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30 May 2024
Eight Individuals Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiring to Steal Government Property from Anniston Army DepotRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Eight individuals have been sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to steal United States property from Anniston Army Depot (ANAD), announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona; Department of Defense Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Southeast Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Darrin Jones; Defense Logistics Agency Office of the Inspector General Deputy Inspector General Jerold Unruh; and United States Army Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent in Charge D. Todd Outlaw.
According to court documents and evidence presented during a trial, police officers with the Directorate of Emergency Services and other civilian employees at ANAD stole millions of dollars in military property from warehouses at the Depot over a period of several years and delivered it to middlemen. The middlemen delivered the stolen property to the owner of a military surplus store to sell. The conspirators split the money from the sale of the stolen property. The stolen items included equipment that was designed to be attached to military weapon systems to provide operators with instant nighttime engagement capabilities and/or improved target acquisition.
The following individuals were sentenced to federal prison in connection with their participation in the conspiracy:
Steve Bonner, 63, of Goodwater, a middleman, was found guilty of conspiracy to steal United States property following a four-day trial. The court sentenced him to 30 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $1,873,200 to the United States Department of Defense.
Jerry Baker, 63, of Hokes Bluff, a Captain with the Directorate of Emergency Services, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 25 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3,750,000 to the United States Department of Defense.
Kelvin Battle, 54, of Anniston, a Sergeant with the Directorate of Emergency Services, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 21 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $2,414,582 to the United States Department of Defense.
Eric Matraia, 54, of Munford, a guard with the Directorate of Emergency Services, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 16 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3,000,000 to the United States Department of Defense.
Shane Farthing, 42, of Gadsden, a guard with the Directorate of Emergency Services, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 15 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $707,000 to the United States Department of Defense.
Christopher Price, 55, of Childersburg, the owner of a military surplus store in Sylacauga, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 14 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3,940,940 to the United States Department of Defense.
James Kenneth Scott, 73, of Sylacauga, a middleman, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 12 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3,500,000 to the United States Department of Defense.
Scott Bunch, 54, of Alexandria, a Defense Logistics Agency supervisor, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 12 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3,750,000 to the United States Department of Defense.
“These sentences send a clear message that such criminal conduct will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “The successful investigation and prosecution of this case demonstrates the dedication of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors to ensure that these defendants were brought to justice.”
“I’m proud of the great work done by the investigative team and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring these government employees and their co-conspirators to justice,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Darrin K. Jones, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “Our office will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure those who steal from our military supply chain and degrade our combat readiness are held accountable.”
“This is the latest example of Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division working collaboratively with federal partners to relentlessly pursue those who conspire to steal government property,” said D. Todd Outlaw, Special Agent in Charge, Southern Field Office, Army CID. “Army CID will continue to protect Soldiers, families, civilians, and warfighting assets from crimes that affect readiness and warfighting capabilities in multi-domain operations.”
The Department of Defense Office of Inspector Defense Criminal Investigative Service and Defense Logistics Agency Office of Inspector General investigated the case with assistance from the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant United States Attorneys George Martin and Ryan Rummage prosecuted the cases.
D’Iberville Man Sentenced to over Eight Years in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – A D’Iberville man was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison followed by 17 years of supervised release for possession of visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Benjamin Lee Poiroux, 40, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Gulfport. Poiroux was also ordered to pay $74,000 in restitution and a $3,000 special assessment under the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
According to court documents, Poiroux was encountered by FBI agents at the Gulfport Airport and gave consent for his electronic devices to be forensically searched. The search of his iPad, laptop, and cellular telephone revealed he possessed over 1,300 visual images and 75 videos of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, also known as child sexual abuse materials.
Poiroux was indicted by a federal grand jury and pled guilty on February 22, 2024, to possession of visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Cyber Crime Division at the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Drug trafficker sent to prison for importing 22 kilos of cocaine through RGVRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 37-year-old resident of Sacramento, California, has been sentenced for his role in a conspiracy to import narcotics through the Rio Grande Valley for further distribution into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Shaun Michael Simmons pleaded guilty Oct. 11, 2023.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Simmons to serve 135 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Simmons had an aggravating role by acting in a leadership capacity over other members of the organization. In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane also noted Simmons’ criminal history.
On June 14, 2022, Dustin Oliver entered the United States from Mexico in a vehicle with an attached trailer through the Anzalduas Port of Entry in Mission. Upon initial inspection, law enforcement conducted an X-ray scan, observed anomalies in the trailer floor and referred Oliver to secondary inspection.
Through a physical search, law enforcement discovered 20 packages of narcotics concealed within aftermarket compartments located in the trailer floor.
The packages weighed approximately 22 kilograms and tested positive for cocaine.
The investigation revealed another co-conspirator, Ericka Iesha Thomas, recruited Oliver in Austin to import a controlled substance. Simmons had recruited Thomas to find an individual to transport narcotics from Mexico into the United States. Simmons coordinated and provided instructions for the pickup and drop off of the narcotics transport trailers and provided co-conspirators with money to make the trips to Mexico and back to the United States.
Both Oliver, 35, Indiana, and Thomas, 30, California, were previously sentenced to 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release for their respective roles in the conspiracy.
Simmons will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell prosecuted the case.
Detroit Man Sentenced to over Ten Years for Unlawfully Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A Detroit man, who shot at a victim during the course of a robbery, was sentenced to over ten years in prison, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Joshua Fordham, 30 was sentenced to 121 months in prison after having pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm before United States District Judge David M. Lawson in February 2024.
According to court records, in February 2023, Fordham followed a man out of a deli in Detroit. Surveillance video captured Fordham following the man to the parking lot, where Fordham took the man’s wallet at gunpoint. The man, who had a concealed pistol license, shot at Fordham, striking Fordham in the chest. Fordham fired a shot back at the man but did not strike him. Fordham was a convicted felon at the time and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm.
“This defendant’s actions put everyone in that public parking lot in serious danger that day, and we are fortunate that no one was killed,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. “Today’s sentence appropriately reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct, and our continued commitment to keep our community safe by removing the drivers of violence.”
"Mr. Fordham, a convicted felon, demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law by possessing an illegal firearm which enabled him to carry out a violent attack against the victim outside a Detroit establishment," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "His sentencing significantly contributes to reducing the number of violent crimes in Michigan involving illegal weapons. I commend the FBI's Detroit Violent Gang Task Force for their outstanding commitment to apprehending offenders who continue to terrorize our communities with illegally possessed firearms."
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ranya Elzein.
Detroit Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Assaulting and Strangling Nurse PractitionerRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A Detroit man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for assaulting, strangling, and injuring a nurse practitioner in a federal detention facility, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Cheyvoryea Gibson, FBI Special Agent in Charge.
Tyjuan Gray, 24, was sentenced by United States District Judge Terrence G. Berg.
According to court records, in July 2023, Gray, an inmate at FCI Milan, attacked at a nurse during a routine medical visit. Gray grabbed the nurse’s throat, hitting her head against the wall. Gray held the nurse’s wrists so that she was unable to radio for help or defend herself. When the victim fell to the floor, Gray kneed her in the stomach while restraining her and strangling her. Just as she was nearing unconsciousness, another inmate pulled Gray off the victim, allowing her to activate her alarm. Afterwards, the victim required medical treatment from the effects of strangulation.
“This defendant perpetrated an unprovoked, egregious assault on a healthcare professional providing him with medical care. His actions not only caused her physical injury but took away her ability to feel safe at work and left her with emotional scars that will last a lifetime. The prosecution and sentence in this case should send a strong message that we will address violence wherever it occurs,” U.S. Attorney Ison said.
“The defendant’s assault of his nurse was unjustifiable and completely unacceptable, considering the defendant was receiving routine medical care,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “This sentencing reflects the seriousness of his despicable actions and hopefully provides the nurse with a bit of solace knowing justice was served."
This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Hindelang.
Defendant Pleads Guilty to Threatening a Congressional Staff Member and Making 12,000 Harassing Telephone Calls to Members of CongressRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Ade Salim Lilly, 35, of Queens, NY, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in threatening to kill a Congressional staff member and for making repeated harassing phone calls to members of Congress, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the U.S. Capitol Police.
Lilly pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly to two federal charges: interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure and repeated telephone calls. The threat charge carries a maximum sentence of five years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine; the count of repeated phone calls carries a maximum of two years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. A federal judge will determine Lilly’s sentence based on the federal guidelines determined by Congress. Judge Kelly scheduled sentencing for August 28, 2024.
“Threatening another person’s safety or life is a crime, not protected speech,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “This case should send a clear message that while people are secure in their rights to express themselves, they are not allowed to threaten people and those who do will be held accountable.”
According to court documents, beginning about February 1, 2022, and continuing until his arrest in this case in Puerto Rico on November 8, 2023, Lilly made over 12,000 telephone calls to approximately 54 offices of Members of Congress across the country, both in district offices located in various U.S. States and to offices located in Washington, D.C.
Of the calls to congressional offices, more than 6,526 were made by Lilly to offices within the District of Columbia. Lilly placed the calls while he was in Maryland or Puerto Rico.
Most of these phone calls were answered by congressional staff members or interns. In some of these telephone calls, Lilly became angry and use vulgar and harassing language towards the individual who answered the phone. Congressional staff repeatedly asked Lilly to refrain from calling. U.S. Capitol Police informed Lilly on multiple occasions that his phone calls were unwanted, and due to a harassing nature, were prohibited by law.
To avoid detection and to trick congressional staff to answer his phone calls, Lilly masked his phone number. Lilly made at least one phone call during which he threatened to kill or injure the person who answered. On October 21, 2022, Lilly called into a congressional office in Washington D.C., threatening a staff member. “I will kill you, I am going to run you over, I will kill you with a bomb or grenade,” Lilly told the employee. In addition to the threatening phone calls, Lilly repeatedly called Congressional offices. For example, during two-days in February 2023, Lilly called one congressional representative more than 500 times.
In response, Lilly was indicted, and the U.S. Capitol Police deployed agents to arrest Lilly on November 14, 2023, in Puerto Rico.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police with valuable assistance from the United States Marshal’s Service. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander R. Schneider.
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Dallas Man Sentenced for Role in Human Smuggling OrganizationRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A Dallas man was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 84 months in prison for conspiracy to transport undocumented noncitizens.
According to court documents, Sedrick Zelitis Smith, 47, was a member of a human smuggling organization, coordinating transport of migrants who arrived in Laredo from Mexico, serving as the go-between for organization leadership and load drivers during smuggling events, and assisting in the theft and procurement of tractor trailers. On multiple occasions, Smith traveled between Dallas, San Antonio and Laredo to assist with smuggling loads. He also served as a driver for the organization, smuggling migrants from Laredo to San Antonio, using his commercial driver’s license.
Smith’s arrest was the result of an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations beginning in May 2021. Agents learned that the human smuggling organization had smuggled more than 900 migrants from Laredo to San Antonio inside tractor trailers in at least 19 human smuggling events. The loads ranged from approximately 30 migrants to more than 100 packed into a single trailer.
Nine others have been indicted in the case. Bryan Adamson, Ronnie Joe Branch, Eliseo Loredo, Rodney Edward Shavers, Mark Algie Holliday, Francisco Arredondo-Colmenero, and Debbie Marie Gonzales await court proceedings.
Fredi Zagala-Servin was sentenced in April to 97 months in prison for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens.
Norman Lee Walker Jr. was arrested May 21.
“With the rise of human smuggling in recent years, it is absolutely critical that we send a message to criminals throughout all levels of these organizations that their crimes at the expense of vulnerable individuals are serious, they are dangerous, and we are here to readily prosecute,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “I appreciate the dedication of our partners at HSI and our Joint Task Force Alpha initiative. Their efforts have been essential in taking down this HSO and many others. We’ll continue to dismantle these groups and serve justice together.”
“Justice was served for a human smuggler responsible for coordinating the transportation of hundreds of noncitizens from Laredo to San Antonio. These noncitizens were crammed into tractor trailers, during multiple smuggling events in the stifling Texas heat,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for HSI San Antonio. “HSI is committed to aggressively target human smugglers and smuggling organizations who continually victimize people for profit.”
HSI and JTFA investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Brown prosecuted the case.
The indictments and convictions of these defendants are the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas is part of JTFA, which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland created JTFA in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen the Justice Department’s efforts to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous smuggling emanating from Central America and impacting our border communities. JTFA is comprised of detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of Texas, the Western District of Texas, the District of New Mexico, the District of Arizona, and the Southern District of California. Dedicated support is also provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division that are part of JTFA, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), and supported by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT), the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS), the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), the Office of Enforcement Operations (OEO), the Office of International Affairs (OIA), and the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in over 295 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; over 230 U.S. convictions; 170+ significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.
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Conspiracy Hatched over Instagram Leads to Waterville Man’s Guilty Plea for Firearms TheftRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Waterville man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to conspiring to steal firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer and stealing firearms from that dealer.
According to court records, in April 2022, Damiean Marcial-Alexander, 21, and a coconspirator broke into a Waterville firearms dealer and stole multiple firearms, including a Glock, Model 17 Gen5 9mm pistol and a Smith & Wesson .38 special revolver. According to an ATF Theft/Loss Report submitted by the store owner, 15 firearms in all were reported stolen, six revolvers and nine semi-automatic pistols. Evidence collected included Instagram and text messages planning the theft, including a map to the location from Marcial-Alexander’s apartment, as well as photos of the two men holding some of the stolen firearms.
Marcial-Alexander faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine followed by up to three years of supervised release. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistance from the Waterville Police Department.
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Cleveland Resident Pleads Guilty to Committing Drug Trafficking and Firearm Crimes in Western PennsylvaniaRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Cleveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty in federal court to drug trafficking and firearm crimes, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Justin Nichols, 30, pleaded guilty before United States Senior District Judge David Stewart Cercone to committing the following crimes on July 3, 2023: (1) possession with intent to distribute of 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin and of a quantity of cocaine at an address in Sharon, Pennsylvania; (2) possession with intent to distribute of 40 grams or more of fentanyl, of 100 grams or more of heroin, and of a quantity of cocaine at a second location in Sharon; and (3) possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing for October 3, 2024. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The Mercer County Drug Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Nichols.
Clearwater Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Receiving and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. has sentenced Peter Fajardo (52, Clearwater) to 12 years in federal prison for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. The court also ordered Fajardo to pay restitution to the victims of the offense. Fajardo entered a guilty plea on January 4, 2024.
According to court documents, on seven occasions in 2022, FBI agents downloaded multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse material associated with a computer in Fajardo’s home. A search warrant executed at Fajardo’s home in 2023 revealed more than 2,500 images and over 100 videos of child sexual abuse material. Additionally, agents found multiple videos filmed by Fajardo where he rubbed and played with the feet of a 10-year-old girl. Fajardo explained to agents that he has a “foot fetish” and a “sexual fascination” with feet.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Orlando Resident Agency with assistance from the Lakeland Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Chief Operating Officer of International Cargo Airline Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Defrauding His EmployerRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that LARS WINKELBAUER was sentenced to four years in prison by U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman in connection with a massive scheme to defraud Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc. (“Polar”), a leading cargo airline, of more than $32 million dollars in revenue. WINKELBAUER previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Lars Winkelbauer abused his high-level position at Polar for over a decade, extracting millions of dollars in kickbacks for himself and causing tens of millions of dollars of harm to the company. The substantial sentence imposed today sends an important message: corporate corruption doesn’t pay.”
According to the charging documents and other filings and statements made in court:
From at least about 2009 through about July 2021, LARS WINKELBAUER and at least nine other individuals participated in a massive scheme to defraud Polar. At all relevant times, WINKELBAUER and three co-defendants were senior executives of Polar (the “Executive Defendants”), and six co-defendants (the “Vendor Defendants”) owned and operated various Polar vendors and customers.
The Executive Defendants agreed to accept millions of dollars in kickbacks from the Vendor Defendants, and also reaped substantial financial benefits as a result of their secret ownership interests in certain Polar vendors, in exchange for ensuring that those vendors received favorable business arrangements with Polar. The fraud they perpetrated — which involved a substantial portion of Polar’s senior management and at least 10 customers and vendors of Polar — led to pervasive corruption of Polar’s business, touching nearly every aspect of the company’s operations for over a decade.
As a result of the scheme, the Executive Defendants, along with two co-conspirators who also worked as senior executives at Polar, received unlawful payments, either directly or through various limited liability companies they controlled, in excess of approximately $23 million in kickback payments or disbursements as a result of their ownership of conflicted companies.
WINKELBAUER was Polar’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President and was the most senior of the Executive Defendants. He personally received kickbacks connected to approximately 11 separate vendors or customers of Polar totaling over $6 million. He also attempted to conceal the illegal kickback payments through a sophisticated money laundering scheme, including via falsified invoices and the use of shell companies in China.
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In addition to the prison term, WINKELBAUER, 48, of Bangkok, Thailand, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. WINKELBAUER was also ordered to forfeit $6,774,039.30 and to make restitution to Polar in the amount of $32,902,847.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Reilly, Danielle Kudla, Kevin Mead, and Qais Ghafary are in charge of the prosecution.
Charlotte Woman Is Sentenced to Prison for Dealing in Firearms Without A LicenseRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kayrin English, 27, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for dealing in firearms without a license, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, joins U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court records and today’s sentencing hearing, ATF agents learned that between February 2020 and August 2021, English had applied for 36 firearm purchase permits. ATF agents also learned that in September 2021, English had applied for an additional seven firearm purchase permits. ATF agents approached English when she arrived to collect the seven permits and conducted a consensual interview. During the interview, English told ATF agents that she would generally obtain the permits and use them to purchase firearms, which she would then resell for profit to individuals who were prohibited from owning or purchasing their own firearms. Court records show that English admitted to ATF agents that, since January 2021, she had illegally sold approximately 15 to 20 firearms. English also told ATF agents that most of the illegal firearms transactions were local, however, she had previously travelled to New Jersey where she sold several firearms she had purchased in Charlotte.
On October 31, 2023, English pleaded guilty to dealing in firearms without a license. She is currently released on bond and will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The ATF led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Cory Thomas, 33, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to possession of prepubescent child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 7, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Thomas’ residence in Charleston and seized his cell phone and other electronic devices. An analysis of the electronic devices revealed numerous digital image and video files of child pornography.
Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on September 12, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Thomas must also register as a sex offender.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander A. Redmon is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-43.
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Buffalo man pleads guilty to selling drugs that led to an overdose deathRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Justin Hall, 33, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to distribution of cocaine, fentanyl, and para-fluorofentanyl, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $1,000,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey N. Jacovetti, who is handling the case, stated that on April 18, 2022, Sweat sold cocaine to a regular customer identified as V.O. On April 20, 2022, law enforcement officers and emergency personnel arrived at V.O.’s residence and determined that V.O. was deceased. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be acute mixed drug intoxication, to include cocaine, fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl, and tramadol. Subsequently, on May 19 and May 26, 2022, investigators made two controlled purchases of cocaine from Sweat.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, III, New York Field Division, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 18, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.
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Brockton Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Coercing at Least Three Minors to Engage in Sexually Explicit ConductRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for coercing three minors to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Zaire Aquil Lodge, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to 15 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release. In January 2024, Lodge pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of receipt of child pornography.
On various dates in 2021, Lodge created a false online persona of a teenage boy which he used to convince at least three minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct and send him sexualized images of themselves. Additionally, Lodge knowingly received and attempted to receive CSAM between February and October 2021.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Brazilian Man Indicted for Visa Fraud and PerjuryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brazilian man, residing in Malden, was indicted yesterday for using and possessing a fraudulently obtained visa to enter the United States and lying on his asylum application. Upon applying for a U.S. Visa, the defendant allegedly never disclosed to U.S. Immigration authorities his involvement in the murders of 11 people, mostly teenagers, in Brazil in retaliation for the death of a police officer, an incident known as the The Slaughter of Curió.
Antonio Jose De Abreu Vidal Filho, 30, was indicted on two counts of visa fraud, two counts of perjury and one count of falsifying, concealing and covering up a material fact. Following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston yesterday, De Abreu was ordered detained pending a hearing scheduled for June 5, 2024.
According to the indictment, in April 2014, De Abreu joined the Ceara State Military Police – Brazilian state forces who, under the governor, do first line policing on the street. It is alleged that in the early morning hours of Nov. 12, 2015, numerous Brazilian military police officers employed by the government of the Brazilian state of Ceará, including De Abreu, participated in a mass killing event of primarily young people from the impoverished neighborhoods of Barroso, Messejana, Guajeru, Curió and Lagoa Redonda in the capital of Ceará. The killing was in retaliation for the death of another police officer earlier that evening who was shot and killed in the Lagoa Redonda neighborhood, attempting to defend his wife who was being assaulted. In total, 11 people, mostly teenagers, were murdered and many others seriously injured and tortured. This incident has come to be known as A Chacina do Curió or The Slaughter of Curió or The Curió Massacre. A total of 45 individuals, including De Abreu, were charged by the Brazilian authorities and, on Aug. 31, 2016, De Abreu was arrested and detained by the Brazilian police. He was subsequently released pending trial on May 24, 2017.
According to the indictment, two weeks later, on June 9, 2017, while in Recife, Brazil, De Abreu applied for a United States non-immigrant B2 visitor visa. When asked whether he had ever been arrested or convicted for any offense or crime, De Abreu responded “no.” Thereafter, on or about June 21, 2017, the United States Department of State approved De Abreu’s Visa Application and issued him the B2 Visa based upon his alleged false representations in the Visa Application. De Abreu used the B2 Visa and travelled to Miami on May 30, 2018.
Between May 30, 2018 through Aug. 14, 2023, as a result of the approval of his Visa Application, De Abreu obtained various state driver’s licenses, a social security card, travel documents and authorizations for employment.
On Jan. 29, 2020, De Abreu applied for asylum. It is alleged that De Abreau lied when asked whether he had ever been accused, charged, arrested, detained, interrogated and imprisoned in any country other than the United States. He also allegedly failed to disclose his arrest and detention in Brazil when he applied for adjustment of status with United States Citizenship and Immigration Service.
On June 25, 2023, De Abreu was convicted of 11 counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and four counts of physical and mental torture in the First Court of Fortaleza, Ceará. That same day, De Abreu was sentenced to 275 years and 11 months in prison and an arrest warrant issued.On Feb. 9, 2024, De Abreu testified under oath at an immigration hearing conducted by the Immigration Court. At that hearing, De Abreu falsely claimed that he had never lied to immigration officials and that the only reason he had left off important information on immigration documents filed with the United States government was because he had not yet been arrested.
The charge of misuse of visas, permits and other documents provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of perjury provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of falsifying, concealing, and covering up a material fact provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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; Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Bradley Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Boston Field Office; and Mathew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Denis C. Riordan, District Director of the Fraud Detection and National Security Division of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. This matter was investigated with the assistance of the United States Interagency Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura J. Kaplan of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bradenton Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle today sentenced Roger Lee Caldwell, Jr. (41, Bradenton) to life in prison for producing child sexual abuse material, transporting minors with intent to engage in sexual activity, and possession of child sexual abuse material. Caldwell was found guilty by a federal jury on February 8, 2024.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Caldwell sexually abused two minor victims over a period of six years and produced an image of one of the minor victims while forcing the victim to engage in a sex act. The image, recovered from Caldwell’s cell phone, depicted Caldwell wearing a uniquely designed belt, the same belt worn by Caldwell at the time of his arrest.
In March 2022, Caldwell travelled alone with both victims, out of state, where he repeatedly sexually abused them. Upon their return to Florida, both victims disclosed the sexual abuse to family members and law enforcement.
Caldwell’s sexual interest in children was confirmed upon law enforcement’s discovery of his collection of child sexual abuse material on a computer located during a search of the family’s home.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Bradenton Police Department, the Palmetto Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Stacie B. Harris, Courtney Derry, Abigail King, and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Lisa Thelwell.
Biloxi Restaurant and its Co-Owner Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Misbrand SeafoodRead the Press Release
Gulfport, MS – A Mississippi corporation operating as Mary Mahoney’s Old French House restaurant in Biloxi, Mississippi, pled guilty today to conspiracy to misbrand seafood and wire fraud. A co-owner/manager of the restaurant also pled guilty to misbranding of seafood.
According to court documents, Mary Mahoney’s Old French House, Inc., pled guilty to a felony Information, filed April 26, 2024, charging the corporation with conspiracy to misbrand seafood and wire fraud in connection with a scheme that began as early as 2002 and continued through November of 2019. Mahoney’s, founded in 1962, admitted that between December 2013 and November 2019, it and its co-conspirators, fraudulently sold as local premium species, approximately 58,750 pounds (over 29 tons) of fish that was frozen and imported from Africa, India, and South America. Additionally, Anthony Charles Cvitanovich, 55, a co-owner/manager at the restaurant, pled guilty to a felony Information, also filed April 26, 2024, charging him with misbranding of seafood during 2018 and 2019.
Cvitanovich admitted that between 2018 and 2019 alone, he was involved in mislabeling approximately 17,190 pounds of fish sold at the restaurant. The scheme involved the fraudulent sale of fish by Mahoney’s and its wholesale supplier that was described on Mahoney’s menu as premium higher priced local species, such as snapper and grouper from the Gulf of Mexico, when the fish was actually other species from abroad, including Lake Victoria Perch from Africa, Triple Tail from Suriname, and Unicorn Filefish from India. Genetic testing of fish by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed the fraudulent scheme.
“When people spend their hard-earned dollars to enjoy the incredible local seafood on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, they should get what they paid for, not frozen fish from overseas,” said U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi. “Mislabeling food and defrauding customers are serious crimes, and this case will help convince restaurants and seafood suppliers that it is not worth lying to customers about what is on the menu.”
“U.S. consumers expect their seafood to be correctly identified. When sellers purposefully substitute one fish species for another, they deceive consumers and cause potential food safety hazards to be overlooked or misidentified by processors or end users,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin Fielder, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Miami Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who put profits above public health.”
Mary Mahoney’s Old French House, Inc. and Anthony Charles Cvitanovich are scheduled to be sentenced on September 12, 2024. Mary Mahoney’s Old French House, Inc. faces a maximum penalty of five years’ probation and a $500,000 fine, or not more than the greater of twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss, whichever is greater. Cvitanovich faces a maximum penalty of three years of prison and a $10,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi made the announcement.
The Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones and Senior Trial Attorney Jeremy F. Korzenik of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division are prosecuting the case.
Beaver County Farmer and Employee Sentenced for Using Toxic Pesticide to Kill Migratory BirdsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Two Western Pennsylvania men were sentenced on May 29, 2024, for their use of a toxic, banned pesticide to kill migratory birds, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy sentenced farm operator Robert Yost, 52, of New Galilee, to a year of probation, a $21,000 fine, and 100 hours of community service. Judge Hardy sentenced Jacob Reese, 27, an employee of Yost and resident of Enon Valley, to a year of probation, a $5,500 fine, and 50 hours of community service. Yost and Reese were found guilty by Judge Hardy in January 2024 following their October 2022 bench trial.
The evidence presented at trial established that, in June 2020, Yost—as operator of Yost Farms in Beaver County, Pennsylvania—and his employee Reese conspired to kill migratory birds present on leased farmland operated by Yost Farms using carbofuran, a registered restricted-use pesticide. The Environmental Protection Agency concluded no later than 2009 that the risks for all uses of carbofuran were unacceptable and that all products containing carbofuran generally caused unreasonable adverse effects on humans and the environment. As part of the conspiracy, Yost directed Reese to spread whole kernel corn coated in carbofuran in and around a leased field used for soybean cultivation where children were regularly present. The tainted corn attracted protected migratory birds that were killed within a short distance of where they ingested the corn.
Yost and Reese thereafter took steps to conceal their efforts to poison and kill the migratory birds, including destroying the feed bag containing the carbofuran-laced whole corn kernel. When confronted by officials from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Reese and Yost also lied about their use of poisoned corn to kill the birds. In total, Yost and Reese were responsible for killing approximately 17 Canada geese, 10 red-winged blackbirds, and one mallard duck.
Yost and Reese were each convicted of one count of conspiracy, one count of violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act for their use of carbofuran, and one count of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The Court indicated at sentencing that the defendants’ required community service should be focused on wildlife conservation or farm safety.
In imposing the sentences, Judge Hardy emphasized that the defendants’ crimes were serious, created a risk to the environment, and harmed the public’s trust in the source of their food. The Court also highlighted the defendants’ lack of remorse and noted that imposing a term of community service would serve to redeem the public’s trust in safe and ethical farming.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jacqueline C. Brown and Nicole A. Stockey and Special Assistant United States Attorney Perry D. McDaniel prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Office of Law Enforcement, Environmental Protection Agency - Criminal Investigation Division, Pennsylvania Game Commission, and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Yost and Reese.
Baton Rouge City Parish-Contractor Indicted for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury recently returned an indictment charging Blake Joseph Steiner, age 37, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with distribution of child pornography. Steiner appeared for his arraignment and pled not guilty to the pending charge.
According to the criminal complaint that preceded the indictment, in March 2024, Steiner sent a video of child pornography to an undercover agent. The video depicts a child engaging in sexually explicit conduct with an adult male. Steiner also expressed his sexual interests in children to the undercover agent, which included incest and bestiality.
Distribution of child pornography is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20–40 years in prison, depending on sentencing enhancements. Steiner also faces potential sex offender registration, supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Louisiana State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jene C. Clayton.
NOTE: An indictment is an accusation by a grand jury. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.
Bank Manager Admits Coordinating Multistate COVID-19 Relief Program Fraud Scheme; New York Man Admits Laundering ProceedsRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A former branch manager of a national financial institution today admitted using his position to organize a conspiracy to help individuals obtain at least 38 fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling approximately $5 million, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. U.S. Attorney Sellinger also announced that a New York man admitted laundering the proceeds of one of the fraudulent PPP loans.
Tommy Hawkins, 61, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams to one count of bank fraud conspiracy. Sieff Robert Sargeant, 44, of Island Park, New York, pleaded guilty before Judge Williams to one count of money laundering.
According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in court:
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted in March 2020 and was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through a program referred to as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). To obtain a PPP loan, a qualifying small business was required to apply and provide information on its operations, including the number of employees and expenses. In addition, businesses generally had to provide supporting documentation.
In 2020 and early 2021, Hawkins worked as the branch manager of the Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, branch of a national bank that was accepting Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. Hawkins worked with Eric Rivera, Lisa Smith, and others to recruit individuals who owned companies with little or no operations to open bank accounts at Hawkins’ branch and apply for PPP loans. Hawkins helped the recruited individuals submit PPP loan applications that contained materially false representations about the companies’ number of employees and payroll expenses. The applications also included false documentation, including tax forms. Based on these applications, Hawkins’ bank approved at least 38 PPP loans and disbursed approximately $5 million. Hawkins received incentive compensation through the bank for opening business bank accounts for the companies that received fraudulent PPP loans and also had an agreement with Rivera and Smith for them to pay Hawkins $5,000 of the loan proceeds for each PPP loan that Hawkins helped to obtain.
In April 2021, Sargeant’s business received a PPP loan based on a fraudulent application that was submitted through Hawkins’ branch. Sargeant then paid another individual, James Wessels, to create fake payroll checks. Sargeant distributed fake payroll checks to a friend, who cashed the checks and returned the majority of the cash to Sargeant. This was done to conceal that the proceeds actually were being spent on non-payroll expenses.
The count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud is punishable by a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The count of money laundering is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Hawkins’ sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 3, 2024; Sargeant’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 2, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of the Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Patricia Tarasca; special agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs in Philadelphia; special agents of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Boston-New York Field Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley Parker; and special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman and Attorney-in-Charge Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations against Rivera, Smith, and Wessels are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
hawkins.information.pdf sargeant.information.pdfAvery County Man Is Sentenced to Prison for Making A Destructive Device and Related ChargesRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – An Avery County man was sentenced today to 97 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for making a destructive device and related offenses, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, Robert Schurmeier, Director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NC SBI), and Sheriff Mike Henley of the Avery County Sheriff’s Office, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
Thomas Dewey Taylor, Jr., 45, of Newland, N.C., previously pleaded guilty to attempting to damage and destroy a building used in interstate commerce by fire and explosive, possession of an unregistered National Firearms Act weapon, and making a destructive device. U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger imposed Taylor’s sentence today in federal court.
According to court records and today’s sentencing hearing, Taylor was a former employee of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, Inc. (GMHG), located in Linville, N.C. On September 27, 2021, Taylor disabled the alarm system to the GMHG office, turned off the main power breaker, and hid a destructive device in an office closet. The destructive device consisted of a 48-quart cooler housing fuses bundled together and tied to an electric burner hotplate. The fuses ran to fireworks and containers of ignitable liquids. The hotplate was plugged into an extension cord which was plugged into an electrical receptacle in the closet. Also inside the cooler was a glass pitcher with rocks and a PVC pipe bomb. Court records show that the destructive device was constructed so it would ignite once someone turned on the main power breaker, resulting in an explosion designed to cause property damage, injury, and death to persons nearby.
Taylor remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending placement by the Bureau of Prisons.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the ATF, the NC SBI, and the Avery County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, prosecuted the case.
Allen Park Man Sentenced to over 5 Years in Prison for Pandemic Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
DETROIT – An Allen Park resident was sentenced today for defrauding the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (MUIA) out of approximately $512,000 as part of a pandemic unemployment insurance fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Niebel was also sentenced to a three-year term of supervised release and ordered to pay $512,000 in restitution to the MUIA.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Daniel Loza, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Charles Miller of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations Detroit Field Office and Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency Director Julia Dale.
Christopher Niebel, 46, was sentenced to 63 months in prison after having pleaded guilty in February 2024 to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft before United States District Judge Stephen J. Murphy III.
According to court documents, at the beginning of the pandemic, Niebel owned and operated a tax preparation service (“Tax Guy Chris”) in Allen Park, Michigan. Niebel also worked seasonally as a manager for Party City, a retail chain selling party supplies. Through his employment at Party City, Niebel had access to the files of individuals who had worked or applied to work at the company. These files included the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s I-9 employment verification forms of Party City employees and applicants, in which the applicants documented their eligibility for employment in the United States. In approximately 2019, Niebel stole a number of these I-9 forms from Party City, which contained a substantial volume of personal identifying information of the applicants (including names, social security numbers, and dates of birth). Niebel filed these documents away for his future use.
Once pandemic unemployment assistance funds became available, Niebel used the PII he had appropriated from Party City in a scheme to defraud the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency by submitting fictitious claims for those benefits. Specifically, Niebel submitted electronic applications seeking pandemic unemployment benefits using the personal identifying information of applicants for jobs with Party City, without the authorization, approval, or knowledge of those individuals. Niebel intentionally used the names and identifying information of individuals who were not from Michigan in submitting these claims, correctly surmising that such individuals would be unlikely to have submitted their own unemployment insurance claims in Michigan and thus making detection less likely.
Niebel opened numerous bank accounts in Michigan in order to capture the pandemic unemployment assistance funds, which were wired to those accounts. After obtaining the funds from these fraudulent unemployment assistance applications, Niebel spent the money on a variety of personal expenses, including food, lodging, lottery tickets, casino gambling, and transportation. Over the course of the scheme, Niebel obtained approximately $512,000 in pandemic unemployment assistance funds to which he was not entitled.
“Christopher Niebel stole over half a million dollars in funds intended to help unemployed Michigan citizens during an unprecedented pandemic. His theft of pandemic unemployment assistance followed his theft of the personal identifying information of numerous people from a previous employer,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. “My office is committed to holding to account all of those who illegally obtained Covid relief funds for their private gain.”
"Christopher Niebel filed fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims in the names of identity theft victims which caused him to receive UI benefits to which he was not entitled. He enriched himself by defrauding a program that was intended to assist struggling American workers during an unprecedented global pandemic," said Daniel Loza, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. "We and our law enforcement partners are committed to identifying and prosecuting the criminals who took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic by using stolen identities to fraudulently obtain pandemic-related UI benefits."
“It’s astounding the selfish schemes fraudsters cook up to steal money meant for hard-working Michiganders,” said Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency Director Julia Dale. “At the start of the pandemic, so many people needed help and all Chris Niebel thought about was how he could game the system for his personal gain. His actions – and those of more than 160 others who have been charged with unemployment fraud – erode the public’s trust. We are winning back the public’s trust with wide-ranging reforms that position the Michigan UIA as a national model for fast, fair, and fraud-free service.”
“Today’s sentencing of Christopher Niebel sends a clear message to anyone who intends to commit criminal actions against the U.S. government and innocent taxpayers,” said Charles Miller, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation (CI), Detroit Field Office. “Stealing innocent victims’ personal information to use in fleecing a government program created to help those in their time of need is reprehensible and CI is dedicated to working with our law enforcement partners to root out these criminals and hold them accountable.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John K. Neal. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations Division.
Adams County Man Sentenced for Straw Purchasing FirearmsRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Donovyn Lee Smallwood, age 25, of McSherrystown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on May 29, 2024, to 12 months and one day imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson following his conviction for straw purchasing four firearms for individuals who were prohibited from possessing firearms.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Smallwood previously pleaded guilty to these offenses, which involved Smallwood’s purchase of a total of four 9mm handguns on two separate occasions in September 2021 from a licensed firearms dealer. At the time of the purchases, Smallwood falsely stated that he was the actual purchaser. One of the firearms was subsequently used in a homicide and a separate carjacking.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Baltimore Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams prosecuted the case.
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29 May 2024
Volusia County Man Indicted for Attempting to Entice A 13-Year-Old to Produce Child Sexual Abuse PhotosRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Shane Christopher Abrams (36, Deland) with attempting to entice a 13-year-old to produce and send him photos depicting child sexual abuse. If convicted, Abrams faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison. He also faces a potential lifetime of supervised release. On May 20, 2024, Abrams was arrested by FBI agents at his place of employment in South Daytona.
According to court documents, on April 3, 2024, an undercover FBI agent posing as a 13-year-old child engaged in text conversation on a particular online social media application with a user named “Malicious_Malediction,” who was subsequently identified as Abrams. During this conversation, the “child” advised that “she” was 13 years old, and Abrams asked “her” questions about her body and discussed masturbation. The next day, Abrams provided the “child” with his cellphone number, and their conversation continued by text messaging. Between April 4 and April 20, 2024, Abrams and the “child” exchanged numerous text messages, and Abrams sent the “child” several explicit photos that he claimed were of himself. On several occasions during their text conversation, Abrams asked the “child” to produce and send him by text message explicit photos of “herself.” Abrams also gave the “child” specific and sexually explicit instructions regarding exactly how to comply with his request.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
It is another 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.justice.gov/psc.
Violent No Rats Allowed Member Sentenced for Possessing a Machine Gun and Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Bartwone Copeland, a previously convicted felon and member of the “No Rats Allowed” crew, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison in connection with his possession of firearms, including a machinegun, and distribution of fentanyl. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division; and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Copeland, 28, of Southwest Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on December 4, 2023, to unlawful possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. In addition to the 144-month prison term, the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich today ordered Copeland to serve five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Copeland was a member of “NRA” or “No Rats Allowed,” a street crew that trafficked drugs out of townhouses on the 200 block of K Street SW. NRA also used the homes as stash locations or “trap houses” for narcotics and firearms. Copeland sold controlled substances, including crack-cocaine and marijuana, but primarily focused his business on pills laced with fentanyl that he had arranged to be shipped to the District from California.
At the time of each of Copeland’s two arrests, he was in possession of Glock 23 .40 caliber handguns with obliterated serial numbers and extended magazines.
On November 3, 2021, MPD officers and FBI agents executed a search warrant at “the Dope Hole,” a trap house Copeland operated on the 200 block of K Street SW. Inside the townhome, officers encountered Copeland, aka “Bart” aka “Shmoney,” and four other people. Copeland was the only person in the kitchen. In the kitchen officers recovered about 37 grams of crack cocaine, 457 blue pills containing fentanyl (approximately 48.6 grams), about 980 grams of suspected marijuana, $1,686 on his person, and another $7,010 in a Prada bag. Police found three firearms in a kitchen drawer. One of the guns was a Glock 23 pistol that had been modified with a “switch” converting it into a fully automatic machine gun that could fire 20 shots with the single pull of a trigger. At the time of that arrest, Copeland was on escape status, as he had absconded from a halfway house.
On November 7, 2022, a week after his initial indictment, FBI agents stopped Copeland driving an Infiniti sedan after following him from the District to the Camden Potomac Yard Apartments in Arlington, Va. In Copeland’s lap was a bag which included $3,500 in cash, and a baggie containing 957 blue pills containing fentanyl. From Copeland’s waistband, FBI agents recovered a Glock 23, 40mm pistol loaded with a 22-round magazine. The firearm had an obliterated serial number. Copeland admitted that he had possessed the firearm, which had traveled in interstate commerce. After obtaining a search warrant, agents searched Copeland’s Alexandria apartment and recovered 57.8 grams of suspected crack-cocaine inside a pair of Dior shoes and about $5,000 in cash.
Across these two arrests Mr. Copeland possessed more than 1,400 pills with a total weight of more than 150 grams. However, text messages on Copeland’s digital devices indicated that he was trafficking in much larger amounts. Text messages suggest that over two weeks in August 2022, Mr. Copeland purchased 20,000 pills—an amount that would likely weigh well over a kilogram. Furthermore, although the pills looked like legitimate Oxycodone pills, Copeland knew they contained fentanyl, as he shared a news article about a drug bust involving “[his] folks” that identified the blue pills as containing fentanyl.
Copeland has an extensive criminal history that includes a conviction in D.C. Superior Court for assault with a dangerous weapon, a conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm, a guilty plea for attempt to commit robbery, and numerous violations of the terms of his supervised release.
This case was investigated by the MPD and the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Song and Joshua Gold.
22cr0378
United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison Announces First of Its Kind Civil Action in District to Combat International Fraud RingRead the Press Release
DETROIT – United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today that a Jackson resident has agreed to a court order preventing her from participating in behavior that facilitates a suspected international fraud ring. This civil action is the first of its kind in the Eastern District of Michigan and is part of a broader trend in recent years by the Department of Justice to disrupt international fraud rings that target United States citizens through fake social media profiles.
As part of a civil consent decree approved by U.S. District Judge Paul D. Borman, Holly Locke, 70, is permanently prohibited from assisting, facilitating, or participating in any romance scam. A romance scam is typically a scheme in which an individual starts talking to a stranger they meet online, not knowing the stranger intends to defraud them. Eventually, after developing a friendship or romantic relationship, the fraudster will ask the victim to send them money based on false representations about the need for the funds. If the victim does not have money to send, sometimes the fraudster will use that person as a money transmitter by routing payments from other victims to that person and instructing that person to transfer the money to the fraudster. A money transmitter plays a critical role in the scheme, by receiving the money from other victims and obscuring the transfer of funds from those victims to the fraudster.
Locke is alleged to have acted as a money transmitter after meeting and developing a romantic relationship with a fraudster online. Once the relationship developed, Locke then began receiving numerous packages from strangers containing money, which she passed on to her purported fiancé/husband. The money was sent from victims who believed they were assisting their own online romantic partners and friends. Locke did not admit liability as part of the consent decree.
“This office is committed to using every tool at our disposal to protect Americans from fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. “This consent decree cuts off the flow of money from the victims to the international fraudsters behind these scams. In an increasingly online world, people are under constant threat from unscrupulous people trying to compromise personal information or otherwise defraud them. This case should put fraudsters on notice that we will protect our citizens from this particularly cruel type of victimization.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to safeguarding all Americans from individuals who attempt to exploit them through fraudulent and deceptive schemes. Today's civil action, unprecedented in the Eastern District of Michigan, should serve as a warning to anyone engaging in or abetting similar scams – you will be held accountable and brought to justice," said Inspector in Charge Rodney M. Hopkins of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Detroit Division.
The agencies involved in this effort urge consumers to be on the lookout for signs someone is trying to recruit them to receive and transmit fraud proceeds. Do not agree to receive money or checks mailed to you or sent to your bank account for someone you have met over the phone or online. Do not open a bank or cryptocurrency account at someone else’s direction. Fraudsters will lie to persuade you to help them. They may falsely tell you that they are helping you get a lottery prize, initiate a purported romantic relationship, and then tell you that they need money, or pretend to offer you a job, an opportunity to invest in a business venture, or the chance to help in a charitable effort.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud, and promptly reporting certain financial losses due to fraud can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available. The Federal Trade Commission also provides a hotline at 877-FTC-HELP and a website at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov to receive consumer complaints.
More information about the Department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. The Justice Department provides information about a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which are available at www.ovc.gov.
U.S. Attorney’s Office announces additional charges against leader, member of Alaska organized drug crime ringRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned a superseding indictment adding new charges against the leader and a high-ranking member of a large-scale organized drug crime ring operating in Alaska.
In January, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Alaska announced charges against 53 defendants allegedly connected to the drug trafficking enterprise. Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, continuing criminal enterprise, killing in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise, kidnapping conspiracy, kidnapping resulting in death and carjacking resulting in death, were among the original charges against leaders, members and associates of the organization.
According to court documents, Heraclio Sanchez-Rodriguez, 57, is allegedly the leader of the transnational organized crime and drug trafficking ring targeting Alaska. Tamara Bren, 41, is a high-ranking member known as one of his “wives.” Per the new charges, from August 2022 to September 2023, Bren and Sanchez-Rodriguez allegedly conspired to launder money by directing members of the enterprise to use money transferring services, like wire transfers, mobile applications and money orders, to attempt to launder over $1.3 million in drug proceeds.
Court documents also charge Sanchez-Rodriguez with allegedly altering and falsifying investigative reports by the DEA, FBI, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, to impede, obstruct and influence the investigation on Dec. 20, 2023.
According to the superseding indictment, law enforcement has seized over 92 kilograms of fentanyl, 26 kilograms of meth, 11 kilograms of heroin and 110 grams of cocaine in connection to this enterprise.
In addition to the original charges, Sanchez-Rodriguez and Bren are charged with one count of money laundering conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1956(h), and Sanchez-Rodriguez is charged with one count of obstruction of justice in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1519.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska, Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Zahn of the Drug Enforcement Administration Anchorage District Office, Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Seattle Division, Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes of the IRS Criminal Investigation Seattle Field Office made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Division Office and Anchorage District Office, FBI Anchorage Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation Seattle Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Seattle Division and Anchorage Domicile, Homeland Security Investigations Anchorage, Alaska Office, Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage Police Department and Palmer Police Department, with significant law enforcement support from the U.S. Marshals Service, are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephan Collins, Christopher Schroeder, Karen Vandergaw and Alana Weber are prosecuting the case.
This investigation and prosecution are part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”), which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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U.S. Attorney Nicholas Vassallo announces his retirementRead the Press Release
After 29 years of service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming, U.S. Attorney Nicholas Vassallo announced that he is retiring from the Department of Justice on May 31. Mr. Vassallo began his career with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1995 as a Civil Assistant U.S. Attorney. He served as the office’s Civil Division Chief from 2009 until 2021, when he was appointed First Assistant U.S. Attorney. He became Acting U.S. Attorney in July 2022, and in January 2023, he was appointed to the position of U.S. Attorney by Chief District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl.
Mr. Vassallo obtained his law degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1986. After law school, he was a law clerk for Justice G. Joseph Cardine of the Wyoming Supreme Court. Following his clerkship, he was engaged in private practice in Cheyenne until 1993. From 1993 to 1995, he served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Tort Litigation Section of the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office.
As a Civil Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Civil Division, Mr. Vassallo represented the interests of the United States in a wide variety of civil litigation, appearing in hundreds of cases, primarily in federal district court. Among other things, his practice included actions involving recreational injuries, wrongful death and medical malpractice claims, and environmental and natural resources disputes. He also handled numerous cases in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and in federal bankruptcy court.
As U.S. Attorney, he was considered the chief federal law enforcement officer in Wyoming, responsible for overseeing all federal prosecutions and civil litigation involving the United States within the district. During his term, notable criminal cases handled by his office include the prosecution for the arson of the Wellspring Health Access Clinic in Casper and the conviction of a Wyoming physician for unlawfully distributing large quantities of opioids without any legitimate medical need. Mr. Vassallo was instrumental in the creation of the Wind River Tribal Community Re-entry Court, a program intended to reduce criminal recidivism on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
“It’s been a privilege to serve the citizens of Wyoming and to work with such a dedicated and talented group of attorneys and legal professionals,” said Mr. Vassallo. “I greatly enjoyed my years with the Civil Division. I can’t imagine another legal position in which you’d have such a varied and interesting practice. And for the last two years, it’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve Wyoming as U.S. Attorney.”
On June 1, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann will become the Acting U.S. Attorney. Mr. Heimann has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Wyoming since 2012 and has been the First Assistant since February 2023. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Heimann prosecuted drug felonies for the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office and prosecuted environmental and wildlife crimes for the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section in Washington, D.C. He graduated from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 2005 and began his legal career in Cheyenne as a law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Clarence Brimmer.
“For 29 years, Nick Vassallo represented the people of the United States with diligence and dedication,” said Mr. Heimann. “Nick’s leadership and personal example have prepared the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Wyoming for continued success protecting the American people by enforcing federal law, representing the interests of the United States in federal court, promoting the civil rights of all Americans, and guarding our national security. He will be missed.”
Two Manchester Residents Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Manufacture MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Manchester man and woman pleaded guilty in federal court to charges pertaining to the manufacturing of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Charles Winchell, age 41, and Catherine Quinn, age 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine with a child under the age of 18 present and the possession of equipment, chemicals, products and material to manufacture methamphetamine. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Barbadoro scheduled Winchell’s sentencing for September 16, 2024 and Quinn’s sentencing for September 30, 2024.
Quinn and Winchell purchased pseudoephedrine, an over-the-counter medication and the primary ingredient used for the manufacturing of methamphetamine, dozens of times in 2023. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at their Manchester residence and found pseudoephedrine and other ingredients used to manufacture methamphetamine present, as well as approximately 6 grams of methamphetamine. At the time, twelve individuals lived in the home; three of them under the age of five.
The crime of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least 3 years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. For committing this offense with a child under the age of 18 present, the statute provides for a consecutive sentence up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. For possessing the equipment, chemicals, products, and materials to manufacture methamphetamine, the statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and no more than five years of supervised release. 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.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Manchester Police Department led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather A. Cherniske is prosecuting the case.
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Two Brothers Plead Guilty to Human Smuggling, Hostage-Taking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE - Two brothers who operated a human smuggling stash house in Sunland Park, New Mexico, where migrants were held hostage pleaded guilty to federal charges.
On Jan. 18, 2023, U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended two groups of undocumented noncitizens (UNCs) in El Paso, Texas, who stated they had escaped from a stash house in Sunland Park. Border Patrol agents were able to link the two groups to the same stash house in the “Old Anapra” neighborhood of Sunland Park. The UNCs reported being threatened at gunpoint and were told to pay additional smuggling fees.
After identifying the stash house, Border Patrol agents contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, who conducted surveillance, obtained a search warrant, and found seven migrants being held against their will on the property, including a woman and her 7-year-old child.
In his plea agreement, Saul Castorena, 41, admitted that between January 15 and January 18 of 2023, he intentionally detained individuals in order to compel their family to pay for their release. To that end, Saul possessed a shotgun, knowing that he had previous felony convictions.
In his plea agreement, Steven Castorena, 40, admitted that he conspired with and acted independently with others to transport and harbor migrants.
The Court ordered that Steven and Saul remain detained pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
At sentencing, Saul faces up to life in prison. Upon his release from prison, Saul will be subject to up to five years of supervised release.
At sentencing, Steven faces up to 10 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, Steven will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Eric McLoughlin, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations - El Paso, made the announcement today.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Castellano and Devon Aragon Martinez are prosecuting the case.
View Steven's Plea Agreement View Saul's Plea Agreement# # #
Two Bronx Men Sentenced for 2014 Harlem MurderRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that CARLOS LAUREANO was sentenced on May 23, 2024, to 30 years in prison for the murder of Luis Perez on August 12, 2014, and NNANDI BEN-JOCHANNAN was sentenced today to 10 years for his role in the murder. LAUREANO and BEN-JOCHANNAN were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman. LAUREANO previously pled guilty in October 2023 to discharging a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense and possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense. BEN-JOCHANNAN pled guilty in December 2023 to possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense, which was brandished, and aiding and abetting the same.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Carlos Laureano and Nnandi Ben-Jochannan participated in the murder of Luis Perez nearly 10 years ago in connection with a drug debt. Thanks to the hard work of the DEA, the NYPD, and the career prosecutors of this Office, the defendants have been sentenced for this heinous crime. We hope that these sentences bring some measure of comfort to the family of Luis Perez and make clear that this Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of anyone who takes another person’s life.”
According to Indictment, the Superseding Informations, other public filings, and statements made in Court:
On or about August 12, 2014, in the vicinity of 501 West 147th Street in Harlem, New York, LAUREANO shot and killed Perez in connection with a conspiracy to distribute heroin and marijuana. BEN-JOCHANNAN drove LAUREANO to the scene of the murder, knowing that LAUREANO was armed with a firearm and served as LAUREANO’s getaway driver after the murder. After successfully fleeing from the police, LAUREANO and BEN-JOCHANNAN cleaned BEN-JOCHANNAN’s car and disposed of evidence linking them to the murder.
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In addition to their prison terms, LAUREANO, 35, and BEN-JOCHANNAN, 30, both of the Bronx, New York, were sentenced to three and five years of supervised release, respectively.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. He also thanked the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its assistance.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rushmi Bhaskaran is in charge of the prosecution.
Twin Cities Man Pleads Guilty to a Robbery Spree of Gas StationsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Twin Cities man has pleaded guilty to the robberies of five gas stations throughout the Twin Cities, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, between June 26, 2023, and July 11, 2023, Mohamed Zaki Mohamed Elsayed, 28, participated in the robbery of five gas stations across the Twin Cities, including in Mounds View, Roseville, New Brighton, Fridley, and Eagan. On June 26, 2023, Elsayed aided and abetted the robbery of a gas station in Mounds View. Elsayed’s accomplice entered the gas station, approached the cashier, flashed what appeared to be a semiautomatic pistol, and demanded money from the cashier. The accomplice stole $354 from the business and fled the gas station to a vehicle where Elsayed was waiting.
According to court documents, over the following two weeks, Elsayed robbed four more gas stations. In each incident, Elsayed entered the business wearing a mask, he flashed a real-looking semiautomatic pistol at the cashier and demanded the business’s money. On July 13, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Elsayed’s residence and recovered a Glock replica airsoft handgun that Elsayed admitted to using in each of the gas station robberies.
Elsayed pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge David S. Doty to five counts of Hobbs Act robbery. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Mounds View Police Department, the Roseville Police Department, the New Brighton Police Department, the Fridley Police Department, the Eagan Police Department, and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead is prosecuting the case.
Tulsa Resident Sentenced for Tampering with A WitnessRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Courtnei Quincyion Wells, a/k/a Cortnei Quincyion Wells, age 22, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 74 months in prison for one count of Tampering with a Witness.
The charges arose from investigations by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On October 5, 2023, Wells pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, in April 2023, Wells sent a series of messages via social media attempting to intimidate and threaten the victim to influence, delay, or prevent testimony before a Federal grand jury.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Wells will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorney Edith Singer represented the United States.
Troy Man Indicted for COVID Unemployment FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jaliyl McMillan, age 33, of Troy, New York, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with mail fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino of the Buffalo Field Office; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region (USDOL-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone; U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Boston Division Postal Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward; and New York State Inspector General (NYSIG) Lucy Lang.
McMillan was arraigned today in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, and ordered detained pending a detention hearing.
The indictment alleges that between July 2020 and August 2021, McMillan perpetrated a scheme to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits from the New York State Department of Labor using stolen identities. This scheme caused the electronic transfer of funds between states as well as the mailing of debit cards to an address McMillan directed. To execute the scheme, McMillan possessed individuals’ names, dates of birth, and social security numbers.
The mail and wire fraud charges filed against McMillan carry a maximum term of 20 years in prison; a fine of up to $250,000; and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. If convicted of the aggravated identity theft charges, McMillan would face an additional 2-year-term of incarceration which must, by law, run consecutively to any term imposed on the fraud charges.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
HSI, USDOL-OIG, USPIS and NYSIG are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Three Men Admit Robbing Armored Car Driver of Cash, GunRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Three men have admitted robbing an armored car driver of cash and a firearm in Overland, Missouri last year.
Herman Leon Woods, 31, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of robbery.
Woods’ co-defendant, David C. Greenwade, 62, pleaded guilty in April to one count of robbery. Phillip Keith Smith, 65, pleaded guilty in May to one count of robbery and one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
All three admitted robbing an armored car driver in the 9400 block of Midland Avenue in Overland, Missouri on April 14, 2023. The driver was making a cash drop at a store when two men wearing all black clothing, ski masks and body armor arrived in a black Jeep. One robber, who has not yet been identified, approached the driver while armed with a pistol and said, “Don’t die over this money,” their plea agreements say. The robber pointed his handgun at the driver when the driver didn’t immediately turn over his gun. After relinquishing his firearm, the driver ran into the store for help. Smith, armed with a rifle, and the unidentified robber took a bag containing $2,000 and a duffel bag containing empty bank bags.
As Smith tried to get back in the Jeep, Greenwade, who was driving, began pulling away, knocking Smith to the ground. Smith dropped his rifle and the magazine shattered, scattering bullets on the ground. Smith got in the Jeep and left the gun behind. Woods owned the Jeep and allowed it to be used for the robbery and for practice runs. Greenwade is Woods’ uncle and planned and led the robbery.
Woods is scheduled to be sentenced September 5, 2024. Greenwade is scheduled to be sentenced in July, and Smith in August. The robbery charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both prison and a fine. Smith’s firearm charge carries an additional, consecutive mandatory minimum seven years in prison, but is punishable by up to life in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Overland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider is prosecuting the case.
Threats to blow up Dodson school send man to prison for more than one yearRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A man who admitted making threats to blow up the Dodson school was sentenced today to one year and one month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
Jacob Edwin Wilson, 40, a transient, pleaded guilty in January to false information and hoaxes as charged in an indictment.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court also ordered $7,000 restitution.
The government alleged in court documents that on Aug. 29, 2023, Wilson called both the Blaine County 911 emergency number and the Dodson school, located near the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, and said he was “about to blow Dodson school up.” Law enforcement responded, and the superintendent and principal evacuated students and staff from the school to a nearby church parking lot. Phillips County Sheriff’s Office first responders, the Malta Fire Department and U.S. Border Patrol responded, set up security around the school and searched the school for an explosive device. No explosive device was found. Wilson called 911 again and asked for someone to give him a ride off the reservation, said he was at an individual’s house and that he needed a ride from anyone except the Fort Belknap police. Officers located Wilson and arrested him.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Belknap Tribal Police, Phillips County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Border Patrol and Malta Fire Department conducted the investigation.
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Texas Man Charged with Federal Dogfighting OffensesRead the Press Release
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas unsealed a grand jury indictment today charging a Texas man with federal dogfighting violations.
Jesus Allen Stephens, of Waskom, Texas, made his initial appearance in court today. He is charged with participating in a major dogfighting event in November 2021 in Waskom, possessing fighting dogs and fighting dogs in an April 2021 dog fight.
According to court documents, Stephens organized and hosted a large-scale dogfighting event on family-owned property in Harrison County, Texas, on Nov. 13, 2021. Stephens and others arranged to fight dogs at the event for gambling and entertainment purposes. Prior to the event, Stephens announced a series of up to 14 matches and sent GPS coordinates to the property to multiple individuals. The fight included out-of-state participants. Law enforcement personnel who disrupted the event found a dogfighting pit structure in addition to other dogfighting evidence.
Under federal law, it is illegal to fight dogs in a venture that effects interstate commerce and to possess, train, transport, deliver, sell, purchase or receive dogs for fighting purposes. The indictment charges Stephens with possessing seven dogs for dogfighting purposes. Stephens is also charged for his participation in another dog fight that occurred on April 10, 2021. Authorities recovered six dogs in conjunction with this investigation.
If convicted, Stephens faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count charged.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs for the Eastern District of Texas made the announcement.
The FBI’s Shreveport Resident Agency and Tyler, Texas, offices are investigating this case. Deputies with the Harrison County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office have also provided invaluable assistance.
Trial Attorney Sarah Brown and Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from James Noble of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Tennessee Man Sentenced to over 3 Years in Federal Prison for Crop Insurance FraudRead the Press Release
Bowling Green, KY – A Lafayette, Tennessee, man was sentenced yesterday to 3 years and 6 months in federal prison for defrauding the federal crop insurance program.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Miles Davis of the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, Administrator Marcia Bunger of the United States Department of Agriculture, Risk Management Agency (RMA), and RMA Special Investigations Division, and Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office made the announcement.
According to court documents, David Garrett Manion, 61, was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $3.5 million in restitution, for defrauding the federal crop insurance program between 2016 and 2022. Manion also has a prior 2016 conviction for defrauding the federal crop insurance program. As part of that 2016 case, Manion agreed to a five-year debarment from the federal crop insurance program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency. While that case was being resolved, however, Manion devised a scheme under which other family members applied for and received crop insurance for tobacco that was farmed by and belonged to Manion. In addition to $3.5 million in criminal restitution, Manion agreed to pay the Risk Management Agency nearly $5.5 million to resolve other outstanding issues.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency, Special Investigations, and the FBI Bowling Green Resident Agency.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Weiser prosecuted the case.
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Sturgis Man Charged with Selling Counterfeit Drugs on Dark WebRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Erik Miller, a 47-year-old resident of Sturgis, Michigan, faces multiple drug trafficking charges, including selling and holding for sale counterfeit drugs, such as fake Xanax®.
“Popping a fake pill is a game of Russian Roulette,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “One pill can kill.” He continued: “Only take prescription drugs prescribed by a trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist. Never trust your own eyes to determine if a pill is legitimate. If you have any doubt, DON’T. And get the word out to your kids, loved ones, and friends.”
The indictment alleges that Miller was working with a dark web vendor to distribute fake Xanax® pills, as well as illegal controlled substances and real prescription drugs. The fake pills were made to look like authentic Xanax® pills, which Pharmacia & Upjohn, Co., a division of Pfizer, Inc., manufactures for distribution in the United States. Other pharmaceutical companies also manufacture and sell Alprazolam (the active ingredient in Xanax®) under different brand names. Buyers purchased these pills on the “Dark Web,” a part of the Internet where users seek to hide their identities and locations and which is often used to traffic contraband, including illegal controlled substances and counterfeit prescription drugs.
“The dark web provides a false sense of security,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene. “Drug dealers think they can hide behind a computer keyboard and anonymously distribute drugs, and that is not the case. It doesn’t matter what means criminals use to distribute their deadly products; we will employ every resource to track down anyone who places profit over lives.”
“Safeguarding the American public is our top priority at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. We are committed to investigating and dismantling drug traffickers like Mr. Miller, who was recently indicted for illegally distributing counterfeit pills and narcotics nationwide,” said Inspector in Charge Rodney Hopkins of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Detroit Division. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will relentlessly pursue and apprehend those who exploit the U.S. Mail to distribute dangerous drugs in our communities.”
Counterfeit pills are fake medications that have different ingredients than the actual medication. They may contain no active ingredient, the wrong active ingredient, or have the right ingredient but in an incorrect quantity. Counterfeit pills may contain lethal amounts of fentanyl or methamphetamine and are extremely dangerous because they often appear identical to legitimate prescription pills, and the user is likely unaware of what the pills contain.
For more information on counterfeit pills and they dangers they pose, see this Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Fact Sheet and the DEA’s One Pill Can Kill website, www.dea.gov/onepill.
In addition to the charge for selling counterfeit drugs, the federal grand jury’s four-count indictment, attached to this press release, also charges Miller with conspiracy to distribute Xanax® and MDMA; possession of MDMA and methamphetamine with the intent to distribute; and with being a felon in possession of multiple firearms. If convicted of the drug trafficking charges, Miller faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The gun charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years and a $250,000 fine.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case was investigated by the DEA and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Carowan.
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SoCal Man Charged with Hate Crime for Physical Attack on Asian American Woman While Hurling Racial SlursRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today returned an indictment charging a Southern California man with a hate crime for allegedly punching an Asian American woman in the head in Culver City while he shouted racial slurs at her.
Jesse Allen Lindsey, 37, who is in state prison on an unrelated conviction, but whose last known address was in Fontana, was charged today with one count of committing a hate crime, a felony offense that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
“Hate-fueled violence has no place in our society,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “We live in one of the most diverse areas of the country, and that diversity brings us strength. Our community will stay united in condemning intolerance, and my office will not hesitate to investigate and prosecute those who harm others on account of bigotry.”
“The victim in this case was simply minding her own business when she was verbally abused and violently attacked based on nothing more than her appearance,” said Krysti Hawkins, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI is committed to the protection of civil rights in the United States and will hold accountable anyone so driven by hatred that they would target innocent people based on their race.”
According to the indictment, at approximately 1 a.m. on June 14, 2021, the victim was walking to work in Culver City when Lindsey, a white man, asked the victim for a lighter or cigarette. She responded that she did not smoke. Lindsey allegedly then began following her and yelled at the victim, whom he perceived to be an Asian American man, “You [expletive] Asian guy, turn around.” Lindsey allegedly called the victim “Korean” and shouted, “You [expletive] Asian guy, you don’t belong here,” the indictment states.
The indictment further alleges that, as captured on surveillance video, Lindsey yelled at the victim, “You can’t say hi to a [expletive] white boy?” Lindsey then punched the victim in the head, causing her to fall into the street and hit her head. While the victim was lying face down in the street, Lindsey shouted, “You hear what I said, [N-word]? I said good morning, bitch!”
Emergency personnel later transported the victim to a hospital, where she received approximately 11 stiches in her face. As a result of the attack, the victim sustained injuries to her head and ear, which left her unable to work for one month and caused ongoing pain for one year, the indictment alleges.
When he later learned from news reports that law enforcement was investigating the incident as a hate crime, Lindsey, fearful that hate crimes receive greater punishment, fled California, according to the indictment.
“The community we serve is rich in cultural diversity, and we are committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for all,” said Culver City Police Chief Jason Sims. “Hate has no place in Culver City. I am extremely proud of the work done by the Culver City Police Department to identify and locate the suspect who is responsible for this violent hate crime. In partnership with the FBI, we are not only seeking justice for the innocent victim in this case, but also underscoring that this type of heinous crime will not be tolerated in our neighborhoods.”
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.
Lindsey is currently in state custody and expected to appear in federal court in the coming weeks.
The FBI is investigating this case and received substantial assistance from the Culver City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Greer Dotson of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section is prosecuting this case.
Sex Offender Convicted on Sex Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Maurice Fitzgerald Alexander, Jr., 33, of Memphis, Tennessee, was convicted last week by a federal jury of various counts involving Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking of a Minor Using Force, Fraud, or Coercion; Transportation with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity; and Production of Child Pornography. Alexander also faces an additional 10 years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence of imprisonment, for committing these offenses while being required to register as a sex offender.
The guilty verdicts came after a three-day trial before United States District Judge James A. Soto. Alexander’s sentencing is set for August 14, 2024.
On October 4, 2021, officers from the Tucson Police Department responded to a 911 call from the victim and learned she had possibly been trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The investigation determined Alexander trafficked the victim, who was 14 years old at the time, through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado between August 19, 2021, and October 4, 2021. Homeland Security Investigations Special Agents and Task Force Officers later arrested Alexander in Tucson on October 21, 2021. In addition, a review of Alexander’s cellular phone showed that Alexander also forced the minor victim to create photos and videos depicting sexually explicit conduct that were later used in advertisements on social media and various other websites commonly used for prostitution.
A conviction for Sex Trafficking of a Minor by Force, Fraud, or Coercion carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, but no less than 15 years. A conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking of a Minor Using Force, Fraud, or Coercion carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison. Transportation with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, but no less than 10 years. A conviction for Production of Child Pornography carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison, but no less than 15 years.
This case was a joint investigation between the Tucson Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Nathaniel J. Walters and Monica E. Ryan, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-02972-JAS-EJM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-070_Alexander# # #
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.Serial Child Sexual Abuser Sentenced to 60 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
A Dallas man who filmed himself sexually assaulting girls as young as six years old was sentenced today to 60 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Gemond Copage Miller, 34, was indicted in December 2021 and pleaded guilty in January 2024 to two counts of production of child pornography. He was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr, who also ordered that the defendant be supervised for life following his release from prison.
According to plea papers, Mr. Miller filmed himself sexually assaulting children as young as six years old, then sold the footage on the internet.
Investigators were able to match distinctive tattoos shown in the footage to Mr. Miller’s tattoo.
At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors said Mr. Miller admitted to abusing at least ten girls under the age of twelve. Law enforcement identified at least 38 videos of child sexual abuse material produced by Mr. Miller. To date, not all of the victims have been identified.
Mr. Miller was also in possession of approximately 722 images and 1,733 videos constituting child sexual abuse material.
“My sense of safety and security has been shattered,” a 13-year-old victim, just six years old when she was first assaulted, said in a statement read aloud by her mother. “I am the first victim to come forward… Knowing that there are others shows that this is what he does. This is who he is. And he does not care that he took the innocence of children.”
Homeland Security Investigations' Dallas Field Office and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation, which began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Winters prosecuted the case.
San Juan County Man Sentenced to 180 Months’ Imprisonment Following Deadly Crash that Killed a 5-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
Salt Lake City, Utah – Qwana McCook, 30 of White Mesa, Utah, was sentenced today to 15 years’ imprisonment, five years supervised release and ordered by the court to pay $250,000 in restitution. The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby, comes after McCook admitted to stealing a truck from a victim, who had her 5-year-old daughter in the back seat, and later crashing the vehicle which ejected and killed the child.
According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, McCook pleaded guilty in March 2024 to robbery and first degree felony murder while on the White Mesa Indian Reservation.
On May 8, 2022, McCook unlawfully took a vehicle from the victim’s mother without her permission while on the White Mesa Indian Reservation. Despite pleas from the child’s mother and family members, McCook did not return the child home and instead purchased alcohol. As alleged, in court documents and by McCook’s passenger and co-defendant, McCook began drinking and driving. At the time of the crash, McCook was traveling well above the speed limit. As a result of the crash, the child was ejected from the truck and declared dead at the scene.
“This case is a horrific reminder that carjackings threaten the lives of innocent victims. McCook’s senseless actions are reprehensible and caused the terrible death of a young girl,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah. “My office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who use violence to destroy the safety of our communities.”
“McCook’s extremely selfish decisions that day will forever impact a family who is left grieving the loss of their young daughter,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Although nothing will bring the child back, we hope the sentence will send a sobering message about the devastating consequences of drinking and driving.”
McCook’s co-defendant, Augustice Yellow, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony and will be sentenced at a later date.
The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Monticello Resident Agency, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Nation Patrol and Investigations and the Utah Highway Patrol.
Assistant United States Attorney Thaddeus J. May of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Repeat Federal Offender Pleads Guilty to Meth DistributionRead the Press Release
Jermiah Preston, 41, from Fort Dodge pled guilty May 22, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City to distribution of methamphetamine.
In March 2017, Preston was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and distributing a controlled substance in the United States District Court in Northern District of Iowa.
At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on January 23, 2023, Preston participated in a meth transaction with a confidential informant. During a traffic stop after the transaction, Preston was observed to throw two bags of methamphetamine out the truck window. The buy money expended was found on Preston’s person, and DNA on the discarded bags of meth matched Preston’s.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Preston remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Preston faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $8,000,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa DCI Laboratory, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa State Patrol.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-3029. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Providence Man Admits to Illegal Acquisition of SNAP Benefits, Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A Dominican national unlawfully in the United States and living in Providence admitted to a federal judge today that he participated in a conspiracy that defrauded the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of more than $213,000 in benefits, and that at the time of his arrest he was illegally in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Giomar Lopez Meireles, 41, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, illegal acquisition or use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and unlawful possession of a firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 4, 2024. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to information presented to the court, Lopez Meireles conspired with others as part of a scheme that used stolen identities and social security numbers to submit fraudulent applications for SNAP benefits in the form of electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards. Many of the ill-gotten government funded benefit cards were either mailed to Lopez Meireles’s residence or to nearby addresses. Upon receipt of the SNAP EBT cards, Lopez Meireles used the cards to make purchases for himself and others, or sold the cards to others for cash.
Fraudulent applications submitted between about September 2021 to November 2023 to the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, which administers the federally-funded SNAP program, resulted in approximately $213,397 in benefits being issued. A court-authorized search of Lopez Meireles’s residence resulted in the seizure of a collection of EBT cards, many of which were wrapped in a paper ledger listing the dollar amounts and PINs on the cards. Agents also seized a 9mm pistol found wrapped in clothing in Lopez Meireles’s bedroom closet.
This matter was investigated the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General and the Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit - Fraud Detection & Prevention Unit. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police Department, and Woonsocket Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julianne Klein.
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Drug Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on May 29, 2024, Jashier Gillespie, 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford to a term of 24 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Gillespie previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine base, fentanyl and heroin in Vermont between October 2021 and January 2023.
According to court records, Gillespie served as hand-to-hand distributor for the drug trafficking organization of which he was a part of, primarily in September 2022. He was arrested on related state assault charges in late September 2022 and has been detained since that time. Chief Judge Crawford ordered the federal sentence to run concurrently with any forthcoming state sentence on the assault charge.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Burlington Police Department for their work in this case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia A. P. Cowles. Gillespie was represented by John C. Mabie, Esq.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Pepin County Man Sentenced to More than 4 Years for Illegally Possessing a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jesse Turnmire, 34, Durand, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 51 months federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Turnmire pleaded guilty to this charge on February 9, 2024.
On July 7, 2023, law enforcement was dispatched to the Town of Clear Creek, Wisconsin, in response to a report of a male, later identified as Turnmire, slumped over the steering wheel of his vehicle while at a stop sign. Officers investigating his condition suspected he was under the influence of drugs and searched his car. During the search they found a firearm wrapped in a restaurant uniform shirt, which was inside a bag that was hidden under the corner of the front bumper. They also discovered a gun magazine in the center console containing seven rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. Turnmire is prohibited from legally possessing firearms because of multiple drug-related felony convictions in La Crosse and Trempealeau Counties, as well as state and federal convictions for possessing a firearm as a felon. Turnmire was on federal supervised release at the time of this offense following the federal conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon.
Judge Peterson revoked Turnmire’s federal supervision and imposed a two-year sentence to run concurrently with the 51-month sentence on the new conviction.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
The charge against Turnmire was the result of an investigation conducted by the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson prosecuted this case.
Oregon man sentenced for trafficking kilograms of fentanyl and methRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Oregon man was sentenced today to eight years and six months in prison for conspiracy to distribute massive amounts of both fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Sean Michael Johnson, 26, is a long-time supplier of narcotics to customers across the nation. Law enforcement learned that, dating back to at least May 2020, Johnson had sold tens of thousands of fentanyl pills to an individual in Virginia. An undercover officer contacted Johnson to gauge his fentanyl drug supply. Johnson and the undercover officer agreed on a deal for 2,000 fentanyl pills and Johnson arranged for the pills to be mailed from California to Manassas, Virginia. In February 2023, Johnson and the undercover officer agreed to another sale, this time for 5,000 fentanyl pills and one pound of meth, both of which were mailed to Manassas. The meth tested at an approximate 100% purity rate.
Johnson arranged two more sales with delivery through the mail to Manassas, each for 5,000 fentanyl pills and 10 pounds of meth. Johnson and the undercover officer then negotiated an in-person deal for 25,000 fentanyl pills, 20 pounds of meth, and a kilogram of fentanyl powder to take place in California with Johnson’s supplier. Only three-fourths of the fentanyl powder was available, but the rest of the deal went forward as agreed. Eventually, the undercover officer and Johnson’s supplier negotiated another California in-person sale directly, from which Johnson expected a cut of the proceeds for making the connection. After the supplier distributed 100 pounds of meth as part of the deal, both Johnson and the supplier were arrested on Dec. 6, 2023.
In the six controlled purchases, Johnson was involved in distributing 63.1 kilograms of meth, 4.4 kilograms of fentanyl pills, and 800 grams of fentanyl powder. Johnson pled guilty on Feb. 29.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; David J. Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division; Ajay Lall, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Peter Newsham, Chief of Prince William County Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Carter prosecuted the case.
The Los Angeles Police Department provided significant assistance on this case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-41.
Orange County Man Charged with Firearm and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Joshua Grant Cobb (33, Orlando) with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. If convicted on both counts, Cobb faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Cobb that the United States intends to forfeit the firearms and ammunition which are alleged to have facilitated the offenses.
According to the indictment, on April 30, 2024, Cobb possessed with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Cobb is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug offense.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.
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.