Southern District of Georgia

Savannah, GA – DeVonte Shyheem Green, 23, from Savannah, Georgia, pled guilty earlier this week before Senior U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr. for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Green remains in U.S. Marshal custody and will be sentenced after the U.S. Probation Office completes a presentence investigation.

According to the evidence presented during the guilty plea hearing, a State arrest warrant was issued for Green in connection with his possession of multiple firearms, drugs and digital scales. On March 31, 2017, officers with Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department (SCMPD) attempted to arrest Green on the outstanding warrant, but Green fled from the police. After a chase, Green was eventually arrested. Yet again, Green was found to be in possession of another firearm, more drugs, and another digital scale. Despite only being 23 years of age, Green has been involved in multiple prior incidents involving firearms or shootings, including a 2015 incident in which Green shot at a car full of people. Green pled guilty to the 2015 shooting incident, but he was given status under Georgia’s First Offender Act.

Under his federal guilty plea, Green faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison and maximum of life. There is no parole in the federal system. Green also faces a fine up to $250,000 and 5 years of supervised release upon release from prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney James Durham said, “Most of the violent crime in Savannah is committed by a small number criminals. We’re working closely with SCMPD, the District Attorney’s Office and our federal partners to remove those violent criminals like Mr. Green from our community.”

David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated: “One of the more significant components of law enforcement’s approach toward reducing the spread of violent crime is to aggressively deal with those with firearms who, through prior criminal conduct, shouldn’t have them. That is the case with Mr. Green. Mr. Green’s guilty plea is a direct result of a combined law enforcement effort by the FBI’s Southeast Georgia Violent Crime Taskforce, whose overall mission is to make the community in which it serves a safer place to live.”

The charges against Green resulted from an investigation led by the FBI’s Southeast Georgia Violent Crime Taskforce, an interagency partnership dedicated to attacking gangs and violent crime in Savannah and the surrounding communities. Assistant United States Attorney Brian T. Rafferty prosecuted the case for the Government. For questions, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

SAVANNAH, GA: On Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Secretary Tom Price, M.D., announced the largest ever health care fraud enforcement action by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, involving 412 charged defendants across 41 federal districts, including 115 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving approximately $1.3 billion in false billings. Of those charged, over 120 defendants, including doctors, were charged for their roles in prescribing and distributing opioids and other dangerous narcotics.

The operation also highlighted the great work being done by the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. In the past fiscal year, the Department of Justice, including the Civil Division, has collectively won or negotiated over $2.5 billion in judgments and settlements related to matters alleging health care fraud. In addition, HHS has initiated suspension actions against 295 providers, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists.

The Department of Justice’s nationwide 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 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, and State Medicaid Fraud Control Units. Thirty state Medicaid Fraud Control Units also participated. The operation focused on unlawful distribution of prescription narcotics, like opioids, and holding medical professionals responsible accountable for their wrongdoing.

As part of this national enforcement action, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia announced the following enforcement actions:

The United States filed a Criminal Information against Sherry McCormick alleging one count of Health Care Fraud. In the information, the United States alleged that from 2013 to 2015, McCormick defrauded Medicare, Tricare, and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program of approximately $500,000 by submitting and causing the submission of fraudulent claims for medications that were not medically necessary and not prescribed by a doctor.

The United States reached a civil settlement with Allcare Pharmacy, a pharmacy operating out of Lyons, Georgia, totaling $175,000. Based on the actions of its former employee, McCormick, the United States contended that Allcare Pharmacy submitted claims and received payment for prescriptions for compounded medications that were not medically necessary and not prescribed by a doctor.

The United States intervened for the purposes of civil settlement in a qui tam filed against Atlantic Foot & Ankle, P.C., a physician practice previously operating out of several locations in Georgia, as well as an owner of the practice, Melissa Robitaille, D.P.M. The United States contended that Atlantic Foot & Ankle and Dr. Robitaille submitted claims and received payment for services that did not qualify for payment by misrepresenting the services actually rendered.

The United States reached a civil settlement with Ramachandra Paidi, M.D., a physician practicing out of Vidalia, Georgia, totaling $303,950. The settlement resulted from an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”), the State of Georgia, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. Based on its investigation, the United States contended that, on several occasions, Dr. Paidi submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid for psychotherapy services for twenty-four (24) hours or more of services in any given day.

The United States reached a civil settlement with Andrea Chancey, a physician assistant residing in Augusta, Georgia, totaling $10,000. The settlement resulted from an investigation by the DEA and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. Based on its investigation, the United States contended that, acting in concert with a physician, Andrea Chancey dispensed Schedule II controlled substances without legal authority using pre-signed prescriptions.

The United States reached a civil settlement with Medical Center Pharmacies, based out of Statesboro, Georgia, and its owners, totaling $85,000. The settlement resulted from an investigation by the DEA and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. Based on its investigation, the United States contended that Medical Center Pharmacies and certain pharmacists violated the Controlled Substances Act by negligently failing to make, keep, or furnish certain records regarding highly addictive Schedule II controlled substances, including opioids, as required by federal law.

The United States reached a civil settlement with Medical Villa Apothecary, based out of Augusta, Georgia, and certain pharmacists, totaling $75,000. The settlement resulted from a joint investigation by HHS-OIG, DEA, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. Based on its investigation, the United States contended that Medical Villa Apothecary and certain pharmacists violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare for drugs that it did not dispense to patients. The United States further contended that Medical Villa Apothecary violated the Controlled Substances Act by negligently failing to make, keep, or furnish certain records regarding highly addictive Schedule II controlled substances, including opioids, as required by federal law.

The United States recently announced a civil settlement Rhine Drug Company, based out of Rhine, Georgia, and its owner, totaling $2,175,000, which involved similar allegations.

Acting United States Attorney James Durham said, “The Office will continue to hold accountable those who take advantage of federal health care programs and those who fail to act responsibly when prescribing or safeguarding opioids. Any such fraudsters or hucksters should steer clear of our district, or else expect to face jail time and substantial financial penalties for their acts.”

“Through our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, our office will continue coordinating with federal partners to safeguard the integrity of Georgia’s Medicaid program,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “Improper billing inflates costs and causes unnecessary waste in our healthcare system, and we remain dedicated to seeking out and eliminating these issues on behalf of our citizens.”

“We expect doctors and other medical professionals who bill Medicare and Medicaid to provide quality services to those served by the programs, not rip off scarce government health care funds," said Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “Coordinating with our law enforcement partners, our agents work hard to ensure those who steal from federal health care programs are brought to justice.”

"The top priority of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service is to preserve the integrity of critical Department of Defense programs, such as primary health care for our Warfighters and their families,” said John F. Khin, Special Agent in Charge, DCIS - Southeast Field Office. "DCIS will vigorously pursue and thoroughly investigate any health care provider or contractor who submits false or fraudulent claims to the DoD, so that limited tax payer dollars can be better spent on the most urgent needs for our national defense.”

The cases announced today were investigated by HHS-OIG Special Agents Martin Rowe and David Graupner; DCIS Special Agents Randall Temples and Mark Lewis; DEA Diversion Investigators Josh Barnes, Saul Melendez, George Taylor, Dwayne Jeffcoat, and George Zuban; Investigator Kimberly Reinken-Creamer of the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Georgia; and Law Clerk Alison Slagowitz of the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Georgia; Investigative Auditor Denise Colson and Investigator Kevin White. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorneys Shannon Statkus, Tricia Rhodes, Scarlett Nokes, J. Thomas Clarkson, Jason Blanchard, Anica Jones, and Bradford Patrick. The State of Georgia was represented by James Mooney. For additional information, please call the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201- 2522.

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.

BRUNSWICK, GA - Daniel Roger Alo, 46, a Georgia penal resident, was sentenced earlier this week by U. S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 29 years in federal prison for his role in running a drug trafficking ring from a Georgia prison cell that operated throughout the Southeast.

According to evidence presented during the guilty plea, sentencing and other hearings, Alo, while serving a life sentence in the Georgia Department of Corrections for armed robbery, aggravated assault and kidnapping, formed a drug trafficking organization that trafficked in pounds of crystalized methamphetamine. Alo recruited members from inside and outside prison, including members of the Ghost Face Gangsters, Bloods and Gangster Disciple gangs. Alo and members of his conspiracy used drones and corrupt guards to smuggle phones and other contraband inside prison, which were used to facilitate drug trafficking activities. Members of the conspiracy distributed large quantities of crystal meth throughout the Southeast. Following a 2015 sting operation in Brunswick, Georgia, law enforcement agents seized from Alo’s organization over 11 pounds of meth, 15 firearms, and over $600,000. Coconspirator and former Georgia lottery winner, Ronnie Music, purchased meth for Alo’s organization with some of the $3 million Music won playing the lottery. Music was previously sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for his role in the drug trafficking organization.

Alo’s criminal history is shocking. Almost 30 years ago, at age 17, Alo earned his first felony burglary conviction. He was placed on probation, and the next year he committed and was convicted of burglarizing sixteen other homes. At 19, Alo committed and was convicted of another felony burglary charge. At 23, he kidnapped a doctor, stole his vehicle, shot the doctor in the leg, and then ran him over in an automobile. He was convicted by a jury and sentenced to life in prison.

At his sentencing before Judge Wood, Alo explained that the “devil” tattoo that adorns his left shoulder serves as a reminder of the “markings of the high cost of low living.”

Acting United States Attorney James D. Durham said, “Even the bars of a state prison cell have not deterred Mr. Alo from committing horrendous crimes. From a federal prison cell far, far away, it appears Mr. Alo will now have most of the rest of his live to ponder the high cost of low living.”

ATF Resident Agent in Charge Timothy S. Graden, stated, “Daniel Alo was one part of a large criminal organization. He and others will now spend lengthy parts of their life behind bars because of their criminal activity. Criminal organizations and individuals that commit violent crime, take notice, you could be next. ATF will continue to work closely with other agencies to make communities a safer place.”

Alo was one of over 20 other defendants who were charged and convicted in this investigation. This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of federal and local law enforcement agencies. The case was investigated by the ATF, the DEA, the FBI, the United States Marshal Service, the GBI, the Glynn-Brunswick Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, the Ware County Sheriff’s Office, the Glynn County Police Department, the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office, the Haralson-Paulding Drug Task Force and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys E. Greg Gilluly, Jr. and Tania D. Groover 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: Last week, as part of numerous ongoing investigations being conducted by the ATF and the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department (SCMPD), a federal grand jury sitting in Savannah charged 9 more Savannah residents with a variety of firearms offenses and drug crimes:

Eron Ventura, 24, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking;

Tevin Lawton, 25, of Savannah, charged with receipt of a firearm while under indictment, possession of a sawed-off shotgun, and being a drug user in possession of firearms;

John Young, Jr., 26, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;

Timothy Kendall Stewart, 30, of Savannah, charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;

Eric Brown, 39, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;

Robert Anthony Frazier, 35, of Savannah, charged with possession of firearms by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, ecstasy, and marijuana and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime;

Daryl Jackson, 40, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;

Dominick Jackson, 33, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute ecstasy and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and,

Kevin Reevey, 32, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Acting U. S. Attorney James Durham said, “Earlier this year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions instructed U. S. Attorneys' Offices to identify those responsible for significant violent crime in our communities, and, if the decision is made to pursue federal charges, to utilize the substantial tools available under federal law to prosecute those offenders. We’re working closely with SCMPD and the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office on a number of fronts to address violent crime problems in Savannah. The indictments returned last week aren’t the first federal indictments and they certainly won’t be the last, as we work together to take back this great city from those spreading violence and fear.”

All federal defendants charged with the unlawful possession of a firearm face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. However, any defendant who has at least three prior violent felonies or serious drug offenses will face a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 15 years in prison. Additionally, defendants who possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking face a consecutive sentence of at least 5 years in prison. Parole has been abolished in the federal system.

Acting U. S. Attorney Durham emphasized that indictments are only accusations and are not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Assistant United States Attorneys Carlton R. Bourne, Jr., Tania D. Groover, Marcela C. Mateo, Bradford C. Patrick and Jennifer G. Solari are prosecuting the cases on behalf of the United States.

SAVANNAH, GA – Akeiran Lawson, a former federal correctional officer from Lumber City, Georgia, was sentenced earlier this week to 46 months in prison by Senior U. S. District Judge William T. Moore, Jr., for attempting to traffick cocaine for a federal prisoner. After serving his prison sentence, Lawson will be on federal supervised release for 3 years. There is no parole in the federal system.

Evidence presented at the guilty plea and sentencing hearings revealed that Lawson, while working at the McRae Federal Correctional Facility in McRae, Georgia, approached an inmate and offered to transport cocaine for an unknown drug organization in exchange for money. The inmate contacted other law enforcement officials to let them know of Lawson’s offer. In a sting operation, undercover agents communicated with Lawson, who agreed to transport a kilogram of cocaine from Savannah to Atlanta for $2,000. On November 3, 2016, shortly after Lawson received from undercover agents fake cocaine and half of his anticipated payment, Lawson was arrested without incident.

Acting United States Attorney James D. Durham said, “This officer was willing to sell his badge for personal payoffs from supposed drug dealers. Not only did he betray the institution he was sworn to protect, he also betrayed the ideals that honest, hard-working correctional officers uphold every day.”

"We appreciate the collaborative efforts of the U. S. Attorney’s Office, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, and the New York City DEA Task Force in this investigation, which helped bring this correctional officer’s corrupt conduct to light and ensured that he would be held accountable,” stated Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Bourbon of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General’s Miami Field Office.

The case was investigated by special agents of the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team and the New York City Drug Enforcement Agency Task Force. Assistant U. S. Attorney Marcela C. Mateo prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For questions, please call the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

SAVANNAH, GA – Corey Megill Brown, 47, the former Pastor of Second African Baptist Church in Savannah, was sentenced today by District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 28 months in prison for defrauding his former church and its parishioners of money for over 6 years. In addition to his prison sentence, Brown was also ordered to pay the Second African Baptist Church $178,140 in restitution. After serving his prison sentence, Brown will be on federal supervised release for 3 years. There is no parole in the federal system.

Brown pled guilty late last year to mail fraud. The evidence presented at Brown’s guilty plea and the sentencing hearings revealed that from 2008 to February 2014, Brown intercepted checks and others moneys sent to the church as tithes and offerings; then deposited the stolen money into an account that only he controlled and that other church leaders did not know existed. Brown opened his shadow bank account under the name “Romans 12 Ministries.” Brown used the stolen tithes and offerings for his own benefit, by withdrawing cash; by writing checks to himself that were deposited in his personal bank accounts; and, by using the debit card tied to the shadow account to make purchases from such places as leather goods stores and lingerie shops.

Acting United States Attorney Durham said, “Brown’s parishioners thought they were offering their hard earned savings so their church could do good works. Little did they know, Brown’s idea of good work was to line his own pockets. Whether you’re an attorney or accountant, a physician or pastor, if you steal from the good folks that trust you the most, then you’ll next serve time at a federal prison.”

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Charlie Bourne and Scarlett S. Nokes prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For questions, please call (912) 201-2522.

SAVANNAH, GA: Bacon County (Georgia) farmers Julian Rigby, Jasper Allen and Benjamin Swain, as well as several entities owned by Rigby, agreed to pay up to $675,000 to resolve allegations that they violated and conspired to violate the False Claims Act. This settlement is the first False Claims Act recovery involving the United States Department of Agriculture’s crop insurance program in the history of the Southern District of Georgia.

This settlement resulted from an investigation initiated by the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”). On July 1, 2016, the United States filed an action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia captioned United States of America v. Julian Rigby, et al., 5:16-CV-53. In its complaint, the United States contended that Rigby, Allen, and Swain misrepresented and conspired to misrepresent the individuals who had an insured interest in an attempt to obtain more favorable coverage. The United States also alleged that, after filing a claim for losses they supposedly suffered, Rigby, Allen, and Swain submitted and conspired to submit false and fraudulent documents to the USDA to ensure payment.

Acting United States Attorney James D. Durham said, “The federal crop insurance program serves an important role supporting farmers who suffer crop losses due to natural disasters. This United States Attorney’s Office will root out anyone who seeks to manipulate the crop insurance program for personal gain.”

“Today’s announcement shows how, working alongside our partners in the Department of Justice, we will ensure the integrity of the crop insurance program for American taxpayers and producers alike,” said Heather Manzano, Acting Administrator for USDA’s Risk Management Agency.

The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability. The case was investigated by USDA- Risk Management Agency Investigator Randy Upton, Special Agents Andrew Ridgeway and Robin Wilcox of USDA-Office of the Inspector General, and Law Clerk Alison Slagowitz of the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Georgia. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney J. Thomas Clarkson. For questions, please call the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

SAVANNAH, GA: Rhine Drug Company and Andrew “Carter” Clements, Jr. agreed to pay a total of $2.175 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and the Controlled Substances Act. This settlement is the largest False Claims Act recovery with a pharmacy or pharmacist and largest recovery of civil penalties under the Controlled Substances Act in the history of the Southern District of Georgia.

The settlement resulted from a joint investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. Based on its investigation, the United States contended that Rhine Drug Company and Clements violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare for drugs that Rhine Drug Company did not dispense to patients. The United States further contended that Rhine Drug Company and Clements violated the Controlled Substances Act by negligently failing to make, keep, or furnish certain records as required by federal law.

Acting United States Attorney James Durham said, “Pharmacists are supposed to bill only for what they dispense and they’re to keep accurate records of the prescription drugs they let walk out of their pharmacies. This U. S. Attorney’s Office will hold accountable those pharmacists and pharmacies that seek financial gain at the expense of the public by cutting corners.”

“Billing Medicare for prescription drugs that were never dispensed to patients is a serious allegation,” said Derrick L Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the HHS-OIG Office in Atlanta. “Our agency, in concert with our law enforcement partners, is dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of all federally funded health care programs.”

“Americans rely on medical professionals, to include pharmacists and pharmacy owners, to keep accurate records of controlled substances, and the DEA is committed to stopping individuals from engaging in such unlawful acts,” said Daniel R. Salter, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “We are satisfied that Rhine Drug Company and Clements are being held accountable for their alleged violations of the law.”

Rhine Drug Company and Clements fully cooperated with the investigation and promptly approached the United States to reach a resolution. The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability. While this settlement fully resolves the allegations against Clements and Rhine Drug Company, investigations remain ongoing as to others.

The case was investigated by HHS-OIG Special Agent Martin Rowe; DEA Diversion Investigators Josh Barnes and Saul Melendez; Investigator Kimberly Reinken-Creamer of the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Georgia; and Law Clerk Alison Slagowitz of the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Georgia. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney J. Thomas Clarkson. For additional information, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

SAVANNAH, GA – Anthony Tyrone Roper, 55, an active duty Colonel with the U. S. Army stationed at Fort Gordon; Audra Roper, 49, the wife of Colonel Roper; and Dwayne Oswald Fulton, 58, a former employee of a defense contracting firm, were indicted this week by a federal grand jury sitting in Savannah, Georgia for their alleged roles in a bribery and kickback scheme. Each of the Defendants reside in Augusta, Georgia. According to the allegations contained in the Indictment, beginning in 2008 and lasting almost a decade, Colonel Anthony Roper conspired with his wife, Fulton and others to solicit and accept cash bribes in exchange for rigging the award of over $20 million in U. S. Army contracts to selected individuals and companies. The indictment further alleges that in an attempt to hide their bribery and fraud schemes, the Defendants attempted to obstruct an official investigation into their criminal conduct.

Colonel Roper was charged with one count of conspiracy, three counts of bribery, four counts of false statements and one count of obstruction, with a maximum sentence of 85 years in prison and a $1.75 million fine. Audra Roper was charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of false statements and one count of obstruction, with a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $750,000 fine. Fulton was charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of obstruction, with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. 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.

The case has been investigated by Special Agent Preston T. Johnson of the U. S. Army, Criminal Investigations Division; Special Agent Randall J. Temples of the U. S. Department of Defense, Criminal Investigative Service; and, Special Agent Bryan M. Cofer of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General. The investigation of this case remains ongoing. Assistant U. S. Attorney C. Troy Clark and Acting U.S. Attorney James D. Durham are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. Any questions should be directed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

A criminal complaint was filed in the Southern District of Georgia today charging Reality Leigh Winner, 25, a federal contractor from Augusta, Georgia, with removing classified material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 793(e).

Winner was arrested by the FBI at her home on Saturday, June 3, and appeared in federal court in Augusta this afternoon.

“Exceptional law enforcement efforts allowed us quickly to identify and arrest the defendant,” said Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein. “Releasing classified material without authorization threatens our nation’s security and undermines public faith in government. People who are trusted with classified information and pledge to protect it must be held accountable when they violate that obligation.”

According to the allegations contained in the criminal complaint:

Winner is a contractor with Pluribus International Corporation assigned to a U.S. government agency facility in Georgia. She has been employed at the facility since on or about February 13, and has held a Top Secret clearance during that time. On or about May 9, Winner printed and improperly removed classified intelligence reporting, which contained classified national defense information from an intelligence community agency, and unlawfully retained it. Approximately a few days later, Winner unlawfully transmitted by mail the intelligence reporting to an online news outlet.

Once investigative efforts identified Winner as a suspect, the FBI obtained and executed a search warrant at her residence. According to the complaint, Winner agreed to talk with agents during the execution of the warrant. During that conversation, Winner admitted intentionally identifying and printing the classified intelligence reporting at issue despite not having a "need to know," and with knowledge that the intelligence reporting was classified. Winner further admitted removing the classified intelligence reporting from her office space, retaining it, and mailing it from Augusta, Georgia, to the news outlet, which she knew was not authorized to receive or possess the documents.

An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

The prosecution is being handled by Trial Attorney Julie A. Edelstein of the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Solari of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI.

2017 06 05 Winner Criminal Complaint Form

2017 06 05 Winner Criminal Complaint Affidavit

 

SAVANNAH, GA – Barbara Wallace, 52, of Savannah, Georgia, was sentenced by Senior United States District William T. Moore, Jr. yesterday to 41 months in prison for her role in a scheme to defraud Medicaid. Judge Moore also ordered Wallace to serve 3 years of supervised release upon her release from prison, and to pay $948,361 in restitution and forfeiture.

 

Wallace, the former manager of MBA Diabetic Footwear Solutions, pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud on September 13, 2016. According to evidence presented at the guilty plea and sentencing hearings, Wallace caused bogus claims to be submitted to Medicaid for medical equipment that was not medically necessary, not prescribed by a physician, and, on many occasions, never provided to a patient. Wallace then used the moneys defrauded from Medicaid for her own personal benefit. Wallace has prior federal convictions for bank fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and social security fraud.

 

Acting United States Attorney James D. Durham stated, “The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute healthcare fraud in its many different forms. This defendant is no stranger to fraud schemes, having now racked up another federal conviction. Those who attempt to steal the taxpayer’s money through healthcare fraud and other scams can expect to join this defendant in a federal prison cell.”

“The Office of the Attorney General will not stand by and allow those who commit fraud to take advantage of programs that are intended to support our state's most vulnerable citizens,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “Our Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will continue to provide vital investigative and prosecutorial support to our partners at the federal and local levels, so that we can guarantee those who seek to undermine the integrity of the Medicaid system are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

 

David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated: “Medicaid fraud is a selfish, greed driven act that takes public funds away from those who truly need them. The sentencing of Ms. Wallace to federal prison will provide much time and opportunity for her to reflect on her self-centered and, more importantly, criminal conduct. The FBI will continue to work with its law enforcement partners in identifying, investigating, and presenting for prosecution those individuals engaged in such healthcare based fraudulent schemes.”

“The Court’s substantial sentence demonstrates that those who commit health care fraud and use the funds gained from that fraud for their own personal benefit will ultimately pay a very high price,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) for the Atlanta region. “The Office of Inspector General, in concert with our law enforcement partners, will continue to pursue all such cases.”

 

This case was investigated by the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the FBI, and HHS-OIG. Assistant United States Attorney Scarlett S. Nokes and Special Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Love prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

Statesboro, GA – Jeramie Thomas Leslie, 31, of Guyton, Georgia, was sentenced earlier this week by United States District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 112 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Leslie was the last of 13 defendants convicted as part of a joint federal and state operation targeting methamphetamine trafficking in South Georgia.

 

The additional 12 defendants sentenced to federal prison for their roles in the meth trafficking ring included:

 

John Christopher Paulson, 40, of Rincon, who was sentenced to 132 months and 3 years supervised release;

William Preston Gibbs, 22, of Glennville, who was sentenced to 82 months and 3 years supervised release;

Jeremiah Jones Richardson, 29, of Statesboro, who was sentenced to 70 months and 3 years supervised release;

Jason Todd Smith, 44, of Fleming, who was sentenced to 230 months and 3 years supervised release;

Jeremy Nicholas Taylor, 27, of Ellabell, who was sentenced to 82 months and 3 years supervised release;

Samori Jodan Smokes, 35, of Eden, who was sentenced to 132 months and 3 years supervised release;

Scott Lamont Pointer, 35, of Ellabell, who was sentenced to 52 months and 3 years supervised release;

Timothy Wayne Davis, 49, of Ellabell, who was sentenced to 48 months and 3 years supervised release;

Christopher Gage Floyd, 21, of Pembroke, who was sentenced to 46 months and 3 years supervised release;

Kenneth Jordan Lane, 24, of Pembroke, who was sentenced to 52 months and 3 years supervised release;

Jeffery James Taylor, 28, of Ellabell, who was sentenced to 48 months and 3 years supervised release; and,

Casandra Rae Hendrix, 24, of Ellabell, who was sentenced to 24 months and 3 years supervised release.

Acting U. S. Attorney Jim Durham commended the work of the agencies involved in the joint federal-state investigation, including the DEA, GBI, the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, the Statesboro-Bulloch Crime Suppression Team, the Richmond Hill Police Department and the Pembroke Police Department. Assistance was also provided by the Rincon Police Department and the United States Marshal’s Service.

 

Assistant United States Attorney Charlie Bourne prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

Savannah, GA – Timothy Bryce, 40, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 70 months in prison by Senior United States District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr., after pleading guilty to transporting a stolen motor vehicle across multiple state lines, from North Carolina, to South Carolina, to Georgia.

According to evidence presented at the guilty plea and sentencing hearings, Bryce stole a luxury motor home worth nearly $600,000 from a dealership in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then fled with the vehicle to Guyton, Georgia. Bryce pretended to be interested in purchasing the motor home; swapped the real key with a fake one; then later returned to the dealership after closing time in order to steal it. In imposing the 70 month sentence, Judge Moore emphasized Bryce’s long criminal history. Bryce has three prior convictions for stealing motor vehicles as well as multiple convictions for impersonating law enforcement officers. After prison, Bryce will be on federal supervised release for three years. He was also ordered to pay $153,047.73 in restitution.

Acting United States James D. Durham stated, “No number of felony convictions has apparently kept this defendant from continuing a career in crime. With eight years under the watchful eyes of federal prison officials and United States Probation Officers, maybe he’ll finally learn the lesson that crime doesn’t pay.”

“Bryce made his biggest mistake when he crossed state lines during the commission of the crime,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge David J. LeValley. “Now, thanks to the efforts of FBI agents and the U. S. Attorney’s Office, he must face the impact of federal penalties that will keep him from continuing to prey on innocent victims for a very long time.”

This case was investigated by Special Agents with the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Scarlett S. Nokes and former Assistant United States Attorney Fred Kramer prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact the U. S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

STATESBORO, GA: Jonathan Shane Culbreth, 21, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U. S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to serve 5 years in federal prison for starting a fire last summer that destroyed a historic building in the heart of downtown Glennville. The fire, which Culbreth began before dawn on June 5, 2016 by igniting a junk pile in a back alley, required more than 13 hours to control. Firefighters from nearly a dozen agencies in four counties responded to extinguish the blaze.

 

Culbreth will serve his federal sentence without the possibility of parole. Following his release from prison, the United States Probation Office will supervise him for three years. Additionally, Culbreth will be required to make restitution of $892,410 to the businesses affected by his crime.

 

Acting U. S. Attorney James D. Durham stated, “With one foolish decision, this defendant not only endangered the lives of dozens of firefighters, but he also stole from Glennville a structure nearly as old as the town itself. This U. S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with its federal and local partners to bring to justice arsonists and other violent offenders who threaten the safety and security of law-abiding citizens.”

 

The arson was investigated by the ATF, the Georgia State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Tattnall County Fire Department, the Glennville Police Department, the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Long County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Assistant United States Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case. For additional information, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

 

SAVANNAH, GA: Lamarlvin Arkeena Watts, 22, from Savannah, was sentenced earlier this week by Senior U. S. District Judge William T. Moore, Jr. to 148 months in federal prison for bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during the commission of that crime. Watts’ convictions followed a two-day jury trial in January 2017.

 

According to the evidence presented at trial, Watts invaded the Wells Fargo bank branch at 1900 E. Victory Drive in Savannah on July 14, 2015 and threatened to shoot two tellers if they refused to give him cash. Searches of Watts’ house and vehicle uncovered items Watts had worn during the robbery, several hundred dollars of cash and ammunition matching the gun he had used to threaten the tellers.

 

At sentencing, Watts asked the Court to recommend to that he be allowed to serve his sentence at a federal prison close to Savannah. Citing the violent nature of Watts’ crimes, prosecutors successfully opposed that request.

 

Acting U. S. Attorney James D. Durham stated, “The U. S. Attorney’s Office is committed to targeting and combatting violent crime in our community. Parole doesn’t exist in the federal system, and with nearly 125 federal prisons in more than 35 different states, violent criminals prosecuted by this Office should expect to serve long sentences, far away from home.”

 

The FBI and the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department investigated the robbery. The ATF and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Division of Forensic Sciences also provided valuable assistance.

 

Assistant United States Attorneys Theodore S. Hertzberg and Tania D. Groover prosecuted the case. For additional information, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

SAVANNAH, Ga: The United States today announced it reached an agreement with a Long County developer in connection with unauthorized discharges into waters of the United States at three sites planned for residential subdivisions. The complaint was brought in 2016 by the U. S. Department of Justice and the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, on behalf of U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District.

 

The Clean Water Act requires any person who plans to discharge dredged or fill material into waters of the United States to obtain a permit from the Corps. The complaint alleges that defendants discharged fill material into federally protected waters without authorization at three Long County sites over a number of years, failed to pay an administrative penalty assessed in 2014, and failed to comply with a previous settlement agreement intended to resolve Clean Water Act violations at one of the three sites.

 

The agreement requires William L. Nutting and three related entities—Georgia Coastal Land Company, Provident Land Holdings, Co., Provident Construction Co.—to restore two sites, pay monetary penalties, and take steps to mitigate past harms and prevent future violations.

 

The Corps frequently works with developers to avoid and resolve potential violations. “These defendants disregarded several opportunities to voluntarily comply with the law,” Acting United States Attorney James Durham said. “We will continue to work with our partners at the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environment and Natural Resources Division to hold accountable anyone who places their own financial interests above those of this community.” This is the first recovery of civil penalties for violations of the Clean Water Act in the history of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.

 

“We take our obligation to enforce regulations to protect the nation’s waters seriously,” said Shaun Blocker, Project Manager with the Savannah District. “Law-abiding developers should not face a competitive disadvantage due to the illegal actions of a few, and unsuspecting homeowners should not have to risk suffering the consequences of illegal activities,” Blocker said. Blocker originally investigated the case and brought the violations to the attention of the Justice Department.

 

The proposed consent decree has been lodged in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. A copy is available on the Department of Justice website at: https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.

 

Trial Attorney Samara Spence of the U. S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division and Assistant United States Attorney J. Thomas Clarkson represented the United States. For questions, please call the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

WAYCROSS, GA - Mathew Stone, 28, a former correctional officer from Kingsland, Georgia, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by Chief U. S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood for accepting a bribe from inmates at Correctional Institution D. Ray James, a privately operated facility which houses federal inmates through a contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, in Folkston, Georgia.

Stone pleaded guilty to one count of bribery for accepting $1,100 from inmates and their associates in exchange for cellphones, tobacco, and other contraband. According to court documents and statements made in court, Stone accepted money in 2015 for smuggling contraband items into Correctional Institution D. Ray James on multiple occasions.

Acting United States Attorney James Durham said, “This officer betrayed the public’s trust by using his official position to commit criminal acts. This U. S. Attorney’s Office will continue to hold accountable those public officials who abuse the public’s trust for their own greedy purposes.”

“This defendant joins a growing list of correctional officers across the United States who have been convicted in recent years for accepting bribes to help smuggle contraband into the federal prison system,” said Robert A. Bourbon, Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. “This kind of crime not only threatens the safety of other correctional officers, and inmates, it corrupts a system designed to rehabilitate inmates and educate them about the benefits of following the law.”

The case was investigated by special agents of the U. S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U. S. Attorney Marcela C. Mateo prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For questions, please call the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

CORRECTION: In our original press release, the sentences listed for Defendants Grant and Benton were in error. As noted below, Defendant Benton pled guilty to drug conspiracy and was sentenced to 5 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release; Defendant Grant pled guilty to use of a communication facility and was sentenced to 27 months in prison and 1 year of supervised release.

 

SAVANNAH, GA – Roy Mobley, aka “Grind,” 37, of Savannah, Georgia, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr. to 33 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Mobley was the last of 22 defendants convicted as part of a joint federal and state operation targeting violent crime and gang activities in the Cann Park (Savannah) neighborhood.

 

Cann Park is a small neighborhood near downtown Savannah located next to historic Beach High School. In 2015 and 2016, a small number of gang-affiliated individuals regularly trafficked in drugs and guns in Cann Park, spreading crime throughout the neighborhood. In a joint ATF and Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department (SCMPD) operation, individuals in Cann Park that were trafficking guns and drugs were identified and targeted as part of a 6-month undercover investigation. The criminal activities charged in the federal indictments all occurred in the Cann Park neighborhood. Many of the defendants were members of the Cann Park Goons and the Fast Lane Gang, self-proclaimed gangs operating in Cann Park. As part of the investigation, agents seized 17 firearms and significant amounts of heroin, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana and MDMA.

 

Violent crime rates have sharply fallen in Cann Park since the March 2016 arrests and prosecutions. Since March 2016, violent crime in Cann Park has dropped 40%; aggravated assaults with a gun have dropped 75%; and “shots fired” calls dropped 50%.

 

Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Durham said, “A small number of people are committing most of the violent crimes in Savannah. The Cann Park Operation is just one example of how we can work together to remove from our neighborhoods those trafficking in drugs, guns and fear. The U. S. Attorney’s Office and our federal partners will continue to partner with SCMPD and the DA’s Office as we take back our great city.”

 

Tim Graden, ATF Resident Agent in Charge, Savannah Field Office stated, “To a citizen who lives in fear, the worst gang in America is one committing crimes in their neighborhood, the one selling drugs on their block and the one whose illegal use of firearms endangers their lives. When agencies work together to proactively prosecute these criminals, we make neighborhoods a safer place.”

 

The Savannah residents convicted and sentenced as part of the Cann Park Operation include:

 

Marquiel Bell, aka “Quelly,” aka “Julio,” 19: pled guilty to possession of a stolen firearm and sentenced to 7 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Roemain R. Bennett, aka “Ratt,” 33: pled guilty to drug and firearms offenses and sentenced to 208 months in prison and 5 years supervised release;

 

Jesse Benton, 27: pled guilty to drug conspiracy and sentenced to 5 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release;

 

            Mario Grant, 33: pled guilty to use of a communication facility and sentenced to 27 months in prison and 1 year of supervised release;
 

Benjamin Gordon, 43: pled guilty to drug trafficking and sentenced to 102 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Jamal Hilton, aka “Jamel Hilton,” aka “Jamaal Hilton,” aka “Mel,” aka “Tommy Henderson II,” 31: pled guilty to drug trafficking and sentenced to 5 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Jeremy James, 34: pled guilty to possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and sentenced to 77 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Kristopher Kemp, 30: pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a drug user and sentenced to 24 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Nicholas Kemp, 28: pled guilty to possession of firearm by a convicted felon and sentenced to 46 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Stephen Kemp, 25: pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a drug user and sentenced to 30 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Jacqueline Mavity, 44: was placed on pre-trial diversion;

 

Roy Mobley, aka “Grind,” 37: pled guilty to drug trafficking and sentenced to 33 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Albert Morisette, 31: pled guilty to drug distribution and sentenced to 6 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Alekseyer X. Mungin, 37: pled guilty to drug and firearms offenses and sentenced to 84 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Rashaun Padgett, aka “Ray Ray,” 31: who pled guilty to drug trafficking and sentenced to 21 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Michael Porter, 36: pled guilty to drug distribution and sentenced to 11 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Marvin Roberts, aka “Steady,” 29: pled guilty to drug trafficking and sentenced to 31 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Tony Small, 20: pled guilty to drug trafficking and sentenced to 6 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Kareem Savage, aka “Rashaad Roberts,” 27: pled guilty to drug trafficking and sentenced to 5 years of probation;

 

Jamaine Wallace, 35: pled guilty to cocaine trafficking and sentenced to 78 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Simmeon Whitfield, aka “Yon,” 26: pled guilty to drug trafficking and sentenced to 24 months in prison and 3 years supervised release;

 

Xavier Whitfield, aka “Kenny,” 30: pled guilty to drug trafficking and sentenced to 14 months in prison and 3 years supervised release; and

 

Travis Young, 35: pled guilty to cocaine trafficking and sentenced to 151 months in prison and 3 years supervised release.

 

There is no parole in the federal system. Once the defendants are released from prison, they will serve a term of supervised release, under the direct supervision of the United States Probation Office.

The Cann Park Operation was investigated by ATF and SCMPD, 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, Charlie Bourne and Jennifer Kirkland prosecuted the cases on behalf of the United States. For any questions, please contact the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

SAVANNAH, GA – Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Durham, ATF RAC Tim Graden, District Attorney Meg Heap, SCMPD Chief Joseph Lumpkin, CNT Deputy Commander Terry Shoop and other federal and state law enforcement officials will hold a news conference today to discuss the results of joint federal and state law enforcement actions targeting violent crime and gang activity in the Cann Park neighborhood (Savannah). Acting U.S. Attorney Durham, District Attorney Heap and SCMPD Chief Lumpkin will provide brief remarks, to be followed by an opportunity for media questions.

 

Event: News conference

 

Date/Time: April 10, 2017 at 1:30 p.m.

 

Location: U.S. Attorney’s Office

22 Barnard Street, Suite 300
Savannah, GA 31401

 

Participants: Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Durham
ATF RAC Tim Graden
District Attorney Meg Heap
SCMPD Chief Joseph Lumpkin

CNT Deputy Commander Terry Shoop

 

Miscellaneous: Press and law enforcement personnel should arrive at least 20 minutes early so they may be escorted to the U.S. Attorney’s Office 6th floor conference room.

BRUNSWICK, GA – Paul Spencer Ruble, 64, a doctor from Thomson, Georgia, was sentenced yesterday to serve 5 years in federal prison by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood. Ruble pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to unlawfully dispense controlled substances and launder money on August 22, 2016.

 

According to information presented during his guilty plea and sentencing hearings, from November 2011 to April 2013, Ruble and other conspirators operated Apex Health & Wellness, a phony pain management clinic in Brunswick, Georgia. Ruble wrote prescriptions for oxycodone, hydrocodone and other drugs without a medical purpose to drug-seeking customers, who typically paid cash for the prescriptions. During the 17 months the phony clinic was in operation, there were more than 10,000 patient visits, an average of 30 drug-seeking customers each day. Apex Health & Wellness was shuttered on April 24, 2013 after a federal search warrant was executed at the premises. The unlawful business was very profitable until being shut down. During its operation, deposits into an Apex Health & Wellness bank account totaled over $2 million, including cash deposits of over $1.7 million. Ruble was paid just under $500,000 for his services at Apex. The owner of the pill-mill clinic, Marc Frazier, 46, of Satellite, Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty to a similar conspiracy charge in July 2015 and was sentenced by Chief Judge Wood to serve 44 months in prison.

 

The convictions in this matter resulted from a joint investigation by the DEA, GBI, Glynn-Brunswick Narcotics Enforcement Team (GBNET), IRS-CID, and the United States Marshals Service. The investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, the keystone drug enforcement program of the Department of Justice.

 

Acting United States Attorney James D. Durham said, “Mr. Ruble was another drug dealer that just happened to wear a white coat. The sad truth is that the owners and operators of sham pill-mill clinics prosper while the patients and members of the community suffer. Those who attempt to profit from pill mills masquerading as pain management clinics in the Southern District of Georgia can expect to find themselves next in a federal prison.”

 

Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Gilluly, Marcela Mateo and Karl Knoche prosecuted the case for the United States. For additional information, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.

SAVANNAH, GA – This week is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, a time to raise awareness about crime victims’ rights, and our nation’s progress in advancing those rights. This year’s theme, Strength, Resilience, Justice, reminds us all that victims are strengthened by the response they receive; that organizations are resilient in response to challenges; and, that communities are able to seek collective justice and healing.

 

Since the 1980s, our nation has made dramatic progress in securing rights, protections, and services for victims of crime. Every state has enacted victims’ rights laws, and most states have constitutional victims’ rights amendments. All states have victim compensation funds, and more than 10,000 victim service agencies have been established throughout the country. The Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, supports a range of programs for crime victims, and seeks to extend those services to those who are underserved.

 

The 2004 Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) grants victims in federal criminal proceedings certain enforceable rights, including the right to be reasonably heard at public court proceedings and to receive full and timely restitution as provided by law. The Southern District of Georgia has a dedicated Victim-Witness Unit that serves federal crime victims across the District’s 43 counties. Members of this Unit notify victims of significant case events through the Department of Justice’s Victim Notification System. Such notice allows victims to participate in court proceedings and to make their voices heard. In 2016, U.S. Attorney’s Offices’ across the country provided over 13 million case notices and accompanied over 22,000 victims to court hearings and trials. In addition to notification and court accompaniment, the victim units provide other essential services to victims, such as making referrals for counseling, securing temporary housing and assisting with access to victim compensation funds.

 

In conjunction with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia and Criminal Justice Department of Savanah State University are sponsoring training for victim advocates, first responders and law enforcement officers on strategies for interactions with the mentally ill. The training will be held April 13th in Savannah, Georgia. For more information, please contact Law Enforcement Coordinator Dan Drake at (912) 201-2669 or dan.drake2@usdoj.gov.

 

 

BRUNSWICK GA- Ronnie Music, Jr., 46, of Waycross, Georgia, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 21 years in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and for possessing a cache of firearms as a convicted felon. On July 22, 2016, Music pled guilty in federal court to conspiring to traffick large amounts of Methamphetamine and to being a felon in possession of firearms.

 

According to evidence presented in open court and in court filings, Music was a member of a multi-state drug organization that trafficked in kilogram quantities of crystal meth, also known as “Ice.” In February 2015, Music won $3 million in a scratch-off lottery game, which he then used to invest in kilograms of crystal meth to sell. In September 2015, federal agents arrested a number of Music’s conspirators who attempted to sell over 10 pounds of meth to undercover agents in a Winn Dixie parking lot in Brunswick, Georgia. Music was the supplier of the meth, and he watched nearby as his deal went south. Less than a month later, law enforcement arrested Music in Tennessee after he sold pounds of meth to a confidential informant. Music’s girlfriend and their infant daughter were passengers in the vehicle Music used to conduct the deal. Following his arrest, federal agents searched Music’s home and place of employment and seized 11 firearms, including assault style weapons, a prohibited sawed off shotgun and a stolen revolver. As a convicted felon, Music was prohibited from possessing firearms.

 

Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Durham said, “This case has received a great deal of light-hearted coverage because of Mr. Music’s unsound investment decision to buy crystal meth with his lottery winnings. The truth of the matter is this: Mr. Music is a predator who has destroyed lives by pushing poison and fear. As law enforcement and prosecutors, our job is to protect our communities by sending predators like Music to federal prison for a very long time.”

 

Tim Graden, ATF’s Savannah Field Office Resident Agent In Charge, stated, “ATF works to reduce violent crime by targeting and dismantling those criminal groups that pose the greatest threat to public safety. By working with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, ATF helps remove criminal organizations from our streets.”

 

As part of the investigation, law enforcement seized millions of dollars of meth, $517,485 cash, multiple vehicles, 11 firearms, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Music forfeited the cash, vehicles, firearms and ammunition as part of his sentence. Twenty-one other defendants have been indicted and arrested for participating in this large-scale drug conspiracy. So far, 20 defendants, including Music, have been convicted.

 

This case was investigated as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case, and involved the following agencies: The ATF, the DEA, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Southeastern Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the Glynn County Georgia Police Department, the Glynn-Brunswick Narcotics Enforcement Team (GBNET), the Ware County Sheriff’s Office and other local law enforcement agencies.

 

Assistant United States Attorneys E. Gregory Gilluly, Jr. and Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For questions, please call the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2547.

Savannah, GA- Edward J. Tarver resigned effective March 11, 2017 as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Mr. Tarver had served in that office since December of 2009. James D. Durham assumed leadership of the office as Acting United States Attorney. Mr. Durham has been First Assistant United States Attorney since January of 2010. Mr. Durham has been with the office since March of 2002.

 

Acting U.S. Attorney Durham said, “As a Captain in the Army, a federal judicial law clerk and as a United States Attorney, Ed Tarver served the American people with honor and distinction for over 20 years. We thank Mr. Tarver for his great work on behalf of the Southern District of Georgia, and we wish him the very best as he begins the next chapter of his distinguished career.”

 

 

09-17

SAVANNAH, GA: a federal grand jury sitting in Savannah returned a 176-count indictment yesterday against George Mack Bird, III, 58, a Georgia physician who operated a medical practice in Dodge County and a diet clinic in Laurens County.

According to the Indictment, Bird instructed certain of his employees to dispense and distribute various controlled substances and highly addictive opioids using prescription forms that he had pre-signed in violation of federal law. The Indictment further alleged that, because Bird rarely saw or examined his patients, he directed his employees to utilize pre-printed medical notes to give the appearance that patients had been thoroughly examined, when in fact, they had not. Bird’s unlawful dispensation scheme was remarkably lucrative, generating more than $4.5 million in proceeds, according to the grand jury. The Indictment alleged that Bird and others conspired to illegally launder those proceeds by using them to pay for the operating expenses of Bird’s clinics.

Bird, who is currently being held in state custody, faces up to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Additionally, the Government is seeking the forfeiture of Bird’s offices, home, investment properties, and a money judgment of at least $4.5 million. Approximately $1 million in cash was seized from Bird at the time of his arrest, and federal agents have since seized or frozen an additional $3.9 million held in various bank and investment accounts.

U. S. Attorney Edward Tarver cautioned that an indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial, during which it is the Government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating the case with assistance from the Oconee Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorneys Patricia Green Rhodes and Theodore S. Hertzberg are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

SAVANNAH, GA: Earlier this week, as part of numerous ongoing investigations being conducted by the ATF and FBI in partnership with local law enforcement, a federal grand jury sitting in Savannah charged the following 12 Savannah-area defendants with a variety of firearms offenses and violent crimes:

Marvin Aikens, 36, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

Charles Barratta, 38, of Bloomingdale, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a stolen firearm

Ivory Carter, 31, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

Ommie Christian, 22, of Glennville, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

Ricky Green, 26, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

Javar Kemp, 22, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking

Thom Luu, 30, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance

Gregory Plair, 32, of Savannah, charged with conspiring and attempting to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence

Nathaniel Pugh, 35, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking

Joshua Scott, 21, of Savannah, charged with conspiring and attempting to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence

Bryan Thompson, 26, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

Kyjuan Williams, 21, of Savannah, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

The indictments returned this week are the first to be filed in the Southern District of Georgia since President Trump’s February 9, 2017 Executive Order forming a Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety. On March 8, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions instructed the 94 United States Attorney’s Offices across the country to aggressively combat violent crime by identifying offenders responsible for significant violent crime, assessing whether an immediate and suitable penalty will result from a state prosecution, and, if the decision is made to pursue a federal indictment, utilizing the substantial tools available under federal law to ensure an appropriate sanction.

Among the 12 defendants indicted earlier this week are three Savannah residents identified by local law enforcement as being affiliated with the Gangster Disciples gang. Each of those suspected gang members will be prosecuted in federal court while their state cases are pending.

Defendants Plair and Scott face a maximum of 20 years in prison for attempting and conspiring to rob a Brinks armored car. Any federal defendant charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, or possession of a short-barreled shotgun faces a sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. However, any of those defendants who has been convicted of at least three violent felonies or serious drug offenses faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 15 years’ imprisonment. Additionally, Defendants Kemp, Plair, Pugh, and Scott each face a consecutive sentence of at least five years in prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking or brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Parole has been abolished in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney Edward Tarver emphasized that the indictments are only accusations and are not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Assistant United States Attorneys Carlton R. Bourne, Jr., Theodore S. Hertzberg, Anica C. Jones, Matthew A. Josephson, Jennifer J. Kirkland, Scarlett S. Nokes, and Jennifer G. Solari are prosecuting the cases on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

SAVANNAH, GA: Stacy Paul Waddell, 45, of Savannah and elsewhere, was sentenced earlier this week by U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr. to 183 months of in prison for wire fraud, selling counterfeit coins and tampering with official proceedings. Waddell’s sentencing followed his conviction in August of 2016 after a one-week jury trial. Under federal law, the Court’s sentence was imposed without the possibility of parole.

 

According to the evidence presented during trial and at sentencing, Waddell incorporated, operated and controlled a variety of companies that purported to engage in the sale of precious metals. With the help of others who he met at a Tampa-area strip club, Waddell posted advertisements on the Internet that offered to sell gold and silver at deeply discounted prices. After potential customers contacted Waddell by phone or text message, Waddell then lied about the availability of the metals and falsely promised quick delivery. Relying on Waddell’s misrepresentations, his victims wired money into bank accounts Waddell controlled. Waddell used those funds to gamble at casinos and never made many of the shipments he had promised. Additionally, Waddell knowingly sold counterfeit coins to at least one of his victims and then, after his arrest, asked an acquaintance to destroy them. The losses suffered by Waddell’s victims totaled over $800,000.

 

United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver stated, “Waddell is serial offender who has preyed on the people of this community and elsewhere since he was a teenager. Unfortunately, he graduated from passing bad checks to cheating people out of their savings and homes, all in a selfish effort to maintain an expensive lifestyle and perpetuate his gambling habit. Regardless of how he fared at the gaming tables, the worst bet Waddell ever made was thinking that he would evade justice and not be held accountable for his crimes.”

 

“Use caution when approaching any investment. If the subject or company pushing the investment is promising high returns, in this particular case through low gold prices, that should raise a red flag for any investor,” cautioned U.S. Secret Service Resident Agent in Change Glen M. Kessler. “The Secret Service, in conjunction with its many law enforcement partners in Georgia, 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,” said Kessler.

 

Antonio J. Gomez, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge of the Miami Division, stated, “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will stop at nothing to bring fraudsters and swindlers to account for their crimes. By partnering with the Secret Service and other federal agencies, Postal Inspectors will continue to ensure that the U.S. Mail is a safe and secure means of conducting legitimate business."

 

The United States Secret Service and United States Postal Inspection Service investigated the case with assistance from the Pooler Police Department and Armstrong State University Police Department Cyber Forensics Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Brian T. Rafferty and Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case and represented the United States at trial. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

 

SAVANNAH, GA - U.S. Attorney Edward Tarver announced today that the Southern District of Georgia collected over $19.4 million in civil, criminal and asset forfeiture actions during the 2016 calendar year. Of this amount, $15,694,972.37 was collected in affirmative civil enforcement actions; $2,798,814.88 was collected in criminal actions; and, $949,712.44 in assets were forfeited.

 

U.S. Attorney Tarver stated, “The amounts of money collected in criminal, civil and asset forfeiture actions by the men and women of the United States Attorney’s Office in 2016 are enough to pay this Office’s yearly budget several times over. This Office earns its keep and then some.”

 

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Department of Justice’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims’ Fund, which distributes the funds to state victim compensation and victim assistance programs. Forfeited assets are deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund and are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

 

For additional questions, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

Brunswick, GA- Daniel Roger Alo, 46, pleaded guilty today in federal court before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood for his role in running a drug trafficking organization out of the Calhoun State Prison in Morgan, Georgia. Last September, a federal grand jury sitting in Savannah indicted Alo and 15 other defendants regarding a drug trafficking organization operating in Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and elsewhere.

 

According to evidence presented during his guilty plea hearing, while serving a sentence at the Calhoun State Prison on a kidnapping conviction, Alo formed a drug trafficking organization made up of gang members inside and outside of prison, including individuals from the Ghost Face Gangsters, the Bloods, the Gangster Disciples, and from individuals with ties to Mexican Cartels. Alo used drones to smuggle cellphones and other contraband inside the Calhoun State Prison. From prison, Alo used the cellphones to coordinate large drug deals. On the outside, members of the conspiracy distributed pounds of crystal meth throughout the Southeast. In 2015, law enforcement agents seized 10.9 pounds of meth, over 10 firearms, and over $600,000 from 5 of Alo’s coconspirators, following a sting operation in Brunswick, Georgia. Coconspirator and former Georgia Lottery winner Ronnie Music purchased meth with some of his $3 million in lottery winnings. Like Alo, Music now awaits sentencing. During their investigation, agents seized more than 15 firearms, several of which were stolen or had obliterated serial numbers; thousands of rounds of ammunition; over 15 pounds of crystal meth; over $600,000; multiple vehicles; and, two drones.

 

U.S. Attorney Edward Tarver said, “This defendant is an example of the enormous challenges that our law enforcement partners face in their fight against illegal drugs in our communities. Alo used readily available technology (drones and cell phones) to continue his substantial criminal behavior even while confined in a secure State prison. It is necessary and appropriate that his next stop be a federal prison.”

 

Alo faces 5 to 40 years in a federal prison as a result of his federal conviction. Alo will be sentenced after the U.S. Probation Office completes a presentence investigation.

 

The case was investigated by the ATF, the DEA, the FBI, the United States Marshal Service, the GBI, the Glynn-Brunswick Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, the Ware County Sheriff’s Office, the Glynn County Police Department, the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office, the Haralson-Paulding Drug Task Force and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys E. Greg Gilluly, Jr. and Tania D. Groover prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For questions, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

Brunswick, GA- Joseph Mincey, 28, of Brunswick, Georgia, was sentenced today in federal court by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 6 years in prison on drug trafficking and firearms related charges. Mincey previously pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine and marijuana with intent to distribute and to possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

 

According to evidence presented during Mincey’s guilty plea and sentencing hearings, investigators of the Glynn-Brunswick Narcotics Enforcement Team (GBNET) initiated an investigation to identify individuals dealing drugs at a local public high school. As part of the investigation, a young looking undercover police officer was introduced into the high school, posing as a student. Mincey was later identified as a dealer of cocaine and marijuana. In November and December of 2015, Mincey sold the undercover officer cocaine, believing the officer to be a high school student. Mincey’s grandmother, who faced State drug charges, assisted in several of the drug transactions. On the date of Mincey’s arrest in January of 2016, law enforcement seized 2 loaded firearms, $2,300 in cash, several pounds of marijuana, cocaine, and other drug trafficking supplies.

 

U.S. Attorney Edward Tarver said, “It can’t get any worse than a drug dealer and his grandmother selling poison in our schools. It is unfortunate that the life lessons learned by this Defendant led him to a 7-year federal prison sentence.” Tarver mentioned that there is no parole in the federal system.

 

The investigation of this case was conducted by the GBNET and the ATF. Assistant United States Attorney E. Gregory Gilluly prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For questions, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

SAVANNAH, GA: On January 11, 2017, following a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge William T. Moore, Jr., a federal jury convicted Lamarlvin Arkeena Watts, 22, of armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

 

According to the evidence presented at trial, Watts veiled himself with a camouflage bandana and invaded the Wells Fargo branch at 1900 E. Victory Drive in Savannah at approximately 10:10 a.m. on July 14, 2015. With his finger on the trigger of a semiautomatic pistol, Watts threatened to shoot two of the bank’s tellers if they refused to surrender the cash in their control. Although Watts made off with more than $2,300.00, he was quickly identified as the perpetrator and arrested the following day. Searches of Watts’ house and vehicle revealed the shoes and one of the disposable gloves worn during the robbery, several hundred dollars of cash, and more than a dozen rounds of ammunition compatible with the gun Watts used to threaten the tellers. Hours after the robbery, Watts hired a convicted felon to cover up distinctive tattoos on his throat and forehead that were visible in the bank’s surveillance video footage, which law enforcement had disseminated through the media to enlist the public’s assistance in identifying the robber.

 

For his commission of armed bank robbery, Watts faces a term of imprisonment of up to 25 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release. He must also make restitution to Wells Fargo. For brandishing a firearm during the bank robbery, Watts will be required to serve at least 7 additional years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

 

United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver stated, “Savannah is the Hostess City of the South; not the Wild West. This office will continue to aggressively prosecute violent offenders who endanger the community through their criminal misuse of firearms.”

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI’s Southeast Georgia Violent Crimes Task Force, and the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department investigated the robbery with substantial assistance from the ATF and the GBI’s Division of Forensic Sciences.

Assistant United States Attorneys Theodore S. Hertzberg and Tania D. Groover prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

SAVANNAH, GA: Lance Lightner, 24, was sentenced on Tuesday to 272 months in prison by Chief United States District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood following his guilty pleas to charges of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Lightner’s prison term will be followed by a life term of supervised release. Lightner will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. Lightner pleaded guilty to the offenses on May 2, 2016.

According to evidence presented during the guilty plea and sentencing hearings, Agents with Fort Stewart’s Army Criminal Investigation Command (Army-CID) found child pornography and sexually-explicit texts with minors on active-duty Lightner’s cell phone.  Later, forensic agents located at least 500 images containing depictions of child pornography on Lightner’s phone, including sexually explicit photographs Lightner had taken and shared over the internet of his infant daughter.  After his arrest on related charges, Lightner was discharged from the Army.

United States Attorney Edward Tarver stated, “This defendant preyed on children.  He now rightfully faces hundreds of months in a federal prison cell.  When he’s released, he’ll then be under the watchful eye of federal probation officers for the rest of his life.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office will work hard with our state and federal law enforcement partners to make sure that sex offenders who prey on the innocent will end up where they belong, in prison.”   

This prosecution was the result of a joint investigation by the Southeast Georgia Child Exploitation Task Force and the Army-CID. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide U.S. Department of Justice initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.

Assistant United States Attorneys Frederick W. Kramer (since retired) and Marcela C. Mateo prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

 

            Savannah, GA: United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) R. Brian Tanner will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2016, general elections.  AUSA Tanner 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.

       United States Attorney Tarver said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud.  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.

       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 November 8, 2016, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Tarver stated that AUSA/DEO Tanner will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.  He can be reached by the public at 912-652-4422.

       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.  The local FBI field offices can be reached by the public at 912-790-3100 (Savannah), 912-265-2560 (Brunswick), 706-722-3702 (Augusta), and 912-764-6311 (Statesboro).

       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 complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/ complaint/votintake/index.php.

       United States Attorney Tarver 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.”

AUGUSTA, GA -- Cathedral Henderson, 51, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Court Judge J. Randal Hall, in Augusta, Georgia, to 27 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for falsifying the medical records of hundreds of veterans.  After a week-long trial earlier this year, a jury convicted Henderson on all counts. 

Evidence presented at trial and during sentencing revealed that Henderson, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employee and the former Chief of Non-VA Care Coordination at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, falsified the medical records of over 2,700 VA patients.  Henderson intentionally terminated unresolved consults – medical appointments that had not been scheduled or completed – as “patient refused services or services provided.”  Further, when confronted with the evidence of his crimes, Henderson lied to investigating agents about his actions. 

United States Attorney Ed Tarver stated, “Our VA officials and employees are entrusted with the health and welfare of some of the most honorable and vulnerable in our nation – our veterans.  This Defendant’s actions weakened our nation’s confidence in the agency empowered to care for its veterans.  This U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to end corruption wherever it appears.” 

Michael J. Missal, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, said, “This guilty verdict came as a result of a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.  This VA employee held a position of trust, but elected to manipulate veterans’ medical records to give the false appearance that the number of unfulfilled consult appointments was lower than the actual backlog, putting veterans at risk.”

VA-OIG Special Agent in Charge Monty Stokes stated, “Our investigation held this VA employee accountable for his deliberate actions that delayed delivery of vital health care with false statements.” 

The investigation of this case was led by VA-OIG Special Agent Tracy Brumfield.  Assistant United States Attorneys Lamont A. Belk and Patricia G. Rhodes prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.  For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

Savannah, GA: Leonard Riddle 46, of Bumpass, Virginia, was indicted this month by a federal grand jury sitting in Savannah on charges related to the July 29, 2016 robbery of the First Chatham Bank in Pooler, Georgia.  Known as “The “Flip Flop Bandit,” Riddle was wanted by the FBI at the time of his arrest for a series of bank robberies and attempted bank robberies in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Florida.  Riddle is alleged to have carried out the various robberies with either a BB gun or a fake explosive device.  Riddle’s alleged robbery spree ended on July 29, however, when was apprehended by the Pooler Police Department following a high-speed vehicle chase. 

Riddle is charged with one count of bank robbery in the Southern District of Georgia, and also has federal bank robbery indictments pending in the Western District of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Riddle attended an arraignment on September 28, 2016, where he entered a not guilty plea and was detained without bond.  If convicted of the sole count in the indictment, Riddle faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver emphasized that an indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

The investigation of this case was led by the FBI with assistance from the Pooler Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer G. Solari is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.  For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547. 

 

BRUNSWICK, GA – A 25-count federal indictment, unsealed today and returned by a federal Grand Jury earlier this month, charged 16 defendants with drug trafficking and firearm- related offenses.  The indictment follows a two-year Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation into drug trafficking activities within Glynn County, Wayne County and Ware County within the Southern District of Georgia, and elsewhere, including the Middle District of Georgia, the Northern District of Georgia, the Northern District of Florida, the Eastern District of Tennessee and the Western District of Virginia.  Agents of the ATF, the United States Marshals Service, the DEA, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and multiple local law enforcement agencies participated in the joint investigation.

 

The indictment alleges that members of the conspiracy used remote controlled drones to smuggle cell phones to conspirators incarcerated in a Georgia Department of Corrections facility.  Conspirators, while incarcerated, used the phones to coordinate, plan, and facilitate drug deals.  While incarcerated, they used Facebook and PayPal accounts to coordinate drug deals.  Among other things, members of the conspiracy possessed firearms and associated with gangs including the Bloods, the Gangster Disciples, the Ghost Face Gangsters and the Sinaloa Cartel, to aid in the receipt and distribution of controlled substances, for protection, and to promote a climate of fear.

 

The investigation culminated in arrests and search warrants being executed in Glynn County, Wayne County, Ware County and elsewhere.  During this investigation, agents seized over 10 kilograms of crystal meth, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, over 20 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, over $600,000 and multiple vehicles that were used to promote the criminal activity.

 

The following people were indicted:

 

DANIEL ROGER ALO (45, Calhoun, GA),

A/K/A “MARCO POLO,”

A/K/A “BOSS MAN,”

A/K/A “LO,”

A/K/A “UH NO,”

AMBERLIE WRIGHT (23, Dallas, GA),

JASON PRINCE (30, Jesup, GA),

MIRANDA MICHELLE FLOWERS (42, Jesup, GA)

A/K/A “CHELLE,”

A/K/A “MAMA,”

RAYMOND JARRED WILDER (33, Jesup, GA)

A/K/A “JIHAD,”

A/K/A “BATMAN,”

ANGELO OCCHIUZZI (35, Jesup, GA)

A/K/A “G-LO,”

AK/A “KENNY HALL,”

JASON LEE (35, Patterson, GA),

ANGELA POPE (30, Jesup, GA),

MARQUEZ MOREHEAD (33, Memphis, TN),

A/K/A “MARK-MO,”

MELVIN JACKSON (27, Jesup, GA),

A/K/A “MEL,”

LAWRENCE LARRY (29, Jesup, GA),

A/K/A “SWOLE,”

A/K/A “CAPONE,”

DEVONTAYE PITTMAN (22, Jesup, GA),

A/K/A “SQUEEZE,”

IRVISON FERNANDEZ PEREZ (23, Jesup, GA),

A/K/A “JOEY PEREZ,”

JOHN BRIAN SCHUYLER (40, Waycross, GA),

ORONDE PENDER,

ROBERT LEE TAYLOR (44, Waycross, GA),

 

 

Upon conviction, most of the Defendants face up to 40 years of incarceration, with some facing potential life sentences.  United States Attorney Tarver emphasized that the indictment is only an accusation and 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.

 

Assistant United States Attorneys E. Greg Gilluly, Jr. and Tania Groover are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.  For questions, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912)201-2547.

WAYCROSS, GA--A former correctional officer, Mathew Stone, 28, from Kingsland, Georgia, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court before Chief U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood for accepting a bribe from inmates at Correctional Institution D. Ray James, a privately operated facility which houses federal inmates through a contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, in Folkston, Georgia.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Stone accepted money for smuggling contraband items into Correctional Institution D. Ray James. Specifically, Stone plead guilty to one count of bribery for accepting $1,100 to provide prohibited objects, such as cellphones and tobacco, to inmates at the correctional institution.

Stone faces a maximum term of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for his conviction of bribery. There is no parole in the federal system. Stone’s sentencing will be scheduled after the U.S. Probation Office conducts a presentence investigation. 

The case was investigated by special agents of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcela C. Mateo is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. Any questions should be directed to First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

Savannah, GA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia partnered with Dismas Charities, Savannah to host a roundtable discussion on heroin and opioid abuse.  This event was part of the Department of Justice’s inaugural National Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week, taking place September 19-23, 2016.  In attendance were representatives of Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, Memorial Health University, Recovery Place, Inc., Assisted Recovery Center of Georgia, the DEA and Chatham County Counter Narcotics Team. 

 

Heroin overdoses nationally have risen 224 percent between 2007 and 2013. On an average day, 78 people will die from an opioid-related death. Dr. Jay Goldstein, the chief ER physician at Memorial University Health Center, spoke of the significant surge in opioid dependency that emergency room doctors are encountering on the front lines.  The heroin and opioid crisis is hitting close to home. Diane Diver, Clinical Director of Recovery Place, shared that between 2012 and 2014, Chatham County experienced a higher percentage of opioid related overdoes than metro Atlanta. 

 

United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver said, “There has been a significant spike in heroin abuse as a result of prescription opioid addiction.  Some people are legitimate patients with a valid prescription and others simply get the drugs illegally from friends, family members and dealers.  The Department of Justice is focusing on a threefold approach to combat this epidemic head on: preventing further tragedies by raising awareness, focusing on enforcement priorities by highlighting best practices and improving resources for treatment.”

 

Community partners, medical professionals and local and federal law enforcement agencies are working together to implement tangible solutions in Chatham County. The goal of this roundtable was to bring community awareness to the dangers of the drug abuse that is devastating families here and across the country. For more information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

 

SAVANNAH, GA: Shavar Spence, a/k/a “Veezy,” 32, of Savannah, Georgia, was sentenced earlier this week by Chief U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to serve 262 months in federal prison for trafficking drugs and unlawfully possessing firearms.  After Spence completes his nearly 22-year prison term, he will be supervised by the United States Probation Office for an additional five years.  Parole has been abolished in the federal system.

According to the evidence presented at sentencing, Spence was the leader of the “Clock Gang Muzik Group 12:30” (CGMG), an armed drug trafficking organization that operated in two locations within the Cuyler Brownsville neighborhood in Savannah.  The CGMG was organized, worn CGMG gang clothing, and was armed with firearms during drug transactions.  After conducting undercover purchases of drugs from members of CGMG, law enforcement executed search warrants at the locations where CGMG operated in Cuyler Brownsville.  Law enforcement seized crack cocaine, marijuana, MDMA, ammunition, military ballistic vests and five firearms, including a Kel-Tec, Model Sub 2000, .40 caliber semiautomatic rifle.  Disturbing evidence presented at sentencing indicated that a toddler was allowed to handle a firearm that appeared to be the Kel-Tec, semiautomatic rifle.  At sentencing, the Court noted that Spence was the leader of a dangerous and highly organized gang that was attempting to train a new generation.   

U.S. Attorney Edward Tarver said, “It is deeply troubling that in 2016 this defendant led an organization that taught African American children how to engage in violent crime and criminal drug activity.  There should be no doubt that if you’re involved in criminal gang activity, pushing poison in our streets, or illegally possessing and using firearms, you should expect to serve a very long sentence in a federal prison.  We will continue to work with our federal and local law enforcement partners to end gang violence and criminal drug sales in Savannah.” 

This case was investigated by the ATF and the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted Spence and other members of the CGMG as part of Project Ceasefire, a joint federal, state and local initiative to combat gun violence and ensure that repeat offenders are subjected to stiff federal prison sentences.

Assistant United States Attorney Tania D. Groover prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.  For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

BRUNSWICK, GA – Marc Victor Frazier, 45, from Satellite, Florida, was sentenced in United States District Court on September 19, 2016, to 44 months in prison. Frazier’s prison term will be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release. Appearing before Chief Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, Frazier was sentenced for his role in a conspiracy to unlawfully dispense controlled substances and launder money. Frazier was also ordered to forfeit more than $500,000 in assets, all of which were proceeds of his unlawful activity.

The evidence showed that Frazier was the owner and organizer of Apex Health & Wellness, Inc., a supposed “pain management clinic,” from a building located at 6129 New Jesup Highway, Brunswick, Georgia. Between November 2011 and April 24, 2013, drug-seeking customers typically paid between $200 and $300 cash to Apex Health & Wellness, in exchange for prescriptions for controlled substances issued outside the usual course of professional practice and without legitimate medical purpose. The clinic employed Paul Spencer Ruble, a licensed and registered medical doctor, to work at the clinic. (Ruble pleaded guilty to a similar charge on August 22, 2016 and is pending sentencing.) An average of 30 drug seeking patients were seen per day at the clinic during its 17 months of operation. A typical patient could expect to receive a prescription for 168 oxycodone 30 mg tablets, 112 oxycodone 15 mg tablets, and 28 to 56 2 mg alprazolam tablets. During the conspiracy, more than 400 deposits were made to the bank account of Apex Health & Wellness. These deposits totaled more than $1.8 million, including cash deposits of over $1.7 million. Apex Health & Wellness was permanently closed on April 24, 2013, when a federal search warrant was executed at the premises.

The convictions in this matter resulted from a joint investigation by the DEA, GBI, Glynn-Brunswick Narcotics Enforcement Team (GBNET), IRS - Criminal Investigations, and the United States Marshals Service. The investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, the keystone drug enforcement program of the Department of Justice.

United States Attorney Edward Tarver said, “This defendant profited handsomely from exploiting drug addicted individuals who came to his sham pain clinic. We have demonstrated time and again that persons who operate pill mills in the Southern District of Georgia can expect to be investigated, prosecuted, and stripped of their assets, the same as other drug traffickers in the Southern District of Georgia. The menace posed by these clinics cannot be understated. As I have previously noted, the heroin epidemic which is sweeping many parts of the country can be directly traced to the drug prescribing practices of these phony medical clinics where the owners and doctors prosper and the patents suffer grievously.”

Assistant United States Attorneys Karl Knoche, Greg Gilluly, and Marcela Mateo prosecuted the case for the government. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

SAVANNAH, GA: Jonathan Shane Culbreth, 20, was charged with arson yesterday by a federal grand jury sitting in Savannah, Georgia.  According to the Indictment, Culbreth maliciously damaged and destroyed a building at 102-118 West Barnard Street in Glennville by starting a fire on June 5, 2016.  The fire blazed through several downtown businesses and required the efforts of nearly a dozen different agencies to suppress over the course of several hours. 

If convicted of arson, Culbreth will face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, mandatory restitution, and three years of supervised release.  Culbreth is currently being held without bond at the Tattnall County Jail.  His initial appearance in federal court has not yet been scheduled. 

United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver emphasized that the Indictment against Culbreth is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt.  Culbreth is entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove his guilt of the charge in the Indictment beyond a reasonable doubt.

The fire was investigated by the ATF, the Georgia State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Tattnall County Fire Department, the Glennville Police Department, the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Long County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.  Any questions should be directed to First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

SAVANNAH, GA: Tyrone Anwan Broadnax, 35, a multi-convicted felon who has sold drugs and perpetrated violence in Savannah for many years, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 168 months in prison for trafficking cocaine, crack cocaine, and ethylone, a Schedule I psychedelic controlled substance.

According to court documents and evidence presented at hearings, Broadnax was stopped by police on July 22, 2015 after undercover officers saw him engage in a hand-to-hand drug transaction in Savannah’s Victorian District.  A search of Broadnax’s car revealed 95 baggies of drugs packaged for sale and a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol equipped with a high-capacity magazine.  An infant girl was in the backseat of the car as Broadnax drove through Savannah with his drugs and gun.  Following his arrest, Broadnax gave a full confession to police and bragged, “I sell every drug. . . . Every drug was in there today.”

Broadnax’s criminal history and involvement with guns and drugs stretches over two decades.  In 1995, at the age of 14, Broadnax and two accomplices mugged a man at gunpoint in downtown Savannah.  In 2002, shortly after Broadnax was released from prison, he was arrested for selling cocaine within 1,000 feet of a housing project.  He served less than half of a seven-year prison sentence.  In 2005, Broadnax was arrested for trafficking crack cocaine and unlawfully possessing a stolen firearm.  Although he was sentenced in 2007 to a 10-year term of incarceration, Broadnax was paroled in April 2008.  Seven months later, he committed a shooting in Savannah’s Hitch Village neighborhood.

U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver stated, “Too often, career criminals like Tyrone Broadnax come to believe that serving a short stint in state prison is simply the cost of doing business.  This United States Attorney’s Office is committed to stopping the revolving door and ensuring that felons who terrorize our community with gun violence and pollute our streets with drugs bear the full weight of their misdeeds.  Gun-using drug dealers in this District should expect to be sentenced to long sentences that will be served without parole in federal prisons far away.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted Broadnax as part of Project Ceasefire, a joint federal, state and local initiative to combat gun violence and ensure that repeat offenders are subjected to stiff federal prison sentences, all of which must be served without the possibility of parole.

The case was investigated by the ATF and the Undercover Narcotics Investigation Team of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department (“SCMPD”).  SCMPD’s K-9 Unit and the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole provided support.  Assistant United States Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

 

BRUNSWICK, GA – Paul Spencer Ruble, 63, a doctor from Thomson, Georgia, pleaded guilty today in federal court before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to a charge of conspiracy to unlawfully dispense controlled substances and launder money.

The information to which Ruble pleaded charged that beginning in November 2011, he and other conspirators began operating Apex Health & Wellness, Inc., a phony pain management clinic, from a building located at 6129 New Jesup Highway, Brunswick, Georgia. The clinic employed Ruble, a licensed and registered medical doctor, to work at Apex Health & Wellness, Inc. Between November 2011 and April 24, 2013, drug-seeking customers typically paid between $200 and $300 cash to Apex Health & Wellness, in exchange for prescriptions for controlled substances issued outside the usual course of professional practice and without legitimate medical purpose. Ruble wrote prescriptions for vast quantities of controlled substances, including oxycodone, hydrocodone, and alprazolam (Xanax), outside the usual course of professional practice and without legitimate medical purpose. An average of 30 drug seeking patients were seen per day at the clinic during its 17 months of operation. A typical patient could expect to receive a prescription for 168 oxycodone 30 mg tablets, 112 oxycodone 15 mg tablets, and 28 to 56 2 mg alprazolam tablets.

The Apex Health & Wellness clinic was shuttered April 24, 2013 when a federal search warrant was executed at the premises. The unlawful business was very profitable until being shut down. During the conspiracy, more than 400 deposits were made to bank account of Apex Health & Wellness. These deposits were mostly comprised of cash paid by patients at Apex Health & Wellness for controlled substances prescribed without legitimate medical purpose. The deposits totaled over $1.8 million, including cash deposits of over $1.7 million. Ruble was paid just under $500,000 for his services at Apex which he then laundered through several other bank accounts.

Ruble faces a maximum penalty of not more than 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for his conviction. The owner of the clinic, Marc Frazier, 46, of Satellite, Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty to a similar charge in July 2015 and is awaiting sentencing.

The convictions in this matter resulted from a joint investigation by the DEA, GBI, Glynn-Brunswick Narcotics Enforcement Team (GBNET), IRS - Criminal Investigations, and the United States Marshals Service. The investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, the keystone drug enforcement program of the Department of Justice.

United States Attorney Edward Tarver said, “The devastation caused to human lives by prescription drug abuse cannot be overstated. Patients at pill mills such as this one can expect to lose money, health, time, family, employment, and happiness. The heroin epidemic which is sweeping many parts of the country can be traced directly to these phony medical clinics where the owners and doctors prosper and the patents suffer grievously. Persons who operate pill mills in the Southern District of Georgia can expect to be investigated, prosecuted, and sent to prison in the same way as other drug traffickers who push poison in our communities.”

Daniel R. Salter, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division, said, “It is a sad commentary when a trusted person in the medical community attempts to hide behind the veil of legitimacy to commit criminal acts. The reckless distribution of pharmaceuticals results in addiction and death. Many thanks to the hard-working law enforcement partners who worked this case.” 

Jamie Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the GBI Southeastern Regional Drug Enforcement Office, observed, “This investigation shows that the GBI, in conjunction with Local and Federal partners, is dedicated to eradicating pill-mill operations. The prescriptions obtained from these type of pill mill clinics are most often sold or diverted on the streets, feeding pain pill addictions and ruining families and lives.”

Kevin Jones, Chief of the Brunswick Police Department, noted, “It has been a focused effort of GBNET to drive these types of illegitimate businesses out of Brunswick and Glynn County and to bring those responsible for this activity to justice.”

Assistant United States Attorneys Greg Gilluly, Marcela Mateo, and Karl Knoche prosecuted the case for the government. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

SAVANNAH, GA: On August 12, 2016, after a week-long trial before U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr., a federal jury convicted conman Stacy Paul Waddell, 44, of wire fraud, sale of counterfeit coins, and tampering with official proceedings.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Waddell and others acting at his direction littered the internet with advertisements offering to sell gold and silver coins at deeply discounted prices.  Waddell received responses from dozens of people throughout the United States and abroad.  Waddell then lied about availability of the coins and falsely promised quick delivery times to get customers to wire transfer money into bank accounts controlled by Waddell.  After those payments were received, Waddell pocketed his victims’ funds and used them to gamble at casinos and purchase expensive clothes and other accessories.  Waddell further lied to his victims when they would ask about the status of their unfulfilled coin orders.  Additionally, Waddell knowingly sold counterfeit gold coins to at least one of his victims and then attempted to destroy those coins after a federal grand jury indicted him for selling fake gold.  According to a forensic analysis, Waddell bilked his victims out of no less than $600,000 between 2013 and 2015.

Waddell is a serial scam artist whose criminal history in the Savannah area — much of which involves offenses of deceit and deception — stretches back to the late 1980s.  In 1991, Waddell checks totaling nearly $5,000 on a closed account.  In 1992, he staged multiple car accidents and falsely reported his car to have been stolen in order to obtain approximately $36,000 through fraudulent insurance claims.  On more than a dozen occasions in 1993, Waddell forged checks totaling more than $7,300.  In 1995, Waddell shoplifted electronic equipment, stole a U-Haul truck, and fled to Nevada before the U.S. Marshals Service located him eight months later.  While serving his prison sentence for theft of the U-Haul vehicle, Waddell prepared and submitted false tax returns to the IRS using the names and personal identification information of other inmates.  For that conduct, Waddell was convicted in 2004 of making false claims to a federal agency.  Following his release from prison, Waddell quickly violated the terms of his supervision, and the court imposed a maximum sentence.  The gold and silver coin scheme that led to his most recent conviction was launched shortly after Waddell regained his liberty in 2011.

On each of the four telemarketing-related wire fraud counts, Waddell faces a term of imprisonment of up to 25 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release.  He also faces 20 years in prison for obstructing justice and 15 years of imprisonment for selling counterfeit coins.  There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver stated, “For more than two decades, Stacy Waddell preyed on hardworking, innocent people in the Southern District of Georgia and in other judicial jurisdictions.  Through his latest scam, Waddell used the internet and fake coins to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars, much of which he spent on himself and lost gambling at various casinos. Predators like Waddell should be taken off of the streets. The Department of Justice and this U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue its work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to ensure that happens.” 

The United States Secret Service and United States Postal Inspection Service investigated the case with assistance from the Pooler Police Department and Armstrong State University Police Department Cyber Forensics Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Brian T. Rafferty and Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case and represented the United States at trial.  For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

SAVANNAH GA-  Liberty County resident Timecka Green, 32, was sentenced earlier this week by District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr. to 10 years in federal prison for her role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that operated in Liberty County and elsewhere.  In May of this year, a federal jury convicted her of conspiracy to make and sell cocaine and crack cocaine, for possessing cocaine and crack cocaine with intent to sell and for making crack cocaine. 

Evidence presented in trial, court hearings, and written documents, painted a grim picture.  On Tuesday, October 27, 2015, T. G. (a 15 year-old child) called her grandmother in New York for help because men were cooking crack cocaine at her Liberty County home and the fumes were making her brothers, sisters, and her own six-month old infant sick.  The defendant, Timecka Green, had left her children alone with other drug dealers, who were cooking crack, so she could engage in a drug deal. 

The grandmother called the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office to investigate.  Upon arrival, detectives captured Laron Bruce, who had over $7000 cash, cocaine, and a scale hidden on his body.  Detectives ultimately searched the home and found it filled with children and drug supplies.  The kids were 15, 13, 8, 5, 2, and 6 months old.  Cocaine, crack, and cooking supplies were found throughout the government subsidized house.  Detectives found a small child’s school uniform pants, covered in cocaine powder, on a table in the living room, next to a razor blade, next to a baby play pen.  In the kitchen, next to baby formula, agents found crack cocaine and powder cocaine.  In total, during the search, agents found over 400 grams of powder cocaine, over 30 grams of crack cocaine, plastic baggies with cocaine residue, glass beakers, multiple scales used to weigh drugs, cutting agents, a whisk, a cocaine press, and other items.

Trial testimony revealed that on over 20 separate occasions, Timecka Green opened the doors of her home to drug dealers so they could cook crack and package it for re-sell.  In exchange, she received cocaine for resale or money.  After her arrest, Timecka Green made phone calls from jail where she stated that if she saw her daughter she would cut her throat.

United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver stated, “Some of the evidence presented during this trial was appalling.  The defendant willfully endangered her grandchild and her own four children in exchange for drugs and money.  During her prosecution, the defendant put her 15 year-old daughter on the witness stand to testify at trial in a deplorable attempt to force her to recant.  We should all grieve for these children, especially the teenage daughter who did the right thing to protect her siblings and her own child.”

Also convicted and sentenced in this successful prosecution were Larron R. Bruce, 35, who received 170 months of incarceration and Willie Nelson Bruce, 55, who received 57 months of incarceration.

This case was investigated by the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and the GBI.  The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys E. Greg Gilluly, Jr. and Scarlett S. Nokes.  For additional questions, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

WASHINGTON—The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that Honeywell International Inc. and Georgia Power Company have agreed to clean up the 760-acre saltwater marsh at the LCP Chemicals Superfund Site in Brunswick, Georgia.  The settlement requires the companies to spend an estimated $28.6 million to remove and isolate contaminated sediments in the marsh and to monitor the long-term effectiveness of the work.

“We appreciate that these companies have stepped forward to remedy the contamination to which they and others have contributed,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.  “This settlement makes critical progress toward the remediation of the LCP Chemicals Superfund Site and will minimize risks to people and the environment posed by contamination in the marsh.”

“Back in the 1990s, this U.S. Attorney’s Office secured criminal convictions against six officers and employees of LCP Chemicals-Georgia Inc. who were responsible for dumping mercury and other hazardous chemicals into the waters of the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Edward J. Tarver for the Southern District of Georgia.  “The combined sentences totaled over 21 years in prison.  The cleanup of this Superfund Site is now in its third decade.  I am pleased that Honeywell and Georgia Power have stepped forward to continue cleanup as we work towards fixing the environmental mess caused by other companies’ greed many years ago.”

“EPA is very pleased to reach a settlement ensuring funding for future cleanup costs to address the contamination of the site’s tidal marsh and creeks,” said Regional Administrator Heather McTeer Toney of EPA’s Southeast Region.  “We are looking forward to ensuring that cleanup work at this site continues.”

Between 1919 and 1994, the LCP Chemicals site hosted a petroleum refinery, an electric power generation facility and various manufacturing operations, including a mercury cell chlor-alkali plant.  These industrial activities led to widespread contamination of the site’s soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment with mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other hazardous substances.  The site was placed on the federal Superfund list in 1996.

The cleanup work required by the settlement includes dredging and installing protective caps on portions of four tidal creeks, placing a layer of clean sediment on eleven acres of marsh and restoring areas disturbed by construction.  The work is expected to reduce concentrations of mercury, PCBs, lead and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the marsh’s sediments.

Additionally, capping the contaminants in place will prevent them from moving throughout the marsh and contaminating its animal life.  The settling parties will also monitor the remedy’s long-term effectiveness at reducing risks to human health and the environment.

EPA and potentially responsible parties, including Honeywell International Inc. and Georgia Power Company, began response work at the site in 1994.  Since then, EPA has overseen the demolition of contaminated buildings, the dredging and excavation of 13 acres of marsh and the removal of contaminated soil and waste from the site’s upland areas.  This settlement marks an important step in the remediation of the site’s tidal marsh and creeks, which comprise one of the three areas into which the site has been divided. EPA will address the site’s groundwater and upland areas in future actions.

The cleanup is being accomplished under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund.  The Superfund law protects human health and the environment while safeguarding taxpayer dollars by holding parties that contributed to contamination responsible for cleaning it up.  Since 1980, EPA’s Superfund program has managed the cleanup of the nation’s most hazardous waste sites and has responded to environmental emergencies, oil spills and natural disasters.

The public has the opportunity to submit written comments on the consent decree, which is subject to the 30-day comment period and final approval by the court.  A copy of the consent decree is available at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.  The Justice Department also concurrently filed a complaint initiating the case that the consent decree resolves.

BRUNSWICK, GA-  Qaaid Reddick, 33, of Brooklyn, New York was sentenced last week by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 82 months in prison for his role in the attempted exchange of heroin and cocaine for a cache of firearms. 

According to evidence presented during guilty plea and sentencing hearings, Reddick, a Bloods Gang leader, and Brandon Conway, 22, both New York residents, traveled from New York to Brunswick, Georgia to trade heroin and cocaine for a cache of firearms.  Reddick and Conway were attempting to obtain firearms to take back to New York so they could be disseminated to others and used in crimes.  Reddick and Conway delivered the drugs to a person at a hotel room in Brunswick, Georgia.  In the hotel room, Reddick and Conway were shown the cache of firearms they ordered, which included semi-automatic weapons and an assault rifle.  To their surprise, Reddick and Conway were dealing with an undercover ATF agent.  Reddick and Conway were quickly arrested in the hotel room without incident. 

United States Attorney Ed Tarver stated, “Georgia is often referred to as a ‘source state’ for out-of-state gang members looking for firearms.  This U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal and state law enforcement partners will continue to disrupt the illegal pipeline of guns from Georgia to the hands of those peddling drugs, fear and crime in neighborhoods throughout our great nation.”  

At an earlier sentencing hearing, Reddick’s coconspirator, Brandon Conway, was sentenced to 7 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was investigated by the ATF, the GBI and the Glynn County Sheriff’s Department.  Assistant United States Attorney E. Greg Gilluly, Jr. prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.  For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

BRUNSWICK GA - Ronnie Music, Jr.,45, of Waycross, Georgia, pled guilty last week before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to federal drug trafficking and firearm charges. 

According to evidence presented during his guilty plea hearing, Music conspired with others to possess and distribute kilograms of methamphetamine in Ware County, Georgia and elsewhere.  The investigation revealed that in September, 2015, Music’s coconspirators were caught attempting to sell approximately 11 pounds of crystal meth, with a street value in excess of $500,000.  Music was identified as a source of supply for the meth.  The investigation further revealed that Music purchased the methamphetamine for resale with his own lottery winnings.  In 2015, Music won $3,000,000 in a Georgia scratch-off lottery game.  As part of the case, investigating agents seized over $1 million worth of methamphetamine, a large cache of firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, multiple vehicles, and over $600,000 in cash.

United States Attorney Ed Tarver stated, “Defendant Music decided to test his luck by sinking millions of dollars of lottery winnings into the purchase and sale of crystal meth.  As a result of his unsound investment strategy, Music now faces decades in a federal prison.”   

Music and other members of the conspiracy will be sentenced by Chief Judge Wood after the United States Probation Office conducts a presentence investigation.  Music faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

The case was investigated by the ATF, DEA, and the Glynn-Brunswick Narcotics Enforcement Team (GBNET).  Assistant United States Attorneys E. Greg Gilluly, Jr. and Theodore Hertzberg are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.  For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

Augusta, GA – Williams Memorial CME Church will host a Protecting Houses of Worship seminar on Tuesday, July 26 at 6 p.m. Participating in the event will be the United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI and Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Law enforcement personnel and local religious and civil leaders will have a discussion on how to prevent and respond to incidents of violence in houses of worship and during religious ceremonies. The event, which is open to the public, will educate community members on what to do to provide safety and security during religious meetings of all denominations.

The seminar will take place at the Williams Memorial CME Church at 1630 15th Street, Augusta, Georgia 30901. For additional information please contact Nic Roberts at 912-652-4422.

Savannah, GA: David Wayne Stanley, 51, of Houston, Texas, was indicted last week by a federal grand jury sitting in Savannah on charges related to two bank robberies in the Savannah area.  The indictment alleges that on April 28, 2016, Stanley robbed the BB&T bank located at 326 Mall Boulevard, Savannah, Georgia, and the Georgia Heritage Federal Credit Union located at 1085 West Lathrop Avenue, Savannah, Georgia. 

No initial appearance in court has been scheduled.  If convicted on all counts, Stanley faces prison sentence of up to 40 years.  United States Attorney Edward Tarver emphasizes that an indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

The investigation of this case was led by the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force, with substantial assistance from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer G. Solari is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.  For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547. 

Statesboro, GA - A federal indictment has been returned charging 14 South Georgia residents with conspiring to traffick methamphetamine, heroin, oxycodone and other drugs.  If convicted of the drug trafficking conspiracy charge, the Defendants face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a potential $1 million fine.  The majority of Defendants appeared in federal court last week in Statesboro for their initial appearances.

The federal indictment, unsealed last week and returned by a federal Grand Jury sitting in Savannah in June, charged the following 14 Defendants:

Jeramie Thomas Leslie, 31, of Guyton,

John Christopher Paulson, 40, of Rincon,

William Preston Gibbs, 22, of Glennville,

Jeremiah Jones Richardson, 29, of Statesboro,

Jason Todd Smith, 43, of Fleming,

Jeremy Nicholas Taylor, 27, of Ellabell,

Samori Jodan Smokes, 35, of Eden,

Scott Lamont Pointer, 35, of Ellabell,

Timothy Wayne Davis, 49, of Ellabell.

Christopher Gage Floyd, 21, of Pembroke,

Kenneth Jordan Lane, 24, of Pembroke,

Jeffery James Taylor, 28, of Ellabell,

Casandra Rae Hendrix, 24, of Ellabell, and

Kayla Estell Rericha, 21, of Rincon.

The charges resulted from a joint federal-state investigation by the DEA, GBI, the Bryan County County Sheriff’s Office, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, the Statesboro-Bulloch Crime Suppression Team, the Richmond Hill Police Department and the Pembroke Police Department.  Assistance was also provided by the Rincon Police Department and the United States Marshal’s Service.

U.S. Attorney Edward Tarver emphasizes that indictments are only accusations and are 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.

Assistant United States Attorney Charlie Bourne is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.