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26 April 2024
Anchorage man sentenced to over 17 years for child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison and will serve the rest of his life on supervised release for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials.
According to court documents, Australian law enforcement discovered Michael Whitmore, 31, was distributing child sexual abuse images on an encrypted social media application. Australian law enforcement referred the case to the FBI and Anchorage Police Department.
U.S. law enforcement determined that Whitmore had also been the unidentified subject of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) Cybertips related to distribution of images depicting violent child sexual exploitation.
In March 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Whitmore’s residence and discovered over 4,100 images and 2,200 videos on his devices, with some visuals depicting prepubescent minors. The investigation determined that Whitmore was an active member of at least 82 messaging groups used to exchange child sexual abuse materials on various applications.
Whitmore was arrested in March 2021 and pleaded guilty in August 2022.
In imposing the sentence, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Gleason noted the sadistic nature of the images and videos, sophisticated computer use and active participation of the defendant, and noted that she hopes this case deters other individuals who have no criminal history from partaking in possessing or distributing child sexual abuse materials.
“Mr. Whitmore contributed to the plague of revictimization that possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials causes to innocent victims across the country and the world,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “My office remains steadfast in our commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to protect our most vulnerable community members and ensure that perpetrators who choose to victimize children are brought to justice.”
“Mr. Whitmore callously collected and shared child exploitation material depicting the horrific abuse of very young children,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The FBI and our local and international law enforcement partners will continue to identify and hold accountable those who contribute to these online crimes against children.”
“Committing a crime against a child is a horrifying act. The case against Michael Whitmore is one of the more gruesome we’ve seen due to the ages of the victims involved and the sheer volume of material in Whitmore’s possession that he not only consumed but shared with other like-minded offenders,” stated APD Chief Michael Kerle. “Every time Whitmore passed along images, he revictimized the very people whom adults are supposed to protect. We are grateful for the partnership we have with the FBI. With our combined investigative efforts, the perpetrator will be held accountable for his criminal behavior.”
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department, with assistance from Australian Law Enforcement, investigated the case as part of the FBI’s Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Additional Charges Brought Against North Shore Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A federal grand jury sitting in Boston has returned a superseding indictment charging 16 individuals in Massachusetts in connection with their alleged involvement in a drug trafficking and money laundering scheme that allegedly distributed tens of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The superseding indictment includes the charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances that was initially brought against the following defendants in November 2022:
- Lawrence Michael Nagle, a/k/a “Mikey,” 32, of Saugus;
- Christopher Nagle, a/k/a “Cuda,” 28, of Revere;
- Javier Bello, a/k/a “Javi,” 27, of Beverly;
- Anthony Bryson, 33, of Billerica;
- Frantz Adolphe, 28, of Lynn;
- Soyanna Lages, 33, of Somerville;
- David Muise, a/k/a “Pinky,” 35, of Swampscott;
- David Delauri, 30, of Haverhill;
- Alexander Villar, 33 of Danvers;
- Edward Ortiz, 32, of Swampscott;
- Yaira Ramos-Rivera, 39, of Billerica;
- Jose Garcia, 45, of Roslindale;
- Chevon Dorce, 43, of Lynn; and
- Gino Castillo, 33, of Salem.
Additionally, the superseding indictment also adds two counts of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and/or ammunition for defendant Lawrence Michael Nagle; three additional counts of possession with the intent to distribute various controlled substances against Nagle and Castillo; as well as a money laundering conspiracy charge against Nagle and two new co-defendants Nancy Lopez, 33, of Saugus; and Samuel Saillant, 38, of Lynn.
Lopez was arrested yesterday and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was released on conditions. Saillant will make an appearance at a later date.
Fourteen of the 16 defendants charged in the superseding indictment were among 23 individuals arrested and charged in October 2022 in connection with a North Shore-based drug trafficking organization that distributed Adderall (both pharmaceutical-grade pills and counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine), methamphetamine, Xanax, Oxycodone (both pharmaceutical-grade and counterfeit pills containing fentanyl), cocaine and marijuana, among others. All 23 individuals were later indicted along with two additional defendants in November 2022. Eleven defendants have since pleaded guilty.Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; and John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Beverly, Everett, Peabody, Revere, Salem, Saugus and Swampscott Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan D. Panich and James E. Arnold of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ada Resident Sentenced to 293 Months for Aggravated Sexual Abuse and AssaultRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Ryan Christopher Dill, age 37, of Ada, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 293 months imprisonment, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, on one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse, and 120 months on one count of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The terms of imprisonment will run concurrently.
On September 29, 2022, Dill pleaded guilty to the charges. According to investigators, on December 25, 2021, Dill stabbed, bludgeoned, and sexually assaulted the victim at an Ada residence. The crimes occurred in Pontotoc County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Ada Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Dill will remain in the 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 Caila M. Cleary represented the United States.
25 April 2024
Youngsville Man and Former Educator Sentenced to Federal Prison on Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – Angel Rafael Cardona, 35, of Youngsville, Louisiana, was sentenced today on child pornography charges, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge David C. Joseph sentenced Cardona to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.
Cardona was charged in an indictment with one count of using a facility to cause a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and he pleaded guilty to the charge in January of this year. Evidence in this case revealed that in June 2023, Cardona began communicating through Whisper, an online chat application, with a user who identified as a 13-year-old female. Unbeknownst to Cardona, the user was an undercover law enforcement agent. Cardona sent a direct message to the user inquiring about a post she had made about summer school. Two days later, Cardona asked the user if they had an account on another online chat site and the agent responded that they did have a Kik account, and he then contacted the undercover minor female through that application. These communications between the two continued from June 8, 2023, to July 10, 2023, until the user told Cardona that the Kik application kept crashing and to contact her through text message and provided a phone number. The text messages between Cardona and the undercover agent continued through July 24, 2023.
Conversations about sex, sexual experiences, and the undercover agent’s body were brought up by Cardona throughout this time period. On numerous occasions, the undercover agent made reference to her age of 13. The conversations regarding her sexual inexperience increased over time becoming more graphic and detailed. Eventually, Cardona began asking the undercover agent for pictures of herself and asked for images containing sexual material. On July 11 and 13, 2023, Cardona specifically and explicitly asked for the undercover agent to produce and send him child pornography. The undercover agent gave excuses of her mother’s presence in the home for not complying and Cardona instructed her to be sneaky about it in order to create the images.
He brought up the idea of meeting in person on numerous occasions and eventually they agreed to meet at Veterans Park in Lafayette on July 24, 2023. The defendant admitted that he intended to meet the person he believed to be a minor female for the purpose of engaging in some form of sexual activity that would be a crime under the laws of the state of Louisiana.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Luke Walker and Craig R. Bordelon.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines 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.
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Woman Pleads Guilty to Transporting Stolen Human Body Parts Out of the State of ArkansasRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK— Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced today that a former employee of a mortuary services provider has pleaded guilty to transporting stolen body parts across state lines and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Candace Chapman Scott, 37, of Little Rock, entered this guilty plea today before United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.
Judge Miller will sentence Scott at a later date. Transporting stolen property across state lines is punishable by not more than 10 years’ imprisonment, not less than three years’ supervised release, and a fine of not more than $250,000. The maximum penalty faced by Scott for mail fraud is not more than 20 years’ imprisonment, not less than three years’ supervised release, and a fine of not more than $250,000.
The investigation revealed that Scott, while an employee at a mortuary services provider between October 2021 through approximately July 15, 2022, stole human body parts and fetal remains. Scott would then sell the stolen human body parts and fetal remains, arranging for them to be transported across a state line to the purchaser.
Scott was indicted on April 5, 2023, and charged with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of mail fraud, and two counts of interstate transportation of stolen property. In exchange for her guilty plea, the remaining charges were dismissed.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
If you have information relating to this case or think you may have been impacted by this case, you may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office by email at [email protected].
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
X (formerly known as Twitter):
@USAO_EDAR
Weymouth Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Weymouth man was sentenced yesterday in connection with an elaborate money laundering conspiracy.
Chengzou Liu, 38 was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to two years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In December 2023, Liu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering as well as possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
In July 2022, Liu was charged along with seven others in connection with elaborate money laundering and money transmitting conspiracies allegedly led by two of Liu’s co-conspirators Qiu Mei Zeng and Shi Rong Zhang.
According to the charging documents, Zeng and Zhang co-owned China Gourmet, a restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood. Zhang was also a registered owner of Wonderful Electronics, an electronics and restaurant supply business based in Hanover. It is alleged that the defendants used these businesses to run a large-scale money laundering and money transmitting operation that involved the laundering of drug proceeds and proceeds from stolen and/or fraudulent gift cards.
Liu was a large-scale marijuana trafficker who laundered his drug proceeds allegedly through China Gourmet. On at least three occasions, Liu was observed delivering bags of cash that contained tens of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds to the restaurant, which was then allegedly wired to accounts in the U.S. and China. It is alleged that in a span of just three weeks in October 2021, Liu delivered about $170,000 in drug proceeds to his conspirators to launder to his bank accounts in China.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; Braintree Police Chief Timothy Cohoon; and Quincy Police Chief Mark Kennedy made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren A. Graber and Charles Dell’Anno of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Violent Felon and his Accomplice Sentenced to Combined 50 Years in Federal Prison for Eight Armed Robberies and Two Shootings in One MonthRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Tyrell Cage, 29, and Jayla Deane, 36, of Indianapolis have been sentenced to federal prison for a series of armed robberies of Indianapolis businesses in 2021.
Cage was sentenced to forty years in federal prison after pleading guilty to eight counts of interference with commerce by robbery, four counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Cage was also ordered to pay $2,668 in restitution and be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison.
Deane was sentenced to ten years in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Deane was also ordered to pay $1,030 in restitution and be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following her release from federal prison.
In total, Cage robbed eight businesses and Deane robbed two:
#
Date
Location
Defendant
1
April 25, 2021
BP Gas Station, Georgetown Rd.
Cage
2
April 25, 2021
McDonalds, East 10th St.
Cage
3
May 19, 2021
Little Caesar’s Pizza, Georgetown Rd.
Cage
4
May 19, 2021
Metro by T-Mobile, East 10th St.
Cage & Deane
5
May 20, 2021
Piezano’s Pizza, Georgetown Rd.
Cage
6
May 23, 2021
Valero Gas Station, Massachusetts Ave.
Cage
7
May 23, 2021
Five Below, West 86th St.
Cage & Deane
8
May 27, 2021
Lion’s Den, Georgetown Rd.
Cage
In each of the robberies, Cage pointed a black handgun at the employees and ordered they give him money from the business. On multiple occasions, Cage threatened that he would shoot the employees if they did not comply with his demands for money.
During the April 25, 2021, attempted robbery of the McDonalds, the cashier told Cage that only managers can open the register and turned his back to get help from the manager. In response, Cage fired three shots at the employee.
During the May 20, 2021, robbery of Piezano’s, Cage forced the employee on the ground after she gave him the money and then duct taped the employee’s hands together.
On May 23, 2021, Cage attempted to rob a Valero gas station of fried chicken and a pack of cigarettes using the same gun. When the employee saw the gun, he reached for the fried chicken. Cage shot the employee in the stomach, critically wounding him. Cage fled from the gas station. The same day, he committed another robbery.
During the two robberies in which Cage and Deane worked together, Deane served as a decoy by distracting employees. While employees were distracted, Cage brandished a black handgun, and demanded cash from the registers.
On June 1, 2021, IMPD officers conducted a court-authorized search and arrest of Cage and Deane at the InTown Suites Hotel on West 85th Street. During a search of the room, investigators located clothing, shoes, hats, and jewelry worn by Deane and Cage during each of the robberies, as well as a phone taken during the robbery of the Metro by T-Mobile and coloring books and pencils taken during the Five Below robbery. Investigators also located the black Taurus G2 9mm semiautomatic handgun used during the robberies.
Cage has been previously convicted of multiple felonies, including robbery and battery resulting in serious bodily injury, which prohibit him from ever legally owning a firearm.
“These defendants engaged in an armed spree of violence and intimidation, critically wounding an innocent person and terrorizing many more,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “The lengthy federal prison sentences imposed here demonstrate that these grave offenses carry grave consequences. I commend IMPD, the FBI, and our federal prosecutors for their work to hold these violent criminals accountable and make our communities safer.”
"The outstanding collaboration of the FBI and the IMPD halted this duo's violent crime spree ," said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. "The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to diligently investigate and pursue those who engage in this violent behavior.”
The FBI and IMPD investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James P. Hanlon.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Meredith Wood and former Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence D. Hilton, who prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Ventura Man Pleads Guilty to Extortion, Armed Robbery, Bank Fraud and Identity Theft Charges Related to Crime Spree Last YearRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Ventura County man pleaded guilty today to 10 felonies for extorting a taco truck vendor, robbing two small businesses, and fraudulently using debit and credit cards from a victim he robbed at gunpoint during a crime spree late last year.
Oscar Aguirre Silva, 30, of Ventura, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by extortion (Hobbs Act), two counts of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), three counts of bank fraud, two counts of attempted bank fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Also pleading guilty today at a separate hearing was Edward Donaldo Ramirez Martinez, 28, of Ventura, Silva’s accomplice, who pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.
According to court documents, on November 6, 2023, Silva threatened violence to extort a taco truck vendor in Oxnard.
On November 10, 2023, Silva robbed a woman at gunpoint and stole her iPhone, and her purse, which contained a credit card and a debit card in the victim’s name as well as a debit card in the name of another victim. Ramirez served as the getaway driver during this armed robbery. Both men then traveled to a Walmart store in Ventura, where they used the stolen cards to purchase $524 worth of merchandise. Later, Silva and another co-defendant, David Ray Reyes, 30, of Ventura, then used and attempted to use the stolen cards to purchase other items at an Oxnard smoke shop.
On November 25 and 26, 2023, Silva robbed two Oxnard businesses – a smoke shop and a grocery outlet.
Finally, on December 2, 2023, Ramirez, while under the influence of methamphetamine, possessed an assault rifle that did not bear a serial number – commonly known as a “ghost gun.” The firearm carried four rounds of ammunition. Ramirez was not legally permitted to possess the ghost gun or the ammunition because of his February 2020 felony conviction in Ventura County Superior Court for carrying a loaded firearm.
United States District Judge Hernán D. Vera scheduled an August 8 sentencing hearing for Silva, at which time he will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each bank fraud-related count, up to 20 years in federal prison for each Hobbs Act extortion and robbery count, and a mandatory two-year consecutive prison term for each aggravated identity theft count.
Judge Vera also scheduled an August 8 sentencing hearing for Ramirez, who will face a statutory maximum sentence of 12 years in federal prison, which includes a mandatory two-year prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft count.
Reyes pleaded guilty on March 6 to one count of attempted bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Reyes will face up to 30 years in federal prison for each bank fraud count and a mandatory two-year consecutive prison sentence for each aggravated identity theft count at his May 29 sentencing hearing before Judge Vera.
All three defendants remain in federal custody.
The Ventura County Violent Crime Task Force, which includes the FBI, the Oxnard Police Department, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ventura Police Department, conducted this investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Lyndsi C. Allsop of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
United States Attorney’s Office Hosts National Crime Victims’ Rights Week CeremonyRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – Yesterday, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina- with the Victim Services Interagency Counsel of North Carolina, Triad Ladder of Hope, and the Greensboro Police Department – hosted an event honoring victims of crime in Guilford County.
The event, attended by community members, law enforcement partners, and victims’ rights groups, is part of the Department of Justice’s annual National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) that pays tribute each year to the victims of crime all around the nation. Speakers at the event included US Attorney Sandra J. Hairston, Assistant District Attorney for Guilford County Kelly Thompson, Dr. Irish Spencer of Families Against Senseless Killings, and Deputy Chief Renae Sigmon and Detective Caroline Holliday of the Greensboro Police Department.
In 2022, there were nearly 20 million crime victimizations in the United States. More than 6.6 million were the result of violent crimes, including rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. Of that 6.6 million, only about 42% were reported to police. In 2023, Guilford County reported hundreds of cases of child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, gun violence, homicide, and human trafficking.
“As prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and victim/witness professionals, we are committed to upholding the rights of crime victims and providing them with vital assistance,” said United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston. “We are honored to do this work, and are inspired by the remarkable strength and resilience of the victims we meet. The people gathered here today, whether they be survivors, advocates, or members of law enforcement, share a powerful bond. You may come from different neighborhoods and different walks of life, but you are bound by courage and a commitment to make our community safer and stronger.”
Each year in April, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices recognize National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), which honors crime victims and those who serve them. This year, NCVRW is April 21-27, and the theme is How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors. This year, the USAO is focusing on creating safe environments for crime victims to share what happened to them and offer support, options for life-saving services, and most importantly, hope. Learn how you can help by visiting https://OVC.OJP.Gov/NCVRW2024.
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United States Attorney Announces Return of Indictment Charging 21 Defendants in Bank Fraud Conspiracy CaseRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown, United States Secret Service Resident Agent in Charge Felton L. Joseph, Jr., and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil, announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging 21 defendants in connection with a federal bank fraud case following an investigation into their illegal activities in the Shreveport area.
The defendants charged in the seven-count indictment are as follows:
Defendant Name
Charges
Destane Glass, 22, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Sharmaine Jackson, 25, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Elijah D. Brown, 24, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Eric D. Loud, 23, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Arazhia R. Gully, 23, Bossier City, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Zarrajah Z. Watkins, 22, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Maya L. Green, 23, Bossier City, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
- Possession of a Counterfeit Security
Olivia Deboe, 23, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
- Possession of a Counterfeit Security
Tina Marie Bryant, 42, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
- Possession of a Counterfeit Security
Cynthia R. Bryant, 22, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
- Possession of a Counterfeit Security
Trameka McGinty, 24, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Shaquentalas B. McGinty, 25, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Donte N. Larrimore, 24, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Javonte J. Lejay, 27, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Octavia L. Mitchell, 32, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Lakysa S. Barfield, 26, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Shmarrian J. Taylor, 26, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Shamaya S. Pouncy, 26, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Precious Wilbert, 24, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
- Possession of a Counterfeit Security
Kyra D. Washington-Bates, 23, Shreveport, LA
- Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud
Rakeydra S. Shepherd, 27, Shreveport, LA
- Possession of a Counterfeit Security
The indictment alleges that from January 1, 2021, and continuing until on or about October 31, 2022, defendants Glass, Jackson, Brown, Loud, Gully, Watkins, Green, Deboe, T. Bryant, C. Bryant, T. McGinty, S. McGinty, Larrimore, Lejay, Mitchell, Barfield, Taylor, Pouncy, Wilbert and Washington-Bates, and others known and unknown, knowingly and willfully conspired to commit bank fraud. It is alleged that the defendants fraudulently obtained money from financial institutions including, but not limited to, USAA Savings Bank (USAA Bank), Chase Bank, and Navy Federal Credit Union (Navy Federal).
It is alleged in the indictment that defendants Glass, Jackson, Brown and Loud worked with one or more employees at the Teleperformance Call Center in Shreveport to obtain account information related to USAA Bank customers. The indictment alleges that Gully, Green and Watkins, who were employees at Teleperformance in Shreveport, illegally provided account information typically targeting older bank customers with high account balances as the defendants believed they were less likely to regularly monitor their account activity. Using the account information provided, the co-conspirators made, or caused to be made, counterfeit checks drawn on USAA Bank and used social media and other methods to recruit individuals who were willing to have the counterfeit checks deposited into their bank accounts in exchange for money.
The indictment further alleges that Deboe, T. Bryant, C. Bryant, T. McGinty, S. McGinty, Larrimore, Lejay, Mitchell, Barfield, Taylor, Pouncy, Wilbert and Washington-Bates each used their bank accounts, or allowed those accounts to be used, to negotiate counterfeit checks drawn on USAA Bank and shared the proceeds with other co-conspirators.
According to the indictment, counterfeit checks were deposited or messages were sent through a social media site (SMS) regarding the deposits and counterfeit checks as follows:
Date
Defendants Involved
Details of Alleged Act
11/27/21
Cynthia R. Bryant to Destane Glass
Message sent through SMS showing $40,000 deposit to Bryant’s Chase Bank account
12/13/21
Maya L. Green to Elijah D. Brown
Message sent through SMS offering to sell him USAA Bank account information
1/21/22
Maya L. Green to Elijah D. Brown
Message sent through SMS indicating she had new USAA Bank account information she was willing to sell
5/11/22
Javonte J. Lejay
Counterfeit USAA Bank check in the amount of $32,000 deposited into his Chase Bank account
5/20/22
Javonte J. Lejay
Entered Margaritaville Casino in Bossier City, LA and made three cash withdrawals totaling $24,000 from his Chase Bank account
5/25/22
Arazhia R. Gully to Elijah D. Brown
Text message sent containing age and account balances of eight USAA Bank customers
5/25/22
Elijah D. Brown to Arazhia R. Gully
Text message sent indicating he was interested in account information related to a 79-year-old customer with account balance of approximately $442,000
5/25/22
Arazhia R. Gully to Elijah D. Brown
Text message sent containing picture of her computer monitor displaying account information related to the USAA Bank customer referenced in paragraph above
6/1/22
Destane Glass to Zarrajah Watkins
Text message sent requesting two account numbers
6/1/22
Destane Glass to Zarrajah Watkins
Text message sent inquiring which account belonged to the oldest person and how much was in the account
6/6/22
Arazhia R. Gully to Elijah D. Brown
Text message sent containing age and account balances of three USAA Bank customers
6/6/22
Elijah D. Brown to Arazhia R. Gully
Text message sent indicating he was interested in the account information related to a 95-year-old customer with account balance of approximately $174,000
6/6/22
Arazhia R. Gully to Elijah D. Brown
Text message containing picture of her computer monitor displaying account information related to the USAA Bank customer referenced in paragraph above
6/13/22
Shamaya S. Pouncy
Counterfeit USAA Bank check in the amount of $10,000 deposited into her Navy Federal account
6/13/22
Shaquentalas B. McGinty
Counterfeit USAA Bank check in the amount of $15,000 deposited into her Navy Federal account
6/17/22
Shaquentalas B. McGinty and Sharmaine Jackson
Both defendants entered Bally’s Casino in Shreveport, LA and withdrew $7,000 cash from McGinty’s Navy Federal account
6/21/22
Kyra D. Washington-Bates
Counterfeit USAA Bank check in the amount of $16,000 deposited into her Navy Federal account
7/1/22
Eric D. Loud to Zarrajah Watkins
Text message sent requesting that she send a number before he printed some checks
7/25/22
Octavia L. Mitchell
Counterfeit USAA Bank check in the amount of $15,000 deposited into her Chase Bank account
7/25/22
Lakysa S. Barfield
Counterfeit USAA Bank check in the amount of $15,000 deposited into her Chase Bank account
8/2/22
Shmarrian J. Taylor
Counterfeit USAA Bank check in the amount of $18,000 deposited into her Navy Federal account
8/3/22
Octavia L. Mitchell and Sharmaine Jackson
Both defendants entered Bally’s Casino in Shreveport, LA and withdrew $7,000 cash from Mitchell’s Chase Bank account
8/3/22
Lakysa S. Barfield and Sharmaine Jackson
Defendants met at Bally’s Casino in Shreveport, LA and they withdrew $7,000 cash from Barfield’s Chase Bank account
8/11/22
Donte N. Larrimore
Counterfeit USAA Bank check in the amount of $9,500 deposited into his Bank of America account
8/17/22
Trameka McGinty
Counterfeit USAA Bank check in the amount of $5,000 deposited into her Navy Federal account
8/22/22
Donte N. Larrimore and Eric D. Loud
Both defendants entered Bally’s Casino and withdrew $4,660 from Larrimore’s Bank of America account
9/19/22
Sharmaine Jackson to Zarrajah Watkins
Text message sent requesting “fresh” account information
In addition, the indictment charges defendants C. Bryant, T. Bryant, Green, Deboe, Wilbert and Shepherd each with one count of knowingly possessing a counterfeited security of USAA Bank with the intent to deceive.
The defendants will make their initial appearance and be arraigned in federal court on their charges.
“The banking system is clearly one of the driving forces behind national, state, and local economy in every community across the United States and is critical in consumer transactions on a daily basis,” said United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “In these trying economic times, this office is committed to prosecuting those who use national and local banks to defraud other banks, businesses, consumers, and bank customers.”
“This case should serve as a strong deterrent for criminal actors considering taking part in similar fraud schemes,” said Resident Agent in Charge Felton L. Joseph, Jr. “The U.S. Secret Service and its law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and pursue prosecution of these alleged crimes in order to safeguard our communities.”
“For months criminals took advantage of a company that serves our veterans, and preyed upon its customers,” said Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil of the New Orleans Field Office. “This indictment is the first step in holding those who stole from those who have honored our country with their service, accountable for their despicable actions. The FBI thanks its partners in this case in helping to bring this corruption to light.”
An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the USSS, FBI, Louisiana State Police and Shreveport Police Department and prosecuted by First Assistant United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.
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U.S. Attorney’s Offices remind Sheriffs and Police Chiefs of obligations under Federal Civil Rights LawsRead the Press Release
Seattle – U.S. Attorneys Tessa M. Gorman and Vanessa Waldref today sent a letter to Washington State Sheriffs and Police Chiefs reminding them of their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The letter notes multiple complaints about law enforcement agencies in Washington State failing to provide communications aids or services to individuals with hearing, vision, or speech disabilities.
“We want to be sure law enforcement personnel in Washington comply with the law so that officers truly serve and protect all our residents,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gorman. “Interactions with law enforcement can be high stress and high stakes encounters – effective communication is critical in these moments to protect everyone involved.”
“To impart justice, law enforcement and prosecutors must ensure that victims, witnesses, and defendants are able to be heard,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “We value everyone’s voice, and we’re hopeful state and local leaders will continue to take the steps necessary to improve language access throughout the Evergreen state.”
“We appreciate the U.S. Attorneys’ focus to assist and help local law enforcement to follow ADA compliance, rather than the use of litigation only. We have the same goals and appreciate their partnership.” Steven D. Strachan, executive director, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC).
The letter to law enforcement cites recent ADA investigations regarding services for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. In the last few years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington has resolved a total of ten cases addressing communication with law enforcement officers and in correctional facilities. The complaints concern agencies and organizations across a broad geographic area: from southwest Washington to the Canadian border.
The office continues to receive and investigate communication-related Civil Rights complaints directly from individuals and referred by advocates such as the Northwest Justice Project.
In just the last month, DOJ finalized three voluntary settlements with the Everett Police Department, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office over allegations they failed to provide services to accommodate individuals’ hearing disabilities. In February, DOJ finalized an agreement with the King County Sheriff’s Office to improve language access services for people who are Limited English Proficient.
In hopes of preventing these civil rights violations, the letter provides resources for law enforcement such as best practices, frequently asked questions about the ADA, a specific ADA guide for law enforcement, and resources for improving communications with individuals with Limited English Proficiency.
Assistant United States Attorneys Susan Kas of the Western District of Washington and Molly Smith of the Eastern District of Washington handle non-criminal Civil Rights matters for the U.S. Attorney’s Offices.
For more information on our Civil Rights and ADA work, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/civil-rights
dcl_waspc_-_april_25_2024.pdf 2023_12_11_lelai_ltr_2_leas_final_508.pdfU.S. Attorney’s Office Honors Crime Victims and Victims’ Rights Advocates at Annual CeremonyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – As part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania again honored a number of crime victims for their strength and resiliency, as well as law enforcement personnel, community partners, and attorneys for their exceptional service to victims of crime during the office’s annual Victim and Victim Advocates Recognition Ceremony that took place yesterday afternoon in the Joseph F. Weis Jr. United States Courthouse.
President Ronald Reagan first proclaimed National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in 1981 to bring greater attention and respect to the needs and rights of victims of crime. Each April, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania joins U.S. Attorney’s Offices and other federal, state, and local communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week by honoring victims of crime and those who advocate on their behalf. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also participates in several events throughout the district to bring awareness to the services available to victims. National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is April 21-27. The theme is “How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors,” with a focus on creating safe environments for crime victims to share their experiences and offer support, options for life-saving services, and most importantly, hope.
“Crime does not discriminate. It finds victims from all walks of life and makes them members of a club they never wanted to join,” said U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan. “The strength and resilience victims of crime demonstrate throughout the criminal justice process is truly remarkable, and we are proud to stand beside them every step of the way. The work that our office and our partners—inside and outside government—do to support these individuals, protect and enforce their rights under the law, and pursue justice on their behalf is at the core of what we do.”
In addition to honoring several civilian victims of crime during the ceremony, the U.S. Attorney’s Office presented awards to several members of the office and law enforcement and community partners, recognizing their work on behalf of victims of crime throughout the past year. Law enforcement and community partner award recipients included:
• Five physically injured members of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police—Officers Daniel Mead, Michael Smidga, Anthony Burke, Timothy Matson, and John Persin—were honored with Strength and Resiliency Awards for their bravery in responding to the October 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting and their assistance in the resulting investigation and prosecution.
• Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Carla Durrant was honored with an Outstanding Service Award for her role as the lead investigator in a case involving hate crimes committed by two defendants against more than a dozen severely disabled, non-verbal residents of a Western Pennsylvania health care facility.
• Homeland Security Investigations Special Agents Michael Radens and Carey Smith and Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Bengel were recognized with Outstanding Service Awards for their roles in the successful dismantling and prosecution of a large-scale conspiracy to defraud elderly victims. A local bank manager was also honored for quickly alerting local law enforcement when a victim attempted to withdraw a substantial sum of cash based on false representations made to the victim by members of the conspiracy.
• Margie Rosselli from the Clearfield County Victim Witness Office was recognized with an Outstanding Service Award for her work providing primary advocacy assistance to a victim and the victim’s family members in a case involving the sexual exploitation of a child.
• Assistant United States Attorney Heidi Grogan was honored with the U.S. Attorney’s Victim Advocate Award for both her role as the office’s Project Safe Childhood coordinator and her advocacy for victims and victims’ rights in each of her own cases. By ensuring that victims are regularly updated and consulted regarding case developments and allowing time to meet with victims whenever they have questions, Ms. Grogan has fostered increased trust with and participation from victims and their families, resulting in numerous successful convictions and sentencings.
• Victim Assistant Specialist Adrienne Howe also was awarded the U.S. Attorney’s Victim Advocate Award for her outstanding years of service in all facets of the work at the U.S. Attorney’s Office on behalf of crime victims, and in particular for her years of assistance to the those impacted by the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting and her tireless support of those crime victims during the months-long capital trial.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania is committed to ensuring that federal crime victims are afforded all rights to which they are entitled by law. To learn more about our Victim Witness services, please visit our website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/vw.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Commemorates Sexual Assault Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky joined the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) and the Department of Justice as a whole, as well as advocates, survivors, victim service providers, justice professionals, police and first responders, and communities across the U.S., in observing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). “I encourage the public to join with us in raising awareness and supporting survivors,” said U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett.
Sexual assault includes any nonconsensual sexual act proscribed by federal, tribal, or state law, including when victims lack the capacity to consent. “It is a serious crime that affects far too many in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Bennett. More than half of women and nearly one-third of men experience physical sexual violence during their lifetimes, according to CDC survey data. Also, women and racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately impacted when it comes to sexual violence. American Indian, Alaska Native, and multiracial women report rape victimization more than 1.5 times the national rate. Additionally, lesbian women, gay men, and bisexual women and men report experiencing sexual violence, rape, sexual coercion, unwanted sexual contact, and sexual harassment in a public place at higher rates than heterosexual men and women. Further, people with intellectual disabilities are sexually assaulted at a rate seven times higher than that of people without disabilities, according to an analysis of Department of Justice data.
Online harassment and abuse is also very harmful. Cybercrimes, such as the sharing of intimate images of someone without their consent, are often used to intimidate, coerce, stalk, or harass a victim. Virtual acts of sexual violence can cause a victim to experience substantial trauma and fear for their physical safety. “Our Office is fully committed to holding perpetrators accountable and supporting all victims throughout the legal process, ensuring their rights are protected and their voices are heard,” said U.S. Attorney Bennett.
Due to the prevalence of sexual assault in our society and its traumatic impact on victims, it is critically important to create supportive environments for anyone harmed and teach young people ways to prevent sexual assault. It is especially necessary to reach young people with information and resources about sexual violence because CDC survey data shows over 80 percent of rape survivors report that they were first raped before age 25. During this month of awareness, we can discuss ways to prevent sexual assault in our communities through bystander intervention and empower survivors through mobilization of allies.
DOJ-funded programs provide valuable resources to enhance prevention efforts, increase availability of trauma-informed services for survivors, and support law enforcement initiatives. OVW and the Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) grant recipients lead programs that meaningfully and compassionately address sexual violence and promote victim safety. During the 2023 fiscal year, organizations providing essential services to sexual assault survivors in the Western District of Kentucky were awarded over $782,036 in grant funding under OVW’s State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program and OVW’s Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Program to further their support of sexual assault survivors. In addition, the Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet was awarded $2,445,428 under OVW’s STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grants Program to develop programs to end gender-based violence and hold offenders accountable. “I encourage victim services providers and justice partners across our District to learn more about the federal grant funding opportunities available to further bolster coordinated community responses to sexual assault in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Bennett. Grants.gov is an excellent source of information on federal grants across all federal agencies, including active DOJ grant funding opportunities.
“As we near the end of April and of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we must rededicate ourselves to increasing public awareness, supporting survivors, and ending sexual violence in all forms, not just in April, but all year round” said U.S. Attorney Bennett.
If you or someone you know is experiencing or has experienced sexual violence, you are not alone. There are many services available to help. Connect with a counselor anonymously by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In addition, you can find a local resources page on OVW’s website, which lists resources and services in your area, as well as opportunities to get involved. If you or someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
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U.S. Attorney Will Thompson Encourages West Virginians to Participate in DEA's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 27, 2024Read the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, April 27, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. United States Attorney Will Thompson encourages West Virginians to take advantage of this latest opportunity to dispose of old, unwanted and unneeded medications.
Take Back Day offers a free, safe and anonymous way to get rid of prescription drugs that are susceptible to diversion and abuse. Dozens of collection sites throughout West Virginia have already been announced. Information including a collection site locator is available at www.DEATakeBack.com.
“This may seem like a small, simple step to take, but safely disposing of prescription drugs can go a long way in preventing tragic outcomes,” Thompson said.
Collection sites will not accept syringes, sharps, and illicit drugs. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container. The cap must be tightly sealed to prevent leakage.
The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.
For more than a decade, the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications—those that are old, unwanted, or expired—that too often become a gateway to addiction. Working in close partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 8,950 tons of medication from circulation since its inception
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.
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Two Burlington Women Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sex Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Burlington woman was sentenced on April 22, 2024, to thirty years in federal prison for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking of a child, and sex trafficking three adult victims.
According to public court documents, Miesha Lasha Stanley, 32, in 2022, used force, fraud, and coercion to compel victims to engage in sex acts with customers in exchange for money. Stanley took some or all of the money that the victims earned. Stanley used the victims’ vulnerabilities, which included lack of stable housing, drug addiction, abusive relationships, and lack of familial support, to compel them to engage in paid sex acts. Stanley allowed the victims, most of whom were females in their late teens and early 20s, to live at her residence in Burlington. Stanley posted sex advertisements for the victims online, communicated with customers, and arranged for customers to engage in sex acts with the victims at her residence and other locations. Stanley also conspired with co-defendant Rosella Marie Taylor to sex traffic one of the victims.
After completing her term of imprisonment, Stanley will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On April 1, 2024, Taylor, 36, was sentenced to 122 months of imprisonment for conspiring to sex traffic, attempting to sex traffic, and sex trafficking two victims. Taylor used force, fraud, and coercion, and conspired with Stanley to use force, fraud, and coercion, to compel an adult victim to engage in paid sex acts. Taylor invited the victim, who struggled with stable housing, and was unemployed, to live at Taylor’s residence in Burlington. Taylor posted sex advertisements for the victim online and drove the victim to meet customers for paid sex work. Taylor took some or all of the money the victim earned. Additionally, Taylor attempted to sex traffic a minor victim. Taylor posted sex advertisements for the victim online, arranged for a customer to engage in sex acts with the victim, and drove the victim to the customer’s residence. However, the customer did not answer the door, and the victim left with Taylor.
After completing her term of imprisonment, Stanley will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
“On behalf of the Burlington Police Department, I would like to recognize the efforts of the personnel and agencies involved in this case,” said Burlington Police Chief Adam Schaefer. “Special recognition should be given to the investigators, who began with some small pieces of information and actively pursued all leads which ultimately led to this resolution. And of, course, I commend the victims who came forward and cooperated with law enforcement even under the most difficult circumstances. It was not an easy thing to do and their bravery and courage must be commended. This case also serves as a reminder that human trafficking is everywhere, not just large metropolitan areas. It is important for everyone to be vigilant about their surroundings both for themselves and their community.”
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa and the Burlington Police Department made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Burlington Police Department, assisted by the Des Moines County Attorney’s Office, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety. This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of youth under the age of 18 for commercial sex; the exploitation of adults for commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion; and the exploitation of any individual for compelled labor. Human trafficking does not require the transportation of individuals across state lines, or that someone is physically restrained. Signs that a person is being trafficked can include working excessively long hours, unexplained gifts, physical injury, substance abuse issues, running away from home, isolation from others, or having a person in their life controlling them or monitoring them closely. Victims particularly susceptible to being trafficked include those with criminal histories, a history of physical or sexual abuse, uncertain legal status, and dependency on controlled substances. Individuals who purchase sex from minors or from those who are otherwise exploited for commercial sex are also subject to prosecution for sex trafficking under federal law, if they knew or were in reckless disregard of the fact that they were under the age of 18, or that force, fraud, or coercion was used.
Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring, be it a minor engaging in paid sex acts, or anyone being coerced into prostitution or labor, is urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Texas woman heads to prison for trying to smuggle over 3,500 rounds of ammunition into MexicoRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 52-year-old resident of Channelview has been sentenced for attempting to smuggle thousands of rounds of ammunition in spare tire, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Maria Tapia-Aguilar pleaded guilty Feb. 28, 2022.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Tapia-Aguilar to serve 51 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
“3,500 rounds and seven different calibers – not child’s play,” said Hamdani. “We have laws in place for a reason, and we can never know in whose hands these items may be at any given time if people try to circumvent those rules. Exporting ammunition can be just as dangerous as the weapons themselves as it not only endangers U.S. citizens, but also puts the lives of those on both sides of our border at risk, especially if in the arms of criminals.”
On Nov. 6, 2019, law enforcement observed Tapia-Aguilar purchasing large amounts of ammunition at a local Edinburg store. Afterwards, she engaged in strange driving behavior and committed a traffic violation. Authorities then conducted a traffic stop which resulted the discovery of ammunition hidden in the vehicle’s spare tire.
Tapia-Aguilar admitted to possessing 3,580 rounds of ammunition, including seven different calibers, for transport to Mexico. She also informed law enforcement that this was not the first time she exported ammunition to Mexico.
Tapia-Aguilar as permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Texas Department of Public Safety.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan prosecuted the case as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
Tax Attorneys and Insurance Agent Convicted in Tax Shelter SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Charlotte, North Carolina, convicted two tax attorneys and an insurance agent of conspiring to defraud the United States and helping clients file false tax returns based on their promotion and operation of a fraudulent tax shelter.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from 2011 to November 2022, Michael Elliott Kohn and Catherine Elizabeth Chollet, both attorneys and residents of St. Louis, and David Shane Simmons, a licensed insurance agent and broker based out of Jefferson, North Carolina, promoted, marketed and sold to clients a fraudulent tax scheme known as the Gain Elimination Plan.
The defendants designed the plan to conceal their clients’ income from the IRS by inflating business expenses through fictitious royalties and management fees. These fictitious fees were paid, on paper, to a limited partnership largely owned by a charity. In reality, Kohn and Chollet fabricated the fees.
Kohn and Chollet advised clients that the plan’s limited partnership was required to obtain insurance on the life of the clients to cover the income that was allocated to the charitable organization. The death benefit was directly tied to the anticipated profitability of the clients’ businesses and how much of the clients’ taxable income was intended to be sheltered.
Simmons earned more than $2.3 million in commissions from selling the insurance policies, splitting the commissions with Kohn and Chollet. Kohn and Chollet received more than $1 million from Simmons. Simmons also filed false personal tax returns that underreported his business income and inflated his business expenses, resulting in a tax loss of more than $480,000.
In total, the defendants caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $4 million.
A sentencing date has not been set. They face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each charge of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Simmons also faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each count of filing false personal tax returns. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Kevin Schneider and Todd Ellinwood of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley for the Western District of North Carolina are prosecuting the case.
Tax Attorneys and Insurance Agent Convicted in Tax Shelter SchemeRead the Press Release
STATESVILLE, N.C. – A federal jury in Charlotte has found two tax attorneys and an insurance agent guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States and helping clients file false tax returns based on their promotion and operation of a fraudulent tax shelter, said Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office (IRS CI), join U.S. Attorney Dena J. King of the Western District of North Carolina made the announcement.
“Tax fraud is not just a crime against the government,” said U.S. Attorney King. “It’s a betrayal of trust to every honest taxpayer. Today’s guilty verdict sends a clear message that we will not tolerate tax fraudsters who promote and operate fraudulent tax schemes. Their conduct compromises the integrity of our tax system and burdens the rest of us with the weight of their deceit.”
“The defendants’ use of tax schemes was clearly intended to conceal income from the IRS,” said Special Agent in Charge Eakins. “Today’s verdict reinforces our commitment to every American taxpayer that IRS CI special agents will continue to identify and help bring to prosecution those who promote illegal schemes designed to evade the payment of taxes.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from 2011 to November 2022, Michael Elliott Kohn and Catherine Elizabeth Chollet, both attorneys and residents of St. Louis, Missouri, and David Shane Simmons, a licensed insurance agent and broker based out of Jefferson, North Carolina, promoted, marketed, and sold to clients a fraudulent tax scheme known as the Gain Elimination Plan.
The defendants designed the Plan to conceal their clients’ income from the IRS by inflating business expenses through fictitious royalties and management fees. These fictitious fees were paid, on paper, to a limited partnership largely owned by a charity. In reality, Kohn and Chollet fabricated the fees.
Kohn and Chollet advised clients that the Plan’s limited partnership was required to obtain insurance on the life of the clients to cover the income that was allocated to the charitable organization. The death benefit was directly tied to the anticipated profitability of the clients’ businesses and how much of the clients’ taxable income was intended to be sheltered.
Simmons earned more than $2.3 million in commissions from selling the insurance policies, splitting the commissions with Kohn and Chollet. Kohn and Chollet received more than $1 million from Simmons. Simmons also filed false personal tax returns that underreported his business income and inflated his business expenses, resulting in a tax loss of more than $480,000.
In total, the defendants caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $4 million.
A sentencing date has not been set. They face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each charge of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. Simmons also faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison for each count of filing false personal tax returns. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte and Trial Attorneys Kevin Schneider and Todd Ellinwood of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
St. Louis County Man Caught with Gun and Methamphetamine Sentenced to 160 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Wednesday sentenced a convicted felon caught with a rifle and methamphetamine to 160 months in prison.
Antwon Fulton was a passenger in a car with no front license plate and an expired temporary license tag on the rear when he was pulled over by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers on May 6, 2021. Officers found a Chinese SKS semi-automatic rifle in the rear of the car, which belonged to Fulton, and a bag containing 27.05 grams of methamphetamine in the vehicle’s center console. Fulton is a convicted felon and is barred from possessing firearms.
Fulton, 33, of St. John, Missouri, pleaded guilty in December to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Goeke prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
St. Louis Carjacker Sentenced to 105 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced a man to 105 months in prison for a 2022 carjacking.
On July 7, 2022, outside a Family Dollar store at 6440 West Florissant Avenue in Jennings, La’Vontray Hayes-Williams pulled out a handgun and told the driver of a 2018 Nissan Sentra to “give me the car.” He then drove away with his girlfriend. The victim called police, who quickly spotted Hayes-Williams. Hayes-Williams fled, sparking a chase that lasted nearly ten miles and reached speeds of over 100 mph.
Fulton pleaded guilty in January to one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj 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.
South Bend Man Sentenced to 144 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Michael Querry, 52 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to distribution of methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Querry was sentenced to 144 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in the spring and summer of 2023, Querry supplied methamphetamine to multiple individuals in the South Bend area, and within a three month period, supplied law enforcement with nearly a pound and a half of methamphetamine. During the same period, traffic stops on Querry resulted in the recovery of a total of five and one-half ounces of methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office, the Indiana State Police, the Mishawaka Police Department, the South Bend Police Department, the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office, the Porter County Metropolitan Enforcement Group and the DEA Regional Drug Laboratory. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katelan McKenzie Doyle.
This case was 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.
Slidell Woman Pleads Guilty to Railroad Retirement FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that TONYA BUTLER, of Slidell, La., age 55, pleaded guilty on April 22, 2024 before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey to making false statements to the Railroad Retirement Board, in violation Title 45, United States Code, Section 359(a).
According to the bill of information and court records, from January 2022 to April 2022, BUTLER made false statements to the Railroad Retirement Board for the purpose of obtaining sickness benefits. In truth, BUTLER was working full-time for an interstate trucking company. Her false statements caused a loss of approximately $7,345.52.
Sentencing will be held on July 22, 2024. At that time, BUTLER faces up to one year in prison for the false statements count. She also faces up to $100,000 in fines, and up to one year of supervised release after conviction.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of Amtrak – Office of Inspector General and the Railroad Retirement Board - Office of Inspector General in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
Sheldon, Iowa Woman Pleads Guilty to Meth and Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Kelli Biller, 38, from Sheldon, Iowa, pled guilty April 24, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City. Biller was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
At the plea hearing, Biller admitted that from about January 2022 through November 2023, she was involved in a conspiracy that distributed at least 1200 grams of methamphetamine and at least 200 grams of fentanyl. Biller admitted to facilitating the receipt of 2,000 fentanyl pills from a source in Sioux City to later distribute in the Sheldon and Primghar area. Biller further admitted to obtaining several ounces of methamphetamine from her source for redistribution in and around Northwest Iowa. During a traffic stop in Sioux City on November 10, 2023, agents seized 19 M30-type fentanyl pills from Biller.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Biller remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Biller faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three 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 Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-4010. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Second Defendant Pleads Guilty to Hacking Fantasy Sports and Betting WebsiteRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the guilty plea today of KAMERIN STOKES, a/k/a “TheMFNPlug,” in connection with a scheme to hack user accounts at a fantasy sports and betting website (the “Betting Website”) and sell access to those accounts in order to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from them. STOKES pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit computer intrusion before U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “With today’s guilty plea, this Office has successfully prosecuted a second member of a scheme to hack fantasy sports and betting accounts and sell access to them online. Kamerin Stokes and his co-defendants greedily lined their own pockets by profiting off of harmful hacks that drained victims of hundreds of thousands of dollars and erode the public’s trust in online platforms. Hackers and cybercriminals who sell stolen information online should be warned that this Office is watching and will continue to protect internet-users from malicious actors.”
According to the charging documents and other filings and statements made in court
On or about November 18, 2022, several individuals launched a “credential stuffing attack” on the Betting Website. During a credential stuffing attack, a cyber threat actor collects stolen credentials, or username and password pairs, obtained from other large-scale data breaches of other companies, which can be purchased on the darkweb. The threat actor then systematically attempts to use those stolen credentials to obtain unauthorized access to accounts held by the same user with other companies and providers in order to compromise accounts where the user has maintained the same password. Here, in connection with the attack on the Betting Website, there was a series of attempts to log into the Betting Website accounts using a large list of stolen credentials.
Those individuals successfully accessed approximately 60,000 accounts at the Betting Website (the “Victim Accounts”) through the credential stuffing attack. In some instances, the individuals who unlawfully accessed the Victim Accounts were able to add a new payment method on the account, deposit $5 into that account through the new payment method to verify that method, and then withdraw all the existing funds in the Victim Account through the new payment method (i.e., to a newly added financial account belonging to the hacker), thus stealing the funds in the Victim Account.
Access to the Victim Accounts were sold on various websites that traffic in stolen accounts, which are frequently referred to as “Shops.” STOKES controlled his own Shop, used the alias, “TheMFNPlug,” and purchased Victim Accounts in bulk. STOKES obtained Victim Accounts from the Betting Website with a total listed account value of over $125,000 and then offered access to those accounts for sale on his Shop.
* * *
STOKES, 21, of Memphis, Tennessee, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. STOKES is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Buchwald on August 15, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Mead and Micah Fergenson are in charge of the prosecution.
Seattle real estate owner indicted for $4.8 million tax evasion schemeRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 68-year-old Seattle real estate owner was indicted this week for tax evasion and making false tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Steven T. Loo is schedule for arraignment on May 2, 2024.
According to the indictment, Loo owned (in whole or part) and operated multiple businesses in western Washington and California. Several of the businesses owned real estate, and Loo hired property management companies to manage the properties. Loo had the property management companies send profits from the properties to two bank accounts he controlled. Loo spent this money for his benefit, or that of his family and friends. However, Loo did not declare that income -- over $4.8 million -- on his tax returns. Loo allegedly used a web of corporate entities and accounts to conceal the income from the IRS.
The indictment details eight properties owned by Loo via various limited liability companies (LLCs). The indictment alleges that income from the LLCs was funneled into bank accounts associated with two specific inactive entities that were established in Washington in 1999. Loo did not report this income to the IRS, nor did he file any forms that would account for this income for tax years 2015-2020. Loo allegedly told the property management companies how to label the funds sent to the inactive entities to make it appear they were fees for business services, when in fact they were profits that should be taxed as income. Loo failed to inform his tax return preparer of these funds that were income from his properties.
Loo is charged with six counts of tax evasion and six counts of making and subscribing to a false tax return.
Each count of tax evasion is punishable by up to five years of imprisonment. Making and subscribing to a false tax retuning is punishable by up to three years of imprisonment.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mike Dion and Sean Waite for the Western District of Washington and Trial Attorney Regina Jeon of the Department of Justice Tax Division.
loo_indictment.pdfScandia Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to Stealing Bottles of OxycodoneRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Scandia pharmacist has pleaded guilty to unlawfully taking bottles of oxycodone from her pharmacy for her own personal use, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, Kristie Marie Dezell, 46, was the pharmacist in charge at a pharmacy located in Maplewood, Minnesota. From March 2020, until June 2023, Dezell knowingly and intentionally obtained bottles of oxycodone for her own personal use from the pharmacy’s inventory. Dezell falsified the pharmacy’s records to conceal her actions.
Dezell pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Michael J. Davis to one count of obtaining possession of controlled substance by misrepresentation. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maplewood Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Forbes is prosecuting the case.
Saratoga Springs Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Christopher Barry, age 42, of Saratoga Springs, New York, pled guilty today to receiving child pornography.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
Barry admitted that between June 2021 and January 2022, he received child pornography, including images of prepubescent minors, and possessed two phones on February 9, 2023, containing child pornography.
Barry will be sentenced on August 27, 2024, by United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci. Barry faces at least 5 years and up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. The court may also impose a fine, restitution, and forfeiture of the phones Barry used to commit his offenses. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. Barry must also register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
HSI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping is prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Salvadoran Man Previously Deported on Eight Separate Occasions Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Salvadoran man has pleaded guilty today to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Melvin Alexander Orellana-Martinez, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien before U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
On eight separate occasions between July 2007 and January 2020, Orellana-Martinez was removed from the United States. Between February 2008 and March 2019, Orellana-Martinez was convicted in California and Texas federal courts on five separate occasions of either illegal reentry or improper entry.
Orellana-Martinez was last deported from the United States on Jan. 14, 2020. Sometime after his January 2020 removal, Orellana-Martinez unlawfully reentered the United States. On Jan. 6, 2023, federal immigration authorities were notified that Orellana-Martinez had unlawfully reentered the United States after he was arrested on unrelated state charges.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of the imposed sentence. 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 and Todd M. Lyons, Boston’s Field Office Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
St. Croix Prison Guards Convicted of Assaulting Inmate and Falsifying Reports of the AssaultRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that a federal jury convicted two former Virgin Islands Correctional Officers of depriving an inmate of his rights under color of law and obstruction of an FBI investigation. After an eight-day trial, the jury returned guilty verdicts against Maxwell Bryan, 53, and Elvin Bloice, 72, both Correctional Officers at the John A. Bell Correctional Facility in St. Croix at the time of offenses. Bloice was also convicted of making materially false statements to the FBI.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to upholding the civil and constitutional rights of all citizens, including inmates who must rely on correctional officers to protect them. This case warranted attention from the Department of Justice because of the Color of Law violations that makes it a crime for anyone to abuse their legal power or authority to deprive another of their rights”, United States Attorney Smith said.
According to the evidence presented at trial, on September 17, 2021, after refusing to return to his cell, Bryan cornered the inmate, lifted, and pushed him into his cell. Once in his cell, Bryan punched the inmate twice on his forehead and choked him. While the assault was underway, Bloice stood in front of the cell and partially closed the cell door to prevent the ongoing assault from being captured by the facility’s video cameras. Trial evidence further established that Bryan’s assault of the inmate was in retaliation to an incident that occurred on August 23, 2021, when the inmate kicked the door of Bryan’s vehicle. After the assault, both Bryan and Bloice knowingly submitted false incident reports denying any assault occurred. Thereafter, on October 4, 2021, Bloice again denied to the FBI that the assault ever occurred.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by United States Attorneys Evan Rikhye and Dan Huston. Deputy Chief Forrest Christian of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division provided invaluable assistance in the prosecution of this case.
Richmond felon sentenced for illegally possessing a firearmRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced today to two years and three months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, at around 10:00 p.m. on Aug. 3, 2023, Richmond Police observed Walter Lavelle Allen, 25, displaying a firearm in an Instagram story that Allen posted at around 8:00 p.m. At around 11:30 p.m., a Richmond Police officer on foot patrol on North 25th Street found Allen asleep in the passenger seat of a parked vehicle, with the firearm, a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol, under Allen’s leg. The officer secured the firearm and detained Allen.
On June 23, 2020, Allen was convicted for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. As a previously convicted felon, Allen cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Hubbard, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-121.
Registered Sex Offender Is Sentenced to 31+ Years in Prison for Traveling to South Carolina to Engage in Sexual Activity with A MinorRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, Michael John Worley, 51, of Canton, N.C., was sentenced to 382 months in prison for traveling to Fort Mill, South Carolina, to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor while being a registered sex offender, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger also ordered Worley to remain under court supervision for the rest of his life and to register as a sex offender after he completes his prison sentence.
Kyle Burns, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, and Sheriff Kevin Tolson of the York County Sheriff’s Office join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and court proceedings, in 2017, Worley was sentenced to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina. As part of Worley’s judgement, he was ordered to a lifetime term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. Court documents show that in March 2021, the York County Sheriff’s Office began an undercover operation to identify online child predators using social media and other messaging applications to contact minors. On March 12, 2021, Worley began communicating online with undercover sheriff deputies posing as a 15-year-old minor female. During their communications, Worley expressed his interest in engaging in illicit sexual acts with the underage female, knowing that the female he thought he was communicating with was a minor. Worley also referenced his prior federal conviction and said that he was not supposed to be talking to a minor, that he had been in trouble in the past, and that he did not want to get in trouble again. On March 27, 2021, Worley traveled from Haywood County in North Carolina to Fort Mill, for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the minor. When Worley arrived at the residence in Fort Mill where he thought he was meeting the minor, he was arrested by the York County Sheriff’s Office.
“We are committed to actively investigating and prosecuting repeat predators like Worley to combat child exploitation and ensure the safety of our vulnerable young people,” said U.S. Attorney King. “Ensuring the safety of our children is paramount, and I commend Homeland Security Investigations and the York County Sheriff’s Office for their swift action in this case. Thanks to their work, children are protected from this dangerous individual.”
“We all can breathe a little easier knowing that a predator like Worley, who delights in the abuse and exploitation of children, is not roaming around our communities looking to victimize our children,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Burns Kyle Burns. “I am thankful for the great work done on this case and the amazing support of our law enforcement partners.”
“Let this send a strong message to any child predator, if you hunt our children, you will become the hunted,” said Sheriff Tolson.
On March 3, 2023, Worley pleaded guilty to attempting to use a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. Worley is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
U.S. Attorney King credited HSI and the York County Sheriff’s Office with the investigation that led to today’s sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Solheim of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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.
Princeton Couple Facing Federal Charges for $1 Million Mail and Identity Theft Scheme and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
EVANSVILLE- Michael Jerome Wright, 44, and Cortney Lashea Young, 35, both of Princeton, Indiana, have both been charged with mail theft. Wright is also charged with unlawful possession of a mail key, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, possession of ammunition by a previously convicted felon, and possession of a machinegun. Young was also charged with possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents, in October of 2023, law enforcement officials began receiving numerous complaints about mail theft and check forgery. The reported value of missing, forged, or counterfeited checks totaled more than one million dollars.
In March of 2024, Evansville Police Department Officer began surveilling local United States Postal Service (USPS) collection boxes. On five different occasions, investigators saw Wright open collection boxes with an arrow key around 4:30 in the morning, sort through the mail, then drive off with stolen mail. On at least two of those occasions, investigators saw Young behind the wheel of the getaway car.
The United States Postal Service uses a unique type of lock known as an “arrow lock” to secure USPS collection boxes, lockers, and apartment mailbox panels. These locks can only be opened with an arrow key. It is a crime for anyone not authorized by the Postal Service to knowingly have or use arrow keys.
On April 3, 2023, investigators saw Young drive Wright to a USPS collection box in Evansville. Wright exited the vehicle and took mail from the box. The couple drove away and were stopped by law enforcement officers. Officers searched the vehicle and uncovered an arrow key and stolen mail on the passenger floorboard. Included in the mail located in the vehicle were approximately 100 wedding invitations that had been placed in a USPS collection box the night before.
Investigators conducted a court-authorized search of Wright and Young’s apartment in Princeton and located numerous checks and their corresponding envelopes, many of which had been reported as stolen from the mail. The face value of the stolen checks was in excess of $1 million.
Investigators also found two handguns under the mattress in Young and Wright’s bedroom. One pistol was a partially 3D printed privately made firearm with no serial number. This type of weapon is commonly referred to as a “ghost gun” because it has no records related to its’ manufacture or sale. The second firearm was a Ruger LCP .380 caliber pistol. Investigators also recovered two 30-round extended magazines. The ghost gun had a machinegun conversion device, also called a “Glock switch,” installed, allowing it to fire as a fully-automatic weapon. Glock switches are themselves considered machineguns under federal law, whether or not they are installed in a firearm.
Wright has sustained multiple felony convictions including operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and dealing in a synthetic drug, as well as a murder conviction in Cook County, Illinois. Young has sustained a felony conviction for fraud. These prior felony convictions prohibit Wright and Young from ever legally possessing a firearm or ammunition.
The U.S. Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Evansville Police Department investigated this case. Should Wright or Young be convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew B. Miller and Todd S. Shellenbarger, who are prosecuting this case.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Out-of-State Gunmen Indicted for July Shooting That Injured TwoRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Daquawn Lubin, 29, of Maryland, and Jonathan Young, 34, of Virginia, are charged in a 14-count indictment, filed today in Superior Court, with conspiring to shoot and kill a victim in Southeast D.C., in July of 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The indictment charges Lubin and Young with conspiracy, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, and other related offenses. According to the Government’s evidence, in the evening of July 24, 2023, Lubin and Young had a confrontation with A.A. at an apartment building in the 4600 block of Benning Road, Southeast. Afterward, the two defendants hid in the apartment building’s parking lot, armed with firearms and hidden by dark hooded sweatshirts and masks, lying in wait for the victim. As A.A. walked the dimly lit pedestrian walkway to his car, Lubin and Young burst out of hiding and fired off more than 20 gunshots, striking the victim eight times and twice striking a second victim, who was with A.A. Lubin and Young then fled the scene. Both victims survived.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Cocuzza.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
Norman Doctor Pays $60,000 to Settle Civil Penalty Claims Stemming from Allegations of Recordkeeping ViolationsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Ronnie Keith, DO (“Dr. Keith”), paid $60,000 to settle civil penalty claims stemming from allegations that he violated the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 and its regulations, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
Dr. Keith owns and operates Keith Medical Clinics with locations in Norman and Ardmore, Oklahoma. The United States alleges that from August 10, 2021, through August 10, 2023, Dr. Keith failed to maintain invoices for certain purchases of controlled substances and failed to document the date of receipt on certain receiving invoices. Dr. Keith also failed to maintain an initial inventory of all stocks of controlled substances on hand and failed to take a new inventory biennially. To resolve these allegations, Dr. Keith agreed to pay $60,000 to the United States.
In reaching this settlement, Dr. Keith did not admit liability, and the government did not make any concessions about the legitimacy of the claims. The agreement allows the parties to avoid the delay, expense, inconvenience, and uncertainty involved in litigating the case.
Recordkeeping is a vital part of managing controlled substances. Complete and accurate records help avoid diversions and losses of controlled drugs. A registrant who purchases controlled substances must comply with the inventory and purchase record requirements contained in the regulations implementing the Act. Failure to do so subjects the registrant to civil monetary penalties.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald R. Gallegos and Amanda R. Johnson prosecuted the case.
New Orleans Men Indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Theft of Government Funds, and Making False Statements to Federal AgentsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that NEELY B. HARGIS (“HARGIS”), age 60, and JOSEPH T. TROTTA (“TROTTA”), age 60, both of New Orleans, were indicted on April 19, 2024 for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Count One; Theft of Government Funds, Counts 2 and 3; and Making False Statements to Federal Agents, Counts 4 and 5; in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1349, 641, and 1001(a)(2), respectively.
According to the indictment, HARGIS and TROTTA, stole approximately $443,455.00 in Social Security Administration (“SSA”) and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES ACT”) funds. An individual, W.S., received SSA monthly benefits beginning in March of 1992. W.S.’s monthly SSA benefits were directly deposited into her Capital One Bank (“Capital One”) account. W.S. lived on North Dupre Street in New Orleans, Louisiana until her death on August 30, 1999. From the time of W.S.’s death to July 6, 2020, the SSA deposited approximately $442,264.00 in SSA funds into W.S.’s Capital One account intended for W.S.
In November 2002, HARGIS and TROTTA purchased the North Dupre Street property. HARGIS and TROTTA were also the owners of a property located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. HARGIS and TROTTA stole over $443,400.00 in government funds from the Capital One account belonging to W.S. Thereafter, HARGIS and TROTTA used those funds for personal expenses, e.g., auto loans, utility bills, credit cards, and health insurance bills. For example, HARGIS and TROTTA electronically transferred money from W.S.’s Capital One account to make fifty-two (52) payments totaling $61,495.00 to Ford Motor Credit, for the purchase of two Lincoln vehicles. Additionally, HARGIS and TROTTA electronically transferred money from W.S.’s Capital One account to make payments to the City of New Smyrna Beach Utility Commission for utility bills for the property located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. According to the indictment, both HARGIS and TROTTA, lied to special agents with the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, when they were interviewed about the theft of the Social Security funds from W.S.’s Capital One account.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, HARGIS and TROTTA up to twenty (20) years imprisonment, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine as to Count One; up to ten (10) years imprisonment, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine as to Counts Two and Three; and, up to five (5) years imprisonment, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine as to Counts Four and Five. For each of the five counts, HARGIS and TROTTA also face payment of a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.
New Orleans Men Indicted for Federal Drug and Weapons OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOSEPH MILLER, age 21, and KENNETH TURNER, age 36, residents of New Orleans, were charged on April 19, 2024 in an eight-count indictment with violations of the Federal Controlled Substances and Gun Control Acts.
MILLER and TURNER are both charged in Count 1 with conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, and 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 841(b)(1)(B). Both men are also charged in Count 2 with possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i). MILLER is charged in Counts 3 through 7 with five separate distributions of various quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 841(b)(1)(C). Finally, MILLER is charged in Count 8 with possession of a machinegun, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2).
If convicted of the drug trafficking conspiracy charged in Count 1, MILLER and TURNER each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 - years and up to life in prison, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release. If convicted of possessing firearms in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy as charged in Count 2, each man faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. As to his five counts for distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine, MILLER faces up to 20 years in prison, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three years of supervised release on Count 3, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to 40 years in prison, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release as to each of Counts 4 through 7. As to the charge of possession of a machinegun in Count 8, MILLER faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release. Both men also face payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count with which they are charged.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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. Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Violating Federal Controlled Substances and Gun Control ActsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – NATHANIEL WILLIAMS, age 27, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on April 16, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Greg G. Guidry to 156 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, along with a $300 mandatory special assessment fee, after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8); possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A).
According to court documents, on March 29, 2023, WILLIAMS was conducting hand-to-hand drug sales near the Valero gas station on South Claiborne Avenue. When marked New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) vehicles arrived at the gas station, WILLIAMS fled across South Claiborne and threw a loaded gun onto the neutral ground. WILLIAMS then hid underneath a house nearby and discarded 66 baggies of cocaine before being apprehended by NOPD.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Distribution of Cocaine BaseRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – EDWARD MCMILLAN, age 25, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on April 17, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Jane T. Milazzo to 21 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, along with a mandatory $100 special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to distributing cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846(b)(1)(C).
According to court documents, on February 9, 2022, MCMILLAN sold cocaine base to a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in Metairie, La.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Weapons ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –RONALD JOHNSON, age 26, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty to a three-count superseding bill of information on April 16, 2024 before U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey. JOHNSON is the eighth and final defendant to plead guilty in this case.
JOHNSON pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute tapentadol and tramadol, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C), and 841(b)(2); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i); and to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).
According to court documents, JOHNSON distributed tapentadol and tramadol in New Orleans in 2022 and 2023. In May of 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at JOHNSON’s residence. In JOHNSON’s bedroom, FBI agents found a Century Arms C39, 7.62x39 mm caliber semi-automatic pistol and an American Tactical MilSport 300BLK, multi-caliber semi-automatic pistol, both of which were loaded with high-capacity magazines. JOHNSON has felony convictions for first degree robbery and is prohibited from possessing firearms. FBI agents also found packs of tramadol and tapentadol that JOHNSON intended to sell in his residence.
As to his conviction for possession with intent to distribute tapentadol and tramadol, JOHNSON faces up to 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years of supervised release, and up to a $1,000,000 fine. As to his conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, he faces a minimum of five years and up to life in prison, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, and up to five years of supervised release. As to his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, JOHNSON faces up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine. Each count also carries a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.
New Haven Gang Member Admits Role in Murders, Other ShootingsRead the Press Release
TYJON PRESTON, also known as “TJ,” 21, of New Haven, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to a racketeering offense stemming from his role in a violent New Haven street gang.
Today’s announcement was made by Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; John P. Doyle, Jr., State’s Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division; Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England; and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in an effort to address violence in New Haven, the ATF, FBI, DEA and New Haven Police Department, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, have been investigating an ongoing gang war between members and associates of the Exit 8 street gang and rival gangs in the Hill section and other areas of the city. The Exit 8 gang is named after the geographic area accessed by exiting Interstate 91 at Exit 8 in New Haven. Recently, younger members of Exit 8 are identifying themselves with the word “Honcho,” which is derived from the street name of an Exit 8 member who was murdered on Quinnipiac Avenue in February 2020.
The investigation revealed that Preston and other members of the Exit 8 gang engaged in drug trafficking, used and shared firearms, and, since June 2018, have committed at least three murders and 16 attempted murders. Exit 8 members and associates also stole vehicles, at times from outside of the state, and used those stolen vehicles when committing acts of violence. Gang members also promoted, coordinated, facilitated, and celebrated their narcotics distribution and acts of violence through text messaging and the use of social media applications and websites including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.
Preston pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, and specifically admitted that he took part in the following violent acts:
- On April 27, 2021, Preston and other Exit 8 members attempted to kill a rival gang member and shot him in the leg.
- On May 19, 2021, Preston and other Exit 8 members conspired to kill rival gang members, including one who was shot and killed on that date by another Exit 8 member.
- On May 20, 2021, Preston and other Exit 8 members shot and attempted to kill rival gang members.
- On July 5, 2021, Preston and another Exit 8 member shot and killed a 22-year-old woman after she made a rap song containing derogatory comments about Exit 8.
At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Preston faces a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Under the terms of a binding plea agreement, if accepted by the court, the parties have agreed that a sentence of between of between 264 months and 360 months of imprisonment is appropriate in this case.
Preston has been detained since September 9, 2021.
This investigation is being conducted by ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the New Haven Police Department, the Hamden Police Department, and the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara E. Levens, Rahul Kale and Jocelyn C. Kaoutzanis.
This prosecution is a part of the Justice’s Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), Project Longevity and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programs.
PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Longevity is a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities. Through Project Longevity, community members and law enforcement directly engage with members of groups that are prone to commit violence and deliver a community message against violence, a law enforcement message about the consequences of further violence and an offer of help for those who want it. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
New Hampshire Man Sentenced in Harvard University Bomb Extortion CaseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Manchester, N.H., man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for making a series of extortionate bomb threats against Harvard University. The extortionate threats caused the evacuation of Harvard’s Science Center Plaza and surrounding academic buildings, and the controlled detonation of what was later determined to be a hoax device on April 13, 2023.
William A. Giordani, 55, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to three years of probation. In January 2024, Giordani pleaded guilty to one count of concealing a federal felony.
In the early afternoon of April 13, 2023, Giordani placed a large tool bag, which concealed a locked safe containing fireworks and electrical wires, in the center of Harvard’s Science Center Plaza, where students and others had gathered. Shortly thereafter, a caller, using a voice changing app to conceal his identity, called the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) and said that he had placed three bombs on the Harvard campus. The caller demanded an unspecified amount in Bitcoin to prevent the remote detonation of the bombs. In several ensuing calls, the caller told HUPD that he was serious about his demands and that they could find the first bomb in the Science Center Plaza.
HUPD discovered the device planted by Giordani, next to a bench in the center of Science Center Plaza and issued an emergency evacuation order of the area and nearby buildings. A responding bomb squad from the Cambridge Police Department assessed and disabled the device. No additional devices were found on campus that day.
A subsequent investigation revealed that Giordani had been recruited to join the extortion scheme via a craigslist.org advertisement. Once Giordani knew he had been recruited to assist in an extortionate bomb scheme, he had an obligation under federal law to report that scheme to authorities. Instead, he deleted incriminating text messages, told his girlfriend not to speak to anyone about it and went on the run from police.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division; Harvard University Police Chief Victor Clay; and Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow made the announcement. Assistance was provided by the Nashua (N.H.) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. McNeil of the National Security Unit prosecuted the case.
Nevada U.S. Attorney's Office and HUD Office of Inspector General Co-Host Roundtable on Sexual Harassment in HousingRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General hosted a roundtable yesterday for community members and organizations on Sexual Harassment in Housing.
“Tenants should feel safe and not live in fear of sexual harassment, sexual assault or sexual exploitation by their landlord or other people who have control over housing,” said U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada. “We are committed to working together to enforce the Fair Housing Act, protect victims, and hold violators accountable.”
“There is no place in our society for sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, sexual harassment, and unwelcome advances – and there is certainly no place for such behavior in HUD-assisted housing. This type of misconduct threatens an individual’s right to a safe living environment,” said HUD Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis. “Efforts like the roundtable today with our partners in the Nevada U.S. Attorney’s Office help demonstrate our unified approach to improve the quality of life for these tenants. We are committed to vigorously enforcing fair housing laws and holding to account those that would seek to exploit this vulnerable population.”
Participants included representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Housing Section; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada; Silver State Fair Housing Council and Northern Nevada Legal Aid. These organizations work with the most vulnerable populations, who are at risk of becoming victims of sexual harassment in housing. Some of the attendees included representatives from fair housing organizations, shelters and transitional housing providers.
The Department of Justice, through the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Civil Rights Division, enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by the Act. Sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, and others with power over housing often affects the most vulnerable populations – single parents, individuals who have financial difficulties, and people who have suffered sexual violence in the past. These individuals often do not know where to turn for assistance.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division launched the Sexual Harassment Initiative to combat sexual harassment in housing. The Justice Department’s initiative seeks to identify barriers to reporting sexual harassment in housing, increase awareness of its enforcement efforts – both among survivors and those they may report to – and collaborate with federal, state, and local partners to increase reporting and help survivors quickly and easily connect with federal resources.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is collaborating with the Civil Rights Division to raise awareness of the options that are available to help individuals experiencing sexual harassment. Community organizations, such as legal services offices, fair housing organizations, domestic violence advocates, shelters, and transitional housing providers, can identify the misconduct and recommend that individuals report sexual harassment to the Justice Department.
The Justice Department brings cases each year involving egregious conduct, including allegations that defendants have exposed themselves sexually to current or prospective tenants, requested sexual favors in exchange for reduced rents or making necessary repairs, made unrelenting and unwanted sexual advances to tenants, and evicted tenants who resisted their sexual overtures.
If you or someone you know has information about or has been a victim of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or sexual exploitation in housing—even if the events occurred years ago—report it to the HUD Office of Inspector General Hotline at 1-800-347-3735 or visit the website at www.hudoig.gov/hotline. You may also file a complaint with HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at https://www.hud.gov/fairhousing/fileacomplaint.
Additionally, you can contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office by calling 702-388-6336 or emailing [email protected]; or the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division by calling 844-380-6178, as well as emailing [email protected]. More information about the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
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National Crime Victims’ Rights WeekRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona joins the Department of Justice and communities nationwide in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 21-27. This year’s theme “How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors,” emphasizes the importance of creating safe environments for crime victims. In these places, crime victims can share what happened to them, receive support, learn about life-saving services, and gain hope.
“Our community’s system of values is built on a shared commitment to seeing and serving our neighbors who have been harmed or taken advantage of,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is a steadfast partner to help victims of crime remedy harm and rebuild a sense of safety after trauma has occurred.”
Over the past year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama has provided direct services to over 650 crime victims. The office also worked alongside community partners to raise awareness about human trafficking and opioids and to host trainings and events for community members and law enforcement focused on those problem areas. The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to maintain pivotal partnerships with One Place Metro Birmingham Family Justice Center, One Place of the Shoals, the National Children’s Advocacy Center, North Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force, and the Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention. These partnerships are key to expanding access to services and enabling crime victims to find the justice they seek, in whatever form that might take.
In addition, the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Financial Litigation Program (FLP) has worked tirelessly to recover illegally obtained funds and return them to crime victims. In 2023, the FLP collected over $11 million in restitution debts imposed in criminal cases. These funds were provided directly to crime victims. The FLP also collected nearly $400,000 in fines imposed in criminal cases in 2023.
“Rebuilding life after victimization is not a quick or simple process for survivors of crime,” added U.S. Attorney Escalona. “We are here to walk alongside victims, to help guide them through the justice system, and to connect them with resources within our community that can help them heal and move toward a safe and hope-filled future.”
The Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) leads communities throughout the country in their annual observances of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), during which victim advocacy organizations, community groups, and state, and local agencies traditionally host rallies, candlelight vigils, and other events to raise awareness of victims’ rights and services. For more information about this year’s NCVRW and how to assist victims in your own community, please visit the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week website.
The U.S. Attorney and staff will attend the following events in our local area to commemorate NCVRW 2024:
- One Heart in the Park hosted by the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office on Saturday, April 20, 2024, beginning at 11 a.m. at Linn Park.
- NCVRW Candlelight Vigil hosted by the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, Bessemer Division on Thursday, April 25, 2024, beginning at 6 p.m. at Perfecting Reconciliation Church.
Montevallo Man Sentenced to More Than 33 years for Child Pornography CrimesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge sentenced a Montevallo man for child pornography offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger.
U.S. District Court Judge Anna Manasco sentenced Timothy Joseph Page, 40, to 405 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. In December 2023, Page pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. This conviction will require him to register as a sex offender in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
According to the plea agreement, Page produced child pornography depicting a twelve-year-old female. He was also in possession of more than 400 images of child pornography, including images depicting prepubescent children.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
HSI investigated the case along with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Alabaster Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.
Minnesota Businessman Sentenced for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
A Minnesota businessman was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for evading the payment of federal individual income taxes he owed for the years 2007 through 2019.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Robert Wayne Schlosser owned and operated Custom Christmas Lighting, a business that installs Christmas lighting, special event lighting and decoration displays for its customers. In 2018, Schlosser filed for bankruptcy and listed the IRS as a creditor. At that time, Schlosser had unpaid debts due to the IRS going back to 2007.
As part of his bankruptcy, Schlosser was required to sign and file, under penalty of perjury, a bankruptcy petition and schedules providing information regarding his assets, income and other financial affairs. But the schedules he filed contained materially false statements and omissions regarding his assets and income. Schlosser also testified during bankruptcy proceedings and made materially false statements, specifically about his ownership of two speedboats. Schlosser evaded payment of his federal income taxes by filing false bankruptcy schedules and making false statements during bankruptcy proceedings that concealed assets from the IRS.
Schlosser’s conduct resulted in a total tax loss to the IRS of $429,848.
In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Katherine M. Menendez for the District of Minnesota ordered Schlosser to serve three years of supervised release and pay a fine of $25,000 and $279,897.09 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger for the District of Minnesota made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. United States Trustee Trial Attorney Colin Kreuziger assisted with the investigation.
Trial Attorney Thomas Flynn of the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Media Advisory: U.S. Attorney Announces Winners of the Virtual Youth and Young Adult Poster Contest Commemorating National Crime Victims’ Rights WeekRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C –U.S. Attorney Michael Easley announced the winners of a virtual poster contest held in conjunction with the Interagency Council and the Ship Outreach and Community Center. Students from the Poe Center for Health Education and Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School were invited to participate in the contest by developing a poster featuring butterflies in honor of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Butterflies have long been used as a symbol of freedom and hope for victims. Twenty-four students participated in the virtual contest and winners were selected by staff at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Crime takes a tremendous toll on innocent victims, often changing lives forever. Our mission cannot just be to prosecute offenders – we also must do all we can to help victims in their journey to find peace,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “The students who participated in this year’s poster contest are using art to cast a light of hope, lighting the path from being a victim to becoming a survivor.”
The poster winners include Tonaye Minggia, Malik Thompson, and Mia Mahoney.
For additional information about this year’s NCVRW and how to assist victims in your own community, please visit the United States Attorney’s Office website. For more ideas on how to support victims of crime, visit OVC’s website at www.ovc.ojp.gov.
Maryland Woman Convicted After Five-Day Trial for a Series of Fraud Schemes, Including Passport Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury convicted Charmaine Miesha Brown, age 45, of Lusby, Maryland, late yesterday for conspiracies to commit passport fraud and wire fraud, as well as bankruptcy fraud, and making a false statement in bankruptcy proceeding.
The guilty verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Karen L. Brown Cleveland of the U.S. Department of the State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Colleen Lawlor of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division; and Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of the Department of Homeland Security.
As detailed in trial testimony, in January 2014, Charmaine Miesha Brown, a United States citizen, married Andrews Oduro Brown, a/k/a “Andrews Oduro,” a Ghanaian national who entered the United States in May 2013. In 2021, Oduro obtained legal permanent resident status in the United States through his marriage to Brown.
According to trial testimony, including testimony from Brown, and court documents, from December 2014 through April 2021, Brown and Oduro conspired to obtain United States passports for Oduro’s children, who were non-United States citizens, through false statements and fraudulent identity documents.
For example, the evidence established that on December 1, 2014, Brown submitted an application for a passport in the name of Brown’s child, Child C, who is a U.S. citizen, but bearing the photograph of Oduro’s child, Child A, who was born in Ghana and is not a U.S. citizen. After the application was approved, Child A traveled from Ghana to the United States using the fraudulently obtained U.S. passport. On March 16, 2015, Brown and Oduro applied for a passport in Child A’s own name and submitted a fraudulent Ghanaian birth certificate in support of the application, falsely stating that Brown was Child A’s birth mother. As detailed at trial, on March 17, 2020, Brown and Oduro applied for a passport in the name of Child B, Oduro’s non-U.S. citizen child, and again submitted a fraudulent Ghanaian birth certificate in support of the application, falsely stating that Brown was Child B’s birth mother. After the application was approved, Child B used the fraudulently obtained U.S. passport to travel into the U.S.
Further, the evidence proved that from August 2016 through April 2021, Brown and Oduro conspired to receive payments from the state of Maryland’s Child Care Scholarship Program to which they were not entitled. The Child Care Scholarship Program, formerly known as the Child Care Subsidy Program, provides reimbursement for childcare and direct payments to providers of childcare to low-income families. Brown falsely reported to the state of Maryland that a friend, Individual 1, was watching her children. Brown also falsely represented that Oduro was an “absent parent,” when in fact Oduro lived in the same home. In addition, the trial evidence established that Individual 1 visited the United States in 2011 to 2012 before returning to Ghana and could not have provided the childcare services. Instead, Oduro posed as Individual 1 and obtained payments from the state of Maryland between 2016 and 2021 to provide childcare to his and Brown’s own children .
Finally, according to trial testimony and court documents, on March 5, 2018, Brown and Oduro defrauded creditors and the bankruptcy trustee, by filing a fraudulent Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland, using the name and partial social security number of Individual 1, seeking the discharge of thousands of dollars in debts and tax obligations to the state of Maryland that Oduro incurred using the name and PII of Individual 1. Court records show that Brown filled out the petition documents. On June 21, 2018, Oduro appeared at the discharge hearing in the bankruptcy court and identified himself as Individual 1, presenting a Pennsylvania identification that Brown and Oduro had fraudulently obtained in the name of Individual 1. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, as a result of the fraudulent bankruptcy petition in the name of Individual 1, Oduro and Brown caused the entry of an order discharging debt that Oduro incurred in the name of Individual 1.
Brown faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit passport fraud; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud; a maximum of five years in prison for bankruptcy fraud; and a maximum of five years in prison for a false statement in a federal bankruptcy proceeding. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for Brown on July 23, 2024.
On December 14, 2023, Andrews Oduro Brown, age 41, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit passport fraud, aggravated identity theft, and bankruptcy fraud. Judge Chuang sentenced Oduro to 28 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered Oduro to pay restitution of $127,951.22.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Coreen Mao and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gustavo Ruiz, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Manhattan Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to 270 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MOUNIR MRABET was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff to 270 months in prison for trafficking wholesale quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine in and around midtown Manhattan. On November 9, 2023, a jury convicted MRABET of narcotics conspiracy, narcotics trafficking, and a firearms offense.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The defendant flooded the streets of New York with methamphetamine and fentanyl and kept a gun as part of his drug operations. He sold these dangerous drugs to other dealers in wholesale quantities and even stored and sold these drugs in hotel rooms with abject disregard for those he endangered. This sentence is a just punishment for an individual who chose to profit from destroying others and actively contributed to a drug crisis that continues to claim lives across our city and our nation.”
According to public filings and the evidence presented at trial:
From at least late 2021 to January 2023, MRABET coordinated with suppliers in Mexico and California to receive boxes of crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl in the mail. He then worked with co-conspirators to distribute wholesale quantities of these drugs to other drug dealers in New York City, and he kept a gun and used threats to promote his drug operations. For example, in October 2022, he texted a fellow dealer, “I will fucking shoot u one day,” and “Now bring me a pound.” MRABET’s voice was also captured on a video depicting stacks of cash, bundles of apparent drugs, and a revolver. Additional videos, photographs, and text messages confirmed that MRABET stored and sold drugs out of hotel rooms.
After MRABET was recorded selling drugs to an undercover detective, including fake oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl, law enforcement agents conducted a search of his Manhattan apartment and seized 24 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and, from the scaffolding outside his window, approximately half a pound of fentanyl powder.
The evidence at trial included the defendant’s own texts arranging sales to co-conspirators and texts from customers who described being sickened by his drugs. The evidence also included numerous videos and photographs of drugs and drug proceeds, including some that depicted MRABET pouring and weighing containers of crystal methamphetamine and wrapping and spritzing a scented spray on stacks of cash.
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In addition to the prison term, MRABET, 40, of New York, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of Task Force Officers assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Homeland Security Investigations, the New York City Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jane Y. Chong and Edward C. Robinson Jr. are in charge of the prosecution.
Man sentenced to prison for international parental kidnapping of two small childrenRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On April 23, a man was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for the international parental kidnapping of his two young daughters to Morocco and Turkey.
In August 2019, the children’s mother asked the defendant for a divorce. While the children’s mother was in the Dominican Republic, Hamilton Alexander Merilus, aka Salahudin Sabah Alexander Amhadulla-Merilus, 43, fraudulently obtained full custody of their two small children—then two and four. To fraudulently obtain custody of the children, Merilus lied to a Broward County Circuit Court judge claiming that the children’s mother had abandoned the family and he was unaware of her whereabouts.
While the children’s mother was in the Dominican Republic, Merilus sent her an audio message stating that she would never see her children again and that he would do his best to “disappear.”
When the children’s mother returned to the United States, she was unable to locate Merilus or their children. After she learned that Merilus had fraudulently obtained full custody of the children, she filed for and obtained joint and ultimately full custody of the two children; Merilus purposefully ignored the court’s orders.
On Nov. 7, 2022, Merilus left the United States and flew with the children to Morocco. After Moroccan authorities conducted a wellness check in July 2023, Merilus flew with the children to Antalya, Turkey to continue evading authorities.
During the international kidnapping, Merilus left the two small children behind in Morocco and Turkey on at least three occasions. In those instances, he traveled to the United States and claimed that the children were with their mother. On another occasion, Merilus said that they were with his mother in Jacksonville, Florida. Merilus was arrested in Arizona on Aug. 9, 2023.
On Oct. 5, 2023, after over four years apart, the two children now nine and seven, were reunited with their mother in Turkey.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra D. Comolli and Stephanie Hauser prosecuted this case.
FBI Miami investigated the case with assistance from the FBI’s Legal Attaché Offices in Ankara and Rabat.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 the Project Safe Childhood initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-60154.
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Man Who Fled Scene after Contributing to Overdose Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who distributed heroin and fentanyl to a victim who subsequently overdosed was sentenced today to more than 19 years in federal prison.
Jacob Lee Blauer, age 32, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 29, 2023 guilty plea to distribution of a controlled substance resulting in serious bodily injury.
Evidence in the case established that on November 7, 2022, in Cedar Rapids, Blauer prepared a shot of heroin and fentanyl and gave it to another person. The victim used the drugs and immediately overdosed. Blauer left the scene. Emergency personnel arrived and revived the victim with Narcan. After this incident, Blauer continued to sell heroin and fentanyl.
Blauer was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Blauer was sentenced to 236 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Blauer is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated as part of the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Drug Enforcement Administrative and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-CR-61. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.