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10 June 2024
Skiatook Man Sentenced for Strangling Partner and Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Jesse Wayne Caughron, 38, to 144 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Caughron pled guilty to Assault of an Intimate Dating Partner by Strangling, Suffocating, and Attempting to Strangle and Suffocate in Indian County; and Witness Tampering.
According to court documents, Caughron accused his partner of cheating on him. He then suffocated her with a pillow, hit her repeatedly, and strangled her until she lost consciousness, causing a life-threatening injury. When the victim obtained a protective order against Caughron, he violated it sending harassing and threatening messages. He further attempted to mislead the victim and prevent her from testifying.
Caughron is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He was previously released on bond and ordered not to have contact with the victim. However, Caughron violated the no-contact order and was detained for violating the conditions of his release. He will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey P. Todd and Stephen Scaife prosecuted the case.
Savannah man involved in City Market shooting sentenced to federal prison for illegal gun possessionRead the Press Release
Screen capture from City of Savannah surveillance footage played in U.S. District CourtSAVANNAH, GA: A Chatham County man who fired multiple shots that wounded two people in a crowded outdoor Savannah plaza has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison.
Joshua Bowser, 29, of Savannah, was sentenced to 125 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Convicted Felon, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Bowser to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“Joshua Bowser demonstrated blatant disregard for the safety of hundreds of residents and visitors to Savannah’s popular City Market, wounding two people while indiscriminately firing multiple shots into a crowd,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “With our Savannah law enforcement partners, we will continue our work to hold accountable those who illegally possess guns and threaten the safety of our communities.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Bowser and another man were involved in a brief altercation shortly before 2 a.m. on Nov. 6, 2022, in Savannah’s City Market, near Jefferson and West St. Julian streets, when the other man struck Bowser and then backed away. As the unarmed man turned to walk away from Bowser, Bowser pulled a 9mm semiautomatic firearm from his waistband and fired at least six to eight times as the man fled.
Bullets struck the fleeing man and a female bystander, both of whom were transported to a hospital and treated for gunshot wounds. Both victims survived. Savannah police officers later that day located Bowser and arrested him on a state warrant. Bowser pled guilty to the federal charge in February.
At sentencing, Chief Judge Baker agreed to the government’s request to enhance Bowser’s sentence on the firearms charge because his conduct constituted attempted murder, and because his actions caused serious bodily injury.
“Joshua Bowser is a very violent individual who displays a total lack of concern for the lives of others. This sentence represents the seriousness of his crime,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. “This sentence also ensures that Bowser will not be able to hurt or terrorize anyone else for a very long time.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Savannah Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Makeia R. Jonese.
Rhode Island Man Sentenced to over Three Years in Prison for Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Providence, R.I. man was sentenced today for his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed fentanyl throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Rafael Cesar Cabreja Jimenez, 29 was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 42 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. In March 2024, Cabreja Jimenez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl; and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Cabreja Jimenez was one of 10 individuals indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2022 in connection with the conspiracy.
In March 2021, an investigation began into a DTO operating in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island led by Estarlin Ortiz-Alcantara. The investigation identified Cabreja Jimenez as a distributor for the DTO who, between approximately March 2022 and June 2022, regularly distributed multi-kilograms of fentanyl to customers and co-conspirators of the DTO from a base of operations at a stash house in Fall River.
During a search of the stash house in July 2022, Cabreja Jimenez was found located inside the apartment along with more than 12 kilograms of fentanyl stored in various ceiling panels, blenders, a hydraulic press and baggies.
Cabreja Jimenez is the ninth defendant to plead guilty in the case. Ortiz-Alcantara pleaded guilty in December 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 8, 2024.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira; and Fairhaven Police Chief Michael J. Myers made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Homeland Security Investigations; Bristol County Sherriff’s Department; and Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Scituate, Yarmouth, Providence (R.I.) and West Warwick (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Rapid City Man Sentenced on Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on June 7, 2024.
Joseph “Jo Jo” Dowty, 33, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
In May of 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Dowty for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. Dowty pleaded guilty on March 15, 2024.
On April 4, 2023, police officers with the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety were actively searching for Dowty due to an arrest warrant Dowty had for absconding from state parole on his 2018 felony manslaughter conviction out of Pennington County, South Dakota. When officers arrested Dowty, he was carrying a Ruger Wrangler .22 caliber revolver and more than 11 grams of methamphetamine, which had been broken down into 49 separate packages.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.
Dowty was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Pharmacist Convicted of Unlawfully Dispensing Controlled Substances at RetrialRead the Press Release
A federal jury in the Southern District of Texas convicted a Texas pharmacist last Friday after a retrial for unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances at a now-shuttered pharmacy.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hieu “Tom” Truong, 60, of Houston, was the pharmacist-in-charge at S&S Pharmacy in Houston. In just 18 months, Truong and his accomplices unlawfully distributed over 750,000 doses of controlled substances, including over 500,000 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills. Trial evidence showed that S&S Pharmacy unlawfully dispensed controlled substances in bulk for cash, based on forged prescriptions brought in by street-level drug dealers.
The jury convicted Truong of two counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances. Truong was originally convicted at trial in May 2022 and was granted a new trial due to a change in the law following the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Ruan. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 23 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas; and Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made the announcement.
The DEA Houston Division investigated the case, with assistance from the Conroe Police Department, Houston Police Department, and Harris County Constable’s Office.
Trial Attorneys Devon Helfmeyer, Monica Cooper, and Andrew Tamayo of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,000 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $24.7 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Ohio Man Sentenced for Fentanyl and Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
ASHLAND, Ky. – A Ironton, Ohio man, Freddie Knipp, Jr., 53, was sentenced on Monday, by U.S. District Judge David Bunning, to 138 months in prison, for two counts of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of sale of a firearm to a convicted felon.
In August 2019, law enforcement officers with KSP and ATF received information regarding drug trafficking and illegal firearms activity being conducted by Freddie Knipp, Jr. During the investigation, agents purchased approximately 65 grams of methamphetamine from Knipp. Additionally, Knipp purchased and provided a firearm to a prohbited person. At sentencing, the Court found that, during a 10-month period from 2018 to 2020, Knipp distributed at least 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in Boyd and Carter counties.
Under federal law, Knipp must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 5 years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Phillip J. Burnett, Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police (KSP), jointly announced the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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Northridge Man Sentenced to More Than 3½ Years in Federal Prison for Campaign in Which He Threatened Violence Against Jewish and Asian AmericansRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley man, who has admitted to engaging in a 14-month campaign in which he threatened a Jewish victim with violent and antisemitic rhetoric and threatened to “exterminate” Jewish people and Asian Americans, was sentenced today to 43 months in federal prison.
Andre Morrow Lackner, 35, of Northridge, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer.
Lackner pleaded guilty on January 29 to one count of stalking. He has been in federal custody since December 2022.
“Hate and intolerance, including antisemitism, is both wrong and anti-American,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Our nation is one of inclusion, not exclusion, and through this case we send a strong message that we will not tolerate attempts to divide us.”
“The defendant admitted to stalking victims based on either their religion or their race by making vile threats for more than a year,” said Krysti Hawkins, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. “Today's sentence is evidence that there is zero tolerance for criminal activity rooted in hatred, and of the FBI's commitment to holding accountable those who seek to threaten or harm innocent victims.”
From June 2021 to October 2022, Lackner sent a series of abusive text messages to the victim. In these messages, Lackner directed a series of antisemitic remarks to the victim, including, “Hitler was right about you people,” “I want to see every single Jew exterminated from this earth,” “Would you like to celebrate the next synagogue shooting?” and “I will make sure I kill a Jew before I leave this Earth.”
Lackner also texted the victim multiple racist statements against Asian Americans, including “We need to start more Asian hate and “wipe [Asian people] off the planet too.”
The text messages Lackner sent the victim placed her in reasonable fear of death and serious bodily injury to herself or one of her immediate family members.
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Amanda B. Elbogen of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section prosecuted this case.
North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Keith Deshon Adams, 39, of Statesville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 7, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Adams was a passenger in Oak Hill. Adams admitted that he tried to flee on foot after he was asked to exit the vehicle and stand at the front of an officer’s cruiser. An officer deployed a taser to stop Adams. While struggling with the officer, Adams opened a cross-body bag he was wearing and retrieved a plastic baggy containing fentanyl powder from it. Adams tore open the bag, causing the fentanyl to spill out of the bag and onto the officer’s clothing, face and mouth. The officer ingested some of the fentanyl and began suffering an apparent overdose.
Other officers secured Adams. A second officer suffered an apparent overdose after ingesting some of the spilled fentanyl. Both officers were taken to the hospital and treated with naloxone.
Adams admitted that the cross-body bag contained controlled substances including methamphetamine, fentanyl and tablets containing methamphetamine and ecstasy.
Adams is scheduled to be sentenced on September 17, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Oak Hill Police Department, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-152.
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North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Keith Deshon Adams, 39, of Statesville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 7, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Adams was a passenger in Oak Hill. Adams admitted that he tried to flee on foot after he was asked to exit the vehicle and stand at the front of an officer’s cruiser. An officer deployed a taser to stop Adams. While struggling with the officer, Adams opened a cross-body bag he was wearing and retrieved a plastic baggy containing fentanyl powder from it. Adams tore open the bag, causing the fentanyl to spill out of the bag and onto the officer’s clothing, face and mouth. The officer ingested some of the fentanyl and began suffering an apparent overdose.
Other officers secured Adams. A second officer suffered an apparent overdose after ingesting some of the spilled fentanyl. Both officers were taken to the hospital and treated with naloxone.
Adams admitted that the cross-body bag contained controlled substances including methamphetamine, fentanyl and tablets containing methamphetamine and ecstasy.
Adams is scheduled to be sentenced on September 17, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Oak Hill Police Department, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-152.
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New Jersey Men Sentenced for Roles in ‘Ghost Gun’ Trafficking NetworkRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – Several members of a gun manufacturing and trafficking network in Passaic and Hudson counties have been sentenced to prison terms for weapons offenses related to the fabrication and sale of personally made firearms (PMFs), commonly known as “ghost guns,” and other offenses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Corey Jenkins Jr., 31, of Paterson, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 87 months in prison and three years of supervised release; Richard Mullane, 27, of Bayonne, New Jersey, was sentenced on June 5, 2024, to 72 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release; and Savion Clyburn, 21, of Paterson, was sentenced on May 30, 2024, to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
The defendants previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams to one count of conspiracy to engage in unlicensed dealing of firearms and one count of engaging in unlicensed dealing of firearms. In addition, Jenkins pleaded guilty to one count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and Mullane pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.
According to documents filed in the cases, and statements made in court:
Beginning in December 2022, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with state and local law enforcement agencies, began investigating a firearms trafficking network, operating largely in Paterson and Bayonne, that included Clyburn, Jenkins, and Mullane, among others. During December 2022 and January 2023, law enforcement conducted controlled purchases which resulted in the recovery of over a dozen firearms. Law enforcement recovered additional firearms during the execution of search warrants on Jan. 30, 2023, including a loaded PMF that Jenkins threw out of a window of his home upon realizing that law enforcement was nearby.
While examining electronic devices seized from Mullane’s home on Jan. 30, 2023, pursuant to a court-authorized warrant, law enforcement officers discovered more than 600 images of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of ATF, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Ross A. Marchetti in Newark; postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Acting Sheriff Gary F. Giardina; the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office; under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes; the Passaic Police Department, under the direction of Chief Luis A. Guzman; and the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Officer in Charge Isa Abbassi, with the investigation leading to the sentencings. He also thanked the Elizabeth, Plainfield, Hillside, Bayonne and East Orange police departments, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the New Jersey State Police, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Belgiovine of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
Muncie Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to a Decade in Federal Prison for Armed Trafficking of over 2,000 Fentanyl Pills, Selling 500 While on BondRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Dayten Abram, 22, of Muncie, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and distribution of more than 40 grams of fentanyl.
According to court documents, on March 16th, 2023, Abram was under investigation by the Muncie Police Department for suspected drug trafficking offenses. At approximately 1:09 PM, officers stopped the defendant after he committed multiple traffic violations. As an officer approached the car, he could smell burnt marijuana and saw a handgun on the driver’s side floorboard, near a BMV receipt with the defendant’s name on it.
A search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of $8,749 in cash, the loaded Glock 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, and 1,526 fentanyl pills- containing 213.6 grams of the drug. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage—a tiny amount that can fit on the tip of a pencil. Seven out of ten illegal fentanyl tablets seized from U.S. streets and analyzed by the DEA have been found to contain a potentially lethal dose of the drug. Abram was arrested and charged in Delaware County, and later released.
On April 27, 2023, while out on bond for the pending state charges, Abram was recorded by law enforcement officers dealing another 503 fentanyl pills to another person, containing 54.7 grams of the narcotic. Abram was subsequently charged in this federal case.
“Undeterred after being caught red-handed with over 1,500 deadly fentanyl pills and a loaded handgun, this criminal continued to push his poison into Muncie’s neighborhoods while out on bond,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Fentanyl traffickers care more about making money than they care about the lives destroyed or ended by their deadly product. Thanks to the hard work and skill of the Muncie Police Department, DEA, and our federal prosecutor, the public will be protected from this dangerous, armed trafficker for years. Together with our law enforcement partners, our office is committed to getting these deadly pills off our streets and holding fentanyl traffickers accountable.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Muncie Police Department investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry D. Glickman, who prosecuted this case.
One Pill Can Kill: Avoid pills bought on the street because One Pill Can Kill. Fentanyl has now become the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that drug dealers dilute with cutting agents to make counterfeit prescription pills that appear to be Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and other drugs. Fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl are usually shaped and colored to look like pills sold at pharmacies. For example, fake prescription pills known as “M30s” imitate Oxycodone obtained from a pharmacy, but when sold on the street the pills routinely contain fentanyl. These pills are usually round tablets and often light blue in color, though they may be in different shapes and a rainbow of colors. They often have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of the pill. Do not take these or any other pills bought on the street – they are routinely fake and poisonous, and you won’t know until it’s too late.
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Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting, Threatening Federal Officers at Fort Leonard WoodRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Houston, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to assaulting and threatening federal law enforcement officers at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
James W. Dickens, 32, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of assaulting a federal officer and one count of threatening to murder a federal law enforcement officer.
Dickens drove a stolen vehicle to the north gate of Fort Leonard Wood shortly after 1 a.m. on June 11, 2023. He made several statements to personnel at the gate while acting erratically, according to today’s plea agreement, and showed them he had an axe in the passenger seat of the vehicle. Dickens then fled from the gate and, after a high-speed pursuit, he crashed the vehicle he was driving into the north gate drop arm barrier, yelling and cursing as officers surrounded the vehicle. He got out of his vehicle and walked away from the officers. Dickens admitted that, as one of the officers drew his taser, Dickens said, “If you tase me, I will kill you,” or words to that effect. He then charged toward the officer with his fists clenched, and the officer tased him.
Dickens fell to the ground but resisted the officers as they attempted to apprehend him, and said he was going to kill the officer who tased him. The officers handcuffed Dickens and placed him in a Military Police vehicle, where he continued to scream and threaten the officers.
Officers pulled Dickens out of the vehicle a short time later so fire department personnel could assess his health. Dickens continued to act hostile, according to the plea agreement. He kicked one officer on his right leg and headbutted another officer on his left cheekbone. Dickens again said he was going to kill the officers. The officers placed him back in the vehicle. A few minutes later paramedics arrived and officers opened the car door to ask Dickens if he would cooperate with the paramedics so they could assess him. Dickens spit on one of the officers and yelled, “Yeah, b***h, now you got HIV,” or words to that effect. Later, officers pulled Dickens out of the vehicle and placed him on a gurney to be transported to the hospital. As the officers were restraining him to the gurney, Dickens headbutted one of the officers on the right side of his head and again said he was going to kill them. Dickens was then placed in the back of ambulance, where he spit on the face of one of the paramedics.
Under federal statutes, Dickens is subject to a sentence of up to 18 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cesar Vargas. It was investigated by the U.S. Army, Fort Leonard Wood, Military Police Investigations.
Mission in Action: OJP Focuses on Community as Co-Producer of Safety and JusticeRead the Press Release
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) recently marked its new mission statement with events and products that highlight OJP’s work to support community-centered public safety strategies.
Square One Convening, “Creating Community-Led Safety: What Does It Take?”
Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon delivered keynote remarks at “Creating Community-Led Safety: What Does It Take?,” an event convened by Columbia University Justice Lab’s Square One Project. She shared OJP’s vision for delivering on its new mission statement: To provide resources, leadership and solutions to advance community safety, build community trust and strengthen the community’s role as co-producer of safety and justice.
“By explicitly embracing the community's role as co-producer of safety and justice, we’re expanding the scope of responsibility and possibility for the future of our communities,” said Assistant Attorney General Solomon. “We're bringing communities disproportionately impacted by crime, violence and victimization to the forefront of our strategy and broadening our concept of safety, from the mere absence of crime to the presence of thriving neighborhoods and greater opportunity for all.”
Solomon highlighted the ways in which OJP is bringing its mission to life, through its grantmaking portfolio, research strategies and technical assistance, and within its own organization. She noted that OJP is delivering much-needed federal funding to community-based services through initiatives dedicated to interrupting community violence, improving responses to individuals in crisis, meeting the needs of underserved victims of crime, supporting young people impacted by violence and the juvenile justice system, reimagining responses to low-level crime and more.
OJP is also opening up new pathways to funding by investing in intermediary organizations to provide both microgrants and technical assistance to smaller community-based organizations implementing high-impact safety interventions, with a focus on building organizational capacity to grow and sustain their work over the long term. Solomon noted that many of OJP’s funding opportunities offer priority consideration for projects designed to advance equity, and to applicants that can demonstrate that their capabilities and competencies are enhanced because they identify as a population-specific (or by/for) organization. Finally, she shared the ways in which OJP is bringing the perspective of community into the federal government, growing the ranks of professionals whose lived experience in the justice system is helping to guide OJP’s work.
Solomon reflected on the contributions of The Square One Project, founded in 2018 with the goal of reimagining safety and justice from the ground up. “Square One inspired us to conceive of a future that elevates the principles of fairness, equity, truth-telling, parsimony and human dignity as central to safety and justice. To consider what’s possible if our center of gravity were to shift from overreliance on the criminal legal system to the community – to the organizations, institutions and people who have a deep and vested interest in creating opportunity and improving lives in their home neighborhoods.”
Solomon concluded, “What we’re trying to achieve here is a fundamental reimagining of public safety. How do we expand the pool of resources so that community investments begin to approach the scale provided for the justice system?... At OJP, we are using the levers we’ve got to strengthen – to invest in – to support – the role of community as co-producer of safety and justice. Let us broaden our coalition and build out the community ecosystem so that it is a central and lasting part of our public safety infrastructure.”
The Square One Project event was moderated by Executive Director Katharine Huffman and also featured a panel discussion with Pastor Michael McBride of LIVE FREE USA, Jocelyn Fontaine of the Black and Brown Collective for Community Solutions to Gun Violence, Jawanna Hardy of Guns Down Friday and Chief Ernie Cato, a longtime veteran of the Chicago Police Department who is now with the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Roundtable on Supporting Communities as Co-Producers of Safety and Justice
Assistant Attorney General Solomon and Public Welfare Foundation President and CEO Candice Jones co-hosted a roundtable that brought together community leaders and philanthropic partners from across the country to identify opportunities to better support community-based organizations as key partners in the public safety infrastructure. The roundtable offered a forum for OJP leadership and philanthropic partners to hear directly from organizations on the front lines of addressing violence and other criminal justice issues, with the goal of identifying opportunities to better support and strengthen the community’s role as co-producer of safety and justice.
The CBOs who participated in the roundtable represented a wide range of community-based work, including efforts to respond to and end domestic, sexual and community violence; divert youth from the juvenile justice system; and support reentry outcomes.
New Funding Opportunities and Other Resources
Assistant Attorney General Solomon wrote a recent blog post about the tangible ways that OJP is working to advance the new mission statement and support communities as co-producers of justice. For example, the Bureau of Justice Assistance is seeking a training and technical assistance provider to support justice-focused CBOs that will primarily work with historically marginalized and underserved communities, including rural communities. The provider will help remove barriers to applying for OJP funding, while also enhancing the quality of services provided to communities disproportionality impacted by crime, delinquency, victimization and violence.
In addition, OJP is working to make solicitations more streamlined and clearer for potential applicants. The Office for Victims of Crime, for instance, is seeking to fund organizations that provide for the basic needs of crime victims, such as transportation, temporary and transitional housing, clothing, food and other items necessary for their well-being, healing or safety. This funding opportunity presents the information in simple, clear language, with an option to submit a project plan instead of a written project narrative and abstract. The project plan can be submitted through written answers to a questionnaire, a video describing the plan or a live oral presentation to OVC via video meeting.
Additional funding opportunities include the Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, which aims to prevent and reduce violent crime in communities; Second Chance Act programs designed to improve reentry education and employment outcomes and incubate community-based reentry programs; community-based approaches to prevent and address hate crimes; the development of community-based continuums of care for youth at risk of becoming or already involved in the juvenile justice system; the BJA Visiting Fellows Program, which invests in current and future leaders in the criminal justice field and encourages those with lived experience to apply; and the OVC Human Trafficking Fellowship Program, which will assist the anti-trafficking field in identifying and promoting culturally responsive service models and activities, and encourages those with lived experience to apply.
About the Office of Justice Programs
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime; advance equity and fairness in the administration of justice; assist victims; and uphold the rule of law. More information about OJP and its program offices – the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office for Victims of Crime and SMART Office – can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Miami Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On June 7, Jean Wesner Pierre Louis, 52, of Miami, Florida was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay over $4,000,000 in restitution for aiding and assisting the preparation and presentation of false tax returns.
Pierre Louis was the president and chief operating officer of a tax preparation business operating in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Pierre Louis pled guilty in February 2024. For tax years 2015 through 2019, on multiple occasions Pierre Louis prepared tax returns for his clients that falsely claimed certain credits that increased the amount of refund owed or decreased the amount of taxes owed, such as: the American Opportunity Credit, a refundable credit which allowed taxpayers to claim a credit for qualified education expenses paid for an eligible student in the first four years of higher education; and the Credit for Federal Taxes Paid on Fuels (Fuel Tax Credit), which could be claimed for fuel used for certain specified purposes. For those same tax years, on multiple occasions Pierre Louis prepared tax returns for his clients that falsely claimed losses on an IRS Schedule C for businesses that did not exist, which also had the effect of increasing the amount of refund owed or decreasing the amount of taxes owed.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck.
IRS-CI Miami investigated the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-20379.
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Miami Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Federal Prison for Operating an Illegal Money Transmitting BusinessRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Oluwafemi Osinowo, age 35, of Miami, Florida, to 41 months in federal prison following his conviction for operating an illegal money transmitting business. The Court further sentenced Osinowo to three years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment.
According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, from December 2016 to January 2019, Osinowo operated an unlicensed money transmitting business. He confessed that the business conducted foreign currency exchange business without complying with required federal registration requirements. During the course of operating the business, money was transmitted from third parties from the Middle District of Louisiana and elsewhere to bank accounts located in Miami, Florida. Once the money was in the bank accounts in Miami, Florida, an individual acting as an agent of Osinowo’s business wired the money to a bank in Lagos, Nigeria. Those wire transfers included approximately 51 separate transmissions in the aggregate total of approximately $722,177 dollars.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy S. Johnson.
Metro Train Attacker Sentenced to Serve Seven Years for StabbingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michael Harrington, 43, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced June 7, 2024, by the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan to 84 months in prison for a September 2023 attack, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Michael Anzallo, of the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD).
Harrington pleaded guilty on March 5, 2024, to assault with intent to kill in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Based on evidence of drug and mental health issues, Harrington was permitted to enter pursuant to Alford v. North Carolina, 400 U.S. 25 (1970). Harrington agreed that the government could establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, but did not have to admit to or recall the facts constituting the offense.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Raffinan ordered Harrington to serve three years of supervised release and pay $100 to the Superior Court’s Crime Victims Compensation Fund.
According to the government’s evidence, Harrington attacked the victim on a Metro train on September 3, 2023, without provocation. On that evening, the victim was riding a Metro train approaching the Navy Yard-Ball Park Station when Harrington approached her, repeatedly stabbed her in her head and body, and said he would kill her. Harrington left the victim on the train car, bleeding from stab wounds. Police officers were called and took immediate life-saving steps to stop the bleeding before the victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition. In all, the victim sustained twelve stab wounds to her head, hip, foot, hands, and leg, but survived the assault.
Police arrested Harrington later that evening, after he triggered a fire alarm at an apartment building in Arlington, Virginia, and was seen wielding a knife that appeared to have dried blood on the blade and matched the description of the assailant. Harrington also admitted to having had a dispute with someone on the Metro earlier that night.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Anzallo commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metro Transit Police Department, with valuable assistance from the Arlington County Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald Chester.
Massachusetts Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Threatening and Harassing Interracial Couple and Obstructing JusticeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Massachusetts man was sentenced today for threatening an interracial couple via Facebook Messenger in January 2021, and to attempting to prevent the couple from reporting the threats and harassment to law enforcement.
Stephen M. DeBerardinis, 48, of Boston and Dedham, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 90 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2024, DeBerardinis pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting in interstate commerce threats to injure a person; one count of tampering with a witness and victim by intimidation, threats, and corrupt persuasion; and one count of tampering with a witness and victim by harassment.
“The toxic brew of racist hate, threats of violence and use of social media to amplify vile and violent attitudes is a corrosive danger to every law-abiding member of our community. The nearly eight-year sentence imposed on this defendant should send a message that when you engage in hate crimes, there is a serious price to be paid. This defendant’s horrifying and vicious threats were not only imperiled the safety and well-being of the victims here, but they were also a broadside attack on the values of equality and respect that our nation upholds. This office is deeply grateful for the victims’ courage to report this incident to law enforcement and assist us in prosecuting this important case,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Hate crimes and acts of intimidation have no place in our society. Our office will continue to work tirelessly to combat hate crimes and to foster an environment where every member of our community can live without fear of violence or discrimination.”
“Stephen DeBerardinis is a career criminal with multiple felony convictions who continued to demonstrate a blatant disregard for the law by sending a series of horribly racist, hate-motivated threats of brutal violence to an interracial couple he had never met,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “It’s time to stop this defendant from committing further harm, and today’s sentence does exactly that. It also serves as a warning to other repeat offenders that the FBI and our partners will continue to root out and bring to justice anyone who is intent on threatening violence based on racism or bigotry.”
In late December 2020, the victims, a white woman and a Black man, announced their engagement on Facebook and included photographs of themselves. DeBerardinis, who did not know the couple personally, could view the announcement and photographs because he was a friend of one or more of the victims’ Facebook friends.
On Jan. 6, 2021, DeBerardinis, using his own Facebook account, used Facebook Messenger to send the couple a series of threatening and harassing messages. For example, DeBerardinis wrote, “EWWWWWWWW YOUR A N***** F***** F****** DIRTY A** WHITE TRASH,” and continued with similar messages. When the couple messaged DeBerardinis that they were reporting him to law enforcement, he sent them a message that said, “SNITCHES GET STITCHES” with a picture of brass knuckles. DeBerardinis also threatened, “Read up more on me lol… you will see how me and my crew burn n*****s alive,” and “And white whores like you well [sic]…. get rape and killed THAN [sic] we cut off body parts and mail them to your family lol.” The victims reported the incident to local police, who contacted federal law enforcement.
According to court filings, a subsequent investigation revealed DeBerardinis’ extensive criminal record of more than 100 arrests over the past 24 years, including prior state convictions for threats, intimidation, false reports of a crime, impersonation of a police officer, and larceny, among other crimes. The investigation also revealed that in September 2021, months after his Facebook threats to the interracial couple, DeBerardinis threatened a journalist who wrote an unflattering article about his involvement in a protest where he was seen trying to punch protestors at a rally. In addition, DeBerardinis’ Facebook account contained multiple posts of race motivated, hate filled speech and white supremacist symbolism:
During a search of his residence, over 70 knives, 22 brass knuckles, swords, bullets, black powder for guns, stun guns, rifles and a number of other weapons were recovered. According to court filings, the investigation located photos of weapons posted on DeBerardinis’ Facebook.
Acting U.S. Attorney Levy; FBI SAC Cohen; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings of the Civil Rights & Human Trafficking Unit and Nadine Pellegrini, Chief of the National Security Unit, prosecuted the case.
Maryland man sentenced for relentlessly cyberstalking victimsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A man from North Bethesda, Maryland, was sentenced on June 7 to eight years and four months in prison for systematically cyberstalking several victims for approximately a year and a half.
According to court documents, Joseph Bourabah, 27, harassed and stalked multiple victims from September 2021 until February 2023. The defendant’s cyberstalking campaign was relentless and extended to the victims’ family members, tenants, and even former employers. The harassment involved hundreds of incidents, including fake Craigslist ads, Facebook postings, events on Eventbrite, and the hiring of unwanted services.
In September 2021, Bourabah, using a fake account, began sharing pornographic content of a victim on Facebook and spreading false accusations about the victim. In October and November 2021, Bourabah sent pornographic videos of the victim to the victim’s family members and friends. Bourabah also emailed the victim on various occasions from November 2021 to October 2022, including an email with a link to a pornographic website where Bourabah had posted videos of the victim along with the victim’s true name and former employers.
Bourabah targeted the victim’s mother. On multiple occasions, Bourabah posted pornographic videos on the mother’s social media feeds. On Feb. 23, 2022, Bourabah created a Craigslist post advertising her pet ducks for free, resulting in the pets being taken. Bourabah created another Craigslist ad listing her trampoline for free, resulting in the trampoline being taken from her home when she was not there.
Bourabah created a fake ad on Craigslist to advertise another victim’s car as available for free and attempted to have the car towed. In January 2023, Bourabah advertised a party titled “[victim’s name] Pedo Kink Party” and used a picture of the victim and the victim’s home address. In an email dated Dec. 26, 2021, Bourabah told the victim, “I’m never going to stop. I’ll be trolling your children’s babysitter 10 years from now.”
Bourabah also harassed that victim’s mother through ads on Craigslist that included a Halloween costume party, a New Years Eve party, and an open house event. Bourabah ordered unsolicited services to her residence, including tree cutting, carpet cleaning, junk removal, and towing. Bourabah attempted five times to have her vehicle towed, and on one occasion the tow driver removed a barricade from the driveway and placed the vehicle on the tow truck. Bourabah also harassed the tenants in her rental properties.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Heck and Elizabeth Yusi prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-37.
Man Sentenced to Serve Four Years in Federal Prison for Domestic Assault in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, GARY MANILE HARRIS, 39, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 48 months in federal prison for domestic assault by a habitual offender in Indian country, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On February 8, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a two-count Indictment charging Harris with domestic assault by a habitual offender and domestic assault by strangulation. According to the Indictment, on November 10, 2023, Harris placed a woman with whom he was living in a chokehold and physically abused her, including by dragging her across the floor.
This case is in federal court because Harris is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and the crime occurred within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation.
On April 3, 2024, Harris pleaded guilty to Count 1, admitted he assaulted the victim, and acknowledged his previous domestic abuse charges.
At the sentencing hearing today, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Harris to serve 48 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In sentencing Harris, Judge Russell considered Harris’s drug use and the need for his sentence to protect the public. Judge Russell also noted Harris’s extensive record of victim’s protective order violations and violent crime. Public record reflects that Harris holds prior felony convictions for domestic assault with a dangerous weapon and domestic abuse in Cleveland County District Court case number CF-2020-7, and domestic violence by strangulation in Oklahoma County District Court case number CF-2007-3387.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaleigh Blackwell and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Hale prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Counts of Firearm Possession by a Drug User and Making False Statements to Purchase FirearmsRead the Press Release
A man who possessed firearms as a drug user and made false statements during the purchase of firearms pled guilty on June 7, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City.
Brian Lee Byers, age 39, from Christmas, Florida, was convicted of 4 counts of possession of a firearm by an unlawful drug user and 4 counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
At the plea hearing, Byers admitted that between July of 2019 and February of 2020, in Cero Gordo County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, Winnebago County, Iowa, Grundy County, Iowa and Hancock County, Iowa he possessed multiple firearms while using marijuana and methamphetamine. He admitted that on July 25, 2019, November 9, 2019, February 22, 2020, and February 24, 2020, he stated on federal forms he was not a drug user while purchased multiple firearms.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Byers remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Byers faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ up to life, a fine of $250,000, and 5 years of supervised release.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Fletcher and was investigated by the Mason City Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-CR-3018.
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Lee County Man Sentenced to Prison for $1.35 Million COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Evan Graves (40, Alva) to 18 months in federal prison for committing wire fraud in connection with a $1.35 million COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. The court also ordered Graves to forfeit approximately $1,355,600 and five Fort Myers properties he purchased or funded using proceeds of his fraud. Graves entered a guilty plea on December 13, 2023.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted to provide immediate financial assistance to individuals, families, and organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This Act authorized the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to offer Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funding to business owners negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to court documents, between June 20 and July 23, 2020, Graves electronically submitted 10 EIDL applications to the SBA on behalf of his various Fort Myers-based companies. In each EIDL application, Graves falsely represented his companies’ number of employees, gross revenues, and lost rental income due to the COVID-19 disaster to qualify for large loan amounts and advance funding. In total, Graves’s fraudulent representations caused the SBA to approve his 10 loans and deposit approximately $1.35 million into bank accounts controlled by Graves. Following disbursement of the EIDL funding, Graves unlawfully used the money to pay off personal credit card debt, fund personal investment accounts, satisfy mortgages, and purchase real estate.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Simon Eth and Suzanne Nebesky.
Laguna Niguel Man Arrested for Allegedly Trying to Shoot Down Orange County Sheriff’s Department Helicopter After Birthday PartyRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – An Orange County man was arrested today on a federal grand jury indictment alleging he repeatedly fired a rifle at an Orange County Sheriff’s Department helicopter after his birthday party acrimoniously ended earlier this year.
Justin Derek Jennings, 39, of Laguna Niguel, is charged with one count of attempting to damage, destroy, or disable an aircraft.
Jennings was arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana and pleaded not guilty to the charge against him. A federal magistrate judge ordered him jailed without bond and scheduled an August 5 trial date in this matter.
According to court documents and the indictment that a grand jury returned on June 5, Jennings and his family were celebrating his birthday party on March 9. Jennings allegedly had been drinking and became enraged. As his outburst escalated, family members in attendance left the home. After most of his family left, Jennings allegedly removed a rifle from his gun safe and fired an entire magazine worth of ammunition inside the home. The rest of Jennings’ family fled and reported the incident to law enforcement.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department responded with several deputies and a police helicopter that flew in circles around the area. Jennings allegedly then went to the home’s second story and began shooting a rifle upwards in the sky, firing only when the helicopter was visible to him. The shooting continued intermittently for at least 20 minutes, court documents state. After speaking with an Orange County sheriff’s deputy, Jennings exited the residence and surrendered.
During a search of Jennings’ residence, law enforcement seized two revolvers, two handguns, and two rifles along with multiple rounds of ammunition. Bullet casings were scattered throughout the floor and law enforcement also seized two magazines and a box of ammunition that was on a couch beneath the window from where Jennings allegedly fired.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Jennings would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office charged Jennings in connection with this incident, but dismissed the case so the federal case against him could proceed.
The FBI and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin J. Campbell of the Santa Ana Branch Office is prosecuting this case.
Justice Department and FDA Announce Federal Multi-Agency Task Force to Curb Distribution and Sale of Illegal E-CigarettesRead the Press Release
The Justice Department and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the creation of a federal multi-agency task force to combat the illegal distribution and sale of e-cigarettes.
Along with the FDA and the Justice Department, the task force will bring together multiple law enforcement partners, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); U.S. Marshals Service (USMS); U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to coordinate and streamline efforts to bring all available criminal and civil tools to bear against the illegal distribution, and sale of e-cigarettes, vapes, and other electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) responsible for nicotine addiction among American youth. Additional agencies may join the task force in the coming weeks and months.
“Unauthorized e-cigarettes and vaping products continue to jeopardize the health of Americans — particularly children and adolescents — across the country,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “This interagency task force is dedicated to protecting Americans by combatting the unlawful sale and distribution of these products. And the establishment of this task force makes clear that vigorous enforcement of the tobacco laws is a government-wide priority.”
“The Justice Department is committed to enforcing the laws that prevent the sale and distribution of unlawful e-cigarettes,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will work closely with our task force partners to address this crisis with all of the enforcement tools available to us.”
“Curbing the widespread availability of illegal ENDS products is a top priority of the Justice Department’s consumer protection efforts,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Arun G. Rao of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we look forward to advancing aggressive and innovative solutions to the unique and constantly evolving problem of illegal vaping products.”
“Enforcement against illegal e-cigarettes is a multi-pronged issue that necessitates a multi-pronged response,” said Director Dr. Brian King of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “This ‘All Government’ approach — including the creation of this new task force - will bring the collective resources and experience of the federal government to bear on this pressing public health issue.”
The 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that about 2.1 million youths reported currently using e-cigarettes, which reflects a considerable decline from 5.3 million youth in 2019. However, 10% of high school students and almost 5% of middle school students reported currently using e-cigarettes, and more than 1 in 4 of those e-cigarette users reported daily e-cigarette use. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers market a wide range of products that appeal directly to school-age users, such as candy and fruit flavors, some of which come in devices designed to be easily concealed.
Youth use of tobacco products in any form — including e-cigarettes — is unsafe. According to the CDC, nicotine poses unique dangers to young people. In addition to being highly addictive, nicotine can harm the developing adolescent brain, which continues to develop until about age 25. Young people who use nicotine may also be at risk for addiction to other drugs.
To date, the FDA has authorized the sale of 23 specific tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products and devices. These are the only e-cigarette products that currently may be lawfully marketed and sold in the United States. To date, the FDA has issued more than 1,100 warning letters to manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers for illegally selling and/or distributing unauthorized new tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, and has filed civil money penalty complaints against more than 55 manufacturers and 140 retailers for the manufacture and/or sale of unauthorized tobacco products. In addition, the FDA and the Justice Department have obtained injunctions against six manufacturers to stop them from manufacturing and selling unauthorized e-cigarette products.
The federal task force will focus on several topics, including investigating and prosecuting new criminal, civil, seizure, and forfeiture actions under the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2009 (PACT Act); the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), as amended by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (TCA); and other authorities. Violations of these statutes can result in felony convictions and significant criminal fines and civil monetary penalties. They can also result in seizures of unauthorized products, which can help to make illegal e-cigarettes less accessible, including to young people. Through their participation in the task force USMS will help the FDA and the Department effectuate seizures of unauthorized e-cigarettes within the United States.
“The U.S. Marshals Service Asset Forfeiture Division stands ready to work with our task force partners in the seizure of unauthorized e-cigarettes from domestic distributors seeking to sell them unlawfully,” said USMS Director Ronald L. Davis.
The Justice Department is also collaborating with ATF and USPIS on potential criminal and civil enforcement actions under the PACT Act. The PACT Act requires online sellers of ENDS products to register with ATF and to verify the age of purchasers both at the point of sale and the point of delivery, as well as to comply with tax collection provisions and state and local laws. The task force announced today will support these actions and coordinate enforcement strategies the FDA and the Justice Department are working on with multiple agency partners.
“The PACT Act is an important tool for preventing the unlawful sale of e-cigarettes to minors online. ATF looks forward to working with other components of the Department of Justice and USPIS to enforce the law,” said ATF Director Steven M. Dettelbach.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to working with the task force to investigate violations of the PACT Act and other statutes that govern the distribution of e-cigarettes through the mails,” said Chief Postal Inspector Gary R. Barksdale.
Finally, the FTC, which releases reports about cigarette, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarette marketing, and enforces various statutory and regulatory prohibitions on false and misleading advertising, will support the activities of the task force, including by sharing its knowledge about the marketplace for vaping products.
“We look forward to sharing our experience with this rapidly changing, multi-billion-dollar market through this important task force,” said Director Samuel A.A. Levine of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
For more information on e-cigarette regulation, including legal compliance and enforcement efforts, see the FDA’s website at www.fda.gov/tobacco-products and the ATF’s website at www.atf.gov/alcohol-tobacco/vapes-and-e-cigarettes.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Tennessee School District to Protect Students from Racial HarassmentRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today a settlement agreement with Hawkins County Schools in Tennessee to resolve its investigation into allegations of race-based harassment and other discrimination targeting Black students.
The investigation, conducted jointly by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, found that the incidents of harassment — including a mock “slave auction” to sell Black students to their white counterparts, white students’ repeated and open use of the N-word and a “monkey of the month” campaign to ridicule Black students — collectively created a racially hostile environment. Although the district took steps to acknowledge some of the harassment, their response was not sufficient to protect the Constitutional rights of Black students.
“No student should endure mock slave auctions or racial slurs meant to invoke a shameful period in our country’s history when Black people were treated as subhuman,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “Racial harassment undermines a student's ability to feel safe, eliminates any hope for fostering a supportive educational environment and violates the Constitution’s most basic promise of equal protection. The Justice Department remains committed to protecting the civil rights of all students and will ensure that Hawkins County Schools takes all actions necessary to end racial discrimination in its schools.”
“To protect our children and cultivate a successful learning environment, our schools must take complaints of racial harassment and discrimination with the utmost seriousness and address them promptly and effectively,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office commends the Hawkins County Board of Education for cooperating in the department’s investigation and working to improve its response to complaints of racial harassment and discrimination by reaching a resolution that enhances protections for both students’ constitutional rights and their dignity.”
The department opened its investigation in March 2023 under Titles IV and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The district fully cooperated during the investigation and readily pursued an agreement to address the department’s findings. Under the agreement, Hawkins County Schools will implement significant reforms, including:
- Hiring a compliance officer to oversee the effective resolution of race discrimination and harassment complaints;
- Retaining a consultant to support the school district in implementing the agreement and creating a discrimination-free learning environment for all;
- Creating a new electronic reporting portal to track and manage complaints and the district’s response to complaints;
- Updating its racial harassment and school discipline policies to more accurately track and consistently respond to complaints of race-based harassment;
- Training staff on how to identify, investigate and respond to complaints of racial harassment and discriminatory discipline practices;
- Informing students and parents of how to report harassment and discrimination;
- Implementing listening sessions, school climate surveys, training and educational events on identifying and preventing race discrimination, including discriminatory harassment; and
- Analyzing discipline data and amending policies to ensure non-discriminatory enforcement of discipline policies.
Protecting students from harassment and other discrimination is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available at www.justice.gov/crt, and additional information about the work of the Educational Opportunities Section is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section.
Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Tennessee School District to Protect Students from Racial HarassmentRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The Justice Department announced today a settlement agreement with Hawkins County Schools in Tennessee to resolve its investigation into reports of race-based discrimination targeting Black students.
The department’s investigation focused on several instances of peer harassment, including a mock “slave auction” to sell Black students to their white counterparts, repeated and open use of the N-word, and a “monkey of the month” campaign to ridicule Black students. Although the district took steps to acknowledge the harassment, their response was not sufficient to protect the constitutional rights of Black students.
“No student should endure mock slave auctions or racial slurs meant to invoke a shameful period in our country’s history when Black people were treated as subhuman,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Racial harassment undermines a student’s ability to feel safe, eliminates any hope for fostering a supportive educational environment and violates the Constitution’s most basic promise of equal protection. The Justice Department remains committed to protecting the civil rights of all students and will ensure that Hawkins County Schools takes all actions necessary to end racial discrimination in its schools.”
“To protect our children and cultivate a successful learning environment, our schools must take complaints of racial harassment and discrimination with the utmost seriousness and address them promptly and effectively,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee. “The United States Attorney’s Office commends the Hawkins County Board of Education for cooperating in the department’s investigation and working to improve its response to complaints of racial harassment and discrimination by reaching a resolution that enhances protections for both students’ constitutional rights and their dignity,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III.
The department opened its investigation in March 2023 under Titles IV and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The district fully cooperated during the investigation and readily pursued an agreement to address the department’s findings. Under the agreement, Hawkins County Schools will implement significant reforms, including:
- Hiring an Anti-Harassment Coordinator to oversee the effective handling of race discrimination and harassment complaints;
- Retaining a consultant to support the school district in implementing the agreement and creating a discrimination-free learning environment for all;
- Creating a new electronic reporting portal to track and manage complaints and the district’s response to complaints;
- Updating its racial harassment and school discipline policies to more accurately track and consistently respond to complaints of race-based harassment;
- Training staff on how to identify, investigate and respond to complaints of racial harassment and discriminatory discipline practices;
- Informing students and parents of how to report harassment and discrimination;
- Implementing focus groups, surveys, training, and educational events on identifying and preventing race discrimination, including discriminatory harassment; and
- Analyzing discipline data and amending policies to ensure non-discriminatory enforcement of discipline policies.
Protecting students from harassment and other discrimination is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt, and additional information about the work of the Educational Opportunities Section is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section.
Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.
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Jerry Wayne Asbill Sentenced to Life in Prison for Aggravated Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jerry Wayne Asbill, age 42, of Adair County, Oklahoma, was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment for two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country. The terms will be served concurrently.
The charges arose from investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Adair County Sheriff’s Office.
On May 10, 2023, a federal jury convicted Asbill on two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse. At trial, the Government presented evidence that in November of 2018, Asbill sexually assaulted a child he knew to be under the age of 12. The crimes occurred in Adair County, on the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
“Mr. Asbill’s crimes were abhorrent and morally reprehensible,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Kaplan of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. “Thanks to the bravery of the victim who came forward, and the tenacity of the investigators and the prosecution team, we were able to achieve some measure of justice in this case. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will never waver in our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our population – our children.”
“The despicable crimes perpetrated upon this child warrant the life sentences imposed by the Court,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “Violent crime in Indian country remains a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office, and through continued cooperative efforts of our local, state, Tribal, and federal law enforcement partners, we are committed to seeking justice for victims and holding offenders like Asbill accountable.”
The Honorable Kea W. Riggs, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for New Mexico, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing in Muskogee. Asbill will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorneys Morgan Muzljakovich and Nicole Paladino represented the United States.
Investigative Team from MDNC Receives ADL SHIELD Award for Local ProsecutionRead the Press Release
Photo provided by Anti-Defamation League of Washington, DCGREENSBORO - United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston announced today that the Anti-Defamation League [ADL] awarded a local team of prosecutors and investigators with the group’s 2024 SHIELD Award. SHIELD stands for Service, Honor, Integrity, Excellence, Leadership and Dedication.
Assistant United States Attorneys JoAnna McFadden and Ashley Waid of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina, along with Special Agent Samantha Oubre, Special Agent Emilie Franks, Special Agent Michael Stone, Tactical Specialist Whitney Orndorff, Intelligence Analyst Brian Bowers, Victim Specialist Shannon Meyers, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Daniel Grunert were presented with their awards during a ceremony on June 6 in Washington, D.C. The award was presented for the investigation and prosecution of Marian Hudak.
“The Hudak prosecution exemplifies our commitment to investigating and prosecuting civil rights violations in this district,” United States Attorney Hairston said today. “Targeting individuals with violence because of their race or national origin will be met with a strong federal response. We are pleased and grateful that the Anti-Defamation League recognized the extraordinary efforts of AUSAs McFadden and Waid, Trial Attorney Grunert, and the FBI agents and other personnel who pursued this case.”
Hudak was sentenced to 41 months of federal incarceration after a jury found him guilty of committing hate crimes against a Black man and a Hispanic man on separate occasions. According to evidence presented at trial, on Oct. 13, 2022, Hudak encountered a Black man, identified as J.S., while Hudak and J.S. were driving on a public street in Concord, North Carolina. After shouting racial slurs at J.S. and telling J.S. to “come here, boy,” Hudak swerved into J.S.’s lane and stopped his car in traffic, then got out of his truck and approached J.S.’s vehicle, where he continued shouting and punched J.S.’s driver’s side window multiple times. When J.S. fled, Hudak chased him to his home where he blocked egress from the parking area and shouted racial slurs at and threatened to shoot and kill J.S.
Evidence at trial also proved that, on Nov. 27, 2021, Hudak attacked his Hispanic neighbor, J.D., outside of J.D.’s home because of his nationality. Hudak shouted racially charged insults at J.D. before attacking him. Hudak punched and tackled J.D. and the jury found that J.D. suffered serious bodily injury from the attack.
Additional trial witnesses testified about Hudak’s frequent anti-Hispanic comments, both before and after the attack on J.D., and about other instances where Hudak shouted slurs at, gave the middle finger to, and aggressively drove near other minority motorists in the Concord, North Carolina area. Other evidence included a KKK flag, a racist publication, and Nazi memorabilia found in Hudak’s residence.
At the ceremony, the ADL honored law enforcement heroes who have protected the nation and communities from hate crimes and terrorist threats. The SHIELD award was created in 2010 to annually honor law enforcement for major successes in the fight against hate crimes and domestic and international terrorism. The Award’s name reflects law enforcement’s role as protectors and is also an acronym for the core values of the profession: Service, Honor, Integrity, Excellence, Leadership, and Dedication.
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International Businessman Sentenced to Two Years in Prison in Connection with Wine Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James Smith, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that OMAR KHAN was sentenced to two years in prison by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer in connection with an investment fraud scheme involving rare and expensive wines and his impersonation of his attorney in furtherance of that scheme. KHAN previously pled guilty on March 28, 2024, to one count of aggravated identity theft.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Whether a fraudulent scheme involves business ventures, cryptocurrency, or expensive wines, the career prosecutors of this Office will bring justice to the perpetrators of these crimes. Omar Khan fleeced his victims of millions of dollars, leaving devastation in the wake of his lies, but he now justly faces two years in federal prison and has been ordered to make restitution to his victims.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said: “Omar Khan’s wine-and-dine scheme did not age well. For four years, Khan exploited the prestigious reputation of the wine industry to embezzle millions of dollars from well-intended investors using empty promises of future, lavish networking events while offering excuses for the lack of returns. He utilized his public notoriety as a wine aficionado to lure and coax his victims into financing significant amounts, costing some the entirety of their investments. Today’s sentence emphasizes the FBI’s tireless efforts investigating those who manipulate their social status and relationships to deprive others of their wealth.”
According to the charging documents and other filings and statements made in court:
From in or about 2015 through 2019, OMAR KHAN orchestrated a global fraud scheme involving the solicitation of investments for wine tasting and networking events. KHAN founded and operated a management consulting firm (“Firm-1”) in New York, New York. Firm‑1’s website described KHAN as one of “the most global consultants and speakers in the world.” KHAN has been profiled by Forbes Magazine as a “fanatical wine connoisseur.”
KHAN hosted networking events for successful and wealthy individuals at which he would privately solicit victims to invest in ventures and events involving rare, vintage wines and expensive dinners. For example, on or about December 13, 2017, KHAN hosted a dinner, which he titled, “An Evening of Daring Duos and Tantalizing Trios,” at which KHAN served vintage wines and a variety of expensive food items, including Nantucket bay scallops, oysters, caviar, risotto cooked in bone marrow broth, uni served in its shell, and jalapeño foam.
At these extravagant dinners and networking events, KHAN would solicit individuals to invest in other expensive dinners, networking events, and ventures. KHAN represented to his investors that they would earn a profit on their investment. KHAN frequently lied to prospective investors to induce investments. With few exceptions, KHAN embezzled his investors’ investment monies and used the proceeds on personal expenditures. KHAN then made additional false statements to his investors to excuse his failure to pay them back.
For example, one of KHAN’s victims (“Victim-1”) was a New York retiree who in early 2015 attended one of KHAN’s dinner parties which involved expensive wines and expensive cuisine. After that first dinner, KHAN began to actively communicate with Victim-1, and they formed a friendship. After Victim-1 attended several of those events, KHAN solicited Victim-1 to invest his money with KHAN to put on similar wine and dinner events for other wealthy individuals. At first, Victim-1 invested smaller amounts of money for the dinner events. Later on, Victim-1 began to invest larger sums of money with KHAN.
In approximately 2018, KHAN induced Victim-1 to pool all of Victim-1’s investments to date into one large, purported consulting deal. In doing so, KHAN had Victim-1 invest approximately $5,000,000 with a famous French vineyard located in Bordeaux, France (“Vineyard-1”). KHAN pitched this investment as a consulting deal that involved a New York club backed by Vineyard-1. After stalling for several months, KHAN began to make up excuses about why there was a delay in closing the deal. For example, KHAN falsely claimed in an email to Victim-1 that Victim-1’s money “was on the move” but the very next day falsely claimed that the IRS had placed a lien on his business account for unrelated activity in Dubai (“IRS slapped a lien on us, due to ‘unusual activity,’ ‘unpaid taxes’ and various other allegations, which I learned of this morning to my shock.”).
Likewise, in February 2018, KHAN falsely claimed to another victim (“Victim-2”) that KHAN’s bank had delayed a bank transfer from KHAN to Victim-2 due to a lack of authorization documents. In a March 2018 email, KHAN falsely told Victim-2 that KHAN’s attorneys had sent legal demands to the bank to resolve the issue. In both these emails, KHAN purported to forward emails from KHAN’s attorney about the delayed bank wire. The March email also stated that KHAN’s attorneys had “issued a legal demand” to the bank to resolve the issue with the delayed bank wire. The emails appearing to be sent from KHAN’s lawyer were fraudulent, and KHAN had sent them impersonating his own lawyer.
On or about September 3, 2019, multiple victims commenced a civil lawsuit against KHAN (the “Khan Lawsuit”), alleging that KHAN induced them to invest in wine dinners and ventures on the basis of fraudulent misrepresentations. In early September, the New York Post published multiple articles about KHAN — one concerning the Khan Lawsuit and another about a criminal investigation into KHAN’s ventures. KHAN then left the country, ultimately residing at a hotel in Sri Lanka for several years. In February 2024, KHAN was expelled from Sri Lanka and arrested at John F. Kennedy airport in New York.
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In addition to the prison term, OMAR KHAN, 58, was sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to make restitution to the victims in the amount of $6,699,582.
Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the FBI.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Chiuchiolo and Nicholas Folly are in charge of the prosecution.
Individual Sentenced to over Ten Years for Elder Financial FraudRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Samuel Kristofer Bunner, 51, formerly of Ranson, West Virginia, was sentenced today to a total of 121 months in federal prison for defrauding a Jefferson County man who suffered from dementia.
Bunner pled guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in February 2024. According to court documents, Bunner defrauded the victim of $1,906,229 by selling his real estate, emptying his investment and bank accounts, and opening a credit card in his name. Bunner used the money taken from the victim for his benefit, purchasing homes, campers, cars, and hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of consumer goods.
Bunner was ordered to pay $1,906,229 in restitution to the victim. He will serve 5 years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. The Jefferson County, WV Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida, and FBI-Tampa assisted with the matter.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Stephen Michael Wolford, 32, of Huntington, was sentenced today to one year and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 29, 2023, a law enforcement attempted to initiate a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Wolford near the intersection of 27th Street and Ninth Avenue in Huntington. Wolford admitted that he fled in the vehicle, speeding in excess of 90 miles per hour before wrecking the vehicle and flipping it on its roof on the 1400 block of 28th Street. Wolford further admitted that he attempted to flee on foot before he was caught and arrested.
Officers found a Smith & Wesson Model M&P .40-caliber pistol at the location of the vehicle crash. Wolford admitted to possessing the firearm and further admitted to bringing the firearm into a Huntington business on March 28, 2023, and showing it to a store employee while shopping for accessories for the firearm.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Wolford knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for grand larceny in Cabell County Circuit Court on August 15, 2017.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-84.
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Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Kenard Jerlonnie Moore, also known as “Lonnie,” 41, of Huntington, was sentenced today to four years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of a quantity of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 28, 2023, Moore sold approximately 16 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Huntington. Moore admitted to the transaction, and further admitted that he arranged the transaction when the confidential informant contacted him earlier that day.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-3.
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Houstonian convicted for sending death threats to U.S. senatorRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A federal judge has returned a guilty verdict against a local man for making threats to injure a U.S. senator, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal, after careful deliberation, found Issac Ambe Nformangum, 24, guilty on one count of interstate communications with a threat to injure following a two-hour stipulated bench trial.
Nformangum called the senator’s office from his cellular phone and left a lengthy threatening message. He stated the senator would be found and killed.
The court heard evidence that Nformangum made a direct threat intended for the senator in which he disregarded the extent of the seriousness of his words.
“Nformangum called the office of a U.S. senator and made threatening comments.” said Hamdani. “It was a frightening call. This is never acceptable, and the Southern District of Texas will always seek to hold actors like Nformangum to account for their actions, to deter others like him, to protect the rule of law and to ensure a safe environment for all public servants. Today’s guilty verdict demonstrates that dedication.”
“You can criticize, refute and disagree with someone’s political view or vote, but you don’t get to threaten an elected official with violence just because you don’t like their political platform,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams of the FBI Houston field office. “Those actions are not protected under the Constitution. On the contrary, as Mr. Nformangum found out, they’re a crime.”
Judge Rosenthal has set sentencing for Oct. 2. At that time, Nformangum faces up five years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
FBI-Houston conducted the investigation with assistance from the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ted Imperato and Craig M. Feazel are prosecuting the case.
Houston resident heads to prison for armed robbery of local Waffle HouseRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 32-year-old man has been sentenced for Hobbs Act robbery and related firearms charges, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Deonta Rashawn Brown pleaded guilty March 7.
U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks has now ordered Brown to serve 162 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Brown must also pay restitution to the victims. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the traumatic impact Brown’s crime had on his victims.
At the time of the plea, Brown admitted to aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting use, carry and brandish of a firearm during a crime of violence.
On Oct. 24, 2019, Brown robbed a Waffle House restaurant in the 1200 block of Wilson Road in Houston with Fabian Bradley. Bradley brandished a pistol during the attack. Together, the two stole an employee’s mobile phone and a small amount of cash from the restaurant.
This robbery was one of three that law enforcement believe the duo committed that night – including another Waffle House restaurant and a gas station convenience store.
The three robberies occurred within approximately one hour of each other, beginning at 10:57 p.m. and ending shortly after midnight. The robbery locations appeared to have been carefully chosen in either a low-traffic area or close to I-69 – which would allow the co-conspirators to make a quick getaway from each scene.
Bradley, 22, also pleaded guilty and previously received a sentence of 168 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
Brown has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation along with police departments in Humble and Houston. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Ganz and Joseph Porto prosecuted the case.
Hobbs Man Sentenced for Federal Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Hobbs man was sentenced to 71 months in prison for discharging a firearm in a neighborhood following a domestic dispute.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on August 23, 2022, Lazarus Sanders, 25, discharged a firearm towards the sky from a vehicle in a residential neighborhood in Hobbs, New Mexico. Officers spoke to the residents of the home where Sanders had discharged the handgun and determined that Sanders was in a relationship with the homeowner’s daughter and that they had been in a domestic altercation earlier that day. During the altercation, Sanders pointed a firearm at the homeowner’s daughter.
Officers reviewed home security surveillance footage from a nearby house and observed Sanders in a white four-door vehicle with front-end damage discharge approximately three rounds from a firearm outside a residence. Officers determined that another incident had occurred approximately 40 minutes before where Sanders had discharged one round of ammunition from the vehicle in front of the same house.
The officer provided a description of Sanders’ vehicle to other officers on patrol. A short time later, an officer in the area observed a vehicle that matched the description and conducted a felony traffic stop. The officer observed a firearm in plain view and secured the vehicle pending a search warrant.
Upon executing the search warrant, officers found a Taurus 9mm handgun under the driver’s seat with an extended magazine capable of accepting 17 rounds with an additional chambered round for a total of 18 rounds.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Sanders will be required to serve 3 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Force investigated this case with assistance from the Lea County Drug Task Force and the Hobbs Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Ry Ellison is prosecuting the case.
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Guilty Plea Entered in February 2024 Shooting in Which the Victim Was Shot Seven TimesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Scotland Alston, 33, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today, before Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe, to aggravated assault while armed for a February 2024 shooting, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Judge O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for August 9, 2024. Alston faces a minimum term of 10 years in prison at sentencing.
According to the government’s evidence, with which Alston agreed, on February 28, 2024, Alston and the female victim got into a heated argument, during which Alston shoved the victim and she shoved him back. During the argument, Alston took a gun from his waistband and held it at his side. A bystander tried to separate Alston and the victim, but the two continued to argue. Alston then got onto a bicycle to leave the area but then returned to where the victim sat. Alston then fired numerous times at the victim. The victim tried to flee but she collapsed after being hit by approximately seven bullets.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Yarbro.
Gresham Man Caught Selling Drugs to Minors Online Faces Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Gresham, Oregon man is facing federal charges today after he was caught using Telegram, an encrypted messaging service, to sell various controlled substances to minors.
Timothy Jeffrey Monahan, 31, has been charged by criminal complaint with possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
“Drug trafficking has had an alarming impact on children in our communities. We thank the FBI, Clackamas County Interagency Task Force, and all our law enforcement partners for their continued focus on holding accountable individuals that target children,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
According to court documents, early in 2024, law enforcement obtained information that an individual, later determined to be Monahan, was allegedly using Telegram to advertise the sale of various illegal narcotics including cocaine, LSD, ketamine, DMT, psilocybin mushrooms, and various marijuana and vaping products. Monahan is alleged to have used the Telegram usernames “Thepdxyokai” and “Yokai” to advertise and broker the sale of narcotics and used an adult drug runner to deliver the drugs to customers on his behalf.
On June 7, 2024, investigators executed federal search warrants on Monahan’s residence and vehicle wherein they located and seized quantities of cocaine and psilocybin mushrooms, two loaded firearms, drug packaging materials and scales, and more than $106,000 in cash. After he was placed under arrest, Monahan admitted to operating the Telegram accounts located by investigators to sell narcotics to a customer based composed mostly of minors. Monahan further admitted to trading controlled substances in exchange for sex acts or sexually explicit photos from his customers.
Monahan made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force (CCITF). It is being prosecuted by Scott M. Kerin, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
CCITF, led by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, works to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations operating in and around Clackamas County, and reduce illegal drugs and related crimes throughout the community. The task force is comprised of members of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Canby Police Department, Oregon State Police, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). CCITF is supported by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.
The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.
Graphic Communications National Pension Plan Agrees to Repay Excess Special Financial Assistance FundsRead the Press Release
The Graphic Communications National Pension Fund (the NPF) has entered into a civil settlement agreement pursuant to which it has agreed to repay more than $8 million in excess funds that it received from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) in connection with the PBGC’s Special Financial Assistance Program.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 established the Special Financial Assistance (SFA) Program to protect millions of workers in multiemployer pension plans who faced cuts to their benefits, including potentially catastrophic benefit reductions in many cases. The SFA Program is administered by the PBGC, which was authorized to make one-time payments to certain eligible multiemployer pension plans in the amount that was projected to enable the plans to pay all benefits through 2051. Because inclusion of participants who died in the census data provided with the SFA application could alter the amount of funding that an eligible multiemployer plan would need to pay benefits in future years, the PBGC required SFA applicants to provide documentation of an independent death audit to identify deceased participants in support of plans’ SFA applications.
Despite reasonable efforts, the NPF’s census erroneously included approximately 371 deceased participants among the more than 30,000 plan participants identified in the plan’s SFA application. The erroneous inclusion of deceased participants in the NPF’s application was identified during an audit conducted by the PBGC’s Office of Inspector General (PBGC-OIG). The audit determined that as a result of the errors the NPF’s SFA award of approximately $1.5 billion was overstated by approximately $8 million. The NPF cooperated with the government’s investigation in this matter, including assisting with the actuarial analyses necessary to calculate and validate the amount of the excess funds that it received.
“The Civil Division will continue to work with PBGC to recover any excess funds paid in connection with the SFA Program,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “I commend the NPF for its cooperation with the government’s efforts to identify and quantify excess SFA Program funds, as well as its prompt repayment.”
“Correcting an inaccurate SFA payment serves everyone’s interests and gives the public greater confidence in the stewardship of taxpayer money by Federal employees,” said PBGC Inspector General Nicolas J. Novak. “We appreciate the continuing cooperation of the affected plans with the PBGC and the Justice Department’s efforts.”
“PBGC is working diligently with other plans to facilitate return of SFA funds based on inaccurate census data,” said PBGC Acting Director Ann Y. Orr. “PBGC appreciates the collaborative efforts of DOJ and PBGC-OIG involved in these recoveries.”
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, the PBGC-OIG and the PBGC Office of General Counsel, along with the Department of Labor and Department of Treasury. This is the second settlement involving the return of excess SFA funds received from PBGC, with combined recoveries now totaling more than $134 million.
Senior Trial Counsel Kelley Hauser of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch handled this matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
SettlementGloucester County Man Admits Stealing over $200,000 in Social Security and Medicaid BenefitsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County, New Jersey, man admitted today that he defrauded the government of more than $200,000 in Social Security and Medicaid benefits, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Dennis Gaudette, 72, of Franklinville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn in Camden federal court to an information charging him with Social Security fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Beginning in March 2009, Gaudette used the identity of a deceased individual to apply for and receive Social Security and Medicaid benefits. Between 2009 and 2023, Gaudette collected $43,464 in Social Security Retirement Income Benefits and $85,332.50 in Supplemental Security Income benefits that he was not entitled to receive. During the same time period, the state of New Jersey paid $88,993 in Medicaid benefits for medical care, testing, and medications that Gaudette received using the name of the deceased individual. Over the course of the scheme, Gaudette concealed and failed to disclose that he was ineligible for these government benefits because he was not in fact the deceased individual and his actual age, income, and resources did not qualify him for these programs.
The Social Security fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross profits or gross loss, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 15, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley Parker, and special agents of the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, Philadelphia Resident Office, under the direction of Resident Agent-in-Charge Robert Picco, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.
gaudette.information.pdfGeorgia siblings sentenced to federal prison for defrauding unemployment, COVID-19 relief programsRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: Two Georgia siblings have been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to repay stolen funds after pleading guilty in a fraud conspiracy.
La’Kyera Me’Lika Thurmond, 35, of Snellville, Ga., and Brandon Jamal Thurmond, 34, of Lilburn, Ga., were sentenced in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Each was sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered the siblings to pay $140,228 in restitution.
“Programs that provided unemployment benefits and disaster relief served as a lifeline to small businesses during the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “The Thurmonds’ greed-fueled scheme targeted both programs, and they’re now being held accountable for their crimes.”
As described in court documents and testimony, the Thurmonds used fraudulent documents to file for unemployment benefits in multiple states for Brandon Thurmond – who was serving a prison sentence on state charges in Georgia at the time and therefore ineligible to receive unemployment benefits – and for other individuals through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program and other relief initiatives.
The Thurmond siblings also filed multiple fraudulent applications in Brandon Thurmond’s name and others seeking Paycheck Protection Program funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act administered by the Small Business Administration.
The restitution in the case represents payments the Thurmonds and others fraudulently received for unemployment benefits from Georgia and Arizona, and for COVID-19 relief payments from the SBA and a financial services company.
“It is disheartening to see the willingness of some individuals to take advantage of programs intended to help people in need during a national and world crisis,” said Matthew Ploskunak, Senior Supervisory Special Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Augusta office. “The Thurmond’s personal greed affects every tax paying citizen, in particular those who needed help most. The FBI will make every effort to make sure federal funds are used as intended.”
“Abusing SBA’s pandemic relief programs intended to provide critical relief to small businesses is unconscionable,” said SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Braithwaite. “This sentencing further showcases that OIG will relentlessly pursue fraudsters and bring them to justice. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.”
“These current sentencings of those who committed fraud on COVID-19 relief programs is sending the message that accountability is coming for those who did the same,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and our law enforcement partners will continue finding and investigating individuals who chose greed over the well-being of their fellow Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“The Thurmonds engaged in an unemployment insurance (UI) fraud scheme targeted at multiple state workforce agencies. They used the identities of others to submit fraudulent UI applications. As a result, they stole UI benefits intended for individuals who experienced financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent-in-Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of these critical benefit programs.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Labor, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer A. Stanley.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
French National Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Multimillion-Dollar Fraud Scheme Targeting California State Controller’s OfficeRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gabriel Adrien Lobe Diop, 35, a French national previously residing in Fremont and Agoura Hills, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution for nine counts of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
“It took a remarkable amount of energy for the defendant to steal nearly $2 million from the State Controller’s Office and attempt to steal millions more,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Today’s sentence should make it clear to the defendant and to those who would imitate him that my office and our law enforcement partners will put a similar amount of energy into bringing those who commit serious white-collar crimes to justice.”
San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Rafael Nunez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service stated: “Postal Inspectors work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners in law enforcement to arrest and prosecute those individuals responsible for fraud schemes committed against the public.”
“The State Controller’s Office has a zero-tolerance policy on any criminal activities related to theft from the Unclaimed Property Division and will not tolerate theft of property we are here to protect,” said State Controller Malia Cohen. “Mr. Diop’s sophisticated fraud scheme was insufficient to bypass detection, and he was ultimately apprehended, tried, and convicted for his criminal activities. I believe Diop’s sentence was appropriate and want to thank law enforcement for working together with various agencies including my office for their good work in bringing him to justice.”
According to court documents, between 2019 and 2021, Diop orchestrated a scheme to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars of Unclaimed Property Division funds from the California State Controller’s Office. Diop did so by assuming the identities of victims for whom the Controller’s Office was holding significant amounts of unclaimed property and then submitting fraudulent applications for that property. Diop concealed his involvement in the fraud using a combination of post office boxes, mail forwarding requests, counterfeit notary stamps, and falsified driver licenses issued by numerous states. Starting in January 2019, Diop attempted to steal at least $9 million from the Unclaimed Property Division, and did in fact fraudulently obtain at least $1.8 million, before law enforcement disrupted his criminal scheme. Diop primarily spent the proceeds of his fraud on luxury goods, property, and consumer electronics.
Law enforcement agents executed search and arrest warrants at Diop’s residence in Agoura Hills in June 2021. Inside his residence, agents seized counterfeit stamps that Diop used to “notarize” his fraudulent applications for unclaimed property, 12 falsified driver licenses, bank cards and check books in his victims’ names.
This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance provided by the California State Controller’s Office, the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stefanki prosecuted the case.
Former Police Officer Sentenced to Four Consecutive Life Sentences for 2016 Quadruple MurderRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that NICHOLAS TARTAGLIONE was sentenced today to four consecutive life sentences for his leadership role in the 2016 murders of Martin Luna, Urbano Santiago, Miguel Luna, and Hector Gutierrez. TARTAGLIONE, who is a former police officer, orchestrated the kidnapping and murders of all four victims on April 11, 2016. TARTAGLIONE was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Nicholas Tartaglione brutally and senselessly murdered Martin Luna over money, and then ruthlessly executed Urbano Santiago, Miguel Luna, and Hector Gutierrez simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. He tried to cover up his crimes by burying all four victims in a shallow grave on his property. Thanks to the tireless efforts of countless law enforcement officers at the federal, state, and local level, and the relentless pursuit of justice by the career prosecutors in my Office, Tartaglione has now been held accountable for his reprehensible crimes. Today’s sentence of four consecutive life terms justly reflects the pain and suffering each victim underwent at Tartaglione’s hands. I hope that this outcome brings some measure of closure to the victims’ families and to their community.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, the evidence offered at trial, statements made in open court, and matters included in public filings:
On April 11, 2016, NICHOLAS TARTAGLIONE, a former police officer, orchestrated the kidnapping and murders of Martin Luna, Urbano Santiago, Miguel Luna, and Hector Gutierrez. Martin was 41 years old when he died. Urbano was Martin’s nephew by marriage and was 35 years old when he died. Miguel was Martin’s nephew and was 25 years old when he died. Hector was a close family friend of all three and was 43 years old when he died. All four victims left behind a loving family, and many of their family members attended the trial in this case.
Martin was killed because TARTAGLIONE believed Martin had stolen approximately $250,000 meant for the purchase of cocaine. TARTAGLIONE tortured Martin by restraining him and beating him for over an hour, but when Martin did not provide the location of the missing money, TARTAGLIONE strangled Martin to death with a zip-tie. Urbano, Miguel, and Hector were killed — each with a single gunshot to the back of the head, execution style — because they witnessed Martin’s murder and were in the wrong place at the wrong time. TARTAGLIONE buried all four victims in a mass grave on his remote property in Otisville, New York. The four victims remained in the ground until the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (“FBI”) Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force located the grave in December 2016.
At today’s sentencing, Judge Karas described TARTAGLIONE as a “monster” who has shown no remorse for his conduct.
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TARTAGLIONE, 56, of Otisville, New York, was found guilty of 11 counts of murder, four counts of kidnapping resulting in death, one count of kidnapping conspiracy, and one count of narcotics conspiracy.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI, the New York State Police, and the Village of Chester Police Department. Mr. Williams also thanked the City of Middletown Police Department and the Houston, Texas Police Department for their assistance in the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (“OCDETF”) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maurene Comey and Jacob R. Fiddelman, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Shannon Becker, are in charge of the prosecution.
Former Kentucky State Prison Sergeant Sentenced for Violating Civil Rights of an Inmate and Obstruction of JusticeRead the Press Release
A former Kentucky corrections sergeant, Eric L. Nantell, 48, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for one count of deprivation of civil rights for his failure to intervene to stop the assault of an inmate, two counts of obstruction of justice for misleading state investigators and one count of making false statements to a special agent of the FBI. Nantell was convicted after a four-day trial. Six other officers previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their roles in the assault and cover-up, and three of those officers testified for the government at trial.
“As the vicious beating of a handcuffed, leg-shackled inmate unfolded, this defendant failed to intervene to stop the assault and then abused his power by obstructing the investigation into the crime,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This cover-up scheme failed. All seven officers who participated in the brutal assault of the inmate or the coordinated cover-up that followed have been brought to justice. The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable law enforcement officials who engage in misconduct at every level, including those who carry out unlawful assaults, those who fail to intervene to stop them and those who try to cover up the violations.”
“Instead of protecting someone in his custody and care or supervising others under his command, he turned a blind eye to a brutal beating and then tried to cover it up,” said U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “That’s not law enforcement; that’s disgraceful criminal conduct. Fortunately, he now faces the consequences of his utter betrayal of responsibility and callous attempts to undermine genuine law enforcement.”
“In this case, one inmate was betrayed by no less than seven corrections officers whose basic duty was to protect the civil rights of all the inmates under their supervision,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office. “With today’s sentencing, all of the officers who took part in the assault, and those who attempted to cover-up the truth, have now been held accountable. Everyone deserves protection under the law, and the FBI is proud to work with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky to hold any officer criminally responsible for violating the civil rights of a person in his or her custody.”
According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Nantell, who at that time was a sergeant at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex (EKCC), was supervising a routine prisoner escort procedure when three officers, two of whom were members of the prison’s internal affairs department, assaulted a non-violent inmate who was lying face-down, wearing handcuffs and leg shackles and isolated in a prison shower cell. Nantell was standing at the door of the shower when the assault began, and he watched the officers repeatedly punch and kick the inmate in the head and back. After silently observing the beating for more than 20 seconds, Nantell walked away while the officers continued to beat the inmate.
Within hours of the inmate reporting the abuse, supervisors of EKCC and state detectives of the Kentucky State Police had opened an investigation. Nantell joined with other officers in a cover-up scheme to hide the truth. As part of that cover-up, he lied to officers of both agencies as well as a special agent of the FBI.
The FBI Louisville Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Dembo for the Eastern District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Thomas Johnson of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Federal Grand Jury Indictment Charges Money Laundering, Obstruction, and Falsifying DocumentsRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned an indictment on June 4, 2024, charging money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, obstruction of government proceedings, and falsifying documents related to a federal investigation. Three Louisville residents were charged in the indictment.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Cincinnati Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, made the announcement.
According to the indictment, Joseph Lanham, 41, Laura Lanham, 64, and Richard “Ricky” Elble II, 43, between April 2016 and May 2023, conspired to launder proceeds from Joseph Lanham’s drug trafficking operation, primarily through real estate transactions and other large purchases made with drug money. Joseph Lanham is also charged with four counts of money laundering for conducting transactions over $10,000 with criminal proceeds, one count of obstruction of government proceedings, namely administrative asset forfeiture proceedings, and one count of falsifying documents related to a federal investigation. Laura Lanham is also charged with one count of money laundering for conducting transactions over $10,000 with criminal proceeds.
On June 6, 2024, Laura Lanham and Joseph Lanham each made an initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Elble made his initial appearance on June 7, 2024. If convicted, Joseph Lanham faces a maximum sentence of 85 years in prison, Laura Lanham faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and Elble faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is being investigated by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Jeffersontown Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Louisville Metro Police Department, and the Kentucky State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corinne E. Keel and Erin G. McKenzie are prosecuting this case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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 www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Essex County Man Convicted of Unlawful Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County man was convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition, Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Lamar McCullough, 30, of Essex County, was convicted by a federal jury on June 7, 2024, of unlawful possession of ammunition by a convicted felon following a trial before U.S. District Judge Katherine Hayden in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On March 5, 2021, members of the Newark Police Department responded to a report of a shooting victim at University Hospital. Surveillance video recorded at 7:22 p.m. showed McCullough shoot a victim four times at close range in the middle of Isabella Avenue in Newark. Four 9-millimeter shell casings were recovered from the area where McCullough discharged the firearm.
The felon in possession of ammunition charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing has been scheduled for October 8, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger credited Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II, and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation.
The investigation was conducted as part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety for the purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, Union County Jail, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, New Jersey Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Ecker of the Healthcare Fraud Unit and Katherine Calle of the Special Prosecutions Division.
East Greenbush Man Arrested for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael Klugo, age 44, of East Greenbush, New York, was arrested on Friday, June 7 on a criminal complaint charging him with distribution of 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.
The criminal complaint alleges that on or about June 6, 2024, Klugo distributed an image of child pornography over the internet. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Kluger was arraigned today in Albany before United States Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, and ordered detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday, June 13.
FBI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen J. Vickey is prosecuting the case.
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), and is designed to marshal 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.
Correctional Officer Admits Role in Scheme to Smuggle Contraband into Wyatt Detention CenterRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A now former Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility correctional officer admitted to a federal judge today that he smuggled approximately 200 Suboxone strips into the detention center that were seized from a detainee’s cell, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Appearing in U.S. District Court, Kaii Almeida-Falcones, 30, of Smithfield, pleaded guilty to a charge of providing contraband to an inmate. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 12, 2024. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to charging documents and information presented to the court, in mid-February 2021, two inmates housed at the Wyatt Detention Center communicated with a former detainee and another person outside of the facility to arrange to provide Suboxone strips to Almeida-Falcones, who then smuggled the Suboxone inside the facility.
On February 15, 2021, a strip search of detainee Emmanuel Nolasco, 37, of Providence, and his cell, revealed a package containing Suboxone strips. The strips were sent to a lab that determined the presence of 201 strips, 5 of which were partial strips, all containing Buprenorphine, which is an ingredient in Suboxone.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ly T. Chin.
The matter was investigated by the FBI, the United States Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General, and the Professional Standards Unit at the Wyatt Detention Center.
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Construction Company Project Manager Convicted of Tax ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a Massachusetts man on Friday for conspiring to defraud the United States.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jason Pecoy, of Wilbraham, conspired with his father Kent Pecoy and Kevin Kennedy to conceal income from the IRS. Jason Pecoy was a project manager at Kent Pecoy and Sons Construction Inc., which was owned by Kent Pecoy. Kevin Kennedy operated two municipal golf courses and purchased two custom-build homes from Kent Pecoy’s company.
Specifically, the group conspired to conceal income from the IRS by dealing in cash. Jason Pecoy received at least $600,000 in cash payments from Kennedy for the purchase and construction of a custom-built home on Cape Cod. Instead of depositing most of the cash he received from Kennedy into the businesses’ bank accounts, Pecoy distributed the cash directly to vendors and subcontractors. For example, Pecoy used approximately $149,300 of that cash to pay subcontractors under the table for work performed at the Cape Cod home. Pecoy also created and maintained separate ledgers documenting Kennedy’s cash payments, false contracts and cost estimates and at his direction, false entries in the company’s accounting system to conceal the cash payments.
Jason Pecoy is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 12. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
As to his co-conspirators, Kent Pecoy pleaded guilty to related tax crimes on May 17 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 20. Kennedy was convicted and sentenced to 13 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Eric B. Powers of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Desroches for the District of Massachusetts are prosecuting the case.
Clear Lake Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
A man who possessed a firearm as a felon and illegal drug user was sentenced on June 7, 2024, to more than 4 years in federal prison.
Riley Joe Morris Brekke, age 24, from Clear Lake, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon and an unlawful drug user.
In a plea agreement, Brekke admitted that on May 11, 2023, while outside a liquor store in Mason City, he was approached by Mason City Police officers regarding outstanding warrants for a probation violation and escape from custody. Brekke ran from the officers, was caught, and arrested. While running, Brekke threw the backpack he was carrying. During a search of Brekke, officers located a needle and a bag of methamphetamine on his person. They also located a gun, ammunition, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia in the backpack he threw. Brekke had previously been convicted of possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, a felony, in Cerro Gordo County in 2022.
Brekke was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Brekke was sentenced to 54 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Brekke is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Fletcher and investigated by Mason City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-CR-03020.
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Cedar Rapids Woman Involved in Methamphetamine Conspiracy Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
A woman who conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than 12 years in federal prison.
Brandy Herman, age 48, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 7, 2023 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and three counts of distribution of a controlled substance.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that Herman was involved in a large-scale drug trafficking organization that was responsible for mailing methamphetamine from California to Iowa through the United States Postal Service. Herman received multiple packages to her address in Cedar Rapids containing methamphetamine from California on behalf of one of her co‑conspirators. In addition, Herman and one of her co-conspirators utilized Herman’s daughter’s address to receive packages from California that contained methamphetamine.
Herman was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Herman was sentenced to 145 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Herman is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the United States Postal Inspection Service,
the Internal Revenue Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force. The DEA Task Force consists of the DEA, the Linn County Sheriff's Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Marion Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-91.
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Career Offender Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Prison for Firearm and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lowell man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for firearms and drug offenses.
Ricardo Colon, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 66 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Colon pleaded guilty in March 2024 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
On March 21, 2022, Colon was found in possession of cocaine and fentanyl intended for distribution as well as firearms and ammunition, including a .22 caliber revolver, two 9 mm pistols, multiple gun magazines and 18 rounds of ammunition. Colon is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to multiple previous felony convictions.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Greg Hudon Superintendent of the Lowell Police Department made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.