Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Tuesday 5 March 2024
Lancaster, Texas, Man Found Guilty of Being A Felon in Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—After a two-day trial, a Texas man has been convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On Tuesday, a federal jury found Kaeron Washington, 33, Lancaster, Texas, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the sole count in the Indictment. Washington has previous convictions for aggravated robbery and drug possession.
After deliberating less than two hours, the jury returned a verdict of guilty. United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky presided over the trial and will sentence Washington at a later date. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment.
On February 18, 2022, physical surveillance was conducted at 7212 Geyer Springs Road, Little Rock, Arkansas. Law enforcement observed a group of individuals parked in front of a closed business on Geyer Springs at approximately 9:00 p.m. The occupants of the vehicle were observed smoking and passing items back and forth between vehicles for approximately 30 minutes. As investigators approached the vehicle, they activated their emergency lights and could smell an overwhelming odor of marijuana coming from the vehicles.
Contact was made with Kaeron Washington, the driver of a white Mercedes. As investigators approached the vehicle, Washington was observed opening the driver's door of the vehicle and throwing an item towards the rear of the vehicle. A bag of suspected marijuana was later located in the area. The passenger in Washington’s vehicle advised law enforcement officials that he had a gun at his feet. After the passenger was taken out of Washington’s vehicle, law enforcement seized the gun that was observed on the floorboard. An officer observed a small bag of suspected marijuana in the seat when the passenger exited the vehicle. During a further search of Washington’s vehicle, officers located a Glock pistol in the center console next to the driver’s seat.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Little Rock Police Department, and the GET Rock Task Force.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
X (formerly known as Twitter):
@USAO_EDAR
Lake St. Louis Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Recording Sexual Abuse of Young GirlRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a Lake St. Louis, Missouri man to 25 years in prison for recording his sexual abuse of a young girl.
Steve G. Flores, now 52, produced hundreds of pictures and videos of the victim, and stored them on electronic devices and online. Authorities were initially alerted by a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children from a cloud storage company.
Flores pleaded guilty in December to one count of production of child pornography.
The FBI, the St. Charles County Police Department and St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's 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 www.justice.gov/psc.
Kentwood Resident Sentenced for Federal Drug and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that TRACY DAVIS, age 51, of Kentwood, LA, was sentenced on February 27, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Jay C Zainey to 51 months incarceration, after previously pleading guilty to one (1) count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Dangerous Substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841, one (1) count of Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A), and one (1) count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). Judge Zainey also ordered a three-year term of supervised release following imprisonment.
According to court documents, DAVIS was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous felony conviction. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Hammond Police Department began investigating DAVIS due to a complaint that DAVIS was distributing narcotics in the Kentwood area. A search warrant was obtained for two residences and a vehicle associated with DAVIS, that resulted in the seizure of cocaine and multiple firearms from within the residences and vehicle.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at http://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Hammond Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.
Justice and Interior Departments Outline Commitment, Next Steps in Effort to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Peoples and Human Trafficking CrisisRead the Press Release
The Departments of Justice and the Interior today released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. The response recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.
“These recommendations are an important and necessary step toward healing the trauma, pain, and loss that Tribal communities have endured for generations,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department is committed to working with our partners at the Department of the Interior to put an end to the missing or murdered Indigenous persons and human trafficking crisis. We are deeply grateful to the Not Invisible Act commissioners and the survivors and family members of victims who testified before the Commission about their heartbreaking experiences. Those testimonies and the Commission’s recommendations will continue to guide our work.”
“Addressing violent crimes against Indigenous peoples has long been underfunded and ignored, as a cause of intergenerational trauma that has affected our communities since colonization,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “Through historic efforts like the Not Invisible Act Commission, we’re identifying recommendations created by Indian Country, for Indian Country. This will ensure that epidemics like the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Crisis and Human Trafficking are addressed with the resources they demand.”
The Justice and Interior Departments’ response addresses the Commission’s areas of concern including:
- Law enforcement and investigative resources;
- Recruitment and retention of law enforcement;
- Data collection and reporting;
- Cross-jurisdictional coordination;
- Family and survivor resources;
- Improving public safety resources; and
- Alaska-specific issues.
The Not Invisible Act Commission was created by the Not Invisible Act, the enactment of which was led by Secretary Haaland during her time in Congress. The Commission included law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing or murdered individuals, and survivors. As mandated by the Act, the Commission developed recommendations for federal government actions to take on focused topics to combat violent crime against Indigenous people and within Indian lands, and to address the epidemic of missing people, and the murder or trafficking of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples, as specified under the law.
Background on Efforts to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP)
At the 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit, President Biden signed Executive Order 14053 on Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People directing the Departments of the Interior, Justice, and Health and Human Services to work with Tribal Nations and partners to build safe and healthy Tribal communities and to support comprehensive law enforcement, prevention, intervention and support services. In March 2022, the President signed the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 into law, which built on advancements from previous reauthorizations and reinforced Tribal sovereignty by recognizing Tribes’ inherent authority to address the epidemic of violence within their lands and communities.
At the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the FBI announced an agreement to provide for the effective and efficient administration of criminal investigations in Indian Country. The agreement specified that the BIA Office of Justice Services (BIA-OJS) and the FBI would cooperate on investigations and share information and investigative reports as well as establish written guidelines outlining jurisdiction and investigative roles and responsibilities. The agreement also requires that all BIA, FBI, and Tribal law enforcement officers receive training regarding trauma-informed, culturally responsive investigative approaches. In addition, at the Tribal Nations Summit, the Attorney General announced the selection of the Justice Department’s first Native American Outreach Services Liaison, who works to ensure that victims of crimes have a voice in every step of the criminal justice process where the federal government has jurisdiction.
Attorney General Garland traveled to Alaska last August, meeting with Tribal leaders and representatives of Native Tribal organizations to discuss public safety challenges and partnerships with Tribal communities to combat the MMIP crisis.
Since the establishment of the NIAC in 2020, the Justice Department has made strides in implementing systems aimed at preventing new instances of MMIP, locating individuals who are reported missing, and, where a crime has occurred, investigating and prosecuting those responsible.
In June 2023, the Justice Department launched the MMIP Regional Outreach Program. This program places regional attorneys and coordinators at U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered Indigenous people, and it will work closely with the Native American Outreach Services Liaison to improve the Justice Department’s response to the MMIP crisis.
The Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime expanded the scope of allowable activities under its Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside grant program to permit Tribal communities to pay for costs related to generating awareness of individual missing persons cases involving American Indians and Alaska Native persons, supporting search efforts and coordination of Tribal, state, and federal responses to MMIP cases.
Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission and Department of Health and Human Services Issue Request for Public Input as Part of Inquiry into Impacts of Corporate Ownership Trend in Health CareRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly launched a cross-government public inquiry into private-equity and other corporations’ increasing control over health care.
Private equity firms and other corporate owners are increasingly involved in health care system transactions, and, at times, those transactions may lead to a maximizing of profits at the expense of quality care. The cross-government inquiry seeks to understand how certain health care market transactions may increase consolidation and generate profits for firms while threatening patients’ health, workers’ safety, quality of care and affordable health care for patients and taxpayers.
The agencies issued a Request for Information (RFI) requesting public comment on deals conducted by health systems, private payers, private equity funds and other alternative asset managers that involve health care providers, facilities or ancillary products or services. The RFI also requests information on transactions that would not be reported to the Justice Department or FTC for antitrust review under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.
“Preserving competition in health care markets is a priority for the Justice Department because of its important impact on the health and well-being of Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “This RFI will enable the agencies to accurately understand the modern market realities of the health care industry and forcefully enforce the law against unlawful deals. Hearing from patients, workers and market participants will be critical in developing future enforcement and policy efforts relating to consolidation in the health care sector.”
“When private equity firms buy out healthcare facilities only to slash staffing and cut quality, patients lose out,” said Chair Lina M. Khan of the FTC. “Through this inquiry, the FTC will continue scrutinizing private equity roll-ups, strip-and-flip tactics and other financial plays that can enrich executives but leave the American public worse off.”
“Increasing competition in health care markets gives people more choices. Competition helps ensure patients have access to high-quality, lower cost care, and that health care workers receive higher pay and work under better conditions. And it saves taxpayers money,” said Secretary Xavier Becerra of HHS. “We need to do more to understand the impact of private equity and corporate dealmaking on our policymaking, regulatory decisions and enforcement actions. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to improving transparency and competition in health care.”
Research has shown that competition in health care provider and payer markets promotes higher quality, lower cost health care, greater access to care, increased innovation, higher wages and better benefits for health care workers. Comments submitted in response to the joint RFI will inform the agencies’ enforcement priorities and future action, including potential regulations aimed at promoting and protecting competition in health care markets and ensuring appropriate access to quality, affordable health care items and services.
The agencies’ RFI builds upon the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ recent RFI on Medicare Advantage and a RFI issued by the FTC and HHS on how pharmaceutical middleman groups may be contributing to drug shortages. The RFI issued today stems from a December 2023 announcement outlining efforts by the Justice Department, FTC and HHS to lower health care and drug costs, while promoting competition to benefit patients and health care workers.
In addition to the launch of the RFI, all three agencies will also be participating today in a virtual public workshop that will explore the impact of private equity in health care and will discuss what the federal government is doing to address any harmful effects.
All market participants — including patients, consumer advocates, doctors, nurses, health care providers and administrators, employers, insurers and more — are invited to share their comments in response to the RFI. The agencies seek comments on a variety of transactions, including those involving dialysis clinics, nursing homes, hospice providers, primary care providers, hospitals, home health agencies, home- and community-based services providers, behavioral health providers, as well as billing and collections services.
The public will have 60 days to submit comments at Regulations.gov, no later than May 6. Once submitted, comments will be posted to Regulations.gov.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Florida School District to Protect Civil Rights of Students with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced today a settlement agreement with the Pasco County School District in Florida to resolve the department’s investigation into alleged discrimination against students with disabilities in school discipline, threat assessment practices and referrals of students to law enforcement. The department conducted its investigation under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The department’s investigation found that the district routinely suspended students or called police for disability-related behavior that could have been addressed through proper support and de-escalation. The investigation also found problems with how the district conducted threat assessments (a process to identify, evaluate and respond to potential school security concerns). When these assessments involved students with disabilities, the district systematically failed to consider the relationship between a student’s disability and their behavior, and whether appropriate support for the student would address the behavior that prompted the assessment. Instead, the district often unnecessarily referred students to law enforcement to be arrested or to start the process for an involuntary admission into a mental health facility under Florida’s Baker Act.
The agreement requires the district to end discriminatory practices under which students lost hours of classroom time, were treated unfairly in the threat assessment process, and even faced the prospect of being arrested or sent to a mental health facility against their will. The department will monitor the district’s implementation of the agreement and will also continue to monitor and enforce an ongoing desegregation order that covers the district.
“As we mark the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, we remain committed to disrupting the school to prison pipeline and ensuring that the doors of academic opportunity are open to all,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Too often schools rely on suspensions and law enforcement to address disability-related behaviors of students, without considering what they can do to help those students stay in and succeed at school. Equal participation in schools for students with disabilities means providing those students with the services and interventions they need to succeed. This agreement is part of our ongoing efforts across the country to combat practices that push students out of the classroom.”
“Each and every child deserves an equal opportunity to learn and thrive,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “Our office, in partnership with the department’s Civil Rights Division, will vigorously investigate and enforce the protections of the ADA to end discrimination on the basis of disability in all settings, including in our public schools. I am heartened by the district’s commitment to this significant agreement, which will undoubtedly improve the education and everyday lives of students with disabilities in our community.”
The district cooperated with the department throughout the investigation and has committed to improving its services for students with disabilities. Among other actions, under the agreement, the district will:
- Ensure that district personnel accurately assess disability-related behaviors, identify appropriate interventions for those behaviors and monitor the implementation of those interventions;
- Hire a consultant with expertise in behavior interventions who will assist in updating its policies and practices;
- Update its student code of conduct, threat assessment process and process for calling law enforcement to ensure that the district is adequately considering disability-related behaviors and modifying its policies and procedures to avoid discrimination based on disability;
- Develop appropriate trainings to help schools implement the agreement and respond appropriately to student behavior and
- Improve data collection and analysis systems and regularly evaluate data to ensure students with disabilities are not excluded from school for disability-related behaviors through the district’s discipline, threat assessment and law enforcement referral practices.
The enforcement of Title II of the ADA is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt, and additional information about the work of the Educational Opportunities Section is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida worked in collaboration with the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section to investigate this case. Information about the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and a complaint form for the unit can be found at www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/civil-rights.
View the department’s letter to the district here.
View the settlement agreement here.
View settlement agreement summary here.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Florida School District to Protect Civil Rights of Students with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today a settlement agreement with the Pasco County School District in Florida to resolve the department’s investigation into alleged discrimination against students with disabilities in school discipline, threat assessment practices and referrals of students to law enforcement. The department conducted its investigation under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The department’s investigation found that the district routinely suspended students or called police for disability-related behavior that could have been addressed through proper support and de-escalation. The investigation also found problems with how the district conducted threat assessments (a process to identify, evaluate and respond to potential school security concerns). When these assessments involved students with disabilities, the district systematically failed to consider the relationship between a student’s disability and their behavior, and whether appropriate support for the student would address the behavior that prompted the assessment. Instead, the district often unnecessarily referred students to law enforcement to be arrested or to start the process for an involuntary admission into a mental health facility under Florida’s Baker Act.
The agreement requires the district to end discriminatory practices under which students lost hours of classroom time, were treated unfairly in the threat assessment process, and even faced the prospect of being arrested or sent to a mental health facility against their will. The department will monitor the district’s implementation of the agreement and will also continue to monitor and enforce an ongoing desegregation order that covers the district.
“As we mark the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, we remain committed to disrupting the school to prison pipeline and ensuring that the doors of academic opportunity are open to all,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Too often schools rely on suspensions and law enforcement to address disability-related behaviors of students, without considering what they can do to help those students stay in and succeed at school. Equal participation in schools for students with disabilities means providing those students with the services and interventions they need to succeed. This agreement is part of our ongoing efforts across the country to combat practices that push students out of the classroom.”
“Each and every child deserves an equal opportunity to learn and thrive,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “Our office, in partnership with the department’s Civil Rights Division, will vigorously investigate and enforce the protections of the ADA to end discrimination on the basis of disability in all settings, including in our public schools. I am heartened by the district’s commitment to this significant agreement, which will undoubtedly improve the education and everyday lives of students with disabilities in our community.”
The district cooperated with the department throughout the investigation and has committed to improving its services for students with disabilities. Among other actions, under the agreement, the district will:
- Ensure that district personnel accurately assess disability-related behaviors, identify appropriate interventions for those behaviors and monitor the implementation of those interventions;
- Hire a consultant with expertise in behavior interventions who will assist in updating its policies and practices;
- Update its student code of conduct, threat assessment process and process for calling law enforcement to ensure that the district is adequately considering disability-related behaviors and modifying its policies and procedures to avoid discrimination based on disability;
- Develop appropriate trainings to help schools implement the agreement and respond appropriately to student behavior and
- Improve data collection and analysis systems and regularly evaluate data to ensure students with disabilities are not excluded from school for disability-related behaviors through the district’s discipline, threat assessment and law enforcement referral practices.
The enforcement of Title II of the ADA is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt, and additional information about the work of the Educational Opportunities Section is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida worked in collaboration with the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section to investigate this case. Information about the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and a complaint form for the unit can be found at www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/civil-rights.
View the department’s letter to the district here.
View the settlement agreement here.
View settlement agreement summary here.
Jefferson County Man Sentenced for Interstate Domestic Violence and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Paul Richard Tomlinson, age 24, of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for interstate violation of a protective order and possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Martinsburg Police Department was called to a domestic incident at a home in the city. Tomlinson had gotten into a physical altercation with his girlfriend’s father. Investigators found a firearm in Tomlinson’s car. Tomlinson is prohibited from having firearms because of a prior felony conviction and was arrested. Tomlinson’s former girlfriend told officers that Tomlinson sexually and physically abused her during a cross-country trip. She was then granted a Domestic Violence Emergency Protective Order. While being held on the firearms charge, Tomlinson asked his mother to contact the victim on his behalf on multiple occasions to encourage the victim to drop the charges.
Tomlinson will also serve three years of supervised release upon his release from prison.
This case was prosecuted as a part of the Northern District of West Virginia’s Domestic Violence Reduction Initiative, formed in early 2023 to protect domestic violence victims, take dangerous criminals off the streets, and enhance community safety. The program focuses on keeping firearms out of the hands of violent offenders.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Kane prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Martinsburg Police Department investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Jefferson County Man Admits to Federal Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Kyle Andrew Sensel, age 23, of Falling Waters, West Virginia, pled guilty to one count of being a drug user in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Sensel, a known unlawful user of controlled substances, was arrested after he was found with a loaded 357 Magnum during a traffic stop.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
###
Houston group arrested for running pharma-grade drug stash houseRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Six Houstonians have been taken into custody for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, specifically pharmaceutical grade drugs such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Kerry Lewis Walker, 36, Gerald Dewayne Williams, 65, Trey Demon Neal, 34, James Glen Turk, 21, Quineshia Evangeline Hollins, 33, and Uzoanuuli Uzoaku WJ Payne, 52, will make their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan at 2 p.m.
The indictment returned Feb. 14, and unsealed upon the arrests, alleges the group operated the “Green Houses,” a street level stash house in Fifth Ward that sold pharmaceutical controlled substances. Williams and Walker allegedly ran the Green Houses with the assistance of Neal and Turk.
Hollins was the owner of First Choice Rx 245 pharmacy and supplied the Green Houses with drugs from her business, according to the charges.
The indictment further alleges Payne was a pharmacist at First Choice. Law enforcement allegedly intercepted him driving a new shipment of controlled substances from the pharmacy without any lawful reason.
According to the charges, there are thousands of pharmaceutical grade drugs missing from First Choice without any accompanying prescriptions or proper forms allowing their disbursal.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of FBI and and IRS Criminal Investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage. Assistant U.S. Attorney Celia Moyer is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison and a possible $1,000,000 maximum fine.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Houma Doctor Pleads Guilty to Distributing Misbranded Versions of Injectable Contraceptives to PatientsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that MICHELLE ANDRE, a resident and doctor in Houma pled guilty to a one-count bill of information on February 29, 2024 before United States District Judge Barry Ashe, to distributing misbranded drugs in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 331.
According to court documents, from April 2018 through March 2023, ANDRE introduced misbranded drugs, including Depo-Provera, into interstate commerce. The Depo-Provera lacked adequate directions for use in its labeling.
ANDRE faces a maximum term of up to one year imprisonment and one year of supervised release. Sentencing before Judge Ashe is scheduled for June 6, 2024.
“Selling illegal prescription drugs, particularly sterile injectable products, in the U.S. marketplace puts all consumers’ health at risk,” said Justin Fielder, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Miami Field Office. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who jeopardize the public’s health.”
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Food and Drug Administration. Assistant United States Attorneys Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit and Paul Hubbell of the General Crimes Unit are in charge of the prosecution.
Honduran Man Arrested for Retaliating Against a Federal WitnessRead the Press Release
Nashville – A Honduran man was arrested last week in Antioch, Tennessee, after being charged with conspiring to retaliate and retaliating against a witness (Individual A) who testified in a federal trial.
According to court documents, Bayron Wuifredo Santos-Recarte, 25, and his co-conspirators allegedly agreed to, and did, physically assault Individual A because Individual A testified during a racketeer influenced and corrupt organization (RICO) conspiracy federal trial in spring 2023 involving the Mara Salvatrucha street gang, commonly known as MS-13. On November 4, 2023, Santos-Recarte and his co-conspirators allegedly took Individual A by force and at gunpoint and placed him in a truck where they tied his hands together. They allegedly interrogated Individual A for hours about his trial testimony and repeatedly assaulted him before Individual A was able to escape.
Santos-Recarte is charged with conspiring to retaliate and retaliating against a federal witness. If convicted, Santos-Recarte faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiring to retaliate against a federal witness and a maximum penalty of life in prison for retaliating against a federal witness. Santos-Recarte is currently in federal custody.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting United States Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski for the Middle District of Tennessee, Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Nashville Field Division, and Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville made the announcement.
“Our office is grateful for individuals who do the right thing and display the courage to tell a jury about criminal conduct in our community,” said Acting United States Attorney Tom Jaworski. “This arrest shows that our office will not allow threats or retaliation against witnesses to go unpunished. We commend law enforcement for their efforts to see justice done in this case.”
“The integrity and safety of those who participate in our judicial system is at the core of our legal system. The arrest of those individuals who are alleged to have threatened a witness in a criminal trial and inflicted physical harm is a welcomed relief to the citizens of the greater Nashville metropolitan area,” said Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.
“For far too long, criminal organizations and transnational gangs like MS-13 have used physical violence and threats of force to intimidate or retaliate against witnesses by reigning terror on local communities,” said HSI Nashville Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud. “By working together with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, we root out those who seek to undermine these basic constitutional protections for witnesses and end their lawless behavior.”
ATF, HSI, and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Matthew Hoff of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ahmed Safeeullah and Brooke Farzad for the Middle District of Tennessee are prosecuting this case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
#####
Honduran Man Arrested for Retaliating Against a Federal WitnessRead the Press Release
A Honduran man was arrested last week in Antioch, Tennessee, after being charged with conspiring to retaliate and retaliating against a witness (Individual A) who testified in a federal trial.
According to court documents, Bayron Wuifredo Santos-Recarte, 25, and his co-conspirators allegedly agreed to, and did, physically assault Individual A because Individual A testified during a racketeer influenced and corrupt organization (RICO) conspiracy federal trial in spring 2023 involving the Mara Salvatrucha street gang, commonly known as MS-13. On Nov. 4, 2023, Santos-Recarte and his co-conspirators allegedly took Individual A by force and at gunpoint and placed him in a truck where they tied his hands together. They allegedly interrogated Individual A for hours about his trial testimony and repeatedly assaulted him before Individual A was able to escape.
Santos-Recarte is charged with conspiring to retaliate and retaliating against a federal witness. If convicted, Santos-Recarte faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiring to retaliate against a federal witness and a maximum penalty of life in prison for retaliating against a federal witness. Santos-Recarte is currently in federal custody.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski for the Middle District of Tennessee, Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Nashville Field Division, and Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville made the announcement.
ATF, HSI, and the Metropolitan-Nashville Police Department are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Matthew Hoff of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ahmed Safeeullah and Brooke Farzad for the Middle District of Tennessee are prosecuting this case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Hartsville Man Sentenced to More than Five Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — William Graham Stokes, 40, of Hartsville, was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition after having previously been convicted of a felony.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on the evening of Jan. 20, 2023, an officer with Hartsville Police Department made a traffic stop on a Cadillac CTS driven by Stokes. In a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers found a backpack containing a loaded 9mm handgun. Stokes later admitted that the gun was his. At the time of the traffic stop, Stokes was on supervised release from a prior federal felony conviction. That prior conviction prohibited Stokes from legally possessing either the firearm or the ammunition with which it was loaded.
Chief United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell sentenced Stokes to 71 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. Chief Judge Harwell also revoked Stokes’s prior term of supervised release and sentenced him to 24 months imprisonment, with a three-year term of supervision to follow, that sentence to run concurrent with the sentence on the 2023 conduct. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by Hartsville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn is prosecuting the case.
###
Hardeeville Woman Pleads Guilty to Assault of Minor on AirplaneRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. —Susan Holliday, 61, of Hardeeville, has pleaded guilty to assaulting a minor on an airplane.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that on May 14, 2023, Ms. Holliday was flying on Breeze Airways from Louisville, Kentucky to Charleston, South Carolina. She was inebriated from drinking alcohol. She was seated next to a 14-year-old girl.
Ms. Holliday rubbed the leg and head of the minor child. Holliday also placed the child’s hand on Ms. Holliday’s chest. These actions caused a disruption on the plane and several passengers, including the child’s mother, intervened. Ms. Holliday was moved to a different seat and a flight attendant stayed with her for the remainder of the flight.
Holliday faces a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison. She also faces a fine of up to $100,000, restitution, and one year of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment. United States District Judge Richard Gergel accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Holliday after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Holmes is prosecuting the case.
###
Guilty Plea in May 2023 Shootout Near Nightclub in Northwest Washington D.CRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Dirk Easton, 27, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with a May 13, 2023, shootout near a DuPont nightclub, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Easton pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates to assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprison for a term exceeding one year. Judge Bates scheduled sentencing for July 10, 2024.
According to court documents, on May 13, 2023, at around 3 a.m., Easton and a group of men were outside the Abigail nightclub at 1730 M Street, NW. A physical altercation broke out between some of those men and others inside the parking garage. Two of the individuals entered a silver Kia and began to leave the parking garage. Easton, who had not been involved with the earlier altercation, ran into the garage and towards the Kia. Easton pulled out a black Polymer 80 firearm with an extended magazine. The Kia attempted to reverse, leaving the garage. Easton opened fire on the Kia as it reversed out of the garage, striking the vehicle and surrounding area multiple times. Easton was hit with a bullet that ricocheted from his own gun. Easton had previously convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in prison.
Three other men were arrested and charged in relation to the May 2023 parking garage shootout. On November 13, 2023, Adrian Vinson pled guilty to carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and, on February 20, 2024, was sentenced to 66 months in prison. On October 16, 2023, Tyron Hines pled guilty to carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and a sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 19, 2024. Garrick Richardson was also charged in relation to his possession of a firearm in the parking garage. A status hearing is scheduled in his matter for March 18, 2024.
Easton faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $37,500 for possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. He also faces a mandatory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine on the charge of assault with a deadly weapon and a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Tepfer.
Guatemalan Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States After Being Deported Four TimesRead the Press Release
A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported four times was sentenced today to one year in federal prison.
Pedro Guzman-Matom, age 30, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and residing in Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 8, 2023, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported.
At the guilty plea, Guzman-Matom admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Guzman-Matom was previously deported in November 2012, March 2013, February 2017, and August 2019. On September 18, 2023, immigration officials learned Guzman-Matom had illegally returned to the United States and found Guzman-Matom at the Dubuque County Jail following his arrest on state charges. Guzman-Matom was previously convicted in February 2017 in the Northern District of Iowa of illegally reentering the United States, served 98 days and was deported. He was convicted in March 2018 in the Western District of Texas of illegally reentering the United States and sentenced to 13 months in prison along with an additional 10 months for violating his Northern District of Iowa supervised release by returning to the United States without permission.
Guzman-Matom was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Guzman-Matom was sentenced to 12 months’ and one day of imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Guzman-Matom is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-CR-1025.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Guatemalan Man Sentenced for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Guatemalan man was sentenced on March 1, 2024 in federal court in Boston for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Romeo Waldemar Gabriel Lopez, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to time served (approximately six months in prison) and one year of supervised release. In December 2023, Gabriel Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
Gabriel Lopez was first deported in April 2016 following a conviction for operating under the influence (OUI). His second deportation was in October 2016, after he was apprehended illegally crossing the border in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Gabriel Lopez was later apprehended in Texas after illegally crossing the border again in December 2016. He was subsequently deported for a third time in April 2017. In February 2020, Gabriel Lopez was found to have unlawfully reentered the United States again when he was arrested and charged with a second OUI. He was removed from the United States again in March 2020. Sometime after his March 2020 removal, Gabriel Lopez unlawfully reentered the United States and was arrested on charges of assault and battery, which were later dismissed.
In July 2022, he pleaded guilty to the second, pending OUI charge and was sentenced to probation. After being incarcerated for violating the conditions of his probation in August 2023, Gabriel Lopez was transferred into the custody of immigration authorities in September 2023.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Former Washington Resident Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Prison for Narcotics and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A former resident of Washington, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 65 months of incarceration followed by two years of supervised release on his conviction of federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Tecko Tartt, 37.
According to information presented to the Court, as a result of a long-term wiretap investigation, federal agents searched Tartt’s residence on May 31, 2021, and seized a loaded handgun, 216 bundles of fluorofentanyl, two bags of cocaine, and $20,932 in United States currency.
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan D. Lusty prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, and Perryopolis Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Tartt.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Former Sutter County Church Administrator Convicted for Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal judge found Chanell Easton, 38, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, guilty Monday of two counts of aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
On May 19, 2022, a grand jury returned an indictment, charging Easton with 22 counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Easton pleaded guilty to the fraud counts on Oct. 17, 2023, but persisted in her not guilty plea to the remaining two counts. A jury trial was waived, and the one-day trial was held before U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from 2013 to 2018, Easton worked as the church administrator at a church in Yuba City. During her employment, Easton stole over $360,000 from the church, including from its food pantry and youth ministry, during a years-long embezzlement scheme. Easton used credit cards associated with the church to make personal purchases — at a hair salon, retail stores, online retailers, a vacation rental service, and to buy VIP concert tickets — and then paid off the resulting balance with the church’s money. One of the credit cards Easton used during her scheme belonged to the church’s youth minister, and Easton used his identity to make thousands of dollars in unauthorized personal purchases on Zappos.com. Easton’s use of the youth minister’s identity allowed her to obscure her embezzlement and to shift suspicion away from herself, thereby allowing her fraudulent scheme to continue.
Easton also transferred money directly from the church’s bank accounts to her own personal account, paid down the balance of her own personal credit card, and paid her cellphone provider for her personal bills and for new phones. Easton also stole money from the church by writing checks to others for personal expenses and by writing checks to herself, on which she forged the signatures of the church’s treasurer or the head volunteer of the church’s food pantry.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliot Wong and Lee Bickley are prosecuting the case.
Judge Mendez is scheduled to sentence Easton on June 25, 2024. Easton faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of wire fraud, and a mandatory two-year sentence on each count of aggravated identity theft. 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.
Former Spencerport teacher pleads guilty to receipt of child pornographyRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Ian Milam, 38, of Pittsford, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Charles J. Siragusa to receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan K. McGuire and Melissa M. Marangola, who are handling the case, stated that Milam was a math teacher at Cosgrove Middle School in the Spencerport, NY, School District. On January 29, 2023, Milam created the Snapchat accounts “matteckler” and “mikeywikey37,” and used these Snapchat accounts to pose as a 15-year-old male and engage in sexually explicit communications with a number of minor females, ages 11 to 15-years-old. During one of these conversations in May 2023, Milam persuaded a 12-year-old minor student to take and send him naked pictures of herself.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Wood, the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 27, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
# # # #
Former New York Cheese Producer Pleads Guilty in Connection with Raw Milk Products Linked to Listeria OutbreakRead the Press Release
A former raw milk cheese manufacturer and the company he owned and managed pleaded guilty today to charges related to cheese that was linked to a 2016-2017 outbreak of listeriosis, the disease caused by the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.
Johannes Vulto and his company, Vulto Creamery LLC, each pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of causing the introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce. Vulto oversaw operations at Vulto Creamery manufacturing facility in Walton, New York, including those relating to sanitation and environmental monitoring. In pleading guilty, Vulto and Vulto Creamery admitted that between December 2014 and March 2017, they caused the shipment in interstate commerce of adulterated cheese.
According to the plea agreement, environmental swabs taken at the Vulto Creamery facility between approximately July 2014 and February 2017 repeatedly tested positive for Listeria species. The Listeria family includes both harmless species and L. monocytogenes, which can cause listeriosis in humans. In March 2017, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) linked Vulto Creamery’s cheese to an outbreak of listeriosis, Vulto shut down the Vulto Creamery facility and issued a partial recall that was expanded to a full recall within weeks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the listeriosis outbreak resulted in eight hospitalizations and two deaths.
“It is crucial that American consumers be able to trust that the foods they buy are safe to eat,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to hold responsible food manufacturers that sell dangerously contaminated products.”
“This investigation and prosecution holds accountable the defendant and his business who through unsafe practices caused illness and death to consumers in an entirely preventable tragedy,” said U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman for the Northern District of New York. “The law enforcement and regulatory partners involved in this case will continue to work together to bring to justice those who endanger the public through unsafe and unsanitary products and facilities.”
“U.S. consumers rely on the FDA to ensure that their food is safe and wholesome,” said Special Agent in Charge Fernando McMillan of FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations New York Field Office. “When companies and individuals put themselves above the law by producing food that endangers and harms the public, as occurred in this case, we will see that they are brought to justice.”
Listeriosis is a severe, invasive illness that can be life-threatening in some cases. Persons who have the greatest risk of experiencing listeriosis due to consumption of foods contaminated with L. monocytogenes are pregnant women and their newborns, the elderly and persons with weakened immune systems.
Vulto and Vulto Creamery pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks in Syracuse, New York. A sentencing date will be set by the court. Further information about the case will be posted under “Information for Victims in Large Cases” at the Consumer Protection Branch’s website: www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney James T. Nelson of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry for the Northern District of New York prosecuted the case.
For more information about the enforcement efforts of the Consumer Protection Branch, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Former New York Cheese Producer Pleads Guilty in Connection with Raw Milk Products Linked to Listeria OutbreakRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Johannes Vulto, age 64, a former raw milk cheese manufacturer, and Vulto Creamery LLC, the company Vulto founded and owned, each pled guilty today in federal court in Syracuse to guilty to one misdemeanor count of causing the introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce, relating to the sale and distribution of cheese that was linked to a 2016-2017 outbreak of listeriosis, the disease caused by the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. These guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division; and Special Agent in Charge Fernando McMillan of FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations New York Field Office.
In pleading guilty, Vulto admitted that he oversaw operations at the Vulto Creamery manufacturing facility in Walton, New York, including those relating to sanitation and environmental monitoring. Vulto and Vulto Creamery both admitted that between December 2014 and March 2017, they caused the shipment in interstate commerce of adulterated cheese. According to the plea agreement, environmental swabs taken at the Vulto Creamery facility between approximately July 2014 and February 2017 repeatedly tested positive for Listeria species. The Listeria family includes both harmless species and L. monocytogenes, which can cause listeriosis in humans. In March 2017, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) linked Vulto Creamery’s cheese to an outbreak of listeriosis, Vulto shut down the Vulto Creamery facility and issued a partial recall that was expanded to a full recall within weeks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the listeriosis outbreak resulted in eight hospitalizations and two deaths.
“This investigation and prosecution hold accountable the defendant and his business who through unsafe practices caused illness and death to consumers in an entirely preventable tragedy,” said U.S. Attorney Freedman. “The law enforcement and regulatory partners involved in this case will continue to work together to bring to justice those who endanger the public through unsafe and unsanitary products and facilities.”
“It is crucial that American consumers be able to trust that the foods they buy are safe to eat,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Boynton. “The department will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to hold responsible food manufacturers that sell dangerously contaminated products.”
“U.S. consumers rely on the FDA to ensure that their food is safe and wholesome,” said Special Agent in Charge McMillan. “When companies and individuals put themselves above the law by producing food that endangers and harms the public, as occurred in this case, we will see that they are brought to justice.”
Listeriosis is a severe, invasive illness that can be life-threatening in some cases. Persons who have the greatest risk of experiencing listeriosis due to consumption of foods contaminated with L. monocytogenes are pregnant women and their newborns, the elderly and persons with weakened immune systems.
The charge to which Vulto pled guilty carries a maximum sentence of up to one year in prison, a term of supervised release of up to one year, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge to which Vulto Creamery pled guilty carries a maximum sentence of Probation and a maximum fine of up to $500,000. 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. Vulto and Vulto Creamery will be sentenced on July 9, 2024, by United States Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks.
The case has been investigated by the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, and it is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney James T. Nelson of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Northern District of New York Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.
Further information about the case will be posted under “Information for Victims in Large Cases” at the Consumer Protection Branch’s website: www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the enforcement efforts of the Consumer Protection Branch visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Former Loudon County Corrections Officer Sentenced to Prison for Using Excessive ForceRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On March 4, 2024, Brian J. Phillips, 32, currently residing in Georgia, was sentenced to five months in prison by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Phillips waived an indictment by a Federal Grand Jury and pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with one count of the use of excessive force under color of law, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242. Following his incarceration, Phillips will be on supervised release for a period of two years.
As set forth in filed court documents, at the time of the offense, Phillips was employed as a correctional officer by the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office. On January 25, 2021, Phillips was assigned to the Loudon County Jail to monitor a pod of detainees and inmates eating dinner, including detainee E.H. The defendant watched as E.H., who had already received one dinner tray, entered the line to get a second dinner tray, which was not permitted. The defendant started to approach E.H. When E.H. received a second dinner tray, defendant knocked the tray from E.H.’s hands, sending food into the air and onto the ground. The defendant grabbed E.H. by the wrist to take control of him. The defendant then wrapped his arms around E.H.’s waist and hip-slammed E.H. headfirst into the concrete floor, fracturing E.H.’s skull and rendering E.H. momentarily unconscious.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton, III of the Eastern District of Tennessee and Special Agent in Charge, Joseph E. Carrico, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.
Assistant United States Attorneys William A. Roach, Jr., and Jeremy S. Dykes prosecuted the case.
For more information about the Civil Rights Division and the Special Litigation Section, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section. You can also report civil rights violations to the section by completing the complaint form available at www.civilrights.justice.gov.
###
Former Kentucky Sheriff’s Deputy Found Guilty of Federal Civil Rights Charges Following Multiple Assaults and ObstructionRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Lexington, Kentucky, yesterday found former Boyle County, Kentucky, Sheriff’s Deputy Tanner Abbott, 31, guilty of criminal civil rights violations and obstruction of justice.
Evidence at trial proved that, during the first four months of 2021, Abbott willfully violated the civil rights of four people by using excessive force while arresting them, and obstructed justice by writing and directing another to write false reports to cover up his violations.
“We’re grateful to this jury of Kentucky citizens who held an officer accountable for repeatedly and violently brutalizing people he was arresting, even though they were not resisting arrest and did not pose a threat,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This prosecution makes clear our commitment to confronting law enforcement criminality from the bottom to the top. The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute law enforcement officers who abuse their authority and violate their public trust by preying upon those they are sworn to protect.”
“This case is a disgraceful example of betrayal of trust, a profound violation of the rights of others, and a danger to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “When those charged with enforcing the law and protecting the public turn to violating the rights of others and trying to cover it up, that does real damage. It not only injures victims, but also undermines the hard work and true dedication of so many in law enforcement. The defendant will now face the consequences of such a grave betrayal of the public trust.”
“Law enforcement officers are given a gun, a badge and an incredible amount of power when it comes to protecting the communities they serve,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office. “Therefore, when the FBI learns of allegations of color of law violations, they are taken seriously and investigated rigorously. Through our thorough investigation of former Sheriff Deputy Abbott, and re-enforced by the jury’s guilty findings, it was found that on more than one occasion, he clearly abused his power and deprived individuals of their civil rights. Seeking justice for victims of police misconduct continues to be of the upmost importance to the FBI.”
According to evidence presented at trial, on Jan. 20, 2021, Abbott conducted a traffic stop on two young men driving to a restaurant in Danville, Kentucky. When the driver requested to speak with the defendant’s supervisor, Abbott punched him in the face, pulled him out of the car and struck him several more times as he lay on the ground, not resisting arrest or posing any threat. When the passenger, the driver’s brother, stepped out of the car and pleaded with Abbott to stop the beating, the defendant struck him in the face with an elbow, breaking his glasses.
On Feb. 2, 2021, Abbott was involved in another traffic stop during which the passenger of the stopped vehicle was arrested. While the passenger was being handcuffed, the defendant suddenly and without justification punched him in the face, although the passenger’s actions posed no threat to the defendant at the time. The defendant then conspired with another officer to write a report in which the other officer falsely alleged that the victim had advanced aggressively toward Abbott before being punched.
On March 31, 2021, the defendant went to a hotel in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, intending to search the room of a guest. He obtained a key to the room he wished to search by falsely representing to hotel staff that he had a search warrant, then used the key to force his way into the room, over the guest’s objection. Once inside, without consent or other lawful authority, he conducted an intrusive search of the guest’s personal property. Abbott then wrote a false report in which he claimed the guest had consented to the search.
On April 28, 2021, the defendant arrested a driver who had failed to pull over when the defendant attempted to conduct a traffic stop of his car. After the chase ended and the driver had been arrested and handcuffed, Abbott approached the driver and punched him in the face, although he was not resisting arrest and posed no threat to the defendant or anyone else.
The jury convicted Abbott of four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, one count of conspiracy and one count of falsification of records within federal jurisdiction. Abbott was also found not guilty of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. A sentencing here is scheduled for June 7, at 10:00 AM in Lexington.
The FBI Louisville Field Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Dembo for the Eastern District of Kentucky are prosecuting the case.
Florida Man Indicted for Making Hate Crime Threats against the Council on American-Islamic Relations (“CAIR”) Michigan ChapterRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A West Palm Beach man was indicted by a grand jury for repeatedly threatening the Council on American-Islamic Relations (“CAIR”) Michigan Chapter, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Chad Baugh, Chief of the Canton Police Department.
As alleged in the indictment, Michael Shapiro, 72, of West Palm Beach, Florida, placed three separate phone calls to CAIR’s office located in Canton, Michigan, and left voicemails containing the following threats:
- December 8, 2023: “I’m going to kill you bastards. I’m going to kill you bastards.”
- December 14, 2023: ““I’m going to kill you m****r f*****g bastards. Muslims! I’m going to kill you m****r f*****s. I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you!”
- December 15, 2023: “You’re a violent people. Why do you come to America? Why do you come to Europe? M***** f******. You’re violent. You’re killers. You’re rapists. I’m going to kill you m****r f*****s!”
Michael Shapiro, 72, was charged with three counts of transmitting threats in interstate commerce. The indictment also alleges that Shapiro intentionally selected the victim of his threats because of the actual and perceived religion and national origin of the people who work at and are assisted by CAIR.
“Today’s charges should serve as a warning that those who threaten violence, especially when they intend to instill fear on an entire community, will be identified, investigated, and aggressively prosecuted,” U.S. Attorney Ison said.
“Threats motivated by religious bias can have a devastating impact on an entire faith community. For this reason, hate crimes are one of the FBI’s highest investigative priorities,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “We remain committed to working with our partners at the Canton Police Department and across the state to detect and prevent violent incidents motivated by bias or hate. We also urge the public to report any suspected hate crimes to your local police or the FBI at 1-800-225-5324. You may also submit an online tip at tips.fbi.gov.”
"The Canton Police Department extends sincere thanks to the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office for their partnership in addressing threats by Michael Shapiro against the CAIR Michigan Chapter,” said Chief Baugh. “Such collaborative efforts reinforce our commitment to combating hate crimes and ensuring community safety. We are resolute in our mission to uphold the safety and rights of every individual."
An indictment is only a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Shapiro faces up to 5 years in prison for each of the 3 counts. If convicted, a federal court judge would determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Canton Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frances Lee Carlson.
Federal Jury Convicts Sheriff’s Deputy for Providing Firearm to a FelonRead the Press Release
DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Johnny Alvarado 33, of Lakewood, was found guilty of providing a firearm to a felon. A federal jury in Denver returned a guilty verdict against Alvarado on Monday, March 4, 2024.
According to the facts established at trial, a United States probation officer made a routine home visit to Kyle Garcia, a felon on supervised release. While there, the probation officer located a loaded firearm in a closet. During that visit, Garcia admitted to having the firearm, handling it, and racking the slide to see if there was ammunition in the firearm. Garcia received the firearm from his brother-in-law, Johnny Alvarado, an Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Deputy. Alvarado admitted to the probation officer that he provided the firearm to Garcia knowing he was a felon.
Garcia pled to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 66 months of probation. Alvarado will be sentenced at a later date.
United States District Court Judge John L. Kane presided over the jury trial.
The ATF conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Celeste Rangel and Aurora Special Assistant United States Attorney Leah Perczak handled the prosecution.
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.
Case Number: 23-CR-00271-JLK
Fayette County Auto Salesman Sentenced for Role in COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today in federal court for conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States Senior District Judge Arthur J. Schwab sentenced Terrence Newmeyer Jr., 46, to one day in prison followed by three years of supervised release, including six months of home incarceration and six months of home detention. Newmeyer was also ordered to pay restitution in the total amount of $31,280.
According to information provided to the Court, Newmeyer was a salesman at RC Auto, a used car dealership in Fayette County. Along with his co-conspirator and RC Auto owner Joshua DeWitt, Newmeyer filed a series of fraudulent applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) COVID-19 relief loans, including on behalf of customers, telling some that they were applying for funds that could be used to purchase a vehicle from the dealership. DeWitt and Newmeyer used the fraudulently obtained pandemic benefits for themselves and the dealership, by—among other things—accepting them as payment for vehicles and services sold.
DeWitt was sentenced on February 14, 2024, to 10 months of imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the total amount of $60,022.50.
Prior to imposing sentence on Newmeyer, Judge Schwab stated that the fraud conspiracy lasted for many months and involved intentional criminal activity.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Bengel prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the United States Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, Pennsylvania State Police, and Fayette County District Attorney’s Office for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Newmeyer.
Fond Du Lac Psychiatrist Sentenced to 48 Months’ Imprisonment for Unlawful Distribution of Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on March 4, 2024, John D. Whelan (age: 77), a psychiatrist, was sentenced to a term of 48 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and lying to federal agents, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(C) &846, and 18 U.S.C. § 1001.
At the sentencing hearing, United States District Judge Brett H. Ludwig described Whelan as committing an “extremely serious drug offense,” in which Whelan engaged in a scheme to distribute controlled substance prescriptions in exchange for cash. Judge Ludwig recounted how Whelan made more than a quarter of a million dollars by selling improper and illicit prescriptions, abusing his position as a physician. While imposing sentence, Judge Ludwig explained that a significant punishment was necessary because of the serious nature of the offense and to send a message that the “rules apply to everyone, even if you go to medical school.”
“If someone had cash, Mr. Whelan was willing to sell them controlled substances regardless of their actual medical need and regardless of whether the individuals were simply abusing these drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “Rather than seeking to truly care for his patients, Mr. Whelan sought simply to fund a lavish lifestyle. I commend everyone who worked together to pursue justice in this case.”
“Our communities deserve honest and trustworthy medical doctors. Individuals betraying this trust through the illegal prescribing of controlled substances will be investigated to the fullest extent of the law by the DEA. Today’s sentence reinforces the value of local and federal law enforcement working alongside prosecutors to hold rogue practitioners accountable for their actions,” remarked Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge John G.D. McGarry.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group (LWAM)-Drug Unit investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorneys Julie F. Stewart and Kevin Knight prosecuted.
###
For further information contact:
Public Information Officer
(414) 297-1700
Follow us on Twitter
FCI Schuylkill Inmate Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Possession of A WeaponRead the Press Release
-
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Xyvaion Lawrence, age 23, a federal inmate incarcerated at FCI Schuylkill, in Minersville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, for possession of contraband in prison.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, in November of 2022, a correctional officer observed Lawrence in possession of a 6-inch homemade knife, commonly referred to as a “shank,” hidden in the waistband of his pants.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Special Investigative Services of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luisa Honora Berti prosecuted the case.
# # #
El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con un Distrito Escolar de Florida para proteger los derechos civiles de los estudiantes con discapacidadesRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy un acuerdo de conciliación con el Distrito Escolar del Condado de Pasco en Florida para resolver la investigación del departamento sobre la presunta discriminación contra estudiantes con discapacidades en la disciplina escolar, las prácticas de evaluación de amenazas y las remisiones de estudiantes a las fuerzas del orden público. El Departamento llevó a cabo su investigación en virtud del Título II de la ley de Estadounidenses con Discapacidades (ADA, por sus siglas en inglés).
La investigación del Departamento encontró que el distrito suspendía, de forma rutinaria, a los estudiantes o llamaba a la policía por un comportamiento relacionado con la discapacidad que podría haberse abordado mediante el apoyo y la disminución adecuados. La investigación también encontró problemas con la forma en que el distrito llevó a cabo evaluaciones de amenazas (un proceso para identificar, evaluar y responder a posibles cuestiones de seguridad escolar). Cuando estas evaluaciones involucraban a estudiantes con discapacidades, el distrito, de forma sistemática, no consideró la relación entre la discapacidad de un estudiante y su comportamiento, y si el apoyo adecuado para el estudiante abordaría el comportamiento que impulsó la evaluación. En su lugar, el distrito a menudo remitió a estudiantes innecesariamente a las fuerzas del orden público para su detención o para iniciar el proceso de admisión involuntaria a un centro de salud mental de acuerdo con la ley Baker de Florida.
El acuerdo requiere que el distrito ponga fin a las prácticas discriminatorias según las cuales los estudiantes perdieron horas lectivas en el aula, fueron tratados de una manera injusta en el proceso de evaluación de amenazas e incluso se enfrentaron a la posibilidad de ser detenidos o enviados a un centro de salud mental contra su voluntad. El departamento supervisará la implementación del acuerdo por parte del distrito y también continuará supervisando y haciendo cumplir una orden de desegregación continua que cubre al distrito.
«Mientras celebramos el 70º aniversario de Brown v. la Junta de Educación, seguimos comprometidos a interrumpir la vía de la escuela a la prisión y a garantizar que las puertas de las oportunidades académicas estén abiertas a todos», afirmó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «Con demasiada frecuencia, las escuelas confían en las suspensiones y en las fuerzas del orden para abordar comportamientos relacionados con una discapacidad de los estudiantes, sin considerar qué pueden hacer para ayudar a esos estudiantes a permanecer y triunfar en la escuela. La igualdad de participación en las escuelas para estudiantes con discapacidades implica la provisión a esos estudiantes de los servicios e intervenciones que necesitan para tener éxito. Este acuerdo es parte de nuestros esfuerzos continuos por todo el país para combatir las prácticas que alejan a los estudiantes del aula».
«Cada niño merece la igualdad de oportunidades para aprender y prosperar», comentó Roger Handberg, el Fiscal Federal del Distrito Centro de Florida. «Nuestra oficina, en asociación con la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento, investigará a fondo y hará cumplir las protecciones de la ADA para poner fin a la discriminación por motivos de discapacidad en todos los entornos, incluyendo en nuestras escuelas públicas. Me anima el compromiso del distrito con este acuerdo tan importante, que, sin lugar a dudas, mejorará la educación y la vida cotidiana de los estudiantes con discapacidades en nuestra comunidad».
El distrito cooperó con el Departamento a lo largo de la investigación y se ha comprometido a mejorar sus servicios para estudiantes con discapacidades. Entre otras acciones, en virtud del acuerdo, el distrito:
- Garantizará que el personal del distrito evalúe con precisión los comportamientos relacionados con una discapacidad, identificará las intervenciones adecuadas para esos comportamientos y supervisará la implementación de dichas intervenciones;
- Contratará a un consultor con experiencia en intervenciones conductuales que le ayudará a actualizar sus políticas y prácticas;
- Actualizará su código de conducta estudiantil, el proceso de evaluación de amenazas y el proceso para llamar a las fuerzas del orden público, con el fin de asegurar que el distrito considere adecuadamente los comportamientos relacionados con la discapacidad y modifique sus políticas y procedimientos para evitar la discriminación por motivos de una discapacidad;
- Desarrollará capacitaciones adecuadas para ayudar a las escuelas a implementar el acuerdo y responderá adecuadamente al comportamiento de los estudiantes; y
- Mejorará los sistemas de recopilación y análisis de datos y evaluará periódicamente los datos para garantizar que los estudiantes con discapacidades no sean excluidos de la escuela por comportamientos relacionados con su discapacidad a través de la disciplina del distrito, la evaluación de amenazas y las prácticas de remisión a las fuerzas del orden público.
La aplicación de la ley de Igualdad de Oportunidades Educativas de 1974 es una de las principales prioridades de la División de Derechos Civiles. Puede encontrar información adicional sobre la División de Derechos Civiles en su sitio web en www.justice.gov/crt, e información adicional sobre el trabajo de la Sección de Oportunidades Educativas está disponible en www.justice.gov/ crt/educational-opportunities-section. Los miembros del público pueden denunciar posibles infracciones de los derechos civiles en civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
La Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito Centro de Florida trabajó en colaboración con la Sección de Oportunidades Educativas de la División de Derechos Civiles para investigar este caso. Para información sobre la Unidad de Derechos Civiles en la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito Centro de Florida y un formulario de quejas para la unidad, vaya a www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/civil-rights.
Visualizar la carta del Departamento al distrito aquí.
Visualizar el acuerdo de conciliación aquí.
Visualizar el resumen del acuerdo de conciliación aquí.
East Hartford Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl PillsRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that OMARI LEWIS, 25, of East Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 15 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl pills.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Lewis was identified as a street-level dealer of fentanyl pills after Windsor Police intercepted a UPS package with approximately 3,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl inside. The investigation revealed that Lewis also used his SnapChat account to advertise the sale counterfeit oxycodone pills. In December 2021 and January 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad made two controlled purchases of a total of more than 400 fentanyl pills from Lewis.
Lewis was arrested on June 13, 2023. On November 13, 2023, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl.
Lewis, who is released on a $75,000 bond, is required to report to prison on April 30.
This matter was investigated by the DEA New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad and the Windsor Police Department. The Tactical Diversion Squad is composed of personnel from the DEA and the Bristol, East Windsor, Hamden, New Britain, West Haven, Newington, Manchester, Glastonbury, and Watertown Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren C. Clark and Stephanie T. Levick.
District Woman Sentenced in Scheme that Stole from Non-Profit Affordable Housing Complex She RanRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rowena Joyce Scott, 71, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for a scheme to steal and embezzle money from the non-profit corporation she was entrusted to run for the benefit of some of the District’s economically disadvantaged residents. Scott – a minister and the former head of the Ward 8 Democrats – was convicted following a June 2023 jury trial on charges of wire fraud, credit card fraud, filing false tax returns, and failing to file tax returns.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation’s Washington D.C. Office, and Chief John Fowler of the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue Criminal Investigation Division.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Wilkins also ordered Scott to serve 24 months of supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $153,432.04 to the Park Southern Neighborhood Corporation (PSNC) and $47,726 to the Internal Revenue Service. She also was ordered to forfeit a $153,432.04 criminal money judgment.
From January 2010 through May 2014, Scott served as the president of the board of directors and manager of PSNC, a non-profit, non-member corporation that owned and operated the Park Southern apartment complex in Southeast Washington, D.C. According to the government’s evidence, Scott was hired to serve PSNC’s charitable mission of providing adequate, safe, affordable housing for the District’s underhoused and underprivileged residents. Instead, Scott engaged in a scheme through which she embezzled at least $125,000 from the organization’s coffers and used nearly $30,000 in additional funds to make purely personal, unauthorized purchases from third-party vendors. All the while, Scott collected $260,000 in “salary” (about $60,000 per year), lived in the building rent-free, and used the property’s common rooms, free of charge, to operate her own ministry. Scott failed to report all of the income she received from PSNC – legitimate or otherwise – for tax purposes. Meanwhile, under her watch, PSNC failed to finish renovations for Americans-with- Disabilities-Act compliant units and failed to make loan payments to the District.
This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, the DC Office of Tax and Revenue, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas.
It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Kelly and Diane Lucas, and Paralegal Specialist Sona Chaturvedi.
District Man Receives Youth Rehabilitation Act Sentence for Carjacking at Gas StationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Adam West, 19, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on March 1, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to 4 ½ years in prison for carjacking, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Over the government’s objection, West was sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act, which permitted the Court to issue a sentence below the mandatory minimum of seven years.
On December 14, 2023, West pleaded guilty to carjacking, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years’ incarceration. During the plea hearing, West admitted that he carjacked the victim while he was at a Northeast Washington D.C. gas station. West further acknowledged that he approached the victim, who was seated in his car, and demanded that he get out of his car while patting his waistband, to suggest that he was armed. When the victim got out with his hands up, West took the key fob out of the victim’s pocket and drove off.
MPD responded immediately, and used the MPD helicopter to track the stolen vehicle. Shortly thereafter, Seat Pleasant, Maryland, Police Department officers spotted the carjacked vehicle and initiated pursuit. West drove back into Northeast D.C., where he drove over a median, and then onto a sidewalk in the 300 block of 20th Street Northeast, where the car was disabled. Thereafter, Seat Pleasant officers apprehended West and the District’s MPD officers placed him under arrest.
The government asked for eight years’ incarceration, a sentence within the applicable guidelines range and one year above the mandatory minimum. The government opposed imposition of the Youth Rehabilitation Act. The Honorable Errol Arthur sentenced West under the Youth Rehabilitation Act to serve a term of 4 ½ years’ incarceration, with an additional 1 ½ years suspended and a two-year period of probation.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney David “Will” Lawrence, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Convicted of Offenses Arising from Violent Armed Carjacking and ShootingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tavon Owens, 31, of Washington, D.C., was convicted by a jury today of armed carjacking, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, and associated firearms offenses for shooting and carjacking a woman on Newton St, NW, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The Honorable Heidi Pasichow scheduled sentencing for May 3, 2024 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
According to the government’s evidence, in the middle of the afternoon of December 12, 2022, Owens approached the victim, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of her parked car on Newton St NW. Owens flung the car door open, pointed his firearm at the victim, and ordered her out of the car. The victim started to comply, but then tried to shut the car door to shield herself from Owens and the firearm. Owens then shot the victim in the knee. The victim fell onto the sidewalk, bleeding, and Owens jumped into the victim’s car and drove off.
MPD officers arrived immediately, and with the assistance of patrol officers on the ground and MPD’s Falcon helicopter in the sky, MPD tracked Owens to the 1400 block of Bangor St SE. Owens jumped out of the victim’s car while it was still moving, causing it to crash into a tree, and stashed his firearm behind a home before MPD officers apprehended him.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of MPD’s Fourth and Seventh District Detectives Units who investigated the case, Patrol Officers, and Falcon. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Anna Forgie and Daniel Bromwich, who prosecuted and tried the case.
Disbarred Real Estate Attorney Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Millions from ClientsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Matthew Allen Dickason, a disbarred attorney who was previously licensed to practice law in the State of Georgia, has been sentenced to federal prison for embezzling more than $3 million from his clients. Dickason used the money for personal purposes and created phony accounting records to cover up his theft.
“Dickason engaged in a long-running and shameful practice of abusing the trust placed in him by his clients and will now serve a prison sentence as a result of his crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This office will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners to protect the public from attorneys who steal money from their clients.”
“As a lawyer, Dickason swore an oath to uphold the law and represent his clients with integrity. Instead, he violated their trust and defrauded innocent victims,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully, this sentence sends the message that the FBI will doggedly work to protect American citizens and the real estate market from predators who drag down our economy by deception for their own personal gain.”
“Closing attorneys serve a vital role for all real estate transactions in Georgia. They are entrusted with protecting their clients during the real estate transaction process. Dickason’s actions violated that trust and put many taxpayer-insured FHA mortgages at risk of default. HUD-OIG and our law enforcement partners consider this conduct egregious and hope that today’s sentence will deter anyone who contemplates engaging in this conduct,” said Tyrone Hardy, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Southeast Region.
“As a mortgage industry insider and attorney, Dickason had a fiduciary duty to his clients and the banks funding the mortgage transactions, but instead he illegally siphoned funds for himself and his mortgage-closing company,” said Edwin Bonano, Special Agent-in-Charge of FHFA-OIG’s Southeast Region. “Today, justice was served. We are proud to have worked alongside our partner agencies on this case to arrive at today’s conclusion.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Matthew Allen Dickason was an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Georgia and was the owner of Matthew A. Dickason, P.A., a law firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. Dickason specialized in real estate law and was responsible for overseeing hundreds of real estate sales transactions totaling tens of millions of dollars.
While employed as an attorney, Dickason knowingly devised and conducted a scheme to defraud and obtain money from clients under false pretenses. Specifically, Dickason misappropriated millions of dollars belonging to clients who trusted him to handle their real estate transactions. To conceal his scheme, Dickason took one client’s money and used it to pay his own or another client’s expenses. He used this deceptive practice again and again. This allowed the scheme to go undetected for years. Dickason also hid his fraud by causing false and misleading information to be entered into his law firm’s accounting system to make it appear that the firm had paid a client’s mortgage when, in fact, Dickason had used the money for fraudulent purposes.
Dickason, 48, formerly of Atlanta, Georgia, and now living in Wellington, Ohio, was sentenced to 27 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,005,159.19. Dickason was convicted on these charges on October 16, 2023, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency-Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Phillips prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6280. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Danbury Postmaster Who Operated Bribery, Kickback, and Embezzlement Scheme Sentenced to 4 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EPHREM D. NGUYEN, 51, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, for operating a bribery, kickback, and embezzlement scheme while serving as the Postmaster of the Danbury Post Office.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Nguyen was employed by the U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”) as the Postmaster of the Danbury Post Office in Danbury, with responsibilities that included supervising the maintenance and repair of all equipment, facilities, and vehicles assigned to the post office. In November 2020, Nguyen required that all Danbury Post Office vehicle maintenance and repair work be performed by a certain vendor, identified in court documents as “Vendor-1,” even though Nguyen knew that another vendor already had a contract for with the Danbury Post Office for those services. Nguyen demanded that Vendor-1 provide free vehicle maintenance and repairs for himself, one of his children, a USPS employee, and employee of Nguyen’s personal business. In 2022, Nguyen solicited and received $90,000 in cash bribes from Michael D. Lutz, the general manager of Vendor-1. In exchange for these bribes, Nguyen caused the USPS to overpay Vendor-1 for vehicle maintenance and repair, which Nguyen characterized as a “raise.” Between approximately January 2022 and February 2023, Nguyen used USPS credit cards to pay Vendor-1 more than $1 million, or approximately $760,000 more than necessary to pay for legitimate maintenance and repair work.
In addition, Nguyen embezzled more than $80,000 from the USPS by using his USPS credit cards to rent vehicles for the personal use of himself and others, and he approved more than $8,000 in fraudulent travel expense reimbursement claims for a co-worker.
Through these schemes, Nguyen defrauded the USPS of approximately $933,553.42.
Judge Underhill ordered Nguyen to make full restitution.
On October 13, 2023, Nguyen pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud.
Nguyen, formerly of Brookfield, has been residing in Quincy, Massachusetts, while released on a $100,000 bond. He is required to report to prison on May 30.
On February 21, 2024, Lutz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. He is awaiting sentencing.
This investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan N. Francis.
Connecticut Man Sentenced to 110 Months for Firearm and Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office stated that, on March 4, 2024, Rafael Ortiz, 47, of Hartford, Connecticut, was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to 110 months in prison and three years of supervised release following his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine base and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court records, Ortiz was arrested in May 2021 in Lyndonville, Vermont, on two State of Vermont arrest warrants, for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and eluding a police officer. While leading Vermont State Police (“VSP”) officers on a foot chase, Ortiz discarded from his waistband a Sig Sauer 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol with a defaced serial number and loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition. Ortiz continued to flee and refused to comply with commands, until VSP used a TASER to incapacitate him and effect the arrest. A small meat cleaver and a dagger-style knife, along with approximately $1500, were recovered from Ortiz’s person. Law enforcement located the discarded firearm and, from Ortiz’s backpack, recovered approximately 38 grams of cocaine base, 13 grams of fentanyl analogue fluorofentanyl, approximately 11 grams of fentanyl, and a quantity of heroin mixed with the fluorofentanyl.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Vermont State Police; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the investigation and prosecution of Ortiz.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corinne Smith, Nicole Cate, John Boscia, and Jeff Davis handled the prosecution of Ortiz. Mark A. Kaplan, Esq., represented Ortiz.
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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Clay County Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years for Federal Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Lemuel Henry Crowder (53, Orange Park) to five years and six months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Crowder entered his guilty plea on October 20, 2023.
According to court documents, on February 26, 2023, deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle being driven by Crowder for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, a law enforcement canine positively alerted for the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. Deputies searched Crowder’s vehicle and found over 20 grams of fentanyl, over 30 grams of cocaine, and a loaded firearm.
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Aakash Singh.
California man pleads guilty to transporting Highland County minor interstate to engage in criminal sexual activityRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A California man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to transporting a minor interstate to commit third degree rape of the Ohio teenager.
Alex Roman Nguyen, 29, of San Diego, pleaded guilty to transportation with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The plea agreement includes a sentencing recommendation of up to 151 months in prison.
According to court documents, Nguyen met a 15-year-old girl from Hillsboro, Ohio, online and traveled from San Diego to Ohio to meet her in July 2022. Nguyen drove the minor to Kentucky to attempt to purchase airplane tickets and engaged in sex acts with the minor while in Kentucky.
Unable to obtain flight tickets, Nguyen and the minor boarded a Greyhound bus bound for San Diego and traveled on it until they were apprehended by law enforcement in El Paso, Texas.
Nguyen was charged by criminal complaint in the Southern District of Ohio the next day.
Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Cheryl Mimura, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Hillsboro Police Chief Eric Daniels announced the guilty plea entered on March 4 before Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorneys Kyle J. Healey and Julie D. Garcia are representing the United States in this case.
# # #
Buffalo man going to prison for 17 years on meth chargeRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Julien Johnson, 35, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, was sentenced to serve 204 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Adler, who is handling the case, stated that on September 17, 2020, after receiving information that Johnson was in possession of controlled substances, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle he was driving. Johnson exited the vehicle at the request of officers, who then observed in plain view a large clear plastic bag containing several smaller bags of crystalline and powder substances lying on the floorboard of the driver’s seat. Inside the bag, officers seized suspected methamphetamine, a heroin/fentanyl compound, and $1,117.00 in cash.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, and the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force, under the direction of Jamestown Police Chief Timothy Jackson.
# # # #
Bronx Man Sentenced to 80 Months’ Imprisonment for His Role as Lead Courier in “Grandparents” Mail Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Josiah DeJesus, age 22, of Bronx, NY, was sentenced on February 29, 2024 by United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani to 80 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release, for his role as the lead or coordinating courier in a Dominican Republic-based “grandparents” fraud scheme that preyed upon elderly American victims from states across the country.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, from approximately June 2020 to October 2020, along with a group of other men from Bronx, NY, that he recruited, DeJesus regularly traveled from New York City to locations in Pennsylvania to retrieve UPS and Fed Ex packages containing thousands of dollars in cash. These packages were sent by elderly victims, who were induced to send the money based upon false claims that their grandchildren had been arrested and charged with serious crimes and, consequently, were in immediate need of money. These false claims were made to the elderly victims in phone calls that they received from oversees co-conspirators in the Dominican Republic, who posed either as the victims’ grandchildren or as attorneys representing the victims’ grandchildren. At his sentencing, DeJesus was ordered to pay $366,303.28 in restitution to the victims of the scheme.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation –Philadelphia Division, and its state and local law enforcement partners in Berks County, PA. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffery St John prosecuted the case.
# # #
Berkeley County Man Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Federal Prison for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. —Cordero Prioleau, 35, of Ladson, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to bank fraud.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Prioleau deposited a fraudulent check into his Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) bank account in the amount of $24,679.55. Prior to the check being returned to NFCU as fraudulent, over a period of five days, Prioleau withdrew $22,700.00 from his bank account.
United States District Judge Richard Gergel sentenced Prioleau to 30 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the United States Secret Service with assistance from the Charleston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy F. Bower is prosecuting the case.
###
Berkeley County Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Javier Lewis Howard, age 41, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for the distribution of cocaine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, during a traffic stop, officers found heroin, prescription pills, and $3,774 inside Howard’s vehicle. During Howard’s arrest, officers found fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine base on him. A subsequent search warrant at his home found suboxone strips, drug paraphernalia, eutylone, cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Berkeley County Man Sentenced for Federal Firearms and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Austin M. Ferguson, age 28, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 72 months in federal prison for the distribution of fentanyl and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Ferguson was selling heroin capsules when he flashed a 9mm pistol, removed the firearm magazine, and called the ammunition within the firearm “cop killers.” Officers searched Ferguson’s hotel room and found fentanyl capsules and 47 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Ferguson will be on three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Beckley Woman Pleads Guilty to Straw Purchasing FirearmsRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Keniesha Brack, 27, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to false statements made during the purchase of firearms.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 19, 2021, Brack purchased a Glock model 27 GEN5 .40-caliber pistol and a Glock model 30 .45-caliber pistol from a Mount Hope business. Brack admitted that she falsely certified on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Federal Firearms Transaction Records Form 4473 that she was the buyer of the firearms when she knew she was purchasing them for someone else.
On June 13, 2021, Brack attended the R+R Gun Show at the Beckley Armory in Beckley and purchased a Taurus model G3C 9mm pistol, a Taurus model G2C 9mm pistol and a Glock model 33GEN4 .357-caliber pistol from a Federal Firearm Licensee. Brack admitted that she falsely certified on the ATF Form 4473 that she was the buyer of the firearms when she knew she was purchasing them for someone else.
On June 25, 2021, Brack purchased a Glock model 36 .45-caliber pistol and a Glock model 43X 9mm pistol from a Beckley business. Brack admitted that she falsely certified on the ATF Form 4473 that she was the buyer of the firearms when she knew she was purchasing them for someone else.
Brack is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Troy D. Adams is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-32.
###
Beaumont postal employee sentenced for stealing mailRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont woman has been sentenced to federal prison for stealing mail in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Pamela Jo Rosas, 65, pleaded guilty to theft of mail by a postal employee and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on March 4, 2024.
According to information presented in court, in April 2020, postal inspectors began receiving complaints that a series of parcels containing valuable coins were missing after being placed in the post office for delivery. Federal agents conducted surveillance and identified a postal employee, Pamela Jo Rosas, as a subject involved in the theft after viewing her handling packages in a suspicious manner. Rosas was also found in possession of several pieces of stolen mail packages after leaving work. Rosas admitted to stealing many items from the post office during the previous three to four years. Agents were able to recover hundreds of valuable coins from her apartment, along with other items Rosas had stolen from the mail during the course of her employment.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service-OIG and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.
###
Antigua Man Who Was Arrested 13 Years After Being Charged in Connection with Illegal Gambling Ring Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Antigua man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to his participation in a large-scale illegal gambling business which utilized an Antiguan Internet site, but operated in the continental United States. In total, defendant and co-conspirators collected over $22 million through an illegal gambling operation and laundered more than $10 million in checks and wire transfers.
Richard Sullivan, 74, of St. John’s, Antigua, pleaded guilty to operating an illegal gambling business and transmission of wagering information. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for March 28, 2024. Sullivan was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston in August 2010 and was arrested in August 2023 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York upon his return to the United States from Antigua.
This prosecution marked one of the first times that individuals were charged with violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), and the first in Massachusetts. The UIGEA statute was enacted in 2006 to deter the use of the U.S. banking system to pay Internet gambling debts incurred by U.S. citizens. Sullivan and his co-defendants were originally charged with over 75 counts of engaging in U.S. banking transactions involving U.S.-based gamblers to pay gambling debts owed to Sports Offshore, an online gambling site licensed in Antigua that was actually operating in the United States.
Sullivan and his three co-conspirators – Todd Lyons, Robert Eremian and Daniel Eremian – operated Sports Offshore – which stretched from Massachusetts to Florida. Sports Offshore used an Internet site and toll-free telephone line registered in Antigua to service United States customers. The ring also employed approximately 50 gambling agents in the United States, who solicited hundreds of customers and collected gambling debts, forwarding the illegal gambling proceeds to Antigua.
To conceal the conspiracy, Sullivan and his co-conspirators created numerous fictitious entities with no legitimate business purpose to launder the proceeds of their illegal gambling business so that authorities could not detect U.S.-based financial transactions involving Sports Offshore.
Sullivan managed the daily activities of Sports Offshore at its gambling office in St. John’s, Antigua. In that capacity, Sullivan supervised employees who accepted wagers from customers in the United States that were placed over the telephone and the Internet. Sullivan helped direct collection activities regarding customers and agents located in the United States who owed money to Sports Offshore. Sullivan also served as an agent for Sports Offshore and was responsible for a group of Massachusetts customers who gambled with Sports Offshore, earning commissions on gambling losses incurred by those customers. Additionally, Sullivan used Massachusetts residents to collect money from his local customers which he had shipped directly to Antigua via the mail.
In total, Sullivan and his co-conspirators collected over $22 million for Sports Offshore through the illegal gambling operation and laundered more than $10 million in checks and wire transfers.
In December 2011, Lyons and Daniel Eremian were convicted following a five-week jury trial for their roles in the conspiracy. Lyons was sentenced to four years in prison, one year of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $24.6 million. Daniel Eremian was sentenced to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $7.7 million.
The charge of operating an illegal gambling business provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, and up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of transmission of wagering information provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, and up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Brian Kyes, United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; and John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao, Chief of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
Albany Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery of a Drug Dealer in GuilderlandRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jorge L. Rosario, age 53, of Albany, pled guilty today to robbing a marijuana dealer and brandishing a pistol in furtherance of the robbery at the dealer’s residence in Guilderland.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Guilderland Police Chief Daniel P. McNally made the announcement.
Rosario admitted that on January 23, 2022, at about 5 a.m., he and Alexander G. Madera, armed with a pistol and a rifle, respectively, entered a single-family residence in Guilderland with the goal of robbing a marijuana dealer. After entering the residence, Rosario remained on guard in the living room while Madera robbed the dealer of $172 in drug money, at gunpoint, in the dealer’s bedroom. Before they could leave the residence, however, another resident awoke and encountered Rosario, who pointed his pistol at the resident, warning the resident not to move or say anything. A struggle over the pistol ensued, with other residents joining in. In the course of the struggle, Rosario and Madera were disarmed. They were then restrained until the police arrived and arrested them. Bost have remained in custody since that time.
Rosario will be sentenced on July 9, 2024 by Chief United States District Judge Branda K. Sannes. Under the terms of Rosario’s plea agreement, the parties have jointly recommended that Rosario receive a prison term of between 168 and 188 months, and a 5-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release.
Madera previously pled guilty to armed robbery and brandishing charges, and is scheduled for sentencing on May 3, 2024. He faces a minimum term of imprisonment of 7 years, a maximum term of life, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 5 years. 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.
This case was investigated by ATF and the Town of Guilderland Police Department, with the assistance of the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emmet O’Hanlon and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Monday 4 March 2024
Washington, D.C. Man Convicted for the Armed Robberies of Two Phone Stores in MarylandRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – On Friday, March 1, 2024, after less than an hour of deliberation, a federal jury convicted Donte Antwaun Herring, age 24, of Washington, D.C., for the armed robberies of two phone stores in December 2020.
The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to the evidence presented at his eight-day trial, on December 17 and December 23, 2020, Herring and his co-conspirators robbed phone stores in Halethorpe and Owings Mills, Maryland, respectively. In each robbery, Herring and his co-conspirators brandished firearms.
Specifically, according to trial testimony, on December 17, 2020, at shortly after 7:15 p.m., Herring and a co-conspirator entered a phone store in the 3900 block of Washington Boulevard, in Halethorpe, Maryland. After initially posing as customers browsing for cell phones, the co-conspirator and Herring announced a robbery and brandished firearms—pointing them in the direction of the victim employee. Trial evidence proved that Herring ordered the victim employee to take him and the co-conspirator to the store’s safe, then ordered the victim to open the safe. After the victim opened the safe, Herring and the co-conspirator removed various electronic devices from the safe, including multiple boxes of Apple cellular telephones, watches and iPads, along with cash from the store’s register. They then fled in a maroon minivan.
Witnesses testified that in the robbery on December 23, 2020, co-defendant Rico Dashiell entered a telephone store in the 10000 block of Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills, Maryland and acted like a customer. Herring and another co-conspirator then entered the store brandishing firearms and Dashiell pointed a gun at a victim employee. Witnesses testified that Herring and the co-conspirator pointed their guns at a victim customer and other employees and ordered them to get down on the floor. The victim customer was also ordered to empty his pockets and Herring and the co-conspirator took the victim’s wallet (containing his driver’s license and credit cards), along with his car keys, which were on an orange lanyard, and an Apple iPhone 8S plus, valued at approximately $350. Herring and the co-conspirator went to the back room and Dashiell escorted a victim employee to the back room at gunpoint and ordered the victim to open the store safe. The victim complied and Herring and the co-conspirator removed nearly all of the electronic devices from the safe—including Apple and Samsung Galaxy devices (76 devices total)—and placed them in large garbage bags they had brought with them. When Herring and the co-conspirator finished emptying the safe, they ordered the three victims from the main floor of the store to the room in the back of the store where the safe was kept. According to trial testimony, as Herring and the co-conspirator left the room, the co-conspirator sprayed pepper spray at the victims’ faces. In the meantime, Dashiell directed a victim employee to open the store’s cash register and stole $322 from the register.
Herring and his co-conspirators then fled in a vehicle that had been stolen earlier in the day and that had tags stolen from another vehicle. According to trial evidence, law enforcement was able to track the vehicle to a home in Catonsville, Maryland, where aviation units were able to film Herring, Dashiell and the co-conspirator unloading the stolen merchandise from the car and taking it into the residence.
As detailed in trial testimony, law enforcement officers arrived at the residence and attempted for hours to make contact with the suspects and any other occupants of the residence. After two young children who lived at the residence (who had no relation to the robbers) came out of the house, law enforcement executed a search warrant of the residence and arrested the robbers, who had been hiding in the attic. During a search incident to his arrest, law enforcement seized, among other things, $622.16 from the co-conspirator ($322 of which was proceeds from the robbery), along with a round of ammunition.
According to trial evidence, during their search of the residence, law enforcement also recovered, among other things, the clothing, gloves, and headwear worn by the robbers during the robbery; the 76 devices stolen during the robbery; the canister of pepper spray used to spray the victims during the robbery; the stolen wallet belonging to one of the victims of the robbery; and the three firearms used by Herring, Dashiell and the co-conspirator during the robbery; as well as a Polymer 80 Gray Grip with a black slide 9mm semi-automatic pistol, with no serial number, commonly known as a “ghost gun,” which was also loaded.
Electronic evidence presented at trial included multiple text messages in which Herring discussed his planning of the December 23, 2020 robbery. It likewise included photographs from a co-conspirator’s iCloud account that showed Herring holding large amounts of cash within hours of the robbery on December 17, 2020.
Co-defendant Rico Dashiell, age 25, of Fort Washington, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.
Herring faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each of two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and a mandatory minimum of seven years, consecutive to any other sentence, and up to life in federal prison for each of two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox has scheduled sentencing for May 31, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Michael Aubin, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
# # #