Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Friday 3 May 2024
Omaha Man Sentenced for Cocaine and Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Edwin Baez, 30, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on May 3, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. Chief United State District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Baez to 24 months’ imprisonment for the cocaine offense and to 60 months’ imprisonment, consecutive, for the firearm offense. There is no parole in the federal system. After Baez is released from prison, he will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Baez will also forfeit $104,653 in U.S. currency to the United States as drug proceeds.
In March 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Baez after identifying him as being a cocaine distributor in the Omaha area.
On both March 22 and April 27, 2022, a confidential informant purchased approximately one ounce of cocaine directly from Baez. On May 26, 2022, a search warrant was executed at Baez’s residence in Omaha. In the garage, officers located approximately 4.6 pounds of cocaine and a Glock 19 pistol. Inside the residence officers located approximately $104,653.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DOMINICK ANTHONY VALOTTA (“VALOTTA”) (a/k/a joncimpo#8015), age 38, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey, to Count Two of a four-count indictment pending again him, charging VALOTTA with sexual exploitation of children, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a).
According to court documents, acting on a complaint made by a minor resident in Rhode Island, law enforcement executed several lawful search warrants. These warrants were focused on social media accounts, electronic devices, and a residence in Harahan, La. belonging to VALOTTA for various dates beginning around January 2023. A review of the items seized and searched revealed that throughout 2022 and early 2023, VALOTTA met at least three (3) minor females on social media applications. Thereafter, VALOTTA created a false persona. When chatting with the minors, VALOTTA typically engaged in sexually charged correspondence that culminated in VALOTTA attempting to arrange in-person sexual liaisons, requesting sexually explicit images and videos, and, to encourage minors to send him sexually explicit depictions, offered to take and transmit sexually explicit pictures of himself. VALOTTA’s victims included a North Carolina resident born in August 2007 (Victim 1), an Ohio resident born in July 2008 (Victim 2), and a North Carolina resident born in March 2008 (Victim 3).
VALOTTA faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of fifteen (15) years and up to a maximum of thirty (30) years imprisonment. He also faces a minimum of five (5) years and a maximum of a lifetime of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. He may also be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing before Judge Zainey has been scheduled for August 6, 2024.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.
New Hampshire Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Isaiah Lafoe, age 26, of Lancaster, New Hampshire, was sentenced today to 180 months (15 years) in prison for receiving child pornography. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Lafoe previously pled guilty and admitted that on September 30, 2020, and between October 5, 2020, and February 15, 2021, he communicated with a girl in Troy, New York, and coerced her into sending him, via social media applications over the internet, images and videos depicting the child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Lafoe received these images and videos on his cell phone.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also imposed a 25-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release and ordered Lafoe to pay $3,000 in restitution to the victim. Lafoe will also be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents, and state and local police investigators, including from the New York State Police and the Colonie Police Department. The Troy Police Department also provided assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Nampa Man Sentenced for Trafficking Fentanyl Pills Linked to an Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jaycob Tyler Gonzales, age 29, of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed a sentence of 108 months imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in March of 2022, officers responded to a 911 call for an unconscious male at a home in Lewiston, Idaho. Upon arriving, officers found a man deceased from a fentanyl overdose. There was a piece of tinfoil with a fentanyl pill next to the body. Officers examined the man’s phone and found the last text messages. The messages described a drug transaction and were sent from a phone that belonged to Gonzales.
In April of 2022, Investigators arranged controlled buys of fentanyl pills from Gonzales’s residence in Clarkston, Washington.
On May 22, 2022, a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle Gonzales was driving. Two young children were in the backseat. Investigators searched the trunk and located a small safe, disguised as dictionary, with more than 1,400 fentanyl pills inside. Gonzales told detectives he was returning home after a trip to Spokane to purchase 1,000 fentanyl pills from his supplier. Gonzales also told detectives he had been selling fentanyl for about two months and made regular trips to Spokane to re-supply. Gonzales admitted selling drugs to the man who died of a fentanyl overdose.
“Fentanyl continues to have a devastating impact on the community, and in this case resulted in the tragic overdose death of a young man. This case is a tragic and stark reminder of the destruction the opioid epidemic has inflicted,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Mr. Gonzales also had children with him when he was arrested with more than a thousand fentanyl pills, further increasing the risk that others would be harmed by the deadly drugs Mr. Gonzales was trafficking. My office, together with our federal and local partners, will continue to work tirelessly to prosecute those who contribute to this deadly crisis.”
“While in prison, Gonzales will no longer be able to contribute to the opioid epidemic that has devastated so many lives,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are working together to identify and disrupt traffickers who peddle poison in our communities.”
This case was investigated by the North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force and the Quad Cities Drug Task Force. The Quad Cities Drug Task Force is a multi-jurisdiction task force involving the numerous law enforcement agencies in Asotin County, Garfield County, and Whitman County, Washington, and Latah County and Nez Perce County, Idaho. The North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force is an FBI led Task Force involving the Idaho State Police, Lewiston Police Department, Nez Perce Tribal Police Department, and Grangeville Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Ellis.
Montgomery County Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Conspiracy and Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Samuel Payano, age 24, of Amsterdam, New York, pled guilty today to engaging in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl pills, cocaine, and methamphetamine, to distributing fentanyl pills, and to using a firearm during or in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), made the announcement.
Payano admitted that from May 2022 to December 2022, he conspired with Bernardo Tovar to distribute counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, as well as cocaine and methamphetamine. Payano also admitted distributing fentanyl pills and a firearm to another person on October 12, 2022. He also admitted that he and his Tovar possessed fentanyl pills, cocaine, and methamphetamine, as well two firearms in their apartment, on December 7, 2022, when their apartment was searched.
Payano will be sentenced in Syracuse on September 6, 2024, by Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes. Payano faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
Payano’s co-conspirator, Tovar, previously pled guilty and was sentenced to 181 months in prison.
The DEA and ATF investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping is prosecuting the case.
Milwaukee Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Pharmacy Robberies and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 2, 2024, four defendants have been sentenced by United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller to federal prison terms for their involvement in armed robberies of pharmacies in Milwaukee and other offenses.
According to public court filings, Robert K. Love (age 30) and Theodore D. Smith (age 31) carried out an armed robbery of a pharmacy in Milwaukee on November 3, 2021. Days later, on November 7, 2021, Love, Smith, and Alex M. Rollins (age 31) robbed a second pharmacy in the area. Both robberies involved the brandishing of a handgun, which was used to intimidate, threaten, and physically assault pharmacy staff. The robbers stole significant quantities of controlled substances and then sought to distribute those drugs. A federal grand jury returned indictments against Love, Smith, and Rollins, who all later pleaded guilty.
Smith was sentenced on February 29, 2024, to a 15-year federal prison term. At the time he participated in the November 2021 robberies, Smith was on supervised release following an earlier federal prison term imposed for similar crimes in 2015.
Rollins was sentenced on September 7, 2023, to a 6-year federal prison term.
Love was sentenced on May 2, 2024, to a 14-year prison term, followed by a term of supervised release. In addition to the November 2021 robberies, Love had also carried out thefts of three handguns from federal firearms licensees in October 2021 and had made false statements to law enforcement in November 2022. Love’s co-actor in the handgun thefts, Kenta D. Tittle (age 23), was sentenced to a 22-month prison term.
In announcing each of these defendants’ sentences, Judge Stadtmueller emphasized the seriousness of these crimes and their effect on individual victims and the community at large.
“Pharmcy robberies cause multiple layers of harm, placing the physical safety of others at risk, traumatizing victims, and introducing controlled substances into the community,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “In addition, individuals who are willing to steal firearms and get them into the hands of others through uncontrolled sales similarly pose an unacceptable risk to the safety of the neighborhoods in which we all live and work. I commend everyone who played a role in pursuing justice in these matters.”
“Wisconsin residents should not be forced to live in fear of being a victim of violent crime,” said FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Hensle. “The dedicated women and men of the FBI go to great lengths to apprehend those responsible, and their efforts increase the safety of our citizens in their communities. The FBI will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to bring individuals like these to justice,” said Hensle.
“ATF stands alongside our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, committed to investigating and prosecuting these important cases,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon of the Chicago Field Division. “These sentences send a strong message that we will use every resource at our disposal to hold those accountable for the violence in our community.”
The robbery investigation was handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Milwaukee Police Department, working as part of the FBI’s Milwaukee Area Violent Crime Task Force.
Love and Tittle’s handgun thefts and related firearms offenses were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from the Germantown Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Farris Martini and Margaret B. Honrath.
# # #
For further information contact: Public Information Officer
(414) 297-1700
Follow us on Twitter
Miami man sentenced to life in prison for murder in aid of racketeeringRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Miami man was sentenced to life in prison for murdering a man in aid of racketeering, assaulting a federal law enforcement officer, as well as of multiple counts of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. His sentence is followed by five years of supervised release.
On April 28, 2020, Geno St. Flerose, of Miami, Florida, a member of the “Everybody Eats,” “EBE” gang shot and killed a victim, who was driving by St. Flerose’s house after he chased him for over four blocks, and fired thirteen rounds into the victim’s car, striking him three times. The paramedics transported the victim to the hospital, but he did not survive. The victim was 22 years old at the time of his murder.
Then, on June 17, 2020, while a federal special agent was conducting surveillance in St. Flerose’s neighborhood, St. Flerose saw the agent’s car. He ran into the street and fired multiple rounds at the agent’s car, penetrating it, but not striking the agent. Later, law enforcement officers found hundreds of people’s personal information on St. Flerose’s cell phone.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), Miami Field Office, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom.
FBI Miami and USSS Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yara Dodin prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Hyman handled asset forfeiture.
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 21-cr-20149.
###
Metairie Man Sentenced for Presenting a Materially Altered Postal Money OrderRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JASON CAREY, age 43, of Metairie, was sentenced for presenting a materially altered postal money order, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 500.
According to court documents, beginning on or about November 4, 2020 and continuing until on or about November 20, 2020, CAREY executed a scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $20,000 from Hancock Whitney Bank by depositing altered United States Postal Money Orders into his minor daughter’s bank account. CAREY then withdrew these funds from Hancock Whitney Bank before the fund transfers cleared.
United States District Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced CAREY to 3 years of probation. Judge Africk also ordered CAREY to pay $18,183.99 in restitution to Hancock Whitney Bank along with a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of the United States Postal Inspection Service on this matter. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachal Cassagne and Paul Hubbell.
Marrero Bookkeeper Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MARY B. KATICICH, age 64, of Marrero, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on May 1, 2024, to one count of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, and one count of making and subscribing a false tax return, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1).
According to court documents, KATICICH used her position as bookkeeper with Belle Chase, Louisiana based J&J Diving Corporation to fraudulently divert funds to her benefit from the company’s Regions Bank account. Further, KATICICH willfully filed a tax return for tax year 2016 that she did not believe to be true and correct because it failed to report approximately $120,190.58 of income.
KATICICH faces a maximum term of twenty (20) years imprisonment for the wire fraud count and a maximum term of three (3) years imprisonment as to the tax charge. As to each count, KATICICH also faces a maximum fine of $250,000.00 or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person resulting from the offense, under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571. In addition, KATICICH faces a term of supervised release of up to three (3) years on the wire fraud count and up to one (1) year on the tax count. Each count also carries a $100 mandatory special assessment.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Mandan Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession and Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
BISMARCK – United States Attorney Mac Schneider announced that on May 3, 2024, Kyle William Johnson, age 35, from Mandan, North Dakota, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Daniel M. Traynor and was sentenced to serve 16 years and 8 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after he pled guilty to two counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), and one count of Possession and Discharge of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
On November 1, 2022, a Burleigh County Deputy conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of 52nd Street Southeast and Fettig Drive in Bismarck. The driver was identified as Kyle William Johnson. He was placed under arrest for having a suspended driver’s license and an outstanding arrest warrant. After a Bismarck Police Department K9 gave a positive indication on the vehicle, it was searched and law enforcement officers located methamphetamine and a handgun. The firearm was located under the driver’s seat of the vehicle and was loaded with a round of ammunition in the chamber and a thirteen [13] round magazine. Johnson was charged with various offenses in Burleigh County District Court and was released on bond. He subsequently failed to appear for a hearing and an arrest warrant was issued.
On April 22, 2023, Johnson was identified driving a vehicle eastbound on I-94 just east of Bismarck. When law enforcement attempted to stop Johnson to arrest him on outstanding warrants, he fled – starting on the interstate (upwards of 120 mph) and eventually into Bismarck. While within Bismarck city limits, Johnson fired multiple rounds from his vehicle. Law enforcement engaged spike strips and the vehicle became disabled on South Washington Street near the Bismarck Expressway intersection. After Johnson was arrested, officers located methamphetamine and a handgun in the vehicle.
Johnson was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to multiple felony convictions from 2012 – 2023.
“This is a fitting sentence for someone who violently put the lives of law enforcement officers and Bismarck residents at risk,” Schneider said. “Our partners at the Bismarck Police Department and Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office deserve the credit for bringing this individual to justice before he hurt anyone. Violent felons like Mr. Johnson who use illegally possessed firearms to threaten public safety can count on becoming defendants in federal court in the District of North Dakota.”
“Kyle Johnson, through his actions displayed a deliberate and violent disregard for the law,” said Sheriff Kelly Leben, Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office. “I commend the law enforcement officers involved for their actions in ending this violent and dangerous situation and truly appreciate the efforts of the US Attorney’s Office for holding Johnson accountable to the citizens of our county”.
Bismarck, ND Police Chief Dave Draovitch said, “Kyle Johnson is being held accountable for aimlessly shooting out of a moving vehicle, which could have had significant consequences to innocent bystanders in the city that my department protects and serves. We are grateful for the outcome, and this shows how you can’t outrun the collaboration of local, county, state and federal law enforcement when they work together.”
This case was investigated by the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office, the Bismarck Police Department, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the North Dakota Highway Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, with Assistant United States Attorney David Hagler assigned to the case.
# # #
Man Indicted for Threatening Fulton County District AttorneyRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Marc Shultz has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on charges of transmitting interstate threats to injure Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis because of her prosecution of Former President Donald Trump. Shultz made his initial appearance in federal court in San Diego, California on May 2, 2024, and will be formally arraigned in Atlanta in June.
“Sending death threats to a public official is a criminal offense that will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Our office will continue to diligently coordinate with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to help protect public officials while performing their duties and who deserve to do so free from threats of harm and intimidation.”
“Threats against any individual, credible or not, is a very serious crime that the FBI will not tolerate,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Threats of violence against government officials, specifically, threaten the very fabric of our democracy. We want everyone to know that if you engage in such behavior, you will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the indictment, and other information presented in court: On October 4, 2023, and again on October 5, 2023, Shultz allegedly posted multiple comments to two separate YouTube live stream videos. His comments threatened District Attorney Willis with violence and murder including a statement that she “will be killed like a dog.”
Marc Shultz, 66, of Chula Vista, California was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 24, 2024. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret R. Hobson and Brent Alan Gray are prosecuting the case.
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.
Man Indicted and Arrested for Conspiracy to Kill Persons in a Foreign Country and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On April 25, 2024, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Aldrin Manuel Lara-Martínez with conspiracy to kill persons in a foreign country and the discharging of firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney of the District of Puerto Rico.
According to court documents, the government alleges that on August 16, 2023, Lara-Martínez arranged to rent a car in the Dominican Republic. On August 18, 2023, Lara-Martínez flew from Logan International Airport, in Massachusetts to Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic. On August 20, 2023, in the early morning hours, two men and one woman left a night club located on Fabio Herrera Venue and went to the fast-food place called “El Campa Berguer Meat.” While they were stopped at a traffic light, the car that Lara-Martínez had rented pulled up and Lara-Martínez opened fire into their vehicle. Two victims died as the result of gunshot wounds, and one individual suffered gunshot wounds.
On August 22, 2023, the Office of the Judicial Services in the Dominican Republic issued an arrest warrant for Lara-Martínez. The Arrest Warrant sought to bring Lara-Martínez before a court in the Dominican Republic for the murder of two individuals in the Dominican Republic.
As part of the search for Lara-Martínez in the Dominican Republic—Dominican Republic law enforcement created a wanted poster with Lara-Martínez’ photograph that was distributed in an effort to apprehend Lara-Martínez. In addition, to the wanted posters, Dominican Republic law enforcement conducted a large-scale manhunt for Lara-Martínez. Not only was this a law enforcement effort but multiple news outlets picked up the story of Lara-Martínez arrest warrant for murder and his status as a fugitive. Shortly after the alleged murder and the issuing of the arrest warrant—Lara-Martínez took extreme measures and an irregular means of transportation to enter the United States—and traveled on a yola type vessel with undocumented migrants in an attempt to enter the United States at a place other than a designated port of entry—where he would have not have to pass through customs and passport control.
On September 29, 2023, Lara-Martínez was arrested by U.S. Coast Guard personnel after he jumped off the yola type vessel that was transporting Lara-Martínez and others to Puerto Rico. Lara-Martínez was then charged with federal offenses relating to the failure to comply with the orders of the Coast Guard. Following Lara-Martínez’ indictment with this case, the United States dismissed those other pending charges.
The defendant had his detention hearing today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Héctor Ramos Vega of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico and has been ordered detained pending trial. If convicted of Count Two alone, the Defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten-years imprisonment with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. If convicted of Count One Lara-Martínez faces a statutory maximum penalty of life imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The US Coast Guard Investigative Services is investigating the case, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Max Pérez-Bouret, Ryan McCabe, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Helena B. Daniel from the Transnational Organized Crime Unit are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Man Gets 25-Year Prison Sentence for Murder Committed in November 2023Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Andre Hicks, 40, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, was sentenced today for the murder of Daniel Adams in November 2023 in Northeast Washington, D.C. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo sentenced Hicks to 25 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, around 9:10 p.m. on November 25, 2023, Hicks approached 1705 Benning Road Northeast, Washington, D.C., on foot. Several people were standing inside and immediately out front of that address. The victim, Daniel Adams, was one of the people standing out front. After walking up to the address and going up its front stairs, the defendant stood for a moment by the front door, looking back in the direction of Mr. Adams. The defendant then pulled a gun out of his pants and held it to his side, away from and out of view of the victim. With the gun out, the defendant started to slowly walk back down the steps in front of that building toward where the victim was standing. Once the defendant had come within a few feet of the victim, he drew his gun up, pointed it at the victim, and started firing repeatedly. Hicks continued to fire at Mr. Adams as Mr. Adams ran away. Hicks then fled the scene. Mr. Adams was taken to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his gunshot wounds and died the next day.
In announcing the sentence U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Alec Levy.
Mafia Criminal Gang Founder Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – The founder of the Mafia criminal street gang who has a lengthy criminal history in the Middle Georgia community is facing up to 15 years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm.
Alphonzo Clyde, 45, of Macon, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on April 10 before Chief U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell. Clyde is facing a maximum of 15 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Clyde’s sentencing is scheduled for July 3. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The Mafia criminal gang is tied to violent crime and large-scale fentanyl distribution in Macon and Middle Georgia, causing grave harm to our community,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Federal, state and local law enforcement is focused on dismantling all violent criminal enterprises and holding their associates accountable in our collaborative effort to keep people safe.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, Clyde is the documented founder of the Mafia, a criminal street gang operating in Middle Georgia and West Virginia. Clyde was wanted on an outstanding probation violation warrant when officers from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Jones County Sheriff’s Office took him into custody on Oct. 8, 2023. At the time of his arrest, officers spotted a digital scale with a white powdery substance located on the front passenger seat of the SUV that Clyde was driving. Officers also detected a marijuana odor emanating from his vehicle. Officers found a Taurus G2S 9-millimeter handgun inside the glovebox. Clyde has multiple prior felony convictions; it is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
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 of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and the Jones County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Mobile Man Sentenced to 33 Months for Transmitting Interstate Threats to InjureRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – Cloepha Franks, a Mobile, Alabama man, has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for transmitting interstate threats to injure. Franks was convicted of this offense at trial in November 2023. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, following his termination from a local construction company, Franks sent a series of threatening text messages to his former boss threatening to kill him.
The jury heard evidence that Franks sent the messages from Alabama to the victim who was in Mississippi. Records of the text messages and cell phone records confirmed Franks’ phone transmitted the messages to the victim.
The victim testified about receiving the threats. He and other witnesses from the construction company testified about precautions taken after Franks transmitted the threats and the fear his actions caused. The FBI testified concerning the ongoing threat to life investigation and evidence obtained from Franks’ cell phone and cell phone records.
At the sentencing hearing held earlier today, Judge DuBose imposed a 33-month sentence of incarceration and a 3-year term of supervised release upon Franks’ discharge from prison. Franks will also be required to undergo mental health evaluation and alcohol monitoring.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Mobile Division led this investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Beth Stepan and Chris Bodnar prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Lexington Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Role in Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Leopoldo Ramirez, 25, of Lexington, Nebraska, was sentenced May 2, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Ramirez to 132 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ramirez’ release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
Operating from at least June 2021 until October 2022, Ramirez and others were responsible for trafficking meth into the state. Officers from a variety of local, state, and federal agencies pieced the conspiracy together using electronic evidence, surveillance, and search warrants.
Together, the conspirators distributed over 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing meth. As part of the investigation into this conspiracy, Ramirez’s cell phone was seized and searched. Multiple text messages were located between Ramirez and other co-conspirators discussing drugs and narcotic distribution. In addition, Ramirez kept a list of pay/owe status for drugs he distributed. His records indicated approximately 50 additional grams of meth that he had personally distributed in the course of the conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the CODE Drug Task Force, Lexington Police Department, Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, the Nebraska State Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Kanawha County Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Benson Cline II, 49, of Cedar Grove and a convicted sex offender, pleaded guilty on Thursday, May 2, 2024, to possession of prepubescent child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between on or about July 24, 2023, to on or about November 6, 2023, Cline possessed 22 images and 134 videos of child sexual abuse material including digital media files depicting prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on his instant messaging app account that he accessed through his cell phone.
Cline is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Cline is a registered sex offender, as a result of his conviction for soliciting a minor via computer on February 24, 2011.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander A. Redmon is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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-42.
###
KC Man Sentenced to 21 Years for Fentanyl Conspiracy That Resulted in Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for leading a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, which resulted in an overdose death.
Dmitry Cattell, 24, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Thursday, May 2, to 21 years in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 21, 2023, Cattell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, two counts of distributing fentanyl, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being an illegal drug user in possession of a firearm.
Cattell distributed at least 6,225 doses of fentanyl during the conspiracy from Sept. 12, 2019, to April 5, 2022. Cattell admitted that the conspiracy also involved at least 1.1 kilograms of cocaine.
Evidence was presented during yesterday’s sentencing hearing related to the delivery of fentanyl, the use of which caused the death of another person on May 18, 2020. The victim of the fatal overdose is not identified in court documents.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers responded four times to Cattell’s residence for drug overdoses. After Cattell sold a pill to his sister, which caused her overdose, a search warrant was executed at his residence on Nov. 10, 2020. Law enforcement officers found drug paraphernalia and a Taurus handgun with a defaced serial number, which was under the pillow on Cattell’s bed. Cattell admitted selling fentanyl to a woman (who crashed her vehicle in front of his residence), his girlfriend, and his sister, who all overdosed. All of these narcotics were distributed by Cattell at his residence.
Cattell is among 11 defendants who have been convicted in this case, and the second defendant to be sentenced. Co-defendant Dominic E. Holland, 25, was sentenced on Nov. 21, 2023, to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen Brackett and Stephanie Bradshaw. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Platte County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Clay County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Kearney, Mo., Police Department, the Olathe, Kan., Police Department, and the Riverside, Mo., Police Department.
KC Metro Strike Force
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
Justice Department, United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota Strengthen Efforts and Build Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota joins the broader Justice Department, its partners across the federal government, and people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
Attorney General Garland’s remarks recognizing Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day can be viewed here.
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota eagerly embraces its role in preventing and responding to MMIP cases,” Schneider said. “As we continue to work with our partners to carry out Savanna’s Act and address this crisis, we know that one missing person case is too many. Those who are missing from their communities and their families are top of mind on MMIP Awareness Day and every day as we work together to increase public safety in Indian country.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.
The MMIP regional program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
In the District of North Dakota, the United States Attorney’s Office is planning its third annual Savanna’s Act meetings with state, local, and tribal officials to reinforce partnerships in responses to recently reported missing and murdered indigenous persons. These meetings will occur in June on each of the four major reservations in North Dakota.
As part of the partnerships set up at previous Savanna’s Act meetings, the office’s Law Enforcement Coordinator has worked closely with tribal, state and local law enforcement to request resources such as air support from the United States Air Force and other air, maritime and land-based resources to aid and assist in searches for missing persons. In 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota provided resource assistance in 46 missing person cases, 45 of which were resolved.
The office has also partnered on efforts with its regional MMIP coordinator, Assistant United States Attorney Troy Morley of the District of South Dakota. Additional outreach on the development of Tribal Community Response Plans is anticipated in the coming months.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm. In February, for instance, a Detroit, Michigan native was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison for his leadership role in a drug trafficking organization targeting the Fort Berthold and Spirit Lake reservations in North Dakota. Combating organized criminal groups who traffic dangerous drugs onto North Dakota’s reservations continues to be a top priority for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
# # #
Justice Department sues TDCJ for religious discriminationRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) related to its denial of a religious accommodation for a former administrative employee.
The complaint alleges a woman worked as a non-uniformed clerk in an administrative building at the Pam Lychner Unit of TDCJ and requested to wear a head covering as an expression of her Ifa faith. The complaint asserts that rather than accommodating her request, TDCJ indefinitely suspended her without pay when she would not remove her head covering, impermissibly questioned the sincerity of her faith and ultimately terminated her employment.
The suit alleges TDCJ’s refusal to accommodate her religious practice violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“Religious discrimination in the workplace will not be tolerated in our district,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. “TDCJ, like any other employer, must reasonably accommodate employees under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
“Employers cannot require employees to forfeit their religious beliefs or improperly question the sincerity of those beliefs,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit is a reminder to all employers of their clear legal obligation to offer reasonable religious accommodations. In our country, employers cannot force an employee to choose between their faith and their job.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Karpati is handling the matter along with Trial Attorney Vendarryl Jenkins of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section
Title VII is a federal statute that prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex and religion. Title VII also prohibits retaliation against employees who have made a charge, assisted or participated in an investigation, proceeding or hearing under Title VII. Employees with complaints of religious discrimination can report them to their local EEOC office or their state or local fair employment practices agencies. The contact information for each local EEOC office can be found at www.eeoc.gov/field-office.
The full and fair enforcement of Title VII is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. More information about the Civil Rights Division and its work is available on its websites at www.justice.gov/crt and www.justice.gov/crt/employment-litigation-section.
The claims asserted in this case are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Justice Department strengthens efforts, builds partnerships to address the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout Alaska Native and American Indian communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska is pleased to announce that Ingrid Goodyear was appointed as the permanent MMIP Coordinator for the Great Plains Region, with includes Alaska, on April 5, 2024, after serving nearly four years as the contracted MMIP coordinator for Alaska. Since her initial appointment in July 2020, she has worked collaboratively with Federal, State, local and Tribal law enforcement, victim services and Tribal agencies to address MMIP in Alaska. For MMIP Awareness Day, Mrs. Goodyear will be joining the Nome community for an awareness walk and speaking event on May 5.
Most recently, Mrs. Goodyear supported the Tanana Chiefs Conference and Fairbanks Native Association in developing and adopting the First Urban MMIP Tribal Community Response Plan (TCRP) for the Fairbanks and TCC region, which provides a unified plan to prevent and respond to MMIP situations for the region’s 39 villages. For roughly four years, Mrs. Goodyear has also worked with partners to create a multidisciplinary working group in Alaska solely focused on working collaboratively to address the MMIP issue through trainings, education and consultations in all regions of the state.
The district also recently hired three Tribal Assistant U.S. Attorneys who will focus solely on prosecuting cases in rural Alaska that address public safety threats impacting rural villages, including drug trafficking or firearm offenses. In January, the district announced that 53 people were charged following an investigation by a multi-jurisdictional task force into a transnational organized crime ring that targeted Alaska, allegedly trafficking kilograms of deadly drugs, including fentanyl, to rural Alaska Native communities and villages like Goodnews Bay and Tyonek, two communities with populations of under 200 people.
“Mrs. Goodyear’s permanent appointment and the hiring of our new Tribal AUSAs are additional steps in my office’s unwavering commitment to address MMIP and violent crime in Alaska,” said U.S. Attorney Tucker. “In the over three years that Mrs. Goodyear has been with our office as the district MMIP coordinator, she has had a tremendous impact on bringing partners and communities together to have crucial conversations about an issue that is gripping our state. Moving forward, we are excited to have our full team of dedicated professionals working toward progress for MMIP and Tribal justice in Alaska.”
The MMIP Regional Outreach Program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
###
Justice Department Sues Texas Department of Criminal Justice for Religious DiscriminationRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) for denying an employee’s religious accommodation request to wear a head covering as an expression of her Ifa faith. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, alleges that TDCJ’s refusal to accommodate the employee’s religious practice violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII).
“Employers cannot require employees to forfeit their religious beliefs or improperly question the sincerity of those beliefs,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This lawsuit is a reminder to all employers of their clear legal obligation to offer reasonable religious accommodations. In our country, employers cannot force an employee to choose between their faith and their job.”
“Religious discrimination in the workplace will not be tolerated in our district,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “TDCJ, like any other employer, must reasonably accommodate employees under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
The department’s complaint alleges that Franches Spears, who worked as a non-uniformed clerk in an administrative building, requested to wear a head covering in accordance with the tenets of her religion. The complaint alleges that even though TDCJ allowed other employees to wear hats and other non-religious head coverings and could have accommodated Spears’ request it refused to do so. Instead, TDCJ indefinitely suspended Spears without pay when she would not remove her head covering, impermissibly questioned the sincerity of her faith and ultimately terminated her employment.
The department’s lawsuit seeks to require TDCJ to implement lawful religious accommodation policies and compensate Spears for lost wages and other damages.
Title VII is a federal law that prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex and religion. Title VII also prohibits retaliation against employees who have made a charge, or assisted or participated in an investigation, proceeding or hearing under Title VII. Employees with complaints of religious discrimination or retaliation can report them to their local Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) office or their state or local fair employment practices agencies. The contact information for each local EEOC office can be found at www.eeoc.gov/field-office.
The full and fair enforcement of Title VII is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. More information about the Civil Rights Division and its work can be found at www.justice.gov/crt and www.justice.gov/crt/employment-litigation-section.
Trial Attorneys Vendarryl Jenkins and Cheyenne Chambers of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Karpati for the Southern District of Texas are handling the case.
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
Remote video URL
The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“The FBI remains unwavering in our pledge to work with our law enforcement partners to address the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities and families,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to prioritize our support of victims and will steadfastly pursue investigations into the crime impacting American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
“DEA’s top priority is protecting all communities from deadly drugs, like fentanyl, and drug related violent crime,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “We know that no community has been spared from these deadly threats and we are committed to keeping Tribal communities safe.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions are the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.
U.S. Attorneys and MMIP personnel engaged in events with Tribal and law enforcement partners, communities, and stakeholders today across the United States, and will continue to do so in the days to come.
The MMIP Regional Outreach Program dedicates five MMIP Assistant U.S. Attorneys and five MMIP coordinators to provide specialized support to U.S. Attorneys’ offices to address and combat the issues of MMIP. This support includes assisting in the investigation of unresolved MMIP cases and related crimes, and promoting communication, coordination, and collaboration among federal, Tribal, local, and state law enforcement, and non-governmental partners on MMIP issues.
The MMIP regional program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ Offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-Department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission (NIAC)’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crises. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
The Department is in the process of implementing its response now, addressing several areas in the near term, including:
- Improving coordination, funding, and operations of efforts to combat MMIP and human trafficking;
- Enhancing research to better trace the underlying causes of MMIP and human trafficking, to reduce barriers to accessing resources, and to identify data sharing opportunities with healthcare systems;
- Improving access to funding aligned with Tribes’ needs;
- Developing guidance on the effective use of the media and social media to engage the public when someone is reported missing;
- Improving communications with families of victims or missing people; and
- Working with a multi-jurisdictional working group to address factors that lead people, particularly young people, to voluntarily go missing.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities — including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance use; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking — can influence the rates of missing American Indian and Alaska Native people.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm. For instance:
- In January, the U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska announced that 53 people were charged following an investigation by a multi-jurisdictional task force into a transnational organized crime ring that targeted Alaska, allegedly trafficking kilograms of deadly drugs including fentanyl to rural Alaska Native communities and villages like Goodnews Bay and Tyonek, two communities with populations of under 200 people.
- Last year, the Justice Department increased funding to the FBI Safe Trails Task Forces to build on the success they have had in bringing together agencies, including Tribal police departments, to combat public safety threats, violent crime, and drug trafficking. The FBI has increased its investigative resources in some of the Indian Country field offices that were in most need of personnel.
- Last year, the FBI undertook Operation Not Forgotten, which surged more than 40 personnel, including agents, intelligence analysts, tactical specialists, and victim specialists, to 10 field offices, where they were able to supplement more than 200 pending investigations related to violence against indigenous women and children, with a focus on homicide, serious bodily injury, and physical and sexual child abuse. To date, there have been seven successful indictments. Special Agents identified four previously unidentified child victims and recovered one child victim. Numerous other cases were referred for federal or Tribal prosecutions based on these efforts.
- This year, the DEA has established liaisons with each of the FBI-led Safe Trails Task Forces. In addition, DEA is expanding Operation Overdrive to include partnering with Tribal law enforcement and community outreach specialists to reduce the harm caused by drugs and drug-related violence. Operation Overdrive utilizes a data-driven approach to identify hot spots of drug-related violence and drug-poisoning deaths across the country, in order to concentrate resources where criminal drug networks are causing the most harm. DEA’s Operation Engage has facilitated programs for Tribal youth, focusing on increasing drug prevention and awareness.
- This coming August, the DEA will be holding their 7th annual training in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs on drug enforcement in Tribal communities. This upcoming training will include a specific focus on fentanyl and certifying meeting participants in administering Narcan.
- The U.S. Marshals Service has developed a legislative proposal to formalize its role in enforcing Tribal violent felony arrest warrants that would expand a pilot launched last year where the Marshals served Tribal warrants at the request of, and in close coordination with, Tribal law enforcement and the Department’s Office of Tribal Justice. This effort has successfully targeted extremely dangerous offenders.
- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) recently assigned a Special Agent/Certified Fire Investigator to the MMIP Initiative to conduct case reviews for each of the five regions. ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Identification Network (NIBIN) and Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGIC) are used as an investigative resource for MMIP cases involving the criminal use of a firearm.
- In addition to coordinating our enforcement efforts, the Justice Department is also focused on supporting education and awareness efforts, as well as prevention, treatment, and recovery. The Bureau of Justice Assistance has provided training sessions for Tribal law enforcement, judges, and public safety personnel on our shared work to address fentanyl poisoning, including on the use of Narcan for fentanyl overdoses.
Accessing Justice Department Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Justice Department’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the MMIP section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona Participates in Multiple Events Across the State for Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day
PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“Missing Indigenous Persons cases require more from us as prosecutors,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “The uncertainty caused in a missing persons case can exacerbate trauma for family and friends. We need to rethink how and what we can share with next of kin so that we can promote better outcomes, support greater sensitivity to Tribal customs and culture, and instill greater confidence in the results of investigations.”
“The FBI remains unwavering in our pledge to work with our law enforcement partners to address the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities and families,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to prioritize our support of victims and will steadfastly pursue investigations into the crime impacting American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
“DEA’s top priority is protecting all communities from deadly drugs, like fentanyl, and drug related violent crime,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We know that no community has been spared from these deadly threats and we are committed to keeping Tribal communities safe.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions. In the Southwest, the District of Arizona is currently in the process of hiring the region’s Coordinator, and the District of New Mexico has already hired a lawyer to assist in regional efforts.
To commemorate MMIP Awareness Day and honor victims, U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino, AUSA Kiyoko Patterson, and victim advocates from the U.S. Attorney’s Office will participate in an MMIP Awareness event at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix on May 4. On May 2, members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office participated in the 3rd Annual National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Day of Awareness Symposium at the University of Arizona.
The MMIP regional outreach program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons, issued in July 2022.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s (NIAC) recommendations on how to combat the MMIP and human trafficking crises. The response to the NIAC, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which expose already vulnerable communities to greater harm. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona has conducted several collaborative training sessions with Tribal law enforcement partners on fentanyl interdiction and prosecution strategies, and has undertaken fentanyl prosecution initiatives in several Tribal Nations in Arizona.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-058_ Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Day
# # #
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.Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
BOISE – The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“The crisis of missing and murdered indigenous persons continues to impact Idaho’s tribal communities, causing generational pain,” said U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit. “We are committed to enhancing our partnerships with Idaho’s tribes to address this unacceptable problem. The new Regional MMIP Prosecutor position in Eastern Washington is an important part of this effort. We look forward to continuing to serve Idaho’s tribes and to seek justice for victims.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.
In Idaho, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will benefit from the Northwest Regional MMIP Assistant U.S. Attorney, Bree Black Horse, who will work out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington and assist on community engagement and prosecutions in Idaho.
The MMIP Regional Outreach Program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm. In Idaho, for instance:
- In April 2022, Travis Dewayne Ellenwood, 44, of Kamiah, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison for second degree murder. According to court records, Ellenwood beat and strangled his girlfriend, Bessie Blackeagle, killing her on October 31, 2020. Ellenwood maintained he was too intoxicated to remember what happened. Ellenwood is a member of the Nez Perce Tribe, as was Ms. Blackeagle. Ms. Blackeagle was 28 at the time of her murder. She was a Nez Perce language speaker and well versed in Nez Perce traditions and customs. Her death has affected many in the tribal community.
- In October 2021, Justin Beasley, 27, of Fort Hall, was sentenced to 327 months in federal prison for second degree murder. According to court records, and evidence presented at trial, on February 3, 2018, Austin Pevo, 23, was dropped off by his mother at a residence on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation for work cutting firewood. Testimony at trial showed that Beasley and others were at the residence at that time. Beasley and Pevo had an argument and Beasley stabbed Pevo twice in the chest with a knife. Beasley and two other men took Pevo’s body to an isolated area in Arbon Valley. Pevo’s family reported him missing and the Fort Hall Police Department investigated but was unable to locate any information on Pevo’s whereabouts.
A witness to the events of February 3, 2018, came forward to the Fort Hall Police in August 2019, and reported that Pevo had died on that date and three men who had been at the house removed his body. The FBI executed a search warrant at the residence and found evidence that Pevo had died there. One of the men who helped hide the body admitted to his involvement and took FBI agents to the location of Pevo’s remains in Arbon Valley. The agents recovered Pevo’s remains along with clothing and other personal items. DNA testing showed that the remains were those of Pevo.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
###
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“MMIP Awareness Day is a time to honor and remember victims of violence. It is also a time to reaffirm our commitment to supporting the needs of our Tribal communities,” said U.S. Attorney Luger. “Here in the District of Minnesota, we are fortunate to have an MMIP Assistant U.S. Attorney who is focused on strengthening partnerships and advancing public safety and engagement with Tribal communities across Minnesota and the Great Lakes Region.”
“The FBI remains unwavering in our pledge to work with our law enforcement partners to address the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities and families,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to prioritize our support of victims and will steadfastly pursue investigations into the crime impacting American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
“DEA’s top priority is protecting all communities from deadly drugs, like fentanyl, and drug related violent crime,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We know that no community has been spared from these deadly threats and we are committed to keeping Tribal communities safe.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions. Last year, Laura M. Provinzino was appointed to serve as the MMIP Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Great Lakes Region.
The MMIP Regional Outreach Program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“The Department of Justice has been working hard to strengthen law enforcement cooperation with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and other law enforcement partners in order to better address violent crime, the fentanyl crisis, and other public safety issues in Tribal communities,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi.
“The FBI remains unwavering in our pledge to work with our law enforcement partners to address the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities and families,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to prioritize our support of victims and will steadfastly pursue investigations into the crime impacting American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
“DEA’s top priority is protecting all communities from deadly drugs, like fentanyl, and drug related violent crime,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We know that no community has been spared from these deadly threats and we are committed to keeping Tribal communities safe.”
“The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is pleased with the dedicated coordinated efforts between Tribal law enforcement and federal and state partners who respond to missing or murdered indigenous person cases,” said Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben. “These partnerships are critical when a tribal member goes missing or is murdered, as these types of cases may cross jurisdictional boundaries and often require the involvement of neighboring departments.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.
In the Southern District of Mississippi, the United States Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, conducted a training event on March 19, 2024, with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (M.B.C.I.), the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department, the Leake County Sheriff’s Department, and the Carthage Police Department regarding the implementation of the FBI’s Safe Trails Task Force, which brings together federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement officers to focus on violent crime in Tribal communities and surrounding areas.
“The recent implementation of the FBI Safe Trails Task Force has enhanced these public safety partnerships and brought additional tools and resources to our law enforcement agency and those local law enforcement agencies participating,” said Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben. “The Tribe will continue to support and promote collaboration with all of our law enforcement partners to enhance our collective capabilities to respond to incidences of crime. I commend the efforts of our federal, local, and state partners who assist the Tribe in responding to our MMIP cases.”
In recognition of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, the United States Attorney’s Office has joined forces with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to raise awareness for MMIW by asking everyone to wear red on Friday, May 3, 2024, to make visible those indigenous women that have disappeared and/or been murdered. The United States Attorney’s Office works closely with the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Missing and Murdered Unit and the Choctaw Police Department regarding cases concerning reports of missing or murdered indigenous persons.
The MMIP Regional Outreach Program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate. Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm.
For instance, on April 4, 2024, U.S. Attorney Todd Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi, and AUSA Kevin J. Payne, Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southern District of Mississippi, met with Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben, Choctaw Attorney General Dianne Maxwell, and M.B.C.I. Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Burns to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding between the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi regarding the duties and responsibilities of the M.B.C.I. Special Assistant United States Attorney and how the United States Attorney’s Office can assist with the prosecution of violent crime, sexual assaults, domestic violence, missing persons and narcotics offenses on the Choctaw Indian Reservation.
The Department of Justice has successfully prosecuted several violent crimes against Tribal members this year. For example, on April 30, 2024, a sentence was imposed in the case of United States v. Tyreese Smith, a non-Indian male who committed an act of domestic violence against a tribal female in the Bok Homa Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation. Smith was sentenced to 24 months after pleading guilty to assault with intent to commit a felony. This case was a collaborative effort between the Choctaw Police Department, Jones County Sheriff’s Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of the FBI’s Safe Trails Task Force.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities. For additional information about the Department of Justice's efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety ad Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“On Sunday, May 5, we recognize and honor American Indian and Alaska Native persons who have gone missing or have been murdered and renew our commitment to address this crisis. Every person deserves to feel safe in their home and community. The loss of even one Indigenous man, woman or child through disappearance or murder is unacceptable, and we acknowledge the pain and suffering these losses cause families and communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich, for the District of Montana. “We also acknowledge that Indigenous women and children face disproportionally higher rates of violence and sexual abuse. And we reaffirm our commitment to do everything we can to find the missing, hold killers accountable and seek justice for the missing or murdered by continuing to work with all our federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement partners. And while we are not perfect, we are making progress. We meet regularly with tribal leadership for the Blackfeet, Rocky Boy’s, Fort Belknap, Fort Peck, Crow, Northern Cheyenne, and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes about the issues they’re facing. We are determined to do the hard work of reducing violence and improving public safety for all Indigenous persons.”
“The FBI remains unwavering in our pledge to work with our law enforcement partners to address the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities and families,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to prioritize our support of victims and will steadfastly pursue investigations into the crime impacting American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
“DEA’s top priority is protecting all communities from deadly drugs, like fentanyl, and drug related violent crime,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We know that no community has been spared from these deadly threats and we are committed to keeping Tribal communities safe.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.
The MMIP Regional Outreach Program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation in Montana, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm. For instance:
In the District of Montana, federal, local and tribal law enforcement, through a collaborative investigation, dismantled a large-scale, multi-state methamphetamine and narcotics trafficking conspiracy that ran from January 2022 until March 2023 and was based on two properties on the Crow Reservation, including one known as Spear Siding. The investigation determined that while based on the Crow Reservation, trafficking operations reached across Montana, including to the Northern Cheyenne, Fort Belknap, and Rocky Boy’s reservations. The investigation into Spear Siding activities has led to federal charges against more than two dozen defendants, 13 of whom have been convicted and sentenced.
Accessing Department of Justice Resource
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
# # #
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“The loss of any one is a loss to us all,” said U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez. “The Department of Justice is committed to bringing justice and answers to grieving Tribal communities. By listening to the needs of our Indigenous neighbors and taking concrete steps to address this crisis, from investigations and prosecutions to enhancing training and outreach, we will meet the case of each missing and murdered indigenous person with urgency, transparency, and coordination.”
“The FBI remains unwavering in our pledge to work with our law enforcement partners to address the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities and families,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to prioritize our support of victims and will steadfastly pursue investigations into the crime impacting American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
“DEA’s top priority is protecting all communities from deadly drugs, like fentanyl, and drug related violent crime,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We know that no community has been spared from these deadly threats and we are committed to keeping Tribal communities safe.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.
In the Southwest Region, MMIP AUSA Eliot Neal from District of New Mexico will join District of Arizona U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino, AUSA Kiyoko Patterson, and victim advocates from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona at MMIP Awareness events at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix.
The MMIP Regional Outreach Program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm. For instance:
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
# # #
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“The tireless work by prosecutors and law enforcement in the last 12 months of prosecuting three individuals involved in homicides in Tribal communities in the District of Utah is proof that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to pursuing those who commit violence against Native Americans,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins. “The work is never done, but through prosecution, we will continue to seek justice for the victims and their families and be the voice of victims who can no longer speak.”
“The FBI remains unwavering in our pledge to work with our law enforcement partners to address the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities and families,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to prioritize our support of victims and will steadfastly pursue investigations into the crime impacting American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
“DEA’s top priority is protecting all communities from deadly drugs, like fentanyl, and drug related violent crime,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We know that no community has been spared from these deadly threats and we are committed to keeping Tribal communities safe.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.Last August, in the District of Utah, U.S. Attorney Higgins hosted the 30th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference in Salt Lake City. The three day event brought over 200 professionals from the four corner states who are involved in victim services and public safety in tribal communities. The district’s MMIP Coordinator, Tad May, was one of several trainers to discuss strategies and best practices to make tribal communities safer.
The MMIP Regional Outreach Program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons. Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm. For instance:
In the past 12 months, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Utah tried and convicted defendants in three homicides in Tribal communities. Most recently, in February 2024, an Aneth, Utah man was found guilty of murdering a Navajo woman in front of her two young daughters on the Navajo Nation. In November 2023, a Fort Duchesne, Utah, man was sentenced to 45 years’ imprisonment for shooting and killing a Native American man. In August 2023, a Bluff, Utah man was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment after a federal jury convicted him of murder in the second degree of a Ute Tribe member.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
Seattle – The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day. In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crisis in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges such as the fentanyl crisis in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“As I meet with each of our 25 Tribes, safety in our indigenous communities is always top of mind. At every visit we hear how fentanyl is impacting tribal communities and the need to prosecute outsiders dealing drugs that put tribal members at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “We are working to stop the flow of fentanyl and are working to build the law enforcement relationships that are critical if a tribal member goes missing. This outreach to our sovereign tribal partners is one of the most critical and rewarding parts of my job as U.S. Attorney.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.
In the Northwest Region, Cedar Wilkie Gillette will serve as the MMIP coordinator working out of the District of Oregon. Wilkie Gillette is expanding her work from Oregon to the Northwest region. Wilkie Gillette will gather reliable data to identify MMIP cases connected to Northwest tribes; conduct outreach with tribal communities to assist in the creation and implementation of community action plans; coordinate with tribal, local, state, and federal law enforcement in the development of protocols and procedures for responding to and addressing MMIP cases; and promote improved data collection and analyses throughout the Northwest.
Adding to the Northwest MMIP team, Assistant United States Attorney Bree R. Black Horse was sworn in May 2, 2024, as the MMIP AUSA to lead regional efforts in addressing MMIP. Western Washington Tribal Liaisons J. Tate London and Michael Harder attended the ceremony on the Yakama Nation. AUSA Black Horse will work out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Yakima.
The MMIP regional program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm. In the Western District of Washington federal, tribal, and state law enforcement worked together to arrest and prosecute drug dealers impacting tribal communities:
A Monroe man dealing heroin and fentanyl; A Bellingham man dealing fentanyl while armed; and a Maple Falls man was sentenced to six years in prison.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, joins the Department of Justice and our partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced stepped up efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crisis in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges like the fentanyl crisis which have had a disproportionate impact on Native Americans, exacerbating violence and addiction in already vulnerable communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin is proud to work with all of our partners – federal, state, local, and tribal governments and non-governmental organizations – to do everything possible to prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered Indigenous people,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “We are committed to pursuing justice for and providing support to victims and their loved ones.”
“The FBI remains unwavering in our pledge to work with our law enforcement partners to address the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities and families,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to prioritize our support of victims and will steadfastly pursue investigations into the crime impacting American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
“DEA’s top priority is protecting all communities from deadly drugs, like fentanyl, and drug related violent crime,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We know that no community has been spared from these deadly threats and we are committed to keeping Tribal communities safe.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions. The MMIP regional program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country.
The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
There are five federally recognized tribes in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, each of which has a unique, vibrant, and rich culture. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has resources, including a Tribal Liaison, dedicated to promoting safety and security on tribal lands and in tribal communities. Information on charged cases can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwi/pr.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the MMIP and human trafficking crisis. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
# # #
For further information contact:
Public Information Officer
(414) 297-1700
Follow us on Twitter
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address Violent Crime in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced stepped up and continued efforts to tackle violent crime and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, which have negatively affected Native Americans, exacerbating violence and addiction in already vulnerable communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to maintaining and improving public safety on the Wind River Indian Reservation by assisting in investigations and prosecuting crimes committed there, including crimes involving missing and murdered Indigenous persons. Since 1995, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has maintained a branch office in Lander, Wyoming, to serve the Reservation. The staff of the Lander office, consisting of three experienced federal prosecutors and a paralegal, is focused on prosecuting violent crimes and drug trafficking crimes committed on the Reservation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office recently moved one of those three prosecutors from Cheyenne to Lander and it also added a fourth prosecutor, located in Cheyenne, to its Indian Country Prosecution Team. One of the prosecutors in Lander also serves as the office’s Tribal Liaison. In that role, she continually engages with Tribal and law enforcement officials, and other stakeholders, on the Reservation.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office works closely with our federal, Tribal, state, and local law enforcement partners in and around the Reservation,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas Vassallo. “We could not be effective without these partnerships.”
Like the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI maintains an office in Lander to investigate crimes committed on the Reservation. In addition, the Bureau of Indian Affairs operates the Wind River Police Department and employs special agents on the Reservation.
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.The MMIP regional program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
In Wyoming, the FBI is currently engaged in a data collection project to further refine its understanding of the MMIP situation in the state and determine what additional resources the FBI can bring to address the problem. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office fully supports the FBI’s MMIP project,” said U.S. Attorney Vassallo, “and we encourage the public to report what they know about any missing or murdered Indigenous persons.” The FBI has set up a designated email account, [email protected], to collect information from citizens across Wyoming who might have information about unsolved cases involving missing tribal members or Native Americans whose murders have not been solved. Whether these cases were never reported, were never properly investigated, or new information is available, the FBI wants to hear about it. People can also leave a message at 307-433-3221. All callers who leave a name and phone number will receive a return call.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat violent crime in Indian Country, including missing or murdered Indigenous persons cases and human trafficking cases. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to help resolve this longstanding issue and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—increase the number of missing and murdered Indigenous persons. Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian County. In response, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners have ramped up efforts to address the fentanyl crisis and related violent crime.In Wyoming, the FBI leads the Safe Trails Task Force, which investigates drug trafficking on the Wind River Indian Reservation, and in surrounding communities, with an emphasis on stopping the distribution of fentanyl. In addition to the FBI, task force members include the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, the Riverton Police Department, and the Lander Police Department.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities. For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP problem, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/mmip. For information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming and the cases we prosecute, please visit the News section of the office’s website at https://www.justice.gov/usaowy/pr. For more information about reporting or identifying missing persons, please visit the Justice Department’s Report and Identify Missing Persons website at https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-and-identify-missing-persons.
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“We know that government-to-government partnerships are critical to improving the safety and well-being of Tribal communities. This is why, throughout the year, our office meets with Tribal leadership, Tribal law enforcement, and community groups to hear challenges, share resources and information, and strengthen our relationships,” said U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada. “We remain dedicated in our commitment to address violence against indigenous women, fentanyl overdoses, human trafficking, and other public safety issues in Tribal communities. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to help ensure that all people in Indian Country are safe in their communities.”
“The FBI remains unwavering in our pledge to work with our law enforcement partners to address the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities and families,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to prioritize our support of victims and will steadfastly pursue investigations into the crime impacting American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
“DEA’s top priority is protecting all communities from deadly drugs, like fentanyl, and drug related violent crime,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We know that no community has been spared from these deadly threats and we are committed to keeping Tribal communities safe.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.
The MMIP Regional Outreach Program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian Country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
Nevada is home to 28 federally recognized tribes, bands and communities located on 31 Indian reservations and colonies. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has resources, including a Tribal Liaison, dedicated to promoting safety and security on tribal lands and in tribal communities. Assistant U.S. Attorney Penelope Brady serves as the MMIP Coordinator for the District of Nevada. Information about resources may be found at: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nv/tribal-matters-indian-country-public-lands.
Last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada obtained a conviction after a jury trial:
- U.S. v. Michael Burciaga – In September 2023, Burciaga was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Miranda M. Du to life in prison, plus 20 years in prison, for murdering his pregnant girlfriend, a registered member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, on the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation in December 2020.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian County, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
# # #
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“Every missing person, every victim, is a son or a daughter, and their absence is a tragedy that tears at the fabric of families, tribes, and communities," said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. "This office is proud to join with our partners in the Tribal Nations within Eastern Oklahoma to recognize MMIP Awareness Day and shine an important light on what it means to seek justice for victims and their families."
“The FBI remains unwavering in our pledge to work with our law enforcement partners to address the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities and families,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to prioritize our support of victims and will steadfastly pursue investigations into the crime impacting American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”
“DEA’s top priority is protecting all communities from deadly drugs, like fentanyl, and drug related violent crime,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We know that no community has been spared from these deadly threats and we are committed to keeping Tribal communities safe.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.
The MMIP Regional Outreach Program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
Not Invisible Act Commission Response
The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country
As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities—including disproportionate violence against women, families, and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking—can influence the rates of missing AI/AN persons.
Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.
Therefore, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and Tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm.
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.
For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
Justice Department Strengthens Efforts to Build Partnerships that Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – The Northern District of Oklahoma joins the Justice Department and its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.
In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced stepped up efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crisis in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges like the fentanyl crisis which have had a disproportionate impact on Native Americans, exacerbating violence and addiction in already vulnerable communities.
“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. This day challenges all of us at the Justice Department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with Tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”
“The Northern District of Oklahoma is committed to combatting violent crime in Indian Country, especially when it results in Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “We will use every available resource to hold violent offenders accountable, support Indian Country victims, and ensure MMIP remains a priority.”
Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases
Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions.This program will dedicate an MMIP Regional Outreach Program Coordinator (Coordinator) and an MMIP Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for the Northern District of Oklahoma. The AUSA will support and assist in MMIP cases and related crimes. The Coordinator will assist in promoting communication, coordination, and collaboration among federal, Tribal, local, and state law enforcement and non-governmental partners on MMIP issues. Our victim services staff and support personnel will assist the AUSA and Coordinator's dedication to investigating and prosecuting violent crimes, organized crimes, and sex crimes in Indian Country.
The MMIP regional program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian Country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 4053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022.
National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
In 2005, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) was created. NamUs is the only national centralized repository and resource center for missing, unidentified, and unclaimed person cases across the United States. Currently, there are 16 missing indigenous persons within the Northern District of Oklahoma.- Rhonda Anderson – American Indian/Alaska Native, Tribe Unknown
- Lauria Jaylene Bible – Member of the Cherokee Nation
- Tina Brashear – Member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
- Roley Butler – Member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
- Coolidge Cochran – American Indian/Alaska Native, Tribe Unknown
- David Allen Crabtree – Member of the Cherokee Nation
- Lee Andrew Davis – Member of the Cherokee Nation
- Aubrey Dameron – Member of the Cherokee Nation
- Stephanie Jean Fuller – American Indian/Alaska Native, Tribe Unknown
- Anthony Hardy-Bear – Member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
- Robert Livers – Member of the Cherokee Nation
- Kimberly Doreen Mullens – Member of the Cherokee Nation
- Danielle Lea Prost – Member of the Cherokee Nation
- Tracy Michelle Samuels – Member of the Cherokee Nation
- Jonas Albert Summers – Member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
- Crystal Dawn Wiggins – American Indian/Alaska Native, Tribe Unknown
Accessing Department of Justice Resources
Over the past year, the Justice Department awarded $2.8 million to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses in the Northern District of Oklahoma. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting Tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in Tribal communities.For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.
Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.
Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Miami-Dade County, Florida, Tax Return PreparerRead the Press Release
The Justice Department filed a civil injunction suit today to permanently bar Dieuseul Jean-Louis, both individually and doing business as DJL Multiservices, from preparing federal tax returns for others. The United States also seeks an order requiring Jean-Louis disgorge to the United States his ill-gotten preparation fees.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, alleges that Jean-Louis prepared over 2,000 federal income tax returns from 2019 through 2023 that intentionally understated customers’ tax liabilities and overstated the refunds to which they were entitled. According to the complaint, Jean-Louis used a variety of schemes claim false deductions and credits, including falsifying itemized deductions, knowingly reporting fake or inflated business expenses and fraudulently claiming various credits like the Fuel Tax Credit and American Opportunity Credit, all without customers’ knowledge. The complaint alleges that Jean-Louis falsified customers’ income and filing statuses to increase the amount of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
The complaint also asserts that Jean-Louis furnished to customers copies of returns that are different from those filed with the IRS, where the returns filed with the IRS claim a higher refund. Jean-Louis allegedly retained the additional refunds for himself without the customers’ knowledge.
According to the complaint, the United States has been harmed by Jean-Louis’s conduct, resulting in the significant loss in tax revenue of more than $2.3 million for the 2021 and 2022 tax years alone.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’s Dirty Dozen Tax Scams and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against dishonest tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers guidance on the credentials and qualifications that taxpayers should seek from their return preparer.
In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Jean-Louis Complaint.pdfJamestown felon pleads guilty to gun chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Steven Glover, Sr., 39, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that on the morning of December 14, 2022, a Jamestown Police officer observed Glover in a vehicle. The officer knew that Glover was suspended from driving. The officer stopped the vehicle and made contact with Glover, who immediately advised that he had a pipe on his person. Glover then handed over a glass pipe that contained what appeared to be methamphetamine residue inside. Glover was detained and a search of the vehicle recovered a digital scale with white crystal residue and a pistol. Glover was charged in New York State Court and released on bail. In 2019, Glover was convicted of a felony in Chautauqua County Court and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
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 plea is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 30, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Sinatra.
# # # #
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt:
Appearing in Missoula before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto and pleading not guilty on May 2 was:
James Vernon Day, Jr., 55, of Thompson Falls, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and possession of an unregistered firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Day faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Day was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Sanders County Sheriff’s Office and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. PACER case reference. 24-23.
Appearing on April 29 was:
Edward Wayne Brock, 66, and Jane Ami McGovern, 55, both of Missoula, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute meth. If convicted of the most serious crime, Brock and McGovern face a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Brock and McGovern were detained pending further proceedings. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Highway Patrol investigated the case. PACER case reference. 24-6.
Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on April 30 was:
Dalton Michael Williams, 22, of Billings, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Williams faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Williams was released pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Sweet Grass County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. PACER case reference. 23-153.
Isaac James Cardona, 45, of Belgrade, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If convicted of the most serious crime, Cardona faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Cardona was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Belgrade Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 24-11.
Appearing on a criminal complaint was:
Oscar Enrique Ruiz Rojas, 25, of Gallatin Gateway, on charges of alien in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Rojas faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Rojas was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. PACER case reference. 24-24.
Appearing on April 29 and pleading not guilty was:
John Michael Hadler, 37, of Billings, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If convicted of the most serious crime, Hadler faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Hadler was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. PACER case reference. 24-53.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
XXX
Indictment Charges Brothers with Trafficking Narcotic PillsRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging KYLE PETERSEN, 38, of Newington, and ERIK PETERSEN, also known as “Peach,” 43, of New Britain, with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, controlled substances.
The indictment was returned on April 15, 2024, and each defendant appeared in Hartford federal court earlier this week and entered a plea of not guilty. They have been detained since April 3, 2024.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in May 2023, members of the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad began investigating suspicious packages that were being delivered to Kyle Petersen’s Newington residence. At the time, Petersen was on federal supervised release following a federal conviction in 2017 involving the trafficking of fentanyl and prescription pills. During the investigation, a court-authorized search of a package mailed to Petersen contained more than 400 grams of pills containing Protonitazene, a synthetic opioid typically more potent than fentanyl. The investigation revealed that Petersen had received approximately 34 similar package mailed from the same source in Michigan, and also received approximately 46 packages from California and Oregon suspected to contain multiple pounds of marijuana. Investigators also made controlled purchases of counterfeit Percocet pills containing fentanyl from Kyle Petersen’s brother, Erik Peterson.
Kyle and Erik Petersen were arrested on federal criminal complaints on April 3, 2024. On that date, a search of Kyle Petersen’s residence revealed more than a kilogram of counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine, counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, counterfeit Xanax pills, a large quantity of Protonitazene approximately 40 grams of cocaine, and $76,650 in cash.
If convicted of the charge in the indictment, based on the type and quantities of controlled substances attributed to each defendant, Kyle Petersen faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life, and Erik Petersen faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of the cash seized from Kyle Petersen’s apartment, an additional $57,530 in cash seized from a bank account, and Kyle Petersen’s 2014 Porsche Cayenne.
Kyle Petersen faces additional penalties if he is found to have violated the conditions of his supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad, which is composed of personnel from the DEA and the Bristol, East Windsor, Hamden, New Britain, West Haven, Newington, Manchester, Glastonbury, and Watertown Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.
Interpol Washington Hosts International Law Enforcement SymposiumRead the Press Release
Yesterday, INTERPOL Washington hosted an international law enforcement breakfast symposium, featuring representatives from more than 30 different countries and dozens of agencies, to discuss enhancing global police partnerships against transnational threats and terrorism. The event, held at INTERPOL Washington headquarters in DC and cohosted with the International Law Enforcement Association (ILEA) and Liaison Officers Association (LOA), brought together law enforcement leaders for critical operational updates and briefings on their collaborative successes with police partners across the world.
“Our communities, both in the United States and across the globe, face unprecedented transnational threats each and every day,” said INTERPOL Washington Director Michael A. Hughes in his remarks. “The only way to defeat these threats is through transnational partnerships. Those partnerships are what we continue to build and strengthen here today, because we know that working together, we can make a difference.”
“As we gather to celebrate and reflect upon our collective successes in international law enforcement, it is imperative to recognize the critical role that everyone in this room plays in safeguarding our communities here in America and all over the world every day,” said INTERPOL Washington Deputy Director Jeffrey Grimming in his remarks. “Your continued cooperation and collaboration helps catch the world’s most dangerous fugitives, helps reunite families, helps bring closure to cold cases, and disrupts the most heinous organizations and plots.”
Patrick Stevens, Chair of ILEA, and John S. Warren, Vice Chair of LOA, also addressed the audience, providing examples of tangible successes thanks to international police partnerships. They underscored the significance of both bilateral and multilateral police cooperation and highlighted their equal importance and symbiotic relationship in fostering success stories worldwide.
INTERPOL Washington hosts these types of symposiums and events to underscore the importance of international police cooperation in combating global crime and ensuring the safety and security of citizens worldwide. Through shared intelligence, resources, and expertise, law enforcement agencies from different nations are able to effectively address transnational threats and uphold the rule of law on a global scale. Events like this symposium serve as vital platforms for fostering relationships, exchanging best practices, and strengthening partnerships among law enforcement agencies worldwide. Together, united in purpose and determination, the international law enforcement community remains committed to confronting evolving threats and protecting the well-being of people everywhere.
Honduran National Sentenced for Being an Illegal Alien in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JOSE SANCHEZ-MORADEL, age 36, a native of Honduras, was sentenced on April 30, 2024 for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(5)(A), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. He was sentenced to three years probation. Based on SANCHEZ-MORADEL’s immigration status, SANCHEZ-MORADEL shall not reenter the United States without the prior written permission of the Secretary of Homeland Security if deported.
According to court documents, on April 26, 2023, the Mandeville Police Department responded to a call by an individual who advised them that her ex-boyfriend, SANCHEZ-MORADEL, was trying to enter her residence in Mandeville, Louisiana. Police observed a white 2016 Chevrolet Silverado bearing a Texas plate leaving the apartment complex. Mandeville Police stopped the vehicle and detained the driver who was identified as SANCHEZ-MORADEL.
The complaining witness advised police that the defendant forcibly entered her residence through her sliding glass door on the side of the building. Police confirmed that SANCHEZ-MORDAEL was the individual in the truck stopped by other police officers on Monroe Street. SANCHEZ-MORADEL was placed under arrest. A handgun magazine containing ten 22LR rounds was located in his shorts pocket. Officers also located on SANCHEZ-MORADEL a Husky multi tool knife with a damaged blade tip. Officers conducted a search of his vehicle incidental to arrest and located inside the center console a Glock Model G44, 22LR caliber handgun, which was manufactured in another state and shipped in interstate commerce to Louisiana.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the Mandeville Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr. is in charge of the prosecution.
Gonzales Man Sentenced for Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering and Drug Trafficking FacilitationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – VIET NGUYEN (“NGUYEN”), age 30, a resident of Gonzales , Louisiana, was sentenced on May 1, 2024 by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo to one (1) year and one (1) day of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $500.00 mandatory special assessment fee after previously pleading guilty to four counts of interstate travel in aid of racketeering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1952(a)(3), and one count of use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 843(b), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, in July 2019, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office agents learned that Vinh Nguyen and others, participated in a drug and money trafficking network that spanned from California to Louisiana. Text messages confirmed that Vinh Nguyen worked with a supplier in California, who negotiated the cost and strains of marijuana with growers in San Francisco on his behalf. Vinh Nguyen paid for the marijuana by having others, including NGUYEN, fly the cash to the supplier in San Francisco. Another co-conspirator owned a shipping company that shipped the marijuana from San Francisco to a warehouse in Kenner from which another co-conspirator would pick up the marijuana shipments and drop them off at various unknown locations in New Orleans and various other cities. On April 15, May 7, June 26, and August 15, 2019, NGUYEN, at the direction of Vinh Nguyen, flew from New Orleans to California to deliver money for the purchase of marijuana
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
This case was investigated by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Office of Homeland Security Investigations. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney André Jones of the Narcotics Unit.
Ghanaian National Sentenced to 48 Months’ Imprisonment for Receiving Money Stolen from Romance Scam VictimsRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Emmanuel Quamey, a Ghanaian national, was sentenced by United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon to 48 months in prison for his role in receiving and laundering stolen money which was obtained through romance scams that defrauded over a dozen vulnerable and/or elderly victims in the United States. As part of his sentence, Quamey was ordered to pay $3.3 million in forfeiture and restitution to the victims in the amount of approximately $3.8 million. Quamey pleaded guilty in October 2023 to conspiring to receive stolen money for his role in the romance scams.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), announced the sentence.
“Romance scams are callous crimes in which perpetrators steal money from vulnerable and elderly victims by taking advantage of the victims’ trust and desire to form human connections,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This sentence serves as a warning to individuals like the defendant that there are real consequences to participating in these cruel scams. This Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to bringing these fraudsters to justice and getting the victims’ money back.”
Mr. Peace thanked the Special Agents of Homeland Security Investigations New York for their exemplary work on the case.
As set forth in court filings, between September 2019 and March 2023, Quamey and a network of co-conspirators received over $3.8 million in fraud proceeds that were stolen from several vulnerable and elderly U.S. victims of romance scams. A “romance scam” is a type of online financial fraud that occurs when an individual user of social media or an internet dating website is targeted for fraud by a scammer posing as a potential romantic partner. The scammers use a fake persona to express strong romantic interest in the targeted victim in order to trick them into sending money to the scammer under false pretenses. The specific stories that the scammers use to induce romance scam victims to send money vary, but as part of the fraud, the victims are directed to wire their money to one or more bank accounts to purportedly help their romantic partners. The victims would then be defrauded of the money.
Quamey was responsible for receiving and laundering the victims’ money. He personally received approximately $3.3 million of the victims’ money that was wired into bank accounts he directly controlled. Using more than a dozen bank accounts in the United States and Ghana, Quamey and his co-conspirators would then transfer the victims’ money overseas to Ghana.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Shannon C. Jones and Genny Ngai are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Jacob Menz. Assistant United States Attorney Claire Kedeshian of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters in the case.
The Defendant:
EMMANUEL QUAMEY
Age: 36
Accra, GhanaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 23-CR-226 (CBA)
Fresno Man Indicted for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — On May 2, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Timothy Austin Panuco, 34, of Fresno, charging him with receipt of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed following his arrest today.
According to court documents, between Feb. 1, 2023, and March 22, 2024, Panuco received material depicting at least one or more minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Panuco faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, and a fine up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
Fort Dodge Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
A man who illegally possessed firearms pled guilty May 3, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City.
Matthew Knowles, 37, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, admitted at the plea hearing to possessing a .380 ACP pistol, and a .410 gauge shotgun on November 10, 2022, in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He further admitted to being a user of methamphetamine, marijuana, and knowing he was a felon when he possessed the firearms. As a felon and drug user, Knowles was prohibited from possessing firearms.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Knowles remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Knowles faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-3039. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Former Wise County man sentenced for income tax-related fraudRead the Press Release
PLANO, Texas – A former Decatur man, now living in California, has been sentenced to federal prison for tax fraud in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Kenneth Edward Jackson, 47, pleaded guilty to false statements on income tax return and was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III on May 1, 2024. Jackson was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $484,187.57 to the IRS and several of his small-business clients.
According to information presented in court, Jackson was the president and owner of Employer Tools and Solutions (ETS), a payroll service provider that operated in Denton County, Texas. ETS filed Forms 940 and 941 on its clients’ behalf and made payroll and payroll tax payments using funds provided by its clients. Part of ETS’s function in processing its clients’ payroll was holding and remitting employment tax to the Internal Revenue Service for its clients. Employment tax consists of trust fund taxes, which are items withheld from employees’ paychecks, and the employer portion of taxes.
From 2017 to 2019, Jackson embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from his small-business clients. He took funds provided by various clients for employment taxes and failed to pay the money over to the IRS. Instead, he kept this money and used it to pay bills—including payments on his home—and to fund his lifestyle—including a European vacation. Jackson also failed to report the client funds he embezzled as income on his U.S. Individual Income Tax return.
“As a payroll service provider, Jackson’s clients trusted him to honestly handle their finances,” said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. “But Jackson allowed his greed to overtake his fiduciary duties. In addition to defrauding the United States, he also preyed upon his own clients to support his opulent lifestyle. We are grateful for our partners at the IRS, who not only protect our nation’s treasury, but also victims of financial fraud.”
“The failure to pay employment tax has a pernicious effect on the American public. It results in the loss of tax revenue to the United States government and the loss of future social security or Medicare benefits for the employees,” said Christopher J. Altemus Jr., special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Dallas Field Office. “Instead of paying over the employment taxes received from his clients as part of his payroll business, Mr. Jackson embezzled those funds. He has been held accountable for his actions and sentenced to 36 months in prison and ordered to pay $484,187.57 in restitution.”
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations and the Frisco Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean J. Taylor.
###
Former School Bus Driver Indicted on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former school bus driver from St. Peters, Missouri, has been indicted and accused of recording the sexual abuse of minors.
Robert W. Stillwell, 66, of St. Peters, Missouri, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with two counts of production of child pornography.
The indictment accuses Stillwell of recording his sexual abuse of two minor victims between Dec. 1, 2020, and Jan. 5, 2024.
Stillwell is currently in custody in the St. Charles County Detention Center.
If convicted, each charge of production of child pornography carries a mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI, the St. Peters Police Department and the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former Postal Employee Sentenced to 15 Months in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – On May 2, 2024, U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby sentenced Alexus Paige Tyson, age 28, a resident of Hyattsville, Maryland, to 15 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for participation in a conspiracy whereby she used her position as a United States Postal Service (“USPS”) mail carrier to wrongfully access checks, money orders, and personal mail put into the mail by victims. That information was then used by a co-conspirator, Travis Nnamani, to create counterfeit checks to take money from victims’ bank accounts. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Griggsby ordered Tyson to pay restitution of $129,967.22 to her victims.
According to her plea agreement, between August 2019 and October, 2020, Tyson assisted Nnamani to create fraudulent checks using victims’ personal information that Tyson and others at the United States Postal Service took from checks and other documents that victims placed into the mail system. In many instances, checks or other documents mailed by victims were photographed by Tyson or other USPS employees and then the documents were put back into the mail with the victims not knowing their information had been stolen. That information would then be used by Nnamani to create false checks using that information to access funds in victims’ bank accounts.
Tyson also played a role as a recruiter of other employees at the USPS to engage in similar conduct, including selling federal stimulus checks they took from the mail.
Tyson was the last of three defendants, including Nnamani and another USPS postal worker, Breanna Cartledge, to be sentenced in this case.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the United States Postal Inspection Service for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren S. Gardner, who prosecuted the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.# # #
Former CEO, CFO, and CCO of Cred LLC Charged with Alleged Multi-Million-Dollar Cryptocurrency-Related Wire Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury has charged Daniel Schatt, Joseph Podulka, and James Alexander with wire fraud conspiracy and related crimes in connection with their respective roles in an alleged scheme to defraud customers and investors in Cred, LLC (Cred) allegedly causing losses of customer cryptocurrency assets with a market value that may have exceeded $780 million. Cred, a San Francisco-based financial services firm that specialized in making investments in cryptocurrencies, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 7, 2020. The charges against the defendants are set out in two separate indictments handed down by the grand jury earlier this week.
“The Northern District of California is home to many of the nation’s most innovative businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey. “Maintaining a market for continued prosperity requires rooting out those who use fraud as a substitute for success. This prosecution demonstrates our determination to keep our markets free of fraudsters and safe for investors.”
“The allegations against the defendants associated with Cred, LLC highlight a predatory, deceptive scheme defrauding potential victims of hundreds of millions of dollars of cryptocurrency at market value,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Mosley. “The indictments levied demonstrate the investigative capabilities of IRS Criminal Investigation and our commitment to pursuing justice against financial criminals.”
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Ismail Ramsey, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp, and IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley of the Oakland Field Office.
The first indictment (Schatt Indictment) charges Schatt, 53, of San Mateo, and Podulka, 51, of Palo Alto, with conspiracy, thirteen counts of wire fraud and money laundering. The second indictment (Alexander Indictment) recites many of the same allegations and charges Alexander, 54, of Sherman Oaks, with conspiracy, four counts of wire fraud and money laundering.
According to the indictments, Schatt was Cred’s co-owner and Chief Executive Officer, Podulka was Cred’s Chief Financial Officer, and Alexander was Cred’s Chief Capitol Officer. Cred was founded in 2018 by Schatt and another individual and provided financial services to holders of cryptocurrency and other assets. By late 2018, Cred’s business included two principal businesses: (1) offering loans in U.S. dollars to customers using customers’ cryptocurrency as collateral and (2) accepting deposits of cryptocurrency in exchange for a promise for a yield (interest payments) for that cryptocurrency.
The indictments allege that no later than March of 2020, the defendants began making false and fraudulent statements to customers and investors about Cred’s lending and investing practices. For example, the defendants represented to Cred’s customers and investors that Cred engaged only in “collateralized or guaranteed lending,” that Cred’s cryptocurrency investments were “hedged,” and that Cred maintained an “all weather approach” to investment to protect against volatility. Cred’s marketing materials asserted that the company was a “licensed lender with comprehensive insurance.” Further, after the “flash crash” in March of 2020, during which many cryptocurrencies were significantly devalued, defendants allegedly continued to represent to Cred’s customers and investors that Cred remained solvent and that the company maintained comprehensive insurance that assured Cred’s customers would be made whole. The indictments allege all these assurances and statements were false.
The indictments describe how the defendants lured customers to make investments by promising to return a significant yield on cryptocurrency investments—the defendants did not disclose, however, that virtually all the assets to pay the yield were generated by a single company whose business was to make unsecured micro-loans to Chinese gamers. Contrary to the defendants’ assurances, Cred engaged in lending that was neither collateralized nor guaranteed. Moreover, Cred’s hedging strategy did not protect the company’s investments against volatility. Indeed, shortly after the flash crash in March of 2020, Cred had lost its hedging partner, had learned that a significant creditor to whom Cred had loaned $40 million would be unable fulfill its promise to repay the loan, was being threatened with a lawsuit, and was effectively insolvent. The indictments describe the striking contrast between the reality of Cred’s financial situation by the end of March 2020 and the statements the defendants made to customers and investors at that time. On the one hand, on March 16, 2020, Cred’s General Counsel informed the defendants that “Cred may not be financially solvent and that defendants “must be careful at all times to be accurate in its statements to its creditors and to all stakeholders.” Nevertheless, rather than disclose to Cred’s customers and investors the reality of Cred’s finances, defendants allegedly attempted to keep the business afloat by bringing in new customer funds and by discouraging existing customers from seeking and obtaining redemptions from their investments. According to the indictment, at the time Cred collapsed and filed for bankruptcy, its customers suffered losses of cryptocurrency assets with a market value of $150 million at the time of the bankruptcy, and a “maximum market value of over $783 million since the date of the bankruptcy.”
The indictments describe how the defendants assured numerous victims to make or renew financial commitments to Cred even after the company’s effective insolvency.
With respect to Schatt and Podulka, the Schatt Indictment lists 13 transactions that occurred between April 14, 2020, and October 15, 2020, as the defendants continued to make repeated false and fraudulent assurances that Cred’s financial situation was sound. The indictment further describes how Schatt and Podulka failed to inform customers about significant losses sustained by the company until October of 2020, when a cryptocurrency exchange, then a customer of Cred, contacted Cred to inquire about its finances. During the two-hour call, the cryptocurrency exchange learned for the first time that Cred had no hedges, that its asset to liabilities ratio was off by tens of millions of dollars, and that Cred discovered it had lost over $8 million in February 2020 after Alexander was scammed by a fake customer earlier that year. According to the Schatt Indictment, Cred filed bankruptcy on November 7, 2020, and in a bankruptcy-related filing, Schatt misleadingly claimed that Cred’s financial difficulties were “primarily due to James Alexander’s “malfeasance,” including his appropriation of approximately 255 bitcoin on June 24, 2020,” and his alleged failure to do proper due diligence with respect to the February 2020 scam.
With respect to Alexander, the Alexander Indictment alleges that between May 15, 2020, and June 24, 2020, Alexander reassured a victim that the flash crash was “a good thing” for Cred and failed to disclose to another customer that Cred was having a solvency crisis. In addition, the Alexander Indictment lists two transactions in which victims transferred funds to Cred after receiving reassurances from Alexander that Cred’s financial situation was sound. The Alexander Indictment further describes how on or about June 24, 2020, the day Schatt fired him from his position in Cred, Alexander instructed a Cred employee to transfer approximately 225 bitcoin from a Cred account to one controlled by Alexander. The indictment alleges that in the months following his ouster, Alexander appropriated the bitcoin to his own use, including converting some of it to U.S. dollars, depositing the assets in his private bank account, and making personal expenditures.
In sum, the defendants are charged with the following crimes:
Defendant
Violation
Maximum Sentence (per count), if Convicted
All Defendants (1 count, each)
18 U.S.C. § 1349
Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
20 years’ imprisonment
$250,000 fine
3 years’ supervised release
SCHATT (13 counts)
PODULKA (13 counts)
ALEXANDER (4 counts)
18 U.S.C. § 1343
Wire Fraud
20 years’ imprisonment
$250,000 fine
3 years’ supervised release
SCHATT (1 count)
PODULKA (1 count)
ALEXANDER (8 counts)
18 U.S.C. § 1957
Engaging in Transactions in Property Derived from Specified Unlawful Activity (Money Laundering)
10 years’ imprisonment
$250,000 fine
3 years’ supervised release
SCHATT (1 count)
PODULKA (1 count)
18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(A) Engaging in a Financial Transaction to Promote Unlawful Activity
20 years’ imprisonment
$500,000 fine
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. In addition, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Schatt and Podulka made their initial federal court appearance on May 2, 2024. They have been ordered to return to court on May 8, 2024, for further proceedings including the entry of a plea. Alexander’s initial federal court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
Assistant United States Attorneys Barbara J. Valliere and Adam A. Reeves are prosecuting these cases with the assistance of Beth Margen and Kathy Tat. These prosecutions are the result of an investigation by the FBI and the IRS Criminal Investigation.