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3 July 2024
Pekin Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Filing a False Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Pekin, Illinois, man, Kenin L. Edwards, 59, was sentenced on July 1, 2024, to 21 months in federal prison for making and subscribing a false tax return. Edwards will also serve one year of supervised release and is required to pay restitution, in addition to a $10,000.00 fine.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the government presented evidence that Edwards was employed in the logging business as a timber buyer. His employment included contract work between landowners and sawmills, and he was paid a commission for the deals that he closed. In late 2017, Edwards formed a partnership with his son, which he named Edwards & Sons Log Purveyors. For the tax years 2014 through 2018, Edwards underreported income totaling $2,100,365.00 to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), resulting in a total federal tax loss of $180,626.00. In addition, he underreported income totaling $673,359.00 to the Illinois Department of Revenue (“IDR”), resulting in a total state tax loss of $22,004.00. Edwards has a remaining tax loss due to the IRS of $6,346.00 and has paid the tax loss to the IDR. Interest and penalties due to both the IRS and IDR have not yet been paid.
A federal grand jury returned a 14-count indictment against Edwards in March 2021. Counts One through Four involved mail fraud and Counts Five through Seven were wire fraud charges. Counts Eight through Fourteen related to the filing of false tax returns.
Edwards pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return in November 2023, pursuant to a written agreement. The court dismissed the remaining charges at sentencing upon the government’s motion. A ruling on the restitution amount due will be made at a later date.
The statutory penalties for filing a false tax return are up to three years imprisonment; up to one year of supervised release; and a fine of up to $100,000.00.
The case investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Illinois Department of Revenue. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Bass, Douglas F. McMeyer, and Sarah E. Seberger represented the government in the prosecution.
Oregon man arrested for indecent exposure after flight from Oregon to New Hampshire is diverted to BuffaloRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Neil McCarthy, 25, of Oregon, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with indecent exposure, which carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who is handling the case, stated according to the complaint, on July 3, 2024, the Niagara Frontier Transit Authority (NFTA) Police were called to Gate 2 at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, to respond to a report made by an American Airlines flight that a man exposed himself and urinated in the aisle of the aircraft while the plane was in flight. The aircraft was diverted from the original destination of Manchester, New Hampshire, to Buffalo. When the flight landed, an officer boarded the airplane and spoke to a flight attendant, who said that McCarthy had exposed himself and urinated on the flight. McCarthy was taken into custody and escorted off the plane.
McCarthy made an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was released on his own recognizance.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Niagara Frontier Transit Authority Police, under the direction of Chief Brian Patterson and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Omaha Man Sentenced for Possession of Stolen Mail, Use of Access Devices and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Michael B. Emmanuel, 37, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on July 3, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for possession of stolen mail, unauthorized use of access devices and aggravated identity theft. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Emmanuel to 41 months’ imprisonment for the stolen mail and access device offenses, to run concurrently, and a mandatory consecutive 24 months for the aggravated identity theft offense. There is no parole in the federal system. After Emmanuel's release from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Emmanuel must also pay $32,972.71 in restitution.
Starting in about November 2022, residents west of Omaha reported a rash of thefts from their mailboxes, followed by fraudulent accounts being set up or attempted to be set up in their names. During traffic stops and residence searches in January to March 2023, stolen mail, credit and debit cards, identification documents, altered checks and other ID-theft related items were found in the possession of Emmanuel and his co-defendant, Maximino Vallecillo, who was sentenced previously in connection with the same case. Video from area merchants showed Emmanuel, sometimes accompanied by Vallecillo, conducting transactions with debit or credit cards stolen from mailbox theft victims. Emmanuel also set up a bank account using the name of another person and attempted to negotiate altered checks through that account. Investigators identified approximately $68,428 worth of altered checks and attempted transactions that resulted in actual loss of approximately $32,972.71.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office and United States Postal Inspection Service.
New York Man Pleads Guilty to Traveling to Louisiana to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with Fifteen-Year-Old FemaleRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that PETER NEALON (“NEALON”), age 66, from Schenectady, New York, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion to interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423(b).
According to court documents, beginning on or about July 17, 2023, NEALON met law enforcement personnel operating in an undercover capacity posing as a fifteen-year-old female (FM1) on Instagram. Over the next several months, NEALON engaged FM1 in overtly sexual conversations and, on multiple occasions, transmitted images and videos depicting what he claimed to be his erect penis. Beginning in about July 2023, and continuing on multiple occasions until on or about March 27, 2024, during his communications with FM1, NEALON told FM1 that he intended to visit her in Louisiana to engage in sex with FM1 and explained, in considerable detail, the sex acts he intended to perform.
In February 2024, NEALON used a messaging application to communicate with someone he believed to be a fourteen-year-old female, who was FM1’s friend (FM2). During
conversations with FM1 and FM2, NEALON expressed an intent and expectation to engage in various forms of sexual contact with FM1 and FM2, individually and collectively.
In March 2024, NEALON discussed logistics of his trip with FM1 and, on about March 19, 2024, booked flight and hotel reservations from Albany, New York, to New Orleans, Louisiana. NEALON travelled by plane to New Orleans on about March 27, 2024, in furtherance of his intent to engage in sexual acts with FM1 and FM2.
NEALON faces a maximum term of imprisonment of thirty (30) years. NEALON also faces at least five (5) years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. NEALON may also be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing before Judge Papillion has been scheduled for October 8, 2024.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Briana Williams and Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, are in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Drug and Weapons ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –GERARD TURNER (“TURNER”), age 22, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to 87 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release, along with a $400 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8); possession of a machinegun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2); possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(D); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i).
According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at TURNER’s residence in July, 2023. TURNER possessed distributable quantities of marijuana; a loaded Romarm/Cugir Model Mini Draco, 7.62x39-millimeter semi-automatic pistol; rounds of various calibers of ammunition, including a loaded pistol magazine and loaded drum magazine; and a machinegun conversion device, which is designed to turn a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic machinegun. TURNER has prior felony convictions for simple burglary, illegal use of weapons, and illegal possession of stolen things.
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. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Controlled Substances Act ViolationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JASON LONIE (“LONIE”), age 47, pled guilty on July 2, 2024, before United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion to possession with intent to distribute fifty (50) grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).
As a result of his guilty plea, LONIE faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) years and up to forty (40) years imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, at least four (4) years of supervised release, and payment of a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
According to court documents, LONIE was investigated as a methamphetamine supplier in Orleans Parish. During the course of the investigation, LONIE was arrested, searched and found in possession of 84 grams of methamphetamine in his backpack, that he intended to distribute.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
Montebello Man Found Guilty of Distributing Fentanyl that Resulted in Victim’s Fatal Overdose at Long Beach Drug Rehabilitation ClinicRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal jury today found a Montebello man guilty of distributing fentanyl to a buyer who then distributed it to a victim who the next day suffered a fatal overdose of the powerful synthetic opioid at a Long Beach drug treatment facility in late 2021.
Juan Carlos Gutierrez, 33, a.k.a. “Johnny G,” was found guilty of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and serious bodily injury, a felony offense that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
According to evidence presented at an eight-day trial, Gutierrez on December 9, 2021, distributed fentanyl to co-defendant Jayleen Feusier, 36, of South Gate. Previously that night, Feusier agreed to get fentanyl for the victim, a 34-year-old man who was residing at a Long Beach drug treatment facility. In exchange for $60, Feusier agreed to get the fentanyl for the victim from Gutierrez.
Later that night, Feusier broke off approximately one gram of the fentanyl that Gutierrez provided to her, packaged it in a small plastic baggie, and placed the baggie, a lighter, and drug paraphernalia into a small box. She then placed the small box into a bag with a black t-shirt to mask the contents, ordered an Uber delivery service, and placed the item on the backseat of the vehicle to be delivered to the victim at the rehabilitation facility. Feusier then sent a link to the victim so he could track the Uber as it traveled to him.
At around 11 p.m. that night, the victim jumped a fence and retrieved the package from the Uber vehicle then went back inside the drug treatment facility. Approximately six hours later, the victim’s body was discovered inside the facility’s living room. Drug paraphernalia sent by Feusier was discovered nearby the victim.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that the victim’s death was caused by a fentanyl overdose.
United States District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. scheduled an October 15 sentencing hearing for Gutierrez, who has been in federal custody since May 2023.
Feusier, who has been in federal custody since February 6, pleaded guilty on March 5 to one count of distribution of fentanyl. She faces up to 20 years in federal prison at her sentencing hearing, which is expected to occur in the coming months.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Long Beach Police Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy K. Beecher and Danbee C. Kim of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to 188 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Wednesday sentenced a methamphetamine dealer to 188 months in prison.
Marcus M. Nelson, 42, of Cairo, Illinois pleaded guilty in March in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to two counts of distributing methamphetamine. He admitted selling meth on two occasions to a confidential informant who told Drug Enforcement Administration agents about past purchases of multiple ounces of meth from Nelson. On July 10, 2023, Nelson sold 157 grams of meth for $1,600 to the informant at a Cape Girardeau home. On July 16, 2023, he sold 446 grams, or nearly one pound, of meth for a downpayment of $2,500 and a later payment of $700 more.
Nelson’s sentence will run consecutive to any prison sentence he receives for violating his parole on a robbery conviction. Nelson was sentenced to 140 months in prison after a 2001 conviction for conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine base in the Southern District of Illinois.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis prosecuted the case.
Manchester Man Arrested for Manufacturing and Trafficking Counterfeit Pharmaceutical PillsRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Manchester man has been charged in connection with operating a counterfeit pill pressing scheme, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Jerry Summers, 44, of Manchester, was charged by complaint with one count of manufacturing a controlled substance, containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of a controlled substance, one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and trafficking in a drug and using a counterfeit drug mark on or in connection with such drug. The defendant’s next scheduled hearing is July 8, 2024.
According to the charging documents, after a multi-month federal and state investigation, on July 1, 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Clandestine Laboratory Team executed a federal search warrant of Summer’s Manchester office suite, rented under the name of “Summertime Drywall and Maintenance LLC.” During the search, DEA agents located a pill press that was covered in powdered residue and wrapped in soundproofing material, and large amounts of colored press tablets. A drug test revealed the presence of fentanyl and amphetamines on the residue found on and around the pill press.
On two prior occasions, Summers sold pills to a confidential informant. During the first sale, which occurred on March 21, 2024, Summers sold a quantity of blue pills that were marked as being OxyContin but later tested positive for fentanyl. During the second sale, on April 10, 2024, Summer sold a quantity of blue pills that were marked as being OxyContin but later tested positive for fentanyl as well as a quantity of orange pills that were marked as being Adderall but later tested positive for methamphetamine.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Manchester Police Department led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey W.R. Ward is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Lexington Man Sentenced for Trafficking Fentanyl Resulting in Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Lexington man, Eeston Thomson, 22, was sentenced on Wednesday, by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, to 240 months in prison, for distribution of acetylfentanyl and fentanyl resulting in an overdose death.
According to his plea agreement, on June 26, 2022, law enforcement responded to reports of an unresponsive victim. When law enforcement arrived, the victim was pronounced dead, and it was suspected that he died from a fentanyl overdose. Law enforcement searched the residence and found piece of a blue pill on the kitchen counter, which was later confirmed to contain acetylfentanyl and fentanyl.
Law then enforcement searched the victim’s phone and found an Instagram conversation between the victim and Thomson from June 25, 2022, discussing the purchase of pills. When Thomson found out about the victim’s death, he admitted to a friend that he had sold the victim the pills, and believed he was responsible for his death.
Under federal law, Thomson must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Erek Davodowich, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Louisville Field Division; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA and the Lexington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Greenfield is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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Lexington Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Firearm and Fentanyl Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky. – A Lexington man, David Hager, 27, was sentenced on Wednesday, by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, to 120 months, for two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of possession of a machine gun, and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
In May 2023, agents with ATF, received information that David Hager was distributing fentanyl and firearms. During the investigation, ATF purchased 15 firearms and a machine gun conversion device from Hager. ATF also purchase approximately 10 grams of fentanyl from Hager. After these purchases, a search warrant was executed at Hager’s residence, where agents located three additional firearms (one of which was stolen), multiple high-capacity magazines, suspected explosive devices, and approximately 37 grams of fentanyl. Hager had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Under federal law, Hager must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon Hager’s release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by ATF, with assistance from the Lexington Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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Las Vegas Business Owner Sentenced to Prison for Submitting over $700,000 in Fraudulent Invoices to HospitalRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas business owner was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in prison for submitting over $700,000 in false invoices to a hospital, causing the hospital to mail checks to the defendant for products not provided to the hospital.
According to court documents, beginning in 2020 and continuing through June 14, 2022, Roland Sagun Torres devised a scheme to defraud a hospital located in Nevada. As part of the fraudulent scheme, Torres used the names of at least 100 patients and doctors at the hospital to submit false invoices from his business for products that he did not provide to the hospital. In total, Torres’s submission of these false invoices caused the hospital to mail checks to Torres’s company in the amount of $712,000 for products he never provided.
On November 3, 2023, Torres pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud. In addition to imprisonment, United States District Judge Gloria M. Navarro sentenced Torres to three years of supervised release and ordered Torres to pay $712,000 in restitution.
United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Edward Veronda prosecuted the case.
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Kissimmee Man Who Attempted to Entice A Child to Engage in Sexual Activity Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Damien Jesse Suhr (41, Kissimmee) to 12 years and 7 months in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct. Suhr was found guilty by a federal jury on March 28, 2024.
According to evidence presented at trial, on May 27, 2023, the FBI was involved in an operation with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. As part of the operation, a profile was created by the FBI on a dating application, which indicated that the user, “Jack,” was an adult, but depicted a photo of a 14-year-old boy. On that dating application, “Jack” and Suhr began exchanging messages and then quickly switched to exchanging cellphone text messages, in which the “child” made clear to Suhr that he was 14 years old. For two weeks, Suhr spoke to the “child” about engaging in sex with him. Suhr explained in detail the sexual acts he wanted to perform on and with the “child.” Additionally, he directed the “child” to delete his text messages with Suhr to avoid detection by his mother or law enforcement. He selected a location at a gas station that was convenient for him to meet the “child.” Suhr sent messages to the “child” requesting that he wear a specific type of underwear to the meeting. On June 9, 2023, Suhr went to the gas station to meet with the “child,” where Suhr was arrested by law enforcement officers. Evidence presented at trial showed that Suhr had previously exchanged messages with other online users about his desire to have sexual encounters with children as young as 12.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kaley Austin-Aronson and Dana Hill.
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.
Jury Finds District Man Guilty of Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Antone Watkins, 29, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a Superior Court jury of armed robbery and other firearm-related offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The verdict was returned on July 3, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Robert Salerno scheduled sentencing for September 19, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, at around 10:47 p.m., on June 17, 2022, the victim was led into an alley near Howison Place and N Street SW. In that alley, Watkins brandished a firearm and hit the victim across the face with it, chipping his tooth. Watkins and two others then robbed the victim of his cash, chains, watch, and car keys. Video footage showed Watkins running from the alley, getting into the victim’s truck, and driving off. Further video footage showed Watkins only a few minutes later rummaging through the victim’s belongings in the truck. Police arrested Watkins on September 15, 2022. Watkins has been detained since his arrest.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Rubb of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Probation Office from early in the case and through trial.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Levy and Gregory Evans.
Jury Finds District Man Guilty of Armed Burglary and Multiple Armed Assaults for Attack on Woman and ChildRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Sean Branch, 31, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree burglary while armed, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and other charges in a morning home invasion and violent assault of a woman and her twelve-year-old son that took place in Southeast Washington D.C. on September 11, 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Branch was also found guilty of three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of second-degree cruelty to children, and two counts of threats to do bodily harm. The verdict was returned on July 3, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe presided over the trial. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Branch faces a mandatory minimum of five years’ imprisonment for his offenses.
According to the government’s evidence, Branch had developed a friendship with the adult victim in the summer of 2020, which led to Branch storing belongings in her apartment. In the days leading up to the offense, Branch and the adult victim argued over whether Branch could continue to store his belongings there. On September 11, 2020, shortly after 8:30 a.m., Branch broke into the apartment of the victims. After breaking into the home through an exterior window, Branch, wearing a ski mask, approached the woman and her child in the living room. He struck the woman in the face with the gun, causing her to bleed extensively, and then dragged them to the back bedroom while repeatedly demanding his belongings. Branch eventually pointed the gun at the child’s head and threatened to kill both victims. Branch then fled the scene. The victims identified the assailant based on the assailant’s voice and the context of the offense.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department recovered surveillance footage showing the assailant fleeing from the ground floor balcony, wearing a ski mask. Officers also recovered a pair of sweatpants and jacket along the defendant’s flight path that was consistent with the assailant’s appearance on video. Branch was eventually linked to the recovered clothing through DNA testing.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle White who indicted the case in 2021.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Covert and Katharine Yaske of the Domestic Violence Unit.
Jury Convicts Marion Man of Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
A man who attempted to entice a minor to engage in sex acts was convicted by a jury on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, after a one-and-a-half-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Cory Gall, age 30, of Marion, Iowa, was found guilty of attempted enticement of a minor.
The evidence at trial showed that, in December 2023, Gall exchanged text messages with a person who stated that she was 13 years old. The person was actually an undercover law enforcement officer. Gall sent messages describing sex acts he could perform with the minor, and he traveled to Hiawatha, Iowa, to meet with her.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Gall remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Gall faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, $5,100 in special assessments, and supervised release for 5 years to life following any imprisonment.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Hiawatha Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR 24-32.
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Jackson Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and Faces Mandatory Minimum of 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.
Bernard Caston, 54, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
According to court documents, Caston and Fredrick Harper, 44, both of Jackson, stole four firearms from another individual on February 24, 2018. Caston and Harper were stopped by a Jackson police officer when they were driving to another location in Jackson to sell the stolen guns.
Caston will be sentenced on October 1, 2024. He will be sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act based on his prior felony convictions for crimes of violence, including a federal armed bank robbery conviction and multiple house burglary convictions in Hinds County. Under the Armed Career Criminal Act, Caston will face a minimum of 15 years in federal prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Harper previously pled guilty in federal court to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the ATF and the Jackson Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amber Jones and Dave Fulcher are prosecuting the case.
Illegal Alien and Two Others Sentenced to Federal Prison in Organ Transplant SchemeRead the Press Release
An illegal alien and two other individuals who conspired to obtain over $500,000 in federally funded health care benefits, including a kidney transplant, were sentenced to prison on June 24, 2024, and July 2, 2024.
Jeremias Otoniel Herrera Rosales (“Herrera Rosales”), age 37, from Worthington, Minnesota, originally from Guatemala, received a 16-month prison term after a February 7, 2024, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Jennifer Guadalupe Herrera (“Herrera”), age 43, from Worthington, Minnesota, received a one-month prison term after a February 9, 2024, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Jaklyn Guerra (“Guerra”), age 52, from Wells, Minnesota, received a one-month prison term after a February 6, 2024, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Evidence in the defendants’ criminal case established that Herrera Rosales was a citizen of Guatemala with no legal status in the United States. No later than 2012, Guerra and Herrera provided Herrera Rosales with the name, date of birth, and social security number of D.G. Herrera and Herrera Rosales were married, and Guerra is Herrera’s sister.
Beginning no later than 2015, Herrera Rosales assumed D.G.’s identity and used D.G.’s identification documents to apply for Medicare and Minnesota Medicaid benefits. The United States funds Medicare and, through a cost-sharing arrangement, also partially funds Minnesota Medicaid benefits. Between 2015 and
2020, Herrera Rosales obtained more than $500,000 in benefits from Medicare, Minnesota Medicaid, and the Social Security Administration using D.G.’s identity without D.G.’s knowledge or consent.
As part of the scheme, Herrera Rosales gained placement on the organ donor registry under the false and fraudulent pretense that he was D.G. and eligible for a kidney transplant. In 2019, Herrera Rosales obtained a federally funded kidney transplant in Minnesota. Herrera Rosales in his plea agreement admitted that, because he received the kidney transplant fraudulently, another person who needed the kidney did not receive it.
The defendants were sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Herrera Rosales was sentenced to 16 months of imprisonment, Herrera was sentenced to one month of imprisonment, and Guerra was sentenced to one month of imprisonment. All three defendants were ordered to make $510,949.61 in restitution as a joint and several obligation. Each defendant must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after their respective prison terms. There is no parole in the federal system.
Herrera Rosales is being held in United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. Herrera and Guerra were released on bonds previously set and are to surrender to the United States Marshal on future dates.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy L. Vavricek and Ronald Timmons and investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-CR-4062.
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Hogansburg Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Joseph Thompson, age 37, of Hogansburg, New York, pled guilty yesterday to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), New York Field Division, made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, Thompson admitted that in June 2023, he arranged to meet another individual at a parking lot in Massena, NY, for the purpose of selling marijuana in exchange for firearms. Thompson admitted that he gave the individual approximately 18 pounds of marijuana in exchange for 7 semiautomatic pistols and ammunition magazines. During the transaction, Thompson said that he was a “middle guy,” and that he had a contact in Montreal who would pay him approximately $2,000 to $2,300 for each firearm. Thompson was arrested immediately after the transaction.
At sentencing, Thompson faces at least five years and up to life in federal prison, a total maximum fine of $500,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 2 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
ATF investigated the case, with assistance from Quebec Provincial Police, St. Regis Tribal Police, New York State Police, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Massena Police Department, and U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie is prosecuting the case.
Hartford Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl and CocaineRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS IVAN DIAZ, 26, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 33 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Connecticut State Police obtained an arrest warrant for Diaz after his DNA was found on a gun that was thrown from a vehicle during a State Police pursuit on March 8, 2022. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force had also identified Diaz as a fentanyl trafficker. Diaz was located and arrested on state charges on November 3, 2022. At the time of his arrest, Diaz possessed approximately 35 grams of fentanyl, 23 grams of cocaine, and five grams of crack cocaine.
Diaz was charged by indictment on April 26, 2023. On June 6, 2023, he was arrested pursuant to a federal arrest warrant at the Hartford Superior Courthouse, where he had a pending state case. At the time of his arrest, a search of a fanny pack he possessed revealed approximately 40 grams of fentanyl and 18 grams of crack.
Diaz has been detained since his federal arrest. On January 2, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.
The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth L. Gresham and Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis, and Trial Attorney Brian P. Leaming of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.
Grand Island Man Sentenced for Fraudulently Obtaining Farm Loans and Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Daniel Butt, 39, of Grand Island, Nebraska, was sentenced on July 3, 2024 in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for making a false statement on a loan application and bankruptcy fraud. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Butt to five years of probation. Butt will also have to serve eight weekends in jail. Butt has also been ordered to pay $192,758.61 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency.
Between 2016 and 2018, Daniel Butt obtained two loans from the Farm Services Agency (FSA), part of the United States Department of Agriculture. To obtain the loans, he lied about owning cattle as collateral, and he agreed to use the loan for farming expenses. The matter came to the attention of law enforcement when, during bankruptcy proceedings, Butt denied ever having owned cattle. Investigators learned that Butt had multiple financial accounts. He had been spending the loan money on other farming-related debts, car payments, personal expenses, and ATM withdrawals. Butt wrote bad checks to the FSA and he never paid FSA all of the money he earned from farming as was required by the terms of the loan. He avoided repayment obligations by selling grain in his father’s and brother’s names, then lied to the creditors under oath in bankruptcy court when he denied having done this. He borrowed from many individuals but failed to pay them back. When he filed for bankruptcy, he tried to get the outstanding loan debt to the Department of Agriculture discharged.
This case was investigated by United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General.
Dax Roberson, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General said, “I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office, OIG special agents, and our investigative partners for their hard work on this investigation. When the integrity of the United States Department of Agriculture’s farm loan programs is violated by criminal conduct, the Office of Inspector General will pursue justice to the fullest extent of the law.”
Georgia Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Frederick Anthony Forbes, 52, of McDonough, Georgia, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison, after previously having been found guilty by a federal jury for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.
“Our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners work tirelessly to keep us safe by removing addictive and deadly controlled substances from our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “We remain committed to support their efforts through the investigation and vigorous prosecution of criminals bringing drugs into North Florida. The imposed sentence illustrates the significant consequences of harming our citizens through illicit drug trafficking activities.”
The evidence showed that Forbes, who was previously convicted of cocaine trafficking in 1994, was engaged in a longstanding conspiracy with other individuals to distribute cocaine. The conspiracy used coded language and counter-surveillance to avoid detection, as well as a commercial trucking business as a cover for narcotics trafficking.
“Drug trafficking has a devastating impact on our communities, and drug distributors, like Mr. Forbes, put profits over the lives of our citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division. “This investigation highlights DEA’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to hold those who threaten the safety and health of our Florida communities accountable for their actions.”
Evidence, including testimony, surveillance, wiretap intercepts, and two kilograms of powder cocaine seized from Forbes in September of 2022, established that Forbes coordinated the purchase, delivery, and re-sale of cocaine, acting as a supplier for dealers in the Northern District of Florida and elsewhere. Investigation led to the seizure of nearly four kilograms of powder cocaine from Forbes and co-conspirators, seizure and forfeiture of a commercial tractor trailer used by Forbes to transport narcotics, and the indictment and conviction of two co-conspirators.
Forbes’ prison sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration in coordination with the Gainesville Police Department, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and Florida Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney David Byron 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Georgia Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Jeru-Ahmad Jibad Shakur, 49, of Hampton, Georgia, was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison, after previously pleading guilty for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.
“Methamphetamine distribution is a scourge on large and small communities of our district,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “With our dedicated law enforcement partners, we are committed to identifying and aggressively prosecuting those who threaten our citizens’ health and safety by distributing such addictive, controlled substances.”
The evidence showed that Shakur, along with co-conspirators, conspired to receive and distribute pound quantities of high-purity methamphetamine in the Northern District of Florida and elsewhere. Investigation revealed that Shakur supplied three pounds of high-purity methamphetamine to a co-conspirator, and personally sold four pounds of high-purity methamphetamine to an undercover agent in the Northern District of Florida. Investigation led to the seizure of approximately seven pounds of methamphetamine, as well as the indictment and conviction of two co-conspirators.
“Methamphetamine is a highly-addictive substance that destroys families and communities,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “Our DEA agents will continue to work with law enforcement partners to stop those who traffic this illicit and dangerous drug.”
Shakur’s prison sentence will be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration in coordination with the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office, Suwanee County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Perry Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney David Byron prosecuted the case.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Former St. Charles County Youth Hockey Coach Sentenced to 75 Years in Prison for Recording His Sexual Abuse of Two MinorsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Tuesday sentenced a former youth hockey coach who sexually abused two boys and recorded the abuse to 75 years in prison.
James R. Lambert, 42, of Lake St. Louis, sexually abused one victim over 50 times between 2007 and 2018, starting when the victim was 6 years old. The sexual abuse occurred in St. Charles County, Missouri and in other states and foreign countries where the victim was taken by Lambert. Lambert also recorded his sexual abuse of the victim on numerous occasions.
Lambert also admitted sexually abusing a second victim in St. Charles and St. Louis counties when that victim was between 6 and 9 years old.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson said Lambert displayed a “psychopathic level” of manipulation of his victims to keep them from disclosing the abuse and “true sadism” towards the children.
After the first victim came forward, an investigation discovered hundreds of files on Lambert’s electronic devices documenting his abuse of the second victim. They also found at least 1,185 files containing child sexual abuse material that Lambert obtained online.
Lambert pleaded guilty in February to two counts of production of child pornography, one count of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity, one count of receiving child pornography and one count of aggravated sexual abuse.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake St. Louis Police Department, the St. Charles County Cybercrime Task Force and the Maryland Heights Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
"On behalf of the Lake Saint Louis Police Department we want to recognize all the hard work and effort put forth by our officers and staff, specifically Detective Sergeant Rick Frauenfelder and Detective Rebecca Hurwitz,” said Lake St. Louis Police Chief Chris DiGiuseppi. “We also appreciate our federal partners and the U.S. Attorney's Office who helped us seek justice for this horrific crime. Protecting children from those who would commit such heinous acts is one of the fundamental principles of why we, in law enforcement, serve in the criminal justice system."
“This sentencing shows the magnitude of what can happen when predators commit these types of heinous crimes that exploits the most vulnerable among us,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Kansas City, Mark Zito. “HSI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to eradicate child exploitation and protect our children from harm.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former National Security Agency Contractor Sentenced to Thirteen Months in Federal Prison for Time and Attendance FraudRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Court Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Jacky Lynn McComber, of Elkridge, Maryland, to thirteen months in federal prison and ordered her to pay $176,913 in restitution for submitting false invoices to the National Security Agency (“NSA”) for overstating her hours worked on a contract and for making false statements to investigators from the NSA’s Office of the Inspector General (“NSA-OIG”).
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kevin Garrity, Deputy Inspector General for NSA’s Office of Inspector General and Robert P. Storch, Inspector General of the Department of Defense.
According to evidence presented at her four-week jury trial, McComber was the Chief Executive Officer of an information technology company that had contracts with the NSA. Because the subject matter of these contracts involved classified information, most of the work had to be performed at a secure location, and there were significant limitations to the amount of work that could be performed off-site. According to the testimony, during approximately 19 months, McComber billed for her supposed work physically at the NSA, when in reality approximately 90% of the work she billed for was not when she physically was at the NSA. The evidence further showed that McComber at times did not work the number of hours on the contract that she recorded on her timesheets. For example, on occasions when McComber billed a full day to the contract, she participated in charity events, attended a reunion, and was on vacation. As further detailed in trial testimony, McComber participated in a voluntary interview with NSA-OIG investigators as a result of information received from a whistleblower indicating that McComber was billing the government for hours that she was not actually working.
U.S. Attorney Barron commended the NSA-OIG and the DOD Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jefferson M. Gray and Department of Justice Fraud Section Trial Attorney Peter L. Cooch, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Former Defense Contractor and his Wife Indicted for Evading U.S. Taxes on Profits from Selling Jet Fuel to U.S. MilitaryRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 30-count indictment was unsealed today in U.S. District Court charging Douglas Edelman, 72, a former defense contractor, and Delphine Le Dain, 58, his wife, with a decades-long scheme to defraud the United States and evade taxes on more than $350 million in income Edelman made as a defense contractor during the United States’ post-9/11 military efforts in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Edelman was arrested today in Ibiza, Spain, based on the U.S. criminal charges. The United States will seek Edelman’s extradition to stand trial in the United States.
The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia and Acting Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to the indictment, between 2003 and 2020, Edelman allegedly was the 50% owner of Mina Corp. and Red Star Enterprises (Mina/Red Star), a defense contracting business that received more than $7 billion from contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide jet fuel to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Working with Le Dain and several other co-conspirators, Edelman allegedly engaged in a years-long scheme to conceal his profits from Mina/Red Star, including by concealing his income in undisclosed foreign bank accounts, creating false documents, and making false statements that Le Dain who, as a French citizen residing abroad, did not have U.S. tax obligations, founded and owned Mina/Red Star. Le Dain allegedly signed some of false documents, including those that purported to “gift” Edelman money for certain personal expenses.
The indictment further alleges that to carry off his scheme, Edelman conveyed this false story of Le Dain’s ownership to various arms of the U.S. government, including to a Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives during a 2010 Congressional investigation, to the Department of Defense during contract negotiations, to the Internal Revenue Service in a 2015 application to the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, and to the Department of Justice in a 2018 presentation.
Until approximately 2015, Edelman allegedly did not file any U.S. individual tax returns and did not pay any tax on the tens of millions of dollars he was allegedly making each year from Mina/Red Star. In 2015, Edelman allegedly filed false returns for tax years 2007 to 2014 claiming that his business interests, income, and assets belonged to Le Dain. From 2015 to 2020, Edelman allegedly filed false tax returns claiming that his only income was as a consultant, and that he had no interests in any foreign businesses.
The indictment further alleges that Edelman directed his profits from Mina/Red Star into banks known at the time to shield account holder identities from U.S. authorities, in countries such as Switzerland, the Bahamas, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. He allegedly held the accounts in the name of non-U.S. entities created in countries such as Panama, Belize, and the British Virgin Islands. Edelman allegedly always controlled the money in these accounts and used it to fund his other business ventures around the world, including a business selling internet services to U.S. troops and contractors at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan, a Mexican fuel infrastructure project, and a music television franchise in Eastern Europe. Edelman allegedly also used the money to buy a ski chalet in Austria, a house in Spain, a townhouse in London, and multiple yachts—all of which were purchased in the name of nominees.
Edelman and Le Dain are charged with conspiring to defraud the United States and 15 counts of tax evasion. Edelman also is charged with two counts of making false statements to the United States, and 12 counts of willfully violating his foreign bank account reporting obligations, as part of a pattern of unlawful activity.
If convicted, Edelman and Le Dain face up to five years in prison for the conspiracy count, as well as five years in federal prison for each tax evasion count. Edelman also faces up to five years in prison for each false statement count and 10 years in federal prison for each count of willfully violating foreign bank account reporting while engaged in a pattern of unlawful activity involving more than $100,000 per year. They each face a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction are investigating the case, with assistance from His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs of the United Kingdom. Assistance was also provided by the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5), which brings together the taxing authorities of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Guardia Civil of Spain provided assistance with Edelman’s arrest.
This case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Nanette Davis, Assistant Chief Sarah Ranney, and Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold of the District of Columbia.
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.
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Former Defense Contractor and His Wife Indicted for Evading U.S. Taxes on Profits from Selling Jet Fuel to U.S. MilitaryRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today charging Douglas Edelman, a former defense contractor, and Delphine Le Dain, his wife, with a decades-long scheme to defraud the United States and evade taxes on more than $350 million in income Edelman made as a defense contractor during the United States’ post-9/11 military efforts in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Edelman was arrested on July 3 in Spain based on the U.S. criminal charges. The United States will seek Edelman’s extradition to stand trial in the United States.
According to the indictment, between 2003 and 2020, Edelman allegedly was the 50% owner of Mina Corp. and Red Star Enterprises (Mina/Red Star), a defense contracting business that received more than $7 billion from contracts with the Department of Defense to provide jet fuel to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Working with Le Dain and several other co-conspirators, Edelman allegedly engaged in a lengthy scheme to hide his profits from Mina/Red Star, including by concealing his income in undisclosed foreign bank accounts, creating false documents and making false statements that Le Dain — who, as a French citizen residing abroad, did not have U.S. tax obligations — founded and owned Mina/Red Star. Le Dain allegedly signed some of the false documents, including those that purported to “gift” Edelman money for certain personal expenses.
The indictment further alleges that to carry out his scheme, Edelman conveyed this false story of Le Dain’s ownership to arms of the U.S. government, including to a Subcommittee of the House of Representatives during a 2010 Congressional investigation, to the Department of Defense during contract negotiations, to the Internal Revenue Service in a 2015 application to the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, and to the Justice Department in a 2018 presentation.
Until approximately 2015, Edelman allegedly did not file any U.S. individual tax returns and did not pay any tax on the tens of millions of dollars he was allegedly making each year from Mina/Red Star. In 2015, Edelman allegedly filed false returns for tax years 2007 to 2014, claiming that his business interests, income, and assets belonged to Le Dain. From 2015 to 2020, Edelman allegedly filed false tax returns reporting that his only income was as a consultant, and that he had no interests in any foreign businesses.
The indictment further alleges that Edelman directed his profits from Mina/Red Star into banks known at the time to shield account holder identities from U.S. authorities, in countries such as Switzerland, the Bahamas, Singapore and United Arab Emirates. He allegedly held the accounts in the name of non-U.S. entities created in countries such as Panama, Belize and the British Virgin Islands. Edelman allegedly always controlled the money in these accounts and used it to fund his other business ventures around the world, including a business selling internet services to U.S. troops and contractors at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan, a Mexican fuel infrastructure project and a music television franchise in Eastern Europe. Edelman allegedly also used the money to buy a ski chalet in Austria, a house in Spain, a townhouse in London and multiple yachts — all of which were purchased in the name of nominees.
Edelman and Le Dain are charged with conspiring to defraud the United States and 15 counts of tax evasion. Edelman is also charged with two counts of making false statements to the United States, and 12 counts of willfully violating his foreign bank account reporting obligations, as part of a pattern of unlawful activity.
If convicted, Edelman and Le Dain face up to five years in prison for the conspiracy count, as well as up to five years in prison for each tax evasion count. Edelman also faces up to five years in prison for each false statement count and ten years in prison for each count of willfully violating foreign bank account reporting while engaged in a pattern of unlawful activity involving more than $100,000 per year. They each face a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction are investigating the case, with assistance from His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs of the United Kingdom. Assistance was also provided by the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5), which brings together the taxing authorities of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States. Assistance with the arrest was provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Guardia Civil of Spain.
Senior Litigation Counsel Nanette Davis, Assistant Chief Sarah Ranney and Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Foreign National Accused of Intending to Traffic Large Amounts of Narcotics in UtahRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a foreign national living in Utah with drug crimes after she was arrested and accused of distributing methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl, through a drug trafficking organization, in the District of Utah.
According to court documents, Leonilde Andrea Lopez Vargas, 35, of Midvale, Utah, was arrested in June 2024 following a criminal investigation that started in November 2023 by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force. On June 18, 2024, agents seized approximately 2,813 grams of field-tested positive fentanyl that was estimated to be approximately 28,000 pills. Agents also seized approximately 1,648 grams of field-tested positive heroin, and approximately 1,182.5 grams of field-tested positive cocaine at Vargas’ residence in Midvale. In Vargas’ vehicle, agents seized approximately 478 grams of field-tested positive methamphetamine.
Prior to the June seizure, agents also seized approximately 502.88 grams of field-tested positive heroin, 1,892.11 grams of field-tested positive methamphetamine, approximately 670.62 grams of field-tested positive fentanyl, and a digital scale from a storage unit believed to be connected to Vargas in West Valley City, Utah.
Vargas is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Her initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for July 08, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
United States Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney Seth Nielsen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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 OCDETF, please visit https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Felon Sentenced to Third Time in Federal Prison for Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Alan Andrew Collins, 39, of the 800 block of West MacQueen Avenue, has been sentenced to 55 months in prison for felon in possession of a firearm. Collins has previously been convicted of felony offenses in 2004 and 2005 in Cook County, as well as two prior federal convictions for possession of a firearm in the Central District of Illinois in 2008 and 2014. He was also ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the government established that, in November 2022, the ATF and Peoria Police executed a federal search warrant at Collins’ house on MacQueen Avenue. During the search, Collins exited his bedroom where agents later located a loaded semi-automatic 9mm pistol on the nightstand next to the bed. The gun was loaded with a 16 round magazine and live ammunition, including a round in the chamber. During the search, police also located a 9mm 30-round extended magazine loaded with live ammunition, an ammunition speed loader, and additional rounds of ammunition. Collins admitted that his fingerprints and DNA would be on the gun because he had handled it. However, he disclaimed ownership of the gun, indicating his girlfriend had bought it and left it at his house.
Collins was arrested in November 2022 following a federal complaint. He was indicted by a federal grand jury two weeks later. Collins entered a guilty plea in February 2024. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.
The statutory penalties for a felon in possession of a firearm are up to 15 years imprisonment; up to 3 years of supervised release; and a fine of up to $250,000.00.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Peoria Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Collins 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.
Felon Caught with Fentanyl, Cocaine Base Sentenced to 150 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon caught with guns, fentanyl and crack cocaine to 150 months in prison.
After an investigation by the FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department led to a May 2023 court-approved search of Devion X. Gordon’s home in Wellston, Missouri, investigators found a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol. They found 803 grams of fentanyl and 507 grams of cocaine base, $18,000 cash, four digital scales, two blenders with purple and white residue, boxes of plastic bags, empty blue and red capsules and two notebooks containing names, numbers, emails and dollar amounts owed and paid.
Gordon, 29, of Wellston, Missouri, pleaded guilty in March to charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Gordon is a convicted felon and is barred from possession of firearms.
The FBI and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Goeke prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Federal jury convicts Florida woman on four counts of wire fraud for operating illegal debt collection businessesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.- U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that a federal jury has convicted Angela Burdorf, 44, of New Port Richey, Florida of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Franz M. Wright and Aaron J. Mango, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that between March 2016 and May 2017, Burdorf conspired with others to operate various illegitimate debt collection businesses in Western New York, from Kenmore, Buffalo, Lackawanna, to the Town of Niagara. The businesses employed fraudulent means to collect on debts, to re-collect on debts already collected, to over-collect on debts actually owed, and to process and transfer payments related to the collection of such debts. Burdorf’s businesses, and the businesses she associated with, used false and threatening statements during collection telephone calls in an effort to induce the payment of debts, including referencing criminal statutes, and threatening to file criminal complaints and/or arrest warrants. Debtors were routinely routed to employees who posed as attorneys during the calls, in order to intimidate debtors and collect payment.
The verdict is the result of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso; the Federal Matthew Miraglia; and the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 26, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara, who presided over the trial.
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Ex-Husband Sentenced for Assault and Burglary of Pregnant Ex-Wife’s HomeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – James Miller, 41, of Virginia, was sentenced today for burglary, simple assault, and destruction of property in a break-in that took place in Northwest Washington in the middle of the night, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
On January 10, 2024, a Superior Court jury returned a guilty verdict, following a trial for burglary, simple assault, and destruction of property. Miller was sentenced today by Superior Judge Robert A. Salerno to five years in prison.
According to the government’s evidence, Miller broke into his pregnant ex-wife’s home by breaking through the front door on September 19, 2023. Immediately upon breaking into her home, the defendant charged at his ex-wife and assaulted her by grabbing her by the throat and throwing her to the ground. After she got back up, the defendant grabbed her by her bathrobe and threw her onto the couch. Both the victim and her 22-year-old-daughter, who was hiding upstairs, called 911. Police arrived quickly at 1:49 a.m. and arrested Miller on scene.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Callie Hyde and Matthew Covert of the Domestic Violence unit, who prosecuted the case.
Engineer charged with obstructing a criminal investigation into the cause of the Yanky 72 plane crashRead the Press Release
OXFORD, MS – A former Robins Air Force Base employee has been arrested for making false statements and obstructing justice during a federal criminal investigation into a 2017 military plane crash that claimed the lives of 16 service members.
On July 10, 2017, a United States Marine Corps KC-130 transport aircraft known as “Yanky 72” crashed near Itta Bena, Mississippi, resulting in the death of fifteen Marines and one Navy Corpsman. On Tuesday morning, JAMES MICHAEL FISHER, formerly of Warner Robins, Georgia and currently residing in Portugal, was arrested on an indictment issued by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Mississippi charging him with obstruction of justice and false statements during a criminal investigation into the cause of that crash.
According to the indictment, FISHER, 67, a former propulsion engineer with the C-130 program office at Robins Air Force Base, engaged in a pattern of conduct intended to avoid scrutiny for his past engineering decisions related to why the crash may have occurred. Specifically, the indictment alleges that FISHER knowingly concealed key engineering documents from criminal investigators and made materially false statements to criminal investigators about his past engineering decisions.
FISHER is charged with two false statements and two obstruction of justice charges. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge would determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner of the Northern District of Mississippi; and Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) made the announcement.
AFOSI, DCIS, and NCIS are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Leary and Philip Levy are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Eden Prairie Man Charged with Arson After Setting Fire to a Townhome with Children InsideRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – An Eden Prairie man has been charged with arson after setting fire to a townhome with four children inside, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on May 31, 2024, at 11:27 a.m., the Eden Prairie Fire Department responded to a fire in a townhome. When the fire started, there were five people in the house, including one adult man and four children. When emergency responders arrived, they met the adult male occupant and three children outside, but the fourth child, a nine-month-old baby (Minor A), was still in the burning house. Eden Prairie firefighters entered the residence and located Minor A, who survived the fire but needed to be transported by ambulance to the hospital.
After the fire, ATF investigators and Eden Prairie police officers learned that Minor A’s mother lived in the burned home and Abdirahman Abdi Abdullahi, 23, was on probation for violating a restraining order that prohibited him from contacting Minor A’s mother. Investigators also learned that two days before the fire, Abdullahi sent a threatening message to Minor A’s mother stating, “when I see u I’m smoke u.” Law enforcement obtained surveillance footage from a nearby business that showed Abdullahi shortly before the fire carrying a red gas can through a line of bushes towards the townhome. Minutes later, the footage showed Abdullahi emerge from the bushes with the gas can and return to his vehicle. Investigators determined that Abdullahi’s vehicle was a rental and were able to trace the rental agreement. Investigators also obtained surveillance footage from a nearby gas station that showed Abdullahi arrive in the rental vehicle and fill the red gas can with gasoline. Law enforcement located and arrested Abdullahi. At the time of his arrest, officers found clothing items that matched Abdullahi’s clothing in the surveillance footage.
The complaint charges Abdullahi with one count of arson causing injury. Abdullahi made his initial appearance on July 1, 2024, in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung. He was ordered to remain in custody pending a formal detention hearing scheduled for July 8, 2024.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Eden Prairie Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William C. Mattessich is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Easton Man Charged in Superseding Indictment with Scheme to Purchase Home in Relative's Name Using COVID Relief FundsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Easton man was charged yesterday in a superseding indictment for allegedly using Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds to secretly purchase a home in the name of a close relative.
Bill Dessaps, 47, was charged in a superseding indictment with a second count of wire fraud conspiracy. Dessaps was previously indicted in January 2024 on one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering, and one count of bank fraud. In January 2024, five other individuals were charged for their alleged involvement in the PPP fraud scheme.
According to the charging document, Dessaps – the operator of an Abington-based used car dealership – allegedly conspired with individuals in Massachusetts and Florida to submit a fraudulent PPP application on behalf of Dessaps’s dealership. It is alleged that the application they prepared and submitted for Dessaps’s dealership falsely stated that the dealership had 40 employees and average monthly payroll expenses of $334,720. As a result of the applications, it is alleged that the lender disbursed a PPP loan of $836,800 to Dessaps. After receiving these funds, Dessaps allegedly made kickback payments to one or more of the individuals who assisted with the application.
The superseding indictment further alleges that, after Dessaps received the PPP loan, he purchased a $750,000 home in the name of a straw buyer—his close relative—because his credit score would have prevented him from obtaining a mortgage on favorable terms, and because he purchased the home using PPP funds, a purchase the PPP prohibits. It is alleged that Dessaps, his close relative, and a real estate agent submitted false mortgage application documents to a lender, including forms and forged records that inflated the relative’s income and assets. For a portion of the home costs, Dessaps allegedly transferred PPP proceeds into a joint bank account that he and his relative controlled. After a lender denied the close relative’s application for a secondary loan for the remaining funds, Dessaps and his real estate agent allegedly arranged a sham gift of $127,500 from the real estate agent’s girlfriend to the close relative, which Dessaps wired to the girlfriend. Through these and other misrepresentations, Dessaps obtained a $510,000 mortgage on the home and lived in it.
The original indictment also charged Dessaps with attempting to obtain a “Second Draw” PPP loan through another fraudulent application in March 2021.
The charges of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the scheme, whichever is greater. The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount of money involved in the laundering transaction. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of $1,000,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the scheme, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Asset Recovery Unit are 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.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Crime Spree Committed by Three South Louisiana Men Ends in Lengthy Federal Prison SentencesRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Three men who went on a crime spree starting in Madison, Louisiana, through Kentwood, Louisiana and McComb, Mississippi, down to Beaumont, Texas, and ending in Vinton, Louisiana, have been sentenced in federal court, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. Each defendant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced the defendants as follows:
Evan Aaron Ard, 22, of Hammond, was sentenced to 123 months in prison.
Jaylon Deshon Brumfield, 25, of Lake Charles, was sentenced to 120 months in prison.
Taurus Terrell Finley, 22, of Hammond, was sentenced to 131 months in prison.
Each defendant will also serve 5 years of supervised release following their release from prison.
The three defendants were charged in a Bill of Information with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence in connection with a string of robberies that they committed between April 14, 2022, and April 27, 2022. During this period of time, Ard, Brumfield, and Finley conspired to take property from multiple businesses and people, including Bordertown Travel and their cashier, by force, threat and violence. Each defendant admitted to using a firearm in furtherance of the robbery of Bordertown Travel to help them obtain property from them by threat and force. In addition, the three defendants stole multiple vehicles, firearms, property from convenience stores, and robbed individuals at gunpoint along the way. This crime spree finally ended after the robbery of the store in Vinton, Louisiana after all three defendants attempted to flee in a stolen vehicle at a high rate of speed from police which resulted in spikes being employed followed by a foot chase of Ard, Brumfield, and Finley until apprehended by police.
“These three defendants left many victims frightened and scarred by the threats of gun violence and robbery committed against them,” said United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “They had no care of others’ property or life as they made their way across three states committing these robberies. Thanks to the cooperation of many state and local, as well as federal law enforcement agency partners, this crime spree came to an end without the loss of life. I commend the efforts of all those agencies involved in this investigation and we will continue to join together to keep these cold-hearted individuals off of our streets.”
“For twelve days, this trio terrorized victims at multiple gas stations and convenience stores,” said Lyonel Myrthil, Special Agent in Charge of FBI New Orleans. “The FBI appreciates its local and state partners for helping to shorten their crime spree. The FBI is committed to working hard with communities across Louisiana to change this culture of violence.”
The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Casey Richmond.
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Court Sentences Armed Carjacker to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Gianni Saunders, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on July 2, 2024, to 10 years of incarceration followed by five years of supervised release by the Honorable Errol Arthur in Superior Court for the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Saunders was sentenced for the May 24, 2023, armed carjacking of a handyman who was getting out of his car in the 2800 block of Denver Street SE to do a repair job. Saunders received the benefit of the Youth Rehabilitation Act over the government’s objection.
Armed carjacking carries a mandatory minimum term of 15 years of incarceration. The Youth Rehabilitation Act allows for judges to sentence beneath mandatory minimum terms.
A jury in the District of Columbia convicted Saunders of armed carjacking, armed robbery, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence on January 30, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 1:24 pm on May 24, 2023, the victim pulled up to the 2800 block of Denver Street SE to make repairs inside a residential building when Saunders approached him, armed with a gun with an extended magazine, and demanded the victim’s car keys, which were hung around his neck. Saunders then drove off in the victim’s black Honda Civic, parking the car outside his residence later that afternoon.
Two days later, on May 26, 2023, Maryland police officers attempted to pull over the stolen car, which led to a high-speed pursuit that ended when the defendant crashed the stolen car into five other cars on Oxon Hill Road in Maryland. Saunders was pulled out of the driver’s seat. A search of the car recovered a gun with an extended magazine with the defendant’s DNA on it.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of the officers of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Carjacking Task Force. Invaluable assistance was provided by the Forest Heights Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Abu Alawy and Antoinette Sakamsa and Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Renee Prather; Information Technology Specialist William Henderson and Supervisory Information Technology Specialist Stephanie Vice; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared English, who investigated the case.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Gimenez and Iris McCranie, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Colorado Man Sentenced to Nearly Three Years in Prison for Stealing $2.1 Million of CryptocurrencyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Adam Davis, 47, originally from Coatesville, PA, and now residing in Colorado, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Wendy Beetlestone to 33 months’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and more than $2.1 million in restitution for his theft of cryptocurrency from a Bucks County victim.
On January 25, 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
From January 2014 to May 2021, a Bucks County victim invested approximately $395,000 in cryptocurrency. She hired the defendant to assist her with these investments and gave him direct access to her digital wallets. As the value of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies increased, Davis began stealing the victim’s cryptocurrency. He transferred the stolen funds through numerous cryptocurrency addresses under his control, using peel chains and other tactics in an attempt to hide his theft. While the stolen funds were valued at approximately $2.1 million at the time of his theft, they reached a high of over $8 million in 2021, when the victim discovered the theft. By that point, the defendant had already cashed out most of the stolen cryptocurrency and spent those funds on his own living expenses and a business endeavor.
“Whether we’re talking cryptocurrency or cold hard cash, stealing money that doesn’t belong to you is a crime,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Adam Davis took advantage of someone who’d turned to him for guidance, stringing the victim along as he drained assets from her accounts. My office and the Secret Service won’t hesitate to hold cybercriminals accountable for the laws they’ve broken and the harm they’ve caused their victims.”
“Mr. Davis earned the victim’s trust in order to steal millions,” said Michael Centrella, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Philadelphia Field Office. “The U.S. Secret Service will continue to investigate crimes involving the theft of cryptocurrency and work to hold individuals, like Mr. Davis, responsible for their actions.”
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah M. Wolfe. United States Secret Service analysts played a significant role in this case.
Clay County Convicted Felon Sentenced to over 6 Years in Federal Prison on Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Chief United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Edward Sherwood Gustafson, IV, (31, Green Cove Springs) to 6 years and 3 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. The court also ordered Gustafson to forfeit a Smith and Wesson pistol and 15 rounds of ammunition traceable to the firearm offense. Gustafson was arrested on May 9, 2023, and ordered detained. He entered a guilty plea on August 31, 2023.
According to court documents, on January 21, 2023, members of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) were looking for Gustafson based on an active felony arrest warrant. A CCSO deputy observed him driving and initiated a traffic stop. Upon stopping, Gustafson immediately got out of his truck and a struggle ensued between him and the deputy. The deputy eventually handcuffed and arrested Gustafson based on the felony arrest warrant. During a subsequent search of Gustafson’s truck, officers located a loaded Smith and Wesson pistol. Underneath the truck’s hood, a travel bag was zip-tied to the engine bay area which contained cocaine, methamphetamine, a scale for weighing drugs, approximately 50 small baggies, and numerous pills. Further investigation determined that the total weight of the methamphetamine was approximately 22 grams and that Gustafson had seven prior felony convictions to include felony domestic battery, fleeing and eluding law enforcement, and shooting a deadly missile. As a convicted felon, Gustafson is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
“As we fight the scourge of drugs that plague our communities, we are grateful for our partnership with the US Attorney’s Office. Together we will continue to hold accountable those who choose to sell this poison in our streets,” said Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook.
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – Jacksonville Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
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.
Choir teacher sentenced for receiving child pornography from another local residentRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 33-year-old Mexican citizen has been sentenced for receiving child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Orlando Diaz-Ramirez pleaded guilty Sept. 8, 2023, admitting he received 300 videos of child pornography from Israel Flores, 22, Los Fresnos.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now sentenced Diaz to 97 months in federal prison. At the hearing, the court heard that Diaz had an additional eight GB of child pornography on his Dropbox account and that he was employed as a choir teacher at a local middle school at the time of the offense. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that by engaging in the receipt of this material, Diaz’ actions fed into the market for the production of child pornography and the possible victimization of future children.
Flores was also previously sentenced to 97 months in prison. Diaz and Flores must also pay $24,000 and $21,000, respectively, to known victims. Both men will also be ordered to register as sex offenders and must serve five years on supervised release, during which time they will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Not a U.S. citizen, Diaz is expected to face removal proceedings following his sentence.
In October 2020, authorities conducted an investigation identifying an individual uploading child pornography to a Dropbox account. They linked the associated IP address to a residence in Donna that belonged to Diaz.
In April 2021, authorities executed a federal search warrant at the location. At that time, he admitted to downloading child pornography through Kik and uploading it to his Dropbox account. He also stated he possessed a USB drive containing child pornography which he received from Flores.
Authorities then contacted Flores at his residence in Los Fresnos who admitted he provided the USB to Diaz. He had used his Kik account to access accounts in Mega, a cloud-based storage and file hosting service, to obtain the child pornography. Flores then downloaded the material onto the USB drive.
A review of the USB drive revealed 300 videos of child pornography including prepubescent minors under the age of 12 engaged in sexual acts with adults.
Diaz and Flores 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.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell 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 tab on that page.
Chicago Man Sentenced to 96 Months in Federal Prison for Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Chicago man was sentenced on Thursday, June 27, 2024, to 96 months in federal prison for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
According to public court documents, Nicolas Oneal Garrett, 35, was arrested by the Iowa City Police Department after they were notified that Garrett had taken a firearm from his ex-girlfriend’s residence in Chicago and was on his way to Iowa City on a bus. Garrett was in possession of the firearm when he was apprehended. Garrett had previously been convicted of multiple felonies and a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence and was prohibited from possessing firearms.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Garrett will be required to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Opioid CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jesus Emmanuel Davis, 24, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to distribution of protonitazene and isotonitazene.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 7, 2023, Davis sold five pills to a confidential informant in Charleston. The West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory confirmed that the pills contained protonitazene and isotonitazene, synthetic opioids potentially more dangerous and deadly than fentanyl.
Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-51.
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Catholic Medical Center to Pay $300,000 to Settle Allegations of Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Catholic Medical Center (CMC) in Manchester agreed to pay $300,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by failing to keep accurate records of controlled substances, including opioids, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
The CSA deters the illegal distribution, possession, dispensing, and improper use of controlled substances. The CSA requires the accurate inventorying, tracking and recordkeeping of controlled substances to prevent misuse.
“The CSA created a ‘closed system’ of controlled substance distribution so the DEA can better monitor the movement of prescription drugs to end users. The requirement to keep complete and accurate records is crucial for accountability and transparency. In this case, an independent, certified registered nurse anesthetist was able to steal controlled substances almost every day she worked over the course of a year. Her thefts should have been detected before she was able to steal hundreds of doses of fentanyl. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate these cases to ensure that hospitals abide by the regulations of the CSA,” said U.S. Attorney Jane Young.
“DEA registrants are responsible for handling-controlled substances responsibly and ensuring that complete and accurate records are being properly kept and accounted for in compliance with the Controlled Substance Act,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belleau, Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division. “We are committed to working with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to ensure that these rules and regulations are followed.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began an investigation after CMC reported that an independent, certified registered nurse anesthetist, Robin Nichols, had tampered with and diverted liquid fentanyl, a narcotic painkiller drug. On June 12, 2024, Nichols pled guilty to tampering with consumer products. Nichols admitted that on April 15, 2023, while working as a nurse at CMC, she removed a quantity of fentanyl from a syringe intended for an operating room patient and which she knew was intended for that patient. Nichols replaced the fentanyl with a quantity of liquid saline and hydromorphone (Dilaudid). She also admitted to diverting the fentanyl for her own use.
The Investigation revealed that Nichols stole controlled substances approximately once every day that she worked for a year. One of the ways she diverted was by stealing fentanyl leftover from medical procedures, instead of safely discarding it. This action by Nichols resulted in the creation and retention of false wasting records. Therefore, the investigation revealed CMC’s failure to keep accurate and complete wasting records.
The DEA also completed an audit of CMC’s records which found that the records did not accurately reflect CMC’s inventory for seven controlled substances, including fentanyl, because CMC possessed greater quantities than its records indicated for those drugs. The DEA also found that CMC did not have effective controls and procedures in place to guard against the theft and diversion of controlled substances.
CMC did not admit to liability. CMC fully cooperated with the government’s investigation and has taken significant steps to improve its controls and procedures against future theft and diversion of controlled substances.
The DEA led the investigation leading to the settlement agreement. The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raphael Katz.
Buffalo man who threatened to blow up the VA pleads guiltyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Demont Coston, 56, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Romer to assault upon a federal employee, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Henning, who is handling the case, stated that on September 12, 2023, Coston called the U.S. Veterans Affairs Crisis Line and made repeated threats to blow-up the Buffalo VA facility. Later that same day Coston again called the VA Crisis Line and stated that “I should go blow... I should go burn the building down.” On September 14, 2023, Coston texted the Crisis Line that “The VA haven't done (expletive) for me in 30 years, it’s time to get rid of it, by any means necessary.” Coston also said that he would be “Taking out all V.A. facilities, but I have 1 n mind first” and “I'm in DC, near the main VA ha ha ha good, I know where to hit them.”
The plea is the result of an investigation by the VA Medical Center Police, under the direction of Chief Richard King and the VA Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Christopher Algieri.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 11, 2024, at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Roemer.
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Adair Police Chief Sentenced to 60 Months in Federal Prison for Fraud, False Statements, and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Adair Police Chief was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in federal prison for conspiring to make false statements to the ATF, making false statements to the ATF, and illegal possession of a machine gun.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, since July 2018, Bradley Eugene Wendt, 47, has been the Chief of Police for Adair, Iowa. He is also the owner of BW Outfitters, a federal firearms licensee in Denison, Iowa. Evidence at trial showed that, between July 2018 and August 2022, Wendt used his position as Chief of Police to obtain machine guns for his own personal use and profit, including to buy machine guns for his own store.
Generally, machine guns made after May 1986 are illegal to transfer and possess. But law enforcement agencies can buy machine guns for their official use and an authorized dealer can get machine guns to demonstrate to a police department for the department’s future possible purchase. If a police department wants to purchase or receive a demonstration of a machine gun, it can submit a letter to ATF, referred to as a “law letter,” expressing its need for and interest in the machine gun.
Between July 2018 and August 2022, Wendt wrote nearly 40 law letters, requesting the purchase or demonstration of 90 machine guns for the Adair Police Department. In the law letters to purchase machine guns for his two-man department, Wendt said he was buying the machine guns for the official use of his department and was not getting the machine guns for resale. In the law letters requesting demonstrations of machine guns, Wendt said the Adair Police Department wanted a demonstration for the department’s future possible purchase of the requested machine guns.
A jury found that Wendt made false statements in several of the law letters, convicting him of one count of conspiracy to make false statements to the ATF and eight counts of making a false statement to the ATF. Evidence at trial showed that Wendt purchased machine guns for the Adair Police Department, but later resold those machine guns at a personal profit of nearly $80,000. The evidence also showed Wendt used demonstration law letters to purchase machine guns for his own gun store, BW Outfitters, including a .50 caliber machine gun called a “Ma Deuce,” which he immediately mounted to his personally owned armored Humvee.
Wendt was also convicted of one count of illegal possession of a machine gun, based on his personal possession of a belt-fed, M60 machine gun registered to the Adair Police Department. Wendt, along with his gun store BW Outfitters, hosted a machine gun shoot in April 2022, where he charged the public to shoot machine guns, including several registered to the Adair Police Department. The jury found Wendt was not acting within the scope of his official duties when he possessed the M60 machine gun.
Wendt was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine. After completing his term of imprisonment, Wendt will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said “We expect law enforcement officers to uphold their oath to protect and serve our communities. Instead, Brad Wendt broke the law and betrayed the community by unlawfully obtaining and selling firearms for his own personal profit. The FBI remains steadfast in aggressively investigating and bringing to justice those who misuse their authority for personal gain.”
“Wendt was held accountable for committing a betrayal of the public’s trust by engaging in this machine gun trafficking scheme for personal gain,” stated Gordon N. Mallory, Acting Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Kansas City Division. “This sentence sends a loud message to anyone in public service: if they betray their oath of office and their responsibility to their community, they will be held accountable.”
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made the announcement. “At its core this case was about false statements, driven by the personal ambition of man who saw his badge as a means to an end, rather than a calling.,” stated U.S. Attorney Richard Westphal, “Thank you to our dedicated law enforcement partners at FBI and ATF, and a hard-working prosecution team for pursuing a challenging case and holding Brad Wendt accountable.” This case was investigated by ATF and FBI, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mikaela Shotwell, Shai Gonzales, and Ryan Leemkuil.
2 July 2024
Worcester Man Sentenced to More Thank Six Years in Prison for Firearm and Drug-Related ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester man who was previously charged with unlawfully possessing a machinegun was sentenced on June 28, 2024 for drug charges.
Jose Rivera, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to 75 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In April 2024, Rivera pleaded guilty to possession of a machinegun, receipt of a firearm by a person under indictment for a felony, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
During a search of Rivera’s residence on March 7, 2023, three Glock switches – including one attached to a loaded Glock .40 caliber firearm were recovered. Glock switches convert semi-automatic Glock pistols into fully automatic machineguns and are considered machineguns under federal law. Three large capacity magazines, including a 50-round drum magazine and boxes of ammunition were also seized. Rivera also possessed cocaine intended for distribution as well as a scale, tray, and small plastic baggies, and $9,000 in cash. Rivera received the Glock .40 caliber firearm on or after Oct. 9, 2021, while he was under indictment in state court for felonies punishable by a term of imprisonment of over a year.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Interim Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Winnsboro Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Juawn Robertson, 39, of Winnsboro, was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on May 30, 2021, an officer with the Cayce Department of Public Safety tried to conduct a traffic stop on Robertson’s vehicle. Robertson did not stop and continued to drive eventually stalling in the parking lot of a local restaurant. Robertson then ran from his vehicle. Officers caught Robertson and took him into custody.
After officers detained Robertson, they reviewed the dash camera footage of the traffic stop which recorded Robertson tossing a bag during his flight from law enforcement. Officers recovered the bag which contained a loaded firearm. Robertson has prior convictions for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, distribution of crack cocaine, distribution of cocaine, and assault and battery 2nd degree. All of which prohibit him from possessing firearms.
United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Robertson to 40 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Cayce Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.
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Williamsburg man sentenced for soliciting sex with a minorRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Williamsburg man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for attempted online coercion and enticement of a minor.
According to court documents, during an undercover operation targeting child exploitation and human trafficking, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Task Force Officer from Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent posed as a female interested in sexual activity and “cash” on a website commonly used for escorts and adult services. On May 25, 2023, the agent was contacted via text message by Nico Mariano Villegas, 32. Believing he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl, Villegas arranged to meet her in Norfolk and pay her $150 for oral sex.
After exchanging photographs, including several pictures of himself, Villegas drove to the location where they had agreed to meet. When law enforcement attempted to conduct a traffic stop by activating their emergency lights and blocking Villegas’ vehicle, Villegas accelerated forward, striking the police vehicles, and later abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot. An HSI Task Force Officer from the Virginia State Police eventually located Villegas hiding behind a nearby retail store and arrested him.
HSI investigators discovered copies of the conversations and identified child sexual abuse material on Villegas’ phone.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent; and Mack Hickman, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Mozzi prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-120.
Vice President of Kansas Company Pleads Guilty to Crimes Related to Scheme to Illegally Export U.S. Avionics Equipment to Russia and Russian End UsersRead the Press Release
Douglas Edward Robertson, 56, of Olathe, Kansas, the former vice president of KanRus Trading Company Inc., pleaded guilty today for his role in a years-long conspiracy to circumvent U.S. export laws by filing false export forms with the U.S. government and, after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, continuing to sell and export sophisticated and controlled avionics equipment to customers in Russia without the required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“Robertson, by his own admission, conspired to sell advanced U.S. avionics equipment to Russian customers in violation of U.S. law,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen. “The Justice Department will not tolerate those who seek to undermine the effectiveness of export controls that protect critical U.S. technology and deter Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.”
“Robertson’s guilty plea is reflective of the strong evidence gathered against him by federal investigators and the solid case presented by federal prosecutors,” said U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher for the District of Kansas. “Our nation is both proud and grateful to these men and women at the Department of Justice who seek to protect the United States and our national security interests from adversaries both foreign and domestic.”
“Those who seek to profit by illegally selling sophisticated U.S. technology to our adversaries are putting the national security of our country at risk and that cannot be tolerated,” said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “It is appalling that the defendant schemed to smuggle avionics equipment to customers overseas including Russia, a nation engaged in a long-running military conflict with Ukraine. The FBI will work with our partners to stop the illegal flow of sensitive U.S. equipment and technology to foreign adversaries.”
“You might think that smuggling sensitive U.S.-origin technology to Russia, including to their Federal Security Service (FSB), means we’re not in Kansas anymore. Unfortunately, in this case, we were,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew A. Axelrod. “We will continue to hold individuals everywhere, including those at the highest rungs of the corporate ladder, accountable when they violate our laws by lying on forms and transshipping items through third countries.”
According to court documents, as part of his guilty plea, Robertson admitted that between 2020 and when he was arrested in March 2023, he conspired with others – including co-defendants Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky of Lawrence, Kansas, and Oleg Chistyakov, aka Olegs Čitsjakovs, of Riga, Latvia, – to smuggle U.S.-origin avionics equipment to end users in Russia, as well as Russian end users in other foreign countries by, among other actions, knowingly filing false export forms and failing to file required export forms with the U.S. government. In these forms, Robertson and his conspirators lied about the exports’ value, end users, and end destinations.
Robertson further admitted that on at least one occasion in 2021, he, Buyanovsky, and Chistyakov smuggled a repaired Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) to the FSB by removing the FSB sticker from the device before sending the device to a U.S. company to be repaired and then exporting the TCAS back to the FSB in Russia. At the time, the FSB was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for its interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.
Robertson further admitted that after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and the U.S. government tightened export controls concerning Russia, he, co-defendants Buyanovsky and Chistyakov, and other conspirators continued to purchase and export U.S.-origin avionics equipment to customers in Russia and took numerous steps to hide their illegal activity from law enforcement, including by lying to U.S. suppliers about the intended end users; shipping goods through intermediary companies in Armenia, Laos, the United Arab Emirates, and Cyprus; continuing to file false export forms with the U.S. government; and using foreign bank accounts in countries other than Russia, such as Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, and the Czech Republic, to promote their illegal export activity.
On Dec. 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce added many of the entities and individuals involved in KanRus and Robertson’s illegal export scheme to the Commerce Department’s Entity List as part of the U.S. government’s interagency efforts to dismantle Russian procurement networks designed to circumvent U.S. export controls and sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Entity List imposes specific license requirements on all listed individuals and entities.
In December 2023, Buyanovsky, the former President and owner of KanRus, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering and consented to the forfeiture of over $450,000 worth of avionics equipment and accessories, and a $50,000 personal forfeiture judgment.
On March 19, Chistyakov, a former KanRus broker, was arrested in Riga, Latvia, for his role in the illegal smuggling scheme. Chistyakov remains detained in Latvia pending extradition proceedings.
As a result of today’s guilty plea, Robertson faces a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy count, 20 years in prison for each of the two Export Control Reform Act counts, and 20 years in prison for the money laundering count. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 3.
The FBI and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement are investigating the case. The Latvian authorities are assisting the investigation. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection provided substantial assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Rask and Ryan Huschka for the District of Kansas and Trial Attorney Adam Barry of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs is providing valuable assistance.
The investigation was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
Venezuelan National Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Victor Alexander Morales-Acosta (27, Venezuela) to 24 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States. Morales-Acosta entered a guilty plea on March 20, 2024.
According to court documents, Morales-Acosta is a Venezuelan citizen and national who entered the United States illegally on September 1, 2022, by crossing the border from Mexico into Texas, at a place other than a port of entry, without inspection. On November 1, 2023, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) task force officers (TFOs) preparing to execute a search warrant on an Orlando residence suspected of being used in drug trafficking observed Morales-Acosta run inside the home. Morales-Acosta subsequently exited the back of the house carrying a loaded Glock 27 semiautomatic 40 caliber handgun and two baggies containing approximately 56 grams of cocaine. Morales-Acosta was immediately confronted by a TFO and threw the firearm and baggies into a planter bed behind the residence. The firearm had been reported stolen by its owner in Virginia in September 2023.
During a search incident to arrest, officers recovered from Morales-Acosta’s person a fake lawful permanent resident (LPR) card. Morales-Acosta admitted buying the fake LPR card for a $100 when he arrived in the Orlando area in 2022 and needed documentation to be able to work.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the DEA, the Orlando Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro.
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.