Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
23 April 2024
Brothers Plead Guilty to Hostage-Taking of Unauthorized ImmigrantsRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 23, 2024
SAN DIEGO – Virves Pablo-Francisco, a citizen of Guatemala, pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he and his younger brother, Nicolas Pablo-Francisco, kidnapped three unauthorized immigrants, including a boy from Afghanistan and a father and son from Ecuador, and held them for thousands of dollars in ransom in June 2023. Nicolas Pablo-Francisco pleaded guilty to similar charges in February.
In his plea agreement, Virves Pablo-Francisco admitted that on June 13, 2023, he, his brother and others abducted a 16-year-old boy from Afghanistan and held him hostage in a residence in Escondido along with two other foreign nationals—the father and son from Ecuador who were kidnapped the day before. The defendants demanded ransom payments ranging from $4,000 to $10,000 per person for their release.
Additionally, Virves Pablo-Francisco admitted that he provided the Ecuadorian father and son no food and told them they were required to pay extra if they wanted to eat.
Nicolas Pablo-Francisco, who pleaded guilty in February, admitted holding the boy hostage and demanding ransom from his family. He also admitted assisting his older brother Virves in the continued detention of the Ecuadorian father and son pending payment of a ransom by their family.
Federal authorities first learned of the abductions late in the day on June 13, 2023, when the Pablo-Francisco brothers contacted the 16-year-old’s family member in the United States, claiming to have the boy and demanding $4,000 for his release. The family member reported the contact to law enforcement, which led to an overnight, multi-agency effort to locate the boy and identify his kidnappers.
By morning, agents with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force - with support from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office - had identified a residence in Escondido where they suspected the boy was being held. With assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI agents obtained and executed a federal search warrant for the residence.
Upon entering the home, agents located Nicolas Pablo-Francisco and the boy, along with the Ecuadorians who agents learned were also being held for ransom. All three migrant hostages entered the United States illegally in the days leading up to their rescue. Virves Pablo-Francisco, who was not present at the Escondido house on the day of the raid, was arrested later pursuant to a warrant.
“These victims are safe because a family member was brave enough to seek help from law enforcement officials,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Always report crime. We are standing by to hold those accountable who commit crimes, and to support victims and their families. Also, I urge anyone who is considering a dangerous journey into the United States: Please don’t risk your life by trusting smugglers. It could be a very costly mistake.”
“These guilty pleas demonstrate the FBI’s commitment to bringing kidnapping victims home safely,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge John Kim. “Criminals involved in alien smuggling may think they will get away with taking migrants hostage because of the unique vulnerability of their victims. They are wrong.”
Nicolas Pablo-Francisco is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Cynthia A. Bashant. Virves Pablo-Francisco’s sentencing hearing is scheduled to take place on July 15, 2024.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Miller, Jordan Arakawa, and David Eugene Fawcett.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 23cr01355-BAS
Virves Pablo-Francisco Age: 22 Guatemala/Escondido, CA
Nicolas Pablo-Francisco Age: 20 Guatemala/Escondido, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Hostage Taking – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1203(a)
Maximum penalty: Life in prison and $250,000 fine
Harboring Aliens – Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii)
Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Brooke County Man Admits to Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Harry Fred Wells, age 53, of Follansbee, West Virginia, has admitted to possession of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Wells was under investigation for inappropriate contact with a minor through social media. Officers searched his home and his phone, finding child pornography.
Wells is facing up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Department of Homeland Security investigated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Conklin is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
###
Bronx Resident Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Targeting Credit UnionsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Victor Barriera, age 63, of the Bronx, New York, pled guilty yesterday to his role in a bank fraud conspiracy that targeted credit unions all over the country since at least December 2021. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Barriera admitted that between at least December 2021 and April 2023, he was a member of a bank fraud conspiracy that targeted credit unions insured by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund. Many of the credit unions were members of a shared branching network, which allowed customers of member credit unions to withdraw funds from their accounts at other member credit unions by presenting an identification with their photograph, their account number, and the last four digits of their Social Security number. The network was designed to allow customers of localized credit unions easier access to their accounts when traveling throughout the country. Barriera admitted that the conspirators exploited this network by creating fake identifications in the names of real credit union customers, but with photographs of other individuals, including Barriera, who conducted fraudulent transactions at shared branch member credit unions all over the country in exchange for drugs or a small portion of the stolen funds.
Barriera pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. In total, Barriera, admitted to successfully withdrawing at least $148,352 and attempting to fraudulently obtain an additional $15,000 while working as a member of the conspiracy.
When Barriera is sentenced by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino on August 22, 2024, he faces up to 30 years in prison, a term of supervised release of up to 5 years, and a fine of up to $1 million. Barriera will also be ordered to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes in the amount of $148,352. Barriera has also agreed to forfeit $10,000 in U.S. currency seized by Cohoes Police Department in May 2022 when Barriera was arrested with codefendants David Daniyan and Gaysha Kennedy after being caught attempting to defraud a local credit union.
The following defendants still have charges pending in this case:
- Oluwaseun Adekoya, age 38, of New Jersey, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft;
- David Daniyan, age 59, of Brooklyn, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft;
- Gaysha Kennedy, age 45, of Brooklyn, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud;
- Danielle Cappetti, age 45, of the Bronx, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft;
- Lesley Lucchese, age 53, of Brooklyn, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft;
- Jerjuan Joyner, age 49, of Brooklyn, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud;
- Akeem Balogun, 53, of Brooklyn, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. These defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The bank fraud conspiracy charges carry a maximum term of 30 years’ incarceration and each aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory term of 2 years, to be imposed consecutive to any prison term imposed on the bank fraud charge.
FBI Albany is investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in New York and Newark, and Resident Agencies in Westchester, New York; Garrett Mountain, New Jersey; and Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Additional assistance was provided by other law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement & Removal Operations (New York Field Office & Albany sub-office); U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (Buffalo Field Office & St. Albans Resident Office); U.S. Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General, the New York State Police; Cohoes Police Department; Colonie Police Department; Elmira Police Department; Corning Police Department; Plattsburgh Police Department; Florida law enforcement agencies including the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office; law enforcement agencies in New Hampshire, including the Rochester Police Department, Manchester Police Department, Amherst Police Department; the Norwich, CT Police Department; law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts, including the Springfield, MA Police Department; the Pennsylvania State Police; the Delaware State Police; and law enforcement agencies in Maryland, including the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and Baltimore County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin S. Clark is prosecuting this case.
Boston Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Offense Involving 24 Kilograms of CocaineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today for attempting to receive 24 kilograms of cocaine intended for distribution.
Eddy Javier Guerrero, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to five years in prison followed by four years of supervised release. In January 2023, Guerrero pleaded guilty to one count of attempt to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
In June 2022 in El Paso, Texas, a confidential source received 23.9 kilograms of cocaine from a drug-trafficking organization (DTO) based in Mexico. A member of the Mexican DTO subsequently instructed the confidential source to transport the cocaine to Massachusetts. However, the drugs were intercepted by law enforcement and replaced with “sham” cocaine for the delivery to the Massachusetts recipient – later identified as Guerrero. On July 1, 2022, in Boston, Guerrero arrived to receive the cocaine delivery, for which he provided an envelope containing $15,100 in exchange. He was immediately taken into custody.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Birmingham Man Convicted on Fentanyl ChargeRead the Press Release
ANNISTON, Ala. – Today, A jury convicted a Birmingham man of a fentanyl-related drug crime, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Hofer.
The jury returned a guilty verdict against Demarcus Hill, age, of 42, after one day of testimony before U.S. District Court Judge Corey Maze. Hill was convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
“Removing fentanyl pills from our communities is not just a priority; it’s a duty to protect lives,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “Partnerships with our federal, state, and local law enforcement are an integral part of our efforts to remove dangerous drugs from the streets and keep our communities safe.”
“Evidence presented at trial showed the defendant traveled across state lines to obtain a dangerous amount of fentanyl pills with the intent of distributing them in Alabama. This reckless disregard for public safety put countless lives at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Hofer. “This sentencing sends a clear message that the DEA will continue to disrupt drug trafficking organizations, seize deadly drugs, and hold those responsible accountable.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Hill and his co-defendant, JT Toombs, drove from Birmingham to Atlanta, Georgia, where they picked up over 2000 fentanyl pills to bring back to Birmingham. An Oxford Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle on Interstate 20. His canine detected the odor of narcotics, and after searching the vehicle, the officer found the fentanyl pills.The maximum penalty for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl is 40 years in prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case along with the Oxford Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Blake Milner and Brittany Byrd are prosecuting the case.
Beretta Bandit Serial Robber Convicted at TrialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Richard Allen Randolph (44, Youngstown, Ohio) guilty of Hobbs Act robberies, namely three counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery, three counts of brandishing a firearm, and one count of discharging a firearm during the commission of the robberies. Randolph faces a minimum statutory penalty of 100 years in federal prison on the firearm counts and a maximum of 20 years on each of the robbery counts. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 30, 2024.
According to evidence presented at trial, Randolph entered four Tampa commercial businesses between January 27 and February 26, 2020, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and facial covering. During each of the robberies, Randolph brandished and threatened the victims with a Beretta Pico pistol and removed cash from the registers. During the attempted robbery on February 26, 2020, Randolph again concealed his identity, entered the store, and threatened the clerk with the firearm. However, the victim’s boyfriend, who was outside the store waiting to take her home, confronted Randolph. Randolph then discharged the pistol twice in the parking lot of the business as the victims fled. Law enforcement recovered the bullet casing from the parking lot. The case remained active and under investigation under the name “Beretta Bandit” as no subject was able to be identified.
In July 2021, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of an individual who was found to have a Beretta Pico pistol in his car. The individual did not match the description of the robber and told law enforcement that he had purchased the Beretta Pico pistol from Randolph, who was a former co-worker. Forensic examiners from the ATF laboratory later determined that the Beretta pistol was the firearm involved in the last robbery committed by Randolph.
During trial, the victims testified about their terror during the robberies committed by Randolph. However, they could not identify Randolph because he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a mask. The evidence at trial focused on the recovered Beretta Pico pistol, the testimony of the co-worker, the forensic analyses from the ATF laboratory in Atlanta, and other location data analyses by the FBI.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Guzman and Brooke Padgett.
This case is part of the 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 for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Amsterdam Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Cocaine Base, Money Laundering and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Angelo Dalmau, age 54, of Amsterdam, New York, pled guilty today to distributing cocaine base (a/k/a crack cocaine) in the Amsterdam area between September 2021 and March 2022. Dalmau also admitted to money laundering and possessing a pistol in furtherance of drug trafficking.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, and Thomas Fattorusso, Executive Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Office, made the announcement.
Dalmau admitted to selling a total of about 250 grams of crack cocaine to another person on five occasions between September 2021 and March 2022. Dalmau further admitted to delivering $149,500 in drug trafficking proceeds to another person in January 2022 for the purpose of laundering those funds. When investigators searched Dalmau’s residence pursuant to a warrant on April 14, 2022, they recovered approximately 100 grams of crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia, $191,843 in cash, and a pistol with ammunition. Dalmau was arrested on that date has remained in custody since that time.
Dalmau will be sentenced on August 23, 2024, by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. Under the terms of Dalmau’s plea agreement, the parties have jointly recommended that Dalmau receive a prison term of 93 months. Dalmau also faces a fine of up to $1 million, and a term of supervised release of at least 3 years and up to life.
A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The DEA, IRS and Amsterdam Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Segovia and Emmet O’Hanlon are prosecuting the case.
22 April 2024
Wyoming Man Sentenced for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Clifton D. Reinoehl, 44, of Sheridan, Wyoming, was sentenced April 22, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for production and possession of child pornography. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Reinoehl to a total of 264 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Reinoehl’s release from prison, he will begin a 15-year term of supervised release and be required to register as a sex offender. Reinoehl was also ordered to pay $54,000 to the victims.
In February of 2023, the manager of a hotel in Schuyler, Nebraska called law enforcement to report a suspicious male guest who was seen with a very young girl. The two had left the hotel together. While law enforcement was speaking with hotel staff on scene, the male returned and was identified as Clifton Reinoehl from Sheridan, Wyoming. Reinoehl advised he had rented a vehicle and driven to Schuyler to meet an “online friend” he identified as an underage girl. Reinoehl confirmed he knew that the victim was a minor from their online conversations and further confirmed his knowledge of her age by relating to law enforcement various facts about the victim, including her birthdate.
Reinoehl was taken to the police department and interviewed. He advised his phone would have child pornography on it and signed a written consent to have his phone searched. When his property was inventoried in preparation for jail, a SD card was located that he advised would also have child pornography images. Reinoehl also advised he had a laptop at his residence in Wyoming would contain additional images of child pornography. Officers with the Schuyler Police Department were able to work with their counterparts in Sheridan, Wyoming to secure a search warrant for the laptop Reinoehl identified. That computer contained 2,689 child pornography files and another 14,278 that were classified as child erotica. Further investigation revealed that Reinoehl would actively communicate with children online, and manipulate and groom them to send him sexually explicit images of themselves to him.
In pronouncing his sentence, Senior Judge Gerrard commended the bravery and courage of the victim for coming forward and for cooperating with law enforcement. He also noted Reinoehl appeared to have a “significant lack of insight into the damage” he had inflicted on multiple children.
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 www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Schuyler Police Department, Sheridan, Wyoming Police Department the Nebraska State Patrol, and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office gives special thanks to the victim in this case for stepping forward to protect other children, for her family for supporting her, and to Sgt. Ryan Andel with the Schuyler Police Department and Juana Hanson with the Colfax County Attorney’s Office for their assistance with the case.
Wisconsin Sex Offender Convicted of Enticing and Coercing A Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity and Producing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Mohammad Ali Hemmat (29, Milwaukee) guilty of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity, production of child sexual abuse material, traveling on two occasions from Wisconsin to Florida for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with a minor, and committing these offenses while required to register as a sex offender. Hemmat faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 35 years, up to life, in federal prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 8, 2024.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between April 2022 and March 2023, Hemmat used his cellphone and computer to sexually groom a 12-year-old girl in the Middle District of Florida. Hemmat groomed this minor through daily video chats, text message conversations, and by sending her cash, gifts, and fast food. Hemmat shared obscene material with this child through social media applications, and used a social media platform to remotely log-in to the minor victim’s laptop—which he had purchased for her—to search online for sexually explicit topics, images, and videos. The minor victim subsequently sent explicit images of herself to Hemmat over the internet.
In February 2023, Hemmat drove from Wisconsin to Florida for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with the minor. In March 2023, Hemmat drove to Florida for a second time for the same purpose, but law enforcement was alerted to his presence by the minor victim. Although Hemmat attempted to return to Wisconsin without detection, law enforcement in Indiana apprehended him.
Evidence presented at trial also showed that Hemmat had engaged similar tactics in grooming a13-year-old child in the United Kingdom to send sexually explicit images of herself to Hemmat. Hemmat has a prior conviction for an offense involving a minor, requiring him to register as a sex offender in Wisconsin when he committed the above offenses.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Jasper County (Indiana) Sheriff’s Office, the Sussex County (United Kingdom) Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ilyssa M. Spergel and Risha Asokan.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
University City Felon Admits Possessing GunRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A convicted felon from University City, Missouri on Monday admitted being caught with a gun after a shooting in 2022.
Sheltkeem Brown, 31, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on June 25, 2022, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers heard gun shots coming from the area of North Garrison Avenue and Magazine Street, in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood. At that location, officers saw a maroon Chevrolet Traverse, which sped off. The officers activated their lights and siren, but the Traverse’s driver continued to drive recklessly until he crashed into a parked vehicle at North Sarah Street and Cottage Avenue.
Brown fled on foot but was caught and arrested with fentanyl capsules in his rear pocket. The Traverse had been stolen. Inside the Traverse was a loaded Glock 22 .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number. Brown is a convicted felon and is barred from possessing a firearm.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Goeke is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
United States Attorney’s Office Observes National Crime Victims’ Rights WeekRead the Press Release
DETROIT, MI – In observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 21-27, 2024, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, along with the Detroit Crime Victims’ Action Team, will be recognizing crime victims and those who have dedicated their lives to serve and assist victims of crime.
“My office stands ready to support victims and ensure they know their rights,” stated United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. “Our staff of professionals are dedicated to ensuring that victims’ rights are protected, and that their voices are heard in every case.”
“Victims of crime from months old to well into their nineties and/or their families that have been left behind deserve a justice system that works for them. Whether they have been murdered, sexually assaulted, robbed, tortured, or abused, they should be treated with respect and be supported. Prosecutors, advocates, and law enforcement can often be their last line of defense. And although we cannot restore their lives to what they were before their victimization, we can stand by them, seek justice for them, advocate for them, and try to give them hope for a crime free future,” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
Each year in April, the federal Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) leads communities throughout the country in their annual observances of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week by raising awareness of victims' rights and honoring crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. The NCVRW theme for 2024 is How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors. This year’s theme is focused 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.
Each year during NCVRW, the Detroit Crime Victims Action Team, which is comprised of Crime Stoppers of Michigan, along with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, honors an organization or individual for outstanding service to victims of crime. The 2024 honoree is SafeHouse Center, whose mission is to empower survivors of both sexual and intimate partner violence by providing advocacy, support, and promoting social change within our community. SafeHouse Center will be recognized for its tireless work to ensure that the needs of victims are met.
This year’s Crime Victims’ Rights Week event will be held on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, 1441 St. Antoine, Detroit, Michigan. Lauren Sowell, a sex trafficking survivor and Anti-Trafficking Specialist at Avalon Healing Center will be the guest speaker and share her emotional story of how she is using her voice to help others.
Following the event, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Michigan, will be hosting a Wellness Event featuring vendors, food trucks, resources, and more. For more information about the wellness event, contact Mechelle Donahoo and Pat Little at:[email protected]
All are welcome to attend this event. This event will be livestreamed on the Facebook page for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Victims of Crime Act, commonly shortened to VOCA. This act was passed by Congress and signed into law on October 12, 1984. VOCA established the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), a Federal Victim Notification System, discretionary grants for victim service organizations, victim assistance positions in the Department of Justice, financial support for the Children’s Justice Act Program, and assistance and compensation for victims and survivors of terrorism.
For more information about how to support all victims of crime, visit OVC’s website at www.ovc.ojp.gov.
Uintah Basin Man Sentenced to 18 Months’ Imprisonment for ExtortionRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Leallen Blackhair, 47 of Utah, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, and $18,000 in restitution after he admitted to extorting oil and gas businesses operating on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. He used the extortion money on trips to various amusement parks, dining, and shopping.
According to court documents and statements and admissions made at the change of plea hearing, Blackhair used his coveted position as the Compliance Supervisor for the Energy and Minerals Department of the Ute Tribe, to extort $109,925 for his own personal gain over the course of three years.
Blackhair’s responsibilities as a compliance supervisor, included issuing fines to oil and gas businesses working on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation that violated their access permits and business licenses. Blackhair used his position to induce and attempt to induce multiple companies to pay him personally by offering to reduce a fine that would otherwise be assessed against them. Blackhair extorted sixty-six payments totaling $109,925, between August 2010 and May 2013. In December 2022, Blackhair pleaded guilty to eight counts of extortion and one count of attempted extortion.
Ninety-five percent of all revenue for the Ute Tribe comes from the oil and gas industries work on the reservation. As the gatekeeper, Blackhair determined whether businesses could return to work on the reservation. Through extortion, Blackhair more than doubled his $50,000 salary and targeted mostly small, “mom and pop” businesses. Blackhair spent the extorted funds on trips to Disneyland, Legoland, Las Vegas, Disney World, SeaWorld, Universal Pictures, airfare, hotels, rental cars, dining and shopping. Blackhair was sentenced March 22, 2024, before Federal District Court Judge Jill N. Parish.
The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Vernal Resident Agency.
Assistant United States Cy H. Castle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney’s Office joins in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights WeekRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana joins the Department of Justice and communities nationwide in commemorating National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) from April 21 to 27. This year’s theme is: “How would you help? Options, services and hope for survivors.”
Each April, the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), leads communities in observing NCVRW to honor victims, uphold their rights and recognize victim advocates. OVC’s 2024 theme is focused on creating safe environments for crime victims to share what happened to them, and in doing so, offer support, options for life-saving services and, most importantly, hope.
“Each year, it is appropriate and necessary to recognize crime victims who suffer pain, trauma, and loss due to those who harm or prey on them. We reaffirm our commitment to upholding victims’ rights and supporting victims in their time of need. The courage of victims who come forward to report crimes is inspiring, as their bravery helps us hold offenders accountable and ensure they can’t harm others again. I also want to commend our office’s victim specialists, who work diligently every day to support victims and seek justice on their behalf,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana has a dedicated team of prosecutors and victim assistance professionals who work together to ensure victims of crime receive the services and support they need.
During NCVRW, victim advocacy organizations, community groups and state, local and tribal agencies host gatherings, candlelight vigils and other events to raise awareness about victims’ rights and services.
For more information on how to create your own public campaigns to raise awareness about crime victims’ rights online and at events throughout the year, please visit: https://ovc.ojp.gov/ncvrw2024/overview. Also, visit www.ovc.gov for more information.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911. If you believe you’ve been the target or victim of a crime, please contact your local law enforcement agency or your nearest FBI field office immediately. The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, which covers Montana, may be reached at (801) 579-1400 or by submitting tips online at tips.fbi.gov.
XXX
U.S. Attorney’s Office and Law Enforcement Partners Announce Carjacking Task Force in JacksonRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – U.S. Attorney Todd Gee announced the establishment of a carjacking task force in the Jackson, Mississippi metro area to focus efforts and resources on this important public safety threat.
“The threat of being carjacked creates fear in people’s daily lives, whether in their driveway or when loading groceries at the store," said U.S. Attorney Gee. "The Department of Justice will work together with federal, state, and local law enforcement in the Jackson metro area to leverage all of our resources to investigate and prosecute carjackings.”
In keeping with the Justice Department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime, the task force represents a strategic enforcement priority for the department, focusing federal resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime.
“Our team of ATF special agents will work tirelessly with our partners in the Jackson carjacking task force to seek justice and prevent these dangerous crimes,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “Carjacking is not only a deadly dangerous crime, it is a serious federal offense, carrying lengthy federal prison sentences, even for first-time offenders.”
“The Jackson Police Department will work together with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners as a part of the carjacking task force in Jackson,” said Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade. “We are witnessing on a regular basis the benefits of working collaboratively in order to combat crime.”
"I am proud of the collaborative effort among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and our ability to tackle crime and uphold public safety, demonstrating the power of unity and coordination in law enforcement,” said Capitol Police Chief Bo Luckey. “We will utilize all branches of our law enforcement resources to ensure that every avenue of accountability is pursued, and these criminals are held accountable.”
Carjacking and other violent crime task forces have proven to be an effective part of successful violent crime reduction strategies by focusing on significant crime drivers and taking violent offenders off the streets of our communities.
The newly formed task force will be led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with state, local and other law enforcement partners, including the Jackson Police Department and the Capitol Police. Task force members will share and act promptly on information related to car thefts, carjackings and the recovery of stolen or suspect vehicles. The task forces will also collaborate on how to use federal sentencing enhancements for cases where adults use juveniles to commit carjackings, as well as working with state and local authorities to ensure the appropriate handling of juvenile suspects. The task forces will also assist state and local officials who wish to seek Justice Department grant funding for juvenile intervention and diversion resources.
U.S. Attorney's Office Joins in Recognizing 43rd Annual National Crime Victims' Rights Week, April 21-27, 2024Read the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— Every April, the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) to honor crime victims, promote their rights and recognize victim advocates. This year’s observance, the 43rd annual commemoration, takes place April 21-27, 2024, with the theme: Options, services, and hope for crime survivors.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office joins its federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners in taking this opportunity to highlight the importance of providing necessary services at the earliest possible stage of victimization and litigation. Early intervention helps prevent further victimization and encourages victim involvement in the criminal justice system, mitigating the cycle of violence and restoring hope for the future.
“Through the work of our victim services team, our new special victims unit, and all our staff who work on victim cases, seeking justice on behalf crime victims is central to our mission and continues to be a top priority for our office,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
During National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, victim advocacy organizations, community groups and state, local, and tribal agencies host rallies, candlelight vigils, and other events to raise awareness of victims’ rights and services.
OVC and U.S. Attorney’s Offices encourage widespread participation in the week’s events and in other victim-related observances throughout the year. For additional information about this year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and how to assist victims in your community, please visit OVC’s website at www.ovc.gov. For ongoing updates from OVC and ideas for how you can support crime victims throughout the year, please subscribe to OVC’s email notifications at https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/subscribe/.
If you or someone you know are in immediate danger, please call 911. If you believe you have been the target or victim of a crime, please contact your local law enforcement agency or your nearest FBI field office immediately. The FBI Portland Field Office can be reached at (503) 224-4181 or by submitting tips online at tips.fbi.gov.
TopBuild Abandons Proposed Acquisition of SPI After Antitrust Division ConcernsRead the Press Release
TopBuild Corp. announced its decision today to abandon its proposed $960 million acquisition of its rival, SPI Parent Holding Company (SPI). The abandonment comes after the department’s competition concerns.
The Justice Department issued the following statement from Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Antitrust Division:
“TopBuild’s proposed acquisition of SPI would have harmed competition across the United States by combining two of the largest providers of important building insulation products and eliminating fierce head-to-head competition between them. I am grateful for the tireless efforts of the Antitrust Division’s lawyers, economists, paralegals and professional staff who made this result possible.”
Three Robbers Plead Guilty to Stealing USPS Arrow KeyRead the Press Release
Three Fort Worth men pleaded guilty to robbing a U.S. letter carrier, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Cedrick Eugene Mims, Danny Yogi Oriszul Powell, and Cameron Kemond Gist, pleaded guilty to robbery of property of the United States. Mr. Powell entered his plea on March 6, Mr. Mims entered his plea on March 13, and Ms. Gist entered his plea on April 17.
According to plea papers, the three men robbed a letter carrier, identified in court documents as C.S., in Fort Worth on Oct. 24, 2023.
Mr. Mimms admitted he pointed a 39mm pistol at the carrier and demanded “the key” – a reference to the carrier’s “Arrow Key,” a master key used by the U.S. Postal Service to gather mail deposited in blue collection boxes that is prized by mail thieves.
The men admitted that they also purloined a postal scanner and the keys to the letter carrier’s official vehicle. Mr. Powell drove the getaway car and Mr. Gist provided the firearms, plea papers indicate.
Mr. Mims and Mr. Gist now face up to 25 years in federal prison due to the dangerous weapon enhancement; Mr. Powell faces up to 10 years.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Fort Worth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Montes is prosecuting the case.
This case is the result of Project Safe Delivery (PSD), a joint U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service initiative aimed at countering postal crime and safeguarding postal employees. Announced in May 2023, in direct response to a rise in threats and attacks on letter carriers and mail theft incidents, PSD seeks to protect Postal employees and the mailstream, prevent incidents through education and awareness, and enforce the laws that protect our nation’s mail stream. Since the launch of PSD, postal inspectors, working with law enforcement partners, have arrested more than 213 individuals for postal-related robberies. In the first six months of the fiscal year, the number of arrests for postal-related robberies rose 72% versus the same period the previous year, while the number of postal-related robberies dropped 21%. Meanwhile, the number of mail theft complaints received during that period decreased 35%, suggesting the PSD approach is achieving the intended result.
The U.S. Attorney's Office Observes National Crime Victims' Rights WeekRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Dena J. King and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina join the Justice Department, law enforcement agencies, service providers, allied professionals and communities nationwide to commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) from April 21-27, 2024.
This year’s NCVRW theme is, “How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors.” The theme emphasizes the importance of creating an environment in which victims and survivors feel safe and supported to share their experience and trauma. The theme also aims to ensure that everyone in the community knows and understands where and how crime victims and survivors can find and receive help.
“A crucial aspect of our justice system is supporting and advocating for crime victims and survivors. And that begins by asking an important question: ‘How can we help?’” said U.S. Attorney King. “This year’s NCVRW theme reflects our commitment to crime victims and survivors. This is a commitment that extends beyond legal proceedings and holding offenders accountable. It is a commitment that ensures crime victims’ rights are represented with diligence and sensitivity, and that victims and survivors receive the care, support, and resources they need every step of the way.”
In 2022, there were nearly 20 million crime victimizations in the United States. More than 6.6 million were the result of violent crimes, including rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. Of that 6.6 million, only about 42% were reported to police.
This week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina will join the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern and Middle Districts of North Carolina to commemorate NCVRW by hosting events that encourage everyone – including friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors, service providers, and other trusted members of the community – to learn more about how they can assist, support, and empower survivors.
Throughout the nation and in the Western District of North Carolina, victim advocacy organizations, community groups, and state, local, and Tribal agencies will host rallies, candlelight vigils, and other events during NCVRW, to raise awareness of victims’ rights and services.
The Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) leads communities in their annual observances of NCVRW. On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, a candlelight vigil will be held on the National Mall from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. eastern time, to pay tribute to victims of crime and the many dedicated professionals and volunteers who advocate on their behalf.
For more information about how to support all victims of crime, visit OVC’s website at ovc.ojp.gov.
Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office Victim/Witness Assistance Program can be found here.
Ten Charged and One Arrested in Connection with Sanctions Evasion SchemeRead the Press Release
Defendants Conspired to Unlawfully Export Millions of Dollars’ Worth Of Aircraft Parts From the United States to Venezuela’s State-Owned Oil Company Through Costa Rica And Spain
MIAMI – The Justice Department today announced the unsealing of an indictment charging 10 defendants with conspiring to violate the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) for their roles in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions imposed on Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, in January 2019. One of the defendants, George Clemente Semerene Quintero, 60, was arrested on April 19, 2024, upon arrival at the Miami International Airport.
As alleged in the indictment, between January 2019 and December 2021, after learning of the sanctions imposed on PDVSA, the defendants devised a scheme to illegally procure aircraft parts, including Honeywell Turbofan Engines, from the United States to service PDVSA’s aircraft fleet in Venezuela, in violation of U.S. sanctions and export controls. To carry out this scheme, the defendants concealed from U.S. companies that the goods were destined for Venezuela and PDVSA by exporting them to third parties in other countries, including Novax Group SA (Novax), a Costa Rican company, and Aerofalcon SL (Aerofalco), a Spanish company. The Department of Commerce added Novax and Aerofalcon to its Entity List in November 2023.
According to court documents, the defendants include:
- Four individuals associated with PDVSA: Gilberto Ramon Araujo Prieto, 54, a PDVSA air transport manager and colonel in the Venezuelan military; Guillermo Ysrael Marval Rivero, 62, and Fernando Jose Blequett Landaeta, 52, both PDVSA air transport managers and logistics analysts responsible for procurement; and Semerene, PDVSA’s head of logistics, procurement and warehousing.
- Four individuals associated with Novax: Luis Alberto Duque Carvajal, 63, of San Jose, Costa Rica, the owner of Novax; Melvin Aleman Espinoza, 39, Novax’s director of operations; Mikhail Largin, 60, Novax’s director of special projects; and Pedro Elias Sucre Salazar, 58, a Novax employee located in Venezuela.
- Two individuals associated with Aerofalcon: Juan Carlos Gonzalez Perez, 60, the owner of Aerofalcon; and Juan David Guerra Viera, 54, a director for Aerofalcon.
The defendants are charged with conspiring to violate IEEPA, and if convicted, face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Defendants Duque, Aleman, Sucre, Gonzalez, and Guerra Viera are additionally charged with submitting false or misleading export information and smuggling of goods, which respectively carry maximum penalties of five and 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) made the announcement.
BIS is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Stratton for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) are prosecuting the case. CES Deputy Chief Matthew McKenzie provided valuable assistance during the investigation.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-CR-20589.
###
Ten Charged and One Arrested in Connection with Sanctions Evasion SchemeRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the unsealing of an indictment charging 10 defendants with conspiring to violate the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) for their roles in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions imposed on Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, in January 2019. One of the defendants, George Clemente Semerene Quintero, 60, was arrested on April 19, 2024, upon arrival at the Miami International Airport.
As alleged in the indictment, between January 2019 and December 2021, after learning of the sanctions imposed on PDVSA, the defendants devised a scheme to illegally procure aircraft parts, including Honeywell Turbofan Engines, from the United States to service PDVSA’s aircraft fleet in Venezuela, in violation of U.S. sanctions and export controls. To carry out this scheme, the defendants concealed from U.S. companies that the goods were destined for Venezuela and PDVSA by exporting them to third parties in other countries, including Novax Group SA (Novax), a Costa Rican company, and Aerofalcon SL (Aerofalco), a Spanish company. The Department of Commerce added Novax and Aerofalcon to its Entity List in November 2023.
According to court documents, the defendants include:
- Four individuals associated with PDVSA: Gilberto Ramon Araujo Prieto, 54, a PDVSA air transport manager and colonel in the Venezuelan military; Guillermo Ysrael Marval Rivero, 62, and Fernando Jose Blequett Landaeta, 52, both PDVSA air transport managers and logistics analysts responsible for procurement; and Semerene, PDVSA’s head of logistics, procurement and warehousing.
- Four individuals associated with Novax: Luis Alberto Duque Carvajal, 63, of San Jose, Costa Rica, the owner of Novax; Melvin Aleman Espinoza, 39, Novax’s director of operations; Mikhail Largin, 60, Novax’s director of special projects; and Pedro Elias Sucre Salazar, 58, a Novax employee located in Venezuela.
- Two individuals associated with Aerofalcon: Juan Carlos Gonzalez Perez, 60, the owner of Aerofalcon; and Juan David Guerra Viera, 54, a director for Aerofalcon.
The defendants are charged with conspiring to violate IEEPA, and if convicted, face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Defendants Duque, Aleman, Sucre, Gonzalez, and Guerra Viera are additionally charged with submitting false or misleading export information and smuggling of goods, which respectively carry maximum penalties of five and 10 years in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida made the announcement.
BIS is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Stratton for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) are prosecuting the case. CES Deputy Chief Matthew McKenzie provided valuable assistance during the investigation.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
IndictmentSt. Michael, ND, Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Second-Degree Murder and ArsonRead the Press Release
FARGO – United States Attorney Mac Schneider, District of North Dakota, announced that Cody James Belgarde, age 37, from St. Michael, ND, was sentenced by Chief Judge Peter D. Welte to 327 months in prison following conviction at trial on charges of Second-Degree Murder and Arson.
In January of 2021, Belgarde shot and killed a boy who was two weeks past his seventeenth birthday. Belgarde then set fire to the house where the murder took place. In November of 2023, a jury found Belgarde guilty of Second-Degree Murder and Arson within Indian country. The jury acquitted Belgarde on a charge of First-Degree Murder.
“The violent murder of this young man was as utterly senseless as it was brutal,” Schneider said. “No amount of time in prison can undo the heart-rending and pointless loss of life in this case, but we hope this sentence provides a measure of justice for the victim’s family. The United States Attorney’s Office is deeply committed to increasing public safety in Indian country, and we will continue to aggressively prosecute perpetrators of violent crime in tribal communities.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation; and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori H. Conroy and U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider, District of North Dakota.
Previous Press Release for this case can be found at: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nd/pr/st-michael-nd-man-convicted-second-degree-murder-and-arson
######
Somerset County Man Charged with Federal Hate Crime for Breaking into Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University and Destroying PropertyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Somerset County, New Jersey, man has been charged with a federal hate crime for breaking into the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University (CILRU) in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and destroying property, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and New Jersey State Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced.
Jacob Beacher, 24, was arrested this morning and is charged by complaint with one count of intentional or attempted obstruction of religious practice and one count of making false statements to federal authorities. Beacher is scheduled to have his initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court.
According to the criminal complaint, on April 10, during the Eid-al-Fitr holiday, Beacher broke into the CILRU around 2:41 a.m., where he damaged the CILRU’s property, including several religious artifacts, such as Turbah prayer stones, which are clay stones on which Muslims prostrate during prayer, and numerous other items that contained holy language from the Qur’an, Islam’s sacred scripture. The complaint also alleges that Beacher also stole a Palestinian flag and a charity box belonging to the CILRU.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger and Attorney General Platkin credited the many agencies that collaborated on this joint investigation: special agents of the FBI, Branchburg Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; prosecutors and detectives from the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, under the direction of Director J. Stephen Ferketic; detectives from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone; the Rutgers University Police Department-New Brunswick Division, under the leadership of Chief of University Police Kenneth Cop; the New Brunswick Police Department, under the leadership of Chief Vincent Sabo; the New Jersey State Police, under the leadership of Colonel Patrick J. Callahan and the New Jersey Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin and Deputy Chief R. Joseph Gribko for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Daniel Grunert of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
beacher.complaint.pdfSex Traffickers Sentenced in MaineRead the Press Release
Ricardo Middleton, 32, of Boston, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release after a jury found Middleton guilty in December 2023 of sex trafficking a young woman through force, fraud and coercion and obstruction in Maine.
Middleton’s co-defendant, Sherry Jones, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, was sentenced today to 80 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Jones had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking on May 23, 2023.
“This significant sentence imposed by the court reflects the severity of the defendant’s exploitation of the victim over three days. He used drugs, threats, physical force and rape to force her to engage in commercial sex for his own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “These acts were odious and intolerable. They denied the victim’s basic humanity. The Justice Department will vigorously prosecute human trafficking crimes to hold offenders accountable and to seek justice for survivors of these heinous crimes.”
“Commercial sex trafficking traumatizes its victims and strips them of their freedom and dignity,” said U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee for the District of Maine. “Addressing this serious crime is a priority to my office. I commend the commitment of the law enforcement team that diligently worked this important case for years, always keeping the safety and recovery of Middleton’s vulnerable victim as the main priority.”
“The horrific violence inflicted upon women by Middleton and his co-conspirators is difficult to comprehend,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England. “He targeted someone battling substance use issues and used this as a lever to control, making it even harder for her to escape the nightmare she found herself in. We hope that today’s sentence marks and end to this traumatic experience as he faces a lengthy federal sentence and a beginning for those he victimized to look forward and work towards a life of dignity and self-determination.”
The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Middleton exploited a 25-year-old Maine woman who was suffering with substance abuse disorder and compelled her to engage in commercial sex, using drugs, lies, intimidation, physical violence and rape as means to control her. Testimony provided details of the three days in November 2015, in which Middleton, along with Jones and co-defendant Mathew Thatcher, of Scarborough, Maine, transported the victim to several locations in Maine and Massachusetts. Along the way, Middleton berated the victim, abused her and humiliated her, including raping her and saying he was “going to make a lot of money off” her. The evidence further detailed how Middleton, while detained pending trial, instructed a co-defendant not to cooperate with the government or incriminate him.
On March 22, Thatcher was sentenced to 44 months in prison and three years of supervised released. Thatcher pleaded guilty on Nov. 17, 2023, to interstate transportation in aid of racketeering and contempt of court. Neither of Middleton’s co-defendants testified at the December trial.
The HSI New England Field Office, Portland Resident Agent in Charge Office investigated the case, with assistance from the FBI, Biddeford Police Department, Portland Police Department, South Portland Police Department, Topsham Police Department and Saco Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Joyce for the District of Maine and Trial Attorney Meghan Tokash and Deputy Director William Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case.
Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.
Rochester man arrested, charged with threatening to murder members of federal law enforcementRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Eric Anthony, 27, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with threatening to assault, kidnap, or murder federal law enforcement officers with intent to impede, intimidate, or interfere with such law enforcement officers while engaged in the performance of official duties, or with intent to retaliate against such law enforcement officers on account of the performance of their official duties. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Everardo A. Rodriguez, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on April 18, 2024, Anthony sent an email to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, criticizing federal gun laws and the actions of multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the ATF, FBI, HSI, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Rochester Police Department. The email also included threats to murder law enforcement officers. The email stated that if anything happened to Anthony or his family, “then I am left no choice to impose my ‘hellish strategic move.’” The complaint further states that Anthony followed up his email with a fax to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. The fax included much of the same information that was included in the ATF email.
“Any and all threats to harm or injure any member of our law enforcement community are taken seriously,” stated U.S. Attorney Ross. “I commend the collaboration and teamwork that went into locating and arresting this defendant, who was prepared to act on the threats he made, which could have resulted in deadly consequences for the men and women whose mission it is to protect our communities and its citizens.”
“This recent arrest serves as a reminder that serious threats of violence will not be tolerated,” stated ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller. “The suspect was found to be illegally stockpiling weapons capable of carrying out the repeated threats of violence he had made against law enforcement. Thanks to the decisive actions of the ATF NY Rochester Violent Crime Task Force, this individual is now being held accountable for his actions. We commend the efforts of the Rochester Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of NY for their collaboration in bringing this individual to justice.”
“Federal task forces augment local agencies with specialized investigative resources and open pathways for federal prosecution,” said Matthew Miraglia, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office. “Thanks to these efforts and partnerships with the U.S. Attorneys’ Office, ATF, and other federal, state, and local agencies, the FBI continues to be successful in combatting potential threats and protecting our communities.”
“At a time when individuals are violently attacking law enforcement, costing us so dearly just this past week, this person posed a targeted threat to those serving,” said Sheriff Todd K. Baxter. “The diligent teamwork of these law enforcement partners in preempting any harm and safely taking him into custody, is to be commended.”
“This is another example of the partnerships that exist in Rochester law enforcement that work towards keeping our city safe,” state Rochester Police Chief David Smith. “The work of the violent crime task force to safely take this dangerous individual into custody is truly remarkable.”
Anthony made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and is being held pending a detention hearing on April 23, 2024, at 12:30 p.m.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Bryan Miller, Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the Monroe County Sherriff’s Office under the direction of Sherriff Todd Baxter, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
# # # #
Rochester Man Charged with Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Rochester man has been indicted for production and possession of child pornography and coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on multiple occasions between 2015 and 2023, Mathew Richard Adamson, 45, produced child pornography involving 12 and 13-year-old minor girls, including surreptitiously recorded videos. Adamson also possessed sexually explicit images and videos of minors and coerced a minor girl to engage in sexual conduct with him.
The complaint charges Adamson with three counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of coercion and enticement. Adamson was arraigned today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Rochester Police Department, the FBI, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Kline is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ringleader Pleads Guilty in Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization CaseRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Derrell Cashawn Massey, also known as “Rell,” and “Fat Rell,” 34, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Massey admitted to a leading role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 3, 2023, Massey distributed approximately 1 pound of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at a Ninth Street residence in Huntington where Massey was living. The confidential informant had called Massey beforehand to arrange the transaction, agreeing to pay $2,000 in exchange for the methamphetamine.
Massey admitted to the transaction and further admitted to participating in the DTO from at least November 2022 through November 2023. Massey’s participation included arranging for quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl to be transported from Detroit and other areas to Huntington for distribution. Massey also distributed at least 30 pounds of methamphetamine to a specific customer in Nitro, West Virginia, and directed other individuals to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl to various customers. Massey admitted that he aided and abetted the distribution of a total of 8.6 pounds of methamphetamine on 10 separate occasions between February 27, 2023, and September 7, 2023.
Massey and other DTO participants used multiple residences to store and distribute quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl, including Massey’s Ninth Avenue residence in Huntington. On September 12, 2023, law enforcement officers seized six 9mm semiautomatic pistols at Massey’s Ninth Avenue residence.
Massey is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.
Massey is among 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment that charges the defendants with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.
Massey is also among 21 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the main case. One other of the 27 indicted individuals pleaded guilty to a related offense in a separate case. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor are prosecuting the case..
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-180.
###
Republic Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking, Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Republic, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing fentanyl to distribute and several firearms following two instances in which he fled from law enforcement officers.
Tonikko Fewell, 34, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to two counts of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On Aug. 16, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Fewell’s residence. Fewell drove by his residence while officers were executing the search warrant. Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Fewell dropped off a female passenger and quickly sped away at speeds over 100 miles per hour. Officers discontinued the pursuit over public safety concerns.
Officers searched Fewell’s residence and found approximately 588 grams of fentanyl, $3,420 in cash, and an Anderson .223-caliber semi-automatic rifle, which had been reported stolen, with a fully loaded 40-round magazine. Officers also found a Jimenez Arms 9mm semi-automatic pistol that had been reported stolen and a Walther 9mm semi-automatic pistol in a vehicle parked at the residence.
On Dec. 8, 2021, a Springfield, Mo., police detective attempted to conduct a traffic stop of an orange Cadillac Fewell was driving. The detective did not pursue the vehicle, but shortly afterward saw the vehicle had been involved in a three-car accident at the intersection of Commercial Street and National Avenue. The detective searched the vehicle and found 54 grams of fentanyl and $4,232 in cash. Fewell, a passenger, and their 2-year-old daughter were transported to the hospital for treatment.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Fewell has a prior felony conviction for unlawful use of a weapon.
Under federal statutes, Fewell is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Republic, Mo., Police Department, and the Christian County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
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.
Red Oak Woman Pleads Guilty to Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Ann Sulsberger, 49, from Red Oak, Iowa, pled guilty April 18, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
At the plea hearing, evidence showed that between April 2023 and May 2023 Sulsberger and others conspired to distribute over a pound of methamphetamine in the Woodbury and Monona County areas.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Sulsberger remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Sulsberger faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Bureau of Indian Affairs, DEA Laboratory, 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 24-4002. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Rasta, Court Therapy Dog, Honored for Service to ChildrenRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore presents the annual Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award to Rasta, a courtroom therapy dog, and the golden retriever’s handler and owner, Jennifer Vernon.KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Teresa Moore, United State Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, presented the annual Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award today to Rasta, a courtroom therapy dog, and the golden retriever’s handler and owner, Jennifer Vernon.
The award, presented annually during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (April 21 to 27), honors the memories of Ali Kemp and Crystal Kipper, both of whom were fatal victims of tragic crimes. This is the 20th year for the award, which recognizes the outstanding work of an individual or organization in recognition of a valued contribution to preventing and responding to the exploitation of children.
“Every dog lover has had the experience of being comforted by their devoted canine friend,” Moore said. “This year we are recognizing Rasta’s invaluable contribution of a calming influence for traumatized children during stressful, sometimes intimidating, legal proceedings. By helping to reduce the anxiety of these vulnerable victims, Rasta contributes to our goal of achieving justice for them. And by presenting Rasta with this award, we hope to encourage the use of court therapy dogs in more settings.”
Tina Sutter, a victim-witness coordinator with the U.S. Attorney's Office, treats Rasta to a cupcake following the award presentation.Rasta provides emotional support to help young victims and witnesses speak up to describe truthfully and accurately what happened to them. The scientific evidence for the physical and mental calming effects of appropriately bred and trained dogs is overwhelming, according to the Courthouse Dogs Foundation, and includes both physical and psychological effects.
Rasta, a trained therapy dog, originally worked in hospice as well as working alongside Vernon, the Director of Child, Youth and Family Clinical Services at Synergy Services, Inc. Rasta has provided comfort to children at Synergy who experienced trauma, to homeless and traumatized teens, and even to the adult staff at Synergy. In 2019, following some additional training, Rasta went into the courtroom for the first time. He sat in the witness box with a teen abuse survivor during his first trial experience in Platte County Circuit Court.
Since then, said Vernon, Rasta has worked at more trials, depositions, and other hearings. Sometimes he is present to provide comfort to survivors before and after testimony.
Moore presented the Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Award alongside Anna Kipper Rea, the mother of Crystal Kipper, and Jill and Bob Leiker of the Ali Kemp Educational Foundation, an organization founded by the late Roger Kemp, the father of Ali Kemp.
The theme for the 2024 Crime Victims’ Rights week is “How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors.” There is a focus 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.
The Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award
This is the 20th year for the award to be presented in memory of Crystal Kipper and Ali Kemp, two young women who were both fatal victims of tragic crimes. Crystal Kipper was an 18-year-old Gladstone, Mo., resident who was murdered after her car ran out of gas on Interstate 29, just north of Platte City, on Feb. 24, 1997. Ali Kemp was a 19-year-old Blue Valley North High School graduate who was murdered on June 18, 2002, while she worked at the Foxborough neighborhood swimming pool in Leawood, Kan.
U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore (center) with Rasta and Jennifer Vernon following the presentation of the annual Crystal Kipper & Ali Kemp Memorial Award. Moore presented the award alongside Anna Kipper Rea (with her husband, Mark), the mother of Crystal Kipper, and Jill and Bob Leiker of the Ali Kemp Educational Foundation, an organization founded by the late Roger Kemp, the father of Ali Kemp, whose son Tyler Kemp is also pictured.Pinson Man Sentenced for Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Pinson, Alabama man was sentenced on April 17, 2024, to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine.
According to court documents, Darnell Watkins, 61, plead guilty to the charge in October of 2022. Watkins was one of several conspirators charged in Mobile when an investigation conducted by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigations revealed that cocaine and heroin supplied by James Harding, Jr., in Birmingham, was being distributed in Daphne and Fairhope by other members of the organization, including Darrell Williams. Harding and Williams were convicted by a federal jury in Mobile in October of 2022. Harding was sentenced to 480 months imprisonment, and Williams was sentenced to 324 months imprisonment. Court documents reflect that Watkins assisted the conspirators in south Alabama in connecting with Harding and arranging for the delivery and transportation of the drugs and the payment of the drug money.
United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer imposed the 10-year sentence in Watkins’ case and ordered that he be placed on supervision by the United States Probation Office for 5 years following his release from custody. No fine was imposed, but Judge Moorer ordered that Watkins pay $100 in special assessments.
The case was investigated by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Baldwin County Drug Task Force, the Safe Streets Task Force and the FBI. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.
Owner, captains of crab fishing vessels charged with illegally transporting crab from AlaskaRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging the owner and captains of two crab catcher vessels with illegally transporting crab from Alaska, in violation of the Lacey Act.
According to court documents, Corey Potter is the owner of the two crab catching vessels, and Justin Welch and Kyle Potter are the captains of the vessels. In February and March 2024, the vessels harvested over 7,000 pounds of Tanner and golden king crab in Southeast Alaska. Corey Potter allegedly directed Kyle Potter and Justin Welch to take the crab to Seattle, Washington, where they intended to sell it at a higher price than they would have in Alaska. Neither captain landed the harvested crab at a port in Alaska and the harvest was never recorded on a fish ticket, which is a requirement under state law.
The crab was allegedly taken through Canadian and Washington waters. Upon arrival in Washington, a large portion of the king crab was deceased and unmarketable. Corey Potter allegedly acknowledged that some of the crab aboard was infected with Bitter Crab Syndrome (BCS), a parasitic disease that is fatal to crustaceans. Over 4,000 additional pounds of Tanner crab were destroyed due to the risk of BCS infection. Court documents allege that had the crab been properly landed in Alaska, the harvest would have been inspected and infected crab would have been sorted out and disposed of before leaving Alaska.
Corey Potter is charged with two counts of unlawful transportation of fish or wildlife in violation of 16 U.S.C. 3372(a)(2)(A) and 3373(d)(1)(B), and Justin Welch and Kyle Potter are both charged with one count of the same violation. The defendants will make their initial court appearance on May 2 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a $20,000 fine per count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska and Assistant Director Benjamin Cheeseman with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement made the announcement.
NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Brickey is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Operators of Florida Labor Staffing Companies Sentenced to More than Three Years in Prison for Tax and Immigration ChargesRead the Press Release
Two operators of several Key West, Florida, labor staffing companies – including PSEB Services Inc., E.S.F. Services Inc. and Expert Services F.S. Inc. – were each sentenced to over three years in prison today for tax and immigration-related crimes.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at various times between January 2014 and October 2019, Zdenek Strnad, Vasil Khatiashvili and others helped run a series of labor staffing companies that facilitated the employment in hotels, bars and restaurants in Key West and elsewhere of non-resident aliens who were not authorized to work in the United States. These labor staffing companies did not withhold federal income taxes or Social Security and Medicare taxes from these workers’ wages and did not report the wages to the IRS.
U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez for the Southern District of Florida sentenced Strnad to 44 months in prison and Khatiashvili to 38 months in prison. In addition to their prison sentences, Judge Martinez ordered Strnad and Khatiashvili to both serve three years of supervised release and to pay $1,836,960.68 in restitution to the United States.
Khatiashvili and Strnad’s co-defendant, Petr Sutka, was sentenced to 48 months in prison on March 18.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
HSI and IRS-CI investigated the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Jessica A. Kraft, Nicholas J. Schilling Jr., Matthew C. Hicks and Wilson Rae Stamm of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.
Operators of Florida Labor Staffing Companies Sentenced to More than Three Years in Prison for Tax and Immigration ChargesRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Two operators of several Key West, Florida, labor staffing companies – including PSEB Services Inc., E.S.F. Services Inc. and Expert Services F.S. Inc. – were each sentenced to over three years in prison today for tax and immigration-related crimes.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at various times between January 2014 and October 2019, Zdenek Strnad, Vasil Khatiashvili and others helped run a series of labor staffing companies that facilitated the employment in hotels, bars and restaurants in Key West and elsewhere of non-resident aliens who were not authorized to work in the United States. These labor staffing companies did not withhold federal income taxes or Social Security and Medicare taxes from these workers’ wages and did not report the wages to the IRS.
U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez for the Southern District of Florida sentenced Strnad to 44 months in prison and Khatiashvili to 38 months in prison. In addition to their prison sentences, Judge Martinez ordered Strnad and Khatiashvili to both serve three years of supervised release and to pay $1,836,960.68 in restitution to the United States.
Khatiashvili and Strnad’s co-defendant, Petr Sutka, was sentenced to 48 months in prison on March 18.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
HSI and IRS-CI investigated the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Clark of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, and Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty and Trial Attorneys Jessica A. Kraft, Nicholas J. Schilling Jr., Matthew C. Hicks and Wilson Rae Stamm of the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the case.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
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-10015.
###
Operation Smoke and Mirrors Update: Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Robert Dewayne Miller, 36, of Charleston, was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, admitting to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the Charleston area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Miller participated in the conspiracy from in or about October 2022 to in or about January 2023. Miller is responsible for over 2 and a half pounds of methamphetamine due to this involvement in the conspiracy. Miller distributed quantities of methamphetamine supplied by co-defendant Alexandria Jasmine Estep, who acquired pound-level quantities of methamphetamine from co-conspirator Jasper Wemh. Estep would check with Miller to see if the methamphetamine had been sold and Estep would collect the proceeds of such sales from Miller. Occasionally, Estep would receive methamphetamine back from Miller for the purpose of selling it.
Miller, Estep and Wemh are among 32 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement seized well over 400 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms and $935,000 in cash.
Estep, 22, of Charleston, was sentenced on February 22, 2024, to four years and two months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Wemh, 39, of Charleston, pleaded guilty on March 30, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and awaits sentencing. Miller, Estep and Wemh are among 27 defendants who have pleaded guilty. Indictments against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-33.
###
Ohio Man Sentenced for Fentanyl and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Tyler Jordan Sands, age 23, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for fentanyl and firearms offenses.
Sands pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and unlawful possession of a firearm in November 2023. According to court documents and statements made in court, Sands was under investigation for traveling from Akron to sell drugs in the Clarksburg area. A search warrant was executed on a home being used by Sands in Clarksburg, along with his vehicle and hotel room. Officers found 500 fentanyl pills, powdered fentanyl, cash, and a semi-automatic pistol. Because of a prior conviction, Sands is prohibited from having firearms.
Sands will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Flower prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
###
Northern Virginia Businessman Pleads Guilty in Federal Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A Northern Virginia businessman, who paid a $25,000 cash bribe to then-Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins’ reelection campaign, pled guilty today to federal bribery charges.
Rick Rahim, 60, of Great Falls, Virginia, pled guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and honest services mail fraud and one count of honest services mail fraud.
Rahim is the third Northern Virginia businessman to plead guilty as part of the bribery scheme. In March 2024, James Metcalf of Manassas, Va., pled guilty to one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. Fairfax Attorney Frederic Gumbinner pled guilty in November 2023 to an identical charge.
“Today’s guilty plea demonstrates how seriously the Justice Department takes public corruption and the bribery of public officials,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “The badges and guns worn by the men and women who swear an oath to protect and serve the Commonwealth of Virginia is not for sale and those who attempt to buy that honor will be held to account.”
According to court documents, Rahim owned and operated several businesses, including BV Management LLC and Food Truck Company LLC. Rahim had no law-enforcement of military experience and was disqualified from owning a firearm due to a prior state felony conviction.
In 2003 or 2004, Rahim met a businessman residing in Prince William County, Virginia who was also an Auxiliary Deputy with the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office. In late 2019, the businessman asked Rahim if he wanted to “support” Jenkins. At that time, Rahim understood support to mean give money. The businessman told Rahim that Jenkins would probably agree to make Rahim an Auxiliary Deputy in exchange for his support.
Rahim agreed.
On July 31, 2019, Rahim, the businessman, and Jenkins met at the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office. During the meeting, they discussed Rahim’s previous felony record and his desire to get his firearms rights restored. Jenkins claimed he could use his official position to ensure that Rahim’s petition to restore his firearms rights would be granted.
Jenkins and Rahim agreed that Rahim would provide things of value to Jenkins in exchange for Jenkins’ use of his official position to get Rahim’s rights restore and to appoint him an Auxiliary Deputy with the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office.
On two occasions, Rahim gave Jenkins manila envelopes filled with cash- once with $15,000 and a second time with $10,000. In addition to the $25,000 in cash, Rahim also made in-kind donations to Jenkins’ campaign, including a campaign billboard and approximately 200 customized knifes.
In addition, Rahim loaned Jenkins $17,500 towards a new home Jenkins was building. Rahim never requested repayment because he wanted to maintain a good relationship with Jenkins.
On May 27, 2020, the Circuit Court Clerk of Culpeper County swore Rahim in as an Auxiliary Deputy Sheriff and the Sheriff’s Office issued him a deputy badge and identification card.
The FBI’s Richmond Field Office, Charlottesville Resident Agency is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Celia Choy and Lina Peng of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith of the Western District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
New York City Man Convicted of Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Rasheed Mingues, age 44, a resident of New York City staying in the Utica, New York, area, pled guilty on Friday to possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute them and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, made the announcement.
Mingues admitted that, between April and October 2022, he sold over 100 grams of methamphetamine and over 30 grams of fentanyl in the Utica, New York area. He also admitted that on December 9, 2022, he possessed over 700 grams of fentanyl, over 700 grams of methamphetamine, and over 100 grams of cocaine with the intent to distribute them, and that he possessed a loaded 9mm handgun in the same bag as the drugs. Federal law prohibits Mingues from possessing the firearm as a result of a prior felony conviction.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 23, 2024, in Syracuse, at which time Mingues faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life, a fine of up to $10,000,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The DEA and New York State Police are investigating the case with assistance from the Utica Police Department, Syracuse Police Department, Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica N. Carbone and Benjamin Gillis are prosecuting the case.
New Jersey Man Charged with Federal Hate Crime for Breaking into Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University and Destroying PropertyRead the Press Release
A New Jersey man has been charged with a federal hate crime for breaking into the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University (CILRU) in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and destroying property.
Jacob Beacher, 24, of Somerset County, was arrested this morning and charged by complaint with one count of intentional or attempted obstruction of religious practice and one count of making false statements to federal authorities.
According to the criminal complaint, on April 10, during the Eid-al-Fitr holiday, Beacher broke into the CILRU around 2:41 a.m., where he damaged the CILRU’s property, including several religious artifacts, such as Turbah prayer stones, which are clay stones on which Muslims prostrate during prayer, and numerous other items that contained holy language from the Qur’an, Islam’s sacred scripture. The complaint also alleges that Beacher stole a Palestinian flag and a charity box belonging to the CILRU.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey and New Jersey State Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin made the announcement.
The FBI Newark Field Office, Branchburg Resident Agency, New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, Rutgers University Police Department-New Brunswick Division and New Jersey Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin and Deputy Chief R. Joseph Gribko for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Daniel Grunert of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
New Haven Pharmacy and Owner Agree to Pay $120,000 to Settle Controlled Substances Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England, today announced that Cornerstone Pharmacy, Inc. (doing business as “Whalley Drug”), and its owner, Yong Kwon, have entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal government and paid $120,000 to resolve allegations that they violated civil provisions of the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”).
On June 22, 2021, the DEA served an Administrative Inspection Warrant on Whalley Drug, a retail pharmacy located in New Haven, owned by Kwon, a pharmacist. During execution of the warrant, the DEA interviewed Kwon concerning patients who overdosed after filling prescriptions at Whalley Drug prescribed by certain area practitioners, and Kwon’s practices in filling prescriptions for controlled substances prescribed by area practitioners. The DEA also audited Whalley Drug for its compliance with CSA recordkeeping requirements, which the government alleges revealed recordkeeping discrepancies for several controlled substances.
The government alleges that, between September 2017 and June 2021, Kwon and Whalley Drug filled prescriptions for controlled substances that had been issued without a legitimate medical purpose, in violation of the pharmacist’s corresponding responsibility to ensure that only valid prescriptions are dispensed. The invalid prescriptions included prescriptions for controlled substances to individuals displaying red flags of abuse and addiction; prescriptions to individuals who received dangerous combinations of controlled substances, including the high-risk “holy trinity” drug combination of at least one opioid, benzodiazepine, and a muscle relaxant; excessive and unsafe amounts of benzodiazepines, including for extended periods of time; and one dosage unit of a controlled substance to an individual who was already concurrently receiving two additional dosage units of the same controlled substance from a different provider.
On June 22, 2021, Kwon agreed to voluntarily surrender the DEA license for Whalley Drug, which no longer operates as a retail pharmacy.
This investigation was conducted by the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control and the DEA New Haven’s Tactical Diversion Squad, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Gruber.
Muscatine Man Sentenced to 210 Months in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Muscatine man was sentenced for attempting to entice a minor.
According to public court documents, in December of 2022, Paul Kyle Quigley, 41, a registered sex offender engaged in a Facebook conversation with an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old female. After told of the 15-year-old age of the putative victim, Quigley replied with requests for sex acts. After multiple days of continued conversations of a graphic sexual nature, Quigley formulated a plan to attempt to meet and flee the state with the 15-year-old female with the intent to engage in sexual activity. Working in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), on February 22, 2023, Quigley was arrested in Burlington, just prior to arriving in his semi-truck at the established meeting place.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Quigley will be required to serve 15 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa and Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.
Milford Man Who Threatened Federal Law Enforcement Officer Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HAMILTON CLARK SMITH, 59, of Milford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to an offense related to his threatening a federal law enforcement officer.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 10 and 11, 2023, Smith sent a series of threatening text messages to a Deputy U.S. Marshal, including threats to harm and kill the Deputy U.S. Marshal, and to harm the Deputy U.S. Marshal’s family. In addition, on January 11, 2023, Smith called the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center in Virginia and made a statement threatening to kill the Deputy U.S. Marshal.
Smith was arrested on January 12, 2023.
Smith pleaded guilty to making repeated harassing communications, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of two years. Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for July 16.
Smith is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren C. Clark.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Possessing Heroin with Intent to Distribute in BakersfieldRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Antonio Beltran-Chaidez, 54, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty today to possessing with intent to distribute heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in January 2022, Beltran recruited his brother Jose Beltran-Chaidez, 66, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, to deliver approximately 2 pounds of heroin to Jorge Calderon-Campos, 43, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, for distribution to Calderon-Campos’s customers. However, when Calderon-Campos was unable to sell the drug, Jose Beltran-Chaidez retrieved it from Calderon-Campos and was in possession of the heroin when stopped by a law enforcement officer for a traffic violation.
Beltran is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 26, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Beltran faces a mandatory statutory minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, along with a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Calderon-Campos, Jose Beltran-Chaidez, and two other co-defendants are currently scheduled for a status conference on May 13, 2024. They are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, the CHP, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Kern County Sheriff's Office, the Kern County Probation Department, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about OCDETF, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Luxury Handbag Company, Founder and Co-Conspirator Sentenced for Smuggling Handbags Made from Caiman and Python SkinRead the Press Release
Luxury handbag company Gzuniga Ltd., its founder Nancy Teresa Gonzalez de Barberi and Gonzalez’s associate Mauricio Giraldo were sentenced to prison today for illegally importing merchandise from Colombia to the United States that was made from protected wildlife. All had previously pleaded guilty.
Gzuniga was ordered to forfeit all handbags and other previously seized product, banned for three years from any activities involving commercial trade in wildlife and sentenced to serve three years of probation. Gonzalez was sentenced to 18 months in prison with credit for time served, a supervised release of three years and to pay a special assessment. Giraldo was sentenced to time served, approximately 22 months based on incarceration in Colombia and the United States since his extradition, a year of supervised release and to pay a special assessment. Another co-conspirator, John Camilo Aguilar Jaramillo, pleaded guilty on April 8 and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27. Gonzalez, Giraldo and Jaramillo are Colombian citizens and were extradited to the United States to face the charges brought against them.
Photo is of handbags designed by Nancy Gonzalez and displayed in the Gzuniga Ltd. showroom. Photo is from Exhibit 3 to the government’s reply to objections to presentence report and sentencing memorandum in United States v. Gzuniga Ltd., et al., case number 22-CR-20170.The caiman and python species are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which both the United States and Colombia are signatories.
“The United States signed on to CITES in an effort to help protect threatened and endangered species here and abroad from trafficking,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “We will not tolerate illegal smuggling. We appreciate the efforts of our many federal and international partners who have helped with the investigation, extradition and prosecution of this case.”
“The United States, in company with the international community, has established a system for overseeing the trafficking in protected species of wildlife. That system relies on a system of permits and oversight by many agencies and demands strict compliance by all those engaged in such trade,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “The press of business, production deadlines or other economic factors are not justification for anyone to knowingly flout the system and attempt to write their own exceptions to wildlife trafficking laws. In cooperation with our international partners, our Office will continue to require strict adherence to laws that protect our endangered species.”
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is deeply committed to combatting wildlife trafficking in all its forms. The Gonzalez case underscores the importance of robust collaboration with federal and international partners to disrupt illegal wildlife trade networks,” said Assistant Director Edward Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Office of Law Enforcement. “This investigation uncovered a multi-year scheme that involved paid couriers smuggling undeclared handbags made of CITES-protected reptile skins into the U.S. to be sold for thousands of dollars. The Service will continue to seek justice for protected species exploited for profit, and we will hold accountable those who seek to circumvent international controls meant to regulate their sustainable trade.”
An indictment charged Gzuniga, Gonzalez, Giraldo and Jaramillo with one count of conspiracy and two counts of smuggling for illegally importing designer handbags made from caiman and python skin from February 2016 to April 2019.
The conspirators brought hundreds of designer purses, handbags and totes into the United States by enlisting friends, relatives and even employees of Gonzalez’s manufacturing company in Colombia to wear the designer handbags or put them in their luggage while traveling on passenger airlines. Once in the United States, the bags were delivered or shipped to the Gzuniga showroom New York to be displayed and sold.
The USFWS Office of Law Enforcement in Valley Stream, New York, investigated the case, with the assistance of the Miami Resident Agent in Charge Office of USFWS. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá, Colombia, provided valuable assistance with securing the arrest and extradition of Gonzalez, Giraldo and Jaramillo. The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations were instrumental in supporting the case. The United States also thanks Colombian law enforcement authorities for their valuable assistance and close collaboration and partnership.
Senior Trial Attorney R.J. Powers of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
Luxury Handbag Company, Founder and Co-Conspirator Sentenced for Smuggling Handbags Made from Caiman and Python SkinRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Luxury handbag company Gzuniga Ltd., its founder Nancy Teresa Gonzalez de Barberi and Gonzalez’s associate Mauricio Giraldo were sentenced to prison today for illegally importing merchandise from Colombia to the United States that was made from protected wildlife. All had previously pleaded guilty.
Gzuniga was ordered to forfeit all handbags and other previously seized product, banned for three years from any activities involving commercial trade in wildlife and sentenced to serve three years of probation. Gonzalez was sentenced to 18 months in prison with credit for time served, a supervised release of three years and to pay a special assessment. Giraldo was sentenced to time served, approximately 22 months based on incarceration in Colombia and the United States since his extradition, a year of supervised release and to pay a special assessment. Another co-conspirator, John Camilo Aguilar Jaramillo, pleaded guilty on April 8 and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27. Gonzalez, Giraldo and Jaramillo are Colombian citizens and were extradited to the United States to face the charges brought against them.
Photo is of handbags designed by Nancy Gonzalez and displayed in the Gzuniga Ltd. showroom. Photo is from Exhibit 3 to the government’s reply to objections to presentence report and sentencing memorandum in United States v. Gzuniga Ltd., et al., case number 22-CR-20170.The caiman and python species are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which both the United States and Colombia are signatories.
“The United States, in company with the international community, has established a system for overseeing the trafficking in protected species of wildlife. That system relies on a system of permits and oversight by many agencies and demands strict compliance by all those engaged in such trade,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “The press of business, production deadlines or other economic factors are not justification for anyone to knowingly flout the system and attempt to write their own exceptions to wildlife trafficking laws. In cooperation with our international partners, our Office will continue to require strict adherence to laws that protect our endangered species.”
“The United States signed on to CITES in an effort to help protect threatened and endangered species here and abroad from trafficking,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “We will not tolerate illegal smuggling. We appreciate the efforts of our many federal and international partners who have helped with the investigation, extradition and prosecution of this case.”
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is deeply committed to combatting wildlife trafficking in all its forms. The Gonzalez case underscores the importance of robust collaboration with federal and international partners to disrupt illegal wildlife trade networks,” said Assistant Director Edward Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Office of Law Enforcement. “This investigation uncovered a multi-year scheme that involved paid couriers smuggling undeclared handbags made of CITES-protected reptile skins into the U.S. to be sold for thousands of dollars. The Service will continue to seek justice for protected species exploited for profit, and we will hold accountable those who seek to circumvent international controls meant to regulate their sustainable trade.”
An indictment charged Gzuniga, Gonzalez, Giraldo and Jaramillo with one count of conspiracy and two counts of smuggling for illegally importing designer handbags made from caiman and python skin from February 2016 to April 2019.
The conspirators brought hundreds of designer purses, handbags and totes into the United States by enlisting friends, relatives and even employees of Gonzalez’s manufacturing company in Colombia to wear the designer handbags or put them in their luggage while traveling on passenger airlines. Once in the United States, the bags were delivered or shipped to the Gzuniga showroom New York to be displayed and sold.
The USFWS Office of Law Enforcement in Valley Stream, New York, investigated the case, with the assistance of the Miami Resident Agent in Charge Office of USFWS. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá, Colombia, provided valuable assistance with securing the arrest and extradition of Gonzalez, Giraldo and Jaramillo. The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations were instrumental in supporting the case. The United States also thanks Colombian law enforcement authorities for their valuable assistance and close collaboration and partnership.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald for the Southern District of Florida and Senior Trial Attorney R.J. Powers of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section are prosecuting the case.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
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 22-CR-20170.
###
Lowell Man Charged for Robbery of a Mail CarrierRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Lowell, Massachusetts man has been charged for robbing a United States Postal Service mail carrier using what appeared to be a firearm, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Baraka Janvier, 18, was charged with robbery of property of the United States. Janvier will make an initial appearance in federal court in Concord at a future date. Janvier is in state custody in connection to this incident. The investigation remains ongoing.
According to the charging documents, in Nashua on the afternoon of April 16, 2024, Janvier and a juvenile co-conspirator held the mail carrier at gunpoint and demanded his keys. Investigators obtained valuable information, pictures, and video from local residents, which helped to identify Janvier, his co-conspirator, and the driver of their vehicle. Investigators tracked Janvier and his co-conspirator to a house in Lowell, where they found two black pistol BB guns and a dark-colored mask. Janvier stated that he and the co-conspirator robbed a mail carrier for a key and then gave it to another person in Lowell for $500.
The charge provides for a sentence of up to ten years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The United States Postal Inspection Service led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Nashua, New Hampshire Police Department and the Lowell, Massachusetts Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarad E. Hodes is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Attachment:
Charging DocumentLouisville Pediatrician Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges of Murder-for-Hire and Aiding and Abetting Interstate StalkingRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY –Stephanie M. Russell entered a plea of guilty to two counts of a federal indictment charging her with using a facility in interstate commerce, or causing another person to travel in interstate commerce, in the attempted murder-for-hire of her ex-husband, as well as aiding and abetting interstate stalking of her ex-husband. Russell entered her guilty plea this morning, on the same day her jury trial was scheduled to commence.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, and Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office, made the announcement.
According to court records, Stephanie M. Russell, 53, a pediatrician, owned and ran KidzLife Pediatrics in Norton Commons, in Louisville, Kentucky. Beginning in July 2021, Russell caused another to travel in interstate commerce, and used a telephone, a facility of interstate commerce, with the intent that the murder of her former husband, R.C., be committed in violation of the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and offered to pay for that murder.
In July 2021, during a contentious custody battle with her ex-husband, R.C., Russell began soliciting multiple KidzLife employees, asking if they knew someone who would be willing to kill R.C. In the spring of 2022, the FBI was notified of Russell’s solicitations, and began an investigation. As part of that investigation, a cooperating witness provided Russell with the telephone number of a purported hitman from the Chicago area. That hitman was an FBI Special Agent working undercover. Beginning on May 15, 2022, Russell had several recorded telephone conversations with the purported hitman. In one call, Russell and the purported hitman had the following exchange:
Hitman: Obviously you want [R.C.] killed, right, . . . ?
Russell: I want him to be completely gone from my life, yes . . . .
Hitman: Well I mean that can be in the Bahamas, but I don’t think we’re talking a vacation away. I think we’re talking in the ground.
Russell: I mean, do you like, do they disappear? Do you like shoot them on the road? Like what happens? Or should I just not know?
Hitman: It really depends on, I mean, price dictates. That’s just how that goes. The more work I got to do, the more it’s going to cost you, but it could be, do you want it to look like a suicide? Do you want it to . . .
Russell: Yes, that would be amazing.
Russell ultimately agreed to pay the purported hitman $7,000, with half due up front. On May 18, 2022, Russell was caught on surveillance video leaving $3,500 in a specimen box outside the KidzLife building for the hitman to retrieve. The purported hitman drove to Louisville from Illinois and was videotaped as he picked up the payment. The FBI arrested Russell the next day.
Further, according to court documents and evidence presented at the change of plea hearing, between December 1, 2018, and August 9, 2019, during custody litigation, Russell, aided and abetted by J.S., a person who traveled to Louisville from Michigan, engaged in conduct that caused and attempted to cause her former husband substantial emotional distress, and Russell did so with the intent to harass and intimidate him. Specifically, Russell encouraged J.S. to harass R.C., and provided J.S. with a burner phone to use while doing so. The harassing conduct included visiting R.C.’s office unannounced, pretending to be a WAVE-3 reporter and leaving R.C. accusatory voicemails from the phone provided by Russell on R.C.’s phone, entering R.C.’s garage and leaving a note inside the garage pretending to be a reporter writing a derogatory story that could involve R.C., and by leaving fliers, with R.C.’s photograph and other personal identifying information, on cars at R.C.’s office. The fliers contained defamatory allegations of misconduct and were intended to be viewed by R.C.’s co-workers, supervisors, and potentially clients.
Russell is scheduled for sentencing on July 31, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Russell remains detained pending sentencing. She faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The FBI investigated the case, with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa Ford and David Weiser are prosecuting the case, with assistance from paralegal specialist Adela Alic.
###
Louisville Father Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Enticing Two Indiana Children to Obtain Sexually Explicit Material via FacebookRead the Press Release
TERRE HAUTE- Anthony Michael Bentley, 30, of Louisville, has been sentenced to seventeen years in federal prison, followed by fifteen years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of making false statements to the FBI. Bentley must also pay $10,000 in restitution to the minor victims.
According to court documents, from August 17 to August 22 of 2018, Bentley directed and coerced Minor Victim 1, who was 12 years old at the time, to send him sexually explicit images and videos via Facebook Messenger. Additionally, from January of 2018 through early 2020, Bentley directed and coerced Minor Victim 2, who was 17 years old at the time she met Bentley, to send him sexually explicit videos via Facebook Messenger. In both instances, Bentley sent messages coaching the children on how to take the explicit photos and videos.
Bentley misrepresented his name, image, and age on Facebook to entice the minor victims to communicate with him. He used the alias “Chris Jones” to hide his true identity and used photos of a young man he found online, identified as Individual 1, without his consent. Bentley also sent nude images of Individual 1 to Minor Victim 1 and claimed that they were pictures of himself. Investigators later learned that Individual 1 was a minor in those photographs.
On March 7, 2020, FBI investigators executed a search warrant at Bentley’s residence in Kentucky. At the time, Bentley told officials he did not have any knowledge of the Facebook account belonging to Chris Jones and claimed that he no longer had his old cell phone. However, investigators located the old cell phone under the carpet of a locked safe inside Bentley’s home. The cell phone contained the evidence and photographs of Individual 1 used on the fake Facebook account.
Investigators discovered that Bentley was using the Chris Jones Facebook account to communicate with females – including the minor victims – all hours of the day, including while his newborn child was sick in the hospital and while he was on family vacations.
“This supposed family man posed as an attractive teen boy on Facebook to win the trust of underage girls and entice them to send him sexually explicit material—exploiting children as young as just twelve years old for his own gratification,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Making his crimes worse, Bentley distributed nude images of the minor boy whose pictures he stole to create his alias, casting suspicion on an innocent person. He then lied to the FBI when he was discovered and confronted. Unfortunately, sexual predators know that social media platforms like Facebook are a fertile hunting ground. We urge caring adults to talk to their children about staying safe online. Thanks to the efforts of the FBI and our federal prosecutors, this criminal has been held accountable and the public will be safe from him for many years.”
The FBI investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Adam J. Eakman and MaryAnn T. Mindrum, who prosecuted this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
###
Lincoln Man Sentenced to 6 1/2 Years for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that John W. Rice, 35, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 19, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Rice to 78 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Rice’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
From May 4, 2020 until December 28, 2021, John Rice conspired with at least two other individuals to distribute meth in Nebraska. During that time, Rice purchased or was fronted meth in ounce to half-pound quantities to resell to others, and Rice sold meth in quantities ranging from 1.75 grams to 2 ounces to at least five others. In all, Rice purchased and distributed more than 500 grams of meth from May of 2020 until December 28, 2021.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Daniel Polyansky, 34, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced April 22, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln for receipt and distribution of child pornography. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Polyansky to 90 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Polyansky’s release from prison, he will begin a 7-year term of supervised release and be required to register as a sex offender. Polyansky was also ordered to pay $39,000 in restitution to the victims in this case.
In September of 2022, investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol were conducting an online investigation for offenders sharing child pornography. Through investigative techniques, an IP address subscribed to by Polyansky was identified as providing videos of children being sexually abused to others to view and download.
A search warrant was obtained for Polyansky’s address and Polyansky was contacted in the parking lot of the apartment building. In an interview with investigators, Polyansky was noncommittal about whether there was child pornography on his devices or whether he had viewed such images. Polyansky consented to allowing investigators to look at his cell phone, but denied consent to have it forensically downloaded. The phone was seized at that time. Polyansky was told he could leave while officers searched his apartment.
After ending his contact with Polyansky, investigators entered the apartment and observed a child pornography video playing on Polyansky’s laptop. Polyansky was recontacted outside and arrested on state charges. The laptop and cell phone were later searched and 398 videos and 456 images of child pornography were found.
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 www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
Life Sentence for Sexual Assault on 5-Year-OldRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A Delaware County man was sentenced today for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of Minor Under 12 Years of Age in Indian Country and Sexual Exploitation of a Child, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Glenn David Nickols, 41, to life imprisonment. If released, Nickols will be required to register as a sex offender and will also be placed on supervised release.
“Project Safe Childhood is our commitment to have our children grow up without fear of exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Clinton Johnson. “This life sentence holds Nickols accountable for his predatory actions and puts him in prison where he cannot exploit another child.”
According to court records, from March 2020 through August 2020, Nickols knowingly engaged in repetitive and sadistic sexual acts with a 5-year-old child, whom he tied to a bed with restraints and filmed himself sexually assaulting on multiple occasions.
Nickols previously received a 10-year sentence in Delaware County for Aggravated Possession of Child Pornography and Distributing Obscene Material, relating to possessing additional images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of other children.
The 5-year-old victim is a tribal member. Nickols will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.