Southern District of Georgia

STATESBORO, GA:  A Mexican national and 17 other Statesboro-area residents indicted in a sweeping two-year, multi-agency investigation have pled guilty to a multitude of charges, and now face sentences of up to life in prison.

The joint federal, state and local investigation began in 2015 after citizens complained about drug-trafficking and violent crime in Screven County, Ga., and soon uncovered a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana in Screven, Effingham, Jenkins, Bulloch and Evans counties, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Of the original 20 defendants indicted in September 2018, 18 have signed guilty pleas, one is pending an evaluation, and charges against another have been dismissed.  

The lead defendant in the case, Natividad Dias, 38, also known as “Nat,” “Nate,” “Amigo” or “Huevos,” pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. He faces up to life in federal prison.

Others signing guilty pleas to similar charges in the case include:

John Timothy Collins, 48

John Kenneth Joyner, 47

Palmer Alton Bazemore II, 51

Cassie Jo Barbee, 36

Jaime Elton Newsome, 39

Megan Nicole Bazemore, 30

Christina Elizabeth Davis, 32

Derrick Riggs, 42

Gary Paul Joyner, 51

Monica Isabell Jimenez, 22

Zackary Allen Durrence, 26

John Dillon Joyner, 25

Jonathan Travis Oliver, 36

Michael Shane Bishop, 44

Jonathon Evan Oglesby, 27

Alfred Anthony Woods, 28

Noah Quinn Pope, 25

Agreements from Oliver and Bishop also include admitting illegal possession of firearms that were seized during the investigation. The defendants face sentences of up to life in prison, and there is no parole in the federal system. Sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled.

“Securing admissions of guilt from all of the defendants in this operation represents an incredible, exhaustive level of investigative work from all of the partner agencies,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “The obvious payoff is that a significant number of criminals are off the streets and no longer peddling poison in our communities.”

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division commented on the pleas, “These guilty pleas are a direct result of the dedicated efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The distribution of methamphetamine continues to ravage many communities. The Statesboro-area communities are much safer because these drug traffickers have been removed from the streets.”

 “Homeland Security Investigations works diligently with our federal, state and local partners to prevent dangerous drugs and drug violence from plaguing our communities,” said Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Nick S. Annan. “This joint investigation is a perfect example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement agencies pool their resources and expertise to attack and dismantle criminal organizations engaged in illicit activities that pose a significant threat to public safety.”

This case is being prosecuted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, the premier law enforcement unit whose task is to dismantle multi-jurisdictional drug trafficking organizations.

The investigation was a joint operation of federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Participating state agencies included the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. Local law enforcement included the Screven County Sheriff’s Office, Sylvania Police Department, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Jenkins County Sheriff’s Office, Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, Evans County Sheriff’s Office; and the Claxton Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Marcela C. Mateo is prosecuting the case for the United States.

This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.

SAVANNAH, GA – With the final sentences now pronounced, the initial operation to help rid a historic neighborhood of violent crime and drug activity has reached a successful conclusion as cleanup activity in the community continues.

All 33 defendants charged in the sweep of Savannah’s Cuyler-Brownsville neighborhood have received sentences ranging from three years to nearly 17 years in federal prison, without possibility of parole, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Every defendant arrested in the multi-agency investigation pled guilty.

The investigation began in 2017 when federal, state and local law enforcement agencies responded to complaints from residents of the historic neighborhood about frequent gunfire, violent crime and drug sales and use in their community near downtown Savannah. Through extensive surveillance and undercover purchases of drugs and firearms, law enforcement agencies built a case that resulted in raids and arrests leading to indictments for drug distribution, robbery and illegal firearms possession. Officers seized dozens of firearms, body armor and quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, MDMA (ecstasy) and marijuana.

Notable sentences in the case include:

Leonard Washington, a/k/a “Guzzi,” 37, 203 months in prison;

Deandre Davis, 31, 188 months;

Tyrone Williams, a/k/a “T Y,” 42, 160 months;

Frederick Brown, a/k/a “Freddie B,” 36, 151 months;

Trishon Collins, 23,130 months;

Deonta Young, a/k/a “Fluid,” “Flow,” “Lil D,” or “D,” 27, 120 months;

Joseph Price, age 32, 105 months; and,

Dennis Grubbs, a/k/a “Lil Red,” age 33, 84 months.

In addition, each of the defendants will face periods of supervised release after completion of their prison sentences.

“These sentences bring a successful closure to the first phase of a significant operation aimed at eradicating violent crime in a community whose law-abiding residents deserve to live without fear,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “But completion of this operation doesn’t mean our law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are taking a holiday; it means we’re just getting started. We will continue to find, arrest, prosecute and remove violent criminals from all of our communities until no one lives in fear.”

“This case is the product of a concerted collaborative effort on the part of ATF and its local partners to target, investigate, and eliminate the perpetrators of violent crime,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The operation was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Savannah Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT) and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Gilluly, Tania Groover and Matthew Josephson prosecuted the cases for the United States. 

This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.

SAVANNAH, Ga: Two Brazilian nationals who used bank customers’ account information obtained by an ATM “skimming” device have pled guilty in federal court.

Julio Lopez Da Silva, 38, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, while Anderson Santos, 41, pled guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft, in U.S. District Court in Brunswick, said United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine. Da Silva faces sentencing of up to 30 years in prison, while Santos faces a mandatory two-year sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.

The two were named in September in a six-count indictment alleging their participation in a scheme that involved placing card-reading devices on ATMs to capture customer information, and then using the information to encode blank cards to withdraw substantial amounts of money. After the men were arrested Dec. 3, 2017 in Savannah, police searched a Port Wentworth hotel where the two were staying and discovered skimming equipment and nearly $20,000 in cash. 

The guilty pleas from Da Silva and Santos follow similar recent cases in the coastal area, all involving foreign nationals operating illegal skimmers. Adrian Burloiu, 39, a Romanian national, pled guilty Dec. 11, 2018, to possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices and now faces up to 10 years in prison. In March, Yosvel Licor Nunez, 36, was sentenced to 20 months in prison; Yampiel Granja Sotolongo, 35, was sentenced to 28 months; and Yoisel Pego Mirabal, 32, was sentenced to 27 months for their part in a scheme to operate skimmers that stole customer information at gas stations. All three men are Cuban nationals.

The cases were investigated by the United States Secret Service, along with the Rincon Police Department, Savannah Police Department, Port Wentworth Police Department, the Richmond Hill Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“These cases demonstrate the success of cooperative investigations by federal and local agencies teaming up against those who would attempt to profit from fraud and theft,’” said Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors working together will find these criminals, no matter their national origin, and we will send them to prison.”

“One of the top priorities for the Secret Service continues to be combating computer-related crimes perpetrated by domestic and international criminals that target the U.S. financial infrastructure,” said Secret Service Resident Agent in Charge Glen Kessler. “The Secret Service, in conjunction with its many retail and law enforcement partners across the United States and around the world, continues to successfully combat these crimes by working closely with experts from all affected sectors to constantly refresh and adapt our investigative methodologies.

“The Secret Service has taken a lead role in mitigating the threat of ATM and gas pump skimming as exhibited in these cases and we will continue to place a strong emphasis on prevention and education with financial institutions, retail partners and law enforcement, “ added RAIC Kessler.

For retailers and financial institutions seeking additional information on ATM and gas pump skimming, please contact your local Secret Service Field Office at www.secretservice.gov and ask to speak to the Electronic Crimes Task Force representative.

SAVANNAH, Ga: A physician with clinics in Pooler, Ga., and Braselton, Ga., has been indicted for illegally prescribing drugs to non-patients and ordered held in custody pending trial in federal court.

 Dr. Johnny Di Blasi, 46, of Braselton, Ga., is named in a nine-count indictment for Conspiracy to Unlawfully Dispense Controlled Substances (Oxycodone), Unlawful Dispensation of Controlled Substances (Schedules II and IV), and False Statements Related to Health Care Matters, said Bobby L. Christine, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration took Di Blasi into custody Christmas Eve at Miami International Airport while he was waiting to board a flight to Medellin, Colombia.

As described in a criminal complaint and subsequent indictment, Di Blasi, known as “Dr. Johnny,” is accused of writing prescriptions for narcotics, including opioids and amphetamines, to non-patients. The complaint alleges Di Blasi wrote the prescriptions through clinics he operated in Pooler, Ga., and Braselton, Ga., to individuals traveling from at least 11 states. In addition, the complaint describes Di Blasi as providing prescriptions for opioid pain medications and amphetamines to non-patients he met in restaurants and bars. Four counts of the indictment charge Di Blasi with knowingly concealing the fact that the prescriptions he signed were issued for no legitimate medical purpose and not in the usual course of professional practice.

The indictment alleges the illegal behavior took place for more than a year, with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration initiating a formal investigation in March 2018.  

“A key component of the opioid crisis gripping our nation is the supply chain provided by unscrupulous, profiteering medical professionals who violate the law while breaking their oath to ‘do no harm,’” said Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Even during the holidays, however, our law enforcement agencies and prosecutors will work to remove dangerous drug distributors from our communities, whether they are street-corner dealers or professionals in lab coats.”

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division stated, “The sharp increase in consumption of opiates being distributed for non-medical reasons continues to be a major concern. To help combat this growing problem, DEA and its local law enforcement counterparts will continue to target those who traffic these addictive pain medications.”

“HHS OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners round-the-clock to aggressively pursue providers who abuse their position of trust,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Providers who unscrupulously prescribe addictive drugs should know that our agents, no matter what the holiday, will continue in the fight against the opioid epidemic.”

Said Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team Director Everett Ragan, “There are a lot of good doctors who take their medical oath seriously. This arrest is a prime example that we will seek all drug dealers no matter the holiday or what their day job or title is.”    

An indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Josephson and Tom Clarkson are prosecuting the case for the United States.

SAVANNAH, GA – Three men, all illegal alien residents of the United States, have been indicted for plotting the murder of a whistleblower who exposed a scheme to fraudulently employ other illegals.

Brothers Pablo Rangel-Rubio, 49, and Juan Rangel-Rubio, 42, both residents of Rincon, Ga., and Higinio Perez-Bravo, 49, of Savannah, were charged in a federal indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Savannah, announced Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine.

Pablo Rangel-Rubio and Juan Rangel-Rubio are charged with Conspiracy to Retaliate Against a Witness; Conspiracy to Kill a Witness; Conspiracy to Conceal, Harbor and Shield Illegal Aliens; and Money Laundering Conspiracy. Pablo Rangel-Rubio and Perez-Bravo are charged with Conspiracy to Commit Murder for Hire. Pablo Rangel-Rubio also is charged with three counts of Money Laundering Transactions Over $10,000.

The investigation began with the Aug. 19, 2017 death of Eliud Montoya, 41, who was found shot to death near his home in Garden City, Ga.. Two days before his death, Montoya, a naturalized United States citizen employed by a Savannah-area tree service, had filed a formal complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that Pablo Rangel-Rubio ran a scheme to employ illegal aliens at the tree service, profiting from the company while also skimming pay from the illegal workers. Four months earlier, Montoya also had reported the scheme to company officials.

According to the indictment, authorities allege Pablo Rangel-Rubio paid Perez-Bravo to assist Juan Rangel-Rubio in killing Montoya in retaliation for reporting the conspiracy that is believed to have netted the brothers more than $3.5 million during the approximate 10-year period of the scheme.

“Eliud Montoya was a naturalized citizen of the United States who worked hard and raised a family,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “He went to the proper authorities to report a federal crime and for that he was murdered. Our office is committed to ensuring justice for Eliud Montoya, a man killed for doing the right thing, by those intent on protecting their illegal profits.”

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, the United States Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Garden City Police Department, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.

“As Homeland Security Investigations has stated repeatedly – HSI equally focuses its worksite enforcement efforts on those who illegally work in the U.S., as well as the employers who knowingly hire them,” said HSI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Nick S. Annan. “This case is an extreme, but clear, example of how far certain criminals seeking to illegally exploit the U.S. labor market will go to protect their ill-gotten gains, and illustrates why worksite enforcement will continue to be a major priority for HSI.”

“The FBI is proud to have assisted our fellow federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in making these important arrests,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Citizens who uphold the law and report criminal activity should never have to be afraid of retaliation from those intent on breaking the law.

A criminal indictment contains only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

BRUNSWICK, GA – Two dozen people have been indicted on federal drug trafficking and firearms charges related to a distribution ring operating in south Georgia and northern Florida.

A superseding indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Brunswick charges Robert Johnson, 52, of Jacksonville, Fla., as a supplier to previously indicted members of the conspiracy. During a search of Johnson’s home, agents seized quantities of multiple controlled substances including cocaine, MDMA – also known as Molly – heroin and marijuana, announced Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

The indictment alleges that Johnson was a supplier to the other 23 members of the trafficking ring, which distributed large amounts of cocaine, crack cocaine, MDMA, marijuana and other drugs throughout Georgia and Florida. The operation started more than a year ago as a joint federal, state and local investigation into violent gang and drug trafficking activities in Glynn County, Ga., led by the FBI, the Glynn County Police Department and the Brunswick Police Department.

In addition to Johnson, others indicted are:

Maurice Fields, 34 Brunswick, Ga.;

Eric Reneantonio Stuckey, 29, Brunswick, Ga.;

Javon Arashalla Newton, 30, Brunswick, Ga.;

Xontavious Dionte Hawkins, 32, Brunswick, Ga.;

Bronco Darelle Jackson, 33, Brunswick, Ga.;

Wilbert Lee Stephens Jr., 26, Brunswick, Ga.;

Zahria Jane Boston, 20, Atlanta, Ga.;

Andrew Riley, 45, Brunswick, Ga.;

Anthony Kanyatta Seals, 42, Brunswick, Ga.;

Michael Arthur Nixon, 59, Brunswick, Ga.;

Mario Capers, 37, Brunswick, Ga.;

Jose Salguero, 30, Brunswick, Ga.;

Jermaine Tyrone Fuller, 38, Brunswick, Ga.;

Derrick Bernard Johnson, 43, Brunswick, Ga.;

Alex Dion Manor, 46, Brunswick, Ga.;

Jimmy Bradwell Ferrell, 54, Brunswick, Ga.;

Malik Williams, 24, Brunswick, Ga.;

Reginald Andre Beckham Sr., 46, Brunswick, Ga.;

Jamal David Gaines, 34, Jacksonville, Florida

Elliot Loyranzy Armstrong, 45, Brunswick, Ga.;

Timothy John Sallins, 46, Brunswick, Ga.;

John Draxell Buckley, 58, Brunswick, Ga.; and,

Camron Thomas, 36, Brunswick, Ga.;

All of the defendants are charged with conspiracy, with some facing additional charges including possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Most of the defendants have been arrested and brought before a federal Magistrate Judge in Brunswick for their initial appearances.  Upon conviction, many of the defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison, and in federal prison there is no parole.

During the investigation, authorities seized significant amounts of controlled substances, along with an AR-15 rifle and multiple handguns.

“These indictments represent the third major takedown of a criminal drug-distribution conspiracy in the lower part of the Southern District of Georgia just this year,” said Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Similar operations in March and October netted 27 arrests for distributing poison in our communities, and we are committed to coordinating with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to make our neighborhoods safer.”

“The federal indictments in this case emphasize our commitment to rid our communities of the threat of violence from organizations who plague our streets distributing drugs,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Forces, comprised of federal, state and local law enforcement officers, will continue to commit extensive resources toward dismantling these types of organizations.”

“The Glynn County Police Department is honored to have such a great working relationship with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners as well as federal and state prosecutors,” said Glynn County Police Chief John Powell. “Working together we will ensure a safer community for our citizens.”

A criminal indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Kirkland and Marcela Mateo are prosecuting the cases on behalf of the United States. 

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

AUGUSTA, Ga: A federal jury on Tuesday, Dec. 11, found the owner of a Thomson, Ga., medical equipment company guilty of multiple counts of Medicare fraud and identity theft in a scheme that charged the government insurance program for items that were never provided to patients and never ordered by a physician.

Detra Wiley Pate, owner and CEO of Southern Respiratory LLC, of Thomson, Ga., was found guilty on 33 counts, including health care fraud, conspiracy to commit health care fraud and aggravated identity theft for crimes dating back to 2014.

The jury deliberated less than five hours. A sentencing date before Chief Judge J. Randal Hall has not yet been set. Pate faces a sentence of up to 10 years for each count of the indictment, plus an additional sentence of at least two years on the eight charges of aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial, from 2014 through 2016, as part of the scheme, Pate submitted thousands of false claims, fabricated patient files, and falsified prescriptions from doctors for items such as heavy-duty wheelchairs while providing much cheaper standard wheelchairs to patients – and pocketing the substantial difference in cost. The evidence further showed that Pate used the money she stole from Medicare through this fraud to pay for jewelry, including a 1.5 carat diamond and a Rolex watch.

“Health care fraud, particularly that which targets the insurance system for elderly and vulnerable patients, is despicable,” said Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Clearly, the jury saw the depth to which such fraud can reach in finding overwhelming evidence of guilt in this case.”

“Those who choose to defraud Medicare are stealing from federal taxpayers and those who count on Medicare for healthcare needs,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This conviction sends a strong message that the FBI and its federal law enforcement partners are committed to investigating and prosecuting those who, for personal profit, cheat citizens out of the services they deserve.”

“Criminals like Pate devise schemes they think will lead to boundless riches while sending the bills to taxpayers,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  “Instead they face prison time and banishment from government health programs.”  

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Rhodes and Thomas Clarkson led the prosecution for the United States.

AUGUSTA, GA – Indictments unsealed Tuesday, Dec. 11, in U.S. District Court in Augusta charged 20 people with violations of federal narcotics and firearms possession laws.

Operation 30906, which coordinated federal, state and local agencies through the U.S. Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhoods and the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force, targeted offenders in Augusta’s highest-crime area. The operation is in response to the U.S. Attorney General’s call to fight violent crime by finding and removing “alpha” criminals in communities suffering from a disproportionate level of criminal activity, said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine.

All of those named in the federal indictments have prior felony convictions and now face charges ranging from possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, to possession of firearms by convicted felons or those conducting drug crimes. One defendant also is charged with counterfeiting United States currency. Cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana were seized during the operation, along with at least 29 firearms and approximately $1,000 in counterfeit money.   

The defendants charged are:

Lequita Brady, 29, Augusta;

Jeffrey Brown, 46, Augusta;

Alphonso Burley, 27, Augusta;

Quinton Clayton, 24, Augusta;

Marty Copeland, 44, Augusta;

Adrian Curry, 39, Augusta;

Michelle Davis, 29, Augusta;

Jarmhal Gibson, 30, Augusta;

Drequan Gray, 24, Augusta;

Anthony Habersham, 54, Augusta;

Marquis Jones, 29, Augusta;

Charles King, 36, Hephzibah;

Dustin McClellan, 23, Augusta;

Von McNeely, 31, Augusta;

Keto “Silk” Morgan, 37, Augusta;

Matthew Nattinger, 39, Augusta;

Kaone Riley, 29, Allendale, S.C.;

Alvin Sturgis, 31, Augusta;

Tomario “Jabo” Thomas, 31, Augusta; and,

Dana Williams, 34, Augusta.

Additional defendants arrested during Operation 30906 face state charges, including aggravated assault, armed robbery, kidnapping and firearms offenses. Those arrested include:

Terry Stanley, 40, Augusta;

Shawn Khaaliq Holliman, 20, Augusta;

Deondre Ware, 25, Augusta;             

Marqueen Mays, 33, Hephzibah;      

Alvin Bell, 20, Augusta;           

Makale Austin Jones, 19, Augusta; and,              

Devonte Bryant, 19, Augusta.

“The law-abiding citizens of the 30906 zip code in Augusta are victimized by a relative handful of criminals,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “This operation is a vital step toward returning the security stolen by such lawless behavior.”

“The federal indictments and resulting arrests made by the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force, along with our law enforcement partners, is another example of our commitment to making our communities safer,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “That commitment doesn’t end with these arrests, as we will continue to devote significant investigative resources toward removing violent criminals from our neighborhoods, making them safer for law abiding citizens.”

Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Augusta Office of the ATF, said, “ATF will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stem the flow of firearms from legal commerce into the hands of convicted felons, violent criminal organizations or any person who has an intent to negatively impact the safety of our communities and neighborhoods.”

“The Secret Service was proud to partner with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and other law enforcement agencies to indict a group of individuals who preyed on the citizens of Augusta,” said Kimberly A. Cheatle, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office.  

“Through cooperation with local, state, and federal authorities we have been able to target violent offenders in South Augusta, an area that sees a significant amount of gun-related violent crime,” said Augusta Judicial Circuit District Attorney Natalie Paine. “This cooperation is the first step in removing individuals who chronically use and carry guns illegally.”

Sheriff Richard Roundtree emphasized that the No. 1 goal of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is the reduction of violent crime. “These indictments/arrests are a testament to the hard-working deputies of the Sheriff’s Office along with their federal and state partners,” Roundtree said. “The Sheriff’s Office will continue do everything possible to insure the safety/security of the Richmond County community and its citizens.”

A criminal indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Agencies participating in Operation 30906 include the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Secret Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Augusta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. 

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and, nationwide, serves as the centerpiece of crime reduction strategies developed by all U.S. Attorney’s Offices.

Assistant United States Attorneys Tara Lyons, Hank Syms, and Alejandro V. Pascual IV, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael Marchman, are prosecuting the cases on behalf of the United States. 

SAVANNAH, GA:  An Atlanta man with an extensive felony record will spend more than six years in federal prison for his role as a “mule” in a cross-country drug-trafficking conspiracy.

United States District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. sentenced Devin Renard Dabney, 40, to 81 months in federal prison after Dabney pled guilty to one count of possession of 500 grams or more of cocaine with intent to distribute, announced Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine.  Dabney also will spend four years on supervised release after his incarceration. There is no parole in the federal system.

One of 20 defendants in an extensive drug trafficking organization, Dabney worked as a drug courier in the network that spanned from California to Savannah. As outlined in court records and in various hearings, marijuana sales were used to finance cocaine purchases, with cash proceeds hidden in candy machines and shipped to hubs in Atlanta and California. Co-conspirators in those areas shipped pounds of marijuana and kilograms of cocaine to Savannah via U.S. Mail and in vehicles with hidden compartments.

As part of his plea, Dabney acknowledged that he was one of the main cocaine “mules” of the conspiracy, frequently driving to locations in the Atlanta area to pick up cocaine and then transporting those packages to Savannah before returning to Atlanta with thousands of dollars in cash. During the investigation, agents intercepted him on court-authorized wiretaps and seized more than 1.5 kilograms of cocaine that was attached with magnets and hidden in the rear fender wells of a vehicle he was driving from Atlanta to Savannah.

Dabney was in phone contact with several co-conspirators, including Karteau Jenkins, who is alleged to be the main source of supply of cocaine for the drug trafficking organization. Jenkins is alleged to have coordinated with Eugene “Poncho” Allen, who is alleged to be a ringleader of the drug trafficking organization despite currently serving a life sentence for murder in a Georgia state prison. Allen is alleged to have run his organization using smuggled contraband phones. 

Allegations and charges presume the defendants are innocent unless and until proven guilty.

“Clint Eastwood visited Georgia this year to film ‘The Mule,’ a movie based on a real-life drug courier. And just as the movie’s slogan says, ‘Nobody runs forever,’” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Drug traffickers deliver destruction to our communities, and our office is determined to flip the script on these merchants of misery and put them behind bars.” 

 A federal grand jury in August 2017 charged 20 defendants with drug trafficking offenses related to this investigation; most of them have pled guilty. During this investigation, agents seized eight firearms, more than 200 pounds of marijuana, multiple kilograms of cocaine, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.

“For a large-scale operation to be successful, it takes many people who all work at different levels,” said Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team Director Everett Ragan. “The same can be said regarding large-scale drug operations. Oftentimes, people are recruited into drug operation roles with a false promise to make easy money with limited liability. This is an excellent example of how that is not true, and hopefully will serve as a reminder that all members of a drug operation will be held accountable."      

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Chatham County Narcotics Unit (CNT), the Savannah Police Department, the Chatham and Effingham County Sheriffs’ Offices, the United States Postal Inspector’s Office and the United States Marshals Service. This case is being prosecuted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, which is the premier law enforcement unit whose task is to dismantle multi-jurisdictional drug trafficking organizations. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney/Assistant District Attorney Noah Abrams, and Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Gilluly and Frank Pennington. 

 

SAVANNAH, GA: More than 40 associates of the notorious Ghost Face Gangsters criminal street gang have been indicted on federal charges related to drug trafficking and firearms possession throughout eastern Georgia and beyond.

A 93-page, 83-count federal grand jury indictment unsealed Nov. 16 in U.S. District Court in Savannah lists the charges against 43 men and women for a multitude of offenses involving trafficking methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, announced Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Federal, state and local agencies cooperated in the investigation dubbed Operation Vanilla Gorilla.

The indictment alleges that the narcotics-trafficking conspiracy began as early as 2015 and continued until the present, operating in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Emmanuel, Evans, and Tattnall Counties, in the Southern District of Georgia, and elsewhere. Members of the conspiracy associated with the Ghost Face Gangsters, a violent, white supremacist street gang operated largely from inside prisons, and with other criminal street gangs to aid in the distribution of controlled substances, for protection, and to promote a climate of fear.

Operation Vanilla Gorilla represents one of the largest takedowns of Ghost Face Gangsters associates to date, and follows the March 2018 arrests of 23 gang members in the Northern District of Georgia on federal charges, and multiple arrests in October 2018 on state charges in Spalding County, Ga.

Charges against the defendants in Operation Vanilla Gorilla include:

• 25 counts alleging the possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute;
• 18 counts alleging the unlawful distribution of controlled substances;
• 25 counts alleging prohibited persons (drug users and/or felons) in possession of firearms and/or ammunition;
• One count alleging the unlawful possession of a prohibited weapon – a sawed-off rifle;
• One count alleging the possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number;
• 10 counts alleging the possession of controlled substances, including methamphetamine, heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana, and prescription pills; and,
• 2 counts alleging the possession of counterfeit currency.

The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of 23 firearms that were seized during this operation. The following defendants were indicted, all of them facing potential sentences of up to life in prison:

David McCloskey, 47, a/k/a “Larchmont,” of Augusta, Ga.;

Mike Penfield, 54, Pooler, Ga.;

Nick Penfield, a/k/a/ “Picnic,” 22, Pooler, Ga.;

Cody Penfield, 28, Savannah, Ga.;

Adam Cushman, a/k/a “Cush,” 39, Savannah, Ga.;

Devon Aines, a/k/a “Devon Johnson,” 32, Garden City, Ga.;

Trevor Aines, a/k/a “Sticks,” 29, Garden City, Ga.;

Avery Wiggins, 43, Guyton, Ga.;

Tyler Shuman, 25, Pembroke, Ga.;

Aaron McCarthy, a/k/a “Mustang Aaron,” 40, Pooler, Ga.;

Darren J. Driggers, a/k/a “eBay,” a/k/a “DJ,” 26, Bloomingdale, Ga.;

Crystal Wilson, 36, Bloomingdale, Ga.;

Cody Eubanks, 26, Pooler, Ga.;

Robert Fuller, a/k/a “Robbie,” 39, Richmond Hill, Ga.;

Baby Dwayne Garrison, 55, Bloomingdale, Ga.;

Jennifer J. Grooms, 36, Ellabell, Ga.;

Marcus Logan-Greco, 28, Richmond Hill, Ga.;

Brandon Chapman, 25, Savannah, Ga.;

Ronald A. Smith, 39, Newington, Ga.;

Kenneth I. Jenks, a/k/a “Juno,” 40, Savannah, Ga.;

Daniel Fleming, a/k/a “Baby Boy,” 32, Savannah, Ga.;

Andrew P. Campos, a/k/a “Chubs,” 28, Richmond Hill, Ga.;

Rodney Rose, 39, Bloomingdale, Ga.;

Cody Tracy, a/k/a “Cojack,” 33, Guyton, Ga.;

Joshua Mcnelly, 25, Savannah, Ga.;

Cynthia Miracle, 48, Ellabell, Ga.;

Dillon Myrick, a/k/a “Country Crack,” 31, Savannah, Ga.;

Amberly Knight, a/k/a “Tina Tinker,” 26, Savannah, Ga.;

Keri Ann-Marie Lewis, 28, Savannah, Ga.;

Waylon Jesse Hodges, 41, Pembroke, Ga.;

Christine Loggins, 43, Rockledge, Ga.;

William Frank Davis, a/k/a “Nitty,” 31, Guyton, Ga.;

Joseph Britt Carter, a/k/a “Crack,” 29, Savannah, Ga.;

Maurice L. Graham, a/k/a “Moe,” 45, Savannah, Ga.;

Meagan M. James, a/k/a “Meagan M. Cooke,” “Amanda Gail Page,” and “MJ,” 35, Alto, Ga.;

Shawn Hadden, a/k/a “Shorty,” 42, Bloomingdale, Ga.;

Christopher Hendrix, a/k/a “Hot Boy,” “Irish,” and “Conor Murphy,” 40, Helena, Ga.;

Elizabeth Kitchens, a/k/a “Liz,” 38, Tybee Island, Ga.;

Kerri Neely, 27, Savannah, Ga.;

David Rahn, 41, Savannah, Ga.;

Miranda Burnsed, a/k/a “Miranda Harralson,” 32, Pembroke, Ga.;

Patrick Kennally, a/k/a “Shifty,” 39, Bloomingdale, Ga.; and,

Kimberlin Johnson, 24, Rincon, Ga.

Of the 43 defendants charged, 41 are now in custody awaiting further court proceedings.

“When I was sworn in as the United States Attorney, I pledged that we would make neighborhoods safer and work hard to dismantle criminal street gangs,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “As this indictment demonstrates, we will coordinate with federal, state and local law enforcement to identify criminal organizations; we will target them; and we will dismantle them. The Ghost Face Gangsters is a gang that started in Georgia prisons. It has spread to the free world. It is my goal to end the gang where it started.” 

Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT) Director Everett Ragan said, “The Ghost Face Gangsters are no strangers to CNT and have been targeted in several recent high-profile CNT cases. This is a dangerous gang that promotes violence and profits from poisoning our communities. CNT understands that working investigations collectively with our law enforcement partners maximizes the impact, puts more criminals away, and is an overall win for the citizens we are sworn to protect.”

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Field Division said, “The mission of DEA is unwavering: We relentlessly pursue drug traffickers. This organization distributed dangerous drugs (methamphetamine and heroin) that caused immeasurable damage to communities in the Southern District of Georgia. This indictment is an example of how the law enforcement community and the U.S. Attorney’s Office work together to remove such criminals from our streets.”

“Without the phenomenal character and competence of the agents leading the investigation, this outcome would not have been possible,” said Tim Graden, Resident Agent in Charge of the Savannah Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “ATF’s Savannah Field Office and our law enforcement partners targeted focus on investigating criminal organizations and violent offenders has resulted in numerous successful prosecutions like this operation. The success of these investigations are easily substantiated by the reduction in violent crime and the increased community confidence in the areas where these criminals once committed their crimes.”

This case was investigated as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Chatham County Narcotics Team (CNT), the Georgia Department of Corrections Intelligence Division, the Savannah Police Department, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, the Richmond Hill Police Department, the Pooler Police Department, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Bloomingdale Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys E. Greg Gilluly, Jr. and Frank Pennington.

A criminal indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

DUBLIN, GA: A doctor convicted of falsifying medical safety examinations for commercial drivers has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Dudley H. Bowen on Wednesday sentenced Dr. Mark Griffis, 61, of Eastman, Ga., to 30 months in prison for conspiring to falsify Department of Transportation-mandated medical exams for drivers who hold commercial licenses, announced Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

Griffis was convicted after a three-day jury trial in June. Judge Bowen also fined Griffis $6,000, and ordered him to serve three years of federally supervised release after he completes his prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Jo Carol White, a DOT-approved drug and alcohol screener, paid Griffis to falsely certify medical exam forms at $50 each without actually examining the driver. This scheme allowed 271 drivers to renew their commercial driver licenses without undergoing the appropriate medical exams to assure their fitness to drive. Earlier this year, White was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for her role in the conspiracy.

“Motorists expect and deserve the highest standards of safety from commercial drivers who make a living transporting goods on our taxpayer-funded roadways,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Griffis violated the duties of his profession and made our highways more dangerous for no reason other than pure greed.”

“The sentencing of Dr. Mark Griffis demonstrates the commitment of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG) to pursuing fraudulent activities by medical professionals in the motor carrier industry who are willing to compromise the safety of the traveling public for personal gain,” stated Todd Damiani, Regional Special Agent-In-Charge, DOT-OIG. “Working with our departmental, law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, we will continue our vigorous efforts to prevent, detect and prosecute fraud schemes that compromise the integrity of DOT’s safety programs.”

DOT-OIG Special Agent Sara Oliver led the investigation of Griffis. She was assisted by investigators of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Georgia Department of Driver Services also provided assistance.

Assistant United States Attorney Karl Knoche prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

Brunswick, GA – A federal inmate already serving nearly 20 years on weapons charges will serve more time behind bars after repeatedly exposing himself to female prison staff.

Bruce Ferguson, 55, was sentenced by the Honorable Magistrate Judge Benjamin W. Cheesbro to 11 additional months in prison consecutive to his current federal sentence of 225 months, said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. Ferguson was an inmate at Federal Correctional Institute Jesup, in Jesup, Ga., when he exposed himself to a female staff member.

During his time as a federal inmate, Ferguson has racked up at least 10 previous disciplinary incidents, which included seven prior incidents with similar conduct of exposing himself to female Federal Bureau of Prisons staff.

“The honorable employees at our correctional institutions work hard every day and deserve to see prosecuted those who would victimize them,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Ferguson apparently has failed to learn what most others in federal custody have: He isn’t going free until his time is up. There is no parole in the federal system, and as long as he continues to abuse the prison staff, he will continue to spend more time in their custody.”

Federal inmate abuse of female staff members has increased in recent years, with more than 850 cases of exposure in 2016, more than 1,000 in 2017 and already nearly 1,100 in the first 10 months of this year.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Marcela C. Mateo and Special Assistant United States Attorney Katelyn Semales prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA:  A Savannah man with an extensive felony record will spend more than 15 years in federal prison for his part in a cross-country drug-trafficking conspiracy.

United States District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. sentenced Keith Jamal Brigham, a/k/a “Glock,” 44, to 188 months in federal prison after Brigham pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 500 grams or More of Cocaine and Marijuana, announced Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine.

Brigham has six previous felony narcotics-related convictions in state court. His latest sentence, however, is in federal court, and there is no parole in the federal system. His sentence will be served consecutive to a sentence for violating state parole. Upon release from federal prison, Brigham will be on federal supervised release for four years.

Brigham was part of a coast-to-coast drug trafficking organization that spanned from California to Savannah. As outlined in court records and in various hearings, marijuana sales were used to finance cocaine purchases, with cash proceeds hidden in candy machines and shipped to hubs in Atlanta and California. Co-conspirators in those areas shipped pounds of marijuana and kilograms of cocaine to Savannah via U.S. Mail and in vehicles with hidden compartments.

While on state parole for a previous drug conviction, Brigham served as a major cocaine dealer in Savannah for the drug trafficking organization. During the investigation, agents intercepted him on court-authorized wiretaps and seized more than 600 grams of cocaine from his residence as well as 1.5 kilograms of cocaine that was attached with magnets in the rear fender wells of a vehicle to thwart detection by law enforcement. Authorities also seized more than $17,000 in cash.

Brigham was in frequent phone contact with several co-conspirators, including Karteau Jenkins, who is alleged to be the main source of supply of cocaine for the drug trafficking organization. Jenkins is alleged to have coordinated with Eugene “Poncho” Allen, who is alleged to be a ringleader of the drug trafficking organization despite currently serving a life sentence for murder in a Georgia state prison. Allen is alleged to have run his organization using smuggled contraband phones. 

Allegations and charges presume the defendants are innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 A federal grand jury in August 2017 charged 20 defendants with drug trafficking offenses related to this investigation; most of them have pled guilty. During this investigation, agents seized eight firearms, more than 200 pounds of marijuana, multiple kilograms of cocaine, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.

“It’s astonishing that a drug trafficker could continue to peddle poison in our communities despite multiple felony convictions – but for Keith Brigham, that ends today,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Through coordinated efforts of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, we are determined to take these criminals off our streets and out of our neighborhoods.”

“Despite six felony convictions, Brigham chose to continue to plague our streets with drugs and the crimes that result from it,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “It is our hope that after more than 15 years in federal prison, without any option for parole, he will come to the realization that his actions will not be tolerated by the FBI and our law enforcement partners.”

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Chatham County Narcotics Unit (CNT), the Savannah Police Department, the Chatham and Effingham County Sheriffs’ Offices, the United States Postal Inspector’s Office and the United States Marshals Service. This case is being prosecuted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, which is the premier law enforcement unit whose task is to dismantle multi-jurisdictional drug trafficking organizations. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney/Assistant District Attorney Noah Abrams, and Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Gilluly and Frank Pennington. 

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

Augusta, GA – A previously removed Mexican national, recently sentenced to time served and released from state custody on traffic charges after a fatal vehicle crash into the Augusta Canal, has been indicted on a federal charge of illegally re-entering the United States prior to that fatal crash.

In an indictment filed Friday, Nov. 9, Eduardo Gonzalez-Frias, 29, was charged in U.S. District Court with illegal reentry after removal/deportation, said Bobby L. Christine, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took Gonzalez-Frias into custody upon his release from the Richmond County Detention Center.

Gonzalez-Frias initially was charged with vehicular homicide, driving under the influence and other violations after a crash in May 2017 in which his vehicle struck a guardrail on Interstate 20 and flipped into the Augusta Canal. Another occupant, Michael Botello, was found dead inside the submerged vehicle. After the charge of vehicular homicide was withdrawn when state prosecutors said they couldn’t prove Gonzalez-Frias was driving the vehicle, Gonzalez-Frias pled guilty to vehicle registration infractions and was released from jail after having served 16 months. Gonzalez-Frias still faces state prosecution for another DUI arrest that occurred a month before the fatal crash.

Gonzalez-Frias had been removed to Mexico in 2011 after having been found to be inadmissible to the United States due to falsely representing himself as a U.S. citizen. His federal indictment charges him with the additional crime of illegal re-entry after that removal.

“Our office is committed to ensuring that those who enter the United States illegally and commit additional crimes while here will be caught and punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “There will be zero tolerance for those who break the law to get here, especially when they further endanger our citizens with reckless or violent conduct.” 

Gonzalez-Frias was one of eight defendants for whom federal indictments for illegal immigration charges were returned this week. Southern District of Georgia prosecutors indicted just four immigration cases in 2016, and in less than two years since then, that number has skyrocketed by 2,600 percent with more than 100 cases prosecuted. 

A criminal indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Assistant United States Attorney Alejandro V. Pascual IV is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

WAYCROSS, GA --- The leader of a coast-to-coast drug trafficking ring will spend more than two decades in federal prison after sentencing this week.

Cedric King, 38, of Waycross, was sentenced by United States District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 22 years in federal prison for his role as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that operated in and around South Georgia, Northern Florida, and California, announced Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. King pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and will be subject to 10 years of supervised release after completion of his sentence as well as required to forfeit over $87,000 and two firearms. There is no parole in the federal prison system.  

During a lengthy undercover investigation, FBI agents and Glynn County Police Department investigators conducted multiple wiretaps to gather evidence and to dismantle King’s drug organization. The investigation revealed that King conspired with others to import large quantities of drugs from Mexico via California and distributed cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and marijuana throughout Waycross and surrounding areas.

King, one of 36 conspirators, was arrested in May of 2017 when a wiretap confirmed that he was about to receive another large shipment of drugs from California. Authorities intercepted the drugs in Jacksonville and took King into custody. The operation netted more than six kilograms of cocaine, large quantities of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, and several pounds of marijuana and methamphetamine, as well as several illegal firearms.

“Step by step, drug dealer by drug dealer, we will be relentless as we continue to identify and remove these violent drug traffickers from our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “With the outstanding cooperation from other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, we are united in our determination to disrupt and dismantle these poison-pushers and lock their members up.”

“Residents of Waycross can rest easy that a major distributor of drugs on their streets will no longer be able to burden their community with the crime he inflicted on them,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Division. “It would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of our partners in law enforcement. This sentencing should serve as notice to anyone thinking about following in King’s footsteps.”

Agencies that participated in the FBI-led investigation included the Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Probation Office, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the Glynn County Police Department, the Brunswick Police Department, the Ware County Sheriff’s Office, the Waycross Police Department and the Blackshear Police Department. The operation was investigated through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which is comprised of local, state and federal law enforcement agents.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Kirkland and Marcela Mateo prosecuted the cases on behalf of the United States.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Tara Lyons will lead the efforts of his office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for today’s Nov. 6, 2018, general election.  AUSA Lyons has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Southern District of Georgia, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day.

Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them.  For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).

The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on Election Day, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Christine stated that AUSA/DEO Lyons will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. 

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to voting.section@usdoj.gov or by filling out a complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.

United States Attorney Christine said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate.  It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA: A Savannah man will spend more than 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in a cross-country drug-trafficking conspiracy that distributed cocaine and marijuana throughout coastal Georgia.

United States District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. sentenced Aaron Craig Hubbard, a/k/a “Yup,” a/k/a “Yap,” 30, to 136 months in federal prison after Hubbard pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana, and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentence will be served consecutive to his sentence for violating state parole. There is no parole in the federal system. Upon release from federal prison, Hubbard will be on federal supervised release for four years.

Hubbard was part of a coast-to-coast drug trafficking organization that spanned from California to Savannah. As outlined in court records and in various hearings, marijuana sales were used to finance cocaine purchases, with cash proceeds hidden in candy machines and shipped to hubs in Atlanta and California. Co-conspirators in those areas shipped pounds of marijuana and kilograms of cocaine to Savannah via U.S. Mail and in vehicles with hidden compartments.

While on state parole, Hubbard served as a major cocaine dealer in Savannah for the drug trafficking organization. During the investigation, agents intercepted him on court-authorized wiretaps and seized nearly $100,000 in cash, multiple firearms, pounds of marijuana and other drug trafficking tools from Hubbard’s stash houses.

Hubbard was in frequent phone contact with co-conspirator Eugene “Poncho” Allen, who is alleged to be a ringleader of the drug trafficking organization despite currently serving a life sentence for murder in a Georgia state prison. Allen is alleged to have run his organization using smuggled contraband phones. 

A federal grand jury in August 2017 charged 20 defendants with drug trafficking offenses and most of them have pled guilty. During this investigation, agents seized eight firearms, more than 50 pounds of marijuana, multiple kilograms of cocaine, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.

“This operation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force is an excellent example of the success the good guys achieve when we work together as a united team,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “The coordinated actions of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors will continue to make our neighborhoods safer by hunting down violent drug dealers and sending them to prison.”

“Hubbard continued to distribute drugs on the streets of Savannah while on state parole, showing an intentional disregard for the law,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Thanks to the hard work and cooperation of multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies as part of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force, he will serve his entire federal sentence because there is no opportunity for parole in the federal system.”

“Those breaking the law don’t care about jurisdictional lines, and law enforcement agencies shouldn’t either,” said Chatham County District Attorney Meg Heap. “Our community benefits the most when all law-enforcement agencies work in tandem. This task force is the perfect example of why that is important. I want to thank all of the partners for their hard work in getting these criminals off our streets.”

Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT) Director Everett Ragan said, “This operation is a prime example of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies collaborating to dismantle a drug distribution ring operating in Chatham County and throughout the United States. CNT prides itself on our close working partnerships, and takes even more pride in putting drug dealers away for a long time.”

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Chatham County Narcotics Unit (CNT), the Savannah Police Department, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Postal Inspector’s Office and the United States Marshal’s Service. This case is being prosecuted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, which is the premier law enforcement unit whose task is to dismantle multi-jurisdictional drug trafficking organizations. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney/ Assistant District Attorney Noah Abrams, and Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Gilluly and Frank Pennington. 

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

BRUNSWICK, GA: The leader of a multi-state methamphetamine trafficking ring will spend more than 23 years in prison after sentencing this week in federal court.

Susan “Ma” Anderson, 67, of Hortense, Ga., was sentenced Oct. 30 by United States District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 280 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possession of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Anderson was the leader of a methamphetamine trafficking organization operating out of Wayne, Brantley, and Ware counties, along with other counties in north Georgia and north Florida. Anderson’s husband, Robert Ira “Pa” Anderson, 67, recently was sentenced to 120 months in prison for his role in the drug operation.

The Andersons were the last of 10 defendants sentenced to prison as part of a joint federal and state operation through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) that targeted methamphetamine trafficking in Georgia and Florida.

Evidence presented during numerous hearings in the case revealed that Susan Anderson was the leader of an organization that distributed multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine throughout the Southern District of Georgia, the Northern District of Georgia, and the Northern District of Florida. During a search of the Andersons’ Hortense, Ga., home, about 35 miles from Brunswick, law enforcement authorities discovered Robert Anderson had built trap doors in the home’s floor that concealed kilograms of methamphetamine along with 10 firearms and thousands of dollars in cash.

“This case provides another example of outstanding results achieved through joint federal and state investigation and prosecution of drug traffickers,” said United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Poison pushers in our community will be hunted until captured and placed in prison.”

Additional defendants previously convicted and sentenced for their role in the organization are:

• Kenneth J. Williams, 56, of Hortense, sentenced to 94 months in prison;
• Grover W. Herrin, 61, of Hoboken, Ga., sentenced to 90 months in prison;
• Anthony Joseph Parse, 32, of Jesup, Ga., sentenced to 75 months in prison;
• James Robbin Belch, 59, of Waycross, sentenced to 60 months in prison;
• Charles W. Merkle, 42, of Waycross, sentenced to 36 months in prison;
• Karen Moody, 49, of Nahunta, Ga, sentenced to 32 months in prison; and,
• Lemuel Henderson, 49, of Hoboken, sentenced to 15 months in prison.

In addition, Bonny Wyers, 35, previously was sentenced to 180 months in prison by United States District Court Judge Robert L. Hinkle in the Northern District of Florida for conspiring with Susan Anderson to distribute methamphetamine. 

There is no parole in the federal prison system.

U.S. Attorney Christine commended the work of the agencies involved in the joint federal-state investigation, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia State Patrol, the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bay County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office. 

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division said, “All participating agencies played a crucial role in the eradication of this criminal network. Anderson’s methamphetamine trafficking activities posed a significant threat to the quality of life in Wayne, Brantley, and Ware counties and surrounding areas. The dismantling of this dangerous organization makes these communities safer today. I want to thank our federal, state and local law enforcement counterparts and the United States Attorney’s Office, who had a direct impact in making this investigation a success.”

“This is one more example of drug distribution networks operating in rural Georgia getting a wake-up call from state and federal agents who partnered with local law enforcement officials to address community concerns,” said Jamie Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the GBI’s Southeastern Drug Enforcement Office. “These investigations are conducted jointly across the state on a daily basis by men and women from various departments who are committed to disrupting the clear and present danger drug distribution networks pose to our fellow Georgians.”

Assistant United States Attorney Tania Groover prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.  For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

Brunswick, GA – A former high school teacher and police officer has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for paying a 16-year-old boy for sex.

Tracy Wayne Crosby, 42 of Waycross, was sentenced Oct. 27 by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 128 months in prison for one count of sex trafficking of a minor, said Southern District U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine.  There is no parole in the federal system. In addition, Crosby will be required to register as a sex offender and, after completing his incarceration, will be on supervised release for 20 years. 

During hearings in the case, the evidence revealed that up until he was arrested in this case, Crosby was the criminal justice teacher at Ware County High School and a part-time police officer with Pierce County. Crosby used his cell phone to communicate with a 16-year-old boy online and agreed to meet with the boy to have sex in exchange for $30. Camden County law enforcement immediately responded and arrested Crosby while he was with the boy. Crosby admitted to federal agents that he had sex with the boy more than once and that he arranged to have sex with the boy online.   

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in connection with the Camden County Sheriff Office and the Ware County Sheriff’s Office.

“Crosby abused his positions of trust and betrayed his oath to protect our children,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Anyone who pays to have sex with children will be brought to justice and will face substantial time in federal prison. The United States continues its relentless work to protect our most precious and vulnerable citizens. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to rescue children and put traffickers and customers behind bars.” 

“Sexual exploitation steals the innocence of children, and the criminals who engage in these acts often inflict life-long trauma on their victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Nick S. Annan of the Atlanta field office of Homeland Security Investigations. “HSI is committed to investigating child exploitation cases as one of its highest priorities, and we deeply appreciate the efforts of our U.S. Attorney partners in this case to ensure this defendant will no longer be able to pose harm to children in Georgia, or anywhere else, for many years.”

Anyone who suspects instances of child sexual exploitation is encouraged to call 1-800-843-5678, which is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in partnership with HSI, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies. 

Assistant United States Attorney Tania D. Groover prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

WAYCROSS, GA: Eleven people have been indicted on federal charges for importing and trafficking methamphetamine throughout southeast Georgia.

The 17-count, 20-page indictment returned by a federal grand jury charges the defendants in a longstanding conspiracy to import and distribute methamphetamine, a deadly and highly addictive stimulant, in Laurens, Ware, Telfair, Dodge, Bacon and Coffee counties, said Southern District United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine. Multiple firearms were seized during the operation, and several of the defendants are charged with possession of a firearm while trafficking drugs.

Charged in the federal indictment are:

Enio Camacho-Pineda (31, Atlanta Area)

a/k/a “Tony,” a/k/a “Tony Montana”;

Ricardo Santana-Hernandez, (31, Mexico)

a/k/a “Richard Hernandez,” a/k/a “Armond,” a/k/a “Armani”;

Donna Bazemore, (45, McRae, Georgia);

a/k/a “Donna Spivey,”, a/k/a “Dirty D”;

Enrique Lopez, (44, Douglas, Georgia)

a/k/a “Ricky”;

Eugene Wright, (52, Millwood, Georgia)

a/k/a “Burt”;

Cristian Jesus Martinez, (19, Mexico);

Angela Hurst, (38, Douglas, Georgia);

Kristel Merritt, (43, Douglas, Georgia);

Ryan Bland, (32, Jacksonville, Georgia);

Angie McCoy, (24, Douglas, Georgia);

a/k/a “Angie Woods”; and,

Kenneth Woodrow Mancil, (53, Sylvania, Georgia)

With the exception of Wright, who is a fugitive, all of the defendants are under arrest and have been ordered detained until trial. Most of them have holds against them because they are facing deportation as illegal aliens, have pending state charges, and/or were on probation or parole at the time they committed the offenses. If convicted, all of the defendants face a statutory minimum punishment of 20 years to life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. 

“This case is an outstanding example of local, state, and federal agencies working together to identify and dismantle a criminal organization,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “There is a growing threat that methamphetamine trafficking will increase as crackdowns succeed against illegal opioids, but our law enforcement and prosecutors will slam the prison door on those who would distribute this poison in our communities.”

ATF Resident Agent in Charge Tim Graden said, “ATF is proud of the relationships that we have with the community and all of our law enforcement partners. This investigation is another example of the success that we can accomplish by working together. Reducing violent crime is ATF’s goal, and taking armed drug traffickers off the street is one of many methods that ATF uses to accomplish our mission.

“The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has partnered with local and federal partners to cripple drug trafficking networks operating throughout the state,” said GBI Special Agent in Charge Jamie Jones. “This should be a wake-up call to the traffickers that they are not immune from detection just because they operate in rural areas.”

“We appreciate our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners whose combined efforts have resulted in the dismantling of a dangerous and far-reaching criminal drug trafficking network, seemingly intent on setting up shop in rural Telfair County,” said Sheriff Chris Steverson. “I am thankful for the support provided in this case by the GBI, ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and I look forward to similar operations in the future.” 

Ware County Sheriff Randy Royal added, “I have always valued and appreciated the close-knit partnerships between our agency and our federal and state partners. The seamless takedown operation using Ware County Sheriff's personnel, Georgia State Patrol, and federal agents was a true testament to what can be accomplished when all of law enforcement works together in the spirit of brotherhood and cooperation.”

A criminal indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case, which is a United States Department of Justice initiative designed to dismantle large drug trafficking organizations who operate in multiple jurisdictions. This case also falls under the United States Department of Justice initiative Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program designed to coordinate law enforcement and prosecutorial efforts in order to remove violent crime from communities. The case was investigated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and the Ware County and Coffee County sheriff’s offices, with assistance from the United States Marshal’s Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Harper and Greg Gilluly.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

BRUNSWICK, GA: Two Glynn County men have been charged in federal court with selling the deadly synthetic opioid Fentanyl, including a quantity of the drug that killed a Brunswick woman.

In a federal complaint unsealed Oct. 23 in U.S. District Court in Brunswick, Makeda Atkinson, 44 and Donald Adams, 62, are charged with Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death and with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute a Controlled Substance. Both men are in custody while awaiting further court proceedings, said Southern District U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine.

According to court documents, investigators with the Glynn-Brunswick Narcotics Enforcement Team (GBNET) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation determined that Atkinson and Adams were selling heroin laced with Fentanyl throughout the Glynn County, Ga., area. During the investigation, a 32-year-old woman who purchased drugs from the men on Dec. 28, 2017, was found dead the next day in her parents’ home, and an autopsy determined she died from acute Fentanyl toxicity. Glynn County Criminal Investigator Stephan Lowery took the lead in investigating the woman’s death and, working with the FBI, linked it to drugs sold by Atkinson and Adams.

The charges against Atkinson and Adams call for a federal prison sentence of not less than 20 years to life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Our nation’s growing opioid crisis is horrific, as personified by this senseless overdose death of an addict whose drug-ravaged body was found by her 5-year-old daughter,” said Southern District U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Our office is committed to battling these self-serving merchants of death so that no other children have to lose a parent, and no parents have to lose their children.”

Chris Hacker, the Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said “This case is an example of a drug crisis running rampant in our communities, causing numerous deaths. The FBI is committed to doing its part, along with our law enforcement partners, to hold those who propagate this crisis accountable to the fullest extent of our federal laws.”

Assistant United States Attorney Greg Gilluly represents the United States in this investigation and prosecution.

A criminal complaint contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA: A career criminal with a violent history will spend nearly nine years in federal prison after sentencing this week for carrying a stolen pistol.

U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced Joseph Price, 33, to 105 months in federal prison after being convicted of Possession of a Stolen Firearm, said Southern District U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. After completion of his sentence, Price will serve three additional years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

Price was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for speeding in January 2017. While a Savannah police officer spoke to the driver outside the vehicle, Price attempted to drive away. When Price refused to stop, the officer used a Taser to subdue him. A firearm discovered during a search of the vehicle was determined to have been stolen, and Price, a convicted felon, admitted he had purchased the weapon.

Price has a criminal history dating back more than 15 years, including a previous traffic stop involving a stolen firearm, participating in a prison riot, and drug convictions.

“Working with law enforcement and other prosecutors through the U.S. Justice Department’s Project Safe Neighborhood’s program, our office will continue to remove violent felons from our community,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Career criminals who carry guns are a threat to the safety of our neighborhoods, and they will get hard time in federal prison.”

The Savannah Police Department conducted the traffic stop and subsequent investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Gilluly, Tania D. Groover, and Matt Josephson represented the United States in the prosecution.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA: Two Savannah men are facing years in federal prison after being sentenced this week in a cross-country drug-trafficking conspiracy that funneled major amounts of cocaine and marijuana to coastal Georgia.

United States District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. sentenced Edward “Skip” Tyler, 42, to 168 months in federal prison, and Ron Allen, a/k/a “Ron Low,” 41, to 84 months in prison, to be served consecutive to other criminal convictions in state court, said Southern District U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. There is no parole in the federal system, and after their release from prison Tyler and Allen will be on supervised federal release for three years.

Tyler and Allen were part of an illegal drug trafficking organization distributing cocaine and marijuana in Savannah and beyond. As outlined in court records and in various hearings, marijuana sales were used to finance cocaine purchases, with cash proceeds hidden in candy machines and shipped to hubs in Atlanta and California. Co-conspirators in those areas shipped to Savannah via U.S. Mail and in vehicles with hidden compartments.

Tyler, who has an extensive record of violence, including drug and gun crimes, served as one of the main cocaine traffickers for the organization. During the investigation, officers observed Tyler conducting a cocaine deal in the parking lot of a Savannah business while carrying a female child. He was on state probation at the time; he pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute, and is awaiting sentencing.

Allen, who was on federal court supervision after release from prison on a previous drug trafficking conviction, served as a major marijuana dealer for the organization.  He also supervised the transport of money to conspirators in other states and was in frequent contact with his inmate relative and co-conspirator, Eugene Allen, a/k/a “Poncho,” who is alleged to be a ringleader of this organization. Eugene Allen is serving a life sentence for murder in a Georgia Department of Corrections facility and is alleged to have run his organization using phones smuggled into prison.

In addition to Ron Allen’s 84-month sentence for his guilty plea on the charge of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, he is facing revocation of his federal supervised release and additional time in prison.

This investigation culminated in the August 2017 indictments by a federal grand jury that charged 20 defendants with drug trafficking offenses. Most of them have pled guilty. In this investigation, agents seized eight firearms, more than 200 pounds of marijuana, multiple kilograms of cocaine, and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“This operation exemplifies the united front of state and federal investigators and prosecutors in combatting major drug trafficking organizations,” said United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “The lead prosecutor on this case is Special Assistant United States Attorney Noah Abrams, who also serves as a state prosecutor from the Savannah District Attorney’s Office. Abrams worked in a federal capacity along with another federal prosecutor to dismantle this organization, throwing a wide net that not only took down drug traffickers in Savannah but led to the arrests of suppliers in California and Atlanta.”

“Our office appreciates the opportunity to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in getting these violent offenders off the streets of Savannah,” said District Attorney Meg Heap. “This case is just one example of how agency partnerships can be successful in using the full weight of the law to reduce crime in our community.”

“These sentences are the result of the hard work and cooperation of multiple federal state and local law enforcement agencies, as part of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “As a result, two drug dealers, who were part of a larger organization that spread illicit drugs on our streets, will spend significant time in prison.”

Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team Director Everett Ragan said, “CNT takes great pride in dismantling drug organizations operating in Chatham County. We equally appreciate our close working partnerships with state and federal counterparts. This operation should serve as a reminder to all drug dealers, large or small, that law enforcement and prosecutors will stand united to ensure our communities are safe.”

This investigation was led by the FBI Southeast Violent Crimes Task Force and the Chatham County Narcotics Team (CNT), with the Savannah Police Department, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Postal Inspector’s Office, and the United States Marshal’s Service. This case is being prosecuted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, which is the premier law enforcement unit whose task is to dismantle multi-jurisdictional drug trafficking organizations. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney/Assistant District Attorney Noah Abrams, and Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Gilluly and Frank Pennington. 

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

After any natural disaster, scam artists come out of the woodwork to exploit people at a vulnerable time – stealing their money and their identity and often preventing them from getting the real help they need.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice established the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF), a national coordinating agency that improves detection, prevention, investigation and prosecution of fraud related to natural and man-made disasters, to serve as an advocate for victims of fraud, and to dissuade potential fraudsters. The NCDF serves as a centralized clearinghouse for disaster fraud complaints and provides a nationwide call center that takes calls from members of the public and encourages them to report all types of disaster fraud.

“The aftermath of any disaster is a difficult enough time for families without being faced with the stress of dealing with rip-off artists looking for ways to steal their money,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Residents should report any potential fraud not only so we can put a stop to the fraudsters, but also so we can protect other citizens from them.”  

Members of the public are reminded to be extremely cautious before providing personal identifying or financial information to anyone, especially those who may contact you after a natural disaster. They are also reminded to report suspected waste, fraud, abuse, or allegations of criminal conduct. If members of the public believe they have been the victim of fraud from a person or organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of disaster victims, they are strongly encouraged to contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline toll free at 866-720-5721.   

The telephone line is staffed by live operators 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To learn more about the NCDF please visit the website at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud and watch a public service announcement here. 

SAVANNAH, GA: Arena Event Services, Inc., which does business as Arena Americas, has agreed to a settlement with the United States to resolve allegations that it wrongfully obtained small business set-aside contracts with the Department of Defense.

According to the settlement agreement, the United States contends that Arena Americas worked with Military Training Solutions, LLC (“MTS”) to obtain small business defense contracts that were supposed to be performed by MTS, but in reality were performed by Arena Americas. As a result of this scheme, which was perpetuated at Fort Stewart, Ga., and at other military installations across the United States, millions of dollars in defense contracts wrongfully were awarded to Arena Americas instead of legitimate small businesses.

“This settlement represents a dedicated effort to protect the taxpayers so we can be sure that those who do business with government agencies, particularly the military, do so entirely above board,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not tolerate any attempts to illegally exploit the system for a company’s personal advantage.”

Congress mandates that a certain amount of government contracts go to small businesses as a way to encourage small business growth. These contracts prohibit the small business from being affiliated with a non-small business, while also limiting the amount of work that can be subcontracted to a non-small business.

Through its investigation under the False Claims Act, the United States determined that Arena Americas paid MTS to bid on and obtain small business contracts that ultimately would be performed by Arena Americas. MTS previously entered into a settlement agreement with the United States to resolve its liability under the False Claims Act, and MTS owner Robert Obradovich pled guilty to one felony count of receiving unlawful kickbacks in a similar scheme.

“This issue was run to ground by the diligent efforts of our special agents along with our federal law enforcement partners," said Frank Robey, director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit. “We are very pleased with this civil settlement agreement pertaining to AES.  This should be a clear indicator to others who might try to manipulate government contracts and requirements: No matter how deep one tries to bury the evidence, we will find it.”

“This settlement is the result of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) commitment to ensuring that American tax dollars spent in support of Department of Defense programs and missions are protected from fraud throughout the procurement process,” said Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin of the DCIS Southeast Field Office. “DCIS and our partnering investigative agencies continue to work tirelessly to investigate the misuse and abuse of contracting methods that ultimately undermines the mission of our warfighters.”

“This settlement sends a strong message that lying to gain access to the Small Business Administration’s preferential contracting programs will be met with justice,” said SBA Office of Inspector General Eastern Region Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kupperbusch. “SBA’s preferential contracting programs are intended to promote the economy and grow and develop small businesses across the nation. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney's Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and hard work throughout this investigation.”

Christopher Pilkerton, General Counsel for the SBA, added, “The outcome in this case is the product of the enhanced enforcement efforts by federal agencies, such as the Small Business Administration, working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its Joint Procurement Fraud Strike Force, as well as other Federal law enforcement agencies to detect procurement fraud and prosecute those individuals and companies that engage in such activity. These efforts will continue to ensure appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.”

The Arena Americas settlement resulted from work of the Southern District of Georgia’s Procurement Fraud Task Force, which investigates fraud at military bases in the Southern District of Georgia. The Procurement Fraud Task Force previously has been responsible for numerous criminal prosecutions and civil settlements from fraud arising out of Fort Stewart, Fort Gordon, Hunter Army Air Field, and the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. If you have information about any individual or entity that you believe may be engaging in fraud at a military base, please contact Assistant United States Attorney J. Thomas Clarkson at 912-652-4422.

The claims resolved by the settlement agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine commended the hard work and dedication of the United States’ investigatory team, which was led by Special Agent Bryan Cofer of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, Special Agent Randall Temples of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Special Agent Daniel Chase of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Command.

Assistant United States Attorneys J. Thomas Clarkson and Jonathan A. Porter represented the United States in this investigation and settlement.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA: Eleven members of a drug-trafficking organization face long federal prison sentences after the successful completion of Operation High Rollers, a multi-year investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) into the multi-state drug distribution and money-laundering conspiracy.

More than $135,000 and a significant amount of marijuana was seized during the investigation.

The 11 defendants were part of a cartel that purchased marijuana in Texas and California and shipped it to Savannah, Statesboro and other parts of the country for sale. To conduct their illicit transactions, the drug trafficking organization laundered more than $8 million in illegal proceeds through multiple banks using deposits and withdrawals structured to conceal them from detection.

Since their indictments in December 2016 on charges of conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana and conspiracy to engage in money laundering, all 11 have pled guilty and have now been sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. Sentenced in the operation are:

• Lametheus Terence Douglas, sentenced to 188 months in prison;
• Kai Jacobie Bolden, sentenced to 120 months in prison;
• Deshawn Binah Reilley, sentenced to 200 months in prison;
• Larry Turner Douglas Jr., sentenced to 30 months in prison;
• Curel Taylor Reilley, sentenced to 24 months in prison;
• Samory Toure Williams, sentenced to 87 months in prison;
• Jovan Antuan Myrick, sentenced to 30 months in prison;
• Delmus Lockhart Jr., sentenced to 37 months in prison;
• Brian Donivan Ulmer, sentenced to 46 months in prison;
• Vicobri Roykiam Miller, sentenced to 78 months in prison; and,
• Darvin Esquire Strand Jr., sentenced to 60 months in prison.
   

In addition, Judge Moore also sentenced each defendant to three to five years of supervised release following completion of their prison terms. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

“This was a far-reaching, complex conspiracy to spread illegal drugs across the nation, and this operation to dismantle the conspiracy demonstrates the dedication and determination of our law enforcement officers and prosecutors,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “But no matter how hard these drug traffickers try to hide their activities, we will find them, shut them down and put them in prison.”

Personnel participating in Operation High Rollers included those from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“Removing dangerous drugs from the streets and hitting drug traffickers in their pockets are both integral parts of dismantling sophisticated drug distribution networks, as was the case in this investigation,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Atlanta Field Division. “Their money is their lifeline and without it, their drug distribution activities cannot survive. This investigation was a success because of the fine police work conducted by a collection of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” 

Assistant United States Attorneys Karl I. Knoche and Matthew Josephson represented the United States in this investigation and prosecution.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422

WASHINGTON – Southern District U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine joined the Department of Justice in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident, including $306,911 for Chatham County and $187,500 for the Savannah-Chatham Board of Education Police Department.

These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.

“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”

“Our office is dedicated to eliminating violent crime throughout the Southern District of Georgia, and early intervention is a key component of reducing violence,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District. “These substantial grants will provide valuable assistance in Savannah-Chatham as we work to make our schools safer and thus help make all our communities safer.”

The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.

• The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency. Chatham County is receiving $306,911 from this program.
• BJA’s STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million, including the $187,500 award to Savannah-Chatham schools.
• The STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, also managed by BJA, will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.

The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.

The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program.  These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system.  This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.

The Department is also investing more than $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.  

For addition information on these grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

WASHINGTON – Southern District U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine joined the Department of Justice in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident, including $250,000 for the Richmond County Board of Education.

These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.

“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”

“Our office is dedicated to eliminating violent crime throughout the Southern District of Georgia, and early intervention is a key component of reducing violence,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District. “This substantial grant will provide valuable assistance in Richmond County as we work to make our schools safer and thus help make all our communities safer.”

The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.

• BJA’s STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million, including the award to Richmond County schools.
• The STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, also managed by BJA, will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
• The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.

The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.

The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program.  These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system.  This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.

The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.  

For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

WASHINGTON – Southern District U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine joined the Department of Justice in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident, including $468,537 for a partnership of Coffee County agencies including the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas Police Department, Wiregrass Technical College Police Department, the Coffee County School System and two private schools.

These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.

“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”

“Our office is dedicated to eliminating violent crime throughout the Southern District of Georgia, and early intervention is a key component of reducing violence,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District. “This substantial grant will provide valuable assistance in Coffee County as we work to make our schools safer and thus help make all our communities safer.”

The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.

• The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions, including Coffee County, for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
• BJA’s STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
• The STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, also managed by BJA, will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.

The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.

The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program.  These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system.  This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.

The Department is also investing more than $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.  

For addition information on these grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA: Two cocaine dealers with lengthy criminal histories will spend more than a decade in prison after recent sentencing in federal court.

Anderson Holmes, 50, of Savannah, was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison, and Ronnie Cope, 38, of Guyton, Ga., was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison during sentencing Sept. 27 by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood. The two were sentenced after entering guilty pleas on charges of Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine with Intent to Distribute and Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine. Both Holmes and Cope will be on supervised release for three years after their prison terms end; there is no parole in the federal system. 

Holmes, whose criminal history spans more than 30 years and includes five prior felony convictions, and Cope, who has a criminal history of more than 19 years with four prior felony convictions, are among more than 30 defendants convicted in Operation Lazarus. This joint federal and state investigation determined that members of a drug trafficking organization were transporting cocaine, via tractor-trailer, to Savannah from Texas and elsewhere. Once the cocaine reached Savannah, the drug traffickers would distribute and sell the drugs throughout the Southern District of Georgia. 

Operation Lazarus has sent dozens of convicted drug dealers to prison for conspiracy to traffic cocaine, including local minister Cedric Manior, sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, and Trevor Walker, sentenced to 144 months in prison. During the investigation, agents seized dozens of firearms, kilograms of cocaine and significant amounts of MDMA (“ecstasy”), marijuana and other controlled substances.

“These sentences should serve as a stern warning to illegal drug dealers,” said United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Our law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are united in our determination to make our communities safer, and long prison sentences await those who would push poison for their own profit.”

“Drug traffickers who distribute illegal and dangerous drugs are a true menace to society,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “These cocaine distributors will spend well-deserved time in prison. This investigation was a success because of the true spirit of cooperation that existed between all of the law enforcement agencies involved and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

Operation Lazarus involved local and federal law enforcement and is being prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which includes members of the Chatham County Narcotics Team (CNT), the Savannah Police Department, the Chatham Sheriff’s Department, the Garden City Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Marshals Service. The OCDETF program is the premier U.S. Department of Justice program utilized to dismantle multi-jurisdictional drug trafficking organizations.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Greg Gilluly Jr.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA: After almost three decades of committing violent crimes, a Savannah man has been sentenced to nearly 16 years in federal prison for weapons possession.

Harry Scott, 45, was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to 188 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr., and to five years of supervised release after completion of his sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.

Scott was arrested Jan. 18, 2018, after an armed standoff with Savannah police officers. Those charges are being prosecuted in the state system. 

Scott’s violent, 27-year criminal record includes charges of armed robbery, statutory rape, aggravated assault and multiple drug offenses, along with an extensive history of violating probation. After his most recent arrest, he caught the attention of federal prosecutors under Project Ceasefire, an initiative designed to eliminate gun violence, and Project Safe Neighborhoods, which fights violent crime through inter-agency partnerships. During sentencing in federal court, Scott was deemed to be a career criminal and thus received an enhanced sentence. 

“When violent criminals like Harry Scott are allowed to terrorize neighborhoods, citizens understandably worry that their safety is being ignored,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Through such programs as Project Safe Neighborhoods and Project Ceasefire, we are dedicated to taking people like Scott off the street and reassuring residents that the sanctity and security of their communities is once again a priority.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated this case, along with the Savannah Police Department and SWAT team. Assistant United States Attorneys Tania D. Groover and Marcela C. Mateo prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

DUBLIN, GA: Former gynecologist George “Mack” Bird III, 59, was sentenced to more than eight years in prison and fined $20,000 on Tuesday, Sept. 18, for dispensing and prescribing addictive opioids and other drugs to people who received little or no medical services from clinics in Dublin and Eastman. Bird also agreed to forfeit $2.7 million of seized assets and real estate that he admitted were traceable to proceeds of his crimes. 

Bird, who pled guilty in March before Senior U. S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen Jr. to charges of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, was indicted in 2017 on multiple felonies. The negotiated plea with a sentence of 100 months in prison does not include the possibility of parole, and Bird will be subject to 36 months of supervised release following his incarceration.

Starting in 1992, Bird owned and operated a gynecology practice in Eastman, Ga., about an hour southeast of Macon, and later opened a weight loss clinic in Dublin. He admitted the offices sold and prescribed drugs including the opiate hydrocodone, along with alprazolam (Xanax), carisoprodol (Soma), phentermine (Adipex), and phendimetrazine (Plegime) to customers who typically paid in cash and received no legitimate medical services. In the years leading to his arrest in 2015, Bird increasingly delegated his patient care responsibilities to unqualified employees who used pre-signed prescription forms and preprinted medical notes to give the appearance that Bird was performing examinations.

Bird’s criminal conduct netted him millions of dollars. Although he kept a significant portion of that money, Bird used some of his proceeds to pay his co-conspirators and purchase drugs for eventual distribution.

“Mack Bird could be the poster child for the opioid crisis in this country – a greedy, self-serving criminal who violated the law and his medical oath to enrich himself at the lifelong expense of the ‘patients’ he willingly enslaved to deadly addictions,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “The U.S. Attorney General has made it clear that battling opioid abuse is a priority, and this office will vigorously prosecute illegal drug dealers whether they are on a street corner or in a fancy office.”

Christine also commended the hard work and dedication of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad and the Oconee Drug Task Force, both of which investigated the case. 

“Complicit doctors who overprescribe prescription opioids often prey on patients who are addicted to these powerful medications,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Some of these doctors operate under the guise of a stethoscope and white coat, which serves as a front for their legitimacy. This successful investigation was a direct result of hard work put forth by all law enforcement agencies involved and the subsequent prosecution by U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

Assistant United States Attorney Patricia G. Rhodes prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. 

For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA: A convicted heroin dealer and career criminal was sentenced to 160 months in federal prison during a hearing in United States District Court on Monday.

United States District Judge William T. Moore Jr. sentenced Tyrone Williams, 43, of Savannah, to serve 160 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

Williams was arrested as part of the coordinated federal, state and local law enforcement investigation into violence and drug dealing in the historic Cuyler Brownsville, or CBV, community of Savannah under the U.S. Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. A federal grand jury indicted Williams and 31 other defendants as part of this operation. All of those arrested have been convicted, including Williams, who pled guilty on April 3 to distributing heroin in CBV, resulting in the sentence of more than a decade in prison.

As noted in court records and stated in court hearings, Williams has a documented criminal history spanning more than 25 years, with at least 10 felony convictions that include drug and firearms offenses.

“The basic premise behind the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods is to make neighborhoods safer,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Removing drug dealers makes neighborhoods safer, and the very real possibility of hard jail time warns any other criminals who would attempt to take their place. This operation in Cuyler Brownsville also reassures law-abiding citizens of their vital role in helping to clean up their neighborhoods by reporting the criminals who seek to profit from their misery.”

Tim Graden, Resident Agent in Charge of the Savannah Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said “This prosecution is another example of ATF’s commitment to ensure the public’s safety by removing violent drug traffickers from our communities. These results could not have occurred without the outstanding partnerships that we have with our law enforcement partners and the community.”

Lindsay Smith, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Southeastern Regional Drug Enforcement Office of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said “The investigation into the criminal elements within the CBV neighborhood, along with the successful prosecutions of multiple defendants, can be attributed to the collaborative efforts among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. These partnerships are a valuable asset to combating crime in all areas within the state of Georgia.”

Roy Minter, the Savannah Police Department Director of Police Services, said “Identifying and removing dangerous criminals from our community is a top priority for the Savannah Police Department. The arrest, conviction and sentencing of Tyrone Williams is another example of our strong partnership with our local, state and federal law enforcement officials. We will continue to work collaboratively with these officials to remove dangerous criminals and drugs from our community.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Savannah Police Department, with assistance from the United States Marshals investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Gilluly, Tania Groover, and Matthew Josephson prosecuted this case. 

For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

STATESBORO, GA: A Swainsboro, Ga., man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that distributed cocaine and crack cocaine in Emanuel and Richmond counties.

Tony Lanard Williams, 43, received the sentence of 140 months in federal prison from United States District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood. The leader of a drug trafficking organization that involved numerous other individuals, Williams was subject to enhanced penalties after the court determined he was a career offender under the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Williams pled guilty on Nov. 30, 2017 to one count of distributing cocaine.

Six other defendants were named in the indictment in which Williams was charged. Because he was a fugitive from the time the indictment against him was unsealed in June 2016 until his arrest in May 2017, Williams was the final defendant in the case to be sentenced. He has been in custody since his arrest in Statesboro on May 16, 2017, and evidence presented during numerous hearings revealed that Williams and his drug organization was actively trafficking in cocaine and crack cocaine from at least 2012 until his arrest.

United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine noted that the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force pursued the investigation that dismantled Williams’ operation. “Battling these criminal operations requires coordination and teamwork from law enforcement and prosecutors,” Christine said. “Getting drug dealers off the streets makes our neighborhoods safer, and our office will be unwavering in our pursuit of career criminals like Williams.”

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division, said “The successful results of this investigation should let career criminals like Williams know that those who flood the drug market with menacing drugs like cocaine and cocaine base (crack) will ultimately be brought to justice by DEA, its law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office.”

“Tony Williams was one part of a larger criminal organization that disrupted lives and communities in rural Georgia,” said Jamie Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Southeastern Regional Drug Enforcement Office. “He will now spend a lengthy part of his life behind bars. The GBI will continue to work closely with other agencies to make our communities better places for law-abiding citizens and much harder places for drug dealers to ply their trade.”

The investigation was led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Swainsboro Police Department, Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, and the Middle Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karl Knoche prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

For questions, please contact the U. S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

SAVANNAH, GA: A federal grand jury indicted Decatur, Ga., resident Orenthial Walker, 42, this week on felony charges linked to a widespread scam in which victims were coerced to pay “fines” for failing to appear for non-existent federal jury duty.

Walker, a convicted felon, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in this interstate jury duty scam. Walker was arrested in Georgia in July 2018 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his role in a similar jury duty scam operated out of the Northern District of Alabama. In both cases, victims received calls from co-conspirators posing as members of the U.S. Marshals Service who claimed that the victims had failed to appear for jury duty. The victims were threatened with arrest if they failed to pay a “fine” through gift cards or via a money-transfer site. The investigation of both cases revealed that Georgia state prison inmates were behind this scam, using contraband cell phones to coordinate the operation from behind bars.

“This case not only highlights the potential damage to the integrity of the court system caused by such scams, but also serves as an example of the growing danger of contraband cell phones in the hands of prison inmates,” said Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Federal agents will never call on the phone to demand money, and anyone receiving such a call should immediately report it to the police.”

“This case represents the determination of our agents to arrest the culprits behind these common scams, and an example that it is not fruitless for the public to report them,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “We ask the public to be more aware of these scams and to report them to law enforcement and file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.”

David Lyons, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Georgia, is available to comment on the issue of jury duty scams and can be reached at 912-652-4212.

An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at (912) 652-4422.

STATESBORO, GA: A federal indictment unsealed today, Sept. 12, charge a Mexican national and 19 other Statesboro-area residents with multiple felonies including drug distribution, illegal firearms possession and related offenses resulting from a more than two-year joint operation of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Natividad Dias, 38, also known as “Nat,” “Nate,” “Amigo” or “Huevos,” is among 20 individuals charged with multiple counts of trafficking in methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. Others also are charged with possession of firearms by convicted felons.

The multi-agency investigation began in 2015 as a result of citizen complaints about drug-trafficking activities and violent crime in Screven County and surrounding communities, including an unsolved homicide case. In 2016, the Screven County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Governor’s Taskforce/Drug Suppression, seized more than 500 marijuana plants from a residence in Screven County relating to the charged conspiracy. As the investigation expanded, it revealed the trafficking of methamphetamine and marijuana in Screven, Effingham, Jenkins, Bulloch and Evans counties. Law enforcement agencies participating in the operation conducted various controlled purchases, state search warrants and traffic stops. In addition to the marijuana plants, the agencies seized methamphetamine, cocaine and other drugs, along with multiple firearms.

Federal prosecutors used the information compiled during the investigation to secure an indictment under seal for the 20 defendants. Most of the defendants in the case are in custody and some have made their initial appearances in federal court, while one of the defendants remains a fugitive. The indictment was unsealed today.

The federal charges and maximum penalties include:

• Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Controlled Substances, 21 U.S.C. § 846, which carries a sentence of 10 years imprisonment to life, along with fines of up to $10 million.
   
• Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance (100 or more marijuana plants regardless of weight), 21 U.S.C. § 842(a) and (b)(1)(B), with sentences ranging from five to 40 years imprisonment and fines of up to $5 million.
   
• Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance (5 grams or more of Methamphetamine, 50 grams or more of a mixture of Methamphetamine, 500 grams of a mixture of Cocaine), 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B), which carries a sentence of five to 40 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $5 million.

• Distribution of Controlled Substances, and Possession of Controlled Substances with Intent to Distribute, 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), which typically carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, but may carry increased minimum and maximum terms of imprisonment based on the quantity of controlled substances involved and the prior drug convictions of the defendant. 

• Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), which carries a minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, and up to a life imprisonment, consecutive to any other sentence imposed.

• Felon in Possession of Firearm, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), which typically carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.  However, if a defendant has three prior convictions for violent crimes or serious drug offenses, then the sentence ranges from a minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment to a maximum of life imprisonment.
           

Those charged in the investigation are:

Natividad Dias, 38

John Timothy Collins, 48

John Kenneth Joyner, 47

Palmer Alton Bazemore II, 51

Cassie Jo Barbee, 36

Jaime Elton Newsome, 39

Megan Nicole Bazemore, 30

Christina Elizabeth Davis, 32

Derrick Riggs, 42

Quinn Cullen Neal, 32

Dylan Anthony Davis, 26

Gary Paul Joyner, 51

Monica Isabell Jimenez, 22

Zackary Allen Durrence, 26

John Dillon Joyner, 25

Jonathan Travis Oliver, 36

Michael Shane Bishop, 44

Jonathon Evan Oglesby, 27

Alfred Anthony Woods, 28

Noah Quinn Pope, 25

This indictment arose from a joint operation of federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Participating state agencies included the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. Local law enforcement included the Screven County Sheriff’s Office, Sylvania Police Department, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Jenkins County Sheriff’s Office, Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, Evans County Sheriff’s Office; and the Claxton Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Marcela C. Mateo is prosecuting the case for the United States.

This investigation took place under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority, with the reinvigorated PSN as the centerpiece of crime reduction strategies developed by all U.S. Attorney’s Offices.

“This multi-jurisdiction operation represents a significant step toward making our communities safer by removing violent criminals from the streets,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “We are committed to working with law-abiding citizens to help break the cycle of criminal activity that feeds so much of the insecurity and despair in many of our neighborhoods, and that begins with getting these serial felons off the streets.”

“This criminal network posed a clear and present danger to the safety and security of the citizens in the Statesboro, Georgia area. Statesboro is a thriving college town and DEA and its law enforcement partners will see to it that this community is a safe haven for our children to obtain a higher education there,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “The removal of these drug traffickers from this town automatically makes this community a safer place. These arrests area a perfect example of the success that can be achieved through multilevel law enforcement cooperation and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

Screven County Sheriff Mike Kile added, “This multi-agency joint investigation was initiated following the large volume of citizen complaints about illegal drug activity in Screven County and surrounding area and the unsolved murder of Lisa Scott and unknown location of missing person Travis Tankersley. Anyone with information regarding these incidents are asked to contact the Screven County Sheriff’s Office or Georgia Bureau of Investigation at 912-871-1121.”

An indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at (912) 652-4422.

 

SAVANNAH, GA: A Tybee Island shrimper and fisherman will spend more than six years in federal prison after United States District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. sentenced him Aug. 30 for a case involving fraudulent claims for losses from foreign competition.

Michael Brian Anderson, who was convicted by a federal jury March 22, 2018, was sentenced for three counts of false statements, four counts of mail fraud and two counts of money laundering. In addition to the 77-month prison sentence, Judge Moore also ordered Anderson to pay $818,234 in restitution. The court imposed a longer sentence than standard guidelines for the case because of aggravating factors that included Anderson’s perjury during the trial and the number of victims in the case, including the use of a deceased person to further the scheme.

During the trial, prosecutors from the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office presented evidence that Anderson submitted multiple false claims to Customs & Border Protection (CBP) seeking millions of dollars in subsidies under the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000 (CDSOA). The CDSOA allowed American shrimp producers to apply for federal funding to reimburse income they lost due to foreign competition.

Anderson, an eligible domestic shrimper, applied to CBP for subsidies based on the claim that his shrimping business expenses from 2005 to 2007 were more than $24 million – a claim refuted during his trial, and further debunked by Anderson’s own bank records and tax returns. Based on Anderson’s fraud, the U.S. government paid Anderson more than $800,000 to which he was not entitled.  Anderson used those illegally obtained proceeds to purchase boats, stock and real estate.

“Brian Anderson submitted millions of dollars in inflated invoices for one simple reason: greed,” said United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “By overinflating the amount he was entitled to receive under the CDSOA, Brian Anderson diverted money from hard-working shrimpers into his own pocket. Our office is devoted to aggressively prosecuting anyone who seeks to steal public money.”   

“Fraud schemes like the one uncovered in this case directly steal from hard-working U.S. taxpayers by making false claims to exploit a federal subsidy program,” said Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Nick S. Annan. “HSI is committed to working with its law enforcement partners to pursue transnational fraud cases aggressively and hold accountable those who seek to illegally enrich themselves.”

U.S. Attorney Christine commended the hard work and dedication of the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs and Border Protection, who jointly investigated the case.  

Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Kirkland and Tania Groover prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA: A Savannah man with a long history of felony arrests and convictions has been sentenced to federal prison after his conviction for possessing a semi-automatic rifle with a high-capacity magazine.

United States District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2018, sentenced Savannah resident Darryl Washington, 34, to 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. There is no parole in the federal system, and upon release, he will be placed on court supervision for an additional 5 years. 

Mr. Washington was arrested March 1, 2017, when Savannah Police Department officers responded to a complaint that a man was waving a long gun at people in the area of West 32nd and Jefferson streets. As outlined in court records and public documents, officers detained Mr. Washington and later seized a loaded .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle with a high-capacity magazine containing 23 rounds of ammunition. As a convicted felon, Mr. Washington was prohibited from possessing the firearm and ammunition. Felons, drug users, illegal aliens, dishonorably discharged individuals, and others, are prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition. 

Mr. Washington was no stranger to the criminal justice system, starting with arrests as a young teenager for burglary, trafficking cocaine and criminal trespass. As an adult, his convictions included obstructing justice, dispensing cocaine, battery of a police officer, and multiple convictions for terroristic threats. Those convictions included threatening to take an officer’s gun and shoot him with it; threatening – after his release from prison – to get his “chopper and start chopping people up”; and threatening to burn down an apartment complex.

“The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are not going to tolerate felons possessing firearms,” said Southern District U. S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “We are going to prosecute felons who possess firearms with extreme vigor. Let this 15-year sentence serve as a warning to others felons who may consider having a gun: Don’t. Put the guns down, or we will lock you up for as long as possible.”

“Felons in possession of guns is one of this department’s highest priorities,” said Savannah Police Chief Mark Revenew. “In an effort to stop violence in our community, Savannah Police Department will continue to partner with our federal colleagues to ensure these offenders receive the stiffest sentence available.”

This case was investigated and prosecuted under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is a team of local and federal law enforcement entities devoted to making neighborhoods safe again. 

This case was investigated by the Savannah Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Marcela Mateo and Greg Gilluly. 

For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH GA: Nearly three dozen convicted felons have been removed from the streets of Savannah now that a joint law enforcement operation has resulted in the guilty plea of one of the final defendants.

In less than a year after dozens of indictments were handed down by a federal grand jury in late November 2017, more than 30 defendants have been convicted in federal court. On Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018, Darryl McRae, 45, pled guilty to the distribution of crack cocaine, Southern District U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine announced.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Savannah Police Department (SPD), and other agencies united to combat gang violence and “open air” drug sales in the historic Cuyler-Brownsville neighborhood in Savannah, Ga. As outlined in court documents and at various hearings, law enforcement agencies responded to neighborhood residents who complained about the ongoing crime and their fear of being shot while sitting on their own porches. These law enforcement agencies targeted and investigated dozens of criminals, resulting in federal indictments and convictions against 32 defendants.

During this operation, agents seized dozens of firearms, along with body armor, marijuana, cocaine, MDMA (commonly referred to as Ecstasy), heroin, methamphetamine and prescription pills. Many of the stolen firearms that were seized were linked to other crimes. For example, one of the firearms seized by law enforcement was used in 11 prior shootings. Another firearm was used in four shootings, including the shooting of the defendant found by investigators in possession of the firearm. 

Combined, these defendants have decades of criminal history, with more than 100 prior state convictions; many of the defendants were on parole or probation at the time they committed the federal crimes. Additionally, some of the defendants were tied to national gangs, including the Bloods and the Crips, while some others were tied to local gangs, including CBV, or Cuyler Brownz Ville 39-41.

Many of the defendants have already been sentenced, including Deandre Davis, 31, who was sentenced to 188 months of in prison for distributing crack cocaine; and Trishon Collins, 23, who was sentenced to 130 months in prison for distributing crack cocaine and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. There is no parole in the federal system. Both Davis and Collins will be under court supervision for six years following their release from prison. Many defendants are awaiting sentencing and face potential maximum sentences of up to life in prison.

“We conducted the Cuyler-Brownsville investigation because this historic neighborhood was plagued with drug-dealing and gun violence,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “Parents and grandparents were afraid to let children play in their own yards because they feared stray bullets. Neighborhood residents worked with law enforcement to root out the troublemakers, and the strategy worked brilliantly. This collaboration between good, law-abiding citizens and law enforcement is a recipe for success.”

“The strong partnership between ATF, the USAO, GBI, SPD, USMS and Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the neighborhood residents, is integral to stopping violent individuals from terrorizing law-abiding citizens,” said Resident Agent-in-Charge Timothy Graden of the ATF. “This investigation is a testament to this successful collaboration. I am proud of the commitment that all participants have shown to this case.”

“Many of our citizens were aware and complained of the illegal and sometimes violent crimes committed by this organization,” said Savannah Police Department Chief Mark Revenew. “We partnered with our state and federal agencies to target and investigate these offenders. We are continuing our efforts to take these and other criminal groups down until they are all eradicated from our city.”

The following Savannah residents were convicted:

Jamal Brightwell, age 22,

Frederick Brown, a/k/a “Freddie B,” age 36,

Derrick Butler, a/k/a “Rico,” age 29,

Animahaun Cole, age 43,

Trishon Collins, age 23,

Andre Cooper, a/k/a “Minuteman,” a/k/a “Coop,” age 30,

Deandre Davis, age 31,

Omesimus Franklin, age 42,

Baheem Frazier, age 25,

Jadonte Gadsden, a/k/a “Jadonte Hood,” age 20,

George Graham, age 38,

Lorenzo Graham, a/k/a “Zo,” age 31,

Eshon Grant, age 25,

Dennis Grubbs, a/k/a “Lil Red,” age 33,

Julian Harris, a/k/a “Ju Ju,” age 50,

Nathaniel Harvey, age 20,

Robert Jivens, age 30,

Darrell McRae, a/k/a “General,” a/k/a “Ghetto,” age 44,

George Truman Polite, age 29,

Joseph Price, age 32,

Emmitt Scott, a/k/a “Scooda,” 32,

John Scott, age 20,

Shawn Seibert, age 26,

Leonard Washington, a/k/a “Guzzi,” age 38,

Floyd Williams, a/k/a “Ricardo Williams,” age 65,

Brandon Williams, a/k/a “Lil’ B,” age 26,

Raheem Williams, a/k/a “Bucket,” age 25,

Raynard Williams, age 20,

Tyrone Williams, a/k/a “T Y,” age 42,

Quentin Wright, age 35,

Deonta Young, a/k/a “Fluid,” a/k/a “Flow,” a/k/a “Lil D,” a/k/a “D”, age 27, and

Larry Young, age 39,

 

This case was investigated by ATF, GBI, SPD, and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the United States Marshals and the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office.  The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Gilluly, Tania Groover, and Matt Josephson.  For questions, please contact Barry Paschal, Public Affairs Officer (Contractor), at 912-652-4422.

SAVANNAH – Four assistant United States attorneys who participated in significant civil drug enforcement actions received awards Aug. 22 from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration during a DEA training session in Savannah.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tommy Clarkson, Jonathan Porter and Brad Patrick, and Civil Division Chief Shannon Statkus, each received Certificates of Appreciation for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Drug Law Enforcement from Uttam Dhillon, Acting Administrator of the DEA, and Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent-in-Charge of the DEA’s Atlanta Field Office.

Statkus, Clarkson, Porter and Patrick were recognized for their roles in the National Health Care Fraud Takedown that in June resulted in charges against 601 defendants across 58 federal districts, including 165 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving more than $2 billion in false billings. These cases included criminal charges and civil penalties against a wide variety of defendants spanning the Southern District of Georgia.

Their work also resulted in the nation’s largest settlement of its kind involving allegations of drug diversion at a hospital when Georgia’s Effingham Health System in May agreed to pay fines of $4.1 million to resolve allegations that hospital staff failed to prevent a significant amount of opioids from being transferred to non-prescribers, and for failing to timely report the suspected diversion to the DEA.

In addition, the four AUSAs were applauded for their work in the civil complaint against Dr. Firoz Patka, of Martinez, Ga., that resulted in a default judgment in July in United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia of $1.2 million in penalties. Patka received the judgment when he failed to answer complaints alleging he violated the Controlled Substances Act by pre-signing subscriptions for opioids and other controlled substances at his offices in Louisville, Ga.; Hephzibah, Ga.; and Thomasville, Ga.

“The outstanding work of our staff in combatting fraud and prescription drug abuse helps to protect the public from the scourge of crime and addiction,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “We’re proud of Shannon, Tom, Jonathan and Brad for their outstanding work, and appreciate this welcome recognition from our partners at the DEA.”

Photo, left-right: USA Bobby L. Christine, AUSA Tommy Clarkson, Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon, AUSA Jonathan Porter, AUSA Brad Patrick, and DEA Atlanta Special Agent-in-Charge Robert J. Murphy. Not pictured: AUSA Shannon Statkus, Southern District Civil Division Chief.

 

AUGUSTA, GA: The sentence rendered today is the longest received by a defendant for an unauthorized disclosure of national defense information to the media. It appropriately satisfies the need for both punishment and deterrence in light of the nature and seriousness of the offense.

When Reality Winner committed her crime, she was employed as a contractor at a National Security Agency facility in the Southern District of Georgia. She held a TOP SECRET/SCI security clearance, had access to classified information, had signed multiple nondisclosure agreements, and plainly abused her position of trust.

Winner was well-trained in the proper handling of classified intelligence and knew the damage that unauthorized disclosures could cause to our national security. She knew that the unauthorized removal of classified materials and transportation and storage of these materials in unauthorized locations risked disclosure and transmission of those materials. In particular, she knew that the unauthorized disclosure of information classified TOP SECRET, which is the highest classification level, reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security of the United States, and that violation of rules governing the handling of classified information could result in criminal prosecution.

With this knowledge, Winner searched for, identified, and printed an intelligence report, which was classified at the TOP SECRET/SCI level and contained national defense information. The information in the report was unrelated to Winner’s job duties, and she did not possess a “need to know.” Nevertheless, Winner removed the report from its authorized location and put it in a mailbox in an envelope addressed to a news agency. In so doing, she knowingly and intentionally betrayed the trust of her colleagues and her country.

Make no mistake: THIS WAS NOT A VICTIMLESS CRIME. Winner’s purposeful violation put our nation’s security at risk.  Not in a speculative or hypothetical way, but in a very real, very direct way.  The Intelligence Report that Winner disclosed described intelligence activities by a foreign government directed at targets within the United States.  When asked by the FBI, Winner stated that she knew the Intelligence Report revealed “sources and methods” used by U.S. intelligence agencies, and she knew that compromising those sources and methods could be valuable to our adversaries and damaging to the United States.  Despite this knowledge, Winner said she intended for a news agency to publish the contents of the Intelligence Report. 

The document Winner compromised did, in fact, contain TOP SECRET information about the sources and methods used to acquire the intelligence described in the report.  That means it revealed how U.S. Intelligence Agencies obtained information.  U.S. Government subject matter experts have determined that Winner’s willful, purposeful disclosure caused exceptionally grave damage to U.S. national security.  That harm included, but was not limited to, impairing the ability of the United States to acquire foreign intelligence information similar to the information the defendant disclosed.  This was, by no means, a victimless crime.

What’s more, Winner’s exceptionally damaging disclosure was not a spontaneous, unplanned event, but was the calculated culmination of a series of acts.  She researched whether it was possible to insert a thumb drive into a Top Secret computer without being detected, and then inserted a thumb drive, WHICH THE GOVERNMENT NEVER RECOVERED, into a Top Secret computer.  She researched job opportunities that would provide her access to classified information.  At the same time, she searched for information about anti-secrecy organizations, and she celebrated claimed compromises in U.S. classified information.

Approximately eight days before she started work as a contractor with a security clearance, Winner installed sophisticated software tools on her computer designed to render her internet activity anonymous and untraceable.  Two days before starting work, Winner captured an image of a webpage listing eight “securedrop” addresses for media outlets seeking leaked information.  Then, her first day on the job, she sent messages mocking her security training.  On that same day, Winner signed a non-disclosure agreement with the government in which she promised to keep secret classified information, and attested she was accepting this responsibility “…without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.”  Yet, she wrote shortly thereafter that she was “#gonnafail” her polygraph examination when asked if she had “ever plotted against” the government.  She claimed to hate America.  When asked, “…you don’t actually hate America, right?” she responded, “I mean yeah I do its literally the worst thing to happen on the planet.”

She was the quintessential example of an insider threat.

Resolving this case with a plea agreement involving a lengthy prison sentence is the best resolution for the United States.  The United States has to balance the need for prosecution with the damage that further disclosure of classified information at trial might cause.  Proving the government’s case at trial would require the government to declassify or risk disclosure of TOP SECRET//SCI information.  This plea affords the government a substantial benefit in protecting from disclosure information that is still classified.  The FBI and members of the Intelligence Community affected by Winner’s treachery and betrayal have concurred in this judgement.

This sentence also promotes respect for the law and affords deterrence to similar criminal conduct in the future.  Winner will serve a term of incarceration that will give pause to others who are entrusted with our country’s sensitive national security information and would consider compromising it. Anyone else who may think of committing such an egregious and damaging wrong should think both of the prison sentence imposed today and the very real damage done, and we sincerely hope that they will stay true to their oath and maintain the secrets with which their nation has entrusted them. 

The brave men and women who have volunteered – without mental reservation or purpose of evasion - to serve at sensitive government facilities   continue to have our trust, faith and confidence. Their loyalty to our nation is manifest each day in the form of our safety and security.  My dedication to those professionals and those principles is unwavering, and the Justice Department will continue to prosecute and bring long sentences to those who would betray their oath and jeopardize our nation’s safety.

For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

Reality Winner, 26, of Augusta, Georgia, was sentenced today to five years and three months in prison for removing classified national defense material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet.  Winner was arrested by the FBI at her home in Augusta, on June 3, 2017.  The parties filed a plea agreement on June 21, in which Winner agreed to plead guilty to the one-count indictment charging her with unlawful retention and transmission of national defense information.  The parties agreed that a sentence of imprisonment for 63 months followed by a three-year term of supervised release is the appropriate disposition of the case.  The Court accepted the plea agreement at sentencing.

The sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine for the Southern District of Georgia, and Special Agent in Charge J.C. Hacker of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office.  U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall presided over the hearing.

“The defendant schemed to take and disclose classified information she had sworn to protect – and then did so almost as soon as she had the chance,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.  “Today, she has been held accountable for her crime thanks to the hard work of the Department’s prosecutors and agents.  I hope their success will deter others from similar unlawful action in the future.”

“This defendant used her position of trust to steal and divulge closely guarded intelligence information,” said U.S. Attorney Christine.  “Her betrayal of the United States put at risk sources and methods of intelligence gathering, thereby offering advantage to our adversaries. This U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with the National Security Division, law enforcement and our intelligence partners to ensure such violations result in swift, certain prosecution.”

“When obtaining Top Secret clearance as a government employee or contractor, the handling of top secret information is clearly spelled out along with the ramifications of mishandling such information,” said Special Agent in Charge Hacker.  “Revealing sources and methods to the advantage of our adversaries and to the detriment of our country will never be acceptable and the FBI and Department of Justice will spare no effort to prosecute and punish anyone who would do so.” 

Winner was a contractor assigned to a U.S. government agency facility in Georgia. She had been employed at the facility since on or about Feb. 13, 2017, and held a TOP SECRET//Sensitive Compartmented (SCI) clearance during that time.  Prior to that position, Winner had served in the U.S. Air Force from 2010-2016 and held a TOP SECRET//SCI security clearance.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on or about May 9, 2017, Winner printed an intelligence report that was classified at the TOP SECRET//SCI level, and she removed it from the facility where she worked.  Information may be classified as TOP SECRET if its unauthorized disclosure can reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security of the United States.  Later on May 9, Winner unlawfully transmitted a hard copy of the intelligence report to an online news outlet. The intelligence report revealed the sources and methods used to acquire the information contained in the report, which, if disclosed, would be harmful to the United States and valuable to our adversaries. 

Indeed, Winner, in an interview with the FBI on June 3, 2017, admitted knowing at the time she stole and transmitted the intelligence report that it contained information about intelligence sources and methods, which information she knew was valuable to adversaries of the United States.  Further, the information contained in the intelligence report had not been released to the public at the time Winner retained it and transmitted it to the online news outlet.  Winner, who had received training regarding the proper handling, marking, transportation, and storage of classified information, knew that she was not permitted to remove the intelligence report from the facility where she worked, retain it, or transmit it to the news outlet.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the FBI. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Solari of the Southern District of Georgia, and Deputy Chief Julie A. Edelstein and Trial Attorneys David C. Aaron and Amy Larson of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

AUGUSTA, GA – Reality Winner, 26, of Augusta, Georgia, was sentenced today to five years and three months in prison for removing classified national defense material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet.  Winner was arrested by the FBI at her home in Augusta, on June 3, 2017.  The parties filed a plea agreement on June 21, in which Winner agreed to plead guilty to the one-count indictment charging her with unlawful retention and transmission of national defense information.  The parties agreed that a sentence of imprisonment for 63 months followed by a three-year term of supervised release is the appropriate disposition of the case.  The Court accepted the plea agreement at sentencing. 

The sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine for the Southern District of Georgia, and Special Agent in Charge J.C. Hacker of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office.  U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall presided over the hearing. 

“The defendant schemed to take and disclose classified information she had sworn to protect – and then did so almost as soon as she had the chance,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.  “Today, she has been held accountable for her crime thanks to the hard work of the Department’s prosecutors and agents.  I hope their success will deter others from similar unlawful action in the future.” 

“This defendant used her position of trust to steal and divulge closely guarded intelligence information,” said U.S. Attorney Christine.  “Her betrayal of the United States put at risk sources and methods of intelligence gathering, thereby offering advantage to our adversaries. This U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with the National Security Division, law enforcement and our intelligence partners to ensure such violations result in swift, certain prosecution.” 

“When obtaining Top Secret clearance as a government employee or contractor, the handling of top secret information is clearly spelled out along with the ramifications of mishandling such information,” said Special Agent in Charge Hacker.  “Revealing sources and methods to the advantage of our adversaries and to the detriment of our country will never be acceptable and the FBI and Department of Justice will spare no effort to prosecute and punish anyone who would do so.”   

Winner was a contractor assigned to a U.S. government agency facility in Georgia. She had been employed at the facility since on or about Feb. 13, 2017, and held a TOP SECRET//Sensitive Compartmented (SCI) clearance during that time.  Prior to that position, Winner had served in the U.S. Air Force from 2010-2016 and held a TOP SECRET//SCI security clearance.  

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on or about May 9, 2017, Winner printed an intelligence report that was classified at the TOP SECRET//SCI level, and she removed it from the facility where she worked.  Information may be classified as TOP SECRET if its unauthorized disclosure can reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security of the United States.  Later on May 9, Winner unlawfully transmitted a hard copy of the intelligence report to an online news outlet. The intelligence report revealed the sources and methods used to acquire the information contained in the report, which, if disclosed, would be harmful to the United States and valuable to our adversaries.   

Indeed, Winner, in an interview with the FBI on June 3, 2017, admitted knowing at the time she stole and transmitted the intelligence report that it contained information about intelligence sources and methods, which information she knew was valuable to adversaries of the United States.  Further, the information contained in the intelligence report had not been released to the public at the time Winner retained it and transmitted it to the online news outlet.  Winner, who had received training regarding the proper handling, marking, transportation, and storage of classified information, knew that she was not permitted to remove the intelligence report from the facility where she worked, retain it, or transmit it to the news outlet.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the FBI. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Solari of the Southern District of Georgia, and Deputy Chief Julie A. Edelstein and Trial Attorneys David C. Aaron and Amy Larson of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH: The U.S. Attorneys for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Georgia and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), announce the award of more than $110 million to fund local victim assistance programs across the state and to help compensate victims for crime-related losses. This is the largest award to the State of Georgia under this program in its history. 

 “Crime victims often suffer physical, emotional, and financial injury,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak for the Northern District of Georgia.  “While tremendous progress has been made in addressing the rights of crime victims, these funds will justly compensate and lessen the impact of their financial burdens, while also providing additional program resources to support them during their recovery process.”

“No amount of money can fully fix the traumas crime victims and their families frequently endure, but these funds can help offset financial, physical, and emotional injuries,” said U.S. Attorney Charles E. Peeler for the Middle District of Georgia.  “As important, these funds let the victim community know that their voices are heard.”

“The Department of Justice is committed to seeking justice for crime victims,” states U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine for the Southern District of Georgia. “This historic award, funded almost entirely out of the pockets of those convicted of crime, is an aggressive affirmation that we are putting victims first!”

“As the state administering agency for these funds, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), is pleased to receive this funding and will continue to support organizations that provide direct services to crime victims in Georgia,” said Executive Director Jay Neal. “This funding allows us to aid people when they are potentially at the darkest time in their life, and for that, we are grateful.”

In Georgia, $6,623,000 is being awarded under the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Victim Compensation Grant Program to reimburse victims and survivors for medical expenses, mental health counseling, loss of income or support, funeral expenses, and crime scene sanitation. This compensation is often a lifeline to state and federal victims who face enormous financial setbacks on top of the emotional strife they experience.

In addition, $104,998,424 is being awarded to the State of Georgia under the VOCA Victim Assistance Formula grant to support providers of services to crime victims.  These funds will be dispersed to local governments and community organizations that provide direct services to victims.   

The awards are distributed through two grant programs administered by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), a component of the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and are supported by the Crime Victims Fund, a repository of federal criminal fines, fees, and special assessments, which includes no tax dollars.

For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

AUGUSTA, GA: Preston Q. Howard, 50, of Wright City, Missouri, was sentenced today by Chief United States District Court Judge J. Randal Hall, to 24 months in prison for obstructing persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 247(a)(2). His sentence included an enhancement because he chose his victims based on their religion, thereby committing a hate crime. When imposing the sentence, Chief Judge Hall noted Howard’s “disturbing pattern of intolerance of many groups of people,” and the Court’s intent to afford a deterrent to similar criminal conduct by Howard and others who may believe and act as he did. 

“Threats of violence based on religious beliefs have no place in our country,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore. “The Civil Rights Division will continue to work tirelessly to prosecute hate crime offenders.”

“Threats made against houses of worship are abhorrent and this Office will work tirelessly to ensure that members of all faiths may worship in peace and without intimidation,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “The United States Attorney’s Office, in concert with our law enforcement partners, will work tirelessly to protect our houses of worship.”

According to information presented at Howard’s guilty-plea and sentencing hearings, between June 22, 2017 and Aug 8, 2017, Howard made numerous telephone calls to the Islamic Society of Augusta (ISA), during which he threatened to “kill,” “bomb,” “shoot,” “behead,” “slaughter,” “execute,” “light on fire,” and “murder” members of the mosque, to “hunt down” and “zone in” on Muslims, and to “blow up the mosque.”  Howard admitted committing these acts and  obstructing or attempting to obstruct the mosque members’ free exercise of their religious beliefs.

“The FBI will not tolerate threats and intimidation against anyone because of their religion or their beliefs,” said Murang Pak, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “No one should feel they have the right to instill fear in our citizens and rob them of their sense of safety in their communities and particularly where they choose to practice their faith.”

In response to Howard’s threats, the ISA upgraded their security system, and hired off-duty officers to provide added security during services and community events. Howard was ordered to pay almost $30,000 in restitution to cover those costs. 

The FBI Atlanta Field Division investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Nancy Greenwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States, in consultation with the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division.  For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA:    United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine announces the conviction and sentence of John Jordan, Jr. (52), of Bloomingdale, Georgia.  Today, United States District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced John Jordan, Jr. to 225 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Earlier this year, a jury deliberated less than an hour before finding him guilty of the charge.  When he is released from prison, he will be on Court supervision for three years.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

As outlined at the sentencing hearing and trial, on April 28, 2016, Savannah Chatham Police Officers responded to the scene of a one vehicle crash in Savannah, Georgia.  Upon arrival, they found John Jordan, Jr., trapped in the vehicle.  After first responders cut him loose from the vehicle, paramedics transported him to the hospital.  During transport, one of the paramedics observed a firearm tucked into Jordan’s waistband.  A paramedic secured it; and police later collected it as evidence.  Jordan was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he was a convicted felon. 

At sentencing, federal prosecutors argued for a significant sentence based on the serious nature of the offense and the defendant’s criminal history that included over fifty prior convictions, including over 20 felony state convictions, over 33 misdemeanor state convictions, and multiple violations of parole and probation.  Among Mr. Jordan’s many crimes, he previously fought a female police officer and bent her finger back breaking the bone and tendons, rendering it useless.

In sentencing Mr. Jordan, Judge Wood emphasized that in her eleven years on the bench, Mr. Jordan had the second most extensive criminal history she had ever encountered.

United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine states:  “For decades Mr. Jordan has been a menace.  He has burglarized a home, stole vehicles, drove while intoxicated, threatened citizens and police officers, escaped from custody, beat people, obstructed justice, committed arson, and possessed a firearm in violation of the law.  Today, his decades of criminal activity have caught up with him; and now he has almost two decades of prison time to reflect on the life he has lived.  Let this sentence serve as a message to other menaces in our community:  Gun Crime Equals Jail Time.”   

ATF Resident Agent in Charge Tim Graden states:  “John Jordan Jr. has made a career out of breaking the law.  The sentence that Jordan received represents the seriousness of his crimes. ATF’s mission is to bring criminals like Jordan to justice.  We will continue to collaborate with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Savannah Police Department in order to reduce violent crime in our community.”

This case was investigated by the Savannah Police Department (previously Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Josephson and Greg Gilluly.  For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA:   The United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia entered a default judgment against Dr. Firoz Patka, of Martinez, Georgia, totaling $1.2 million.  In May 2017, the United States filed a complaint against Dr. Patka for violations of the Controlled Substances Act based on his pre-signing of prescriptions involving opioids and other controlled substances.   After being served with the complaint, Dr. Patka failed to answer or otherwise appear in the case.  After an evidentiary hearing related to Dr. Patka’s liability and damages, the Court ordered that Dr. Patka be held civilly liable to the United States for $1.2 million in penalties.  

DEA initiated an investigation into Dr. Patka’s practices in 2015 after receiving reports of his illegal prescription practices.  Dr. Patka practiced medicine in Louisville, Georgia; Hephzibah, Georgia; and Thomas, Georgia.  Based on its investigation, DEA determined that on no fewer than 299 occasions, Dr. Patka pre-signed a prescription for a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of a physician’s responsibilities under the Controlled Substances Act.  The entry of the $1.2 million judgment against Dr. Patka serves as the largest diversion penalty assessed against an individual physician for Controlled Substance Act violations in the history of the Southern District of Georgia and, based on information collected by DEA, the second largest penalty against a physician across the country for this type of conduct.   

 “Medical professionals—and particularly physicians—must serve as a bulwark against prescription drug abuse.  When physicians fail to meet their obligations, this Office, working together with our partners at DEA, will step in and use every tool we have available to protect the public,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. 

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division commented on the case, “The sharp increase in consumption of opiates being distributed for non-medical reasons continues to be a major concern. Consequently, DEA Diversion Investigators will continue to pursue physicians and other medical practitioners who engage in egregious prescribing practices. This record-setting civil penalty in the state of Georgia shows that DEA, the entire law enforcement community, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are committed to making sure, that physicians and other medical practitioners are abiding by proper prescribing guidelines.”

U.S. Attorney Christine commended the hard work and dedication of the DEA Savannah Resident Office, which investigated the case.  Group Supervisor George M. Taylor and Diversion Investigator George Zuban led the investigation with assistance from Diversion Investigators Dwayne Jeffcoat and Michael Jones and Diversion Program Manager David M. Hargroder.  

The United States previously reached civil settlements with multiple physician assistants involved in the alleged scheme.  Assistant United States Attorneys Shannon H. Statkus (Civil Chief) and J. Thomas Clarkson (Deputy Chief) represented the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with assistance from Assistant United States Attorneys Bradford Patrick and Jonathan Porter. 

If you have any information regarding to potential illegal diversion of controlled substances, please contact Assistant United States Attorney J. Thomas Clarkson at (912) 652-4422 or DEA Group Supervisor George M. Taylor (912) 447-4430.  For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

SAVANNAH, GA: Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Secretary Alex M. Azar III, announced today the largest ever health care fraud enforcement action involving 601 charged defendants across 58 federal districts, including 165 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving more than $2 billion in false billings.  Of those charged, 162 defendants, including 76 doctors, were charged for their roles in prescribing and distributing opioids and other dangerous narcotics.  Thirty state Medicaid Fraud Control Units also participated in today’s arrests.  In addition, HHS announced today that from July 2017 to the present, it has excluded 2,700 individuals from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and all other Federal health care programs, which includes 587 providers excluded for conduct related to opioid diversion and abuse.  In the past fiscal year, the Department of Justice, including the Civil Division, has collectively won or negotiated over $2 billion in judgments and settlements related to matters alleging health care fraud.

Today’s enforcement actions were led and coordinated by the Criminal Division, Fraud Section’s Health Care Fraud Unit in conjunction with its Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF) partners, a partnership between the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the FBI and HHS-OIG.  In addition, the operation includes the participation of the DEA, DCIS, IRS-CI, Department of Labor, other various federal law enforcement agencies, and State Medicaid Fraud Control Units. 

The charges announced today aggressively target schemes billing Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE (a health insurance program for members and veterans of the armed forces and their families), and private insurance companies for medically unnecessary prescription drugs and compounded medications that often were never even purchased and/or distributed to beneficiaries.  The charges also involve individuals contributing to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on medical professionals involved in the unlawful distribution of opioids and other prescription narcotics, a particular focus for the Department.  According to the CDC, approximately 115 Americans die every day of an opioid-related overdose.  

As part of this national enforcement action, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia announced the district’s largest takedown in history, including following public enforcement actions:

• A federal grand jury in Savannah indicted Dr. Frank H. Bynes, Jr on thirty-nine counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances, including opioids, and nine counts of health care fraud.  The indictment alleges that Bynes knowingly and intentionally distributed and dispensed, and caused to be distributed and dispensed, controlled substances that were not prescribed for a legitimate medical purpose and were not distributed and dispensed in the usual course of professional practice in a number of ways, including by prescribing inappropriate combinations of opioids and other controlled substances and engaging in unprofessional conduct with female patients.  The indictment also alleges that health care programs paid for a number of substances improperly prescribed by Bynes during his “pill mill” operation.

• In Savannah, the United States charged Roderic Bain by criminal information with one count of making false statements relating to federal health care matters. According to the information, Bain fraudulently schemed from 2008 to 2018 to claim at least $1.5 million in reimbursements from Medicare for durable medical equipment that a physician never actually ordered.   

• In Augusta, the United States charged Jonathan Austin by criminal information with one count of health care fraud and one count of making a false statement for use in determining Social Security Administration disability benefits. Austin allegedly created false and fraudulent documentation from 2015 to 2017 to make it appear as if he had been prescribed certain medications by a physician and as if he had filled and paid for those prescriptions at several local pharmacies.  Austin claimed and received over $1.4 million in reimbursements from Tricare and Medicare for the purchase of these medications. However, as Austin knew, the prescriptions were never filled, and he had not incurred any of the claimed expenses.  Additionally, the information alleges that Austin also submitted false documentation to the Social Security Administration in support of his application for disability insurance benefits.

• In Statesboro, the United States charged Evelyn Gay by criminal information with two counts of theft from a program receiving federal funds. According to the information, Gay fraudulently obtained and misapplied over $79,000 belonging to the Georgia Legal Services Program and Aging & Disability Advocacy Group, Inc., both of which receive federal funds through grant programs offered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

• In Statesboro, the United States charged Christopher Dubois by criminal information with one count of making false statements relating to federal health care matters. Allegedly, Dubois created false prescriptions in 2013 in connection with claims submitted to the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan.

• In Brunswick, the United States charged Paula Padgett by criminal information with one count of false statement for use in determining a federal health care benefit.  From 2013 to 2017, Padgett allegedly prepared and submitted certain “Medical Travel Refund Request” forms to the Office of Worker’s Compensation Programs under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act when Padgett knew that certain expenses claimed on the forms had not been incurred.

• In Savannah, the United States charged Kristian Hall by criminal information with one count of identity theft.  Hall allegedly used the name and Drug Enforcement Agency Registration Number of another individual without lawful authority to obtain controlled substances. 

• Recently in Augusta, Dr. John Glenn pled guilty to conspiring to falsify documents pertaining to Department of Transportation mandated medical examinations of holders of commercial driver’s licenses in exchange for cash.

• Earlier this month in Augusta, a federal jury convicted Eastman resident Dr. Mark Griffis following a three-day trial of conspiring to falsify documents pertaining to Department of Transportation mandated medical examinations of holders of commercial driver’s licenses.

• The United States and the State of Georgia reached a $739,711.15 civil settlement with Antioch Medical Associates, which does business as Antioch Foot & Ankle Group, based out of Savannah, Georgia. Based on its investigation, the United States and State of Georgia contended that Antioch Medical Associates improperly billed Medicare and Medicaid for nail debridement, evaluation, management, and therapy services for which Antioch was not entitled to reimbursement.

• The United States also reached either civil settlements or consent judgments with Austin, Gay, Dubois, and Padgett.

• In Brunswick, the United States and the State of Georgia filed a civil lawsuit against Miracle Home Care, Inc., Miracle Adult Day Care, Inc., Miracle Transportation, Shashicka Tyre-Hill, and Darlene Jackson.  As alleged in the complaint, the Defendants submitted thousands of false or fraudulent claims to Medicaid for non-emergency transportation and adult day health services that did not occur, and falsified thousands of records that Miracle submitted to the United States to cover up their false claims, resulting in more than $1 million in improper payments being made by Medicaid to the Defendants.

• The United States recently announced a civil settlement totaling $4.1 million with Effingham Health System, based out of Effingham County, Georgia, to resolve allegations of opioid diversion.

“Health care fraud is a betrayal of vulnerable patients, and often it is theft from the taxpayer,” said Attorney General Sessions.  “In many cases, doctors, nurses, and pharmacists take advantage of people suffering from drug addiction in order to line their pockets. These are despicable crimes. That’s why this Department of Justice has taken historic new steps to go after fraudsters, including hiring more prosecutors and leveraging the power of data analytics. Today the Department of Justice is announcing the largest health care fraud enforcement action in American history.  This is the most fraud, the most defendants, and the most doctors ever charged in a single operation—and we have evidence that our ongoing work has stopped or prevented billions of dollars’ worth of fraud. I want to thank our fabulous partners with the FBI, DEA, our Health Care Fraud task forces, HHS, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Medicare, and especially the more than 1,000 federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officers from across America who made this possible. By every measure we are more effective at finding and prosecuting medical fraud than ever.”   

United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine said, “By working together with our professional and dedicated partners in law enforcement, this Office just executed the largest health care fraud takedown in the history of the Southern District of Georgia.  Make no mistake:  if you are a physician who thinks they are above the law, a provider who thinks they can take advantage of federally-funded health care programs, a beneficiary who defrauds the very programs focused on providing assistance to millions, or anyone who thinks they can divert dangerous narcotics, you can expect to be hearing from us.”

“Fraud perpetrated against the Medicaid program harms every citizen of Georgia,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “We are committed to eliminating activity that drives up the costs of providing healthcare, and through the actions of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, we will continue to pursue both criminal and civil enforcement to further this objective. Combining our resources with those of our valuable federal partners is a powerful tool in the ongoing fight to protect our government funded programs.”

“Health care fraud costs taxpayers billions of dollars and places our most vulnerable citizens at risk for harm and neglect,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General.  “Working with our law enforcement partners, we are dedicated to protecting patients and the federal health care programs intended to serve them.”

“Every tax paying citizen, especially those who use federally subsidized programs like Medicare, is a victim when providers are driven by personal greed,” said J.C. Hacker, Acting Special Agent in Charge (A/SAC) of the FBI Atlanta field office. “Improper billing inflates costs and causes unnecessary waste, and the FBI and its law enforcement partners are dedicated to weed out such abuse and hold those responsible accountable.”

 

“The 2018 National Health Care Fraud Takedown effort demonstrates that the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and our investigative partners are committed to protecting TRICARE, the U.S. military health care program from fraud and abuse,” said John F. Khin, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service-Southeast Field Office (DCIS).  “As part of this nationwide joint operation, the DCIS Southeast Field Office contributed significant resources and efforts to achieve a successful resolution, while taking effective steps to combat widespread health care fraud and preserve the integrity of this vital Department of Defense (DoD) program.”

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Atlanta Field Division stated, “The dispensing of addictive prescription pain medication under the guise of a licensed medical professional’s care is not about the good of the community or an individual’s specific health needs; it is about the greed of those involved in fraudulent schemes and illegal overprescribing. DEA and its law enforcement partners will continue to expend its time, energy, and resources in an effort to stem the tide against the growing opioid epidemic. The spirited level of law enforcement cooperation and the prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office made this investigation a success.”

“The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, aggressively investigates fraud against the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act program and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to combat fraud against all Department of Labor’s benefits programs,” said Labor Inspector General Scott S. Dahl.

 “We often find that people who try to defraud Social Security are also taking advantage of other government benefit programs,” said Social Security Acting Inspector General Gale Stallworth Stone. “That’s why we maintain strong partnerships with other Federal, State, and local agencies, because our responsibility to taxpayers doesn’t end at Social Security. SSA OIG will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to detect and prevent benefit fraud across the country.”

“Working with the Department and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to prevent and detect fraudulent activities by medical professionals in the motor carrier industry is a top priority for our office and demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the safety of the traveling public on our Nation’s roadways,” stated the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General.

“We hope the prosecution of Evelyn Gay offers a strong deterrent to others contemplating stealing funds from the Legal Services Corporation (“LSC”) that are intended to provide much needed legal services to an underprivileged population,” said Jeffrey E. Schanz, Inspector General of the LSC, Office of Inspector General.  “We appreciate the leadership offered by the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia in prosecuting individuals who steal funds meant to serve the civil legal needs of the poor in our country.”

“Today’s fine work by the Department of Justice, OPM OIG criminal investigators, and our other law enforcement partners demonstrates our office’s commitment to combatting fraud and abuse in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program,” said Norbert E. Vint, Acting Office of Personnel Management Inspector General (OPM-OIG).  “We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute all individuals who seek to steal taxpayer dollars and drive up health care costs for federal employees and their families.”

“Much like law enforcement, medical personnel should be held to a higher standard,” said Everett Ragan, director, Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT). “Doctor Frank Bynes and Medical Assistant Kristian Hall chose to dishonor their medical oaths and in doing so, committed criminal acts. Their job is to be here to help our community; not hurt it.”

The cases announced today were investigated by special agents, task force officers, and diversion investigations from HHS-OIG, FBI, DCIS, DEA, DOL-OIG, DHS-OIG, DOT-OIG, LSC-OIG, and OPM-OIG; Investigator Kimberly Reinken-Creamer of the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Georgia; and; Investigative Auditor Denise Colson and Investigator Kevin White, Georgia Attorney General’s Office.

The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Thomas Clarkson, Nancy Greenwood, Matthew A. Josephson, Karl Knoche, Bradford Patrick, and Jonathan Porter. The State of Georgia was represented by Assistant Attorney General James Mooney. For additional information, please call the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652- 4422.

A complaint, information or indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The claims resolved by civil settlements are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability. Investigations remain ongoing as to others arising out of these announced actions.

Additional documents related to this announcement will shortly be available here:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/documents-and-resources-june-28-2018.

Several of these investigations remain ongoing.  If you have any information regarding any of the prosecutions announced today or any other information regarding possible health care fraud, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

DUBLIN, GA: Federal indictments were unsealed today against 7 Dublin residents charged with federal firearms, drug distribution, and related offenses.  The charges are the result of joint federal, state, and local efforts to reduce violent crime and drug activities in the Dublin area. 

Increases in violence and drug activity in Dublin has become of serious concern to law enforcement and local residents alike.

To address the apparent increase in violent crime and drug activities, the Dublin Police Department (DPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), began a joint investigation to identify and arrest the criminals operating in and around Dublin. Law enforcement used a number of investigative techniques to identify the targets, including undercover purchases of drugs and firearms and extensive surveillance. 

In early June 2018, the federal grand jury for the Southern District of Georgia indicted 7 defendants identified as a result of this investigation.  Those indictments initially were returned under seal. 

On June 27, 2018, local, state, and federal law enforcement officers executed arrests warrants.  Today, the indictments and federal warrants were unsealed, and all of the charged defendants made their initial appearance in federal court.

The federal charges and maximum penalties include:

• Felon in Possession of Firearm, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), which typically carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.  However, if a defendant has three prior convictions for violent crimes or serious drug offenses, then the minimum sentence is 15 years’ imprisonment and the maximum sentence is life imprisonment.  

• Distribution of Controlled Substances, and Possession of Controlled Substances with Intent to Distribute, 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), which typically carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, but may carry increased minimum and maximum terms of imprisonment based on the quantity of controlled substances involved and the prior drug convictions of the defendant. 

• Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation To a Crime of Violence or Drug Trafficking Crime, 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), which carries a potential sentence of not less than 5 years’ imprisonment, and up to life imprisonment, consecutive to any other sentence imposed.

        

During the investigation, law enforcement investigators seized firearms and ammunition.  Some of the firearms seized during this investigation had previously been stolen. Additionally, investigators seized quantities of numerous controlled substances, including cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. 

The Dublin residents charged with federal crimes include:

          Lamar Cook, age 34,

          Trevolis Coney, age 29,

          Shanetra Coney, age 26,

          Alexander Johnson, age 31,

          Aldrickus T. Cuyler, age 23,

          Michael D. Stephens, age 40,

          Octavia M. Stephens, age 42.

At least one of the defendants was in possession of gang related literature when arrested on the charges that are alleged in the pending federal indictment. 

United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine said, “In concert with the FBI, state and local law enforcement partners including the Dublin Police Department and District Attorney Craig Fraser of the Dublin Judicial Circuit, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia has today struck a blow at the heart of violent street level criminal activity on behalf of the law abiding citizens of the greater Dublin community. This will not be the last action taken on this front as we together make this district safer!” 

“We believe these arrests will have an immediate impact on the safety of the law abiding citizens of the Dublin community,” said J.C. Hacker, Acting Special Agent in Charge (A/SAC) of FBI Atlanta. “Let this also be a warning to anyone else who believes they are above the law that the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Dublin Police Department will continue working together to bring violent offenders to justice, and hold them accountable to stiff federal laws.”

DPD Chief Tim Chatman, said, “This is only the beginning. We will continue to collaborate with the FBI and federal prosecutors to rid our streets of this kind of behavior, gangs, drugs, etc. We thank the FBI and federal prosecutors for assisting us in this matter. We owe it to our citizens to look for better ways to make our streets safer.”

United States Attorney Christine emphasized that an indictment or criminal complaint is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions previously announced a recommitment of the United States Department of Justice to Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program dedicated to bringing together federal, state, and local law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The United States Attorney’s Office incorporated key components of the PSN strategy into the Dublin operation, including strong federal involvement, the cultivation of partnerships with local law enforcement and community stakeholders, targeted enforcement in those areas most affected by violent crime, and outreach efforts designed to prevent violent crime before it occurs.  

Today's indictments arose out of a joint investigation led by the FBI and the Dublin Police Department, with assistance from the Laurens County Sheriff's Office, the District Attorney's Office for the Dublin Judicial Circuit, and the Georgia Department of Corrections K-9 Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys Patricia G. Rhodes, Henry W. Syms, and Tara M. Lyons are prosecuting these cases for the United States.

For any questions, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.

BRUNSWICK, GA: Rafeal Lateef Baker, also known as “Channel 4,” age 43, of Brunswick, Georgia, was sentenced to more than 16 years’ imprisonment, and Kenneth Anthony Moore, also known as “Smooth,” age 48, of Freeport, Texas, was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment, for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. 

The prosecution of Baker and Moore was part of “Operation Bloody Prince,” an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation targeting gang activity and drug trafficking in and around Brunswick.  Baker and Moore were among over twenty defendants in the Brunswick area convicted in this operation.  The OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General's drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations.

The evidence at their sentencing hearings established that beginning in or about 2014, Baker purchased kilogram quantities of cocaine from Moore, who was residing at the time in Freeport, Texas, and that Baker then distributed that cocaine in and around Brunswick, Georgia.  Baker and Moore took various steps to arrange the shipment of approximately 2 kilograms of cocaine per trip, from Texas to Georgia, and engaged in a variety of activities to evade detection by law enforcement. In all, the amount kilograms totaled a conservative 40 kilos of cocaine.

“Criminal street gangs and illegal drug distribution networks take note: you will be given no quarter in the Southern District of Georgia!” states Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Side by side with the FBI and our law enforcement partners in coastal Georgia, we will pursue you until you are brought to justice.”

 “The fact that Baker and Moore will no longer be on the streets bringing drugs into our community and threatening our citizens is a direct result of the collaborative efforts of the FBI and its partners who are part of the FBI’s Coastal Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force,” said J. C. Hacker, Acting Special Agent in Charge (A/SAC) of the FBI Atlanta field office. “This is an example of our commitment to invest significant resources toward dismantling these types of criminal enterprises that do so much harm to our communities.”

The investigation of Baker and Moore and Atkinson was led by the FBI’s Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, the Glynn County Police Department, and the Brunswick Police Department, with assistance from the FBI in Houston, as well as the Houston Police Department.  For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.