Southern District of Alabama

MOBILE, AL – A federal jury convicted a Mobile man this week for transmitting an interstate threat to injure. 

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, following his termination from a local construction company, Cloepha Franks sent a series of threatening text messages to his former boss threatening to kill him. 

The jury heard evidence that Franks sent the messages from Alabama to the victim who was in Mississippi. Records of the text messages and cell phone records confirmed Franks’ phone transmitted the messages to the victim. 

The victim testified about receiving the threats. He and other witnesses from the construction company testified about precautions taken after Franks transmitted the threats and the fear his actions caused. The FBI testified concerning the ongoing threat to life investigation and evidence obtained from Franks’ cell phone and cell phone records. 

Franks faces up to 5 years in prison and will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kristi K. DuBose in March 2024. 

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant United States Attorneys Beth Stepan and Chris Bodnar prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
 

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced in federal court on November 9, 2023, for his participation in the Darrin Southall drug distribution organization. Lawrence Williams, 50, was initially arrested in  a round-up of Southall’s organization in May of 2021. Williams pled guilty to the charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin in August of 2021.  
    
According to court documents, law enforcement officers were monitoring Southall’s phones pursuant to a court order. Calls between Southall and Williams were monitored and recorded as the conspirators planned for multiple deliveries of cocaine and arranged with other local distributors to pass it out to them. Williams was accountable for the distribution of 73 kilograms of cocaine and 3 kilograms of heroin.   
  
United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose imposed a sentence of 10 years in Williams’ case, to be followed by five years on supervised release after his release from custody. As conditions of supervision, Williams will undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse, and he will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that the defendant pay $100 in special assessments. The judge ordered the forfeiture of a long list of property seized during the investigation.
      
The case was investigated by the Mobile Police Department, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Saraland Police Department, the St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A federal jury convicted a Mobile woman this week for conspiracy, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and theft of a United States Postal Service (“USPS”) key.

According to court documents and evidence presented at a three-day trial, Kristen Arieale Williams, 31, was employed as a mail carrier at the post office in Prichard. The jury heard evidence that in late October 2022, Williams stole and sold a USPS “arrow” key to a coconspirator. Arrow keys are government property and will open, among other things, all blue USPS collection boxes in a particular geographic area. Stealing and possessing such a key with fraudulent intent is a federal crime. Williams’s coconspirator, who previously pleaded guilty to bank-fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, paid Williams $2,500 in cash for the key. Law enforcement caught Williams’s coconspirator using the key to steal mail from collection boxes outside the Bel Air Mall in Mobile in November 2022. The coconspirator stole hundreds of pieces of mail using the key.

The jury also heard evidence that Williams conspired to commit bank fraud involving counterfeit checks deposited into her bank account. The counterfeit checks were derived from checks stolen from the mail. The checks bore the true names, addresses, and bank account numbers of multiple victims who testified at trial. Among other evidence, the jury reviewed call logs, text messages, pictures, videos, and other data extracted from Williams’s cell phone and the cell phone of a coconspirator. That evidence included a string of text messages that Williams sent in March 2023 regarding the arrow key that she stole and sold in October 2022. In that exchange, which Williams later deleted, Williams stated that she “went through so much anxiety the last time” she stole a key and noted that the Prichard post office was “very strict about it now.” The jury also heard excerpts of a recorded confession that Williams gave to law enforcement in March 2023, during which she admitted that did “illegal stuff” and lied about it to federal agents.

Williams will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kristi K. DuBose in February 2024. Williams is subject to a mandatory two-year prison sentence for her aggravated identity theft conviction, which must run consecutively to any other sentence she receives. She faces up to 30 years in prison for her conspiracy and bank-fraud convictions, and up to 10 years in prison for stealing and selling an arrow key. Williams will also be ordered to pay restitution to her victims.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the USPS–Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Mobile Police Department are investigating the case. The Brewton Police Department and the U.S. Small Business Administration–Office of Inspector General provided substantial assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Monroeville, Alabama, man was sentenced in federal court today for his ongoing drug dealing and illegal possession of a firearm while on supervision for a previous federal conviction. James Edward Hill, Jr., 50, was arrested in February of 2022 after Monroe County law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on his residence in a drug investigation. Hill was on federal supervision as part of a previously imposed federal sentence. Hill’s first federal conviction came in 2011, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine. While he was on federal supervision after he was released from prison, Hill was again involved in the drug business. He was charged in federal court by information with attempt to manufacture crack cocaine and felon in possession of a firearm. Hill pled guilty to the new charges in July of 2023.  

According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on Hill’s residence in Monroeville and discovered cocaine powder and various materials and equipment used to manufacture cocaine powder into crack cocaine. Hill admitted to the officers that he used the baking soda they found in his house for that purpose. Investigators also recovered a .38 caliber firearm in the kitchen where the drugs were. Because Hill was actively being supervised for a federal felony drug conviction, he was aware of his status as a convicted felon and the prohibition against his possession of a firearm.  

United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose imposed a sentence of 57 months in Hill’s case, to be followed by five years on supervised release after his release from custody. As conditions of next period of supervision following his second federal conviction, Hill will undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse, and he will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that the defendant pay $200 in special assessments. The judge ordered the forfeiture of the firearm, a .380 caliber revolver, seized during the investigation. 
     
The case was investigated by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
 

MOBILE, AL – A Monroeville man was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for illegally possessing stolen log-in credentials that he purchased from an illicit, invitation-only internet marketplace accessible via the dark web.

According to court documents and testimony at sentencing, Genesis Market was an illegal online marketplace housed on foreign servers, which was taken down in Operation Cookie Monster — a joint international cyber operation led by FBI-Milwaukee and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. See https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwi/pr/genesis-market-disrupted-international-cyber-operation 

Laderian Odom, 28 of Monroeville, Alabama received an invitation to Genesis Market in the summer of 2020.  Thereafter, Odom used cryptocurrency to purchase approximately 950 sets of stolen log-in credentials. These credentials included usernames and passwords for online bank accounts, shopping sites like Amazon, social media accounts, and more. With these stolen credentials, a person could fully access these online accounts as if they were the real account holder.  

After ruling in the government’s favor on a disputed issue concerning the application of the sentencing guidelines, U.S. District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Odom to 24 months in prison. Although Odom pleaded guilty, he did not receive any sentencing reduction for accepting responsibility, because Judge Moorer found that Odom knowingly lied about being under indictment in this case when he filled out paperwork attempting to purchase a handgun in August 2023. 

This case was investigated by FBI-Mobile, with assistance from FBI-Milwaukee. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Bodnar prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
 

MOBILE, AL – Larry Dale Barlow, 30, has been sentenced to 87 months in prison for one count of Possession of Child Pornography. Barlow entered a guilty plea to this offense on April 19, 2023. 

According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, in December 2012 Barlow was convicted in federal court in Mobile of receipt and distribution of child pornography. Barlow was sentenced on May 20, 2013 in that case to 120 months in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release.  

On March 7, 2022, Barlow’s probation officer conducted a home visit at Barlow’s residence in Mobile. The probation officer located a cell phone, which Barlow was not permitted to possess. The phone was seized by probation officer. Barlow was interviewed and admitted to receiving and viewing videos of child pornography. The phone was examined and found to contain 171 images and 113 videos of child pornography. Images included depictions of prepubescent children.

Senior United States District Judge Callie V.S. Granade imposed an 87-month sentence of incarceration and a 10-year term of supervised release upon his discharge from prison. Senior Judge Granade further ordered that Barlow pay $100 in a special assessment and $3,000 in restitution. Barlow will be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison and is to have no contact with minors.

The United States Probation Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources

MOBILE, AL – On October 24, 2023, United States District Court Judge, Terry F. Moorer, sentenced Brittany Theresa Pugh, of Wilmer, Alabama, to 35 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. 

Documents filed with the Court established that on December 26, 2020, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office on-call detective for narcotics was called to an area of Eight Mile, Alabama where he learned that other deputies from the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department had been engaged in an extended pursuit of a black Chevrolet pick-up, occupied by the two persons. Pugh was a passenger in the vehicle, and she fled on foot during the pursuit from law enforcement.  Pugh was caught by law enforcement and found to be in possession of twenty-six grams of ICE methamphetamine, $7,878.00 in U.S. Currency, a small baggie of marijuana, multiple packages of suboxone stripes, a glass pipe with tubing, and digital scales commonly used to weigh drugs. 

On March 4, 2021, the defendant was again stopped in a vehicle by deputies of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. This time Pugh was driving the vehicle and she had two passengers. Found in the vehicle were approximately thirty grams of ICE methamphetamine, a small baggie of marijuana, and a glass pipe with tubing. One of the passengers in the vehicle admitted that she had been purchasing methamphetamine from Pugh. 

Court documents also revealed that Pugh was a passenger in another vehicle stopped in June of 2020 in Mobile County where law enforcement found methamphetamine in the vehicle.

The case was investigated by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.

MOBILE, AL –  On October 24, 2023, United States District Court Judge, William H. Steele, sentenced Haley Fuentes, of Selma, to 35 months imprisonment for conspiring to smuggle drugs into the Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore. 

Documents filed with the Court established that on March 27, 2022, the co-defendant, Robert O’Brien Rivers, an employee of the Alabama Department of Corrections, entered state property to report for duty at G.K Fountain Correctional Facility. On this morning officers at the facility were performing searches of employees and employee vehicles as they arrived to work. During the search of Rivers’ food items, officers observed two black bowls containing frozen rice. Upon further inspection of the rice bowls, officers found black taped objects underneath the rice. The taped objects contained 244 grams of methamphetamine and 510 grams of marijuana.
 
Court documents showed that Rivers knowingly received the drugs from people outside the prison to smuggle into an inmate in the prison and that he had done so on multiple occasions in the past. Fuentes and a third co-defendant, Jarvis Callens, had provided drugs to Rivers in the past to smuggle into the prison.  On December 25, 2021, Fuentes and Callens were stopped by a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Deputy with 165 grams of methamphetamine they were attempting to bring to Rivers so he could smuggle it into the prison. Law enforcement did not know at the time the methamphetamine was bound for Rivers. Rivers was previously sentenced by the Court to 54 months imprisonment and Callens was previously sentenced to 168 months, for their roles in the conspiracy. 
       
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Alabama Department of Corrections, Investigations and Intelligence Division, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 42 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

According to court documents, Daniel Mark Stanley, II, 37, was arrested in September 2021 by narcotics agents who had obtained a search warrant for his house in Mobile. Agents had previously captured Stanley on video selling fentanyl pills to a confidential informant. During the search at Stanley’s house, agents found, among other things, additional pills, syringes, digital scales, and Stanley’s cell phones. Agents interviewed Stanley, who confessed to his involvement in drug trafficking. A search of Stanley’s cell phones revealed hundreds of messages that he sent to coconspirators regarding distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl, and illegal possession of firearms.

In addition to the 42-month prison term, Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Stanley to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered Stanley to pay $100 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and Sinan Kalayoglu prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 60 months in prison for illegally possessing firearms in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes.

According to court documents, Quentarious Jamaro Davis, 27, was arrested in June 2022 by narcotics agents who had obtained a search warrant for his house in Mobile. During the search at Davis’s house, agents found, among other things, 1.9 pounds of marijuana, digital scales, sandwich baggies, more than $2,400 in cash, and four guns—including two .40 caliber pistols, a 9mm pistol, and a 7.62x39 caliber pistol. In an interview with detectives, Davis admitted that he had a third party buy three of the guns for him at a gun show because he knew he was under a felony indictment in Mobile County Circuit Court and could not legally purchase the guns. Agents also seized and searched Davis’s cell phone, which contained hundreds of pictures and videos of bulk marijuana, pictures and videos that Davis took of himself holding bulk cash, and pictures and videos of Davis possessing guns in close proximity to vacuum-sealed marijuana, cash, and drug paraphernalia.

In August 2022, agents executed a separate search warrant at a storage unit in Mobile that Davis directed his girlfriend to rent on his behalf while he was incarcerated. Inside the unit, agents found an additional five pounds of vacuum-sealed marijuana. Agents then executed another search warrant at Davis’s house, seizing more than $9,800 in cash, additional marijuana, and jewelry.

In addition to the 60-month prison term (with credit for time served since June 2022), Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Davis to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered Davis to pay $100 in special assessments. The court also forfeited Davis’s firearms to the United States.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – More than a dozen defendants from Mobile were sentenced for their roles in an organized scheme to commit bank fraud and identity theft. The leader of the scheme was sentenced to 102 months in federal prison.

According to court documents, Arrington Jaylun Gardner, 22, led a ring of individuals that committed widespread fraud and identity theft involving checks stolen from the U.S. mail, which the defendants later altered and deposited at various financial institutions. The fraudulent checks bore the personal identifying information of numerous victim businesses and individuals in the Mobile area and elsewhere. Gardner and his coconspirators used social media and other means to recruit individuals with accounts at various banks, who provided their account information, debit cards, and other support to Gardner to further the scheme. Victims of the scheme suffered more than $125,000 in financial losses.

Federal agents executed a search warrant at Gardner’s apartment in Mobile in July 2022, recovering dozens of altered and stolen checks, fake identifications, counterfeiting tools, stolen vehicles, and more than $2,600 in cash. Agents also uncovered evidence that Gardner had used the stolen identity of a victim in New Jersey to finance and purchase luxury automobiles at a car dealership in Mobile, causing more than $75,000 in losses. Gardner pleaded guilty to two separate conspiracies to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

In addition to the 102-month prison term, United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Gardner to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment, and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Gardner to pay $201,293.05 in victim restitution and $300 in special assessments, and forfeited $2,609.50 to the United States.

For their roles in the scheme, the court sentenced Gardner’s codefendants as follows: Reginald Martez Robinson, Jr. (46 months’ imprisonment); Johnathan Earl Kyser (36 months’ imprisonment); Delvin Lee Andrews (33 months’ imprisonment); D’Undra Norwood (24 months’ imprisonment); Travis Ladell Morrissette (13 months’ imprisonment); Jimmy Dejuan Parnell (nine months’ imprisonment); Justin Deandre Betties (six months’ imprisonment); Barbara Jackson (six months’ imprisonment); Kenessa Denise Hackworth (one day in custody and 12 months’ home confinement); Markisha Jakeria Johnson (time served); Danquile Nakrica Westbrook (time served); and Calvin Davis (time served). The court also ordered each of those defendants to serve supervised release terms and pay restitution and special assessments.

Codefendants Jairice Lynn Shelton and Edmund Jamarquis Davis are scheduled to be sentenced in October 2023 and January 2024, respectively.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, Mobile Police Department, and Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 120 months in prison—the maximum sentence allowed under federal law—for illegally possessing a machinegun that he fired during New Year’s Eve celebrations in downtown Mobile.

According to court documents and evidence presented at his sentencing hearing, Thomas Earl Thomas, Jr., 23, fired a Glock .40 caliber pistol, which was illegally modified with a machinegun-conversion device and equipped with an extended magazine, into a crowd of revelers on Dauphin Street during Mobile’s New Year’s Eve celebrations on December 31, 2022. The device attached to Thomas’s illegal weapon, commonly referred to as a “Glock switch,” converted the firearm from a semiautomatic pistol to a fully automatic machinegun. Surveillance video showed Thomas firing multiple rounds from the firearm, which killed one victim, severely injured eight others, and caused substantial damage to nearby businesses.

Mobile police and paramedics tended to the wounded victims on-scene, who ranged from age 17 to age 57. Detectives also canvassed the scene, recovering 22 fired .40 caliber shell casings, four damaged bullets, three bullet jacket fragments, and two lead fragments, among other evidence. Detectives conducted two recorded interviews of Thomas, who admitted that he lied about several key facts during the interviews. Specifically, Thomas admitted that he lied about not having a gun or shooting it on Dauphin Street. Evidence extracted from Thomas’s cell phone linked him to the firearm, which he had purchased at a gun show in Mobile on December 10, 2022. Thomas admitted that he knew the gun had later been illegally modified with a machinegun-conversion device.

An expert with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives examined and test fired Thomas’s illegal weapon. When equipped with the machinegun-conversion device, the firearm expelled multiple rounds of ammunition with a single pull of the trigger. Both the firearm and the machinegun-conversion device are illegal under federal law.

“Wantonly shooting into an innocent crowd, Thomas made his crime even more dangerous and serious by using an illegal machinegun,” said U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello. “Working with our federal, state and local partners, we will do everything we can to protect our community by taking these illegal weapons off the street, and putting the criminals who use them in prison.”

Marcus Watson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Nashville Field Division, said, “Citizens should be able to attend celebratory events without the fear and grim reality of possibly losing their lives. This individual knowingly and recklessly discharged a firearm that contained a machinegun-conversion device, known as a ‘Glock switch,’ into a crowd of innocent people. The ATF along with our state, local, and federal partners will continue to utilize every resource that we have in the pursuit of justice for individuals who make the conscious effort to perpetuate violence in the communities that we serve.”

In addition to the 10-year prison sentence, Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Thomas to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will receive treatment for substance abuse and mental health. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Beaverstock ordered Thomas to pay $100 in special assessments and forfeited Thomas’s illegal weapon to the United States.

Thomas faces several pending charges in the Mobile County District Court stemming from this incident, including intentional murder, first-degree assault, and shooting a firearm into occupied and unoccupied buildings and vehicles. He is presumed innocent in that case until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The ATF and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Monroeville man received a statutory maximum sentence of 120 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm that he used to shoot a 15-year-old victim and fire at police.

According to court documents and evidence presented at his sentencing hearing, Broderick Tramaine Young, 33, used a 5.56mm caliber rifle to shoot through the front of a house in Monroeville, striking a 15-year-old victim in the abdomen. The incident occurred on February 24, 2022. The shooting victim called 911 to report his injury, at which time several Monroeville police officers rapidly responded to the scene. The victim suffered life-threatening injuries that required a helicopter transport to a hospital for surgery and extensive inpatient trauma intervention.

Immediately as several officers drove up to the scene, Young began firing shots from the rifle in their direction, shattering the windows of multiple patrol vehicles. The officers took cover behind several vehicles before returning fire at Young, who was not injured during the incident. Shards of glass lodged into one of the officers’ hands, and debris from the gunfire lodged into another officer’s neck and right eye, causing bleeding and injuries that required medical treatment. Young’s gunfire also tore through and damaged nearby houses, several of which were occupied. The shooting occurred a short distance from an elementary school.

After Young’s shooting ceased, police quickly took him into custody and seized his rifle, which was equipped with an empty 30-round magazine. Young admitted that at the time he possessed and fired the rifle, he knew he had previously been committed to a mental institution and was subject to a protection-from-abuse order in a state domestic-violence case in Florida. Those prior adjudications rendered Young’s possession of the rifle illegal under federal law.

In addition to the 10-year prison sentence, United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose ordered Young to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will receive treatment for substance abuse and mental health. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge DuBose ordered Young to pay $200 in special assessments.
Young faces several pending charges in the Monroe County Circuit Court stemming from this incident, including attempted murder and shooting a firearm into an occupied building. He is presumed innocent in that case until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation, and the Monroeville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL -- Cleo Clemons, 41, has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for two counts of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. The sentences will run concurrently. Clemons entered a guilty plea to these offenses on April 27, 2023. 

According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, on January 10, 2021, officers initiated a traffic stop on a black Cadillac Escalade. The vehicle appeared to be racing another vehicle and was traveling at approximately 105 mph in a posted 50 mph zone. The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was identified as Clemons. Clemons was found to have a felony warrant for his arrest. Inside the vehicle officers located a Taurus 9mm pistol, loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition. Clemons’ DNA was found on the firearm.

On July 28, 2022, a warrant was issued with the federal indictment for the January 10 incident. On December 26, 2022, a Mobile Police Department officer was traveling south on Mobile Street approaching Spring Hill Avenue. He observed a black GMC Denali pull out of the gas station in front of him. The officer knew that the driver of that vehicle, Clemons, had felony warrants from FBI for firearm charges. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but Clemons did not stop and made several turns down residential streets at high speed. Clemons led officers on a seven-mile chase that reached speeds of up to 80 mph in residential areas before he was taken into custody. Inside the vehicle the officer located a 16-round magazine in the center console and a loaded Smith and Wesson SD9VE semiautomatic pistol wedged between the cover of the sunroof and the sunroof. There was also an extended magazine in the same spot.

Clemons had been previously convicted of Possession of a Controlled Substance (Cocaine) and Possession of a Controlled Substance (Cocaine).

Chief Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock imposed a 57-month sentence of incarceration and a 3-year term of supervised release upon his discharge from prison. Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered that Clemons pay $200 in special assessments.  

The Mobile Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case.
 

Brandon O’Neil Garrett, 46, of McDavid, Florida had been convicted of a Possession of a Forged Instrument Second Degree, Theft of Property Second Degree, and Promoting Prison Contraband when he illegally possessed .22 caliber rifle. On May 18, 2023, Garrett pled guilty to the charge.

Court documents reflect that Garrett was stopped by an Alabama state trooper in Baldwin County, Alabama operating a truck on U. S. Highway 31. Garrett admitted to the trooper that there was a gun in the back seat of the truck and that he was a felon. Garrett also had several rounds of ammunition in the door pocket that fit the rifle. The firearm was manufactured outside the state of Alabama, so Garrett’s possession of the gun in Alabama affected interstate commerce.

United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer imposed a sentence of 24 months to be followed by 3 years of supervised release after Garrett’s release from imprisonment. Garrett’s supervision includes a set of standard conditions as well as a special condition that the probation office may search his person or property upon a showing of reasonable suspicion that he is in violation of any of the other conditions of his supervision. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered the forfeiture of the firearm. Garrett was ordered to pay $100 in special mandatory assessments.

The case was investigated by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to a total of 85 months in prison for committing wire fraud in connection with a false PPP loan application and conspiring to distribute fentanyl while on federal pretrial release conditions.

According to court documents, in April 2021, Kentarius Williams, 31, submitted a fraudulent application to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) requesting a Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan in the amount of $20,833. In his PPP loan application, Williams falsely claimed that he was the sole proprietor of a nonexistent “cleaning service” business in need of relief due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Williams submitted a fake tax schedule purporting to show more than $100,000 in business income and monthly payroll expenses in excess of $8,000. In submitting the fraudulent application to the SBA, Williams caused a wire communication to travel from the SBA’s computer servers in Virginia to a bank’s computer servers in Oregon, in violation of the federal wire fraud statute.

Additionally, Williams admitted that from at least September 2022 through February 2023, he conspired with other people to distribute fentanyl. On several occasions, narcotics agents used confidential informants to conduct controlled purchases of fentanyl pills from Williams. Those transactions—including sales of fentanyl that Williams made while he was on pretrial release conditions in his federal wire fraud case—were videotaped. Agents executed a search warrant at Williams’s apartment in Mobile in February 2023, seizing fentanyl and oxycodone pills, among other things. Agents also searched Williams’s cell phone, which contained numerous text and Instagram messages in which he discussed his sales of fentanyl and other drugs. For example, in January 2023, Williams wrote that he “got rich off” sales of fentanyl pills, which he said he could obtain for “dirt cheap.”

United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Williams to serve 14 months in prison for the wire fraud, and 71 months in prison for the fentanyl distribution conspiracy, ordering the prison terms to run consecutively to one another. In addition to the 85-month total prison term, Judge Moorer ordered Williams to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Williams to pay $200 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, SBA Office of Inspector General, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Mobile Police Department investigated the wire fraud case. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the drug case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kasee Heisterhagen and Lydia Lucius prosecuted the wire fraud case on behalf of the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the drug case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 41 months in prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl.

According to court documents, Eddie Rembert, 52, admitted that from at least September 2022 through February 2023, he conspired with other people to distribute fentanyl. On several occasions, narcotics agents used confidential informants to conduct controlled purchases of fentanyl pills from Rembert. Those transactions were videotaped. Agents executed a search warrant at the apartment of one of Rembert’s coconspirators in Mobile in February 2023, seizing fentanyl and oxycodone pills, among other things. Agents also searched the coconspirator’s cell phone, which contained numerous text messages from Rembert in which he discussed his sales of fentanyl pills.

In addition to the 41-month prison term, United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Rembert to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Rembert to pay $100 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile woman was sentenced on August 4, 2023, to 3 years in prison for her participation in the drug distribution organization operated by Darrin J. Southall. Christian Leontine Glover, 34, was a money courier for Southall and served as one of his “accountants,” to help him keep up with his drug debts.   On August 23, 2021, Glover pled guilty to conspiracy possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

Court documents reflect that Glover used her cell phone to keep up with Southall’s drug debts, and she picked up and delivered drug money to locations necessary for Southall to continue to buy and sell hundreds of kilograms of cocaine. Glover was implicated by some of Southall’s distributors as one of the conspirators who picked up and handled Southall’s drug money. She was also intercepted in numerous discussions with Southall in a court-authorized wiretap on some of Southall’s phones. The recorded calls showed the depth of Glover’s involvement in the scheme.  For example, in one phone call between Southall and Glover on January 3, 2021, Southall’s distributors (who were identified in the call by their street names) owed a total of $931,500 for cocaine Southall had distributed to them.  In a call later that day, Southall and Coleman discussed additional information on three of the distributors for a total of $147,500.  On January 5, 2021, in a similar call, Southall and Glover reviewed the drug debts which totaled $653,000.  Debts discussed with Glover in a call on January 8, 2021, totaled $421,000.  In a call on January 14, 2021, Southall’s drug debts amounted to $1,209,000. On January 18, 2021, Glover’s total for Southall’s drug list was $843,500.  On January 21, 2021, Southall and Glover reviewed a short list of only two distributors for a total of $336,000.  Southall was arrested on February 26, 2021.  Glover was arrested on March 3, 2021.   Because the collection and movement of drug money was an integral part of the cocaine distribution conspiracy, Glover’s participation was important to the success of Southall’s organization. 

United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose imposed a sentence of 36 months to be followed by 5 years of supervised release after her release from imprisonment. Glover’s supervision includes a set of standard conditions as well as a special  condition that the probation office may search her person or property upon a showing of reasonable suspicion that she is in violation of any of the other conditions of her supervision. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered the forfeiture of numerous items of property seized during the investigation.  Glover was ordered to pay $100 in special mandatory assessments.  

The Mobile Police Department, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Mobile and Pensacola, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Saraland Police Department, the St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)  operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organization 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.     
 

MOBILE, AL – A Los Angeles, California man was sentenced today to 105 months in prison for conspiring to distribute kilograms of marijuana.

According to court documents, Anthony Robert Tirado, 31, was the leader of a California-based drug-trafficking organization that distributed hundreds of kilograms of marijuana from the Los Angeles area to Mobile and other cities throughout the United States from at least January 2018 through March 2022. Tirado employed several couriers—juveniles among them—who ferried bulk amounts of marijuana in their checked luggage on dozens of commercial flights from California to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, and West Virginia, among other locations. In turn, the couriers transported hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds back to California for Tirado. In Los Angeles, Tirado rented several units at a luxury apartment complex that he used to store and distribute bulk amounts of marijuana in furtherance of his nationwide drug-distribution operation.

On multiple occasions, law enforcement seized bulk drugs and cash from Tirado’s couriers in various locations in the Southern District of Alabama and elsewhere. For example, in November 2018, narcotics agents arrested one of Tirado’s Alabama-based coconspirators who had recently purchased drugs from one of Tirado’s juvenile couriers at a hotel in Mobile. During a subsequent search of the coconspirator’s car and apartment, agents seized a handgun, 20 pounds of high grade marijuana in a suitcase, and more than $33,000 in cash. On another occasion in June 2020, agents seized nearly $60,000 in bulk cash from one of Tirado’s couriers at the airport in New Orleans, Louisiana.

When United States marshals tracked and arrested Tirado in California on March 18, 2022, Tirado admitted that he knew about his pending arrest warrant but had not turned himself in. A search of Tirado’s cell phone revealed numerous text messages, photos, videos, and other data demonstrating that until his arrest, Tirado had continued distributing bulk marijuana using couriers traveling on commercial flights to Alabama and elsewhere.

In addition to the 105-month prison term, United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Tirado to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Tirado to pay $100 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Roller and Deborah Griffin prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
 

Justin Pickens, 29, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for Interference with Commerce by Robbery and Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. Pickens entered a guilty plea to these offenses on April 24, 2023. 

According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, on July 11, 2021, Pickens went to the Circle K located at 5550 Highway 90, in Mobile, displayed a firearm to the clerk, and took $51 and 100 cartons of cigarettes. Pickens then grabbed the store telephone and left the business.

Chief Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock imposed an 84-month sentence of incarceration and a 5-year term of supervised release upon Pickens’ discharge from prison. Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered that Pickens pay $200 in special assessments and $491 in restitution.  

The Mobile Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Vicki Davis and Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case.

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 37 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

According to court documents, Frederick Oneal Knight, Jr., 34, was arrested by Mobile police officers on August 12, 2022, following a traffic stop of a car that he was driving. Knight admitted that there was a personal-use amount of marijuana in the car, which officers could smell. In a holster on Knight’s waistband, police recovered a Glock .40-caliber pistol equipped with a loaded extended magazine. Officers also removed two loaded magazines from Knight’s pocket. Knight admitted to police that he was a convicted felon, having previously pled down a first-degree murder charge to a felony reckless manslaughter conviction in Mobile County Circuit Court in November 2021. Knight also admitted that he was on probation for the manslaughter conviction at the time he possessed the pistol and ammunition in August 2022. Knight’s prior conviction rendered his possession of any firearms or ammunition illegal under federal law.

In addition to the 37-month prison term, United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose ordered Knight to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge DuBose ordered Knight to pay $100 in special assessments and forfeited his pistol and ammunition to the United States.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
 

MOBILE, AL – A Robertsdale, Alabama, man was sentenced to 25 months in prison for his illegal possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony.
  
According to court documents, Justin Shea Ulrich, 44, was implicated in a drug investigation when an informant reported that Ulrich was selling methamphetamine. Agents from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arranged to make a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Ulrich at his residence. Agents conducted surveillance to document the drug deal.
  
Agents then obtained a search warrant for Ulrich’s house. They seized additional methamphetamine and a firearm, described as a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol.  Ulrich pled guilty to the drug charges in state court, and the gun charge was brought against him in federal court in Mobile. Ulrich pled guilty to the gun charge in March of 2023.

United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose imposed the 25-month sentence and ordered that Ulrich would also serve three years on supervised release following his imprisonment. As conditions of his supervision, Ulrich will also undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse, and he will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that Ulrich pay $100 in special assessments. The firearm used during the commission of the offense was ordered forfeited to the United States.
  
The case was investigated by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Drug Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

United States Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced that United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced defendant Frederick Moore, Jr., 74, to 151 months in prison for Possession of Child Pornography. Moore entered a guilty plea to that offense on March 21, 2023. 

According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, on December 15, 2021, officers with Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) received a tip that child pornography was being distributed from Moore’s address. On May 4, 2022, a state search warrant was executed and Moore’s cell phone was seized and examined. Agents were able to identify approximately 540 suspected child pornography images, with the majority being toddler age. Moore was previously convicted Sex Abuse 1st on December 6, 1994. 

Judge Moorer imposed a 151-month sentence of incarceration and a lifetime term of supervised release upon Moore’s discharge from prison. Judge Moorer ordered that Moore pay $100 in special assessments. Moore will be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison and is to have no contact with minors.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources.
 

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced today to 231 months in prison for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) and Social Security Administration (“SSA”).

According to court documents and evidence presented at a three-day trial in April 2023, Kartarius Dewan Johnson, also known as Tareeq Akhil Anad, 42, engaged in widespread financial fraud and identity theft. Between March 2020 and January 2021, Johnson sought to defraud others of property and money worth more than $8 million using false documents containing language commonly used by sovereign citizens, a group of people who generally believe that the U.S. government is illegitimate and that they are exempt from federal, state, or local laws. Johnson contracted with third parties, including car dealerships in Mobile, Beverly Hills, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona, to purchase Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. He also signed a purchase agreement for a $4 million bayfront home in Daphne. To further his fraud scheme, Johnson mailed packages and sent emails to financial institutions and other individuals, in violation of the federal wire fraud statute. Johnson did not have the money to legitimately buy the items he sought.

Johnson also tried to fraudulently obtain SBA funds for COVID–19 relief and lied to the SSA about his U.S. citizenship when applying for a new social security card, citing membership in a fictitious tribe that is not federally recognized. In furtherance of his fraud schemes, Johnson illegally used social security numbers belonging to two deceased individuals. Records showed that between 2015 and 2018, Johnson improperly received federal tax credits totaling more than $800,000 for purported biodiesel fuel usage, which he spent on personal expenses, including a private jet membership, clothing, jewelry, cars, vacations, and child support payments.

In addition to the 231-month prison term, United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Johnson to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment, will receive mental health evaluation and treatment, and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Johnson to pay $310 in victim restitution and $1,600 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the SSA Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller of the Southern District of Alabama and Trial Attorneys Sinan Kalayoglu and Shai Bronshtein of the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Criminal Division prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

Theresa Louise Border, of Foley, was sentenced on June 14, 2023, to one hundred and forty one months imprisonment for methamphetamine trafficking. The sentence was handed down by United States District Court Judge Callie V. Granade. Border had pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Documents filed with the guilty plea established that over approximately an eight-month period in 2020, Border had purchased over 100 ounces of methamphetamine from a co-conspirator. Border also contributed money for the purchase of one kilogram of methamphetamine by the same co-conspirator however the kilogram of methamphetamine was seized by law enforcement before Border could receive her share. 

After the source of supply for the one kilogram of methamphetamine was arrested, Border cultivated another source of supply for methamphetamine in Pensacola, Florida. Border dealt with this source for more than a year until her arrest in January 2022. During this one-year period Border purchased one ounce of methamphetamine per week from the source. On January 22, 2022 Border was arrested by Baldwin County Sheriff’s Deputies after purchasing 4 ounces of methamphetamine from the source of supply. On this occasion Border and three of her drug associates put their money together to purchase the 4 ounces that were seized on this date. The three friends that contributed to the purchase included a co-defendant, Heidi Norful. 

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello commended the outstanding work of the federal and state law enforcement agencies involved in investigating this case and presenting it for federal prosecution. Costello added that the methamphetamine trade continues to destroy communities and his office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who choose to traffic the drug.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May. 

MOBILE, AL – A 46-year-old Jacksonville woman was sentenced this week to 51 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
  
According to court documents, Rebecca Russell conspired with her sister, Roseanna Taylor, to commit fraud using stolen identities.  Taylor worked for a medical professional staffing company based in Mobile from about May 2017 through January 2019.  By virtue of Taylor’s employment, she obtained personal pedigree information, including means of identification of certain medical professionals.  Russell obtained these stolen identities from Taylor and made various consumer lending transactions through mid-2020.  As part of the scheme, Russell used fake identification documents containing her photo along with victims’ personal information to obtain fraudulent loans for cash, at least one automobile, and other items of monetary value.

Russell was ordered to pay restitution to the victims of the fraud scheme in the amount of $127,663.26 and to serve a supervised release term of three years following her term of imprisonment.
  
Earlier this year, Taylor was sentenced earlier this year to 81 months for her role in the scheme and ordered to pay restitution. 
   
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The United States Secret Service and Mobile Police Department the investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Bishop Ravenel and Justin D. Kopf prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
 

MOBILE, AL – On June 1, 2023, United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer sentenced Carlos Dominick Balams of Mobile to 120 months’ imprisonment for robbery and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.

MOBILE, AL – United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer has sentenced to prison three of eight defendants involved in a series of 2021 arson attacks at Walmart stores in Alabama and Mississippi.

The court sentenced Jeffery Sikes, a.k.a. “Kenneth Allen,” age 42, to serve 216 months in prison.  Judge Moorer ordered Alexander Olson, age 23, to serve 180 months in prison.  Finally, the court sentenced Quinton Olson, age 22, to serve 36 months in prison.

According to court documents and testimony during the sentencing evidentiary hearing, these defendants initially resided in Kearney, Nebraska, and lived in Lillian, Alabama, at the time of the conspiracy.  Jeffery Sikes had entered a guilty plea to wire fraud in the District of Nebraska and absconded to Alabama with several co-defendants before he was sentenced in that case.  While in Alabama, Sikes led a conspiracy with seven co-defendants to set fire to Walmart stores.  The conspirators held a series of planning meetings in which they also drafted a document entitled the Declaration of War and Demands for the People that made various demands and threats against Walmart locations.  Alexander Olson and Quinton Olson participated in these planning meetings.  The defendants circulated this document to multiple media outlets to draw attention to the arson attacks.  Multiple conspirators set malicious fires at four Walmart locations.  Jeffery Sikes and Alexander Olson set fires at one Walmart location, and Alexander Olson was present during the malicious fires at all four locations.  At the evidentiary hearing, the Court heard from multiple witnesses who suffered the impacts from these fires. 
The defendants were arrested in February 2022 after a months-long investigation.  They pleaded guilty to participation in a conspiracy to set these malicious fires.
 
“These three defendants deliberately endangered innocent shoppers and destroyed millions of dollars of merchandise when they intentionally and maliciously set fires in four stores in two states,” said United States Attorney Sean P. Costello. “Setting fire to a business isn’t an economic or political argument, it’s a serious violent crime that has serious consequences.  These criminals were brought to justice thanks to the exceptional work of the men and women of the FBI, who demonstrated persistence, creativity, and professionalism throughout this complex investigation.”
 
FBI–Mobile Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown said, “Jeffery Sikes, the admitted mastermind of a series of Walmart store fires was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, which was double the recommended prison term under the federal guidelines.   This sentence was based on the totality and severity of the defendant’s actions.  Sikes will also be required to pay approximately $7.3 million dollars in restitution to Walmart.  This case demonstrates domestic terrorism continues to persist in a variety of forms.  The investigative rigor and professionalism of the Mobile JTTF and its partners brought this investigation to a successful conclusion.”

Co-defendants Erica Sikes, Jenna Sikes, and Mikayla Scheele are scheduled be sentenced by Judge Moorer on June 2, 2023.  Michael Bottorff and Sean Bottorff are scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, 2023, and August 24, 2023, respectively.

This case was primarily investigated by FBI–Mobile.  In addition, Mobile Fire Investigators, ATF–Mobile, FBI–Jackson, FBI–Omaha, and various FBI Headquarters components contributed to this investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Bodnar, Scott Gray, and Kasee Heisterhagen prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.  Substantial assistance was also provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska as well as the Department of Justice–Counterterrorism Section.

Dennis Elmo Haskew, 42, of Thomasville, has been sentenced to eight years in prison by United States District Judge Kristi DuBose for distribution of child pornography. Haskew entered a guilty plea to this offense on January 26, 2023. 

According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, Haskew created multiple accounts on the social media application SnapChat and used those accounts to send images of child sexual abuse material to other users.  A review of Haskew’s various electronic devices revealed that he possessed 793 still images and 6 videos of child sexual abuse material.

Judge DuBose imposed an 8-year sentence of incarceration and a 10-year term of supervised release upon his discharge from prison.  Judge DuBose ordered that Haskew pay $5,100 in special assessments and $15,000 in restitution to the victims of his crime.  Haskew will be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison and he is to have no contact with minor children.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources.

United States Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced that United States District Judge Kristi DuBose sentenced defendant Jose Fulwood, 26, to 12 months and one day in prison for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Fulwood entered a guilty plea to this offense on February 9, 2023.

According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, Fulwood was previously convicted of Attempted Rape Second Degree in the County Court of Chenango County, New York. The conviction occurred on September 22, 2017. In January 2022, the United States Marshals Service received a tip that Fulwood was living and working in Mobile, Alabama. Fulwood never registered as a sex offender in the state of Alabama. Fulwood had a prior conviction for failing to register as a sex offender in Virginia.

Judge DuBose imposed a 12 month and one day sentence of incarceration and a 5-year term of supervised release upon his discharge from prison. Judge DuBose ordered that Fulwood pay $100 in special assessments. Fulwood will be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.

The United States Marshals Service investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources.

On May 24, 2023, Senior United States District Court Judge Callie V. Granade sentenced Lavarance D. Nettles to 60 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Nettles had previously plead guilty to the offense.

Documents filed with the Court in connection with Nettles’s guilty plea established that on September 3, 2020, the Mobile Police Department Tactical Intelligence Unit seized eighty-four pills from the defendant’s vehicle. The pills were tested and found to contain fentanyl. Officers also executed a search warrant at the defendant’s apartment in Mobile and found hundreds more fentanyl pills. Officers also located and seized $64,990.00 in cash at the apartment. The money was previously forfeited to the United States as drug proceeds in a separate civil forfeiture action filed in federal court.

United States Attorney Sean P. Costello praised the outstanding work of the federal and local law enforcement agencies in bringing this fentanyl trafficker to justice and forfeiting the illegal drug proceeds. Costello stated that the federal asset forfeiture statutes present a powerful tool in depriving criminals of their ill-gotten gains. The statutes also allow most of the forfeited assets to be used to fund law enforcement operations.
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The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mobile Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.

MOBILE, AL – A Mexican national was sentenced on Friday May 5, 2023, to two years in prison for being unlawfully in the United States after having been previously removed from the country.

According to court documents, on November 7, 2022, the Mobile Police Department received a report of a stolen U-Haul car trailer and an attempted theft of a U-Haul utility trailer from an authorized U-Haul dealer in Mobile, Alabama. Officers from the Mobile Police Department responded to the scene and found Ignacio Gallardo Flores nearby. Flores was arrested for attempted theft of property first degree, theft of property second degree, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations of Mobile investigated and determined that Flores had been previously removed from the United States on two occasions. ICE also determined that Flores had been previously convicted of two felony offenses, including burglary of a building and burglary of a habitation in violation of Texas state law. ICE verified that Flores did not have any lawful authority to be voluntarily present in the United States when he was arrested by the Mobile Police Department for theft-related charges.
Flores was sentenced to a term of three years supervised release to follow his imprisonment. Upon release from imprisonment, Flores was ordered to be delivered to a duly authorized Immigration official for deportation consideration.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Kopf prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

On May 5, 2023, United States District Court Judge, Kristi K. DuBose, sentenced Justo Ariel Hurtado Gonzalez, a Dominican national, to 96 months imprisonment for smuggling 510 kilograms of cocaine in the Caribbean Sea. Hurtado Gonzalez had previously plead guilty to the drug smuggling offense.

Documents filed with the Court established that On March 4, 2022, while on routine patrol, a U.S. Maritime Patrol Aircraft detected a suspect vessel operating in international waters, approximately 52 nautical miles south of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  The HNLMS Friesland, a Dutch ship working in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard, (USCG) diverted to intercept the drug smuggling vessel.  As HNLMS Friesland closed in on the suspect vessel, it launched a smaller boat with a USCG boarding team to board the drug smuggling vessel. After boarding by the USCG, Hurtado Gonzalez made a claim of Dominican registry of the vessel.

The USCG communicated with the Dominican Republic, which denied the nationality of the vessel.  Consequently, the vessel was considered a “Vessel Without Nationality” because was the claim of registry that was denied by the nation whose registry was claimed.

The USCG boarding team found approximately 510 kilograms of cocaine on the vessel.    

Hurtado Gonzales was with another Dominican national on the drug smuggling boat, Jose Alberto Garcia, who also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing before Judge DuBose.

United States Attorney Sean P. Costello praised the outstanding work of the United States Coast Guard and federal investigators in interdicting and bringing these international drug smugglers to justice. Costello stated that the wholesale value of the cocaine seized in this case is conservatively valued at approximately 15 million dollars.  

The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard, and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May.
 

“The Justice Department is marshalling the full strength of its resources to confront the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons, which has devastated the lives of victims, their families, and entire Tribal communities. Addressing this crisis requires a whole-of-government approach, and we are grateful for the partnership of Tribal and other law enforcement agencies across the nation that are working alongside the Justice Department to help reduce crime and support victims in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”

– Attorney General Merrick B. Garland

“Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day calls on our nation to pause and honor the loved ones who have gone missing or who have been the victims of violent crime. Acknowledging the many American Indian and Alaska Native people who have suffered, and continue to suffer, from the pain of a missing loved one or of violent crime serves as an important reminder of the urgency and importance of the department’s work to respond to the crisis of missing or murdered indigenous persons. The Justice Department—including our dedicated agents, analysts, and prosecutors—remains steadfast in our pledge to work as partners with Tribal governments in preventing and responding to the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities.”   

– Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco

“The Justice Department is committed to using every resource at its disposal to combat the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Crisis. In addition to our core law-enforcement work, we are providing grant funding and guidance to help Tribes develop response plans for missing-persons cases, partner effectively with local law enforcement, and provide resources for victims of crime.”

– Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta

The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. Responding to the unacceptable levels of violence that have led to the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) is a priority of the Department of Justice every day.

The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort that takes many forms. One year ago today, Deputy Attorney General Monaco joined Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to launch the Not Invisible Act Commission, a joint Commission established by the Not Invisible Act with an essential mission — to reduce violence against American Indians and Alaska Natives. In February, they welcomed the first in-person plenary meeting of the Not Invisible Act Commission. Since then, the Department’s representatives on the commission — who are Department leaders and subject matter experts — have participated in the Commission’s field hearings, which will continue through the summer. Later this year, the Commission will deliver recommendations for addressing the MMIP crisis to the Attorney General and the Secretary. In addition to supporting the Not Invisible Act Commission, the Department remains steadfast in its commitment to addressing the MMIP crisis.

Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases

In July 2022, Deputy Attorney General Monaco issued a memorandum reiterating that it is a priority of the Department of Justice to address the disproportionately high rates of violence experienced by American Indians and Alaska Natives, and relatedly, the high rates of indigenous persons reported missing. The memorandum directed each U.S. Attorney with Indian country jurisdiction — along with their law enforcement partners at the Justice Department — to update and develop new plans for addressing public safety in Indian country. 

Publication of Updated Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance

In October 2022, Attorney General Garland issued revised Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance. The revised guidelines, which was updated for the first time in a decade, address when and how Department employees work with victims and witnesses of crime to ensure that their voices are heard and that they are protected during criminal justice proceedings. For the first time the guidelines include cultural and linguistic considerations for victims from American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

National Native American Outreach Services Liaison

Last year, the Department announced the creation of a new National Native American Outreach Services Liaison. Since that announcement, the Liaison has begun to help amplify the voice of crime victims in Indian country and their families across the Department as they navigate the federal criminal justice system. In the coming months, the Liaison will meet with survivors and family members of MMIP to learn more about the current challenges in MMIP cases and to make recommendations about the Department’s continued response.

Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and Respond to the MMIP Crisis

In July 2022, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior submitted a report pursuant to Sections 2 and 4(a) of Executive Order 14053, which called for “coordinated and comprehensive Federal law enforcement strategy to prevent and respond to violence against Native Americans, including to address missing or murdered indigenous people where the federal government has jurisdiction.” The report was published late last year and is available on the department website here.

Guide for Tribal Community Response Plans for Missing Persons Cases

In December 2022, the Department published a Guide to Developing a Tribal Community Response Plan for Missing Persons Cases. This Guide is a resource for Tribes interested in developing a plan to respond to missing person cases that is tailored to the specific needs, resources, and culture of Tribal communities.

Launch of the COPS Office Tribal MOU/MOA Resource Library

On Monday of this week, the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) published its Tribal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)/Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) Sample Resource Library. This library provides users with the resources to research and successfully draft agreements that will help agencies develop and solidify partnerships to address missing or murdered Indigenous persons cases.

Expanded Scope of the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Grant Program

The department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) expanded the scope of allowable activities under its Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside (TVSSA) 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 private search efforts for missing American Indians and Alaska Native persons in certain circumstances, and supporting efforts to coordinate the Tribal, state, and federal response to MMIP cases.

Government-to-Government Tribal Consultation on Violence Against Women

In September 2022, the Department’s Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) held the 17th Annual OVW Government-to Government Tribal Consultation on Violence Against Women in Anchorage, Alaska. OVW is responsible for conducting annual government-to-government consultations with the leaders of all federally recognized Indian Tribal governments on behalf of the Attorney General. The 2022 Tribal consultation report is available here.

National Institute of Justice Study of MMIP Cases in New Mexico

Last year, the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funded a study that will provide vital information regarding the prevalence and context of cases of MMIP in New Mexico and, importantly, will inform long-term data collection, analysis, and reporting strategies on MMIP cases. These improvements will support data-driven decision-making regarding MMIP in New Mexico moving forward.

Additional Department of Justice Resources

For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.

Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons. 

A former deputy sheriff with the Dallas County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office pleaded guilty today in the Southern District of Alabama for sexually assaulting a woman while he was on duty.

According to the superseding information and plea documents, on Jan. 30, 2020, Joshua Davidson, 32, while on duty as a Dallas County Deputy Sheriff, placed the victim in custody and drove her down a dark road to a desolate location where the victim performed oral sex on him against her will. The victim, who reported the assault immediately, was in fear that Davidson would shoot her if she did not cooperate.

“Law enforcement officials who sexually assault women and those in their custody will and must be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to take allegations of sexual assault seriously, and vigorously prosecute those who violate the civil rights of people in their custody and prey on vulnerable victims.”

“The people of Dallas County and the Southern District of Alabama deserve better than to have their rights violated by someone sworn to protect them,” said U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello for the Southern District of Alabama. “Working with our federal, state and local partners, we will continue to bring to justice law enforcement officers who become criminals themselves.”

“All law enforcement personnel who take an oath to protect and serve the American people must be held to a higher standard,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown of the FBI Mobile Field Office. “FBI Mobile remains committed to holding those who do not meet this standard accountable for their actions, especially those who wear the badge.”

Sentencing is set for Aug. 25.

The FBI Mobile Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Arrington for the Southern District of Alabama and Trial Attorneys Maura White and MarLa Duncan of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

MOBILE, AL – A  Mobile man was sentenced in federal court today on the charge of Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, described as a Glock .40 caliber pistol loaded with a magazine containing eighteen rounds of .40 caliber ammunition modified with a machinegun-conversion device, which had not been registered to him as required by federal law.  Sidney Rashard Collins, 21, pled guilty to the charge in August of 2022.

According to court documents, Mobile police officers were on routine patrol on Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile on May 15, 2022, when they saw bouncers at a nightclub there searching patrons prior to their entry into the club.  They observed struggle when bouncers attempted to search Collins, and Collins fled the area, jumping a nearby gate.  Officer approached him, and Collins ran west on Dauphin Street, failing to stop in spite of officers’ commands to do so.  The officers chased Collins and observed him pull a firearm from his waistband that throw it into the intersection at Conception and Dauphin Streets while continuing to run.  Collins finally tripped and fell, and officers detained him.  They also recovered the gun he had thrown into the intersection.  The police observed that the firearm was a loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol, which had been modified by the addition of a machinegun-conversion device, commonly referred to as a “Glock chip” or a “Glock switch.”  This device enables a Glock pistol to shoot automatically, more than one shot, without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger.  This device is designed to convert a Glock-style firearm to fire automatically, effectively creating a machinegun   A firearm equipped with this device is regulated under federal law and must be registered to be possessed legally.  Collins’ device was not registered as required.  In a statement to police made after Collins was advised of his constitutional rights and agreed to waive his rights, Collins admitted that knew the manner in which the firearm operated with the device.

United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer imposed a sentence of 70 years in Collins’ case, to be followed by three years of supervised release to follow his imprisonment.  As conditions of supervision, Collins will undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse, and he will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion.  No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that Collins pay $100 in special assessments.

Collins’ case was investigated by the Mobile Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michele O’Brien and Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Fairhope woman was sentenced to 61 months in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with her embezzlement of more than $286,000 from a real estate business where she worked.

According to court documents, Kelley Ann Kann, 57, was employed for several years as an office administrator and bookkeeper at a locally owned business in Mobile. Kann’s role, a position of financial trust, granted her access to the company’s financial information and payment mechanisms, allowing her to conduct financial transactions for the company and its affiliated businesses. In July 2018, Kann fraudulently obtained Capital One credit cards using the name, date of birth, and social security number of the spouse of the company’s owner. On recorded phone calls that Kann made to Capital One’s customer service line, Kann falsely represented herself as the spouse and provided the spouse’s personal identifiable information.

Between July 2018 and May 2021, Kann used the Capital One credit cards to make hundreds of unauthorized purchases of goods and services for her own personal benefit and without the company’s authorization. Kann’s fraudulent purchases included, among other things, clothing, electronics, food, furniture, streaming services, utilities payments, and vacations for herself and a personal associate. Kann then paid the credit card bills via dozens of unauthorized transfers from the bank accounts of the company and its affiliated businesses, causing a total loss of $286,307.73.

In May 2021, when the company’s owner confronted Kann about the theft, Kann wrote a handwritten statement admitting to stealing what she then claimed was only $20,000 and vowing to repay the money. Kann provided the owner with doctored bank statements that did not accurately reflect account balances and transactions. Kann later stopped reporting for work and did not repay any money.

At Kann’s sentencing hearing, the United States presented evidence that Kann had previously embezzled more than $50,000 from various employers in San Antonio, Texas. Additionally, the United States presented evidence that in December 2022 and January 2023, after pleading guilty and while on court-ordered conditions of pretrial release, Kann stole more money from an automotive repair shop where she worked in Pensacola, Florida.

In addition to the 61-month prison term, United States District Judge Kristi K. DuBose ordered Kann to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon her release from prison, during which time she will receive mental health evaluation and treatment and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge DuBose ordered Kann to pay $286,307.73 in victim restitution and $200 in special assessments. The court also entered a money judgment against Kann for the full amount of victim restitution that she owes.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello said, “Greedy, selfish criminals like Ms. Kann can’t hide when they abuse the trust of their innocent victims. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will bring to justice crooks who take advantage of their employers to enrich themselves.”

“By virtue of her position, and access to sensitive information, Ms. Kann violated the very trust that had been bestowed upon her by her employer,” said Patrick Davis, Special Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, Birmingham Field Office. “The Secret Service will always seek prosecution of those who exploit their position of trust for their own enrichment.”

The United States Secret Service and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
 

Stephen Richey, 69, of Daphne, was sentenced to 210 months (17½ years) in prison for production of child pornography. Richey pled guilty to the offense on January 12, 2023. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer.

According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, in April 2022, after finding inappropriate pictures of herself on Richey’s cell phone, the victim contacted law enforcement and an investigation began. The investigation revealed that Richey had taken numerous photographs of the victim. Based on the content of the images and age of the child depicted, these images constituted child pornography. Following this discovery, Richey was interviewed by law enforcement and admitted that he had taken the images of the child.

Judge Moorer imposed a 210-month sentence of incarceration and a 25-year term of supervised release upon his discharge from prison.  Judge Moorer ordered that Richey pay $7,000 in restitution to the victim, $5,100 in special assessments, and $40,000 in fines.  Richey will be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison and is to have no contact with minors.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Daphne Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Kacey Chappelear, Beth Stepan, and Tandice Blackwood prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources.

MOBILE, AL – Samuel Dixon, 28, of New Orleans was sentenced to six months of incarceration after pleading guilty to two counts of cashing counterfeit United States Treasury checks.

According to court documents, Dixon admitted that on February 14, 2020, he successfully cashed two counterfeit checks at different Walmart stores in Mobile, Alabama.  The counterfeit checks cashed by Dixon were created from a template based on a legitimate U.S. Treasury check stolen in 2018.   Counterfeit checks created from this template have been cashed over 450 times throughout the United States.

In the first instance, Dixon presented a Walmart employee with a counterfeit check bearing a female’s name identified in the plea agreement as “R. Smith.”   To verify that Dixon was authorized to cash the check on behalf of R. Smith, he presented a counterfeit Georgia drivers license that contained Dixon’s picture, but other identifying information belonging to a real male who is identified in the plea agreement as K. Smith.   In addition, Dixon provided K. Smith’s actual social security number.  Believing that Dixon was K. Smith, and thus had the authority to cash the check on behalf of R. Smith, the Walmart employee cashed the check for $2,195.00.  

Several hours later, Dixon presented a Walmart employee at a different store in Mobile with another counterfeit U.S. Treasury check bearing the name R. Smith.  This time, Dixon presented a counterfeit Virginia drivers license containing his picture and the real information of a male identified in the plea agreement as M. Smith.  After Dixon provided M. Smith’s real social security number, the Walmart employee cashed the check for $2,195.00.

In addition to the two counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks cashed in Mobile, Dixon also admitted to previously cashing two other counterfeit checks in Louisiana.  Finally, Dixon admitted that when he was arrested on unrelated charges in New Orleans in February 2020, he had in his possession five similar counterfeit U.S. Treasury checks.

“The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration aggressively pursues those who endeavor to corrupt Federal tax administration,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  “We appreciate the efforts of the Department of Justice in this investigation.”

This case was investigated by the United States Department of the Treasury – Office of Inspector General, as well as the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  Also assisting with the apprehension of Dixon was the Federal Bureau of Investigation New Orleans Gang Task Force.

Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Bodnar and S. Gaillard Ladd prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a machinegun that he fired during a shooting in downtown Mobile on December 31, 2022.

According to court documents, Thomas Earl Thomas, Jr., 22, possessed and fired a .40 caliber Glock pistol equipped with an extended magazine and an illegal machinegun-conversion device, commonly referred to as a “Glock switch,” during New Year’s Eve celebrations in downtown Mobile on December 31, 2022. The shooting, which occurred in a crowded section of Dauphin Street near South Jackson Street, killed one person and injured nine others. In connection with his guilty plea, Thomas admitted that he lied to homicide detectives about possessing and firing the gun, as captured on surveillance video. Thomas further admitted, among other things, that he had bought the gun at a gun show in Mobile weeks before the shooting and knew it had been illegally modified with a “switch.”

Firearms experts examined and test fired Thomas’s illegally modified gun, which operated as a fully automatic weapon and expelled multiple rounds of ammunition with a single pull of the trigger. Thomas admitted that he had never registered his machinegun in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by federal law.

Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24, 2023, and faces up to ten years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A federal jury convicted a Mobile resident this week for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) and Social Security Administration (“SSA”).

According to court documents and evidence presented at a three-day trial, Kartarius Dewan Johnson, also known as Tareeq Akhil Anad, 42, a resident of Mobile, engaged in widespread financial fraud and identity theft. Between March 2020 and January 2021, Johnson sought to defraud others of property and money worth more than $8 million using false documents containing language commonly used by sovereign citizens, a group of people who generally believe that the U.S. government is illegitimate and that they are exempt from federal, state, or local laws. Johnson contracted with third parties, including car dealerships in Mobile, Beverly Hills, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona, to purchase Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. He also signed a purchase agreement for a $4 million bayfront home in Daphne. To further his fraud scheme, Johnson mailed packages and sent emails to financial institutions and other individuals, in violation of the federal wire fraud statute. The jury reviewed bank records proving that Johnson did not have the money to legitimately buy the items he sought.

Johnson also tried to fraudulently obtain SBA funds for COVID–19 relief and lied to the SSA about his U.S. citizenship when applying for a new Social Security card, citing membership in a fictitious tribe that is not federally recognized. In furtherance of his fraud schemes, Johnson illegally used Social Security numbers (SSNs)  belonging to two deceased individuals. The jury also reviewed records showing that between 2015 and 2018, Johnson improperly received federal tax credits totaling more than $800,000 for purported biodiesel fuel usage, which he spent on personal expenses, including a private jet membership, clothing, jewelry, cars, vacations, and child support payments. At the conclusion of the case, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in fewer than twenty minutes.

Johnson will be sentenced by United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer in July 2023. Johnson is subject to mandatory two-year prison sentences for his aggravated identity theft convictions, which must run consecutively to any other sentence he receives. He also faces up to 20 years in prison for each of his wire fraud convictions, up to 30 years in prison for making false statements to the SBA, and up to five years in prison for making false statements to the SSA.

The FBI and the SSA Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

“This verdict reinforces south Alabama’s determination to hold criminals accountable for their greed,” said U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello. “Working with our partners in law enforcement, we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who victimizes innocent individuals, businesses, and taxpayers to line their own pockets.”

Paul W. Brown, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Mobile Field Office, said, "These financial programs are in place to assist people through legitimate hardships in their life. The fraudulent behavior in this case will make it difficult for true victims to get assistance in the future and should be dealt with harshly."

“The jury’s guilty verdict demonstrates that the criminal acts orchestrated by Mr. Kartarius Johnson are intolerable; and it now holds him accountable for his crimes. He not only made false statements to the SSA, but he also misused the identities of persons’ SSNs for his personal gain. He further defrauded others of money and property. I thank the FBI for working with us and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the SSA.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller of the Southern District of Alabama and Trial Attorneys Sinan Kalayoglu and Shai Bronshtein of the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Criminal Division, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile, Alabama man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

According to court documents, in March 2021, Joseph Gray unlawfully possessed a firearm after being previously convicted of three robbery offenses. In a separate offense, committed in April 2021, Gray attempted to deliver methamphetamine, other drugs, and various items of contraband to Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. Gray entered guilty pleas to both offenses and received concurrent 20 year sentences for both offenses. Once released, Gray will serve an eight-year term of supervised release. 

U.S. Attorney Sean Costello of the Southern District of Alabama and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.

Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Mobile Police Department, and the Alabama Department of Corrections investigated the cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Beth Stepan, Kacey Chappelear, and Scott Gray prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging three Alabama men with orchestrating an accounting fraud scheme at Austal USA LLC, a Mobile-based shipbuilder that constructs vessels for the U.S. Navy, including the Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Austal USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Austal Limited, an Australian company that is traded over-the-counter in the United States via American Depositary Receipts, as well as on the Australian Securities Exchange.

According to court documents, from at least in or around 2013 through at least in or around July 2016, Craig Perciavalle, 52, Joseph Runkel, 54, and William Adams, 63, all of Mobile, and their co-conspirators allegedly conspired to mislead Austal Limited’s shareholders and the investing public about Austal USA’s financial condition. Specifically, the defendants are alleged to have artificially reduced and suppressed an accounting metric known as “estimate at completion” (EAC) in relation to multiple LCS ships that Austal USA was building for the U.S. Navy. Suppressing the EACs allegedly falsely overstated Austal Limited’s reported earnings in its public financial statements.

The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly manipulated the EAC figures in part by using so-called “program challenges” – ostensibly cost-savings goals – but which in reality were “plug” numbers and fraudulent devices to hide growing costs that should have been incorporated into Austal USA’s financial statements, and ultimately reflected in Austal Limited’s reported earnings. The defendants allegedly did this, among other reasons, to maintain and increase the share price of Austal Limited’s stock. When the higher costs were eventually disclosed to the market, the stock price was significantly negatively impacted and Austal Limited wrote down over $100 million.

Perciavalle, Adams, and Runkel are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud affecting a financial institution, five counts of wire fraud, and two counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for the conspiracy count and each count of wire fraud affecting a financial institution, and 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Sean Costello for the Southern District of Alabama, Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southeast Field Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael D. Butler II of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office made the announcement.

DCIS and NCIS are investigating the case.

Assistant Chief Kyle Hankey, Acting Assistant Chief Christopher Jackson, and Trial Attorney Laura Connelly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Bodnar for the Southern District of Alabama are prosecuting the case.

If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. Victims can find case updates and additional information at www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/united-states-v-craig-d-perciavalle-et-al.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging three Alabama men with orchestrating an accounting fraud scheme at Austal USA LLC, a Mobile-based shipbuilder that constructs vessels for the U.S. Navy, including the Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Austal USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Austal Limited, an Australian company that is traded over-the-counter in the United States via American Depositary Receipts, as well as on the Australian Securities Exchange.

According to court documents, from at least in or around 2013 through at least in or around July 2016, Craig Perciavalle, 52, Joseph Runkel, 54, and William Adams, 63, all of Mobile, and their co-conspirators allegedly conspired to mislead Austal Limited’s shareholders and the investing public about Austal USA’s financial condition. Specifically, the defendants are alleged to have artificially reduced and suppressed an accounting metric known as “estimate at completion” (EAC) in relation to multiple LCS ships that Austal USA was building for the U.S. Navy. Suppressing the EACs allegedly falsely overstated Austal Limited’s reported earnings in its public financial statements.

The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly manipulated the EAC figures in part by using so-called “program challenges” – ostensibly cost-savings goals – but which in reality were “plug” numbers and fraudulent devices to hide growing costs that should have been incorporated into Austal USA’s financial statements, and ultimately reflected in Austal Limited’s reported earnings. The defendants allegedly did this, among other reasons, to maintain and increase the share price of Austal Limited’s stock. When the higher costs were eventually disclosed to the market, the stock price was significantly negatively impacted and Austal Limited wrote down over $100 million.

Perciavalle, Adams, and Runkel are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud affecting a financial institution, five counts of wire fraud, and two counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for the conspiracy count and each count of wire fraud affecting a financial institution, and 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Sean Costello for the Southern District of Alabama, Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southeast Field Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael D. Butler II of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office made the announcement.

DCIS and NCIS are investigating the case.

Assistant Chief Kyle Hankey, Acting Assistant Chief Christopher Jackson, and Trial Attorney Laura Connelly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Bodnar for the Southern District of Alabama are prosecuting the case.

If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. Victims can find case updates and additional information at www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/united-states-v-craig-d-perciavalle-et-al.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MOBILE, AL – A former Baldwin County pain doctor was sentenced today to four years in federal prison for bank fraud, making false statements to federal agents, willfully refusing to pay court ordered restitution, and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Rassan M. Tarabein, 63, a former neurologist and pain doctor in Baldwin County, pleaded guilty in 2017 to healthcare fraud and unlawful distribution of controlled substances. A federal judge in the Southern District of Alabama ordered Tarabein to pay more than $15 million in restitution to his victims. In early 2018, while awaiting sentencing in his federal case, Tarabein issued cashier’s checks worth more than $100,000 to himself without the court’s approval. Tarabein falsely represented to his probation officer that the checks were for payment of bills. Tarabein was sentenced to five years in federal prison in June 2018, but was released early to home confinement in November 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While on home confinement in Fairhope in 2020, and unbeknownst to the court, Tarabein reissued the 2018 cashier’s checks to himself. From 2020 to 2022, Tarabein made no payments toward his restitution obligation. Instead, the jury reviewed evidence that Tarabein had access to and spent large sums of money on himself. In December 2021, Tarabein fraudulently deposited money into his bank account using information from another account that he had agreed to forfeit and that had been closed years earlier as part of his healthcare fraud and drug convictions in 2017. Further, in early 2022, Tarabein made false statements to his probation officer in his financial disclosures while continuing to conceal assets.

In April 2022, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Tarabein at the Pensacola International Airport while he was en route to the Middle East. Agents found Tarabein in possession of, among other things, a $31,000 counterfeit check dated March 2022 from a victim business in Georgia made payable to Tarabein at his address in Fairhope. The counterfeit check bore the name and signature of a representative of the victim business, which had previously lost tens of thousands of dollars from a successful deposit of a nearly identical fraudulent check months earlier.

At today’s sentencing hearing, in addition to the four-year prison term, Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Tarabein to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to credit restrictions and will be required to provide financial information to the probation office. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered Tarabein to pay $425 in special assessments. Tarabein still owes more than $9 million in victim restitution.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello said, “Defendants who lie to the court and who conceal assets rather than paying the victims of their crime what they are owed will be pursued by the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners. Criminals like Tarabein will not be allowed to escape the consequences of their conduct.”

“It is apparent by the court record Dr. Tarabein had a willful disregard for the rule of law and the very conditions he was supposed to adhere to. I am proud of the diligent work of the FBI and United States Attorney’s Office personnel to hold Dr. Tarabein accountable for his actions and instill justice for the victims of his crimes,” said Paul W. Brown, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Mobile Field Office.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller of the Southern District of Alabama and Trial Attorneys Sinan Kalayoglu and Lindsay Heck of the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Criminal Division, prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Pensacola, Florida man was sentenced to 150 months in prison for a carjacking in Baldwin County.

According to court documents, Billy Joe Burns, 34, was arrested by deputies with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office on July 12, 2022, after he carjacked a woman in Miflin, Alabama, and led deputies on a high-speed chase that ended in Gulf Shores. Deputies initially encountered Burns as he fled from the scene of an alleged assault at a gas station in Foley. In the course of fleeing from that scene, Burns wrecked the car that he was driving in the front yard of a house on County Road 83. Burns got out of the wrecked car, jumped a fence, and fled into nearby woods toward County Road 20 in Miflin.

As a nearby resident rounded the corner on County Road 20 in a 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan, Burns emerged from the woods and carjacked her. Armed with a broken piece of cinder block, Burns threatened the victim, reached into her open window, unlocked the door, and pulled her from the van. He then took off in the stolen van on County Road 20. Deputies pursued Burns in the stolen van for several miles down the Foley Beach Express. Burns eventually wrecked the van into a bystander truck on County Road 8 in Gulf Shores. The truck was occupied by a couple and their two-year-old child. Both the stolen van and the truck were totaled. Burns attempted to flee into a nearby field but deputies caught up to him and took him into custody.

Senior United States District Judge William H. Steele ordered Burns to serve 150 months’ imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment, will receive mental health evaluation and treatment, and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Steele ordered Burns to pay $25,018.41 in victim restitution and $100 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 209 months in prison for committing several robberies, being a felon in possession of a gun, and brandishing a gun during crimes of violence.

According to court documents, Lindell Vantel Dortch, 41, committed a series of four armed robberies of a Waffle House and several gas stations in Mobile in September and October 2021. During the robberies, each of which was captured on surveillance video, Dortch wore a similar outfit  and brandished a black handgun. Detectives with the Mobile Police Department identified the car that Dortch used to flee the scenes of the robberies and later executed a search warrant at Dortch’s apartment in Mobile after locating the getaway car parked at the complex. During that search, detectives recovered the clothing that Dortch wore and the black 9mm pistol that he brandished during the robberies. In a recorded interview, Dortch confessed to brandishing the pistol and committing the robberies, which netted him cash and property worth $5,658.13. Dortch also admitted that he had previously been convicted of several felonies in Mobile County, including burglary, theft, assault, and drug offenses. Dortch’s prior felony convictions rendered his possession of a gun illegal under federal law.

Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Dortch to serve 209 months’ imprisonment and a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing, will receive mental health evaluation and treatment, and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Beaverstock ordered Dortch to pay $5,658.13 in victim restitution and $600 in special assessments. The court also forfeited Dortch’s pistol to the United States.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
 

MOBILE, AL – Former stakeholders of the China Super Buffet in Mobile, Alabama, were sentenced for harboring aliens who were illegally employed at their restaurant and subjected to hefty forfeiture orders.

Zheng Kong Zheng, 57, of Mobile, was sentenced on the charge of harboring aliens to two years’ probation, with the first six months on home confinement with electronic monitoring. Zheng was also ordered to forfeit over $500,000 and five separate residential properties, all obtained with illegal proceeds from harboring aliens.

De Yun Wang, 54, a Chinese national, was sentenced to one year probation on the charge of harboring aliens. She was also ordered to forfeit over $500,000 and five residential properties obtained with illegal proceeds from harboring aliens.

Kong Mei Zheng, 55, a Chinese national, sentenced for harboring aliens to one year probation, ordered to forfeit over $200,000 and a residential property obtained with illegal proceeds from harboring aliens.

According to court documents, Zheng Kong Zheng, and his sister, Kong Mei Zheng, owned and operated the China Super Buffet in Mobile until late 2019. Since at least 2014, the restaurant unlawfully employed aliens and housed them at a harboring residence owned by Zheng Kong Zheng and De Yun Wang near the restaurant in Mobile. The utilities and taxes were paid from restaurant bank accounts and the illegal workers resided there free of charge while they worked at the restaurant.

The restaurant operated for several years by transporting illegal workers in a passenger van between the harboring residence and the restaurant. The restaurant concealed the illegal employment practice and the presence of the illegal workers by paying them in cash. Their earnings were not reported to the Alabama Department of Labor while lawful workers’ wages were reported.

In September 2019, Kong Mei Zheng transferred her interest in the restaurant to her brother, Zheng Guo Zheng, who became the sole owner. Despite the ownership change, the unlawful harboring and employment of aliens continued. Zheng Guo Zheng’s wife, Yan Jiao Zhuo, helped manage the restaurant after her husband became the new owner and operator. While Zheng Guo Zheng was the owner, the restaurant applied for funding under Small Business Administration programs designed to assist businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant’s applications contained misrepresentations, including the omission of its illegal employees. The restaurant received a total of $445,307 in SBA loans based on the false information it had provided in its applications.

Co-defendants Zheng Guo Zheng and Yan Jiao Zhuo were previously sentenced in November 2022. Zheng Guo Zheng, a 67-year-old Chinese national, was sentenced to 5 years’ probation for illegal harboring of aliens, ordered to forfeit over $15,000 in illegal proceeds, the passenger van used to transport workers, fined $40,000, and ordered to pay full restitution of $445,307 to the Small Business Administration. In July 2022, Yan Jiao Zhuo, a 58-year-old Chinese national was sentenced to time-served for unlawful employment of aliens.

In total, the defendants entered into plea agreements with the United States in which they agreed to forfeit over $1.5 million in assets, including cash and the estimated value of the residences constituting illegal proceeds stemming from their convictions for harboring and the restaurant’s illegal labor practices.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations, the U.S. Small Business Administration - Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sinan Kalayoglu, Kasee S. Heisterhagen, and Justin D. Kopf prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

MOBILE, AL – Reginald McGhee, of Wilmer, was sentenced on March 3, 2023 to ten years imprisonment for being a felon in possession of firearms. The sentence was handed down by United States District Court Judge Kristi K. DuBose. McGhee previously had pled guilty to the charge.

Documents filed with the court in connection with his guilty plea established that on October 9, 2019, McGhee was stopped by a Mobile County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Deputy for a traffic violation. At the time of the stop McGhee had methamphetamine in his pocket. The Deputy also later found a loaded .38 caliber revolver and a loaded 12- gauge shotgun in the vehicle, as well as $728 in cash and digital scales used for weighing drugs.

An investigation by the MCSO Narcotics Office also linked McGhee to three loaded weapons seized from his residence less than three months earlier, which comprised a loaded Hi-Point 9mm rifle, a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol, and a loaded Taurus 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number.

McGhee had been previously convicted of felonies including Robbery 1st Degree and Receiving Stolen Property 2nd Degree, making his possession of any firearm or ammunition a crime under federal law. 

This case was investigated by the MCSO and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney George F. May. 

MOBILE, AL – A Jackson man was sentenced to three years in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft relating to his repeated theft of mail and use of stolen debit and credit cards.

According to court documents, Cary Letorle Wright, 44, was arrested on July 21, 2022, after law enforcement in Jackson located his fingerprints on several pieces of stolen mail found in an abandoned zip-pouch that had been recovered near a roadway and turned in by a citizen. The deputies who arrested Wright found a large pile of stolen mail in his car. Wright voluntarily turned over additional stolen mail and a stack of stolen debit and credit cards. The stolen mail traced to more than 80 residents of Clarke County and Waynesboro, Mississippi. In an interview with police, Wright admitted that he stole the mail to obtain debit and credit cards, which he activated and used at several local businesses. In connection with his guilty plea, Wright admitted that he defrauded banks and used his victims’ stolen means of identification to further his frauds, in violation of federal law.
Wright was on federal conditions of supervised release at the time he committed this offense. He previously had been convicted of a federal mail theft offense in South Carolina in 2016, for which he served a prison sentence.

United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Wright to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment, will receive mental health evaluation and treatment, and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Wright to pay $694.95 in victim restitution and $200 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The United States Postal Inspection Service, the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jackson Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.