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25 June 2024
Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Carlito Harris Carter, 44, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 22, 2024, Carter sold a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant for $50. The transaction took place at Carter’s St. Albans residence.
On January 26, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Carter’s residence and found approximately 300 grams of methamphetamine, 200 grams of fentanyl, 300 grams of marijuana, various firearm components, ammunition, and $1,695. Carter admitted to possessing and intending to distribute the methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Carter 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 St. Albans Police Department.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum 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-46.
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KC Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for using a 9-year-old victim to produce child pornography.
Jackie M. Hill, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 16 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Hill to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration. Hill will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
On Jan. 31, 2024, Hill pleaded guilty to producing child pornography. Hill admitted that he used a 9-year-old victim to produce 21 images of child pornography on Feb. 3, 2023. Hill posted three images of child pornography, including two images of the child victim, on a website dedicated to the discussion of child sexual abuse and the advertisement and sharing of child pornography.
On April 12, 2023, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Hill’s residence. Agents seized a desktop computer, a thumb drive, and a cell phone. A forensic analysis of the devices determined that thousands of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minors were located on them, including pornographic images and videos of infants, toddlers, and prepubescent children.
Hill admitted that he had been involved in trafficking child pornography for at least eight years prior to his arrest.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by the FBI.
Project Safe Childhood
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."
Houston dental clinic operator heads to prison for role in $6M pediatric fraud schemeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - A 68-year-old man has been sentenced for orchestrating a $6 million Medicaid fraud and kickbacks scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Rene Fernandez Gaviola pleaded guilty Jan. 26.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Gaviola to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In addition, Judge Crane ordered Gaviola to pay $4,908,957.89 in restitution to Medicaid and a personal money judgement of $2,996,092. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Gaviola involved his own son in his “crooked” fraud scheme. Judge Crane also emphasized that Gaviola had failed to make any attempt to pay back restitution even though he has $2 million in assets stashed away in the Philippines.
Gaviola was the operator of Floss Family Dental Care clinic in Houston. From 2018 until April 2021, Gaviola submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid for pediatric dental services, including numerous cavity fillings which Floss did not provide or unlicensed individuals provided.
Gaviola illegally employed his son, who was not a licensed dentist, to provide dental services to Medicaid-insured children and occasionally operated Floss without any licensed dentists present. Floss then fraudulently billed Medicaid for these services.
Gaviola also paid kickbacks to marketers and caregivers of Medicaid-insured children to bring them to Floss for dental services. Ultimately, he admitted to laundering Medicaid monies from the Floss business bank account to his personal bank account in several transactions exceeding $100,000.
From 2019 to 2021, the dental clinic billed Medicaid nearly $6.9 million in claims for pediatric dental services. Medicaid paid approximately $4.9 million on those claims.
Gaviola’s co-conspirator, Mia Diaz, 48, Cleveland, a manager at Floss, was previously sentenced to 21 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release April 16.
Previously released on bond, Gaviola was taken into custody following the sentencing where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
FBI, Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Olson and Lauren Valenti prosecuted the case.
Hampton cocaine trafficker pleads guilty to federal drug and firearm crimesRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man pled guilty today to cocaine trafficking and illegally possessing firearms.
According to court documents, on Jan. 15, 2024, an officer with the Newport News Police Department (NNPD) observed Erick Allen Osby, 29, showing a firearm to another individual in a parking lot on Warwick Boulevard. Osby then walked back to his vehicle and placed the firearm on the front passenger seat, then walked across Warwick. The officer confirmed that the firearm was in the vehicle and notified uniformed officers, who were on the other side of Warwick for an unrelated matter.
As officers observed Osby interacting with another individual, they noticed a partially concealed handgun in Osby’s pants pocket. An officer approached Osby, but before contact could be made, Osby ran back across Warwick toward his vehicle. During the short foot pursuit, Osby threw a cellphone and a loaded .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun into the median before being apprehended.
Investigators recovered a 9mm semiautomatic handgun from the vehicle, as well as a shotgun cartridge, two digital scales, and assorted drug paraphernalia. They also recovered 20.72 grams of cocaine from Osby’s pocket. As a previously convicted felon, Osby cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition.
Osby pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 13, 2025, and faces up to 20 years in prison for the drug charge and a consecutive sentence of a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in prison for the firearm charge. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter G. Osyf is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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. 24-cr-26.
Gang Member Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Racketeering and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips gang was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for his role in a racketeering conspiracy and for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Amir Warden, aka “Stamps,” aka “Killa,” 31, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to a superseding information that charged him with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. Judge Wigenton imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2015 through Sept. 22, 2022, Warden was a member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips, a criminal enterprise responsible for acts of violence and the distribution of controlled substances in the District of New Jersey and elsewhere. Warden held a leadership role within the enterprise and conspired with other members and associates to distribute controlled substances. On Aug. 19, 2019, he distributed heroin. On Sept. 29, 2022, Warden, a convicted felon, knowingly possessed three loaded firearms, three high-capacity drum magazines, and approximately 1,300 rounds of assorted ammunition.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentenced Warden to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz; special agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan; special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ross A. Marchetti; investigators of the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Juan Mattos; the Irvington Police Department, under the direction of Police Division Director Tracy Bowers; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé; the Bloomfield Police Department, under the direction of Director of Public Safety Samuel A. DeMaio; the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura; the East Orange Police Department, under the direction of Chief Phyllis L. Bindi; the Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Earl J. Graves; the Edison Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Tom Bryan; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor William A. Daniel; the Spotswood Police Department, under the direction of Chief Philip Corbisiero; and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Fugitive and Missing Person Task Force, which includes members of the FBI, with the investigations leading to the charges in the Rollin 60’s Neighborhood Crips investigation.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Special Prosecutions Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Nasar of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit.
Franklin County Man Charged with Threatening State SenatorRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG– The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Richard Little, age 49, of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, was charged in a criminal complaint with threatening a Pennsylvania State Senator and unlawfully possessing a firearm while being an unlawful user of a controlled substance. A preliminary hearing was held today, and Magistrate Judge Daryl F. Bloom found probably cause for both charges.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, on or about June 10, 2024, Little was served with an eviction notice and began posting threatening videos on Facebook, including against a County Commissioner. Among other things, in the videos, Little spoke of a “war” and described “kill zones” while displaying multiple firearms and ammunition in his residence. Little also showed marijuana in one video and admitted to using the controlled substance. Thereafter, on or about June 21, 2024, Little posted on his Facebook threatening remarks against a State Senator.
That same date, law enforcement arrested Little and searched his residence. Inside, law enforcement seized several items, including approximately 17 firearms, ammunition, marijuana, illegal mushrooms, and drug paraphernalia.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley (Wes) Mishoe is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the charges against Little is 20 years imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Charges are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Former St. Louis School Principal Sentenced to Two Consecutive Life Terms in Prison for Teacher’s MurderRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a former St. Louis middle school principal to two consecutive life terms in prison for hiring a friend to kill his pregnant schoolteacher girlfriend.
Cornelius M. Green, 42, pleaded guilty in February to one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one count of murder-for-hire in the deaths of 30-year-old Jocelyn Peters and her unborn child, Micah Leigh, in 2016.
A jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in March found Phillip J. Cutler, 46, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, guilty of the same charges. Judge White sentenced Cutler last week to two consecutive life terms in prison.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Peters’ mother, Lacey Peters, said Green was supposed to be Peters’ protector but became her executioner. “All she ever did was love him,” Lacey Peters said, adding “and she loved that baby so much.”
Peters’ cousin, Dedra Peters, said “Jocelyn had a light around her at all times,” and “touched the heart of anyone she came in contact with.” Peters’ death has left the “family empty and heartbroken,” she said.
Peters had miscarried before and terminated one pregnancy at Green’s urging, but was determined to keep Micah Leigh, according to a sentencing memo filed by prosecutors. But she mistakenly believed she was the only woman in Green’s life, and that Green was divorcing his wife. Peters did not know about the multiple other women, including at least one who was also being duped by Green into believing they were building a life together. She also did not know that Green was researching ways to secretly poison Micah Lee by crushing pills and hiding them in oatmeal or yogurt. When that plan failed, Green contacted his longtime friend, Cutler, and stole money from the dance team’s fundraiser at the school where he worked, Carr Lane Visual and Performing Arts Middle School, to pay Cutler.
“He literally stole from children to pay for killing his own child,” said Dr. Nicole Conaway, the principal of Mann Elementary when Peters worked there. Dr. Conaway said she had to tell Peters’ class about her murder. “I will never forget the pain in their eyes,” she said. “This trauma will follow them for the rest of their lives.”
Green and Cutler planned the murder in a series of phone calls and Green sent Cutler a UPS package containing $2,500 cash on March 7, 2016. On March 21, Cutler arrived in St. Louis.
Green took a train trip to Chicago to establish his alibi for the murder, giving Cutler the keys to his Kia Optima and Peters’ apartment.
On March 24, Cutler drove Green’s car to Peters’ apartment in the 4200 block of West Pine in St. Louis, let himself in using Green’s keys, and shot Peters in the eye using a potato as a silencer. Peters was working on baby shower invitations at the time she was killed. Green had Peters buy potatoes days before her own murder.
Court exhibitAfter Cutler confirmed that Jocelyn and the baby had been killed, Green bought a return train ticket.
When Green got back to St. Louis, he first tried to get Peters’ mother to “check on her,” knowing what she would find, the memo says.
“The depravity of asking a mother to go find Jocelyn’s body, knowing she was dead, can’t be matched,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Becker said during Tuesday’s hearing.
Only after he learned that she was unavailable did he go to Peters’ apartment and call 911 to report her death. He pretended he had no knowledge of the circumstances leading to the deaths, lying to police and getting Cutler and others to conceal evidence. Cutler was detained for questioning that same night, after he attempted to retrieve the Kia Optima from the crime scene at Green’s direction.
When told he was being detained, Cutler ate two pieces of paper from a notebook in his pocket.
“The devastating actions of one depraved individual continue to impact the victims’ family, colleagues, friends and young students,” said St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “We are grateful for the resources provided by the U.S. Attorney’s office to help bring closure to this heartbreaking case.”
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) and the FBI investigated the case, which is being prosecuted in cooperation with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Becker and Zachary Bluestone are prosecuting the case. Former SLMPD Homicide Detective Mark Biondolino was the case agent. The case against Green was initially prosecuted by Chief Trial Attorney Marvin O. Teer, Jr. and Assistant Circuit Attorney Rob Huq in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office.
Victims of domestic and family violence seeking help can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or contact one of the agencies listed here: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/live-work/community/help/domestic-violence.cfm.
Former Panama City Doctor Agrees to $550,000 Consent Judgment to Resolve FCA and CSA LawsuitRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Dr. Mustafa A. Hammad, M.D., a neurologist and pain management physician who formerly practiced medicine at the NeuroMedical Institute (“NMI”) in Panama City, Florida, entered into a consent judgment and settlement agreement to resolve a pending lawsuit filed by the United States pursuant to the False Claims Act and the Controlled Substances Act. The judgment and settlement were announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“This lawsuit and resolution demonstrate our resolve to hold physicians accountable for the blatant fraudulent billing of our federal health care programs,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “Together, with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to defend the fiscal integrity of federal healthcare programs. This agreement results in the return of fraud proceeds to the American taxpayers and through the surrender of his DEA registration, ensures the defendant’s fraudulent billing practices have come to an end.”
In March 2023, the United States filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida alleging numerous violations under the FCA and CSA. See United States v. Mustafa A. Hammad, M.D., Case No. 5:23-cv-00063-TKW-MJF. The lawsuit alleged that Hammad established medical centers in Palestine and Israel in approximately 2017 and has resided outside the United States since approximately September 2019. The United States alleged that Hammad conducted and interpreted approximately 582 sleep studies while he was physically located outside the United States and thereafter billed the Medicare and Medicaid programs for such services in violation of the FCA. The United States also alleged that Hammad issued multiple prescriptions on dates he was physically outside the United States in violation of the CSA. Finally, the United States alleged that Hammad also billed the Government for approximately 4,787 additional services allegedly performed at NMI while he was physically outside the United States in violation of the FCA.
To resolve the pending litigation, Hammad agreed to the following, among others: (1) a consent judgment in the amount of $550,000; (2) the United States’ sale of Hammad’s real property in Panama City; (3) not contest a forfeiture judgment entered against Hammad in the amount of $506,017.40 in United States v. $42,924.20, et al., Case. No. 5:22-cv-00065-TKW-MJF; and (4) to not reapply for a DEA registration.
“Doctors, like Hammad, who falsify prescriptions and medical records increase the likelihood of prescription misuse and abuse,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “This consent judgement demonstrates our resolve to hold those accountable who misuse their DEA Registration.”
“Physicians who participate in federal health care programs must follow the law when billing federally funded health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid,” said Stephen Mahmood, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG is committed to protecting the integrity of these taxpayer-funded programs and the people they serve. Working closely with the United States Attorney’s Office and our other law enforcement partners, we will continue to thoroughly investigate such fraudulent billing schemes.”
This civil settlement agreement is not an admission of any liability by Dr. Hammad, nor a concession by the United States that its claims were not well-founded.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mary Ann Couch, Marie Moyle, Katherine Kerwin, Kaitlin Weiss, and Andrew Grogan represented the United States in this matter and related forfeiture action, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (Diversion Control Program), Bay County Sherriff’s Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and United States Department of Health and Human Services.
The U.S. 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 U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Former Nonprofit Finance Director Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. —Ashley Clark Ingram, 34, of Columbia, has pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds for misappropriating funds from Habitat for Humanity of Central South Carolina.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that while employed as the director of finance and operations for Habitat for Humanity, Ingram applied for an employee retention tax credit for retaining employees during the COVID-19 pandemic from the IRS on behalf of Habitat for Humanity, but without the knowledge of the nonprofit. Ingram then received checks totaling $388,550.75 from the United States Treasury and deposited the funds into a Habitat for Humanity account that she controlled. Ingram transferred the money from the Habitat for Humanity account into multiple personal bank accounts and appropriated it to her own use. In total, Ingram misappropriated approximately $514,672.37 from Habitat for Humanity and the United States Government.
Ingram faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. She also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, and a total of three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Ingram at a future date after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews is prosecuting the case.
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Former Florida Keys Resident Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MIAMI –Yesterday, Eric Edward Cadogan, a/k/a “livelife4fun69,” 39, of La Crosse, Wis., formerly of Marathon, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore to 240 months in federal prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, after previously pleading guilty to distributing child pornography.
According to the factual proffer in support of the plea and information presented in court, Cadogan uploaded and distributed child pornography using a social media messaging platform. Cadogan also offered to sell child pornography and said he had “100 of videos n pictures.” In messages with an online undercover agent, Cadogan indicated he had engaged in sexually explicit conduct with minor children.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentence.
FBI Miami Key West Resident Agency investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine W. Guthrie prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about the PSC initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Anyone with information regarding suspected child abuse (to include physical and sexual abuse) is encouraged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-CR-10017.
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Former Alabama Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights Offense of Excessive ForceRead the Press Release
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA – Former Elmore County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Deputy Blake Hicks, 33, was sentenced today to 29 months in prison and three years of supervised release for depriving an arrestee of his civil rights under color of law.
According to documents and statements made in court, Hicks willfully used unreasonable force against an arrestee. Specifically, without legal justification, Hicks punched and kicked the arrestee in or around the head while the arrestee was handcuffed and incapacitated on the ground. The arrestee suffered a broken cheekbone, concussion and lacerations from Hicks’ assault.
“This defendant had a duty to respect the rights of people in his custody and to keep them safe,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Instead, he violently assaulted a person under arrest who was not resisting or threatening harm to the defendant or the public. The Justice Department remains firmly committed to holding accountable law enforcement officials who abuse their powers and use excessive force against people in custody.”
“We expect law enforcement officers to maintain order and ensure public safety,” said United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross for the Middle District of Alabama. “These are tremendous responsibilities. Fortunately, the vast majority of officers serve honorably. Hicks fell short of his obligation to protect and serve. The sentence imposed today ensures that he is held responsible for his actions. Failure to hold Hicks accountable would discredit the noble service of other officers and weaken the public’s trust in law enforcement.”
The FBI Mobile Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Trial Attorney Laura-Kate Bernstein and Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Counts for the Middle District of Alabama are prosecuting the case.
Foreign National Sentenced to 7 Years and 3 Months for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Francisco Ramirez-Vasquez, 22, of Guatemala, was sentenced on June 25, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for one count of possession of meth with the intent to distribute. Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Ramirez-Vasquez to a total of 87 months’ imprisonment for both counts. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ramirez-Vasquez’s release from prison, he will begin a 2-year term of supervised release.
On March 15, 2023, the United States Postal Service (USPS) discovered a suspicious package in the mail. A drug dog alerted to the presence of narcotics in the package and inside the package, investigators found three bundles of suspected meth that weighed approximately seven pounds. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence in Hastings and completed a controlled delivery of the package on March 16, 2023. While searching the residence, investigators located the package used during the controlled delivery, a second USPS box containing meth, additional meth in other locations in the residence, cocaine, a suspected drug ledger, $8,026 in U.S. currency, a digital scale, unused sandwich baggies consistent with packaging narcotics, and drug paraphernalia. Ramirez-Vasquez’s phone was seized and searched. The phone contained messages related to drug distribution.
The State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed the substance seized in the USPS boxes was meth, with a total weight over 2665 grams. A sample weighing 443 grams was tested for purity. The lab confirmed that the sample contained at least 420 grams of meth actual.
This case was investigated by the Tri-City Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT). TRIDENT is a task force with law enforcement personnel from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Hastings Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Kearney Police Department, and the Nebraska State Patrol.
Family Members Sentenced in Methamphetamine Trafficking Investigation in Walton CountyRead the Press Release
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – A federal judge sentenced a husband, wife, and their son after previously having been found guilty by a federal jury for trafficking methamphetamine in Walton County. The sentences were announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The defendants and their sentences were:
- Philip Beck, 48, of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, 262 months in prison
- Florence Beck, 47, of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, 120 months in prison
- Joshua Martinez, 28, of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, 258 months in prison
All will be on supervised release once they are released from custody.
“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 sentences illustrate the significant consequences of harming our citizens through illicit drug trafficking activities.”
The investigation revealed that on January 16, 2023, the DeFuniak Springs Police Department stopped a Ram truck operated by Philip Beck and discovered approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine. On March 10, 2023, the U.S. Postal Inspection service intercepted two packages mailed from California to addresses in Niceville and Mossy Head, each containing approximately five pounds of methamphetamine. Subsequent investigation revealed that Philip Beck and Joshua Martinez were the intended recipients of the drug parcels and Florence Beck was assisting them.
"The partnership between the Postal Service and our VICE/Narcotics Unit was critical in getting deadly drugs off our streets," said Sheriff Adkinson. "We are grateful our federal partners were able to achieve significant sentences in this case, keeping these dealers out of our communities for the next two decades."
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service objectives are to preserve the integrity of the nation’s mail system from criminal misuse, rid the mail of illicit drugs, and to keep our communities throughout Florida, safe,” said Juan A. Vargas, Inspector in Charge of the Miami Division. “The sentencings should be a reminder to criminals that we will aggressively pursue those that aim to misuse the mail system.”
This case resulted from a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the DeFuniak Springs Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Walter Narramore 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.
Fact Sheet: Two Years of the Bipartisan Safer Communities ActRead the Press Release
June 25 marks the second anniversary of the enactment of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) – a landmark law focused on reducing and protecting communities from gun violence. The Justice Department has pursued a cross-department approach with the new tools provided in BSCA, from enhanced background checks to grantmaking. Some of the Department’s most significant accomplishments made possible by BSCA follow below.
Publishing an Interim Final Rule (IFR) to Prevent Stolen Firearm from Being Resold
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On June 25, the Department published an IFR that, for the first time, will enable federal firearm licensees (FFLs) to voluntarily check the FBI’s National Crime Information Center records to see if a firearm offered for sale was stolen.
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This IFR will help keep stolen firearms out of FFL inventories, and increase reporting of stolen firearms, helping law enforcement develop leads into firearm theft and trafficking.
Enhanced Checks for Purchasers Under 21
BSCA mandates enhanced background checks for firearm purchasers under the age of 21 (“U21 enhanced checks”), specifically requiring checks of juvenile criminal history and mental health records.
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Since BSCA’s passage:
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Over 260,000 U21 enhanced checks have been completed;
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800 firearm purchases were prevented solely because the enhanced U21 checks revealed that the purchasers were prohibited by law from purchasing or possessing firearms.
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Fighting Illegal Trafficking in Firearms
BSCA created new criminal offenses for unlawfully trafficking in firearms and for straw-purchasing a firearm on behalf of a prohibited person.
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To date, 525 defendants, in 280 cases, have been charged under these new trafficking and straw purchasing provisions. These cases include significant prosecutions of firearms trafficking linked to transnational cartels and narcotics distribution.
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Coordination is ongoing with non-Justice Department federal law enforcement to identify criminal investigations eligible for application of new criminal provisions.
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ATF’s anti-straw-purchasing campaign “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” was expanded, with new events in St. Louis, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Fort Worth, Texas, Jackson, Mississippi, and Chantilly, Virginia.
Narrowing the Boyfriend Loophole
BSCA narrowed the “boyfriend loophole” by prohibiting those convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence (MCDVs) from possessing firearms when those crimes occurred in the context of a dating relationship.
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Nearly 3,000 firearm purchases in 2024 and over 10,000 since 2023 have been denied because of an MCDV conviction (including but not limited to crimes that took place in a dating relationship).
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More than 2,000 entries have been submitted into the FBI’s background check system (NICS), recording an MCDV conviction involving a dating relationship.
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Efforts are ongoing to educate local law enforcement and prosecutors on this new prohibition, including:
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Webinars in 27 states, with 13 more planned;
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NICS trainings attended by over 500 law enforcement agencies;
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A BSCA webinar hosted by EOUSA and attended by nearly 1,000 prosecutors and agents; and
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The Department’s multi-component Domestic Violence Community of Interest (DV-COI) issuing an updated MCDV Reference Card, including guidance on the dating-relationship provision of BSCA.
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Funding Violence Prevention and Intervention Programs
BSCA authorized a total of $1.4 billion in funding for new and existing violence-prevention and intervention programs between 2022 and 2026. Thus far, the Department has provided:
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Over $238 million in Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program grants for state crisis intervention court proceedings.
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Over $73 million in supplemental OJP STOP School Violence grants to enhance school security.
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In part through BSCA funding:
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more than 3,500 schools enhanced intervention teams;
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more than 2,300 schools formed intervention teams; and
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141 schools implemented school safety plans.
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Schools receiving grant funding had licensed professionals assess 95% of those who received clinical threat assessments.
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$40 million in supplemental COPS School Violence Prevention Program grants.
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Over $94 million in supplemental Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI) grants.
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Nearly $75 million in National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) Supplemental Funding.
Engaged in the Business of Dealing in Firearms
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From FY21 to FY23, there was a 60% increase in the number of defendants charged with engaging in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms without a license.
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In April 2024, the Department issued a Final Rule (EIB Rule) implementing the BSCA statutory definition clarifying when a person is “engaged in the business” of dealing in firearms, and thus required to obtain a federal firearms license.
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The EIB Rule will promote increased compliance with federal gun laws, thereby increasing the number of background checks performed, and expanding the availability of records for the tracing of crime guns by law enforcement.
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Federal Jury Convicts Brothers on Felons in Possessions of Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that a federal jury convicted Romeo Walter, 42, and Kenan Thomas, 37, of St. Thomas, of federal and local firearms charges following a six-day trial. Federally, Walter and Thomas were convicted on felon in possession of firearms, and locally, the brothers were convicted on unauthorized possession of firearms. Chief District Judge Robert A. Molloy scheduled the defendants’ sentencings for October 25, 2024.
According to evidence admitted at trial, on April 8, 2020, Virgin Islands Police Department officers were patrolling the Hospital Ground neighborhood in St. Thomas due to recent shootings, including a homicide earlier the same day. The officers entered the “Jah Yard” area of Hospital Ground and pursued a group of individuals, including Walter and Thomas, after the group fled on foot. Surveillance video captured Walter, Thomas, Akeem Julien and Nijontea Walker climbing over a railing and onto the patio of a neighborhood home with two black bags. The surveillance video showed Thomas passing a handgun from his waist to Julien who then placed the gun into a black duffle bag. The footage further showed Thomas leave the patio with two bags heading in one direction, while Julien and Walter traveled in the opposite direction and Walker followed. The officers chased Thomas to a small house in Jah Yard and placed him under arrest. In Thomas’ possession were two bags containing an AK-47 firearm with an obliterated serial number, a Glock 20, 10 mm handgun, a Glock 21, .45 caliber handgun, and an AR-15 firearm all loaded with numerous rounds of ammunition.
Walter, Julien, and Walker were later identified by the video surveillance. On April 19, 2020, Julien was arrested at the Cyril E. King airport in St. Thomas attempting to board a flight to Los Angeles. He later pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and was sentenced on November 21, 2023, to 30 months imprisonment. A reward for information led to the arrest of Walker on May 22, 2020. Walker pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment on September 9, 2023. During the investigation, law enforcement provided a known DNA profile of Walter to compare to DNA found on the firearms which led to his arrest on September 3, 2020, in Oklahoma.
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 case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police
Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Natasha Baker and Kyle PayneElkhart Woman Sentenced to 48 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Beatris Loredo, 44 years old, of Elkhart, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Loredo was sentenced to 48 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, Loredo conspired to receive through the United States mail two packages containing methamphetamine and heroin for distribution. In October 2022, law enforcement intercepted a package bound for Loredo that contained nearly 2 kilograms of pure methamphetamine. In January 2023, law enforcement intercepted a second package bound for Loredo which contained 77 grams of heroin. Both packages originated from Mexico, and Loredo admitted she intended to deliver the packages, but was unable to do so because they never arrived.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration North Central Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jerome W. McKeever.
El Aero Services LLC Agrees to Pay over $2.1 Million for Response to Sheep Creek FireRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – El Aero Services, LLC has entered into a civil settlement agreement pursuant to which it has agreed to pay over $2.1 million dollars for fire response and suppression costs arising out of the Sheep Creek Fire in 2018.
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) incurred $2,173,872.44 in costs and damages to suppress the Sheep Creek Fire, which started on August 18, 2018, after a helicopter crashed in the Sheep Creek Range, North of Battle Mountain, Nevada. The BLM investigated the fire and determined that El Aero Services, LLC was responsible.
“Thanks to the diligence of Assistant United States Attorneys and professional staff in the Civil Division, we have recovered over $2.1 million spent in response to the Sheep Creek Fire, which was sparked by a helicopter accident,” said United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada. “This settlement reflects our office’s commitment to ensuring full recovery of wildfire suppression costs.”
Assistant United States Attorney Skyler Pearson handled this matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
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Court Sentences Two California Men Caught with Approximately Five Kilograms of Fentanyl to 70 Months ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On June 17, 2024, United States District Court Judge, Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Zeshan Malik Fayyaz and Lener Daneski Jairon-Solis, each to 70 months imprisonment each for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.
Documents filed with the Court established that on October 8, 2022 a cooperating source, along with a Mobile County Sheriff's Deputy, acting in an undercover capacity, agreed to meet the two defendants in Mobile County to purchase 2 kilograms of fentanyl for $38,000 per kilogram. When the men arrived at the meet location, Jairon-Solis got out of the vehicle and went into the back seat of the vehicle and opened a suitcase and removed two kilograms of fentanyl in exchange for the cash. Law enforcement had arranged the cash to appear to contain $76,000 by putting $100 bills on the outside and mostly $1 bills on the inside, but in fact it was less than $10,000.
During the operation law enforcement observed what appeared to be more drugs in the suitcase. The vehicle was followed from the location and later stopped by law enforcement and officers recovered an additional three kilograms of fentanyl from the vehicle as well as the undercover buy money. The defendants were planning to deliver the additional three kilograms to Pensacola, Florida.
United States Attorney Sean P. Costello commended the investigators for their hard work and dedication in removing 5 kilograms of the deadly drug fentanyl from the community. Costello added that 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a lethal dose and thus this seizure surely saved many lives given the fentanyl overdose epidemic facing the nation. The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
Court Sentences Moss Point Woman Caught with Approximately Ten Pounds of Methamphetamine to 87 Months ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On June 17, 2024, United States District Court Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Christian Ikenya Amir Lewis to 87 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute 4.464 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Documents filed with the Court established that on January 22, 2020, officers with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force stopped a vehicle being driven by Lewis on Interstate 65 in Baldwin County. Pursuant to further investigation a drug dog alerted on the vehicle Lewis was driving. Inside the trunk of the vehicle officers found almost ten pounds of pure methamphetamine in a hidden compartment in a large speaker box.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Drug Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys George F. May and John P. Hutchins III.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to over 23 Years in Federal Prison for Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – A federal judge has sentenced a Benton County man to over 23 years in federal prison for committing new firearm offenses while being on supervised release for a prior federal firearm sentence. United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, Jason Autry, 49, who was a 16-time convicted felon, was in possession of a rifle, a handgun, and ammunition on December 3, 2020. Autry was previously convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm arising out of a Decatur County, Tennessee incident that occurred on January 15, 2012. He was released to a federal supervised release term of three years on September 16, 2020.
Autry’s eight-year state prison sentence for Solicitation of First-Degree Murder and Facilitation of Especially Aggravated Kidnapping also expired on September 16, 2020. These convictions resulted from Autry’s role in the kidnapping and murder of Holly Bobo, a Decatur County nursing student, on April 13, 2011. Bobo’s body was found over three years later.
It was presented in court that approximately 25 days after the beginning of his supervised release term, Autry had possession of a Smith and Wesson, Model M&P shield, 9mm caliber pistol, which he had stolen. He was in possession of a Marlin, 30-30 caliber rifle and ammunition within 78 days of his release.
On November 22, 2022, Autry pled guilty to three counts of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. On June 24, 2024, United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Autry to a total of 279 months in federal prison for the firearm violations and the supervised release violation. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated for federal prosecution by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as the Benton County Sheriff’s Department.
United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Beth Boswell, Josh Morrow and Naya Bedini, who prosecuted this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.
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For more information, please contact the Media Relations Team at [email protected]. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.
Convicted Felon Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced Aaron Diggs (25, Tampa) to 30 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The court also ordered Diggs to forfeit a semi-automatic firearm, which is traceable to the offense. Diggs entered a guilty plea on March 20, 2024.
According to court documents, during a traffic stop, Diggs was found to be in possession of a semi-automatic firearm which was located under the front driver’s seat. At the time, Diggs had a prior felony conviction in Florida. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Maria Guzman.
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.
Christopher Reese Charged with Defrauding Criminal Defendants Through His Unauthorized Practice of LawRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that a grand jury has returned an Indictment charging CHRISTOPHER REESE, a/k/a “Christopher Eugene Thomas,” with federal crimes related to his tricking federal criminal defendants and their family members into paying REESE, who is not a lawyer, to perform unlicensed legal services for them in federal courts. REESE is already in federal custody in connection with a separate case. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged in a criminal indictment, Christopher Reese sought to profit off the hopes and anxieties of criminal defendants and their families while abusing federal courts for his own financial gain. Reese allegedly tricked people into paying him for legal services he wasn’t authorized to provide, and after promising he could get inmates out of prison time and time again, the only thing Reese achieved was taking money for himself. It’s time for Reese’s alleged fraud on defendants, their families, and the courts to end.”
According to the Indictment:[1]
For years, REESE has run a scam targeting federal inmates and their family members. To carry out his fraud scheme, REESE promised favorable results in criminal cases that he could not actually obtain, rendering legal services he was not authorized to provide in exchange for hefty fees. REESE styles himself as a “legal assistant” or “paralegal” but works without the supervision of a licensed lawyer and offers services that only a lawyer is authorized to provide, including drafting and submitting legal filings in federal courts. REESE brings in business by promising beneficial outcomes to prisoners and their family members that he cannot deliver while knowing — but failing to disclose — the unauthorized nature of his unlicensed legal practice.
REESE would induce victims — criminal defendants and their family members — to pay him thousands of dollars per legal filing. He would do this, for example, by promising that defendants would be “immediately released” based on motions REESE could file in exchange for fees in the thousands of dollars. Sometimes REESE would also offer a “money back guarantee” on his services, but when his motions inevitably failed, REESE would refuse to refund his fees. When his fraud succeeded, and inmates and their family members paid REESE to draft and file legal motions and briefs in federal cases, REESE engaged in the unauthorized practice of law by making a business of drafting and filing legal motions and briefs in federal cases, including cases heard by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit at 40 Foley Square in Manhattan, a federal enclave where New York State’s prohibition on the unauthorized practice of law applies via the Assimilative Crimes Act.
REESE has earned many thousands of dollars from this scheme, and in connection with the proceeds he earned from his legal-services scheme, REESE committed additional crimes. First, REESE was on supervised release in connection with a separate federal criminal case in this District during most of the scheme. In connection with his supervision, and in order to avoid paying criminal restitution that he owed, REESE made false statements to the U.S. Probation Office regarding his finances. Second, REESE laundered the proceeds of his scheme by using a co-conspirator who assisted him with the scheme to effectively act as a bank for him and engaging in financial transactions designed to conceal the source and movement of the fees REESE collected from his victims.
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REESE, 56, of East Meadow, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of unauthorized practice of law in a federal enclave, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison; one count of making false statements to the U.S. Probation Office, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josiah Pertz and Derek Wikstrom are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the Indictment and the descriptions of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Chesterfield couple sentenced for forcing victim to labor for years at their gas station and convenience storeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Chesterfield couple was sentenced today for compelling the labor of the man’s younger cousin at their gas station and convenience store for over three years. The couple has since divorced.
Harmanpreet Singh, 31, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison and Kulbir Kaur, 43, was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison.
“The defendants exploited their relationship with the victim to lure him to the United States with false promises that they would help enroll him in school, and then subjected him to physical and mental abuse to keep him working for their own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Today’s sentence should send a strong message that human trafficking will not be tolerated in our communities. The Justice Department is committed to fully enforcing our federal human trafficking statutes to vindicate the rights of survivors and hold human traffickers accountable.”
“The crimes committed by these defendants are not merely violations of the law; they are an affront to humanity,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “These defendants preyed on the victim’s earnest desire to attain an education and improve his life. Instead, they deprived him of the most basic human needs and robbed him of his freedom. We remain steadfastly committed to securing justice for victims of human trafficking.”
“The defendants lured the victim to travel from India to Virginia to work at their gas station where they exploited him for over three years,” said Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI will continue to work in all communities to stop forced labor trafficking and the psychological and physical violence that comes with it.”
Following a two-week trial in January, a federal jury in the Eastern District of Virginia convicted Singh and Kaur of conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, harboring for financial gain, and document servitude. The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that, in 2018, the defendants enticed the victim, Singh’s cousin and then a minor, to travel to the United States from India with false promises of helping enroll him in school. After arriving in the United States, the defendants took the victim’s immigration documents and instead forced him to provide labor and services at Singh’s store for over three years, between March 2018 and May 2021.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Singh and Kaur compelled the victim to work at the store — including cleaning, cooking, stocking and handling the cash register and store records — between 12 to 17 hours a day, nearly every day, for minimal pay. Singh and Kaur used various coercive means, including subjecting the victim to physical abuse and, at times, degrading living conditions to compel him to continue working.
The evidence showed that the defendants left the victim at the store to sleep in a back office for days at a time on multiple occasions, limited his access to food, refused to provide medical care or education, used surveillance equipment to monitor the victim both at the store and in their home, refused his requests to return to India and made him overstay his visa. The defendants also forced the victim to marry Kaur and used that marriage to threaten to take the victim’s family’s properties or falsely report him to the police if he left. The evidence showed that Singh pulled the victim’s hair, slapped and kicked him when he requested his immigration documents back and tried to leave and, on three different occasions, threatened the victim with a revolver for trying to take a day off and for trying to leave.
The FBI Richmond Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Panth and Peter S. Duffey for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-92.
Californian Sentenced to 18 Months’ Imprisonment for Unlawfully Collecting $100,000 in Unemployment Benefits During COVID-19Read the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – Robert James Waff, 50, of Sacramento, California, was sentenced today to a year and a half imprisonment, three years’ supervised release and ordered by the court to pay $114,066 in restitution. The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell, comes after Waff admitted to devising a scheme to defraud the California Employment Development Department by unlawfully collecting unemployment benefits during COVID-19.
According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, Waff pleaded guilty in March 2024 to aiding and abetting wire fraud.
From June 2020 to September 2020, Waff devised and attempted to execute a scheme to defraud the California Employment Development Department (EDD) by applying for unemployment benefits that were funded by the CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Waff assisted three coconspirators in committing the same acts for a share of their unemployment insurance funds. For example, on one occasion Waff submitted an online application for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits through the (EDD) website, while he was a resident of Clearfield, Utah. Waff listed his residence and mailing address as Fair Oaks, CA. Waff also claimed he had lost employment due to COVID-19 and that before losing employment his annual income was $44,000, and that he planned to return to work for his previous employer. Waff’s fraudulent California EDD application and continued renewal of his California EDD benefits resulted in Waff receiving over $36,000 in fraudulent payments.
In total, by helping others commit the same fraudulent filings, the actual loss resulting from fraudulent UI benefit claims exceeded $100,000.
“Mr. Waff stole money intended for citizens who were honestly unemployed and hurting during COVID-19,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah. “His repeated behavior in aiding others to commit the same crime took more money away from people who needed help during the pandemic. My office will prosecute people who defraud the government and taxpayers.”“Mr. Waff tried to cash in on the Covid-19 pandemic and stole money from those who legitimately needed it,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The pandemic may be over, but the FBI will continue to investigate those who willfully defraud federal government programs for personal gain.”
“Robert Waff stole from our nation’s unemployment insurance (UI) system by fraudulently filing for UI benefits in his name and the names of others who were not entitled to such benefits. He took advantage of the UI system at a time when so many deserving American workers were suffering from pandemic-related economic challenges. The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General remains committed to combatting UI fraud. Our efforts to hold individuals accountable for their fraudulent schemes will continue. I would like to acknowledge the outstanding investigative work of the Salt Lake City FBI, the California Employment Development Department, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-OIG and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah in this collaborative investigative effort,” said Quentin Heiden, Special Agent in Charge, Western Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
The case is was investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Division and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Assistant United States Attorney Brian Williams of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
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.
California Resident Pleads Guilty to Producing Photo Depicting Him Sexually Abusing A ChildRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Henry Obdulio Cordon (38, Antioch, CA) has pleaded guilty to producing a photo of him sexually abusing a child. Cordon faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Cordon was arrested in California on May 16, 2019, and has been in custody since that time. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 23, 2024.
According to court documents, the investigation began in April 2019 when an internet service provider sent a series of CyberTipline reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). These reports related to the discovery of child sexual abuse photos detected within an email account that geolocated to California. Law enforcement officers traced the email account, which contained at least five photos depicting children being sexually abused, to Cordon.
On May 9, 2019, the internet service provider submitted additional CyberTipline reports to NCMEC related to other accounts that were linked to and used by Cordon. One of the photos in the email account depicted a young child being sexually abused by an adult male. Metadata associated with the photo indicated that it had been produced on July 11, 2011, using a Blackberry device. Additional search warrants revealed that the email account was used during April and May 2019 at Cordon’s apartment.
On May 16, 2019, during the execution of a search warrant at Cordon’s residence, Cordon admitted that he had searched the internet for “nude teen pictures.” When asked if he ever had a Blackberry device, Cordon said he had one about nine years before when he lived in Florida. Investigators asked him about a particular photo depicting the sexual abuse of a young child that that was recovered from his email account. When asked who the child was and how he met her, Cordon eventually admitted that he knew what they were talking about, he knew the child depicted in this photo, and that she was “maybe” under four years of age. Cordon claimed that his sexual abuse of this child only happened one time, and that he remembered emailing this photo to himself to save. He also admitted taking the picture with his Blackberry.
Further investigation confirmed that Cordon had taken the photo and sent it to his email account. The photo was also recovered from the device he possessed in California on May 16, 2019. Law enforcement authorities in Florida confirmed the identity and age of the child, as well as the location in Florida where Cordon had taken the photo.
This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force of Contra Costa County (California), the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Browning man sentenced to over four years in prison for meth trafficking on Blackfeet Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Browning man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced on Monday to four years and eight months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
The defendant, Robbie Wayne Racine, 31, pleaded guilty in January to possession with intent to distribute meth.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in the spring of 2023, Racine was stopped in multiple vehicles containing meth and other evidence of his distribution. In April 2023, Racine was stopped for a traffic violation along with his co-defendant. Both occupants were arrested. More than 15 grams of meth was seized from the co-defendant’s person while being booked into jail. A search of the vehicle also yielded evidence of distribution, including baggies and a digital scale. A month later, Racine was driving a different vehicle when he was again stopped by Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services for a traffic violation and was arrested. Racine had a scale in his pocket. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and seized more than 170 grams of meth in a safe concealed as a book.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Glacier County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
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Brooksville Woman Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to Federal AgentsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Janet Williams (44, Brooksville) today pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements to federal agents. Williams faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on February 8, 2023, Williams’s son, Sheldon Robinson, was arrested in connection with the murder of I.S., a 17-year-old Hernando County High School student. Immediately after his arrest, Williams found approximately $6,000 Robinson had hidden in two different places in her residence, money Robinson had been paid to murder I.S.
On August 9, 2023, Williams was interviewed by special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and detectives from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office detectives. Williams repeatedly denied finding any money that belonged to Robinson in her home. On August 17, 2023, Robinson spoke to Williams. During this call, Williams told Robinson about ATF’s visit, telling him; “Feds came to the house. They took over the case.” At one point, she says, “They were asking me…did you come into a whole bunch of money? I said No. But, you did come into a whole bunch of money.”
On September 20, 2023, during the execution of a federal search warrant at Williams’s residence, Williams again told federal agents she had not found any money in the residence that belonged to Robinson. Williams also denied ever seeing Robinson with a firearm or knowing he possessed one. Agents executed a federal search warrant on Williams’s phone at the same time they searched her residence. Her cellphone contained numerous photos of Robinson routinely possessing firearms, including possessing them in Williams’s home.
Sheldon Robinson is pending trial for his alleged role in this case.
This case was investigated by the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with substantial assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office (Fifth Judicial Circuit). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
Baltimore Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Connection with A Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Almost $18 Million in Fraudulent Covid-19 LoansRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, United States District Judge Richard Bennett sentenced Ahmed Sary, age 46, of Baltimore, Maryland to seven years in federal prison, followed by one year of home detention, and three years of supervised release, in connection with a conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting financial institutions, relating to the submission of more than $17.9 million in fraudulent CARES Act loan applications. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office (‘FBI’), Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (“SBA-OIG”), Eastern Region, and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department (“BCPD”).
“Sary will now pay the price for living luxurious from stolen COVID-19 pandemic relief funds that others needed to keep a business open or to keep a roof over their heads,” said U.S. Attorney Barron.
"Ahmed Sary is a swindler and a cheat. This sentence holds him accountable for every lie he told and the almost $18 million in Covid relief funds he stole from American taxpayers to fuel his greed and lavish lifestyle,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. “The FBI and our partners will continue to bring to justice those who commit pandemic-related fraud."
“The Department of Justice remains committed to prosecuting fraudsters to who preyed upon our pandemic relief programs and the taxpayers. While the pandemic may have ended, the federal law enforcement response to the fraud continues, as demonstrated by this impactful case brought by our Strike Force in the District of Maryland,” said Director of COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Mandy Riedel.
Financial assistance offered through the CARES Act included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), administered through the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), and SBA-approved lenders. The SBA also offered an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) and/or an EIDL advance to help businesses meet their financial obligations. An EIDL advance did not have to be repaid, and small businesses could receive an advance, even if they were not approved for an EIDL loan. The maximum advance amount was $10,000.
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, from April 2020 through January 2022, Sary and his co-conspirators prepared false and fraudulent PPP loan and EIDL applications for a number of borrowers in exchange for a kickback, typically ranging from 20 percent to 30 percent of the loan amount. The fraudulent PPP and EIDL loan applications prepared by Sary, and his co-conspirators grossly inflated the purported businesses’ number of employees, monthly payroll costs, and revenue numbers, including for businesses that didn’t exist in any legitimate capacity.
Sary and his co-conspirators filed 85 false and fraudulent PPP loan applications seeking a total of over $14,807,609.37 and 57 false and fraudulent EIDL applications seeking a total of over $3,093,670.50. All the loans were ultimately funded. After the loan funds were received and, in an attempt, to launder the funds at the direction of Sary, the loan recipient would typically provide Sary multiple, sometimes up to seven, checks that were signed by the loan recipient and that listed a payment amount and date but that left the payee name blank. Sary would then write a payee name on each of those checks and deposit them.
In connection with some of the fraudulently obtained PPP loans for purported businesses, Sary also assisted the loan recipients with setting up payroll services with a payroll processor to make it appear that the fraudulently obtained PPP loan funds were being used for permissible purposes when they, in fact, were not. The payroll services also facilitated the creation of documentation that could be used to substantiate a request for each of the PPP loans to be forgiven.
In addition to the loan kickback fees, Sary directly received $959,559 in PPP/EIDL funds for purported businesses he controlled, including a purported financial services business, a purported meatpacking business, a purported clothing company and a purported talent agency. In fact, none of these businesses existed in any legitimate capacity.
Sary admitted that he used the fraudulently obtained funds to travel to Dubai and Egypt on multiple occasions, to stay at luxury hotels, including the Four Seasons, while there, to purchase property in Egypt and to, among other things, open a beachfront restaurant in Alexandria, Egypt called Sary’s Kitchen.
The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the CARES Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI, the SBA-OIG and the BCPD for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who is prosecuting the case. He also recognized the assistance of the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber and Paralegal Specialist Julie Jarman.
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.
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Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces New Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center in ClevelandRead the Press Release
Alongside state and local law enforcement partners in Cleveland, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio announced the opening of a new Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) in Cleveland.
“The Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center will allow us to leverage our partnerships and technological innovation to solve gun crimes and to save lives,” said Attorney General Garland. “When it comes to investigating gun crimes, every day matters. Every day, another lead can run dry. Every day, a repeat shooter may shatter another family and another community. With this CGIC, it does not matter if a crime is committed in a city, a suburb, or a rural area. The law enforcement officers who investigate will have cutting-edge technology at their fingertips and a lineup of experts ready to assist.”
“Following on the success of last year’s intelligence-driven gun crime initiative, this Crime Gun Intelligence Center puts in the same room analysts, agents, cops, deputies, and both federal and state prosecutors,” said ATF Director Dettelbach. “They work together on the same cases using real time, state-of-the-art intelligence. Every morning, they review key evidence from the previous night’s shootings to identify the shooters. CGICs like this make homicide cases. CGICs like this stop the next shooting. And CGICs like this help stop the crime guns that are getting to the shooters. I want to commend the ATF Cleveland leadership and the many law enforcement agencies working together under one roof with a focus on real-time ballistics testing and crime gun tracing. I also want to thank the leadership here for coming together to protect Ohioans. Mayor Bibb, Attorney General Yost, County Executive Ronayne, Mayor Malik, and Governor DeWine have all supported a law enforcement presence in this CGIC. Without all of them, this CGIC does not happen. This level of partnership is truly exceptional. Chalk one up for the good guys in Ohio.”
CGICs are centralized law enforcement hubs that focus exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in local communities. They use cutting-edge technologies, including ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and eTrace systems, to rapidly develop and pursue investigative leads in order to drive case clearance rates up — which in turn can help drive violent crime rates down. They bring together, under one roof, the expertise of firearm evidence examiners, intelligence analysts, and investigators to rapidly collect, analyze, and share information about guns used in violent crimes. In total, ATF operates more than 60 CGICs nationwide.
“Prosecuting and preventing violent crime throughout our district is one core mission of the United States Attorney’s Office. And investigative data shows that the same guns are often used to commit multiple, different instances of violent crimes, without regard to city or county lines,” said U.S. Attorney Lutzko. “That is why we most effectively combat violent crime — and the illegal firearms trafficking that supports it — through strong regional partnerships, collaboration, and technology. The incredible capabilities of the Crime Gun Intelligence Center — and the federal, state, and local partnerships that make it possible — allow us to connect the dots between crimes so we can prosecute, convict, and lock up the bad actors who commit violent crimes and remove “crime guns” from the streets faster, so neither continue to endanger innocent people in neighborhoods throughout Northern Ohio.”
“ATF has long worked with our partners in the Cleveland area to reduce violent crime, including the use of NIBIN and other intelligence tools,” stated Daryl McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “This CGIC represents both a broadening and deepening of that cooperation and commitment. We are broadening this intelligence approach to a regional level, recognizing that those perpetrating violence don’t respect civic boundaries. In addition, we are all committing to the timely and comprehensive entry of information, and the analysis and use of these intelligence tools, to ensure that every CGIC participating agency has the information that may provide investigative leads as quickly as possible. I firmly believe that this effort will help us identify, investigate, and prosecute those individuals who are harming our communities.”
The Northeast Ohio CGIC is the first CGIC located within an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force, which not only supports the use of Crime Gun Intelligence (GCI) but also applies proactive investigative work and incorporates the use of OCDETF funds and resources. The CGIC was designed to execute a two-pronged approach: an intelligence component, led by ATF, and an investigative component, led by Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program (HIDTA).
Over 30 agencies across federal, state, and local law enforcement are partners in this new CGIC, focusing on real-time comprehensive ballistics testing and firearms tracing, two of ATF’s fundamental pillars of Crime Gun Intelligence. Federal and state prosecutors are included as participants to ensure the charging process is timely and effective. The Northeast Ohio CGIC partners include ATF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Cleveland Division of Police, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio HIDTA, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center, Garfield Heights Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, Lorain Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Investigative Unit, and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction/Ohio Adult Parole Authority. Six additional agencies support the CGIC but are located with ATF’s Akron and/or Canton Task Forces: Akron Police Department, Barberton Police Department, Canton Police Department, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, and the University of Akron Police Department. Nine additional agencies have designated a liaison to support the CGIC: Elyria Police Department, Euclid Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, Maple Heights Police Department, Medina City Police Department, Medina County Sheriff’s Office, Solon Police Department, and Willoughby Police Department. Additionally, four federal agencies support the CGIC through their participation at the OCEDTF Strike Force: Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
Click Here to View the Press Conference
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Announces New Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center in ClevelandRead the Press Release
Alongside state and local law enforcement partners in Cleveland, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio today announced the opening of a new Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) in Cleveland.
“The Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center will allow us to leverage our partnerships and technological innovation to solve gun crimes and to save lives,” said Attorney General Garland. “When it comes to investigating gun crimes, every day matters. Every day, another lead can run dry. Every day, a repeat shooter may shatter another family and another community. With this CGIC, it does not matter if a crime is committed in a city, a suburb, or a rural area. The law enforcement officers who investigate will have cutting-edge technology at their fingertips and a lineup of experts ready to assist.”
“Following on the success of last year’s intelligence-driven gun crime initiative, this Crime Gun Intelligence Center puts in the same room analysts, agents, cops, deputies, and both federal and state prosecutors,” said ATF Director Dettelbach. “They work together on the same cases using real time, state-of-the-art intelligence. Every morning, they review key evidence from the previous night’s shootings to identify the shooters. CGICs like this make homicide cases. CGICs like this stop the next shooting. And CGICs like this help stop the crime guns that are getting to the shooters. I want to commend the ATF Cleveland leadership and the many law enforcement agencies working together under one roof with a focus on real-time ballistics testing and crime gun tracing. I also want to thank the leadership here for coming together to protect Ohioans. Mayor Bibb, Attorney General Yost, County Executive Ronayne, Mayor Malik, and Governor DeWine have all supported a law enforcement presence in this CGIC. Without all of them, this CGIC does not happen. This level of partnership is truly exceptional. Chalk one up for the good guys in Ohio.”
CGICs are centralized law enforcement hubs that focus exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in local communities. They use cutting-edge technologies, including ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and eTrace systems, to rapidly develop and pursue investigative leads in order to drive case clearance rates up — which in turn can help drive violent crime rates down. They bring together, under one roof, the expertise of firearm evidence examiners, intelligence analysts, and investigators to rapidly collect, analyze, and share information about guns used in violent crimes. In total, ATF operates more than 60 CGICs nationwide.
“Prosecuting and preventing violent crime throughout our district is one core mission of the United States Attorney’s Office. And investigative data shows that the same guns are often used to commit multiple, different instances of violent crimes, without regard to city or county lines,” said U.S. Attorney Lutzko. “That is why we most effectively combat violent crime — and the illegal firearms trafficking that supports it — through strong regional partnerships, collaboration, and technology. The incredible capabilities of the Crime Gun Intelligence Center — and the federal, state, and local partnerships that make it possible — allow us to connect the dots between crimes so we can prosecute, convict, and lock up the bad actors who commit violent crimes and remove “crime guns” from the streets faster, so neither continue to endanger innocent people in neighborhoods throughout Northern Ohio.”
“ATF has long worked with our partners in the Cleveland area to reduce violent crime, including the use of NIBIN and other intelligence tools,” stated Daryl McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “This CGIC represents both a broadening and deepening of that cooperation and commitment. We are broadening this intelligence approach to a regional level, recognizing that those perpetrating violence don’t respect civic boundaries. In addition, we are all committing to the timely and comprehensive entry of information, and the analysis and use of these intelligence tools, to ensure that every CGIC participating agency has the information that may provide investigative leads as quickly as possible. I firmly believe that this effort will help us identify, investigate, and prosecute those individuals who are harming our communities.”
The Northeast Ohio CGIC is the first CGIC located within an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force, which not only supports the use of Crime Gun Intelligence (GCI) but also applies proactive investigative work and incorporates the use of OCDETF funds and resources. The CGIC was designed to execute a two-pronged approach: an intelligence component, led by ATF, and an investigative component, led by Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program (HIDTA).
Over 30 agencies across federal, state, and local law enforcement are partners in this new CGIC, focusing on real-time comprehensive ballistics testing and firearms tracing, two of ATF’s fundamental pillars of Crime Gun Intelligence. Federal and state prosecutors are included as participants to ensure the charging process is timely and effective. The Northeast Ohio CGIC partners include ATF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Cleveland Division of Police, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Cuyahoga County Sherrif’s Office, Ohio HIDTA, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio Breau of Criminal Investigation, Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center, Garfield Heights Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, Lorain Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Investigative Unit, and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction/Ohio Adult Parole Authority. Six additional agencies support the CGIC but are located with ATF’s Akron and/or Canton Task Forces: Akron Police Department, Barberton Police Department, Canton Police Department, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, and the University of Akron Police Department. Nine additional agencies have designated a liaison to support the CGIC: Elyria Police Department, Euclid Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, Maple Heights Police Department, Medina City Police Department, Medina County Sheriff’s Office, Solon Police Department, and Willoughby Police Department. Additionally, four federal agencies support the CGIC through their participation at the OCEDTF Strike Force: Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.
60-Month Sentence for North Carolina Man Who Sent Photo of His Genitalia to FBI UndercoverRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A North Carolina man, who sent a nude photograph to an employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation whom he believed to be a nine-year-old girl, was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in federal prison.
Willy Alexander Korthals, 30, of Beaufort, North Carolina, waived his right to be indicted and pled guilty earlier this year to a one-count Information charging him with attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.
According to court documents, in May 2022, Korthals was in a Kik chat room for “Active Parents,” in a group titled “Loving Family,” when he responded to a public group thread that read, “Anyone want to come to Virginia to have sex with my daughter?”
Korthals reached out to the individual who posted the thread and inquired about the age of the “daughter” and was told she was nine years old. Unbeknownst to Korthals, the thread was posted by an undercover FBI employee posing as the girl’s father. In an effort to coax the daughter to send him pictures, Korthals sent a photograph of his erect penis.
For over a year, Korthals chatted with the undercover FBI employee and requested “live” photographs of the nine-year-old as well as other sexually explicit photographs and videos. Korthals also attempted to FaceTime with the undercover father and daughter in order to watch the sexual abuse of the child. Additionally, Korthals described specific acts of sexual abuse he wanted the father to perform on his daughter, including oral, vaginal, and anal sex.
In preparation for an in-person meeting with the undercover father and his daughter in August 2022, Korthals sent laboratory test results of his sexually transmitted disease status to the undercover father so that Korthals could have unprotected sex with the nine-year-old. Korthals also described in graphic detail the sex acts he wanted to have the child perform. Two days before the planned meeting, Korthals cancelled it.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith prosecuted the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
24 June 2024
“King” of Violent Haitian Gang Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Gun Smuggling and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Joly Germine, 31, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, was sentenced today to 420 months in prison for his role in a gunrunning conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti in violation of U.S. export laws, and the laundering of ransoms paid for U.S. hostages held by the notoriously violent Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo. Eliande Tunis, 46, of Pompano Beach, Florida, who styled herself as Germine’s “wife” and was described at trial as the “Queen” of 400 Mawozo, was sentenced on June 5, to 150 months in prison for her role in the conspiracy. Two other defendants in the conspiracy were also sentenced to jail time for their involvement.
The conspiracy resulted in the purchase in the United States of at least 24 firearms, including weapons designed for the military and close-quarters combat such as AK-47s, AR-15s, an M4 Carbine rifle, an M1A rifle, and a .50 caliber rifle, which were smuggled from the United States to the gang in Haiti to further their criminal activities. Those firearms were bought using funds laundered from the proceeds of the hostage taking for ransom of U.S. citizens in Haiti in 2021.
“A leader of the Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo will now spend 35 years in prison for a scheme to smuggle guns from the United States to Haiti using the proceeds extorted from kidnapping American citizens,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The leaders of violent gangs in Haiti that terrorize Americans citizens in order to fuel their criminal activity will be met with the full force of the Justice Department.”
“Joly Germine is being held accountable for his role in smuggling weapons into Haiti using funds laundered from the ransoms of kidnapped American citizens,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The 400 Mawazo gang not only wreaks havoc in its own communities but targets innocent Americans living and traveling in Haiti. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to target the leadership and take down any violent criminal group who preys upon Americans abroad and uses unlawful and dangerous tactics like weapons-trafficking and kidnapping to further their criminal enterprise.”
“Firearms smuggling is not a victimless crime,” said Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Just like these weapons, many guns smuggled to Haiti end up in the hands of violent gangs. Those gangs use them to harm both Haitians and American citizens. As this sentence demonstrates, ATF is committed to working with our law enforcement partners both at home and internationally to hold gun smugglers responsible.”
“Mr. Germine, a leader of a notorious Haitian gang, admitted to an illegal gun-running scheme to arm fellow gang members with U.S. firearms in support of the group’s violent crime spree across Haiti, including the alleged 2021 kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will aggressively pursue every tool at its disposal to hold accountable those who would smuggle U.S.-origin weapons and other controlled goods for the benefit of malicious actors and their criminal enterprises.”
“Violent gangs have ravaged Haiti, and all too often, Americans in Haiti have been targets of their violence,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “These two defendants not only helped lead a prominent violent gang in Haiti, but they were also intimately involved in arming the gang and laundering ransom proceeds the gang obtained from kidnapping Americans. Preventing them from illegally shipping anymore firearms or laundering the proceeds of kidnappings strikes a critical blow against the gang they once led.”
“As Joly Germine and Eliande Tunis have just learned, the FBI is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling gangs who undertake hostage-taking of U.S. Citizens anywhere,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “This includes taking away their ability to wreak violence on the innocent using smuggled firearms.”
“Today’s sentencing sends a strong message: the Diplomatic Security Service is committed to making sure that those who commit transnational crimes face consequences for their criminal actions,” said Assistant Director Paul Houston of the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) for Threat Investigations and Analysis. “DSS’ strong relationship with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies around the world continues to be essential in the pursuit of justice.”
According to court documents, Germine, pleaded guilty on Jan. 31, to the 48-count second superseding indictment, which charged him with conspiring to violate U.S. export control laws and to defraud the United States, violating export control laws, smuggling, and laundering the proceeds of ransoms paid to free U.S. hostages taken by the gang and laundering money to promote his crimes. Germine’s plea came at the end of the government’s case at trial, which included the testimony of 24 witnesses and two weeks of evidence.
Germine’s co-defendant Tunis, who had a supervisory role in the conspiracy, pleaded guilty on the eve of trial on Jan. 17, to the same 48-count indictment, and was sentenced on June 5 to 150 months in prison. Other co-defendants, Jocelyn Dor, 31, and Walder St. Louis, 35, who acted as a straw gun purchasers for Germine and Tunis, both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 60 months and 36 months, respectively, for their roles in the gun-smuggling and money laundering scheme.
According to evidence presented at trial, from at least March through November 2021, Germine, Tunis, and two co-defendants conspired with each other and with other gang members in Haiti to acquire and supply firearms to the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti. Germine directed the gang’s operations from a Haitian prison using unmonitored cell phones, including directing gang members in Haiti to transfer money to Tunis and others in the United States for the purpose of obtaining firearms for the gang. Germine then provided Tunis and the two other U.S.-based co-defendants, all Florida residents, specifications for firearms and ammunition that Germine and other gang leaders wanted sent to Haiti. Tunis and the two co-defendants then purchased at least 24 rifles, handguns, and a shotgun at Florida gun shops while falsely stating that they were the “actual buyers” of the firearms, when they were in fact acting as straw purchasers for Germine. In approximately May 2021, Tunis smuggled firearms and ammunition to Haiti in containers disguised as food and household goods. In October 2021, Tunis attempted to ship additional firearms and ammunition to Haiti, again by smuggling the firearms, but those firearms were seized by the FBI before they left the United States.
400 Mawozo is a violent Haitian gang that operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of the capital, Port-au-Prince. From at least Jan. 12, 2020, 400 Mawozo was engaged in armed hostage takings of U.S. citizens in Haiti for ransom. The victims have generally been forced from their vehicles at gunpoint and kept in various locations by armed gang members while their relatives and colleagues negotiate payment for their release. At trial, the government presented evidence that the gang received ransom payments from the hostage taking of three U.S. citizens in the summer of 2021, who testified at trial, and the cash ransom proceeds were commingled with the gang’s funds and transferred via MoneyGram and Western Union from the United States to Haiti to buy more firearms.
In the fall of 2021, the 400 Mawozo gang claimed responsibility for taking 16 U.S. citizens hostage, including five children, and one Canadian citizen who were part of a missionary organization visiting an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. The gang demanded a ransom of $1 million for each hostage. The hostages were all released or had escaped by on or about Dec. 16, 2021. While Germine has been charged in a separate indictment in relation to that hostage-taking incident, today’s sentencing does not address those charges, which are lodged in case number 22-cr-161 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the ATF and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement.
Valuable assistance was provided by the government of Haiti, particularly the Haitian National Police, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Special Prosecutions Section.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Kimberly Paschall for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
‘King’ of Violent Haitian Gang Sentenced to 35 Years for Gun Smuggling and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Joly Germine, 31, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for his role in a gunrunning conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti in violation of U.S. export laws, and the laundering of ransoms paid for U.S. hostages held by the notoriously violent Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo. Eliande Tunis, 46, of Pompano Beach, Florida, who styled herself as Germine’s “wife” and was described at trial as the “Queen” of 400 Mawozo, was sentenced on June 5, 2024, to 150 months in prison for her role in the conspiracy. Two other defendants in the conspiracy were also sentenced to jail time for their involvement.
The sentencings were announced by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office.
The conspiracy resulted in the purchase in the United States of at least 24 firearms, including weapons designed for the military and close-quarters combat such as AK-47s, AR-15s, an M4 Carbine rifle, an M1A rifle, and a .50 caliber rifle, which were smuggled from the United States to the gang in Haiti to further their criminal activities. Those firearms were bought using funds laundered from the proceeds of the hostage taking for ransom of U.S. citizens in Haiti in 2021.
“A leader of the Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo will now spend 35 years in prison for a scheme to smuggle guns from the United States to Haiti using the proceeds extorted from kidnapping American citizens,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The leaders of violent gangs in Haiti that terrorize Americans citizens in order to fuel their criminal activity will be met with the full force of the Justice Department.”
“All too often, Americans in Haiti have been targets of gang violence,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “These two defendants not only helped lead a prominent violent gang in Haiti, but they were also intimately involved in arming the gang and laundering ransom proceeds the gang obtained from kidnapping Americans. These sentences send a message that those who engage in such violence against Americans, and who arm and launder money on behalf of these violent gangs, will pay a heavy price.”
“As Joly Germine and Eliande Tunis have just learned, the FBI is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling gangs who undertake hostage-taking of U.S. Citizens anywhere,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “This includes taking away their ability to wreak violence on the innocent using smuggled firearms.”
Germine, a Haitian national, pleaded guilty on January 31, 2024, to the 48-count second superseding indictment, which charged him with conspiring to violate U.S. export control laws and to defraud the United States, violating export control laws, smuggling, and laundering the proceeds of ransoms paid to free U.S. hostages taken by the gang and laundering money to promote his crimes. Germine’s plea came at the end of the government’s case at trial, which included the testimony of 24 witnesses and two weeks of evidence.
Germine’s co-defendant Tunis, who had a supervisory role in the conspiracy, pleaded guilty on the eve of trial on January 17, 2024, to the same 48-count indictment, and was sentenced on June 5 to 150 months in prison. Other co-defendants, Jocelyn Dor, 31, and Walder St. Louis, 35, who acted as a straw gun purchasers for Germine and Tunis, both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 60 months and 36 months, respectively, for their roles in the gun-smuggling and money laundering scheme.
According to evidence presented at trial, from at least March through November 2021, Germine, Tunis, and two co-defendants conspired with each other and with other gang members in Haiti to acquire and supply firearms to the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti. Germine directed the gang’s operations from a Haitian prison using unmonitored cell phones, including directing gang members in Haiti to transfer money to Tunis and others in the United States for the purpose of obtaining firearms for the gang. Germine then provided Tunis and the two other U.S.-based co-defendants, all Florida residents, specifications for firearms and ammunition that Germine and other gang leaders wanted sent to Haiti. Tunis and the two co-defendants then purchased at least 24 rifles, handguns, and a shotgun at Florida gun shops while falsely stating that they were the “actual buyers” of the firearms, when they were in fact acting as straw purchasers for Germine.
In May 2021, Tunis smuggled firearms and ammunition to Haiti in containers disguised as food and household goods. In October 2021, Tunis attempted to ship additional firearms and ammunition to Haiti, again by smuggling the firearms, but those firearms were seized by the FBI before they left the United States.
400 Mawozo is a violent Haitian gang that operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of the capital, Port-au-Prince. From at least January 12, 2020, 400 Mawozo was engaged in armed hostage takings of U.S. citizens in Haiti for ransom. The victims generally had been forced from their vehicles at gunpoint and kept in various locations by armed gang members while their relatives and colleagues negotiated payment for their release. At trial, the government presented evidence that the gang received ransom payments from the hostage taking of three U.S. citizens in the summer of 2021, who testified at trial, and the cash ransom proceeds were commingled with the gang’s funds and transferred via MoneyGram and Western Union from the United States to Haiti to buy more firearms.
In the fall of 2021, the 400 Mawozo gang claimed responsibility for taking 16 U.S. citizens hostage, including five children, and one Canadian citizen who were part of a missionary organization visiting an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. The gang demanded a ransom of $1 million for each hostage. The hostages were all released or had escaped by December 16, 2021. While Germine has been charged in a separate indictment in relation to that hostage-taking incident, today’s sentencing does not address those charges, which are lodged in case number 22cr161 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the government of Haiti, particularly the Haitian National Police, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Special Prosecutions Section.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Kimberly Paschall and Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
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Woodbury Man Charged in Child Sextortion SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Woodbury man has been indicted for the production and possession of child pornography and coercing minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on multiple occasions between approximately July 10, 2021, and March 11, 2022, Timothy Lennard Gebhart, 37, coerced a 16-year-old child, Minor A, and a 14-year-old, Minor B, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing pornographic videos. After obtaining the images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, Gebhart distributed the videos via computer and cellular phone. Gebhart then used the pornographic videos to extort money and other items of value from Minor A, threatening to damage the victim’s reputation by sending nude photos and videos to their family and friends.
The indictment charges Gebhart with two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of interstate communications with intent to extort. Gebhart made his initial appearance on June 21, 2024, in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Douglas L. Micko.
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. 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.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Woodbury Police Department, Greene County (Indiana) Sheriff’s Department, the Indiana State Police, and the FBI, with assistance from the Owatonna Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Classen is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Violent Evansville Felon Sentenced to over Eight Years in Federal Prison After Threatening a Neighbor with the Gun he Illegally PossessedRead the Press Release
EVANSVILLE- Christopher Scott Poodry, 33, of Evansville, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on June 5, 2023, Poodry got into an argument with a neighbor outside of his residence in Evansville. During the argument, Poodry went inside his home and retrieved a rifle. He pointed the rifle and threatened the neighbor, who called 911. Poodry hid the rifle in the tile ceiling his bed before police arrived. Police later searched the residence and located Poodry’s rifle and more than 71 rounds of ammunition.
Poodry is prohibited from legally possessing a firearm because of his multiple prior felony convictions in Warrick County, including dealing methamphetamine and battery against a public safety official.
“This defendant’s actions underscore the risk that violent, illegally armed criminals pose to our communities,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Far too many routine disputes escalate into deadly violence when guns are in the hands of folks who have no legal business having them. Working alongside our partners in the Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office, and ATF, we will continue to make Evansville safer by removing dangerous, armed criminals from our neighborhoods.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Evansville Police Department, and Vanderburgh County Prosecutors Office investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who prosecuted this case.
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U.S. Marine Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Prison for Attempted Online Enticement of Child to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Schyular Quinton Willis (24, Sebastian, Florida) to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for attempted online enticement of a minor child to engage in sexual activity. Willis entered a guilty plea on January 31, 2024. Willis has been in custody since his arrest on October 10, 2023, at Camp Pendleton, California.
According to court documents, on October 4, 2023, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) was contacted by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) regarding a report of child exploitation. On October 1, 2023, JSO responded to a residence regarding a call for service. Minor Parent 1 (MP1), father of Minor Victim 1 (MV1), had located nude images of the child on her cellphone along with a text message thread between MV1 and Willis. The thread contained multiple nude images of MV1 and Willis. During a later conversation with MP1, JSO learned Willis had access to MV1, recently spent time with MV1 while in Florida, and was an active-duty Marine. Based on the information received from MP1, JSO concluded Willis was likely a member of the military. NCIS was contacted and verified Willis was an active-duty lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps and stationed at Camp Pendleton.
NCIS reviewed MV1’s cellphone and located a text message thread between Willis and MV1, which began on July 31, 2023, and continued through September 26, 2023. Throughout the text thread, sexual intercourse and the production of child sexual abuse materials were discussed on several occasions.
On October 10, 2023, Willis was arrested at Camp Pendleton. He consented to an interview and a search of his devices. Willis admitted to talking to MV1 sexually and that it was a mistake. A review of Willis’s cellphone uncovered additional text messages between him and MV1, dating back as early as July 25, 2023, which appeared to reference possible sexual activity between Willis and MV1.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
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.
U.S. Attorney's Office Summer Law Camp Introduces High School Students to A Career in the LawRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – This week, 24 high school students are participating in the U.S. Attorney’s Office Summer Law Camp, a program that introduces students to the American Criminal Justice System. The program is designed to help students gain a greater understanding of a career in the law and experience the work of practicing litigators. The camp will conclude with students engaging in mock trials that will be held at the federal courthouse in Charlotte, before by U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler.
“Our Summer Law Camp offers young people an excellent introduction to the criminal justice system and the wide range of career opportunities in the legal field,” said U.S. Attorney Dena J. King. “The mock trials provide students with a hands-on understanding of legal proceedings and trial advocacy, allowing them to experience the role of a lawyer in an engaging, fun, and interactive environment.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office Summer Law Camp is free of charge, and it is available to high school students interested in learning more about the legal profession. The program is taught by career federal prosecutors and helps students explore the justice system, learn about the Federal Rules of Evidence, gain basic advocacy skills, and encourage students to think as lawyers. In addition, participating students receive instruction on evidence collection and trial preparation and learn from guest speakers representing law enforcement agencies and the legal defense bar. During the mock trials, students actively participate in the court proceedings, with assigned roles as prosecutors, defense attorneys, and witnesses, tasked with delivering opening statements and closing arguments, providing testimony, and conducting cross examinations.
“Our law camp gives students from all backgrounds the chance to explore the legal profession, understand the legal process, and learn about career options in the field,” said U.S. Attorney King. “However, the camp goes beyond civics education and career preparation. The ultimate goal is to help young people recognize the power and responsibility they hold as citizens, and the important role they play in ensuring the criminal justice system is a place where they can make a meaningful impact for themselves, their community, and justice” King added.
Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office Summer Law Camp can be found here.
U.S. Attorney's Office Hosts Fifth Community Event as Part of DOJ's United Against Hate InitiativeRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona held its fifth United Against Hate event last week at the Jewish Community Center in Tucson. The event provided an opportunity for an informative and robust discussion with leaders from Southern Arizona’s Jewish community, local and federal law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Preventing hate crimes starts with education, understanding, and reporting hate-motivated incidents to law enforcement,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “We are dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of those who commit hate crimes against our fellow community members due to their religious beliefs, and we are appreciative of the Southern Arizona Jewish community and its leaders for joining us in a meaningful, collaborative discussion.”
The event featured a panel discussion among community leaders, local law enforcement, and the U.S. Attorney. Over 150 invited guests, including community members, local leaders, and law enforcement, were in attendance. The event focused on establishing a dialogue between the community and law enforcement and on increasing community understanding and reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents. The discussion allowed attendees to hear directly from members of the local Jewish community, who shared their thoughts, concerns, and experiences with hate crimes and hate incidents.
This fifth United Against Hate event follows a previous meeting with the Jewish community in Scottsdale, and similar meetings between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and leaders of Arizona’s African American, LGBTQ+, and Hispanic communities. The District of Arizona will hold additional United Against Hate events in the coming months to engage with communities across the state. These events will further encourage collaboration, support hate crimes prevention efforts, and encourage more Arizonans to report hate crimes and hate incidents.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-083_United Against Hate Event
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.U.S. Attorney Announces Consent Decree with Westchester Drinking Water Provider and Three Municipalities for Violating the Federal Safe Drinking Water ActRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Todd Kim, the Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department; David M. Uhlmann, the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”); and Lisa F. Garcia, the Regional Administrator for Region 2 of the EPA, announced today that the United States filed a civil lawsuit against the WESTCHESTER JOINT WATER WORKS (“WJWW”), the TOWN/VILLAGE OF HARRISON, the VILLAGE OF MAMARONECK, and the TOWN OF MAMARONECK (collectively, “the defendants”), along with a Consent Decree resolving the case. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants violated the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (“SDWA”) in 2019 due to the presence of contaminants in the public water system in excess of the level set by EPA, and thereafter WJWW violated an EPA administrative order requiring the construction of a water filtration plant by specified deadlines. The Consent Decree requires the defendants to construct a drinking water filtration plant projected to cost $138 million, take steps to protect source water quality, and pay a $600,000 civil penalty to the United States.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Public water systems have the critical responsibility of ensuring that our communities have safe drinking water. Thanks to today’s settlement, Westchester Joint Water Works will finally construct a long-delayed drinking water filtration facility to protect the Westchester County communities it serves.”
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim said: “Today’s agreement kickstarts a path to ensuring a reliable and healthy source of water for 120,000 residents of Westchester County. The building of a much-needed water filtration plant will address the source of the Safe Drinking Water Act violations and will help secure the area’s long-term needs.”
EPA Assistant Administrator David Uhlmann said: “Everyone living in the United States deserves safe drinking water. Today’s agreement requires Westchester Joint Water Works to construct a new filtration system to prevent contaminated drinking water and to protect the quality of the water for a water system that serves multiple communities, including at least one that has been overburdened by environmental impacts. Westchester residents should expect nothing less.”
EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia said: “WJWW will build a drinking water filtration plant that will ensure clean and safe drinking water for 120,000 people in Westchester County, immediately pay a $600,000 civil penalty to the federal government and implement a $900,000 Supplemental Environmental Project to improve source water quality through decreased stormwater discharge into the Kensico Reservoir. We are happy to partner with the State of New York to address this long-standing violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and protect public health.”
According to the allegations of the Complaint, the Consent Decree filed with the Court, and other public records:
The defendants failed to ensure that the drinking water they supply to approximately 120,000 Westchester County residents complies with federal limits on potentially cancer-causing disinfection byproducts resulting from water treatment. Specifically, the defendants own and/or operate a public water system (the “WJWW Water System”). During the first, second, and third quarters of 2019, the WJWW Water System violated the SDWA and its Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (“Stage 2 DBPR”) because it supplied water exceeding legal limits for certain chemicals resulting from the disinfection process — specifically, five regulated haloacetic acids known as “HAA5.” Although the WJWW Water System has taken certain short-term measures to mitigate risk to its consumers, defendants have failed to implement necessary corrective actions — including WJWW’s failure to construct and operate a filtration plant required by an EPA administrative order.
Compliance with the SDWA is not only a public health necessity but also a matter of environmental justice. At least one of the municipalities relying on defendants’ drinking water is overburdened and underserved, facing disproportionate environmental and other burdens.
The United States’ lawsuit seeks an injunction compelling defendants to comply with the SDWA and EPA’s administrative order, including by constructing a filtration plant, and civil monetary penalties. The State of New York is contemporaneously joining the lawsuit to assert its own claims under state law and a previously entered state court judgment requiring the construction and operation of a filtration plant.
In the Consent Decree, the defendants admit, acknowledge, and accept responsibility for the following, among other matters:
- WJWW directly supplies water to approximately 60,000 individuals in the Town/Village of Harrison, the Village of Mamaroneck, and the Town of Mamaroneck, as well as portions of the City of Rye and the City of New Rochelle, and indirectly supplies drinking water to an additional approximately 60,000 residents of the Village of Larchmont, the City of Rye, the Village of Rye Brook, and the Village of Port Chester.
- EPA has set the “maximum contaminant level” for the five regulated disinfectant byproducts known as HAA5 at the level of 0.060 mg/L.
- In the first, second, and third quarters of 2019, the WJWW Water System contained water with levels of HAA5 in excess of 0.060 mg/L, as determined by testing performed by WJWW and reported to EPA.
- EPA issued an administrative order dated November 26, 2019, which required, among other things, that WJWW ensure the WJWW Water System’s compliance with the Stage 2 DBPR by constructing and operating a filtration plant by certain milestone dates. The administrative order required construction to commence by January 1, 2022.
- WJWW has not yet commenced construction of, and does not operate, a filtration plant.
The Consent Decree requires defendants to build and commence operation of a filtration plant by July 1, 2029. WJWW has publicly estimated the cost of the project to be $138 million. The Consent Decree also establishes various interim deadlines for the construction project and requires WJWW to continue to implement measures to ensure the safety of its water supply until the filtration plant is operational.
The Consent Decree also requires WJWW to pay a $600,000 civil penalty to the United States and to spend at least $900,000 on a supplemental environmental project to modify an extended detention basin in the Rye Lake portion of the Kensico Reservoir and manage invasive species in the area. This supplemental environmental project is expected to improve source water quality in the Reservoir by decreasing natural organic material and turbidity.
The Consent Decree resolves claims by New York to enforce a previous state judgment against WJWW for violating separate regulations requiring the implementation of filtration. In addition to the construction of the filtration facility, the defendants will pay New York a $650,000 civil penalty and spend at least $6,800,000 on two state water quality benefit projects.
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The Consent Decree is subject to public comment and approval by the Court. Notice of the proposed Consent Decree will be published in the Federal Register, and the public will have the opportunity to submit comments on the Consent Decree for a period of at least 30 days before the parties seek the Court’s approval.
Mr. Williams thanked the attorneys and enforcement staff at EPA Region 2 for their critical work on this matter. He also thanked the New York State Department of Health and the New York Attorney General’s Office for their collaboration.
This case is being handled by the Environmental Protection Unit of the Office’s Civil Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel Dolinger and Tomoko Onozawa are in charge of the case.
Trafficker sent to prison for transporting 18 kilos of cocaine across borderRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 41-year-old woman from Mission has been sentenced for importing cocaine from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Brenda Bazaldua-Mariscal pleaded guilty May 22, 2023.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Bazaldua-Mariscal to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about the organizational structure of the drug trafficking organization. In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane noted her a previous 60-month sentence.
On Aug. 12, 2021, Bazaldua-Mariscal approached the Pharr Port of Entry driving a Lincoln MKX. Authorities noted inconsistencies in her travel itinerary and referred her to secondary inspection. There, a K-9 alerted to the odor of narcotics in the front of the vehicle.
Authorities then discovered the front bumper was lined with a non-factory compartment containing 16 bundles of cocaine with a total weight of 18 kilograms and an estimated street value of $234,000.
Further investigation revealed text messages indicating Bazaldua-Mariscal was aware she was importing narcotics.
She will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia prosecuted the case.
Trading Card Thief Sentenced for Burglary and Ordered to Repay Nearly $300k in RestitutionRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Nicholas Ryan Garrison, 25, of Tulsa, to 27 months imprisonment for Second Degree Burglary in Indian Country. Upon release, Judge Sippel further ordered Garrison to 3 years of supervised release and to pay $298,771.90 in restitution.
According to court documents, in Feb. 2021, the Tulsa Police Department (TPD) took a report of a burglary from a gaming and trading card store. The victim provided TPD with footage of the break-in. The footage showed Garrison breaking into the store, breaking several display cases, and taking thousands of trading cards. Garrison cut himself during the break-in, and his DNA linked him to several similar robberies in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas.
Garrison is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, Illinois State Police Department of Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Dallas Police Department – Texas, Crestwood Police Department – Missouri, Troy Police Department – Illinois, Great Bend Police Department – Kansas, McPherson Police Department – Kansas, and Bedford Police Department – Texas, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi prosecuted the case.
Texas medical center institutions agree to pay $15M record settlement involving concurrent billing claims for critical surgeriesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center (BSLMC), Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and Surgical Associates of Texas P.A. (SAT) have jointly agreed to pay $15 million to resolve claims they billed for concurrent heart surgeries in violation of Medicare teaching physician and informed consent regulations, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
BSLMC is a joint venture between CommonSpirit Health, a national hospital chain, and BCM, a medical school in Houston. BSLMC operates a teaching hospital, formerly known as St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, in its Medical Center. BCM employs teaching physicians and residents who perform services at BSLMC, including Dr. Joseph Coselli, 71, Houston, and Dr. Joseph Lamelas, 63, Miami, Florida. SAT is a medical practice group affiliated with various cardiothoracic surgeons, including Dr. David Ott, 77, Houston.
The investigation began Aug. 7, 2019, upon the filing of a sealed qui tam lawsuit aka whistleblower complaint. The whistleblower alleged Coselli, Lamelas and Ott - three heart surgeons who performed at St. Luke’s - engaged in a regular practice of running two operating rooms at once and delegating key aspects of extremely complicated and risky heart surgeries to unqualified medical residents. The heart surgeries at issue are some of the most complicated operations performed at any hospital including coronary artery bypass grafts, valve repairs and aortic repair procedures. These surgeries typically involve opening a patients’ chest and placing the patient on the bypass machine for some portion of time.
Medicare regulations dictate when teaching physicians can leave the operating room for any operation, no matter how complex.
The settlement resolves allegations that from June 3, 2013, to Dec. 21, 2020, Ott, Coselli and Lamelas violated these rules in various respects. Surgeons often ran two operating rooms at once and failed to attend the surgical “timeout”— a critical moment where the entire team would pause and identify key risks to prevent surgical errors, according to the allegations.
Additionally, surgeons would allegedly enter a second or occasionally a third operation without designating a backup surgeon. At times, the surgeons allegedly hid these activities by falsely attesting on medical records they were physically present for the “entire” operation. In addition, medical staff did not inform patients the surgeon would be leaving the room to perform another operation.
“Patients entrusted these surgeons with their lives - submitting to operations where one missed cut is the difference between life and death,” said Hamdani. “Allegedly, the patients were unaware their doctor was leaving for another operating room. This settlement reaffirms the importance of Medicare requirements governing surgeon presence and ensuring that no physician - no matter how prominent or successful - can skirt around the rules.”
“The complete disregard for patient safety exhibited by these three doctors put patients at risk and violated Medicare regulations for their own convenience and greed,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This record settlement demonstrates our steadfast commitment to protecting Medicare beneficiaries and working with our law enforcement partners to utilize all the tools in our arsenal to hold accountable those who steal from Medicare and other federal health care programs.”
“Any time any one of us goes under the knife as a vulnerable patient, we implicitly trust that the surgeons and medical professionals have our best interest at heart, especially here in Houston’s world-renowned hospitals,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI - Houston field office. “In this case, doctors gambled with their patients’ care, during complicated open-heart surgeries no less, compromising quality of care over quantity and then falsely billed Medicare for reimbursement of services they improperly delegated. We hope today’s civil settlement announcement represents accountability for doctors and hospitals everywhere.”
The $15 million recovery is the largest settlement to date involving concurrent surgeries.
The False Claims Act entitles the private whistleblower who commences the suit to a portion of the recovery. In this case, the whistleblower will receive $3,075,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, DHHS-OIG and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad Gray and Andrew Bobb are handling the case.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Tehama County Man Pleads Guilty to Online Enticement of a Minor for Sexual PurposesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Eduardo Castillo, 39, of Corning, pleaded guilty today to one count of online enticement of a minor for sexual purposes, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Castillo had previously fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution; however, he was returned to the United States in August 2023 thanks to the collaboration of the FBI, Mexican law enforcement officials, and Mexican immigration officials.
According to court documents, between July 13, 2020, and Aug. 27, 2020, Castillo used a cellphone and the internet to entice at least five minor victims into sending him images and videos of themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
During that timeframe, Castillo posed as one or more teenage girls on social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram. Using images of teenage girls that he had downloaded from the internet, Castillo initiated chats and then exchanges of images with his male victims. Castillo then asked for child sexual abuse material in return, assuring his victims that the images and videos would be deleted. In reality, Castillo screen-recorded the videos and images and saved them on his devices.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow is prosecuting the case.
Castillo is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on Sept. 9, 2024. Castillo faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
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 those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Tahoe City Resident Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Injurious Amphibians into the United StatesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Andrew Laughlin, 47, of Tahoe City, pleaded guilty today to one count of smuggling goods into the United States, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Laughlin acted as a “middleman” in an international amphibian smuggling ring. In a conversation with an undercover agent, Laughlin admitted that he participated in the ring in order to acquire hard-to-find newts. He shipped or received at least four packages of amphibians, including packages to or from individuals located in Hong Kong and Sweden. The packages were falsely labeled as items including a “toy car,” “rubber toys,” or “a ceramic art piece.” In reality, the boxes contained live animals including Eastern Box turtles, spotted turtles, fire belly newts, Asian warty newts, and newts native to California. Certain of the defendant’s shipments contained injurious species prohibited from being imported into the United States because their introduction could harm the ecosystems and natural resources of the United States. A search warrant executed on the defendant’s residence uncovered 81 live newts of various species. Some seized newts tested positive for Bd, a virulent fungi which originated in Asia and is spread through the illegal pet trade. Scientists estimate that Bd has caused significant declines in the populations of more than 500 species, more than 90 of which are presumed extinct.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine T. Lydon is prosecuting the case.
Laughlin is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on Oct. 7, 2024. Under the plea agreement, Laughlin agrees to pay restitution for the costs of caring for and testing the seized newts. He also agrees as part of his plea agreement to undertake a voluntary public education campaign at his kayaking store about the harms of illegal amphibian trafficking. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Several of the newts seized via search warrant from Laughlin’s residence.
Statements from Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual and FBI SAC Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Following the Sentencing in U.S. v. Edward M. BurkeRead the Press Release
Below are statements from Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office, following the sentencing today in U.S. v. Edward M. Burke:
“Corruption in the Chicago City Council tears at the fabric of a vital body of local government,” said Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. “When an alderman fails to discharge his duties with honesty and integrity, he betrays not only the citizens of Chicago, but his fellow public officials who do their jobs the right way. Our office will continue to vigorously prosecute corruption and hold public officials accountable for violating the public trust.”
“Aldermen are elected by their constituents to advocate for the public good,” said Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Chicago Field Office. “Bribery and extortion are contrary to that simple mission, and today’s sentencing highlights the consequences of betraying the public’s trust for one’s own illegal gains. The FBI is proud to work with partners at all levels of government to stamp out public corruption in northern Illinois.”
St. Louis County Woman Caught with Gun, Drugs Sentenced to 7 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Monday sentenced a woman who was caught with a gun and drugs to seven years in prison and ordered her to pay a $15,000 fine.
Judge Schelp also ordered Charity Ward’s sentence to run consecutive to any sentence she receives for pending cases in St. Charles County Circuit Court and St. Louis County Circuit Court.
Ward, 35, of Bellefontaine Neighbors, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. She admitted that on Jan. 2, 2023, St. Louis County Police officers found her at a motel in Ferguson. They also found fentanyl, cocaine base, methamphetamine, $3,000 and a Glock 29 10mm semi-automatic pistol in the motel room. Ward is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.
Ward told officers that she sold the cocaine base to acquaintances and distributed the fentanyl to others during parties.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. 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.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Meth Trafficking, Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in Greene County, Mo., and illegally possessing firearms.
Justin Thomas Hollingsworth, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 18 years in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 23, 2023, Hollingsworth pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Hollingsworth admitted he participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene County from June 1 to Aug. 25, 2022. Hollingsworth also admitted that on Aug. 25, 2022, he was in possession of a Ruger 9mm pistol and a Smith & Wesson .380-caliber pistol.
According to court documents, Hollingsworth made more than $30,000 in one month of selling methamphetamine. Hollingsworth is being held accountable for a total of nearly five kilograms of methamphetamine.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hollingsworth’s residence and arrested him on June 29, 2022. Officers found nine baggies that contained a total of 342.4 grams of methamphetamine inside a black zipper case on Hollingsworth’s bed. On the floor of the bedroom they found another zipper case that contained a total of 23 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Officers also found a loaded Ruger 9mm pistol, two loaded magazines, seven baggies of assorted prescription pills and $17,766 in cash, which the court today ordered to be forfeited to the government. Officers found more baggies of methamphetamine throughout the rest of the house.
On Aug. 25, 2022, law enforcement officers arrested Hollingsworth again, outside a local hotel, and searched his vehicle. Officers found approximately three pounds of methamphetamine, a Ruger 9mm pistol, a high-capacity drum magazine loaded with 39 rounds of ammunition for the Ruger pistol, a box of ammunition and a baggie of marijuana. Inside Hollingsworth’s hotel room, officers found a loaded Smith & Wesson .380-caliber handgun with an extended magazine, methamphetamine and marijuana. Officers also found $14,156 in cash, which the court today ordered to be forfeited to the government.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Sioux City Man Sentenced for Possession of a Firearm as a Felon and Drug UserRead the Press Release
A Sioux City man who barricaded himself inside his residence, with a firearm when sheriff’s deputies attempted to serve a protection order was sentenced June 21, 2024, to more than 2 years in federal prison.
Gabriel Krusen, age 46, from Sioux City, received the prison term after a February 13, 2024, guilty plea to one-count of possession of a firearm by a felon and drug user.
Evidence in the case revealed Woodbury County Sheriff’s deputies attempting to serve a protection order on Krusen were met with resistance and evasion as Krusen either fled when he observed law enforcement, or would barricade himself inside of his residence with barrels, barbed wire, and other obstacles. Krusen also kept a shotgun near the barricaded door.
On the night of July 31, 2023, Sheriff’s Deputies were able to take defendant into custody on multiple driving violations and served him with the protection order. During the subsequent execution of a search warrant, paraphernalia, methamphetamine, marijuana, and the firearm were seized.
On February 3, 2024, while Krusen was on pre-trial release, deputies with the Woodbury County Sheriff’s office were dispatched to disturbance at Krusen’s residence, where an assault had taken place. Members of the SWAT team were called to assist with the arrest of the defendant because of his past, and used an armored vehicle to approach Krusen. Krusen eventually surrendered without further incident. The defendant was arrested and charged with domestic abuse assault- injury or mental illness. These charges are pending in the Woodbury County, Iowa District Court.
Krusen was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 34 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Krusen is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-4069.
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Sex offender convicted on new child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jordan E. Brodie, 37, of LeRoy, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography following a previous conviction for possession of child pornography, before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that in May 2023, Brodie, a convicted sex offender under the active supervision of the Genesee County Probation Department, became involved in a chat application in which he and others traded child pornography. Brodie uploaded at least one of the images to a different platform, which then reported the image to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. An investigation by the New York State Police determined that the upload took place from Brodie’s home in LeRoy. A search warrant was executed at Brodie’s residence during which investigators seized his phone, and the contents of the social media account that uploaded the image. Images of child pornography depicting children less than 12 years old were recovered from both the phone and the social media account. Some of images included violence against children. Brodie was previously convicted of a child pornography charge in May 2021 in Genesee County, for which he was being actively supervised at the time of the current offense.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Miklos Szoczei II, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 21, 2024, at 9:15 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
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Settlement Reached with Fulton County Schools to Protect the Civil Rights of Students with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - The United States Attorney’s Office entered into a settlement agreement with Fulton County Schools in Georgia to resolve an investigation of the district’s response to an escalating series of student-on-student sexual assaults on a school bus serving students with special needs. The United States conducted its investigation under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974.
“Children with disabilities can be especially vulnerable and deserve to thrive in a learning environment free of violence of any kind, including when traveling to and from school aboard buses,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We applaud the school district’s willingness to cooperate with our investigation and to amicably resolve this matter to ensure the protection and safety of these children.”
“A school district’s responsibility is to protect its students, particularly students whose disabilities make them especially vulnerable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division. “As a result of the agreement reached today, Fulton County Schools will work to ensure that all students are safe on their school buses, and that bus drivers and monitors are trained to watch for and prevent sexual harassment and assault. Schools have a responsibility to address barriers to reporting sexual assault and to effectively investigate reports, taking into account the special needs or vulnerabilities of any affected students and their families. The Civil Rights Division will hold schools accountable to this critical obligation.”
The United States’ investigation found that the district lacked adequate procedures and failed to train employees in the proper reporting of and response to student-on-student sexual harassment and assault; failed to appropriately accommodate the special needs of students with disabilities in preventing and responding to sexual assault; and failed to make the reporting and complaint process accessible for parents and guardians with limited English proficiency. This agreement will strengthen the district’s policies and procedures for responding to student-on-student sexual assault and ensure that the district’s response accounts for the unique needs of students with disabilities and Limited English Proficient parents.
As a part of the settlement, the school district, among other actions, agrees to:
•revise its policies for responding to complaints of sexual misconduct;
•provide appropriate district personnel with training on student-on-student sexual misconduct, including the vulnerabilities unique to students with disabilities;
•ensure it provides students with disabilities the accommodations they need to participate in the district’s educational programs, particularly accommodations that support the communication needs of students with disabilities; and
•afford appropriate language assistance services to Limited English Proficient parents and guardians.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia worked in collaboration with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section to investigate this case. Aileen Bell Hughes, Deputy Chief, Public Integrity and Civil Rights Section was the lead attorney for the district in this matter.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.