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Wednesday 24 April 2024
Clemency Recipient ListRead the Press Release
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. today is granting clemency to 16 individuals, consisting of 11 pardons and five commutations.
President Biden is pardoning the following 11 individuals:
Jason Hernandez – McKinney, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts); possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine/cocaine hydrochloride; distribution of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school (three counts); establishing a place for the manufacture and distribution of a controlled substance (two counts); Eastern District of Texas
Sentence: 240 months in prison (as commuted on Dec. 19, 2013); eight years of supervised release; $3,500 fine (as amended by order of Feb. 29, 2016); Oct. 2, 1998
Beverly Denise Holcy, also known as Beverly Canty – Palatka, Florida
Offense: Knowingly, willfully, and intentionally distributing a quantity of cocaine base, commonly known as “crack”; Middle District of Florida
Sentence: 60 months in prison; four years of supervised release; $1,000 fine; June 22, 1994
Jeffrey Alan Lewis – Douglasville, Georgia
Offense: Use of a communication facility to facilitate a felony; Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: Six months in prison; one year of supervise release; Feb. 17, 2006
Bobby Darrell Lowery – Jackson, Mississippi
Offense: Possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute; felon in possession of a firearm; Northern District of Mississippi
Sentence: 60 months in prison (as amended on Oct. 4, 2000, Sept. 21, 2001, Oct. 3, 2001, and Oct. 11, 2002); five years of supervised release; May 28, 1999
Jesse Mosley, also known as Jessie Mosley – Ponchatoula, Louisiana
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug offense; Eastern District of Louisiana
Sentence: 28 months in prison; five years of supervised release; June 20, 2001
Katrina Polk – Washington, D.C.
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine; Southern District of West Virginia
Sentence: One day in prison; four years of supervised release; July 5, 1988
Glenn Ray Royal Jr. – San Antonio, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of Texas
Sentence: 30 months in prison; four years of supervised release; $500 fine; May 23, 1996
Alexis Sutton – New Haven, Connecticut
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin; District of Connecticut
Sentence: 48 months of probation; Feb. 25, 2014
Ricky Donnell Tyler, also known as Rick Tyler – Columbia, South Carolina
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base (three counts); District of South Carolina
Sentence: Time served (as amended on Aug. 17, 1999, and June 15, 2007); five years of supervised release; Sept. 12, 1996
Stacy L. Wilder – Albany, New York
Offense: Conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine base; Northern District of New York
Sentence: 70 months in prison; five years of supervised release; Jan. 7, 2003
Pilar Alejandra Yelicie-Rodriguez – Fairfax, Virginia
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: 42 months in prison (as amended on May 11, 2007); three years of supervised release; Sept. 23, 2004
President Biden is commuting the sentences of the following five individuals:
Daequon Charles Davis – Johnson City, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute or to possess with intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine (Eastern District of Tennessee).
Sentence: 262 months in prison; 10 years of supervised release (July 13, 2017).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 120 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10 years of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.
Jophaney Hyppolite – Miami
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 280 grams cocaine base; distribution and aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine base (Middle District of Florida).
Sentence: Life in prison; 10 years of supervised release (Jan. 22, 2013).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 360 months in prison, leaving intact and in effect the 10 years of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.
Xavier Martez Parnell – Clarksville, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, including 500 grams or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of cocaine base (Middle District of Tennessee).
Sentence: 300 months in prison; 10 years of supervised release (Sept. 18, 2012).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 210 months, leaving intact and in effect the 10 years of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.
Leshay Nicole Rhoton – Bristol, Tennessee
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base and 5 kilograms or more of cocaine (Western District of Virginia).
Sentence: 240 months in prison; 10 years of supervised release (Sept. 5, 2013).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to a term of 150 months in prison, leaving intact and in effect the 10 years of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.
Margaret Ann Vandyke – Ellenville, New York
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance (crack cocaine) (Northern District of New York).
Sentence: 60 months in prison; three years of supervised release (Jan. 19, 2022).
Commutation Grant: Sentence commuted to expire on Aug. 22, leaving intact and in effect the three years of supervised release with all its conditions and all other components of the sentence.
Child Predator Sentenced for Life after Federal Jury ConvictionRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge John F. Heil, III, sentenced Garrin Michael Thompson, 50, of Catoosa. Thompson was found guilty by a federal jury in Sep. 2022 for the Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity; Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 in Indian Country; and Coercion and Enticement of a Minor.
Judge Heil ordered Thompson to serve life in prison. If released, Thompson will be supervised for life and required to register as a sex offender.
“One of the five essential components to Project Safe Childhood is accountability,” said U.S. Attorney Clinton Johnson. “Thompson knew his victims and exploited their trust. Life imprisonment ensures that Thompson is held accountable for his actions.”
Four victims boldly testified at trial as to the molestation, abuse, coercion, or enticement they experienced as children in his care. Prosecutors showed during the trial that Thompson’s predatory acts went back to 2000 or 2001. He placed a video camera in his home and another in a vacation rental to record the victims. Thompson also abused and attempted to assault or molest a victim. Investigators further found on Thompson’s computer indicators that he may have been viewing child pornography or incest.
One of the victims is a tribal member. Thompson will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI and the Catoosa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber
prosecuted the case.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Central Oregon Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Central Oregon drug trafficker who conspired with others to traffic fentanyl and methamphetamine to Madras and Redmond, Oregon, and surrounding areas, was sentenced to federal prison today.
Israel Sarabia, 30, of Culver, Oregon, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, as part of a joint drug trafficking investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE), investigators learned that a Central Oregon drug trafficking organization was using a courier to transport bulk quantities of drugs from either Southern California or Mexico into Oregon. On December 10, 2022, investigators located and stopped the courier in Klamath Falls, Oregon. While searching the courier’s vehicle, investigators located three packages containing approximately 30,000 counterfeit Oxycodone pills that later tested positive for fentanyl.
Further investigation revealed that the courier was traveling to Sarabia’s residence and that he had been tasked by Sarabia with bringing him fentanyl from Southern California or Mexico. On March 15, 2023, investigators located and arrested Sarabia near his residence in Culver. On the same day, investigators located and seized 519 grams of methamphetamine, more than 1,000 fentanyl pills, 41 grams of cocaine, and nine firearms from the residence of a co-conspirator who was working for Sarabia and storing drugs on his behalf.
On March 15, 2023, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a six-count indictment charging Sarabia and an accomplice with conspiring with one another to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, and distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine. A third individual was also charged with conspiracy.
On August 21, 2023, Sarabia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by DEA and CODE. It was prosecuted by Lewis S. Burkhart, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
The CODE team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. CODE includes members of the Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras, Sunriver, and Black Butte Police Departments; the Warm Springs Tribal Police Department; the Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices; the Oregon State Police; the Oregon National Guard; DEA; and the FBI.
Carthage Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 13 Grams of Methamphetamine and Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Jackson, MS – A Carthage man pled guilty to possession of 13 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, in September 2023, Roby Lee Jackson, Jr., 31, possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine in the Red Water Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Court documents revealed that Jackson also possessed two firearms at the time of his arrest. Jackson was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2024.
Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30, 2024, and faces a penalty of not less than five years and a maximum of forty years in prison on the methamphetamine charge, and not less than five years and a maximum of life in prison on the firearms charge. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd Gee, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Whitney Woodruff, Regional Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Choctaw Police Department, the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian K. Burns prosecuted the case.
California Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Role in Multistate Recovery Home Patient Brokering SchemeRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A California man was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to broker patients as part of a multistate patient scheme in which he directed recruiters to bribe drug-addicted individuals to enroll in drug rehabilitation and received referral fees from the rehabilitation centers, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Kevin M. Dickau, 35, of Tustin, California, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Judge Sheridan imposed the sentence on April 23, 2024.
Six other individuals have previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme: Peter Costas; Seth Logan Welsh; John C. Devlin; Akikur Mohammad; Lauren Philhower; and Anastasia Passas.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Dickau, Welsh, Devlin, and their conspirators owned and operated a marketing company in California. Dickau, Welsh, and Devlin used the marketing company to help orchestrate a scheme in New Jersey, Maryland, California, and other states that involved bribing individuals addicted to heroin and other drugs to enter into drug rehabilitation centers so Dickau, Welsh, Devlin, and their conspirators could generate referral fees from those facilities. Two facilities in California that paid such referral fees were owned or operated by Mohammad, Philhower, and Passas.
The marketing company run by Dickau, Welsh, and Devlin maintained contractual relationships with drug treatment facilities around the country, including the ones run by Mohammad, Philhower, and Passas. The marketing company also engaged a nationwide network of recruiters – including Costas in New Jersey – to identify and recruit potential patients, from New Jersey and other states, who were addicted to heroin or other drugs and who had robust private health insurance.
To convince drug-addicted individuals to travel to and enroll in rehabilitation when they otherwise would not have, Costas and other recruiters offered to bribe them – often as much as several thousand dollars – with the approval of Dickau, Welsh, and Devlin. Once the patients agreed to enroll in drug rehabilitation in exchange for the offered bribe, Dickau, Welsh, Devlin, and Costas would arrange and pay for cross-country travel to the drug treatment centers in California and other states, in concert with the owners of the facilities themselves, including Mohammad, Philhower, and Passas. Costas would stay in touch with the New Jersey patients at the facilities and specifically instruct them to stay at the facilities long enough to generate referral payments, and he would pass along information to Dickau, Welsh, and Devlin about the patients’ status at the facilities. Dickau, Welsh, and Devlin would monitor the other patients they brokered by speaking to other recruiters or to the owners and employees of the drug treatment facilities themselves.
The drug treatment facilities run by Mohammad, Philhower, and Passas had contracts with the marketing company. Those facilities typically paid the marketing company a fee of $5,000 to $10,000 per patient referral. Dickau, Welsh, Devlin, and their conspirators shared that money among themselves. Costas and other recruiters received approximately half that amount for each patient they brokered. Dickau, Welsh, Devlin, and their conspirators brokered scores of patients to drug treatment facilities around the country, including the ones run by Mohammad, Philhower, and Passas, and the conspiracy caused millions of dollars of losses for health insurers.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Sheridan sentenced Dickau to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading the sentencing. He also thanked the FBI, under the direction of Acting Assistant Director in Charge Amir Ehsaei in Los Angeles and the District Attorney’s Office in Orange County, California.
The government is represented by Jason S. Gould, Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Angelica Sinopole of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark.
Burlington County Couple Convicted of Forced Labor and Other Federal CrimesRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Burlington County, New Jersey, couple was convicted today of forced labor and other crimes related to their coercive scheme to compel two victims to perform domestic labor and childcare in their home, harbor the victims knowing that they were unlawfully present in the United States and unlawfully confiscate the victims’ passports, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced.
Bolaji Bolarinwa, 50, was found guilty of two counts of forced labor, one count of alien harboring for financial gain and two counts of document servitude following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court. The jury also convicted Isiaka Bolarinwa, 67, of two counts of forced labor and one count of alien harboring for financial gain. The defendants were each acquitted of a second count of alien harboring for financial gain.
U.S..Attorney Philip R. Sellinger“These defendants engaged in an egregious bait-and-switch, luring the victims with false promises of a life and an education in the United States, and instead subjected them to grueling hours, physical abuse and psychological abuse. Forced labor and human trafficking are abhorrent crimes that have no place in our society, and I am grateful to our team of prosecutors, agents and support staff for ensuring that justice was done in this case.”
“The defendants exploited the victims’ trust and then inflicted physical and mental abuse against them, all so they could keep the victims working for their profit,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “Human trafficking is a heinous crime, and this verdict should send the very clear message that the Justice Department will investigate and vigorously prosecute these cases to hold human traffickers accountable and bring justice to their victims.”
“Imagine showing up in a foreign land, hoping for a better life, and ending up trapped with no place to go and no one to turn to for help,” FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said. “The victims in this investigation suffered in unimaginable ways at the hands of their captors, enduring years of physical and mental abuse. Human trafficking often takes on many different forms and can hide in plain sight. I want to commend the agents and victim specialists who worked on this case, alongside our partners at the US Attorney's Office. We want everyone to know if you or anyone you know is a victim – you can come to us for help. We will bring your tormentors to justice.”
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
From December 2015 to October 2016, Bolaji and Isiaka Bolarinwa – originally from Nigeria, but living in New Jersey as U.S. citizens – recruited two victims to come to the United States and then coerced them to perform domestic labor and childcare services for their children through physical harm, threats of physical harm, isolation, constant surveillance and psychological abuse. The defendants engaged in this venture knowing that both victims were out of lawful status while working in their home.
Once the first victim arrived in the United States in December 2015, Bolaji Bolarinwa confiscated her passport and coerced her through threats of physical harm to her and her daughter, verbal abuse, isolation and constant surveillance to compel her to work every day, around-the-clock for nearly a year. Isiaka was aware of his wife’s threats and abusive behavior toward the victim and directly benefited from the victim’s cooking, cleaning and childcare. The defendants then recruited a second victim to come to the United States on a student visa. When the second victim arrived in the United States in April 2016, Bolaji Bolarinwa similarly confiscated her passport and coerced her to perform household work and childcare but relied more heavily on physical abuse. On at least one occasion, Isiaka Bolarinwa also physically abused the second victim, and he was aware of his wife’s coercive, abusive behavior toward the second victim and directly benefited from her cleaning and childcare. The two victims lived and worked in the Bolarinwa home until October 2016, when the second victim notified a professor at her college, who reported the information to the FBI.
The defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each forced labor count. The defendants face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the alien harboring count and Bolaji faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each unlawful document conduct count. They will also be required to pay mandatory restitution to the two victims and each face a fine on each count of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the guilty verdict.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Bettendorf Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Child Pornography and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Bettendorf man was sentenced today to 12 years in federal prison for Receiving/Distributing Child Pornography and being an Unlawful Drug User in Possession of a Firearm.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Jakob Paul Newberry, 29, had shared files containing child sexual abuse material from an iCloud account. Officers subsequently obtained another tip that Newberry had uploaded child sexual abuse material using a Kik account as well. During the investigation, officers found that Newberry had also utilized Instagram to obtain nude photographs of minor females and had attempted to extort the minors into sending other sexual images. As a part of the investigation, officers also found that Newberry was possessing firearms as an unlawful drug user.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Newberry will be required to serve 5 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. / For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.
Armed Fentanyl Dealer Pleads Guilty to Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Robert Frazier, Jr., a/k/a “Glass,” age 42, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana. As part of his plea agreement, Frazier also agreed to forfeit two high-power rifles, a handgun, and numerous rounds of ammunition.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Sheriff Sam Cogen of the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to the plea agreement, law enforcement conducted an eviction at Frazier’s apartment in September 2021. In order to evade capture, Frazier assaulted a Baltimore City Sheriff’s Officer and jumped from a second-story window before absconding in his car. A subsequent search of the residence revealed quantities of fentanyl and marijuana, two rifles, including an AR-15 rifle which had been reported stolen, a digital scale, and cash.
Law enforcement later observed Frazier selling drugs at a different location and subsequently made several controlled purchases of fentanyl and cocaine from Frazier. Ultimately, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Frazier’s new residence and recovered cocaine, marijuana, a .38-caliber handgun, a digital scale, and drug packaging material. In all, the parties agree that Frazier distributed up to 160 grams of fentanyl, which is enough to kill 32,000 people.
U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin has scheduled sentencing for July 24, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. Frazier faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jason D. Medinger, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Armed Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CARLYLE HENRY, 39, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for a drug trafficking and firearm possession offense.
According to court documents and statement made in court, shortly before midnight on October 12, 2022, Henry crashed his vehicle on a retaining wall on the Yale University campus. Carlyle was arrested after Yale Police found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun, and a bag containing distribution quantities of cocaine, packaged heroin and fentanyl, and counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.
Carlyle has been detained since his arrest. On November 15, 2022, he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Henry’s criminal history includes state convictions for firearms possession and narcotics distribution offenses, and a federal narcotics conviction in 2006 for which he received a sentence of 50 months of imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Yale Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Clark through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Alleged Hatchet Wielding Man Indicted for Multiple Federal CrimesRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging a Salt Lake County man with multiple violent crimes after he allegedly stole from a dollar store and a jewelry business while armed.
According to court documents, on May 6, 2023, Carlos Anthony Martinez, 24, of Salt Lake City, robbed, at gunpoint, a dollar store employee in Grantsville, Utah, of money and merchandise.
On May 26, 2023, Martinez allegedly entered Fred Meyer Jewelers inside Smith’s Marketplace in Bountiful. Martinez carried a hatchet in one hand and a handgun in the other and smashed the top of a glass display case with the hatchet. At this time, an employee confronted Martinez and Martinez pointed the handgun in the employee’s direction. Martinez stole jewelry and ran out of the store, leaving the hatchet on the display case. Bountiful Police officers responded to the scene and searched for Martinez. Martinez was arrested April 15, 2024, following a signed arrest warrant by the court.
Martinez is charged with interference with commerce by robbery, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. His initial court appearance on the indictment is April 26, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.4. before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police department, investigators from the Department of Public Safety State Bureau of Investigation, and other officers from the Utah Highway Patrol and Bountiful Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce 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.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Abington Man Pleads Guilty to Oxycodone ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Abington man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to conspiring to distribute oxycodone pills.
Kenneth Veiga, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone pills. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for July 18, 2024. Veiga was originally indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023.
Between November 2022 and May 2023, intercepted communications revealed that Veiga and others were involved in an oxycodone drug trafficking organization. Specifically, Veiga allegedly obtained oxycodone pills from co-conspirator Cristan Russell who redistributed to others. During a search of Veiga’s previous residence in July 2023, oxycodone pills along with a polymer-80 9 mm pistol and nine rounds of commercially manufactured ammunition were seized. Additionally, fentanyl pills, oxycodone pills and approximately $58,000 were seized during a separate search of Veiga’s current apartment.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone pills provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; United States Coast Guard Investigative Service; Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office; and the Barnstable, Dennis, Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, Yarmouth and Sandwich Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Tuesday 23 April 2024
York County Man Indicted on Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG– The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Isiah Smith, age 59, of York, Pennsylvania, was indicted on April 3, 2024, by a federal grand jury for firearms offenses.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that, on or about December 7, 2022, Smith possessed an unregistered firearm, without a serial number, and transferred the firearm in violation of the National Firearms Act. Additionally, Smith allegedly possessed ammunition when he was prohibited by law from doing so.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the York County Drug Task Force, and the York County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley (Wes) Mishoe is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the indicted offenses is a combined 45 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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York County Man Charged with Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Eliezer Almanzar, age 34, of York County, Pennsylvania, was indicted on April 17, 2024, by a federal grand jury with child pornography offenses.
According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Almanzar is charged with two counts of sexually exploiting a child to produce child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Penn Township Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney K. Wesley Mishoe is prosecuting the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty upon conviction for the charged offenses is 160 years imprisonment, a lifetime term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, a statutory assessment, and a special assessment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by a court after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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West Plains Man Sentenced for Illegally Harvesting Trees in National ForestRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A West Plains, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally harvesting and stealing trees from Mark Twain National Forest.
Justin Lee Massey, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to two years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court ordered the federal sentence to be served consecutively to the unrelated state criminal convictions for which Massey is currently incarcerated. The court also ordered Massey to pay $30,000 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service and to forfeit to the government $30,000, which represents the proceeds of his theft.
On July 19, 2023, Massey pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property. Massey admitted that he illegally cut down trees in Mark Twain National Forest, in the area of HC Road 5120 in Howell County, Mo., between Dec. 15, 2020, and Jan. 20, 2021.
According to his plea agreement, Massey cut down at least 10 trees. The trees were removed from the area and taken to a local sawmill, where they were sold. Based on the value of the trees illegally harvested and stolen from Mark Twain National Forest and those trees damaged due to the illegal harvesting, the total restitution is $30,000.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the U.S. Forest Service.
West Palm Beach Sex Offender Convicted by Jury for Failure to Properly RegisterRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On April 22, 2024, after a six-day trial, a federal jury convicted Ramon Fuertes, a/k/a “Raymond Cortez,” of West Palm Beach, Florida of four counts of failure of a sex offender to properly register, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2250(a).
According to evidence introduced during the trial in West Palm Beach, Fuertes had been convicted in 2009 in federal court for sex trafficking of a minor and enticement of a minor. In 2018, upon completion of his federal prison sentence, Fuentes registered as a sex offender. In January and May 2023, Fuertes created and used two email addresses and a social networking account. Fuertes did not properly register these internet identifiers with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office as required by the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Moreover, on June 2, 2023, Fuertes vacated his West Palm Beach residence and flew to Georgia to live without notifying the proper authorities in the Southern District of Florida that he was terminating his residence in that jurisdiction and commencing his residence in another jurisdiction.
As the evidence at trial showed, while in Georgia, Fuertes did not properly register as a sex offender and by late July 2023, stopped communicating with law enforcement in Georgia and Florida about his whereabouts. An arrest warrant was issued for Fuertes shortly thereafter. He was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Fugitive Task Force on Oct. 24, 2023.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled in this matter for July 18, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and U.S. Marshal Gadyaces S. Serralta of the USMS made the announcement.
USMS Miami investigated this matter, with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, and Georgia Bureau of Investigations, as well as the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, and Gwinnett County Police Department, all in Georgia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller is prosecuting 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-80208.
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Watertown Resident Pleads Guilty to Attempted Possession of Controlled Substances with the Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Stuart Chambers, age 44, of Watertown, New York, pled guilty yesterday to attempted possession of methamphetamine and cocaine with intent to distribute. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea yesterday, Chambers admitted that, on January 30, 2024, he travelled to Syracuse from Watertown to purchase one pound of methamphetamine and nine ounces of cocaine, which he intended to distribute. Chambers was arrested as part of a drug interdiction operation conducted by DEA and other law enforcement agencies. He further admitted that, before he committed this offense, he had previously been convicted in federal court in the Middle District of Pennsylvania of possessing controlled substances with the intent to distribute.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 20, 2024, in Syracuse, at which time Chambers faces a mandatory minimum federal prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life, a fine of up to $8,000,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 8 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is investigating the case with assistance from Pennsylvania State Police, Metro-Jefferson Drug Task Force, and the New York State Police-Special Investigations Unit - Syracuse. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica N. Carbone is prosecuting the case.
United States Attorney's Office Releases 2024 First Quarter Immigration Enforcement StatisticsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office announced its immigration enforcement statistics for January 1, 2024, to March 31, 2024. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the Tucson and Yuma Sectors of the Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies. In the three-month period ending March 31, 2024, the United States brought criminal charges in Arizona against 2,113 individuals who illegally entered or re-entered the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 243 cases against individuals responsible for smuggling undocumented noncitizens to and within the District of Arizona. In this time period, the United States also prosecuted 54 reactive drug cases arising out of immigration ports of entry and checkpoints.
Reducing migrant smuggling and mitigating the risk to communities impacted by these offenses continue to be priorities for the Office and its law enforcement partners. Some of these prosecutions are directed against leaders and coordinators of alien smuggling organizations. Other prosecutions are aimed at deterring young adult drivers, often recruited over social media platforms, from engaging in this dangerous activity. Prosecutions against young drivers include cases brought against three juvenile smugglers during this time period.
Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance. During this time period, federal prosecutors brought charges against two defendants accused of assaulting federal officers.
These statistics represent United States Attorney’s Office prosecutions only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-054_2024 First Quarter Immigration Enforcement Statistics
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.U.S. Trustee Program Enforcement Leads to Injunctions, Fines Against Bankruptcy Petition Preparers Who Targeted Vulnerable Consumers in ForeclosureRead the Press Release
Two bankruptcy petition preparers who hid their involvement while providing unauthorized legal advice to debtors in foreclosure were barred from providing bankruptcy-related services, thanks to enforcement actions by the Justice Department’s U.S. Trustee Program (USTP).
On Feb. 12, the Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida entered an order permanently enjoining Kafil Hamim Quaiyum Tunsill from acting as a bankruptcy petition preparer in the district. Tunsill was also fined $12,500 and ordered to refund $1,900 to the debtor. Although Tunsill answered the adversary complaint filed by the U.S. Trustee’s office in Orlando, he did not respond to the U.S. Trustee’s motion for summary judgment, which the Bankruptcy Court granted.
On March 29, the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon issued a decision to permanently enjoin Keith Bray and his company Rezidential Group Inc. from acting as bankruptcy petition preparers in Oregon. Bray and Rezidential Group – who did not defend against a complaint filed by the U.S. Trustee’s office in Portland – were also fined $22,500 and ordered to return $3,995 in fees and pay $7,990 in statutory damages to the debtor.
The Bankruptcy Code strictly regulates the services of bankruptcy petition preparers, commonly known as BPPs. BPPs are not attorneys, cannot give legal advice or practice law and generally are limited to typing information provided by debtors into bankruptcy forms for the debtors to file. The Code requires BPPs to disclose information about their fees and services to the debtors and to the bankruptcy court.
“Unscrupulous bankruptcy petition preparers often craft schemes to exploit debtors fearful of losing their homes to foreclosure,” said Director Tara Twomey of the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees. “The Program aggressively roots out BPPs who harm consumers and taint the bankruptcy system through fraud, abuse and the unauthorized practice of law.”
In the Florida case, Tunsill, who used the business name Serving Humanity, located the debtor by reviewing foreclosure dockets. He then knocked on the debtor’s door and offered to help the debtor avoid foreclosure for a fee. He gave the debtor legal advice about bankruptcy and helped prepare and file a chapter 13 bankruptcy case as well as a lawsuit against the debtor’s mortgage servicer, both of which were eventually dismissed. The court’s order against Tunsill noted that he had engaged in fraudulent, deceptive or bad-faith conduct in other cases, including four bankruptcies that he filed for himself.
In the Oregon case, Bray led the debtors to believe he was a licensed attorney in California and told them bankruptcy could help save their home from foreclosure. He directed them to hand copy information he provided onto blank forms and file them with the bankruptcy court. Bray was actually a disbarred attorney who attempted to avoid detection by impersonating a licensed attorney in communications with the chapter 13 trustee. The court’s decision noted similar conduct by Bray and Rezidential Group in several other cases in other districts.
The USTP’s mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of all stakeholders – debtors, creditors and the public. The USTP consists of 21 regions with 89 field offices nationwide and an Executive Office in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the Program at www.justice.gov/ust.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Observes National Crime Victims’ Rights WeekRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington and the Department of Justice’s Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) joins communities nationwide in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and celebrating victims’ rights, protections, and services. This year’s observance takes place April 21-27, 2024, and features the theme, “How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors.” The theme aims to ensure that everyone in a community knows where and how crime victims and survivors can find help — including friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors, service providers, or other trusted members of the community.
In 1975, the first “Victims’ Rights Week” was organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by the then district attorney. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first “National Crime Victims’ Rights Week” in 1981 to highlight the importance of prioritizing the rights and needs of crime victims. President Reagan also established the President’s Task Force on Victims of Crime, which laid the foundation for a national network to provide services and legal safeguards for crime victims.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington has a dedicated team of prosecutors and victim assistance professionals, who work together to ensure victims receive the services and support they need. Early intervention helps prevent further victimization and encourages victim involvement in the justice system, mitigating the cycle of violence and restoring hope for the future.
Each year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington prosecutes numerous cases involving individuals who are victims of violent, financial, environmental, and other crimes. In 2023 and continuing into 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s office has filed more than 70 victim cases, which include more than 1,000 individual victims. In each case, victim assistance specialists from our office provide victims with essential services, including referrals to counseling, and help to secure temporary housing, as necessary. These advocates also assist with access to victim’s compensation funds and accompany victims to court proceedings to provide support and guidance.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office also works tirelessly to recover restitution on behalf of victims. In 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington recovered more than $68 million on behalf of victims, much of which was recovered in connection with Cody Easterday’s “ghost cattle” scheme. In 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office already has recovered another $15 million in restitution on behalf of victims, bringing the total recovery in just the last year and a half to more than $84 million dollars. These restitution funds are provided directly to those who are victims of violent, financial, sexual exploitation and child abuse, as well as other crimes.
“Honoring the voice of victims of crime is a critical part of securing justice. Providing victims information and a choice in how they participate in cases, is not only their right, but also a meaningful path to recovery from the trauma they have endured,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “I am also grateful for the dedicated service of our victim assistance specialists – Jolene Jones and Marissa Allen – who work tirelessly to ensure the rights of all victims in the Eastern District of Washington. Their important work helps promote healing and provides victims tools for their future, thereby strengthening Eastern Washington communities.”
Representative examples of victim cases prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in 2023 and 2024, include the following:
- January 24, 2023 sentencing of Ronald Craig Ilg, who was convicted of attempting to hire a dark web hitmen to kidnap his then-estranged wife and harm a former work colleague. Ilg was sentenced to 8 years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $20,000 in restitution.
- February 21, 2023 sentencing of Jordan Everett Stevens, who was convicted of murdering Alillia “Lala” Minthord and sentenced to life in prison.
- March 8, 2023 sentencing of Jonathan Scott Ard, for shooting a person and conspiring to distribute fentanyl in the Tri-Cities. Ard was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
- April 24, 2023 settlement agreement requiring Jason Dreyer, a former doctor, to pay more than $1 million to resolve allegations that he performed medically unnecessary neurosurgery procedures.
- May 18, 2023 sentencing of Karla Padilla for fraudulently obtaining more than $290,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Padilla was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay approximately $300,000 in restitution.
- June 14, 2023 sentencing of Felipe Tapia-Perez, who was convicted of firearm offenses related to the homicide of a four-year-old child. Tapia-Perez was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
- July 13, 2023 sentencing of Randy Coy James Holmes for shooting an undercover law enforcement officer. Holmes was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
- August 28, 2023 settlement agreement requiring Lincare Holdings to pay $29 million to resolve claims of overbilling Medicare for oxygen equipment.
- September 20, 2023 sentencing of Dylen Joseph Swan for 3-day crime spree involving a car chase, two shootings and an armed robbery. Swan was sentenced to 14 years in prison and was ordered to pay $21,515 in restitution.
- October 11, 2023 sentencing of Michael Gene Rice, who was convicted of producing and attempted production of child pornography. Rice was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $48,000 in restitution.
- December 12, 2023 sentencing of Christopher Bruce Gooch, who was convicted for an armed robbery at a Spokane Valley motel. Gooch was sentenced to 4 years in prison.
- January 24, 2024 arrest of 8 individuals in Moses Lake on drug trafficking charges and perpetration of violent crimes.
- February 22, 2024 sentencing of Ronald Walter Hannes for defrauding numerous Spokane victims of more than $3 million. Hannes was ordered to pay restitution to more than a dozen victims in the amount of $3.18 million.
- March 27, 2024 sentencing of Sundron Larsell Miller and Paula Eulojia Cantu-Lopez to decades in federal prison for violent carjacking and assault on the Yakama Nation.
- March 28, 2024 sentencing of Robert Wayne Hutton to 20 years in federal prison on child exploitation charges. Hutton was also ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution.
- April 15, 2024, a restitution hearing in U.S. v. Seth Randles was concluded. Randles was convicted of a violent sex trafficking offense and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Restitution was ordered in the amount of $304,212
- April 17, 2024 indictment of 34 individuals involved in drug distribution, cockfighting, and witness/victim intimidation.
U.S. Attorney Waldref added, “These representative cases demonstrate the commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to protecting victims in Eastern Washington. My office will continue to identify and prosecute those who harm our citizens, and we will seek to hold accountable those who exploit vulnerable members of our community.”
More information about OVC, as well as resources for victims of crime, can be found here.
To commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, trees at the federal courthouses in Spokane, Richland and Yakima have been decorated with pink and purple ribbons.
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of WashingtonU.S. Attorney’s Office Hosts HBCU Regional ForumRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia recently partnered with the Department of Justice to host the inaugural Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Regional Forum at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. The Regional Forum introduced HBCU students, faculty, and staff to the Department’s diverse range of programs and initiatives.
“Historically Black Colleges and Universities provide students with an environment for achieving academic excellence as well as the skills to serve as future leaders in their communities, in our office, and in the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We were honored to join with other federal agencies, and local officials and partners, to promote professional opportunities and development available to HBCU students through career paths with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice.”
The forum was held on April 18 and 19, 2024 and featured plenary and breakout sessions that showcased the wide array of resources, partnerships, and funding opportunities available from the Department. These sessions included:
- A discussion between U.S. Attorney Buchanan and Dr. George French Jr., President of Clark Atlanta University, about the role of HBCUs in advancing justice and equity.
- A conversation between U.S. Attorney Buchanan, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Gray, and Officer Brandon White of the Chamblee Police Department. Officer White was the victim of a hate crime in 2012 and spoke about how he had been beaten and verbally abused outside an Atlanta convenience store. His case resulted in criminal prosecution of his attackers by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and was one of the first successful prosecutions under the federal hate crimes statute based on sexual orientation. Officer White also discussed how this experience led him to pursue a career in law enforcement.
- A presentation by Acting Director of the Department of Justice Community Relations Service, Justin Lock, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marissa Fallica and Rahul Garabadu about the Department’s United Against Hate community outreach program, which connects federal, state, and local law enforcement with local communities to combat unlawful acts of hate.
During the two-day event, members of the HBCU community also heard from other components of the Department of Justice including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Environmental and Natural Resources Division, the Civil Rights Division, the Criminal Division, the Justice Management Division, the Office of Justice Programs, the Office on Violence Against Women, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the Office of Attorney Recruitment & Management, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Representatives from the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and the White House Initiative on HBCUs also made presentations. The presenters provided students with information about their work, and strategies on how students could pursue careers in federal law enforcement.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa Celebrates National Crime Victims’ Rights Week April 21-27, 2024Read the Press Release
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is April 21-27, 2024. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa is commemorating this important awareness week by announcing winners of Law Enforcement Victim Services Awards.
In 2022, there were nearly 20 million crime victimizations in the United States. More than 6.6 million were the result of violent crimes, including rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. Of that 6.6 million, only about 42% were reported to police.
This year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week theme is “How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors.” We must create an environment in which victims and survivors feel safe talking about what happened to them. The theme aims to ensure that everyone in a community knows where and how crime victims and survivors can find help — including friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors, service providers, or other trusted members of the community. We must all be prepared to offer support.
“We are fortunate in the Northern District of Iowa to have excellent resources for victims of domestic and sexual violence as well as resources for survivors of homicide and other violent crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy T. Duax. “Our personnel are our greatest asset. They are trained to provide compassionate, consistent, and comprehensive services to crime victims across the state of Iowa.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa is proud to join the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and communities throughout the United States during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in raising awareness of victims’ rights and honoring crime victims and their advocates.
This week, U.S. Attorney Duax announced winners for the Law Enforcement Victim Services Awards in the Northern District of Iowa. This award is presented to law enforcement officers in Iowa who go beyond the call of duty to help crime victims. It is the highest federal honor in Iowa for victim services by a law enforcement officer. The following individuals won the award based on their service to victims:
- Detective Ian Mallory of the University of Iowa Police Department, in recognition of his outstanding investigative and advocacy work that led to the successful discovery and prosecution of Matthew Keirans, perpetrator of a sophisticated, three-decades-old, aggravated identity theft. The vulnerable victim of Mr. Keirans' scam maintained his true identity even after he was jailed, found mentally incompetent, and ordered to receive psychotropic medication. But for Detective Mallory’s open mindedness, patience, and diligence, this victim would have remained the target of a scam that fooled other law enforcement officers, courts, banks, and government officials. Detective Mallory’s persistence and commitment to finding justice for this victim is a credit to himself, the University of Iowa Police Department, and the entire Iowa law enforcement community.
- Detective Michael Sitzman and Detective Nate West, Sioux City Police Department, Investigator Joaquin Orduno, South Sioux City Police Department, and Special Agent Bradley Colligan, Federal Bureau of Investigation, in recognition of their outstanding investigation and advocacy that led to the successful prosecution of Kevon Spratt, perpetrator of at least five armed robberies during one month in 2022 within the Siouxland area. The danger that Spratt posed to the community cannot be overstated. This team’s compassionate, reassuring, strong, and inspirational conduct during the investigation empowered more than thirty victims and witnesses to cooperate with the investigation.
To learn more about how to support all victims of crime, visit the Office for Victims of Crime’s website at ovc.ojp.gov.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Two North Louisiana Men Convicted by Federal Jury in Monroe of Conspiring to Commit Bank Fraud Resulting in Loss of over $3 MillionRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. –United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Charlie L. Simpson, 51, of Downsville, and Charles D. Gardner, 56, of West Monroe, were each found guilty today by a federal jury in Monroe of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. After two days of deliberations, the jury also found Simpson guilty of four counts of bank fraud. The court declared a mistrial as to the remaining four counts of bank fraud against Gardner. Chief United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty presided over the two week trial.
Simpson worked as the Chief Operating Officer of United Home Care, Inc. (“United”) and Trinity Home Health Care, Inc. (“Trinity”) and Gardner worked as the Chief Financial Officer/Controller of United and Trinity. According to testimony during the trial, from April 2016 until March 2017, Simpson and Gardner conspired together to defraud Origin Bank, Peoples Bank, and Louisiana National Bank (“LNB”) by fraudulently obtaining money and credits from the three banks. Simpson and Gardner orchestrated and executed a check kiting scheme between accounts at Origin Bank and LNB wherein they deposited hundreds of checks between multiple accounts they controlled at both banks and took advantage of the float when they passed the checks, timing the exchanges to artificially inflate the account balances. As a result of this scheme, Simpson and Gardner caused Origin Bank and LNB to honor checks and payments drawn against accounts with insufficient funds and put the financial institutions at risk.
Additional testimony revealed that on March 8, 2017, Simpson learned that accounts under his control at LNB had an overdraft and the bank would only accept a certified check to cover the deficit. To cover the overdraft and prevent the kite from collapsing, Simpson and Gardner added a third bank, Peoples Bank, into the scheme by issuing over 20 checks for approximately $4 million drawn from different accounts at that bank and deposited them into multiple accounts at Origin Bank. However, the accounts used at Peoples Bank had less than $2,000 available and did not have sufficient funds to cover the checks deposited into Origin Bank. The following day, Simpson used the artificially inflated balances to obtain four certified checks totaling $2.1 million from Origin Bank and deposited them into different accounts at LNB to cover the overdraft. Origin Bank suffered a financial loss when it discovered that they had used the inflated accounts to obtain certified funds.
Simpson and Gardner each face a sentence of not more than 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both. Sentencing is set for August 7, 2024.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Leon H. Whitten, Brian C. Flanagan, and Criminal Chief Allison L. Duncan.
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Two Indianapolis Men Sentenced to a Combined 17 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Robbery of Southport Road Gas StationRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Bryan Johnson-Taylor, 23, and John Wilson, 19, of Indianapolis, have been sentenced to nine and a half and eight years, respectively, in federal prison, with each followed by three years of supervised release. Both men pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, on August 1, 2022, at approximately 3:06 A.M., Johnson-Taylor and Wilson entered the Circle K gas station on East Southport Road in Indianapolis. Once inside, the pair brandished semi-automatic handguns and pointed them at the victim employee, demanding money from the register. Both men removed cash from the register, stole cigarettes from shelf, and took the victim employee’s cell phone.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers were able to track the robbers whereabouts using electronic surveillance. Officers with the Beech Grove Police Department located the men approximately one-half mile north of the Circle K. In Wilson’s backpack, officers located a Glock 9mm caliber handgun, as well as the stolen cigarettes and cash. Johnson-Taylor was located hiding in nearby bushes with another backpack. Next to where Johnson-Taylor was hiding, officers located a Glock Model 45 handgun.
“Armed criminals who terrorize our community must be held accountable,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “I am thankful for the quick reaction of the responding IMPD and Beech Grove officers, preventing the defendants from getting away with their crimes and further endangering the public. The serious federal prison sentence imposed here demonstrates our commitment to working closely with the FBI, and all our partners in federal, state, and local law enforcement as we seek to reduce gun violence.”
The FBI investigated this case, with valuable assistance provided by IMPD and the Beech Grove Police Department. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew P. Brookman.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jayson McGrath, who prosecuted this 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.
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Twelve CJNG Cartel Members Sentenced for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Twelve drug traffickers tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel have been sentenced to between four and a half and 40 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Francisco Javier Rodriguez Arreola, a top source of supply charged in the case, was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Mr. Rodriguez Arreola, a 45-year-old Mexican citizen born in Michoacan, was arrested in 2021 in Del Rio, Texas while illegally reentering the United States from Mexico after having been previously deported.
In plea papers, the defendant admitted that he helped coordinate the shipment of a load of 199.97 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine – with a street value of up to $9.9 million – from Mexico to Dallas concealed inside the diesel tank of a red semi-truck.
During the course of the investigation, court-authorized wiretaps caught Mr. Rodriguez Arreola, who went by the street names “Taquito” and “Viejo” (“Old”), communicating with codefendants in code about the movement and sale of controlled substances.
Courtroom testimony revealed that Mr. Rodriguez Arreola had previously served time in federal prison and that he was deported to Mexico in April of 2020. Less than a month after being deported, he was back in the drug trade when, in May of 2020, he and a codefendant discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic was slowing down the movement and sale of controlled substances. The defendant stated the pandemic was causing the price of methamphetamine to increase and he was heard saying he hoped the price of a kilogram of methamphetamine would go up, as it had once sold for $14,000.
At Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors introduced evidence that showed that Mr. Rodriguez Arreola coordinated multiple deliveries of methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States on behalf of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most violent and powerful drug cartels. During the hearing, Mr. Rodriguez Arreola was identified as a person who had access to the higher echelons of the CJNG because he associated with individuals who reported directly to the cartel’s leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, a.k.a. El Mencho.
Agent testimony revealed that the defendant served the CJNG as a broker of methamphetamine and that he had significant ties to Plaza Bosses who had access to cartel leadership. Mr. Rodriguez-Arreola’s role included finding drivers and people who could transport and distribute methamphetamine, planning routes, confirming delivery, loss prevention, and finding locations to receive, store, and transfer methamphetamine shipments.
Tuesday’s sentencing hearing further revealed the defendant had access to counterintelligence information provided by the CJNG because, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Rodriguez Arreola told a codefendant that they needed drivers that were United States residents to transport methamphetamine [loads], because no drivers with visas could make it through [the border crossings with their loads of methamphetamine].
Other defendants sentenced include:
- Ricardo Hernandez Zarate, sentenced to 480 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and 240 months in prison for money laundering (concurrent sentences)
- Pedro Hernandez Zarate, sentenced to 360 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
- Uriel Marin Gaona, sentenced to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
- Benito Diaz Hernandez, sentenced to 210 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
- Marcos Garcia Reyes, sentenced to 87 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled
- Heleodoro Rosales Ramirez, sentenced to 168 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
- Rafael Diaz, sentenced to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
- Jose Alberto Plascencia Torres, sentenced to 292 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance
- Elmer Gardea Tello, sentenced to 55 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled (cocaine)
- Walter Daniel Chapa Marty, sentenced to 121 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
- Salvador Antonio Martinez, sentenced to 151 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 650 kilograms of methamphetamine drugs, 17 guns, $220,922 in U.S. currency, and $12,200 in real and personal property.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, with special assistance provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Gainesville Police Department, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the Dallas Police Department, the Fort Worth Police Department, the Williamson County, Texas Sheriff’s Department, the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Department in Tennessee, the FBI’s Knoxville Field Office (Tennessee Resident Agency Office), and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Strike Force 1. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Leal prosecuted the case.
The case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) case. The OCDETF program was established in 1982 in order to attack and reduce the supply of illegal drugs entering the United States and to diminish violence and other criminal activity associated with the drug trade. The OCDETF program leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level drug traffickers and drug trafficking networks using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
Tulsa Man Sentenced for Meth Conspiracy, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Tulsa, Oklahoma, man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri after law enforcement officers seized approximately 29 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately $57,000, and several firearms.
Jeffrey L. Hughley, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On Nov. 6, 2023, Hughley pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Hughley admitted that he was a courier during the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Barry, Stone, Polk, Lawrence, Greene, Jasper, Newton, and Christian Counties from Nov. 1, 2020, to April 28, 2022. Hughley delivered more than 4.5 kilograms of pure methamphetamine to co-defendant Brian E. Hall, 46, of Aurora, Mo.
Hughley was arrested on April 28, 2022, when he drove to Hall’s residence. Law enforcement officers searched his black Toyota Camry and found 10 garbage bags in the trunk that contained a total of 22 pounds of pure methamphetamine. Officers also found a loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol in the floorboard of the front passenger seat.
Hughley was arrested after law enforcement officers had executed a search warrant at Hall’s residence as part of an ongoing methamphetamine investigation. Officers seized seven pounds of methamphetamine from Hall’s residence, as well as a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol, approximately $57,000 in cash, and drug paraphernalia used for the packaging and sale of methamphetamine.
A co-conspirator told investigators that Hughley had delivered large quantities of methamphetamine to Hall’s residence on at least four occasions. Each time he dropped off methamphetamine, he also picked up cash from Hall to return to an individual in Oklahoma. The co-conspirator told investigators that Hughley was supposed to pick up $57,000 from Hall on the night of his arrest.
According to court documents, Hughley made multiple trips to multiple states to distribute methamphetamine for which he was paid thousands of dollars. In April 2022, Hughley purchased a drone for $5,730 for a leader of the drug-trafficking organization. Hughley and a co-conspirator discussed using the drone to smuggle contraband into a prison facility.
Hughley operated a business, God’s Gifted Athletes, where he provided strength training to young athletes in his community. The government’s sentencing memorandum noted the devastating impact of methamphetamine use on youth and families. According to the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, children whose parents use methamphetamine have an increased risk of exposure to parental violence, placement into foster care, and living in environments that do not have adequate resources to meet their basic needs.
The amount of methamphetamine Hughley trafficked to Barry County in only four trips (while in possession of a firearm) was enough to supply four doses (0.25 grams per dose) of methamphetamine to every man, woman, and child in the community.
Hughley is the second defendant sentenced in this federal indictment, in which 20 defendants have been charged. Hall pleaded guilty on March 22, 2023, and awaits sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, the Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Stone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, COMET (the Combined Ozark Multi-Jurisdictional Enforcement Team), the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Polk County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Ottawa County, Ok., Sheriff’s Department, the Bolivar, Mo., Police Department, the Cassville, Mo., Police Department, the Kimberling City, Mo., Police Department, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case 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.
Texas Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Sending Antisemitic Death ThreatsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JEREMY JOSEPH was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for sending interstate threats to injure or kill two former co-workers. JOSEPH previously pled guilty, two days after his trial on these charges had begun, before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Jeremy Joseph sent hateful, violent, and antisemitic death threats over email to two former co-workers. Joseph made these threats as part of a broader scheme in which Joseph threatened dozens of victims, many of whom were Jewish or were perceived to be Jewish. This prosecution and today’s sentence make clear that this Office will not tolerate crimes of hate and will continue to seek justice for the victims of these offensive and harmful acts.”
According to Indictment, other public filings, and statements made in court:
From in or about December 2022 through at least in or about January 2023, JOSEPH sent terrifying death threats over email to two former colleagues (the “Victims”) that he worked with over 10 years prior. The emails detailed how JOSEPH planned to murder his Victims and included photographs of pipe bombs, ammunition, and a firearm. The emails also included personal information about the Victims and their families.
JOSEPH’s threats towards the Victims were part of a larger pattern of death threats sent to various other individuals from JOSEPH’s life, as well as politicians, judges, and prosecutors. The targets of his threats spanned multiples countries and U.S. states. In these communications, JOSEPH consistently used violent, threatening language that targeted Jewish people.
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In addition to the prison term, JOSEPH, 41, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit in the Criminal Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jamie Bagliebter and Diarra M. Guthrie are in charge of the prosecution.
Superseding Indictment Charges Three Georgia Residents in Million-Dollar Romance ScamRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on April 17, 2024, a superseding indictment charged KENNETH G. AKPIEYI (“AKPIEYI”), age 43, of Marietta, Georgia, Emuobosan EMMANUELLA Hall (“HALL”), age 43, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Eseoghene Nelly Keniye (“Keniye”), age 27, also of Atlanta, with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341, 1343, and 1349; and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1956(a)(1)(B)(i) and 1956(h). AKPIEYI was also charged in one count of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341 and 2.
According to the indictment, the defendants perpetrated a “romance scam,” in which they persuaded victims to send them money by representing themselves to be potential romantic partners for those victims. The defendants used bank accounts in the name of fictitious aliases and various companies in furtherance of the scheme. Investigators have determined that AKPIEYI, HALL, and KENIYE defrauded victims out of over $1 million.
The penalties for mail fraud and for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud are up to 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000.00 fine or the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss, and up to three years of supervised release after imprisonment. The penalties for conspiracy to commit money laundering are up to 10 years in prison, up to a $500,000 fine or twice the value of the property involved in the transactions, and up to three years of supervised release after imprisonment. Each defendant also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count of the superseding indictment charged against them.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the superseding indictment is merely an accusation and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the FBI New Orleans Field Office in investigating this matter. U.S. Attorney Evans extended his thanks to the FBI Atlanta Field Office and the Cobb County, GA, Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Steele County Man Indicted for International Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Blooming Prairie man has been indicted for sexually exploiting children outside the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, between November 2021 and April 2022, Steven John Sokel, 61, by aiding and abetting other individuals, coerced three minor girls outside of the United States to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions. Sokel also possessed sexually explicit images and videos of minors.
The indictment charges Sokel with two counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography. Sokel made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on April 19, 2024, before Magistrate Judge David T. Schultz. He was ordered to remain in custody pending a formal detention hearing.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Southwest Georgia Resident Sentenced to Prison for Meth Possession and DistributionRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Pelham, Georgia, resident with a lengthy criminal history in Southwest Georgia who admitted to possessing with the intent to distribute nearly one kilogram of methamphetamine was sentenced to serve more than 15 years in federal prison today.
Skeeter Eugene Weeks, 41, was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal on April 23. Weeks previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Sept. 8, 2023. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The defendant’s high-speed attempt to evade capture endangered himself, responding law enforcement and other drivers,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Individuals with lengthy criminal histories who continue to disregard the law will be held accountable.”
According to court documents and other evidence, a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempted to pull Weeks over for a traffic violation on I-75 on Sept. 12, 2021. Weeks, who was driving a motorcycle, didn’t stop but accelerated to speeds of more than 90 mph. Additional officers joined the pursuit, as Weeks weaved between vehicles to avoid law enforcement. Weeks exited at Rumble Road, lost control of his motorcycle and crashed. He began to run away and across the interstate but was taken into custody as he attempted to jump the center median guardrail. Weeks was driving with a suspended license and had several active warrants. He was wearing a cross-body bag, which held a semi-automatic pistol. Inside the cross-body bag and in his pockets, Weeks was carrying 993 grams of methamphetamine. Weeks has a lengthy criminal past in Southwest Georgia including convictions for burglary, harassing phone calls, manufacturing methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine.
The case was investigated by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Criminal Chief Leah McEwen is prosecuting the case.
Rosebud Man found Guilty of Sexual Abuse of a Minor and Abusive Sexual ContactRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Shane Mousseaux, age 37, of Rosebud, South Dakota, of three counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor and two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on April 18, 2024.
The charges for Sexual Abuse of a Minor each carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The charges for Abusive Sexual Contact each carry a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life of life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Mousseaux was indicted by a federal grand jury in November of 2022.
Between August 6, 2020, and June 21, 2022, Mousseaux lived on the Yankton Sioux Reservation with his then-girlfriend and her children. During that time period, Mousseaux engaged in multiple sexual acts with one of his then-girlfriend’s daughter, who was 14-15 years old at the time. Between May 1, 2022, and June 21, 2022, Mousseaux engaged in sexual contact with another one of his then-girlfriend’s daughter, who was 14 years old at the time.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Yankton Sioux Law Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann M. Hoffman and Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has been set for July 19, 2024. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Repeat Offender Sentenced for Narcotics Trafficking and Possession of a Machinegun in a NightclubRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Bryan Rice, 35, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine base in an open-air drug market in Northwest and being in possession of a firearm at a District nightclub, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Rice is one of 20 defendants charged in connection with a wide-ranging investigation centered on drug trafficking in the area of 7th and O Streets Northwest. Rice pleaded guilty January 5, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute narcotics and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. In addition to the 10-year prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Rice to serve four years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Rice, aka “Ice,” sold both fentanyl and cocaine base, including distribution quantities of each, to undercover officers on five occasions between October 20, 2021, and March 24, 2022. When he was arrested on April 25, 2022, Rice was at the Rosebar Lounge, a nightclub on Connecticut Avenue. During an altercation, he was observed by police with a firearm in his waistband. The weapon, a 9mm Glock 17 with 17 rounds in the magazine, had been outfitted with a machine gun conversion device, which is designed to allow the gun to be fired as a fully automatic weapon.
Rice has six prior adult convictions. His first, in 2006, came after he was involved in an armed robbery. His second came less than three years later, after he sold drugs to an undercover officer. Two years after that, he was convicted of possession of a firearm. He was convicted in 2014 and 2019 of additional robbery and theft-related offenses; in one instance, he tried to snatch someone’s phone, and in the other, he was caught trying to steal merchandise from department stores. In April 2022—the same month he was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm in the instant case—he was convicted of possession of cocaine after he apparently sold someone drugs and was also found to be in possession of drugs for the purpose of distribution.
This case stems from a collaborative investigation by the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) of MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division, the FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross Border Safe Streets Task Force, the Washington Division of the DEA, and the U.S. Park Police. The Cross Border Safe Streets Task Force targets the most egregious and violent street crews operating in the District of Columbia.
The investigation 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.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Solomon Eppel of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section, with valuable assistance provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Wasserman and Kevin Rosenberg and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaunik Panse.
Registered sex offender going to prison for 30 years for production of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Michael Lanham, 35, of Niagara Falls, NY, who was convicted of production of child pornography with a prior sex offense, was sentenced to serve 360 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin M. Higgins, who handled the case, stated that in December 2010, Lanham was convicted of Rape in the Third Degree, Victim Less than 17-Year-Old, Perpetrator 21 years or more, in New York State Court and is a registered sex offender. In September 2020, he took a sexually explicit photo of a minor victim on his cell phone. In October 2020, Lanham distributed the image of the minor victim in a private online message to an undercover law enforcement officer on the Kik application.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
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Readout of War Crimes Accountability Team Director and U.S. Special Prosecutor for the Crime of Aggression’s Visit to UkraineRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s War Crimes Accountability Team (WarCAT) Director Christian Levesque and U.S. Special Prosecutor for the Crime of Aggression Jessica Kim traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, from April 15 to 17, to reaffirm the department’s commitment in advancing accountability for atrocity crimes and Russian aggression against Ukraine. WarCAT Director Levesque and Special Prosecutor Kim were joined by the department’s Resident Legal Advisor posted in Kyiv, Jared Kimball, WarCAT Attorney Advisor Roman Chaban, and the FBI Legal Attaché in Kyiv, Christopher Geiger.
The trip continues the Justice Department’s extensive work supporting Ukraine, building on Attorney General Garland’s June 2022 announcement in Lviv, Ukraine, launching WarCAT to centralize and strengthen the Justice Department’s war crimes accountability efforts, and the June 2023 appointment of a U.S. Special Prosecutor for the Crime of Aggression to work closely with the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) based at Eurojust in The Hague.
WarCAT Director Levesque, Ukraine Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, Special Prosecutor Kim, and FBI Legal Attaché Geiger.
While in Kyiv, the delegation met with key Ukrainian counterparts and their staff on operational matters, including Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, Head of the International Legal Cooperation Department Zurab Adeishvili, and Head of the War Crimes Department Yuriy Belousov; the National Police of Ukraine’s Head of the Department of Investigation Maksym Tsutskeridze, Head of the Division for Documentation of Crimes Committed in the Context of Armed Conflict Oleksandr Shapovalov, Head of the International Police Cooperation Department Ivan Hulpa, and Head of the International Communication Division Olha Yevtushenko; members of the Ukrainian Interagency Working Group, including military advisors; and officials from the Security Service of Ukraine. With these partners, WarCAT Director Levesque and Special Prosecutor Kim discussed ongoing investigations, information-sharing, and technical cooperation, as well as the various legislative, procedural, and technical challenges associated with such investigations and potential solutions.
U.S. delegation with officials of the National Police of Ukraine.
The delegation visited the International Criminal Court’s Field Office in Kyiv and met with partners from the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group to increase partnership and coordination on the situation in Ukraine. They also met with U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Needham, and provided an overview of the Justice Department’s Ukraine accountability efforts to U.S. Embassy Kyiv personnel.
On April 16, Special Prosecutor Kim, with ICPA Ukraine team members and military advisors, visited the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise of the Ministry of Justice (KFI), a leading forensic examination institution. The KFI visit provided the opportunity to view weapons debris from recovered ballistic missiles, air-guided missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles shot down by Ukrainian air defenses over Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, as well as to receive expert briefings on analyses of weapon components and technologies to further the ICPA’s efforts in securing evidence of Russian aggression.
Special Prosecutor Kim, with ICPA Ukraine team members, receives analysis of weapons debris from recovered ballistic missiles at the KFI from Ukrainian forensic experts.
On April 17, Resident Legal Advisor Kimball, Special Prosecutor Kim (who previously served as the department’s anti-corruption Resident Legal Advisor for Eastern Europe), and FBI Special Agent Kari Harrison, a skilled anti-corruption investigator, delivered a roundtable workshop for prosecutors and investigators from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) and National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. The workshop focused on using racketeering and organized crime statutes to combat high-level public corruption. SAPO and NABU workshop participants engaged in a robust discussion on special investigative techniques, covert and overt investigative steps, legislative and procedural options and barriers, and shared challenges in penetrating and dismantling organized criminal groups. The workshop was part of a series of anti-corruption efforts led by Resident Legal Advisor Kimball, with support from the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement to ensure that the rule of law prevails in Ukraine.
FBI Special Agent Harrison, Kyiv Resident Legal Advisor Kimball, and Special Prosecutor Kim deliver an anti-corruption roundtable workshop for SAPO and NABU prosecutors and investigators at U.S. Embassy Kyiv.
During the trip, the group also visited several cultural and heritage sites in Kyiv – targets of Russian aggression – including Zoloti Vorota (Golden Gate), the main entrance into the ancient city of Kyiv; Independence Monument; and Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), the central square of Kyiv, which was the site of the pro-independence protests in the 1990s, Orange Revolution in 2004, and Euromaidan Revolution in 2013 and 2014.
Ukrainian flags and photos honor fallen Ukrainian servicemembers in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), with Independence Monument in the background.
Throughout the visit, the delegation emphasized the department’s commitment in pursuing every avenue of accountability for Ukraine. Additionally, WarCAT Director Levesque and Special Prosecutor Kim further highlighted how the Justice Department, together with its international partners, will continue to hold accountable all those directly responsible or otherwise complicit in Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Ramsey Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Ramsey man has been sentenced to six months in prison followed by one year of supervised release and restitution for operating a tax preparation business as cover for a tax fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, Lyle Nierenz, 70, ran tax preparation businesses—called Fast-R-Tax and Lyle’s Tax Service—out of his home in Ramsey, Minnesota. Nierenz prepared and filed numerous income tax returns falsely claiming that his clients had significant tax-deductible charitable contributions, unreimbursed employee expenses, or unreimbursed business expenses. taxNierenz did this without his clients’ knowledge or permission to fraudulently inflate their returns. He then diverted a portion of the inflated refunds to his personal bank accounts.
To avoid detection, Nierenz repeatedly made it appear that his clients self-filed their fraudulent returns. He also provided many of his clients with a doctored copy of their tax returns that matched the refund the client actually received. Between tax years 2014 and 2018, Nierenz’s fraudulent return scheme resulted in a tax loss of approximately $336,000. Nierenz also repeatedly failed to declare on his own tax returns the income he generated by charging his clients for tax preparation.
On July 28, 2021, Nierenz pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns and one count of making and subscribing a false tax return. He was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Donovan W. Frank.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by IRS Criminal Investigations and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan L. Sing and Joseph H. Thompson prosecuted the case.
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 90 Months of Incarceration for Trafficking Three Firearms and Unlawfully Possessing a FourthRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Aaron Douglas, 31, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Mark A. Kearney to 90 months’ imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally distributing three firearms and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Between January 12, 2023, and April 10, 2023, Douglas illegally obtained and sold three semi-automatic handguns in Philadelphia, trafficking a 9mm Smith & Wesson Model SW9VE firearm, a 9mm Beretta Model APX firearm, and a 9mm Glock Model 47 firearm. The FBI subsequently executed a search warrant at the defendant’s North Philadelphia residence and discovered that he unlawfully possessed a fourth firearm – a .45 caliber Glock Model 30 semi-automatic pistol – that he wasn’t permitted to have due to his previous conviction in 2015 for illegally possessing a firearm.
“Every illegal gun taken off the street is a small victory in our fight against violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Aaron Douglas, and others who illicitly traffic firearms, have no regard for the damage they’re doing to our communities. My office and our partners will continue to target the illegal gun trade in our investigations and prosecutions, reducing gun violence and hopefully saving lives in the process.”
“Today’s sentencing is one more step toward keeping illegally bought and resold weapons off the streets,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “This case illustrates our enduring commitment to making our neighborhoods safer for the communities we serve.”
“This case is another example of our cooperation with our law enforcement partners to keep guns out of the hands of felons and dangerous criminals,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “Gun trafficking puts our communities at risk. It is also a federal offense that can land you in prison for years.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Miller.
Perry Man Sentenced to Serve 52 Years in Federal Prison After Forcing Woman to Drive to Texas Coast at GunpointRead the Press Release
Defendant sexually assaulted victim in her home and car during day-long crime spree
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, ZACHARY CHARLES FOWLER, 24, of Perry, was sentenced to serve 624 months in federal prison for kidnapping, carjacking, and using a firearm in furtherance of those crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On September 6, 2022, a federal grand jury returned a three-count Indictment against Fowler, charging him with kidnapping, carjacking, and using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. In May 2023, Fowler was tried by a federal jury and found guilty on all counts.
At trial, the evidence showed that Fowler and the victim had previously been in a relationship. Following the end of that relationship, Fowler arrived at the victim’s home in the early morning of March 29, 2022. Fowler broke into the home of his victim, kicked in her bedroom door, wrestled control of a firearm owned by the victim, and sexually assaulted the victim at gunpoint.
The jury also heard testimony that Fowler forced the victim to leave her home at gunpoint and drive him to Corpus Christi, Texas. Throughout the drive, Fowler sexually assaulted the victim again. After arriving in Corpus Christi, the victim was able to escape. Fowler was arrested later the same day by law enforcement in Texas.
“The vile conduct of this defendant, and the trauma he forced upon his victim, are evidence of a clear and present danger in our community that necessitated swift and decisive punishment,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Troester. “While today’s steep penalty will not erase the damage done by Mr. Fowler, we hope it will serve as another step in the healing process for the victim and their family.”
“Today’s sentence completes the judicial process for Mr. Fowler, who forced his victim into a frightening situation that tormented her both physically and emotionally,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “While the trauma cannot be undone, we hope the victim and this community takes comfort in knowing a violent offender has been taken off our streets.”
At the sentencing hearing today, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Fowler to serve 52 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Palk noted the “horrific and terrifying” nature of the case and described Fowler’s behavior as “horrendous and dehumanizing”. Judge Palk also noted Fowler’s lack of acceptance of responsibility for his actions.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, the Noble County Sheriff’s Office, the Corpus Christi Police Department, and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Anderson and Jacquelyn M. Hutzell prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Owner of Burbank-Based Blood Testing Laboratory Indicted for Allegedly Evading the Payment of Nearly $5.8 Million in TaxesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today indicted a Burbank man who allegedly evaded the payment of nearly $5.8 million in federal taxes over several years by using a shill to illegally collect Medicare reimbursement payments made to his blood-testing company.
Armen Muradyan, 58, is charged via indictment with one count of tax evasion. He has been in federal custody since his April 9 arrest at Los Angeles International Airport on a criminal complaint in this matter. Muradyan, a dual citizen of the United States and Armenia, was arrested prior to boarding a one-way flight whose ultimate destination was Armenia.
Muradyan’s arraignment is scheduled for April 29 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
According to court documents, Muradyan owned and operated a Burbank-based blood testing laboratory called Genex Laboratories Inc. Medicare and bank records show that Medicare paid millions of dollars in reimbursements to Genex for blood testing. The reimbursements were wired to bank accounts in the name of an individual identified in court documents as “L.S.” – Muradyan’s long-time friend to whom Muradyan had offered to pay $2,000 per month to pretend to be Genex’s owner.
Muradyan allegedly told L.S. that he needed him to submit Medicare enrollment papers to Medicare on Genex’s behalf because Medicare had banned Muradyan from submitting claims.
L.S. and Muradyan allegedly opened bank accounts for Genex in L.S.’s name, but which Muradyan controlled. L.S. neither owned nor operated Genex and visited the company’s Burbank office to collect his $2,000 monthly payment and to sometimes sign documents at Muradyan’s direction.
For the tax years of 2015 through 2020, Muradyan allegedly instructed L.S. to report Genex’s financial activity on L.S.’s personal income tax returns using documents that L.S. provided to his own tax preparer. The documents purportedly showed that Genex had minimal net profit or was operating at a loss, meaning the company had little or no income tax liability.
For the same period, Muradyan allegedly submitted income tax returns that reported none of Genex’s financial activity as his own and that he averaged an income of $40,000 per year. In fact, Muradyan allegedly personally received and used millions of dollars in Medicare reimbursements to support his own expensive lifestyle.
For these tax years, Muradyan’s unreported income was approximately $16,231,046, resulting in a total federal income tax due and owing by him of approximately $5,771,567, according to court documents.
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.
IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark Aveis of the Major Frauds Section and Trial Attorney Mahana K. Weidler of the Department of Justice’s Tax Division are prosecuting this case.
Orange County felon sentenced for federal firearms violationRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – An Orange, Texas convicted felon has been sentenced to federal prison for a firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Michael Octavius Hampton, 51, pleaded guilty on Oct. 4, 2023, to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on April 23, 2024.
According to information presented in court, on June 26, 2023, Hampton visited a pawn shop in Orange where he was known by the employees as he frequently pawned various items such as tools. Hampton requested to purchase a pistol, provided his state-issued identification and completed the required ATF Form 4473. On the form, Hampton indicated he had never been convicted of a felony, a requirement to purchase a firearm. Hampton then signed the form acknowledging the information he provided was true and correct. The pawn shop submitted the form through the National Criminal Background Check System, also known as NICS, and received a message indicating the transaction was neither approved nor denied and pending further background checks. As required by law, the pawn shop did not transfer the firearm to Hampton due to the delayed status and Hampton left the store. On July 3, 2023, Hampton came back to the pawn shop to pick up the firearm that he had purchased. The NICS check was still in delayed status, however since the pawn shop had waited the required three days without a denial, the firearm was transferred to Hampton. Hampton again re-certified that his answers on the ATF 4473 Form were correct – including that he had not been previously convicted of a felony – by signing the form a second time. Hampton then took possession of the firearm, which was captured on video by the pawn shop.
Further investigation revealed Hampton was a convicted felon having been previously convicted of murder in Jefferson County in 1995 and prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. Hampton was arrested by federal agents at his home on July 26, 2023, and the firearm was recovered.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Quinn.
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Non-profit embezzler sent to prison for stealing over $280,000 from employerRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 49-year-old former administrative assistant for the Katy Area Economic Development Council (KAEDC) has been sentenced for wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Janet Leigh Medrano aka Janet Jackson pleaded guilty Dec. 12, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison has now ordered Medrano to serve 27 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. Jackson was additionally ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $281,489.91. At the hearing, the court heard testimony from a KAEDC representative about how Medrano’s theft left the non-profit organization on the brink of bankruptcy. In handing down the sentence, Judge Ellison noted that this was not an appropriate case for leniency. Medrano attempted to excuse her conduct by claiming she had difficulty providing for her family. Judge Ellison dismissed the claim by stating he had heard from thousands of individuals with much more desperate financial situations.
From 2014 to 2019, Medrano worked as an administrative assistant for KAEDC. Beginning in 2016 until her termination in 2019, Medrano stole from the organization using four different schemes. When KAEDC confronted Medrano, she attempted to hide her crime by providing altered bank statements to cover the ongoing theft.
Further investigation revealed Medrano was not telling the truth and had stolen over $280,000 from KAEDC.
Medrano was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Lu prosecuted the case.
New York Man Charged with Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment today charging NICOLAS BROWN, also known as “Breezy,” 28, of New York, New York, with child exploitation offenses.
As alleged in court documents, on multiple occasions in March 2024, Brown arranged Uber trips to pick up one to three teenage girls, two of whom were under the age of 18, from a state-run group home in Connecticut and deliver them to him at various Connecticut hotels and shopping malls where he engaged in explicit sexual conduct with one of the minor victims. On one occasion, an Uber trip that Brown arranged took the two minors to meet him at the Bridgeport train station. Brown and the two minors traveled to Manhattan, and then to a hotel in South Hackensack, New Jersey, where they stayed for several days.
On March 20, 2024, Brown was located at a hotel in Danbury and arrested on state charges. It is alleged that an iPhone seized from Brown at the time of his arrest revealed videos depicting child sex abuse, including videos that that he took engaging in sexually explicit conduct with a minor victim.
The indictment charges Brown with production of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years, and with possessing and accessing with intent to view child pornography, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Brown has been detained in state custody since his arrest.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the West Hartford Police Department, and the Danbury Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Lembo.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for False Statements on an Individual Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that CHRISTOPHER COBURN (“COBURN”), age 51, of New Orleans, was sentenced for making false statements on an individual tax return, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1).
According to court documents, COBURN owned and operated a tax preparation business called 1040 Tax Express in New Orleans. For tax years 2016 through 2018, COBURN willfully under-reported his income from this tax preparation business by approximately $104,156 on his individual tax returns. This underreporting caused a loss of approximately $29,781 to the Internal Revenue Service.
U.S. District Judge Darrell James Papillion sentenced COBURN to five years of probation and ordered him to complete 100 hours of community service. Judge Papillon also ordered COBURN to pay $29,781.00 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and along with a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. COBURN also agreed to a permanent injunction prohibiting him from preparing, assisting in, directing, or supervising the preparation or filing of federal tax returns on behalf of others.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations on this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Multimillion-dollar unlicensed money transmitter convictedRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A federal jury has returned a guilty verdict against an Iraqi citizen who resided in Richmond for operating a money transmitting business without a license, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
The jury deliberated for less than one hour before finding Sameer Sami Rasheed Al Salman, 55, guilty on one count of unlicensed money remitting following a two-day trial.
During the trial, the jury heard evidence about Salman’s money transmitting business, which he operated at his residence in Richmond. Since 2020, Salman transferred and wired millions of dollars from bank accounts in the United States to ones all over the world including China, Indonesia and India.
The jury heard testimony about how Salman offered his services locally and performed informal hawala transactions, a method of transferring money without using the banking system. Salman conducted these transfers which amounted to thousands of dollars from his driveway and required individuals to show their identification. Many transfers originated from Iraq and some transfers were up to $40,000.
Authorities identified Salman’s illegal money transmitting operation after extensive surveillance and conducted a search of his residence. At that time, they discovered over $282,000 in cash stored within the house.
At the trial, the defense attempted to convince the jury Salman had lawful authority to operate a money transfer business in Iraq. The jury did not believe those claims and found him guilty as charged.
“Money flowed from Iraq through Houston thanks to Rasheed Al Salman’s illegal money transmitting business, a business he conducted from his home’s driveway and without a license,” said Hamdani. “Hawala operators like Salman pose a real threat to banking systems because they undermine the oversight and regulation of significant money transfers - transfers that when unregulated, often end up in the coffers of international criminal organizations.”
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake presided over the trial and set sentencing for Aug. 16. At that time, Salman faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Winter and Steven Schammel are prosecuting the case.
Monroe, Washington, resident convicted for role in wide-ranging drug trafficking ringRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 42-year-old Monroe, Washington resident was convicted today in U.S. District Court in Seattle of Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances following a week-long jury trial, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Humberto Garcia was arrested in December 2020 with seven other defendants tied to a drug trafficking ring distributing heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl throughout the Puget Sound region. The jury deliberated about two hours before reaching the guilty verdict. U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones scheduled sentencing for August 16, 2024.
According to records filed in the case and testimony at trial, Garcia’s car was searched on October 3, 2020, after drug ringleader Jose Luis Ibarra-Valle, 40, was pressuring Garcia to get him a firearm to kill a drug user who owed him money. No firearm was found, but Garcia had drugs hidden in a fake soda can in the car. A few weeks later, Ibarra-Valle was stopped returning from a drug run to California. In the car authorities found approximately 10,000 pills that contained fentanyl, more than eight kilograms of methamphetamine, and more than a kilogram of heroin. These drug amounts count towards Garcia’s conviction as part of the conspiracy.
Ibarra-Valle and the other coconspirators entered guilty pleas. Last year, Ibarra-Valle was sentenced to nine years in prison. The remaining coconspirators have been sentenced, with a range of sentences from time served, to over six years in prison. Garcia is the final defendant in this case and the only one who went to trial.
Over the course of the investigation law enforcement seized 16,000 suspected fentanyl pills, 30 pounds of suspected methamphetamine, and six pounds of suspected heroin.
In his closing statement, Assistant United States Attorney Michael Harder pointed to numerous wiretapped phone conversations between Garcia and drug supplier Ibarra-Valle. “They were setting up a working relationship,” Harder said, Garcia wanted to be “his right-hand man.”
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force, Washington State Patrol, Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force, United States Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, Skagit County Interlocal Drug Enforcement Unit, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, the Lake Stevens Police Department and Tulalip Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Vince Lombardi and Michael Harder.
Missouri Woman Admits Theft of Federal Retirement BenefitsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A Missouri woman on Tuesday admitted taking more than $75,000 in retirement benefits to which she was not entitled after the death of her mother-in-law.
Ronda G. Oswalt, 58, of Marion County, near Hannibal, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one felony count of theft of government money.
As part of her guilty plea, Oswalt admitted that she failed to notify the U.S. Office of Personnel Management about the death of her mother-in-law in December 2018. After the death, federal retirement benefits continued to be automatically deposited into her mother-in-law’s credit union account. Oswalt admitted using that money to cover personal expenses, including by writing checks to herself and paying personal bills. In total, Oswalt took $75,734 in federal retirement benefits between December 2018 and November 2021 to which she was not entitled, her guilty plea says.
Oswalt is scheduled to be sentenced July 25. The theft charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both prison and a fine.
The Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting the case.
Minneapolis Man Sentenced to 192 Months in Prison for Receiving, Distributing, and Accessing Child Pornography OnlineRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 192 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for receipt, distribution, and access with intent to view child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, beginning in August 2020, through January 2022, Michael Francis Hamer, 56, knowingly and frequently obtained, distributed, and accessed child pornography online. On multiple occasions, he used Facebook and Gmail to directly message self-identified minor victims, some as young as 11 years old, to request and distribute images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors. Hamer also joined Facebook Messenger group chats that were named “Boys sex video,” “Kids Video Sex,” and “#Good Boy?,” among others, to solicit and access child sexual abuse images.
Hamer was previously convicted in Minnesota state court for solicitation of a child to engage in sexual conduct. As a result of this state conviction, Hamer was required to register as a predatory offender with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Additionally, Hamer admitted to possessing child pornography during his 2012 conviction.
Hamer was convicted by a federal jury on December 7, 2023, of one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and two counts of access with intent to view child pornography. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Judge Katherine M. Menendez, who described Hamer’s conduct as “relentless behavior,” and noted that there was long-term damage to the victims depicted in the child sexual abuse material. Judge Menendez also remarked that reviewing one of the child sexual abuse videos at trial “is something I can never unsee,” and that it was something “the jury can never unsee” as well.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, with assistance from the Minneapolis Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hillary A. Taylor, Emily A. Polachek, and Chelsea A. Walcker prosecuted the case.
Member of Violent New Haven Gang Pleads Guilty to Racketeering ChargeRead the Press Release
SAMUEL DOUGLAS, also known as “Blamm,” 25, of New Haven, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to a racketeering offense stemming from his role in a violent New Haven street gang.
Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; John P. Doyle, Jr., State’s Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address violence in New Haven, the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating an ongoing gang war between members and associates of the Exit 8 street gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city. The Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven. Recently, younger members of Exit 8 are identifying themselves with the word “Honcho,” which is derived from the street name of an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020.
The investigation revealed that Douglas and other members of the Exit 8 gang engaged in drug trafficking, used, and shared firearms, and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and 16 attempted murders. Exit 8 members and associates also stole vehicles, at times from outside of the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence. Gang members also promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and acts of violence through text messaging and the use of social media applications and websites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.
Douglas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, and specifically admitted that on June 16, 2018, he and another Exit 8 member shot at and attempted to kill a member and associate of a rival gang in the area of Fountain Street, Davis Street, and Lakeview Terrace in New Haven. In the shooting, the intended victim’s associate suffered seven gunshot wounds, but survived the attack. Investigators found 15 spent ammunition casings at the scene.
Judge Bolden scheduled sentencing for August 6, at which time Douglas faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He is currently detained.
This investigation is being conducted by ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the New Haven Police Department, the Hamden Police Department, and the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens, Rahul Kale and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.
This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.
PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Manhattan Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing and Intending to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – William De La Rosa, age 29, of New York, New York, pled guilty yesterday to possessing with intent to distribute one kilogram of cocaine.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.
De La Rosa admitted to driving to a hotel in Amsterdam, New York, on January 25, 2024, where he planned to distribute one kilogram of cocaine to another person. When he arrived, law enforcement searched his vehicle and discovered the cocaine.
De La Rosa faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of post-release supervision of between 4 years and life, when United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci sentences him on August 16, 2024. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The DEA and the Johnstown Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mikayla Espinosa is prosecuting the case.
Louisville Man Indicted for Controlled Substances Conspiracy, Heroin, and Fentanyl Trafficking Offenses and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville returned an indictment on April 17, 2024, charging a Louisville man with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, and money laundering.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of the Homeland Security Investigations Nashville and Acting Special Agent in Karen Wingerd of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.
According to the indictment, Garron Board, 39, was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and laundering of monetary instruments. These offenses occurred between March 24, 2023, and April 4, 2024.
The defendant made his initial court appearance last week before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The Court ordered the defendant detained pending trial. If convicted, Board faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life 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 HSI and IRS-CI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia P. Gomez is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Local pharmacist charged with attempted sex trafficking of a minor and child sex tourismRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On April 19, a local pharmacist was charged by criminal complaint with attempted sex trafficking of a minor and attempted travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
According to the criminal complaint and the underlying affidavit, law enforcement officers stopped Stefan Andres Correa, 42, of Miami, Florida, attempting to board a flight from Miami to Bogota, Colombia. It is alleged that, law enforcement officers discovered nine cellular phones in Correa’s possession containing videos of Correa engaging in intercourse with purported minor children, as well as a chat exchange with a suspected sex trafficker, where Correa allegedly paid for commercial sex with children aged between 10 to 12 years old in Colombia. According to the allegations, during the chat exchange, Correa agreed with the suspected sex trafficker to meet with the minor victims once he arrived in Colombia.
Correa made his initial appearance on April 19. A detention hearing is scheduled for today, April 23, at 10:00 a.m. If convicted, Correa faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison with a maximum sentence of life in prison as well as up to a lifetime of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami made the announcement.
HSI Miami investigated the case with assistance from HSI offices in Cleveland, Ohio, and Bogota, Colombia, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogota, Colombia, also provided critical assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Astigarraga-Little is prosecuting it.
A criminal complaint contains mere allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate better, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org. The toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is available in English, Spanish, Creole, or in more than 200 additional languages. The National Hotline is not managed by law enforcement, immigration, or an investigative agency. Correspondence with the National Hotline is confidential, and you may request assistance or report a tip anonymously.
To report online child sexual exploitation visit https://report.cybertip.org/ or call 1-800-843-5678. The Cyber Tip Line is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in partnership with HSI and other law enforcement agencies.
To learn more about the National Resource Hotline, visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. To learn more about the U.S. Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking, visit www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
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 24-mj-02786.
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Lawton Pair Plead Guilty to Murder and Accessory to Murder after Woman's Body is Found in Wildlife RefugeRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, TEVIN TERRELL SEMIEN, 29, of Lawton, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On October 17, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a four-count Indictment against Semien and co-defendant Nicole Leigh Logsdon, 24, also of Lawton. The Indictment charged Semien with one count of first-degree premeditated murder, one alternative count of second-degree murder, and one count of illegally possessing a firearm after a previous felony conviction. Logsdon was separately charged with accessory after the fact to murder.
According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint against Semien, on May 17, 2023, Karon “Dinkers” Conneywerdy Smith, 68, was found dead in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Investigators searched Smith’s home, which was within Indian Country, and observed blood consistent with a violent struggle. Smith’s vehicle was missing as well. On May 21, 2023, Texas law enforcement observed Smith’s vehicle driving south of Dallas, Texas. Officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the vehicle fled at a high speed and eventually crashed into a lake. The two occupants of the vehicle, later identified as Semien and Logsdon, attempted to flee on foot but were apprehended.
Yesterday, Semien pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. As part of his plea, Semien admitted to deliberately and intentionally killing Smith.
On January 10, 2024, Logsdon pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder and admitted to helping Semien in his attempt to avoid arrest and prosecution.
At sentencing, Semien faces up to life in federal prison and Logsdon faces up to 15 years in federal prison.
This case is in federal court because Smith and Logsdon are enrolled members of the Comanche Nation and the murder occurred within Indian Country.
This case is a result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City, Dallas, and New Orleans field offices; the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Comanche Nation Police Department; the Comanche County Sheriff’s Office; the Lawton Police Department; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Rice, Texas Police Department; and the Navarro County, Texas Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark R. Stoneman is prosecuting this case.
The case furthers the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons efforts to address violence against Native American individuals. More information about this initiative is at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/mmip.
Reference is made to public filings for more information.