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.
New York Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Possessing Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute, Resisting ArrestRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. –A Bronx, New York, man was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute and resisting his arrest with a deadly or dangerous weapon, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Miguel Nuñez, 50, of Bronx, New York, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty to a superseding information charging him with one count of possessing 40 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute and one count of resisting and impeding officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon. U.S. District Judge Julien X. Neals imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On March 24, 2021, Nuñez and Jesus Higuera-Parra, 28, of Ontario, California, drove from New York City to Elizabeth, New Jersey, for the purposes of distributing fentanyl. When they arrived to meet the drug purchaser, they were approached by members of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Nunez, the driver of the vehicle, put his car in reverse and attempted to elude the law enforcement personnel, which resulted in a collision with a DEA car.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Neals sentenced Nunez to four years of supervised release.
Higuera-Parra previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and is awaiting sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents and task force officers of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ray Mateo of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit and Benjamin Levin of the National Security Unit.
New Orleans Man Indicted for Federal Drug and Weapons OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that KENDRICK WILLIAMS (“WILLIAMS”), age 19, of New Orleans, was charged on May 23, 2024 in a four-count indictment with violations of the Federal Controlled Substances and Gun Control Acts.
WILLIAMS is charged in Count 1 with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute tapentadol and marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), 841(b)(1)(D), and 846. He is charged in Count 2 with possession with intent to distribute those substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 841(b)(1)(D), and in Count 4 with possession with intent to distribute tapentadol, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C). WILLIAMS is charged in Count 3 with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
As to each of the drug trafficking charges in Counts 1, 2, and 4, WILLIAMS faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release. As to the charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in Count 3, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to life imprisonment, which is to run consecutively to all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
According to court documents, beginning at a time unknown but prior to March 7, 2024 and continuing to on or about April 3, 2024, WILLIAMS allegedly conspired with others to knowingly possess, with the intent to distribute, a mixture of tapentadol and marijuana within the Eastern District of Louisiana. On March 7, 2024, WILLIAMS allegedly conspired with others to knowingly possess, with the intent to distribute, a mixture of tapentadol and marijuana. Further, on or about March 7, 2024, WILLIAMS allegedly illegally possessed firearms, including a Glock Model 23, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol and a Glock Model 19x, 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol, in furtherance of drug trafficking crime.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Morgantown Business Owner Admits to Fraud of Federal Broadband FundingRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Timothy Chad Henson, the owner of Clearfiber, Inc., an internet service provider in Monongalia County, has admitted to defrauding the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Henson, 35, of Morgantown, West Virginia, pled guilty today to money laundering. According to court documents and statements made in court, the USDA’s Community Connect Program offered grants to eligible applicants providing broadband services to rural areas. As owner of Clearfiber, Henson applied and was awarded $1.96 million in USDA funding to offer high-speed internet services in Monongalia and Marion Counties. Henson then submitted false invoices to the USDA to receive more than $340,000, transferring $322,900 into another bank account for his personal use.
Henson faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wagner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations and the USDA Office of the Inspector General.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Medical Device Manufacturer Innovasis Inc. and Two Top Executives Agree to Pay $12M to Settle Allegations of Improper Payments to PhysiciansRead the Press Release
Spinal device manufacturer Innovasis Inc. and senior executives Brent Felix and Garth Felix agreed to pay a total of $12 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to spine surgeons to induce their use of Innovasis’s spinal devices. Brent Felix is the founder, President and Chairman of the Board of Innovasis, which is headquartered in Utah. Garth Felix served in various leadership roles for Innovasis, including as the company’s Chief Financial Officer.
“Payments from medical device manufacturers intended to influence a physician’s judgment about which medical devices or supplies to select are illegal,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When medical devices are used in surgical procedures, patients deserve to know that their device was selected based on quality of care considerations and not on improper payments from manufacturers.”
“The integrity of our healthcare system is dependent upon physicians’ recommendations being motivated by patient health,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton for the Northern District of Texas. “Any time we learn that physician recommendations are being corrupted by improper financial inducements, we will seek to hold those involved accountable.”
“Improper financial arrangements can compromise medical judgment and adversely influence the medical decision-making process,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “These arrangements have no place in our healthcare system, and we will continue working with our federal partners to pursue such allegations.”
The Federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering or paying anything of value to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare and other federally funded programs. The statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives.
The settlement announced today resolves allegations that from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2022, Innovasis provided improper remuneration to seventeen orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons to induce them to use Innovasis spinal implants, devices and other equipment in medical procedures the physicians performed on Medicare beneficiaries, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. The improper remuneration was allegedly provided in the form of consulting fees, intellectual property acquisition and licensing fees, registry payments and performance shares in Innovasis, as well as travel to a luxury ski resort, lavish dinners and holiday parties for surgeons, their office staff and family members. For example, Innovasis allegedly paid physicians for consulting services at rates far in excess of fair market value or, in some cases, for work that was never actually performed. Similarly, the company allegedly paid physicians far in excess of fair market value to acquire or license purported intellectual property for which Innovasis never obtained any valuation prior to purchase and thereafter never used for meaningful product development. Innovasis also paid physicians to attend a company-sponsored conference held at a luxury resort in Deer Valley, Utah, which included the cost of travel, lodging and high-end meals, among other things. During the relevant period, Brent Felix, along with his brother Garth Felix, allegedly controlled or otherwise directed Innovasis’s operations, strategic decisions, and the agreements with surgeons who allegedly received improper remuneration from Innovasis.
The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Robert Richardson, a former Regional Sales Director for Innovasis. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action for false claims on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. Richardson will receive approximately $2.2 million as his share of the recovery in this case. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Richardson v. Innovasis Inc., et al., No. 3:19-CV-02440-X (N.D. Tex.).
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, with assistance from HHS-OIG.
Trial Attorneys Jessica E. Krieg, Olga Yevtukhova and Adam J. DiClemente of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew S. Robbins and George M. Padis for the Northern District of Texas handled the matter.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The claims resolved by the settlement are only allegations. There has been no determination of liability.
SettlementMcLaughlin Man found Guilty of Simple Assault and Assault by Striking, Beating and WoundingRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Kenton Wynn Walks, age 39, of McLaughlin, South Dakota of Simple Assault and Assault by Striking, Beating and Wounding following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on May 22, 2024.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of one and a half years in federal prison and/or a $105,000 fine, up to one year of supervised release, and a $50 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Walks was indicted by a federal grand jury in July of 2022.
On April 22, 2022, law enforcement in McLaughlin was called because Walks had assaulted an elderly man by kicking him in the head. The assault occurred on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. The victim suffered a laceration on the rear right side of his head, which produced a significant amount of blood. The laceration was approximately three inches long and required six staples to be closed.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was ordered to self-report for sentencing on July 2, 2024.
Man previously caught illegally possessing a firearm in a music video sentenced again after carrying a firearm while shopliftingRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Stafford man was sentenced today to three years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
According to court documents, on Dec. 3, 2023, loss prevention personnel at a department store in McLean observed Najee O. Lewis, aka Bebo, 27, shoplifting merchandise. The personnel apprehended Lewis and contacted the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD). FCPD officers responded and recovered a loaded .40 caliber Glock handgun from Lewis’ pants. The firearm had a round in the chamber and 22 rounds in an extended magazine.
Lewis previously was convicted in Prince William Circuit Court of two separate felony robbery offenses that occurred two days apart and was subsequently sentenced at the same time for both offenses. In May 2018, Lewis was released from incarceration for these robbery convictions and began a 10-year term of supervised probation. Less than four months after his release from incarceration, while still on supervision in Virginia, a music video showing Lewis with a stolen 9mm handgun was posted to YouTube. Lewis was convicted of illegally possessing a firearm, violating the terms of his pre-existing supervised release. As a convicted felon, Lewis cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel I. Lipkowitz and Noah Sissoko prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-37.
Man Sentenced for Raping Unconscious Woman After Night of DrinkingRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Ohkay Owingeh Man was sentenced to 70 months in prison for raping an unconscious woman at a family friend’s apartment after a night of drinking in July 2022.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on July 2, 2022, Dwayne Calvert, 34, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh, raped Jane Doe while she lay unconscious on a couch after a night of heavy drinking. The sexual assault occurred at the apartment of a family friend where Calvert had been babysitting.
The family friend and her boyfriend witnessed Calvert naked on top of the unconscious Jane Doe and alerted authorities. Jane Doe had no memory of the rape.
In his plea agreement, Calvert admitted he knew Jane Doe was passed out from consuming too much alcohol and never consented to a sexual act.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Calvert will be required to serve five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez made the announcement today.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Jones is prosecuting the case.
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Local man receives 30 years in prison for fondling minor while producing child pornographyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A 39-year-old resident of Montgomery County has been sentenced for sexually exploiting a child and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
James Aubrey Zachary Wasson pleaded guilty Sept. 27, 2023.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks has now sentenced Wasson to 360 months and 120 months for the sexual exploitation and production convictions, respectively. They will run concurrently for a total 30-year-term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard from the victim’s mother detailing how Wasson’s actions caused the child to suffer nightmares. In handing down the prison terms, the court acknowledged that the sentence was “life altering for a reason,” noting that the victim’s life will never be the same. The judge also rejected Wasson’s excuse that he exploited the child because of a drug addiction, commenting that drug abuse does not lead preying upon children.
Wasson was further ordered to pay $29,000 in restitution to multiple victims and will serve 10 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Wasson will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
“Wasson shattered a little girl’s life,” said Hamdani. “Today’s sentence cannot give her back the life she should have had, but it does ensure Wasson cannot hurt other children for a very long time.”
“Over the course of two years, this child predator uploaded more than 500 files of child sexual abuse materials to the internet, including over 50 files of himself sexually exploiting a minor victim,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston. “Thanks to the selfless bravery of one of his victims who worked with investigators to confirm his identity, we were able to obtain his conviction and ensure he is held accountable for his heinous actions.”
Authorities identified Wasson after discovering over 500 files of child pornography he had uploaded between March 2019 and March 2021. One folder contained a series of 51 photographs, all taken on a single date in December 2020. Some showed him in a state of sexual arousal next to a minor female child. He also appeared to be fondling her under her clothing.
A subsequent search of Wasson’s cell phone confirmed it was the device he used to produce the series of sexually explicit photographs. The cell phone also contained other files of child pornography taken between May 2020 and May 2021.
The minor victim also identified Wasson and recalled when he took the photographs.
Wasson will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Bauman prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Lewis County Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Nathan Hotchkiss, age 36, of Lewis County, New York, was sentenced today to serve 30 years imprisonment and lifetime post-release supervision for two counts of sexual exploitation of a child. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of United States Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo, New York Field Office made the announcement.
As part of Hotchkiss’s previously entered guilty plea, he admitted that, from at least October 2021 through August 2022, he sexually exploited two children under the age of five and livestreamed or distributed depictions of the sexual abuse online for cash. When Hotchkiss was arrested in August 2022, he also had a collection of child pornography he had obtained on the Internet or through social media message exchanges with others.
In addition to the imprisonment and supervised release terms, Hotchkiss was ordered to pay a total of $18,000 in restitution to his victims and to forfeit the electronic devices he used to commit the offenses. Hotchkiss also will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case with the assistance of the New York State Police and the Lewis County District Attorney’s Office as part of Project Safe Childhood. Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian prosecuted the case.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locates, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Lehigh Acres Man Sentenced to 110 Years in Federal Prison for Production and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Videos and ImagesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Luis Daniel Fuentes (47, Lehigh Acres) to 110 years in federal prison for producing and possessing videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Fuentes was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. Fuentes entered a guilty plea on February 8, 2024.
According to court documents, between approximately August 28 and September 27, 2020, Fuentes used three minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct. He used his cellphone to produce videos of the minors being sexually abused. Fuentes stored the child sexual abuse images and videos on seven SD cards.
Fuentes’s cellphone and SD cards were turned over to law enforcement. A subsequent search of his devices, pursuant to a search warrant, revealed 24 videos that Fuentes had produced of him sexually abusing three children – ages 2, 5, and 6 years old at the time. Additionally, the SD cards and cellphone contained more than 5,000 images and 17 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children that Fuentes had downloaded from the internet and kept for his collection.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Lee County Sheriff’s Office that assisted in this investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
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.
Kingston Resident Sentenced for Making A False Statement to Acquire A FirearmRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Steven Kenneth Reilly, age 34, of Kingston, Oklahoma, was sentenced to fifteen months imprisonment for one count of Making a False Statement During the Acquisition of a Firearm.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On September 12, 2023, Reilly pled guilty to charge. According to investigators, on December 24, 2022, Reilly attempted to redeem a pistol from EZ Pawn in Durant, Oklahoma. During his visit, Reilly intentionally made a false written statement on the ATF Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 asserting that he was not under indictment or information in any court for a felony, or for any other crime for which he could be imprisoned for more than one year. In reality, at the time of the transaction, Reilly was charged with a felony crime by the state of Oklahoma in Marshall County District Court.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings.
Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Satter represented the United States.
King and Queen County man who violated a protective order sentenced for drug traffickingRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A King and Queen County man was sentenced today to five years in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on March 17, 2022, a King and Queen County Sheriff’s Office Deputy responded to a report that George Franklin Gibson Jr., 34, was sitting in his truck at the end of a driveway, in violation of an emergency protective order. After another deputy arrived, the deputies arrested Gibson and, based on ammunition in plain view in the truck as well as in Gibson’s pocket, searched the truck.
In the center console of Gibson’s truck, the deputies found a plastic baggie with suspected meth. They also found a backpack in the backseat with more suspected meth in the front zipper pocket. The main compartment of the backpack was locked. The deputies obtained search warrants for the backpack and Gibson’s premises. The locked compartment of the backpack contained suspected marijuana, a digital scale, smoking devices, packaging materials, and suspected psychedelic mushrooms. A shed on the property contained large quantities of suspected marijuana and marijuana plants, packaging materials, a loaded 9mm handgun, and a safe containing more suspected meth and over $13,000. In total, law enforcement recovered 187.59 grams of meth.
Gibson pled guilty on Feb. 29.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and William R. Balderson, King and Queen County Sheriff, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Wright and Kenneth R. Simon Jr. prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-10.
King County couple indicted for drug and illegal weapons possessionRead the Press Release
Seattle – A King County couple, arrested after law enforcement discovered a drug lab and cache of firearms and explosives inside their RV were indicted today for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and unlawful possession of a machinegun, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Braiden F. Wilson, 28, is also charged with unlawful possession of destructive devices, and unlawful possession of silencers. Wilson and his partner, 30- year-old Chandler B. Bennett were arrested following a May 12, 2024, shooting in rural King County. They will be arraigned on the grand jury indictment next week.
According to the indictment and the criminal complaint filed in the case, King County Sheriff’s deputies first encountered the couple when Wilson was shot in the arm. The deputies noticed that the RV had surveillance cameras and asked to get access to the recorded video to identify the assailant. Bennett refused to allow law enforcement to enter the RV, so they sought a warrant from a King County Judge.
When law enforcement entered the RV, they found a large cache of weapons as well as fentanyl powder, tablets containing fentanyl, and sundry items associated with the manufacture of tablets, including a manual pill press. Law enforcement located more than two and a half kilograms of fentanyl pills. Law enforcement seized 17 firearms, body armor, silencers, and ballistic shields. They also found gun parts made from 3D printers – making them untraceable. There were multiple destructive devices and literature on the chemistry and manufacturing of explosives, as well as literature on how to convert firearms to fully automatic capability.
Possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute in this quantity, is punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison. Possession of a machinegun is punishable by a maximum sentence of 15 years and a fine of up to $250,000. Possession of destructive devices and possession of silencers are each punishable by a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with assistance from the Washington State Patrol.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Casey Conzatti and Brian Wynne.
bennett-wilson_complaint.pdf wilson-bennett_indictment.pdfJustice Department Sues Oklahoma City Public Schools to Protect Servicemember Reemployment RightsRead the Press Release
Note: View the full complaint here
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Justice Department has sued Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) to protect rights guaranteed to an Air Force Reserve Senior Airman, Michael J. McCullough, by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, alleges that OKCPS violated USERRA when it failed to reinstate McCullough in a teacher position upon his return from a military deployment.
“We owe a solemn duty to protect the rights of our servicemembers when called upon to defend our nation. This lawsuit reinforces the Justice Department’s strong commitment to protecting the rights of those who wear the uniform proudly,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “USERRA provides important reemployment protections, and we must act when any employer denies them an opportunity to earn a living because they are called to duty.”
“Service members are called to leave their home and work to serve and protect us,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester for the Western District of Oklahoma. “It is our job to make sure their employment rights are protected once they return home. My office will continue to vigorously defend the rights justly earned by those who serve our country.”
According to the complaint, McCullough was employed by OKCPS as a music teacher in January 2022. He was under contract for the remainder of the school year, and his principal told him that she wanted him to return to teach the following year. In February 2022, McCullough was ordered to perform military service. When he notified his principal, she suggested it would be easier if he just resigned his teaching position. Less than a month later, during his deployment, OKCPS advised McCullough that his contract for the 2022-2023 school year would not be renewed. Prior to and on his return from active military duty, OKCPS refused McCullough’s repeated requests for reemployment, despite available positions. The lawsuit seeks lost wages, other employment benefits and other remedies. The complaint also seeks liquidated damages because this is the second time that OKCPS’ refusal to reemploy McCullough following military service has required USERRA enforcement action.
USERRA protects the rights of uniformed servicemembers to reemployment in their civilian employment following absences due to military service obligations and provides that servicemembers shall not be discriminated against because of their military obligations. The Justice Department gives high priority to the enforcement of servicemembers’ rights under USERRA. Additional information about USERRA can be found on the Justice Department’s websites at www.justice.gov/crt-military/employment-rights-userra and www.justice.gov/servicemembers as well as on the Department of Labor’s website at www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra.
The Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service investigated the case and referred the case to the Justice Department at McCullough’s request.
Trial Attorney Robert Galbreath of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Fagan for the Western District of Oklahoma are handling the case.
Judge Hands Down 20 Year Sentence for Defendant Who Pleaded Guilty to Second Degree MurderRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Travon Diggs, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for the May 2, 2022, fatal shooting of Junior Lee Johnson on Benning Road, Northeast, near 17th Street, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. Diggs pleaded guilty on March 19, 2024, to second degree murder while armed.
According to the government’s evidence, the victim was walking away from Diggs when Diggs pulled out a handgun and shot Mr. Johnson multiple times without provocation. Mr. Johnson ran away from Diggs. Diggs got into a rental car and drove away at a high rate of speed to the residence he shared with his mother in Southeast Washington, D.C. Mr. Johnson died of his injuries that day.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alec Levy.
Jamestown felon pleads guilty to drug and gun chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Samuel L. Arrington, III, 41, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and being a felon in possession of firearms. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $5,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis A. Testani, who is handling the case, stated that on October 12, 2023, New York State Parole Officers conducted a search of Arrington’s Jamestown residence, during which they recovered suspected narcotics, including 105 grams of cocaine, 68 grams of fentanyl, two firearms, ammunition, five cell phones, $2,301 in cash, and drug paraphernalia. The fentanyl was found concealed beneath Arrington’s infant child. In April 2006 and December 2019, Arrington was convicted of drug felonies in Chautauqua County, NY, Court, and Erie County, Pennsylvania, Court, and is legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, III, New York Field Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Bryan Miller, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Division, the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force, under the direction of Jamestown Police Chief Timothy Jackson, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone, and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 11, 2024, before Judge Arcara.
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Jamaican Man Who Laundered over $670,000 Sentenced to More Than Three Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Jamaican man was sentenced today for his role in the laundering of hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug trafficking proceeds from Colombian cartels through banking systems around the world.
Seivright Donald Afflick, 56, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 37 months in prison. The defendant will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of the imposed sentence. In February 2024, Afflick pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and conducting substantive money laundering transactions.
Beginning in 2016 and continuing until 2022, an investigation into a sophisticated money laundering organization based primarily in Barranquilla, Colombia was conducted. During an extensive five-year investigation, the organization allegedly laundered over $6 million in drug proceeds through intermediary banks in the United States, including banks in Massachusetts, as well as additional proceeds through banks in the Caribbean and Europe by use of the Colombian Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE) – a common method of trade-based money laundering used to repatriate the proceeds of drug trafficking to Colombia. An undercover agent infiltrated the organization by portraying himself as an international money launderer able to pick up bulk cash throughout the world, launder the proceeds through his United States-based accounts and send the money to Colombia through the BMPE.
Throughout the course of the investigation, members of the money laundering organization would contact the undercover and arrange meetings for the undercover and the undercover’s purported associates to collect bulk cash throughout the world. Individuals, such as Afflick, performed the role of money courier. Afflick delivered bulk cash on two occasions in Jamaica. That cash was then deposited into the undercover bank account in Massachusetts, and then subsequently wired to accounts and repatriated back to drug traffickers in Colombia. Over the course of the conspiracy, Afflick was responsible for the laundering of approximately $670,000 in drug proceeds.
Afflick was charged in a 50-count indictment along with 19 other individuals in March 2022. Afflick is the sixth defendant to be sentenced in the case. Three other defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. The remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua R. Levy and Stephen Belleau, Acting Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared C. Dolan and Alathea E. Porter prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 14 months in Prison for Threats Against the President of the United StatesRead the Press Release
Springfield, Ill. – A Jacksonville, Illinois, man, Adam Ray Mouser, 40, of the 500 block of Brooklyn Avenue, has been sentenced to 14 months imprisonment, to be followed by 24 months of supervised release, for threats against the President of the United States.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that the defendant used social media to threaten violence against the President of the United States, his family, a former President, Secretary of State, as well as various Members of Congress.
At the hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen R. Lawless said “words do matter” and stated, “I believe it is common sense to not threaten to kill another individual.” She also noted that the threats repeated and escalated, even with the U.S. Secret Service going to his house. Judge Lawless found that the defendant made multiple threats to multiple victims in connection with the threat to President Biden.
Mouser pled guilty on January 19, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. McNaught to the one count indictment. He has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest on August 28, 2023.
The statutory penalties for threats against the President of the United States are up to five years imprisonment, up to three years supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment.
The United States Secret Service investigated the case with assistance from the United States Marshals Service and the Jacksonville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger represented the government in the prosecution.