Central District of Illinois

PEORIA, Ill. – A Danvers, Illinois, man, Alexander B. Smith, 23, of Kimberly Court, has been sentenced to 78 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for transfer of obscene matter to a minor. Smith is also required to register as a sex offender and pay $2,000 in restitution to the minor victim of his offense.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the United States presented evidence that in February and March of 2021, Smith communicated via Instagram with a girl whom he knew to be under sixteen years old. Smith sent the girl images of his penis and encouraged her to meet with him for sex. Smith met with the girl at a park and had sexual intercourse with her.  

Soon after, law enforcement officers investigated and arrested Smith. A search of Smith’s phone revealed at least 21 videos and 462 images of child pornography, including children as young as about three years old.

Smith was federally indicted in September 2021, and has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. He pleaded guilty in April 2022.

The statutory penalties for transfer of obscene matter to a minor are up to 10 years imprisonment, up to a three-year term of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.

The Illinois State Police and Bloomington Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Ford County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the United States in the prosecution.

The case against Smith was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, woman, Allison Poorman, 28, of the 600 block of Douglas Avenue, has been sentenced to 11 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, along with a fine of $2,292.14, for conspiracy to commit escape of prisoners in the custody of an institution, conspiracy to possess contraband in prison, and providing or attempting to provide contraband in prison.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Poorman, along with co-defendant Josh Beechler, provided various contraband items to inmates James Russwinkel and Randy Bull while they were incarcerated in the Sangamon County Jail. The items were intended to be used by Russwinkel and Bull to escape from the jail. Some of the items smuggled into the jail included a hack saw, saw blades, zip ties, a cutting glove, a small pry bar, a handcuff key, rope, smoke bombs, and a cellular telephone. Their efforts were thwarted by an anonymous call to the jail.

At the hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Sue Myerscough described the effort taken to assist Russwinkel and Bull to escape from the jail as one of the most elaborate she has seen.

Poorman previously pleaded guilty in November 2021.

The statutory penalties for conspiracy to commit escape of prisoners in the custody of an institution and conspiracy to possess contraband in prison include up to five years’ imprisonment; up to three years of supervised release; and up to a $250,000 fine. The statutory penalties for providing or attempting to provide contraband in prison include up to 10 years’ imprisonment; up to three years’ supervised release; and up to a $250,000 fine.

“The defendant’s actions to assist inmates in escaping from jail shows not only a disrespect for the law, but also placed correctional officers and other jail inmates in danger,” stated Assistant U.S. Attorney Sierra Senor-Moore. “The tools the defendant smuggled into the jail could have been used to harm people. We appreciate the efforts of involved law enforcement and the anonymous caller for preventing further damage or injury.”

The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Marshals investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tanner K. Jacobs and Senor-Moore represented the government in the prosecution.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –A Springfield, Illinois, man, Calvin Christian, III, 31, of the 1700 block of South College Street was sentenced on August 25, 2022, to 24 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for six counts of either possessing or using counterfeit access devices or related offenses.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that beginning in late 2014 Christian obtained card-encoding hardware that connected to his computer allowing him to re-code information from credit cards, gift cards, or other cards with magnetic stripes. He then used cryptocurrency to purchase stolen credit card information on the internet and used the information with the encoding hardware to make “new” credit cards that were linked credit card or bank accounts of other individuals. He and others then used the fraudulent cards to purchase goods or gift cards. Christian was held accountable for $44,634.34 in total loss, stemming from conduct which lasted from 2015 to 2017.

Also at the hearing, United States District Judge Sue E. Myerscough found Christian was an organizer or leader and that the offense involved at least six financial institutions and 14 individual victims. She also noted the length of his criminal actions and his persistence in continuing his enterprise, even after he had been caught multiple times.

“Sophisticated fraud accomplished using stolen identifying information, cryptocurrency, and the dark-web is an unfortunate new reality in our society, but this case shows that the United States Secret Service and other law enforcement working with federal prosecutors will work tirelessly to bring technologically savvy criminals to justice,” said Assistant United States Attorney Tanner Jacobs.

“This type of fraudulent activity can be devastating to everyday citizens and their families, and we appreciate our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold criminals accountable for their actions,” said USSS Resident Agent in Charge Stephen Webster. “The U.S. Secret Service remains committed to investigating and arresting those that engage in crimes that undermine the integrity of the U.S. financial and payment systems.”   

Christian was indicted in June of 2017 and pleaded guilty in May of 2019. His sentencing hearing was continued numerous times because of COVID-19.

The maximum statutory penalties for the access device fraud related offenses ranged from ten to fifteen years in prison, not more than three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.

The United States Secret Service, Springfield Resident Office, investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Tanner Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution.

PEORIA, Ill. – A Tennessee man, Ryan Dale Gross, 26, of the 3400 block of Berkshire Circle, Johnson City, has been sentenced to 264 months imprisonment for four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. The counts are to be served concurrently. Following his release, Gross must serve a 10-year term of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that in late 2020, a minor child residing in the Central District of Illinois was contacted over Snapchat by a person later identified as Gross. Gross falsely told the minor child he was 16 years old, and the chats progressed into Gross requesting sexually explicit photos of the minor victim despite knowing the victim’s age. At first, the minor refused, but Gross eventually coerced the victim into sending numerous images and videos that were sexually explicit in nature. In the chat conversations recovered by law enforcement, Gross threatened to expose the nude photos if the minor did not continue to send sexually explicit materials to his liking. Agents were able to trace the Snapchat conversations and images back to Gross and his residence in Johnson City, Tennessee.  Agents executed a search warrant on Gross’s house in February 2021 and confirmed he was the account holder who had exploited the minor.

At the hearing, U.S. District Court Judge James E. Shadid stated that the minor victim endured a “nightmare” at the hands of Gross’ conduct in the case, describing the threats as cold, mean, and calculated.

Gross was indicted in March 2021 and pleaded guilty in April 2022. A preliminary forfeiture order was issued for Gross’ Apple iPhone used in the commission of the offense.

The statutory penalties for sexual exploitation of a minor are 15 to 30 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release for each count. Special assessments  under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act are also possible.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine G. Legge represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Gross was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In an effort to protect some of our most vulnerable citizens, financial institutions and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in Springfield are joining together to help educate and prevent financial crimes, especially those committed against the elderly. The effort includes a series of educational events at financial institutions and a partnership with Crimestoppers between July 27, 2022, and September 30, 2022, to both raise awareness regarding these schemes and to assist with the apprehension and prosecution of fraudsters.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the American Association of Retired Persons, Americans who are 50 years and older lost nearly $3 billion dollars to cybercrime in 2021, which represented a 62% increase from 2020. All other age groups also saw increasing rates of fraud. Almost a quarter of all losses were borne by people over 60 years of age. Confidence fraud, including grandparent, romance, and relationship scams more generally, was the costliest type of scam. Seniors in particular are often susceptible to fraudsters impersonating various types of people and ultimately asking for money. Cryptocurrency has exacerbated the problem. 

Signs of financial exploitation include an elder customer’s sudden change in banking activity including frequent ATM withdrawals, wire transactions, gift card purchases, or cryptocurrency purchases; a nervous or confused senior on the phone or in the bank; an elder customer who exits and immediately returns to the lobby; and elders who are elusive with details about why and to whom they are sending money or are confused about “missing funds.”

If a senior or friend or relative of a senior believes a senior is at risk of imminent danger or financial exploitation, they should call 9-1-1. Reports of financial exploitation and abuse should be reported to the non-emergency number at the Springfield Police Department (217-788-8311.) The Adult Protective Services Hotline number to report elder fraud is 866 800-1409. Elder fraud may also be reported to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office at 800-243-5377. Internet-based fraud should be reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3,  https://www.ic3.gov/Home/FileComplaint. Additional useful information about elder frauds and scams is available at www.uspis.gov and www.ftc.gov.

Banks and law enforcement agencies participating in the campaign to prevent fraud include: the Bank of Springfield; Heartland Credit Union; Alliance Community Bank; Security Bank; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois; Sangamon County States Attorney; Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Office; Illinois Attorney General; Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office; and the Springfield Police Department.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict yesterday against Todd Sheffler, a lieutenant at the Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mt. Sterling, Ill., for civil rights deprivation resulting in bodily injury and death and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of Larry Earvin, an inmate at the facility, following a three-week trial and three hours of deliberations.

Central District of Illinois U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris; Federal Bureau of Investigation-Springfield Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz; and Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly made the announcement.

A federal grand jury had previously returned an indictment against Sheffler, 54, of Mendon, Ill.; Willie Hedden, 43, of Mt. Sterling, Ill.; and Alex Banta, 31, of Quincy, Ill., in December 2019, charging them with civil rights resulting in bodily injury and death and obstruction charges.

During the jury trial before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence that Sheffler; Hedden, who was a sergeant at the facility; and Banta, who was a correctional officer, participated in the May 17, 2018, assault of Mr. Earvin, 65, during their forcible escort of Mr. Earvin from the residential housing unit of the prison to the segregation housing unit while he was restrained and handcuffed behind his back and while he posed no physical threat to the defendants or other correctional officers. The assault resulted in serious bodily injury to Mr. Earvin, including multiple broken ribs, a punctured mesentery, and other serious internal injuries, and resulted in Mr. Earvin’s death in June 2018. After the assault, all three defendants falsified incident reports that they filed with prison officials and lied to the Illinois State Police by denying any knowledge of or participation in the assault.

Following the trial, Sheffler was convicted of all five charges in the indictment: conspiracy to deprive civil rights and deprivation of civil rights under color of law resulting in bodily injury and death; conspiracy to engage in misleading conduct; obstruction – falsification of a document; and obstruction – misleading conduct.

Hedden pleaded guilty in March 2022 to both civil rights charges and to conspiracy to engage in misleading conduct. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 21, 2022. Banta was convicted in April 2022 of all five charges in the indictment following his joint jury trial with Sheffler and was ordered detained pending sentencing. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 20, 2022. The jury in the joint trial was unable to reach verdicts as to Sheffler, resulting in the instant retrial that began on August 1, 2022. Following yesterday’s jury verdict, Sheffler was ordered detained pending sentencing. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6, 2023. All scheduled sentencings are set to take place at the federal courthouse in Springfield, Illinois.

“We hope this week’s guilty verdict and the prior convictions of the co-defendants provide a measure of justice for Larry Earvin and his family,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris. “We also hope it serves as a warning to all those who would abuse governmental power. Illinois correctional officers’ brutal beating of Mr. Earvin cost him his life, and that is a loss that can never be remedied. Our prosecution of this case demonstrates our continued commitment to equal justice under the law and to protecting society’s vulnerable, including those in our prisons.”

Harris added that his office also wanted to express its appreciation for the FBI, Springfield Division, and Illinois State Police for their tireless work on the case, as well as for the witnesses who ultimately came forward and told the truth about the events surrounding Mr. Earvin’s death. He noted that actions of a few here had unfairly tarnished the reputations of the men and women in law enforcement who honorably serve their communities with professionalism on a daily basis.

Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Springfield Field Office, David Nanz said, “Illinois correctional officers are public servants sworn to treat committed persons equally with fairness and dignity, and to conduct their duties in a manner that meets the department’s highest ethical standards. Disregard for those responsibilities resulted in the tragic death of Larry Earvin. While the actions of Todd Sheffler are not characteristic of the vast majority of law enforcement, it unfortunately undermines the efforts of the officers who serve with integrity, who bear the responsibility to respect and defend the rights of those under their watch. The FBI has an unwavering commitment to investigate all federal civil rights violations to ensure that every citizen – whether free or incarcerated – can exercise their protected liberties without fear of violence.”

The statutory penalties for each of the civil rights resulting in death charges are up to life imprisonment. The statutory penalties for each of the obstruction of justice charges are up to 20 years of imprisonment.

The case was the result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois, the FBI-Springfield Field Office, and the Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation, with the cooperation of the Illinois Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy A. Bass and Eugene L. Miller represent the government in the prosecution.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Gregory K. Harris, United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, joined by other regional U.S. Attorneys, provided an update this week on the cross-jurisdictional Firearms Trafficking Strike Force.

The Department of Justice launched the strike force in July 2021 to disrupt illegal firearms trafficking and reduce gun violence.  Led locally by U.S. Attorney Harris, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in the Central District of Illinois and across the country to help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms and to identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.

According to gun trace data, a significant number of firearms recovered in Chicago originate outside Chicago and are illegally trafficked into the city.  The strike force has strengthened coordination between law enforcement in Chicago and counterparts in the locations where many of the firearms originate.  In providing the update on the strike force’s efforts, U.S. Attorney Harris was joined by U.S. Attorneys from around the Midwest.

“Preventing gun violence is a top priority in our district and region,” said U.S. Attorney Harris.  “These cross-jurisdictional efforts to stem illegal firearm trafficking are an important tool in making our communities safer.”

“Firearms traffickers and straw purchasers enable violence,” said U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr.  “Over the past year, the cross-jurisdictional strike force has increased collaboration with our law enforcement partners and enhanced our longstanding efforts to hold accountable individuals or groups who illegally traffic firearms into Chicago.”

The Chicago strike force’s efforts have been substantially enhanced by the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD’s) Gun Investigations Team.

“While I am the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, this Office will continue to recognize that combatting violent crime – particularly gun crimes – requires coordinated, multi-jurisdictional efforts among federal and state prosecutors and federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said Clifford D. Johnson, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. “We know that through these combined efforts the safety of the citizens in our respective communities is improved.  We want all law-abiding citizens to be able to enjoy the many cultural, social, and recreational activities in the Chicagoland area without fear of violence.”

“Whether individuals are trafficking guns from Wisconsin into Chicago or sending guns from other states into places like Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha, we are fully committed to working with our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners to hold firearms traffickers and straw purchasers fully accountable,” said Richard G. Frohling, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.  “By working together – both within our districts and across the region – we can make all of our communities safer places in which to live and work.”

“Illegal firearms traffickers help fuel the horrific gun violence inflicted on our communities and families,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.  “Working with law enforcement partners across agencies and jurisdictions, our office will continue to prioritize investigations and prosecutions that stem the tide of crime guns onto the streets of all of our communities and hold gun traffickers accountable.”

“Reducing violent crime and gun crimes are top priorities of my office,” said Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.  “The statements expressed here show that violent criminals cannot avoid federal prosecution by fleeing to another state.  There is literally nowhere to run.  We will work with our law enforcement partners across the Midwest to hold violent criminals and gun traffickers accountable and keep our communities safe.”

To investigate and prosecute cases as part of the strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices work closely with U.S. law enforcement agencies, including ATF, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS).  State and local partners in the Northern District of Illinois include CPD, Illinois State Police (ISP), Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rockford Police Department (RPD).

In the first year of the strike force, several dozen defendants have been charged or convicted in federal courts in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, as illustrated by the examples below.

Northern District of Illinois

• ARSHAD ZAYED, of Orland Hills, Ill., was charged with illegally selling 36 firearms, including “ghost guns” and machine guns, in the Chicago area.  Many of the transactions occurred in a car wash that Zayed managed in the Chicago suburb of Matteson, Ill.  The investigation was conducted by FBI, ATF, CPD, ISP, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.

 

• Two Indianapolis men – DEVANTE T. BROWN and COREY SARTIN – were charged with federal firearm violations for allegedly trafficking ten guns, including four semiautomatic rifles and two “ghost guns,” from Indianapolis to Chicago.  The probe was led by ATF and CPD, with assistance from the Dolton, Ill., Police Department.

 

• Chicago resident ANTHONY PEREZ-FLORES was charged with trafficking more than a dozen guns, including a “ghost gun” and a machine gun, in Chicago.  Perez-Flores was on parole for a state firearm conviction when he allegedly sold the guns to an undercover officer.  ATF, CPD, and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office investigated.

 

• DEVON DOW, of Chicago, was charged with trafficking individually manufactured “ghost guns” in Chicago.  Dow allegedly sold seven “ghost guns” to an undercover law enforcement officer on the city’s South Side.  The firearms were considered “ghost guns” because they contained no identifiable serial number and had been manufactured from parts collected from various sources.  HSI and CPD led the probe.

 

• Five men were indicted for allegedly trafficking guns from St. Louis to Chicago.  The charges accuse ROBERT NARUP, of Washington, Mo., of buying firearms at gun shows throughout the United States and illegally selling them to JEROME BOYKIN, of St. Louis, Mo.  Boykin then allegedly brought the guns to Chicago and sold them to ROGELIO MANCERA, of Schaumburg, Ill., in exchange for marijuana.  The charges accuse Mancera, RODOLFO ORTEGA of Chicago, and HECTOR CHACON of Chicago, with selling the guns on the streets of Chicago.  ATF and CPD’s Gun Investigations Team led the probe, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.

 

• A federal jury convicted JOSEPH GHANDOUR, of Glenview, Ill., of illegally selling a “ghost gun” to a convicted felon in a suburban Chicago grocery store parking lot.  Unbeknownst to Ghandour, the felon to whom he sold the rifle was cooperating with law enforcement.  FBI investigated.

 

• A man was indicted on firearm charges for allegedly straw purchasing 27 handguns from suburban Chicago stores.  MATTHEW JAMAAL JOHNSON, of Dolton, Ill., allegedly falsely certified on federal forms that he was the actual buyer, when, in reality, Johnson purchased the guns on behalf of another individual.  ATF and CPD led the probe.

 

• Chicago resident ISMAEL SENE was sentenced to a year in federal prison for straw purchasing handguns in the Chicago suburbs.  In one of the transactions, Sene falsely certified on federal forms that he was the actual buyer.  In reality, Sene purchased the gun on behalf of an individual whom Sene had reason to believe was a convicted felon who was prohibited by federal law from purchasing or possessing a firearm.  ATF led the probe, with assistance from CPD.

 

• A suburban Chicago man was sentenced to eight and a half years in federal prison for trafficking dozens of guns from Kentucky to Chicago.  Many of the guns trafficked by JOHN PHILLIPS, of Lyons, Ill., were later discovered by law enforcement at crime scenes in Chicago.  The investigation was led by ATF’s Chicago office, with assistance from ATF agents in Louisville, Ky.

 

• PARIS STEELE, of Chicago, was sentenced in August to more than six years in federal prison for unlawfully dealing shotguns and other firearms in Chicago.  While Steele was on bond and awaiting trial, he appeared in videos on social media holding a firearm and threatening violence against others.  ATF and CPD conducted the investigation.

 

• A Chicago man was charged with making materially false statements in the acquisition of more than 20 firearms.  STOVALL BUCHANAN acquired the guns from suburban Chicago firearms dealers and allegedly lied on federal forms about his home address and the actual buyer of the guns.  ATF investigated, with assistance from CPD.

 

• Chicago resident JUSTIN GARCIA was charged in August with straw purchasing handguns in a suburban Chicago store on behalf of another individual.  ATF investigated, with assistance from CPD.

 

• Two days after the fatal shooting of Chicago Police Officer Ella French, a Hammond, Ind., man was charged with conspiring to straw purchase the semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting.  JAMEL DANZY pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted that he was a straw purchaser who bought the gun from a firearms dealer in Indiana at the request of a convicted felon who was found in possession of the gun after the shootings of Officer French and her partner.  Danzy is awaiting sentencing.  ATF and CPD led the probe.

 

Central District of Illinois

• JERON C. MCNEAL, of Peoria, Ill., was sentenced in October 2021 to a year in federal prison for his involvement in a burglary of a federally licensed firearms dealer and for giving false statements to federal law enforcement.  A mob smashed the window of the business and approximately nine people entered the store and stole 29 firearms.  McNeal drove a get-away car for some of the looters.  McNeal’s sister, CHAYLA MCNEAL, was sentenced on the same charges in November 2021.  Chayla McNeal stood outside the business, encouraged minor individuals to enter, and appeared to record the looting with her phone.  Both McNeals also later lied to federal agents.  In April 2021, one of the 29 guns stolen – an FNH 40 caliber pistol – was recovered by the Chicago Police Department.

 

• APRIL ALEXANDRIA SORIANO, of Springfield, Ill., pleaded guilty in October 2021 to making false statements during the purchase of multiple firearms.  Soriano admitted to lying on ATF forms when she indicated she was purchasing the guns for herself when, in fact, she was buying them for someone else.  An ATF gun trace revealed that Soriano purchased five firearms in 2019 and 2020.  A 9mm Taurus handgun she purchased in East Peoria, Ill., was later discovered by law enforcement during a search of Soriano’s then-residence in Peoria, Ill.  A second firearm – a 9mm Ruger handgun – that Soriano purchased in Springfield was later discovered in Chicago following a shooting incident where a victim sustained a gunshot wound.

 

Northern District of Indiana

• Twenty-four individuals were charged with violating various federal firearms laws, including the straw-purchasing of more than 150 firearms, lying about their eligibility to purchase more than 100 firearms, transferring firearms to a person who resided in another state, and engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.  Approximately 30 firearms illegally purchased in Indiana were recovered by law enforcement in Chicago and the Chicagoland area, with some of the firearms being linked to shootings and seized from prohibited persons.  ATF led the investigations, with assistance from law enforcement throughout the Northern District of Indiana.

Southern District of Indiana

• Six individuals were charged with straw purchasing 90 firearms, more than 20 of which were later discovered at crime scenes in Chicago.  ATF led the investigation, with assistance from law enforcement in Chicago.

 

Eastern District of Wisconsin

 

• In February, a Chicago man was indicted for an armed carjacking in Milwaukee.  SHAMONTE BRYANT is alleged to have stolen a firearm during the carjacking, driven the stolen car and firearm from Milwaukee to Chicago, and used the firearm during a shooting in Chicago the following day.  The case was investigated by FBI and the Milwaukee Police Department.

 

• In April, two individuals from Racine County, Wisc., were charged with conspiring to purchase firearms, alter/obliterate the serial numbers, and sell the firearms to others.  As part of the conspiracy, DEANDRE L. RODGERS and VIRIDIANA GARCIA-RAMIREZ are alleged to have purchased at least eleven handguns and one rifle from local gun stores between December 2021 and March 2022.  Garcia-Ramirez entered a guilty plea to the conspiracy in July 2022.  Rodgers’s case remains pending.  The matter was investigated by ATF and the Racine Police Department.

 

• Between July 2021 and July 2022, three previously convicted felons from Fond du Lac, Wisc. – TREON DENNIS, JASON SPINKS, and SHAKIE DAVIS – entered guilty pleas and were sentenced in federal court for conspiring to have an individual straw-purchase approximately eleven firearms.  According to court records, three of the firearms were recovered at crime scenes in the Chicago area.  Dennis and Davis were sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.  In August 2022, a fourth individual charged in the case, JONATHAN GRIFFIN acknowledged the straw purchases and entered a guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Griffin is set to be sentenced in November.  The case was investigated by ATF and the Fond du Lac Police Department.

 

• In July, two individuals from Milwaukee – STEPHANIE GRIFFITH and WILLIE STATEN – were charged in federal court with straw-purchasing approximately 23 firearms.  Staten also was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Three of the firearms were recovered by law enforcement, including one in Illinois.  Griffith pleaded guilty, while Staten’s case is pending.  The case was investigated by ATF and the Milwaukee Police Department.

 

Western District of Wisconsin

• SAMUEL SCHILTZ, of Waunakee, Wisc., was sentenced to five years in prison for illegally selling two handguns installed with 30-round magazines and auto sears, which converted the guns into fully automatic machine guns.  Schiltz, who was on probation for a felony drug crime at the time of the sale, told an undercover agent that he also sold cocaine and prescription opiates.  Schiltz offered other firearms for sale, and he offered to install auto sears on other guns.  The Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation and ATF conducted the investigation.

 

In addition to the sustained focus on firearms trafficking prosecutions, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices endeavor to disrupt violent crime by seeking pre-trial detention for defendants who pose a danger to the community and by pursuing appropriate prison sentences to deter dangerous individuals from continuing to cause violence in their communities.  Another critical aspect of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts is Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is an evidence-based program that focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs to pursue lasting reductions in crime.

“A primary goal of our office is to reduce violent crime, and we will continue to use every available federal law enforcement tool to keep people safe,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.

The strike force’s efforts in Chicago and throughout the country remain active and ongoing.  The public is reminded that charges are not evidence of guilt.  Defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

CHICAGO — John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, today provided an update on the cross-jurisdictional Firearms Trafficking Strike Force.

The Department of Justice launched the strike force in July 2021 to disrupt illegal firearms trafficking and reduce gun violence.  Led locally by U.S. Attorney Lausch, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in the Northern District of Illinois and across the country to help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms and to identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.  The Chicago strike force’s efforts have been substantially enhanced by the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD’s) Gun Investigations Team.

According to gun trace data, a significant number of firearms recovered in Chicago originate outside Chicago and are illegally trafficked into the city.  The strike force has strengthened coordination between law enforcement in Chicago and counterparts in the locations where many of the firearms originate.  In providing the update on the strike force’s efforts, U.S. Attorney Lausch was joined by U.S. Attorneys from around the Midwest.

“Firearms traffickers and straw purchasers enable violence,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “Over the past year, the cross-jurisdictional strike force has increased collaboration with our law enforcement partners and enhanced our longstanding efforts to hold accountable individuals or groups who illegally traffic firearms into Chicago.”

“While I am the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, this Office will continue to recognize that combatting violent crime – particularly gun crimes – requires coordinated, multi-jurisdictional efforts among federal and state prosecutors and federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said Clifford D. Johnson, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana.  “We know that through these combined efforts the safety of the citizens in our respective communities is improved.  We want all law-abiding citizens to be able to enjoy the many cultural, social, and recreational activities in the Chicagoland area without fear of violence.”

“Whether individuals are trafficking guns from Wisconsin into Chicago or sending guns from other states into places like Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha, we are fully committed to working with our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners to hold firearms traffickers and straw purchasers fully accountable,” said Richard G. Frohling, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.  “By working together – both within our districts and across the region – we can make all of our communities safer places in which to live and work.”

“Illegal firearms traffickers help fuel the horrific gun violence inflicted on our communities and families,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.  “Working with law enforcement partners across agencies and jurisdictions, our office will continue to prioritize investigations and prosecutions that stem the tide of crime guns onto the streets of all of our communities and hold gun traffickers accountable.”

“Preventing gun violence is a top priority in our district and region,” said Gregory K. Harris, United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois.  “These cross-jurisdictional efforts to stem illegal firearm trafficking are an important tool in making our communities safer.”

“Reducing violent crime and gun crimes are top priorities of my office,” said Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.  “The statements expressed here show that violent criminals cannot avoid federal prosecution by fleeing to another state.  There is literally nowhere to run.  We will work with our law enforcement partners across the Midwest to hold violent criminals and gun traffickers accountable and keep our communities safe.”

To investigate and prosecute cases as part of the strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices work closely with U.S. law enforcement agencies, including ATF, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS).  State and local partners in the Northern District of Illinois include CPD, Illinois State Police (ISP), Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rockford Police Department (RPD).

In the first year of the strike force, several dozen defendants have been charged or convicted in federal courts in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, as illustrated by the examples below.

Northern District of Illinois

• ARSHAD ZAYED, of Orland Hills, Ill., was charged with illegally selling 36 firearms, including “ghost guns” and machine guns, in the Chicago area.  Many of the transactions occurred in a car wash that Zayed managed in the Chicago suburb of Matteson, Ill.  The investigation was conducted by FBI, ATF, CPD, ISP, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.
• Two Indianapolis men – DEVANTE T. BROWN and COREY SARTIN – were charged with federal firearm violations for allegedly trafficking ten guns, including four semiautomatic rifles and two “ghost guns,” from Indianapolis to Chicago.  The probe was led by ATF and CPD, with assistance from the Dolton, Ill., Police Department.
• Chicago resident ANTHONY PEREZ-FLORES was charged with trafficking more than a dozen guns, including a “ghost gun” and a machine gun, in Chicago.  Perez-Flores was on parole for a state firearm conviction when he allegedly sold the guns to an undercover officer.  ATF, CPD, and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
• DEVON DOW, of Chicago, was charged with trafficking individually manufactured “ghost guns” in Chicago.  Dow allegedly sold seven “ghost guns” to an undercover law enforcement officer on the city’s South Side.  The firearms were considered “ghost guns” because they contained no identifiable serial number and had been manufactured from parts collected from various sources.  HSI and CPD led the probe.
• Five men were indicted for allegedly trafficking guns from St. Louis to Chicago.  The charges accuse ROBERT NARUP, of Washington, Mo., of buying firearms at gun shows throughout the United States and illegally selling them to JEROME BOYKIN, of St. Louis, Mo.  Boykin then allegedly brought the guns to Chicago and sold them to ROGELIO MANCERA, of Schaumburg, Ill., in exchange for marijuana.  The charges accuse Mancera, RODOLFO ORTEGA of Chicago, and HECTOR CHACON of Chicago, with selling the guns on the streets of Chicago.  ATF and CPD’s Gun Investigations Team led the probe, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
• A federal jury convicted JOSEPH GHANDOUR, of Glenview, Ill., of illegally selling a “ghost gun” to a convicted felon in a suburban Chicago grocery store parking lot.  Unbeknownst to Ghandour, the felon to whom he sold the rifle was cooperating with law enforcement.  FBI investigated.
• A man was indicted on firearm charges for allegedly straw purchasing 27 handguns from suburban Chicago stores.  MATTHEW JAMAAL JOHNSON, of Dolton, Ill., allegedly falsely certified on federal forms that he was the actual buyer, when, in reality, Johnson purchased the guns on behalf of another individual.  ATF and CPD led the probe.
• Chicago resident ISMAEL SENE was sentenced to a year in federal prison for straw purchasing handguns in the Chicago suburbs.  In one of the transactions, Sene falsely certified on federal forms that he was the actual buyer.  In reality, Sene purchased the gun on behalf of an individual whom Sene had reason to believe was a convicted felon who was prohibited by federal law from purchasing or possessing a firearm.  ATF led the probe, with assistance from CPD.
• A suburban Chicago man was sentenced to eight and a half years in federal prison for trafficking dozens of guns from Kentucky to Chicago.  Many of the guns trafficked by JOHN PHILLIPS, of Lyons, Ill., were later discovered by law enforcement at crime scenes in Chicago.  The investigation was led by ATF’s Chicago office, with assistance from ATF agents in Louisville, Ky.
• PARIS STEELE, of Chicago, was sentenced in August to more than six years in federal prison for unlawfully dealing shotguns and other firearms in Chicago.  While Steele was on bond and awaiting trial, he appeared in videos on social media holding a firearm and threatening violence against others.  ATF and CPD conducted the investigation.
• A Chicago man was charged with making materially false statements in the acquisition of more than 20 firearms.  STOVALL BUCHANAN acquired the guns from suburban Chicago firearms dealers and allegedly lied on federal forms about his home address and the actual buyer of the guns.  ATF investigated, with assistance from CPD.
• Chicago resident JUSTIN GARCIA was charged in August with straw purchasing handguns in a suburban Chicago store on behalf of another individual.  ATF investigated, with assistance from CPD.
• Two days after the fatal shooting of Chicago Police Officer Ella French, a Hammond, Ind., man was charged with conspiring to straw purchase the semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting.  JAMEL DANZY pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted that he was a straw purchaser who bought the gun from a firearms dealer in Indiana at the request of a convicted felon who was found in possession of the gun after the shootings of Officer French and her partner.  Danzy is awaiting sentencing.  ATF and CPD led the probe.

Central District of Illinois

• JERON C. MCNEAL, of Peoria, Ill., was sentenced in October 2021 to a year in federal prison for his involvement in a burglary of a federally licensed firearms dealer and for giving false statements to federal law enforcement.  A mob smashed the window of the business and approximately nine people entered the store and stole 29 firearms.  McNeal drove a get-away car for some of the looters.  McNeal’s sister, CHAYLA MCNEAL, was sentenced on the same charges in November 2021.  Chayla McNeal stood outside the business, encouraged minor individuals to enter, and appeared to record the looting with her phone.  Both McNeals also later lied to federal agents.  In April 2021, one of the 29 guns stolen – an FNH 40 caliber pistol – was recovered by the Chicago Police Department.
• APRIL ALEXANDRIA SORIANO, of Springfield, Ill., pleaded guilty in October 2021 to making false statements during the purchase of multiple firearms.  Soriano admitted to lying on ATF forms when she indicated she was purchasing the guns for herself when, in fact, she was buying them for someone else.  An ATF gun trace revealed that Soriano purchased five firearms in 2019 and 2020.  A 9mm Taurus handgun she purchased in East Peoria, Ill., was later discovered by law enforcement during a search of Soriano’s then-residence in Peoria, Ill.  A second firearm – a 9mm Ruger handgun – that Soriano purchased in Springfield was later discovered in Chicago following a shooting incident where a victim sustained a gunshot wound.

Northern District of Indiana

• Twenty-four individuals were charged with violating various federal firearms laws, including the straw-purchasing of more than 150 firearms, lying about their eligibility to purchase more than 100 firearms, transferring firearms to a person who resided in another state, and engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.  Approximately 30 firearms illegally purchased in Indiana were recovered by law enforcement in Chicago and the Chicagoland area, with some of the firearms being linked to shootings and seized from prohibited persons.  ATF led the investigations, with assistance from law enforcement throughout the Northern District of Indiana.

Southern District of Indiana

• Six individuals were charged with straw purchasing 90 firearms, more than 20 of which were later discovered at crime scenes in Chicago.  ATF led the investigation, with assistance from law enforcement in Chicago.

Eastern District of Wisconsin

• In February, a Chicago man was indicted for an armed carjacking in Milwaukee.  SHAMONTE BRYANT is alleged to have stolen a firearm during the carjacking, driven the stolen car and firearm from Milwaukee to Chicago, and used the firearm during a shooting in Chicago the following day.  The case was investigated by FBI and the Milwaukee Police Department.
• In April, two individuals from Racine County, Wisc., were charged with conspiring to purchase firearms, alter/obliterate the serial numbers, and sell the firearms to others.  As part of the conspiracy, DEANDRE L. RODGERS and VIRIDIANA GARCIA-RAMIREZ are alleged to have purchased at least eleven handguns and one rifle from local gun stores between December 2021 and March 2022.  Garcia-Ramirez entered a guilty plea to the conspiracy in July 2022.  Rodgers’s case remains pending.  The matter was investigated by ATF and the Racine Police Department.
• Between July 2021 and July 2022, three previously convicted felons from Fond du Lac, Wisc. – TREON DENNIS, JASON SPINKS, and SHAKIE DAVIS – entered guilty pleas and were sentenced in federal court for conspiring to have an individual straw-purchase approximately eleven firearms.  According to court records, three of the firearms were recovered at crime scenes in the Chicago area.  Dennis and Davis were sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.  In August 2022, a fourth individual charged in the case, JONATHAN GRIFFIN acknowledged the straw purchases and entered a guilty plea to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Griffin is set to be sentenced in November.  The case was investigated by ATF and the Fond du Lac Police Department.
• In July, two individuals from Milwaukee – STEPHANIE GRIFFITH and WILLIE STATEN – were charged in federal court with straw-purchasing approximately 23 firearms.  Staten also was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Three of the firearms were recovered by law enforcement, including one in Illinois.  Griffith pleaded guilty, while Staten’s case is pending.  The case was investigated by ATF and the Milwaukee Police Department.

Western District of Wisconsin

• SAMUEL SCHILTZ, of Waunakee, Wisc., was sentenced to five years in prison for illegally selling two handguns installed with 30-round magazines and auto sears, which converted the guns into fully automatic machine guns.  Schiltz, who was on probation for a felony drug crime at the time of the sale, told an undercover agent that he also sold cocaine and prescription opiates.  Schiltz offered other firearms for sale, and he offered to install auto sears on other guns.  The Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation and ATF conducted the investigation.

In addition to the sustained focus on firearms trafficking prosecutions, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices endeavor to disrupt violent crime by seeking pre-trial detention for defendants who pose a danger to the community and by pursuing appropriate prison sentences to deter dangerous individuals from continuing to cause violence in their communities.  Another critical aspect of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts is Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is an evidence-based program that focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs to pursue lasting reductions in crime.

“A primary goal of our office is to reduce violent crime, and we will continue to use every available federal law enforcement tool to keep people safe,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.

The strike force’s efforts in Chicago and throughout the country remain active and ongoing.  The public is reminded that charges are not evidence of guilt.  Defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Don Young, Jr., 22, of the 2200 block of North Flora, was sentenced on August 18, 2022, to 37 months in federal prison for possession of a machine gun, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Young was indicted in December 2021 and filed his change of plea in April 2022. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that on December 15, 2021, Peoria police officers were attempting to arrest Young pursuant to an outstanding arrest warrant when Young fled on his bike and then on foot, leading police on a chase between houses in the 2400 block of Ellis Avenue in Peoria. After apprehending Young at gunpoint, police searched the area and found a Glock, Model 19, 9mm caliber pistol a short distance from where Young was taken into custody. The firearm was equipped with a high-capacity magazine loaded with 33 rounds of ammunition. An additional round of ammunition was loaded in the chamber of the gun, indicating it was ready to be fired. The gun also had an aftermarket conversion “switch” attached to it, a device designed to convert Glock pistols into automatic firearms capable of shooting more than one round of ammunition with a single pull of the trigger. Glock conversion “switches” are defined as machine guns under federal law. Young admitted to possessing the firearm, claiming that he needed it for protection.

The statutory penalties for possession of a machine gun are up to 10 years’ imprisonment, up to a three-year term of supervised release, and a possible fine of up to $250,000.

“Conversion devices that enable a store-bought handgun to be fired as a fully-automatic machine gun are extremely dangerous,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney, Ronald L. Hanna. “We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals that use and possess these devices in our community.”

The Peoria Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Young is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Assante Bangmon, 31, of the 1300 block of North Bourland Street, has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, to be followed by four years of supervised release.

At the sentencing hearing on August 18, 2022, the government presented evidence that in February 2021 a Peoria police officer approached Bangmon in a clothing store to detain Bangmon for an outstanding arrest warrant. Bangmon refused to comply with the officer’s commands and, instead, fled out the back door of the business and ran away down a nearby street. As Bangmon fled, he discarded a cell phone and keys to a Jeep he had driven to the clothing store and parked in the business’s lot. Officers ultimately captured Bangmon in a residential area adjacent to the clothing store.  Pursuant to a search of Bangmon’s Jeep, police located 12 individually wrapped baggies containing 37 grams of crack cocaine located in the arm rest of the driver’s side door.   

Bangmon was indicted in February 2021, and pleaded guilty to the charge in April 2022. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance are five to 40 years imprisonment, up to a $5 million dollar fine, and up to a four-year term of supervised release.

The Peoria Police Department and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Bangmon is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – A Moline, Illinois, man, Brian P. Kelly, 43, of the 500 block of 53rd Street Drive, was sentenced on August 16, 2022, to 240 months of imprisonment for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography, along with a lifetime term of supervised release. Kelly was further ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,000.

At the sentencing hearing, Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow commented on the lifelong devastation that the distribution of child pornography can have in the lives of child victims.

Kelly pleaded guilty to the charges in April 2021. The statutory penalties for the offenses are at least 15 years to a maximum of 30 years of imprisonment on the exploitation count and up to 20 years of imprisonment on the possession count. The penalties for each conviction also provided for terms of supervised release ranging from five years to life.

The investigation was conducted by the Moline Police Department and the United States Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer L. Mathew represented the federal government in the prosecution.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

PEORIA, Ill. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment on August 16, 2022, charging a former Maui Jim employee, Erica Hornof, 35, of Bradford, Illinois, with three counts of mail fraud and three counts of wire fraud stemming from the alleged theft of sunglass parts from Maui Jim from 2021 until summer 2022.

The indictment alleges that Maui Jim, a sunglass manufacturer, maintains its world headquarters in Peoria.  As a Lead Repair Technician at the facility, Hornof had access to Maui Jim’s computer systems, inventory parts, and mailroom. The indictment further alleges that Hornof stole sunglass parts and used the parts to assemble sunglasses. After assembling the sunglasses, Hornof shipped the sunglasses to two individuals who sold them on the internet. The individuals then paid Hornof through a PayPal account. The indictment also alleges that Hornof defrauded Maui Jim of over $100,000.

A summons was issued for Hornof to appear in U.S. District Court in Peoria on September 19, 2022.

If convicted, the maximum statutory penalties for each of the counts is up to 20 years’ imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation. Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss is representing the government in the prosecution.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. 

WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in the Central District of Illinois returned a nine-count indictment charging Domingo Francisco-Juan, Lorenza Domingo-Castaneda, and Catarina Domingo-Juan, siblings and Guatemalan nationals, with conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and kidnapping. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris of the Central District of Illinois and Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Sean Fitzgerald of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement. 

According to the allegations set forth in the indictment, between December 2015 and March 2021 the defendants conspired to bring two minor victims from Guatemala to the United States to work in Domingo-Castaneda’s and Domingo-Juan’s homes. The defendants compelled the victims to provide childcare, cooking, and cleaning within the homes and to work outside the homes in local hotels, factories, and a restaurant. As alleged, the defendants used false promises of a better life and an education to gain the permission of the victims’ mothers for their minor daughters to be brought to the United States to live with the defendants. Defendants Domingo-Castaneda and Domingo-Juan also allegedly forced a third victim to work in their homes and outside their homes at local businesses. The indictment further alleges that the defendants isolated the victims in their homes, restricted their communications with their family in Guatemala, and subjected them to physical, verbal and psychological abuse, among other coercive means.

If convicted on all charges, the defendants face sentences of up to life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of Champaign Police Department, Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Freres for the Central District of Illinois and Trial Attorney Kate Alexander for the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org.

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

A federal grand jury in the Central District of Illinois returned a nine-count indictment charging Domingo Francisco-Juan, Lorenza Domingo-Castaneda, and Catarina Domingo-Juan, siblings and Guatemalan nationals, with conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and kidnapping. 

According to the allegations set forth in the indictment, between December 2015 and March 2021 the defendants conspired to bring two minor victims from Guatemala to the United States to work in Domingo-Castaneda’s and Domingo-Juan’s homes. The defendants compelled the victims to provide childcare, cooking, and cleaning within the homes and to work outside the homes in local hotels, factories, and a restaurant. As alleged, the defendants used false promises of a better life and an education to gain the permission of the victims’ mothers for their minor daughters to be brought to the United States to live with the defendants. Defendants Domingo-Castaneda and Domingo-Juan also allegedly forced a third victim to work in their homes and outside their homes at local businesses. The indictment further alleges that the defendants isolated the victims in their homes, restricted their communications with their family in Guatemala, and subjected them to physical, verbal and psychological abuse, among other coercive means.

If convicted on all charges, the defendants face sentences of up to life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris of the Central District of Illinois and Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Sean Fitzgerald of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement. 

Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case with the assistance of the Champaign Police Department, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Freres for the Central District of Illinois and Trial Attorney Kate Alexander for the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org.

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

PEORIA, Ill. – On August 10, 2022, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts against Daryl G. McGhee, 33, of the 6000 block of North Hamilton, in Peoria, Illinois, for the offenses of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. McGhee was previously convicted by a separate jury on November 3, 2021, of the offense of possession of a firearm as a felon, arising from the same conduct, all occurring on February 13, 2021.

Over the course of the three-day trial, the government presented evidence that on February 13, 2021, Peoria Police were dispatched to McGhee’s residence at approximately 4:30 a.m. on a report of domestic violence. Upon arrival, police learned that McGhee had left the residence out the back door on foot in the bitter sub-zero temperatures and was in possession of a firearm. An officer then tracked McGhee’s footprints in the freshly fallen snow and located him crouched down and hiding in an evergreen bush several blocks from his home. McGhee was not wearing a gloves or a winter coat. He was in possession of a cell phone and $381 cash. After McGhee was arrested, a Peoria Police K-9 unit was utilized to search the surrounding area and the service dog, “Tibo”, a Belgian Malinois, located a leather shoulder satchel concealed under a dumpster alongside McGhee’s footprints in the snow. The satchel contained 140 grams of cocaine and 9mm semi-automatic DVC Tactical model 1911 handgun loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition. A round of ammunition was located in the chamber of the gun, indicating it was ready to be fired. The government also introduced an image from McGhee’s social media account where he was wearing the leather bag, as well as a video from social media where he was depicted brandishing the DVC 9mm handgun.

A federal grand jury indicted McGhee in March 2021 and returned a superseding indictment in September 2021. He was tried and convicted on the felon-in-possession-of-a-firearm charge in the superseding indictment on November 3, 2021.

McGhee remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. At sentencing, McGhee faces statutory penalties of up to 30 years’ imprisonment, a maximum $2,000,000 fine, and no less than six years of supervised release for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute; up to 10 years’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm as a felon; and not less than five years’ imprisonment for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, to be served consecutively with other charges.

The case investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Peoria Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald L. Hanna and Douglas F. McMeyer represented the government at trial.

The case against McGhee is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Kiantre D. Dykeman, 24, of the 5100 block of North Karen Court, has been sentenced to 132 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release for distribution of child pornography. Dykeman must also register as a sex offender.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that in February 2021, the Peoria Police Department coordinated with the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Secret Service to investigate an individual suspected of selling images of child pornography on the Internet. Agents discovered during the investigation that Dykeman used Instagram to post images of prepubescent females accompanied by prices for various packages of child pornography and “teen nudes” images and videos. The account held by Dykeman represented that it had over 1,000 pictures depicting child pornography available for sale.

In March 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Dykeman’s residence in Peoria. Dykeman admitted to using Instagram to advertise the sale of child pornography images and videos. He stated he downloaded the child pornography but did not create the images. A review of Dykeman’s online accounts established that he had distributed child pornography to others, in exchange for money, using online messaging and had received payment using internet-based applications. Evidence presented at sentencing established that Dykeman was engaged in distributing child pornography for approximately a two-month period and had received approximately $200 in exchange for distributing the images and videos of children engaged in sex acts with adults.

In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Court Judge James Shadid noted that the victims in child pornography cases are real people who have been sexually abused as children, and they are victimized and traumatized over and over again their entire lives by the reality that images of their abuse are sent out into cyberspace and traded for others’ gratification or gain.

Dykeman was indicted in March 2021 and pleaded guilty on April 4, 2022. He has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since that date.

The statutory penalties for distribution of child pornography are 5 to 20 years of imprisonment, 5 years to life of supervised release, and possible fines of up to $250,000.

“The Department of Justice is committed to the safety and well-being of children and will continue to aggressively identify, investigate, and prosecute those who engage in the receipt, possession, distribution, and production of images of child sex abuse,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna.

The Peoria Police Department and the United States Secret Service, along with the assistance of the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office and the Bloomington Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Dykeman was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

PEORIA, Ill. – A North Pekin, Illinois man, Larry Daniel Saal, 54, of the 100 block of Lincoln Boulevard, was sentenced on August 3, 2022, to 6 years in the Bureau of Prisons for soliciting an obscene visual depiction of a minor and for distribution of child pornography. The sentence is to be followed by a 6-year term of supervised release. Saal must also register as a sex offender and pay $13,000 in restitution to the victims.

At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Court Judge Joe Billy McDade, the government presented evidence that, in 2015, Saal emailed another individual on Yahoo to request images and videos depicting adults sexually abusing prepubescent children. In 2016, Saal emailed images and videos containing child pornography to another Yahoo user. Law enforcement officers interviewed Saal in 2021, and he admitted receiving child pornography through Yahoo. Law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant for his phone, and they found images of child pornography and internet searches related to child pornography from April 2021.

Saal was indicted in September 2021 and pleaded guilty in February 2022.

The statutory penalties for each count are 5 to 20 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and 5 years to life of supervised release.

The Washington Police Department and Department of Homeland Security investigated the case, assisted by the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Saal was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

PEORIA, Ill. – Vincent Nichols Jr., 35, of the 2600 block of West Hedge Hill Lane, Peoria, Illinois has been sentenced to the Bureau of Prisons for 92 months for possession of a firearm by a felon. Imprisonment will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that on September 23, 2020, Nichols was a passenger in a car being driven by an individual with an outstanding arrest warrant. Peoria Police Officers conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle and arrested the driver. Police then searched the car and asked each of three additional occupants to step out.  During the search, police located a 9mm handgun directly on top of the seat where Nichols had been sitting. The gun was loaded with 15 rounds of live ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber.

In pretrial filings, the government had established that Nichols had previously been convicted of a felony offense punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year. 

Nichols was indicted in October, 2020 and convicted by a jury on March 30, 2022.

At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge James Shadid stated that persons unlawfully possessing and carrying firearms contribute to the tragedy and heartbreak on our City streets, adding that sentences imposed must be lengthy to deter others and to reflect the seriousness of the offense.

The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm by a felon are up to 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release.

The investigation was conducted by the Peoria Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald L. Hanna and Sarah Holst Schryer represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Nichols was brought as part of The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. The Department’s renewed commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods establishes four fundamental principles to guide efforts to reduce violent crime: 1) build trust and legitimacy within communities; 2) invest in community-based prevention and intervention programs; 3) target enforcement and priorities to focus resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime; and, 4) measure results with the goal to reduce the level of violence in our communities and not to increase the number of arrests and prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves.

PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Russell N. Clemens, 42, of the 4000 block of North Brandywine Drive, was sentenced on July 21, 2022, to 10 years in the Bureau of Prisons, followed by 5 years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Court Judge James Shadid, the government presented evidence that, during an investigation, the Peoria Police Department and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) obtained a search warrant for Clemens’ car and apartment. The search of the car revealed a total of 548.8 grams of 97% pure methamphetamine, more than $5,000 in cash, and a drug ledger. The master bedroom of the apartment contained drug ledgers and a digital scale. Clemens admitted to selling methamphetamine since May 2020 and that he was buying pound amounts of methamphetamine.

Clemens was indicted in May 2021 and entered a plea of guilty in December 2021. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine are 10 years to life of imprisonment, followed by 5 years to life of supervised release, and up to $10 million in fines may also be imposed.

The Peoria Police Department and the DEA investigated the case with assistance of the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the government in the prosecution.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF)’s National Methamphetamine Strategic Initiative, spearheaded locally by the DEA. The primary goal of this initiative is to address methamphetamine trafficking and its attendant consequences by using a coordinated, multi-agency approach targeting the highest levels of drug trafficking leadership. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Samuel M. Powell II, 28, of the 1000 block of West Butler Street, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for theft of government money. 

Powell admitted to stealing government money through the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which was established through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).  PPP provided small businesses with funds to pay up to eight weeks of payroll costs and related expenses.

Powell applied for a PPP loan on February 22, 2021. Powell claimed he had operated a barber shop since June 2018 and had one employee with an annual payroll expense of $96,000. He was approved for a $20,000 PPP loan. The funds were direct deposited into Powell’s CEFCU account on March 2, 2021. That same day, Powell withdrew $9,500 in cash, followed by two withdrawals the very next day – one for $9,500 and one for the remaining balance of $1,500. On June 25, 2021, Powell filed a Loan Forgiveness Application, certifying that he used the funds per PPP rules, and the loan was forgiven. However, Powell was not a licensed barber and did not own a barber shop.

Powell was indicted on the current charge on December 21, 2021. He was originally released on bond, but an arrest warrant was issued after Powell removed his electronic monitoring equipment and failed to appear for a February 24, 2022 hearing. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Following his release from prison, Powell will serve two years on supervised release.  Powell was ordered to pay restitution of $20,000 for the PPP loan and $350 for damaging the electronic monitoring equipment he was ordered to wear when he was released on bond.

The statutory penalties for theft of government money are up to 10 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and FBI investigated the case. Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss represented the government in the prosecution.

PEORIA, Ill. – A Normal, Illinois man, Jahquan Howard, 29, of the 1100 block of Wartburg Drive, was sentenced on July 21, 2022, to 120 months imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release for sex trafficking of a minor. Howard must also register as a sex offender.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Court Judge James Shadid, the government presented evidence that in April 2019, Howard trafficked a minor girl into prostitution. Howard rented hotel rooms in the Peoria area, transported the girl to the hotels, and gave her controlled substances. He used online advertisements to solicit men to the hotel rooms to have sex with the girl and then collected payment for the act.

“Sex trafficking is modern day slavery” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris. “Sex trafficking is particularly harmful when it involves minor children as in this case. There is zero tolerance for sex traffickers in the Central District of Illinois and we will work tirelessly to bring these predators to justice.”  

“The FBI and our law enforcement partners work every day to shut down sex traffickers and deliver justice for victims,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Shannon Fontenot. “While this sentence effectively ends Jahquan Howard’s ability to sexually exploit children, the damage caused by this crime can linger for a lifetime for the victim. The FBI remains constant in our commitment to provide resources for victims to assist in the healing process.”

Howard was indicted in February 2020 and entered a guilty plea in April 2022. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The statutory penalties for sex trafficking a minor are 10 years to life imprisonment, followed by 5 years to life of supervised release. A fine of up to $250,000 may also be imposed.

The Bloomington Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office investigated the case with assistance of the McLean County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Howard was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

PEORIA, Ill. – A West Peoria man, Jesse Slater, 29, of the 2300 block of West Sherman Avenue, was sentenced on July 27, 2022, to 60 months imprisonment for convictions of one count of transfer of obscene matter to a minor and one count of possession of child pornography. The sentences are to be served concurrently and followed by 10 years of supervised release.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Joe B. McDade, the government presented evidence that Slater used his LG cell phone to send obscene matter to children and to store child pornography materials. In June 2021, Snapchat submitted a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding child sexual abuse material being possessed or transmitted using their platform. Law enforcement officers found that Slater sent videos of child pornography using Snapchat and frequently used online platforms, including Snapchat and Omegle, to engage in sexual chats with children as young as seven years old. In the chats, Slater asked the children to send him videos of the children without their clothes on. He also sent video of himself masturbating to two of the children.

At the hearing, Judge McDade called the details of the video “shocking,” but he said that they should be public so that people know what is happening to children online and protect them from exploitation. 

Slater was indicted in December 2021. He entered a guilty plea in March 2022 and has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since then.

The statutory penalties for transfer of obscene matter to a minor are up to 10 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine and a maximum lifetime sentence of supervised release. The possession of child pornography charge carries penalties of up to a 20-year term of imprisonment, a maximum $250,000 fine and 5 years to life of supervised release, along with special assessment fines under two separate statutes.

The Illinois State Police, Peoria Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigated the case, with assistance of the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Slater was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois man, Charles Jones, 26, of the 500 block of North 13th Street in Springfield, Illinois, was sentenced on July 27, 2022, for COVID-19 wire fraud.  He was sentenced to five months’ imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release that includes three months’ home confinement.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Jones applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) from the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”). The loan was funded through the CARES Act in response to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. The EIDL funds were intended to provide low interest loans to businesses that were unable to cover fixed costs due to the pandemic. In the loan application, Jones fraudulently affirmed that he operated an apparel business, “Just Like Jilla,” that employed eleven people and had gross revenues of $1,200,000 for the twelve months prior to January 31, 2020. The representations were false as Jones did not operate a business or employ anyone. The fraud was reported by a local credit union and the funds eventually returned to the SBA.

At the hearing, United States District Judge Sue E. Myerscough admonished Jones that his actions prevented the funds from going to small business that were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jones was indicted in December of 2020 and plead guilty in March of 2022.

The statutory penalties for wire fraud are up to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release.

“We appreciate the efforts of law enforcement and local financial institutions who have helped identify individuals who have fraudulently obtained pandemic related funds,” stated Assistant United States Attorney, Sierra Senor-Moore.

If members of the public are aware of COVID-19 related loans that they suspect were fraudulently obtained or forgiven, they should report it to the Office of Inspector General for the Small Business Administration, 1-800-767-0385, or online at https://sbax.sba.gov/oigcss/.  Reports can be made anonymously.

The case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Sierra Senor-Moore represented the government in the prosecution.

PEORIA, Ill. – A Greenview, Illinois man, Jonathan Puddy, 38, of the 400 block of West Douglas Street, was sentenced on July 27, 2022, to 262 months imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and 60 months, to be served consecutively to the first charge, for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The total prison sentence of 322 months is to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Joe B. McDade, the government presented evidence that on October 24, 2020 around 1:00 am, Peoria County Sheriff’s deputies stopped a car Puddy was driving. Puddy got out of the car and ran from officers. He jumped a fence and struggled with officers attempting to arrest him. After the officers handcuffed Puddy, they searched him and found a loaded Colt .25 caliber handgun and $1,200 in his pants pockets. In his bag, the deputies found about 274 grams of methamphetamine, about 15 grams of heroin, and about 28 grams of powder cocaine. Puddy admitted to trafficking pounds of ice methamphetamine over the previous month.

Puddy was indicted in November 2020 and has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arraignment in April 2021. Puddy entered a plea of guilty in December 2021.

The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine are a minimum of 10 years, with a mandatory minimum of 15 years with one qualifying conviction, a maximum $20 million fine, and not less than 5 years supervised release. The penalties for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking are not less than 5 years imprisonment, consecutive to the first charge, a maximum $250,000 fine and not more than 5 years supervised release.

The Peoria County Sheriff’s Department, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pekin Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Puddy was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. The Department’s renewed commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods establishes four fundamental principles to guide efforts to reduce violent crime: 1) build trust and legitimacy within communities; 2) invest in community-based prevention and intervention programs; 3) target enforcement and priorities to focus resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime; and, 4) measure results with the goal to reduce the level of violence in our communities and not to increase the number of arrests and prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves.

WASHINGTON – On July 26, 2022, following a two-day trial, a federal jury awarded $293,000 in damages against the City of Springfield, Illinois, for attempting to close a group home for people with developmental disabilities in 2016. 

In 2014, three residents with intellectual and physical disabilities moved into a single- family home on Noble Avenue in Springfield, Illinois, where they received community residential services from a state-licensed provider, Individual Advocacy Group (IAG).  Such arrangements, known as Community Integrated Living Arrangements (CILAs), permit residents with disabilities to live in an integrated community setting rather than an institution. Even though the home was operating in compliance with state requirements, the City attempted to shut it down in 2016.  The City relied on a local spacing ordinance that prohibited two homes for individuals with disabilities from operating within 600 feet of one another. 

The United States filed suit against the City of Springfield in 2017. In 2020, the Court ruled that the City had violated the Fair Housing Act by enforcing the spacing ordinance against the home, granting the United States’ and IAG’s motions for summary judgment on liability. This week’s jury trial was to determine what damages should be awarded for any harm caused by the City’s conduct. The jury determined that the City should pay a total of $293,000:  $162,000 in compensatory damages to the residents of the home and their guardians; and $131,000 in compensatory damages to IAG. 

“The Fair Housing Act prevents cities from maintaining discriminatory zoning laws and enforcing them against their citizens,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division. “This verdict recognizes the significant pain and real harm that results when officials undertake discriminatory action to block group homes. We will continue to vigorously enforce the FHA to ensure that people with disabilities can live in the communities and housing of their choice, free from discrimination.”

“Persons with disabilities should have the same housing choices as all members of our community,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua I. Grant for the Central District of Illinois. “The jury’s verdict shows how persons with disabilities can often face barriers that make their lives more difficult and erode their dignity. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with the Department of Justice to ensure equal access to housing and justice for the citizens of the Central District of Illinois.”

The United States is also seeking a civil penalty and an injunction requiring the City to take certain corrective and preventive actions.  The United States’ request for such relief is pending with the Court. 

Individual Advocacy Group and Mary B. Valencia, sister and guardian of one of the residents, are represented by Kennedy Hunt, P.C., a law firm in St. Louis, MO.

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of disability, race, color, religion, national origin, sex and familial status.  More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination may submit a report online at www.civilrights.justice.gov, or may contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or through its website at www.hud.gov.

URBANA, Ill. – Jacob R. Kirkley, 45, of the 100 block of North Vermilion Street in Potomac, Illinois, has been sentenced to twenty-seven months in the federal Bureau of Prisons for counterfeiting U.S. Currency and passing counterfeit U.S. Currency.

Kirkley pleaded guilty on January 26, 2022, to one count of manufacturing U.S. currency and two counts of passing U.S. currency. At the plea hearing, held before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long, Kirkley admitted that, on May 17, 2020, a Vermilion County Sheriff’s Deputy found over $20,000 of counterfeit U.S. currency in his truck. In June of 2020, Kirkley passed counterfeit currency at Carnaghi’s Towing and McDonald’s in Danville, Illinois and, in July of 2020, he passed counterfeit currency at Dollar General in Tilton, Illinois. A Vermilion County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested Kirkley on an outstanding warrant on July 23, 2020. At the time of the arrest, deputies found over $20,000 counterfeit U.S. currency, four printers, a paper cutter, and numerous counterfeit-making implements in Kirkley’s truck and in a hotel room at the Budget Inn in Danville, Illinois.   

The statutory penalties for both manufacturing and passing counterfeit currency are up to 20 years imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

At the sentencing hearing on July 25, 2022, Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller, who represented the government in the prosecution, requested a sentence of imprisonment to reflect “the public policy interest in protecting the integrity of government obligations.” In addition to imposing a sentence of twenty-seven months of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce ordered Kirkley to serve a three-year term of federal supervised release following imprisonment and to pay a mandatory $300 special assessment.

The case investigation was conducted by the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Secret Service, Springfield Office.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, man, Michael Bale, 44, of the 4000 block of Sandhill Road was sentenced on July 22, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough to 84 months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine (actual).

Bale was indicted in March 2020 and pleaded guilty in March 2022.

The statutory penalties for possessing with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) are up to 40 years in prison, up to a $5,000,000 fine, up to life of supervised release, and restitution as determined by the district court.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Illinois State Police, and Springfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF)’s National Methamphetamine Strategic Initiative, spearheaded locally by the Drug Enforcement Agency. The primary goal of this initiative is to address methamphetamine trafficking and its attendant consequences by using a coordinated, multi-agency approach targeting the highest levels of drug trafficking leadership. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, man, Donald Dorosheff, 75, was sentenced on July 14, 2022, to 84 months’ imprisonment for receipt and possession of child pornography, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $2,500 to each of the five identified victims, totaling $12,500.

At the March 2022 bench trial before United States District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence to establish that from May 2013 to March 3, 2016, Dorosheff repeatedly accessed and downloaded child pornography to his laptop computer from the Internet. On March 3, 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at Dorosheff’s apartment in the Sangamon Towers in Springfield and seized his computer, an external hard drive, and various flash drives. During a subsequent forensic analysis of the computer evidence, the FBI determined that Dorosheff received and possessed more than 2,000 child pornography images and 28 child pornography videos, most of which involved prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Dorosheff has been detained since his conviction.

The prosecution was the result of an investigation by the FBI, Springfield Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Bass represented the government in the prosecution.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Mechanicsburg, Illinois, man, Gerald Hurley, 47, of the 13000 block of Darnell Road, was sentenced on July 18, 2022, to five years in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possession of 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

At the sentencing hearing in front of United States District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence that Hurley was responsible for distributing over five kilograms of methamphetamine in the Central District of Illinois.

Hurley was indicted in November 2020 and pleaded guilty in March 2022. He was originally released on bond but then re-arrested and detained in August 2021 after he violated the conditions of his bond following his unsuccessful discharge from substance abuse treatment.  

The statutory penalties for possession of 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine with intent to distribute are up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and up to a life term of supervised release.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Illinois State Police, and the Springfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF)’s National Methamphetamine Strategic Initiative, spearheaded locally by the Drug Enforcement Agency. The primary goal of this initiative is to address methamphetamine trafficking and its attendant consequences by using a coordinated, multi-agency approach targeting the highest levels of drug trafficking leadership.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

PEORIA, Ill. – A Pekin, Illinois, man, Nathan Golden, 24, of the 2200 block of Sierra Drive, was sentenced on July 11, 2022, to 97 months in prison for receipt of child pornography, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Golden also is required to pay $54,000 in restitution.

At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Joe Billy McDade, the government presented evidence that Golden used peer-to-peer file-sharing software to download videos and images of child pornography. In May 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Golden’s house. On Golden’s computer and cell phone, they found more than 800 videos and images of child pornography, some of which depicted children as young as one year old.

Golden was indicted in June 2021 and pleaded guilty in December 2021.

The statutory penalties for receipt of child pornography are five to 20 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine and five years to a life term of supervised release, along with a special assessments, fines and restitution to victims. Golden also must register as a sex offender on the national registry.

The United States Secret Service, Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, and Springfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Golden was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Two Springfield, Illinois, residents, Brandy Friday, 36, and Brent Garner, 42, both of the 1200 block of South Livingston, were sentenced to five years and ten years respectively in the Federal Bureau of Prisons for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Friday was sentenced on July 6, 2022, and Garner on July 13, 2022. In addition to the prison sentences, Friday was ordered to serve four years of supervised release and Garner eight years of supervised release.

At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence showing that Friday and Garner conspired to distribute methamphetamine and that they also distributed heroin. Friday was held responsible for 11.86 grams of ice methamphetamine, 10,888.4 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine, and 1,521.13 grams of heroin. Garner was held responsible for 11.86 grams of ice methamphetamine and 21.13 grams of heroin. Among other prior convictions, Garner had previously been convicted of a prior federal drug offense in 2009.

Both Friday and Garner have remained in the custody of U.S. Marshals since they were arrested in February of 2021.

Friday faced statutory penalties of up to 40 years imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and up to a life term of supervised release. Due to his prior federal felony, Garner faced statutory penalties of a minimum of ten years up to life imprisonment, up to a $8,000,000 fine, and up to life term of supervised release.

The case investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Office; the West Central Illinois Task Force; the Quincy Police Department; and the Springfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.

URBANA, Ill. – An Urbana, Illinois, woman, Lawanda Rogers (formerly Moore), age 31, of the 1100 block of East Willard Street, was sentenced on July 12, 2022, to six months in prison for unlawfully transferring firearms to prohibited persons.

At the sentencing hearing, the government detailed how four firearms lawfully purchased by Moore were ultimately seized from two felons during subsequent criminal investigations. Moore’s husband possessed one firearm that had been purchased by Moore. The firearm was seized from a hotel room along with various narcotics in October 2015. Moore’s boyfriend was in possession of three firearms that were seized in November 2018 and June 2019 that had similarly been purchased by Moore. The three firearms seized from Moore’s boyfriend were confiscated by police during drug investigations, with one being used in a shooting in Champaign.

At the hearing, U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm emphasized the seriousness of Moore’s conduct, noting the dangerousness of buying firearms to then provide them to those unable to lawfully purchase firearms.

Moore was sentenced following a guilty plea. Unlawful transfer of a firearm to a prohibited person carries a statutory penalty of up to ten years in prison.

“This case demonstrates clearly that those who purchase firearms for others will be held accountable,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Ritzer. “This sentence is a step forward in the fight against gun violence in our communities and sends a message to others engaged in the same dangerous behavior that it will not be tolerated.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Champaign Street Crimes Task Force; and Champaign Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ritzer represented the government in the prosecution.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois man, Thalamus Alexander, Jr., 27, of the 2000 block of Bradley Court was sentenced on July 12, 2022, to six months’ home confinement, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $50,000 for wire fraud and theft of government property.

At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence that Alexander fraudulently obtained an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) from the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”). The loans were funded through the CARES Act in response to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. The EIDL funds were intended to provide low-interest loans to businesses that were unable to cover their fixed costs due to the pandemic. Alexander submitted six applications containing various falsehoods in an effort to obtain EIDL funding. On the application that was accepted and funded, Alexander falsely represented that he owned and operated a clothing and apparel business, Paper Junkie Desiner, that had generated $100,000 in revenue in the 12 months prior to January 31, 2020. Due to the misrepresentations, Alexander was granted a $49,000 loan and a $1,000 advance. Alexander did not have a registered business in the state of Illinois.

Also at the hearing, Judge Myerscough found that Alexander deprived other legitimate businesses of the funds that had been set aside to assist those who had been hit hard by the pandemic. By committing this fraud, Alexander was essentially stealing from small businesses in need.

Alexander was indicted in October 2021 and plead guilty in February 2022.

The statutory penalties for wire fraud are up to 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The statutory penalties for theft of government property are up to 10 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

“Individuals who fraudulently obtained funds through pandemic-related programs took necessary resources from other citizens in need,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Sierra Senor-Moore. “The EIDL and PPP loans were funded using tax payor money. We all suffer when government programs are defrauded and those who criminally misused funds intended for COVID relief will be prosecuted.”

If members of the public are aware of COVID-19 related loans that they suspect were fraudulently obtained or forgiven, they should report it to the Office of Inspector General for the Small Business 

Administration, 1-800-767-0385, or online at https://sbax.sba.gov/oigcss/.  Reports can be made anonymously.

The Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Senor-Moore represented the government in the prosecution.

URBANA, Ill. – A Manteno, Illinois, man, Joseph Longanecker, 42, was sentenced on July 12, 2022, to 96 months in prison for attempted enticement of a minor and use of interstate facilities to attempt to transmit information about a minor.

At the sentencing hearing before United States District Judge Michael M. Mihm, the government presented evidence that on or about February 14 to 15, 2020, Longanecker knowingly attempted to persuade, induce, and entice an individual whom he believed had not attained the age of 18 years to engage in sexual activity. On those same dates, Longanecker also knowingly used a facility and means of interstate commerce, namely, the internet and a cellular telephone, with the intent to transmit the name and address of another individual who had not attained the age of 16, and he did so with the intent to entice, encourage, offer, and solicit that person to engage in sexual activity.

Longanecker was indicted in March 2020 and pleaded guilty in February 2022. He was taken into the custody of the United States Marshals after the sentencing hearing.

The prosecution was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Office, with the assistance of the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office; Kankakee Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group, and the Bradley Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon O’Brien, also an Assistant Attorney General for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, represented the government in the prosecution.

“Children are among the most vulnerable victims, and Individuals who exploit them must be held accountable for their reprehensible actions,” said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “I am thankful for the collaboration and work of the dedicated men and women who represent different law enforcement agencies that came together to ensure justice was served in this case.”

“Each year hundreds of children fall victim to online crimes,  said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. "The FBI implements proactive techniques as part of its effort to stop offenders from taking advantage of the innocence of children."

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

URBANA, Ill. – Emily Claire Hari, formerly known as Michael B. Hari, 51, of the 200 block of First Street in Clarence, Illinois, was sentenced on July 11, 2022, to 14 years in the federal Bureau of Prisons for conspiracy to interfere with commerce by threats and violence, attempted arson, unlawful possession of a machinegun, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

Hari had previously pleaded guilty to all four charges contained in the indictment. During the latter part of 2017, Hari started a militia group, which called itself the “Patriot Freedom Fighters,” and which sometime later went by the nickname the “White Rabbits.” In addition to Hari, who served as its founder and leader, the militia group included convicted conspirators Michael McWhorter, Joe Morris, Ellis J. Mack, and Wesley Johnson. Around the latter part of 2017, the conspirators began engaging in repeated criminal acts of violence, which they referred to as “jobs.” As part of their militia activities, the conspirators obtained materials used to make incendiary devices, provided weapons and uniforms to the conspirators, and assigned rank to the conspirators To assist in their militia activities, the conspirators acquired and/or assembled four shotguns and four assault rifles, some of which were fully automatic. The weapons, as well as thermite (a pyrotechnic composition), were stored in a locked safe in the militia group’s “office” in Clarence.

On November 7, 2017, Hari, McWhorter, Morris, and Johnson travelled to the Women’s Health Practice located in Champaign, Illinois. The Women’s Health Practice provided medical services at that location and purchased and distributed medical supplies. The conspirators went to the Women’s Health Practice for the purpose of using an incendiary device (i.e., a pipe bomb) constructed by Hari to set the building on fire. Hari rented a truck in which the conspirators traveled to the Women’s Health Practice. Once there, Morris broke a window and placed the pipe bomb in the building; the pipe bomb did not ignite, however. On the morning of November 7, 2017, a receptionist at the Women’s Health Practice found the pipe bomb on the floor and called law enforcement officers.

On December 16, 2017, with Hari’s approval, the conspirators traveled from Clarence to a residence in Ambia, Indiana, for the purpose of robbing a Hispanic individual they believed to be involved in drug trafficking. The conspirators wore their “White Rabbit” uniforms and were each armed with firearms. Pretending to be law enforcement officers executing a search warrant, the conspirators forced entry to the residence. The conspirators handcuffed and zip-tied the residents, causing injury to the wrists of one of the zip-tied individuals. After searching for cash and drugs, the conspirators left the residence and returned to Clarence.

On two occasions in December 2017, several conspirators traveled to WalMart stores in Illinois (one in Watseka, and one in Mt. Vernon) with Hari’s approval to attempt to obtain money. The conspirators entered the stores armed with dangerous weapons and confronted cashiers.

On January 17, 2018, Hari, McWhorter, and Morris traveled from Clarence to a location near Effingham, Illinois, where they attempted to sabotage railroad tracks owned by the Canadian National Railway, through the use of an incendiary device. Following the attempted sabotage, the conspirators sent an extortion demand via anonymous e-mail to the Canadian National Railway threatening that that there would be more damage inflicted by the conspirators to railroad tracks if the railroad did not pay the conspirators approximately $190,000 in cryptocurrency.

On February 18, 2018, the conspirators planted bomb-making materials, including a pipe bomb, on the property of an individual in Clarence to attempt to get the individual in trouble with law enforcement prior to a court hearing in Ford County where Hari faced criminal charges for allegedly assaulting the individual in June 2017. Hari then e-mailed an anonymous “tip” to federal authorities that explosive devices were contained in a suitcase and gray bag in a shed at the individual’s property. On the same day, the FBI responded to the address and found multiple explosive devices, including a pipe bomb attached to a small green propane tank, in a shed at the back of the residence.

Following the Clarence search, the conspirators became concerned that the FBI might search the militia group’s office and seize their weapons, including the machineguns. Therefore, Hari and McWhorter moved the weapons, including the machineguns, to the residence of another member of the militia group located in Clarence, where they were later seized by the FBI. The same day the FBI seized the conspirators’ machineguns, Hari, McWhorter, Morris, and Mack fled Clarence, Illinois, on foot and stayed in the woods and in abandoned barns. While they were “on the run,” the conspirators made a video where they wore masks and requested assistance from other militia members.

At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm found that Hari’s crimes were serious and wide-ranging and accepted the parties’ agreement that Hari should be sentenced to fourteen years of imprisonment. In December 2020, following a jury trial, Hari was convicted of charges related to the August 2017 firebombing of a mosque in Minnesota, along with McWhorter and Morris. A federal judge in Minnesota previously sentenced Hari to fifty-three years of imprisonment for those charges.

“Although the militia group started by Hari called itself the ‘Patriot Freedom Fighters,’ the members of the group convicted of federal crimes were not patriots but violent criminals,” said United States Attorney Gregory K. Harris. “Attacking innocent citizens and lawful facilities using threats and violence are not the acts of ‘patriots,’ and this conduct will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Once again, this case exemplifies the extraordinary investigative efforts of the FBI to bring individuals to justice who commit violent crimes.”

“Emily Claire Hari represents the very real threat posed by domestic violent extremists in the United States,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “The FBI’s counterterrorism team is designed to combat this type of violence and is committed to prioritize and gather intelligence to continually assess the threat picture. The FBI’s focus has been and will remain keeping the American people safe from threats or acts of violence.”

On April 15, 2022, Johnson was sentenced to 66 months of imprisonment for his role in the conspiracy by U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank in the District of Minnesota. On April 12, 2022, McWhorter was sentenced to 190 months (15 years and 10 months) of imprisonment by Judge Frank on both the Illinois and Minnesota charges. On that same date, Judge Frank sentenced Joe Morris to 170 months (14 years and 2 months) of imprisonment. On March 8, 2022, Judge Mihm sentenced Ellis Mack to 42 months of imprisonment (time served). 

The case investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Office. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller is represented the government in the Central District of Illinois prosecution.

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – A Minneapolis, Minnesota, man, Hasan Raqueed Grayson, 39, of the 1900 block of North Penn Avenue, was sentenced on July 8, 2022, to 36 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon.

Grayson, who had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, sold a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun, a holster, two magazines, and six rounds of ammunition to an undercover detective with the Moline Police Department.

Grayson entered a plea of guilty to the charge in January 2022 and agreed to forfeit the handgun, magazines, and ammunition to the government. Grayson faced a statutory maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.  

“This case is another example of the concerted efforts of the Moline Police Department to remove an illegally possessed firearm from the streets of our community,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer L. Mathew. “Individuals who illegally possess firearms will be held accountable for their conduct.”

The investigation was conducted by the Moline, Illinois, Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer L. Mathew represented the federal government in the prosecution.

The case against Grayson was brought as part of The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. The Department’s renewed commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods establishes four fundamental principles to guide efforts to reduce violent crime: 1) build trust and legitimacy within communities; 2) invest in community-based prevention and intervention programs; 3) target enforcement and priorities to focus resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime; and, 4) measure results with the goal to reduce the level of violence in our communities and not to increase the number of arrests and prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Mesquite, Texas, man, Anthony Davis, 32, of the 2000 block of Aloha Drive, was sentenced on July 7, 2022, to 30 months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by 36 months of supervised release for possessing a firearm after having previously been convicted of a felony.

At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence that Davis was stopped by the Illinois State Police (ISP) while traveling on Interstate 55 for having an obstructed license plate. The ISP trooper learned that Davis’s driver’s license was suspended and a lit marijuana “blunt” was found in the car. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered a Hi Point Model CF 380 pistol with a defaced serial number and multiple magazines. Davis has multiple prior felony convictions from Macon County, Illinois, including failure to register as a sex offender, theft, and identity theft.

The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm by a felon are not more than 10 years in prison, not more than three years of supervised release, and not more than a $250,000 fine. The sentence imposed was within the advisory range calculated using the United States Sentencing Commission Sentencing Guidelines.

The Illinois State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah E. Seberger represented the government in the prosecution.

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – A Galesburg, Illinois, father and son, Gilbert Dean Bicknell, 53, and Michael Gilbert Dean Bicknell, 28, were sentenced to federal prison on July 7, 2022, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Michael Bicknell was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment and his father, Gilbert Bicknell, was sentenced to 156 months’ imprisonment, both to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.

At the sentencing hearing in front of Chief U.S. District Judge Sara L. Darrow, the government presented evidence that demonstrated that Michael Bicknell and Gilbert Bicknell were working together in early 2020 to procure kilograms of methamphetamine for distribution in the Galesburg, Illinois, area.

Also at the hearing, Chief Judge Darrow commented on the devastating impact that methamphetamine has had on communities within the Central District of Illinois.

Michael Bicknell entered a plea of guilty to the offense on February 2, 2022. Gilbert Bicknell entered a plea of guilty to the offense on August 10, 2021. The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine are 10 years to life imprisonment and a maximum lifetime term of supervised release.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Office; Galesburg, Illinois, Police Department; and Knox County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Mathew represented the government in the prosecution.

URBANA, Ill. – A Roberts, Illinois, man, Paul Theesfield, 37, of the 200 block of Maple Avenue, pleaded guilty on July 6, 2022, to attempted kidnapping. Sentencing for Theesfield has been scheduled on November 14, 2022, at the U.S. Courthouse in Urbana, Illinois

In court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long, Theesfield admitted that he had attempted to kidnap a woman in Gibson City, Illinois, on December 5, 2020. During the hearing, the government stated that around 2:30 p.m. that day, Theesfield drove his red SUV past the woman multiple times while she was walking near Wood Street and 12th Street. Theesfield then used the SUV to strike the woman from behind in an attempt to incapacitate her, put her in his SUV, and drive her out of town to sexually assault her. After striking her, Theesfield got out of the SUV and approached the woman, who recognized him and screamed. Theesfield then fled the scene and returned to his Roberts residence, where he and his red SUV were later found by a Ford County Deputy. After initially telling authorities he accidentally struck the woman, Theesfield admitted his kidnapping plan and was arrested. The Ford County Sheriff later seized handcuffs, wire rope chokers, zip ties, duct tape, an electric cattle prod, and other items from the Roberts Water House, where Theesfield was employed.

Theesfield remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Theesfield faces statutory penalties of a maximum twenty-year term of imprisonment, a maximum $250,000 fine, and a maximum three-year term of supervised release.

The case investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ford County Sheriff’s Office, and Gibson City Police Department. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugene L. Miller is representing the government in the prosecution.

PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Corey A. Brooks, 30, of the 600 block of SW Adams Street, was sentenced on June 29, 2022, to 63 months in prison for burglarizing a gun store and possessing firearms as a felon. Brooks will also serve three years of supervised release upon his release from prison.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that early in the morning of July 7, 2021, Brooks shattered a window at a federal firearms licensee known as Pinnacle Gun and Ammo, located in the 700 block of Main Street in Peoria. Brooks then climbed into the business through the window and stole 18 handguns and two shotguns, leaving through the back door of the business and fleeing from the scene on foot. Surveillance footage and drops of blood left behind by Brooks enabled the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Peoria Police to trail and identify Brooks and locate the two shotguns, which had been abandoned in a wooded area. A photograph was released to the public, and Brooks was identified and arrested the same day. At the time of his arrest, Brooks was in possession of one of the stolen handguns. The gun was loaded with ammunition. Brooks was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to his four prior felony convictions.

In a post-arrest interview, Brooks admitted that financial gain was the motive for the burglary. He refused to provide information about the location of the 17 stolen weapons. Brooks stated that he was not troubled by the potential for the weapons to be used in further crimes against members of the community.

Also at the sentencing hearing, the government stated that law enforcement recovered three of the stolen guns in a garage in Peoria on July 8, 2021, and, later that day, 11 more guns were located by a young child in a pillowcase in an alley in a residential part of the city. Finally, another one of the stolen guns was recovered during a traffic stop in Peoria in December 2021. At the time it was recovered, the firearm was loaded and equipped with an extended high-capacity magazine and was in the possession of a documented gang member with a prior felony conviction. In total, law enforcement has recovered 18 of the 20 guns stolen by Brooks from Pinnacle on July 7, 2021.

Brooks was indicted in July 2021 and entered a plea of guilty in March of this year.

“Stolen guns are crime guns. They fuel illicit trafficking and are used by violent criminals to terrorize our communities,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney, Ronald L. Hanna.  “Individuals who burglarize federal firearms licensees will face federal prosecution.”

“When firearms are stolen from Federal Firearms Licensees, they enter the illegal market and most often become crime guns,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division Kristen deTineo. “This case is an excellent example how not only law enforcement and prosecutors work together hold traffickers accountable, but also how important the community is in assisting to identify those responsible.”  

The Peoria Police Department and ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Brooks was brought as part of The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. The Department’s renewed commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods establishes four fundamental principles to guide efforts to reduce violent crime: 1) build trust and legitimacy within communities; 2) invest in community-based prevention and intervention programs; 3) target enforcement and priorities to focus resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime; and, 4) measure results with the goal to reduce the level of violence in our communities and not to increase the number of arrests and prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves.

PEORIA, Ill. – A Campus, Illinois, man, Dakota Flint, 23, of the 200 block of Sheldon Avenue, was sentenced today to 17.5 years, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge James Shadid ordered that the federal sentence run concurrently with Livingston County, Illinois, Circuit Court cases 20-CF-162 and 21-CF-6 where Flint was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault and predatory criminal sexual assault, respectively. Flint also must register as a sex offender.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Flint was operating on the dark web under the username “acidman”. Flint used websites he accessed to distribute child pornography and to discuss engaging in hands-on sex offenses. Flint also inquired about how to sedate children and bragged about assaults he committed or planned to commit. After Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) located Flint, his electronic devices were confiscated, and a forensic analysis was conducted, revealing he was responsible for more than 4,000 images of child pornography. The analysis further revealed images and videos taken by Flint of minor juvenile females. The ensuing investigation resulted in Flint’s conviction in three sexual assault cases in Livingston County. At least one image and one video produced and distributed by Flint on the “dark web” has been in the possession of persons under investigation or charged in other districts.

Also at the hearing, Judge James Shadid found that Flint’s possession and distribution of images of child sex abuse had contributed to psychological harm and trauma experienced by child victims whose images are trafficked online.  Judge Shadid stated that Flint’s use of the dark net in an attempt to conceal his activities and identity online was a factor that he considered in imposing the sentence.

Flint was originally indicted in June 2020 and pleaded guilty to the charge in January 2022. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since indictment.

The statutory penalties for possession of child pornography are up to 20 years imprisonment and up to a lifetime of supervised release.

HSI investigated the case, along with the Livingston County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office; Will County, Illinois, Sherriff’s Office; Coal City, Illinois, Police Department; and Dwight, Illinois, Police Department. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the HSI Cyber Crimes Center assisted the investigation as well. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ronald L. Hanna and Paul B. Morris represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Flint was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

URBANA, Ill. –Jennifer Fisher, 50, of Springfield, Illinois, was sentenced on June 27, 2022, to 14 months of imprisonment and a $10,000 fine for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence establishing that Fisher aided her son, Courtney Johnson, 32, of Decatur, Illinois, in the conspiracy, which involved hundreds of pounds of marijuana. Fisher assisted her son in laundering drug proceeds to expand the drug operation and fund his travel. The laundering included expanding operations within the Decatur area through the maintenance of several storage areas for the marijuana. Through subsequent investigation, law enforcement agents also discovered that Johnson had multiple pounds of cocaine that he intended to sell as well.

A federal grand jury returned a second superseding indictment against Fisher and Johnson in March 2020. Fisher pleaded guilty in February 2022 to conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana. In May 2022, Johnson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing cocaine, and maintaining a drug-involved premises (two counts).

Both Fisher and Johnson faced maximum possible penalties of 20 years of imprisonment and up to a $500,000 fine for the money laundering conspiracy. Fisher faced additional penalties of up to 20 years of imprisonment and up to a $1,000,000 fine for her involvement in the marijuana conspiracy. For his participation in the marijuana conspiracy, Johnson faced a maximum possible penalty of 40 years of imprisonment and a maximum possible fine of $5,000,000. Johnson faced the same penalties for the cocaine charge as well. And he faced maximum possible penalties of 20 years of imprisonment and a $500,000 fine for each count of maintaining a drug-involved premises.

Various items derived from proceeds of the offense or items used to commit or facilitate the offense are subject to criminal forfeiture. Those included four motor vehicles, $27,598 of United States currency, gold and diamond jewelry, and several precious wristwatches.

Johnson was previously sentenced in May 2022 to an aggregate seven-and-a-half years in the Bureau of Prisons for his offenses.

“The outcome of this case is another example of cooperation between federal and local law enforcement agencies not only to disrupt an illegal drug conspiracy but also to seize and forfeit the ill-gotten gains produced from the drug conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris.  “Federal prosecutors will continue to seek the forfeiture of assets obtained or used in criminal activity.”   

“This is an important victory for the American public. Not only are two criminals going to prison for their crimes, but the government has seized a significant portion of the illegal proceeds through asset forfeiture,” said Justin Campbell, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “The role of IRS CI in narcotics investigations is to follow the money so we can financially disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations.  IRS-CI is proud to provide its financial expertise as we work alongside our law enforcement partners to bring criminals to justice.”

The Decatur Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William J. Lynch and C. Ryan Finlen represented the government in the prosecution.

This investigation grew into a multi-jurisdictional effort involving the Illinois State Police, the Nevada Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

PEORIA, Ill. – A Mechanicsburg, Illinois, man, John W. Beck, 55, of the 500 block of East Main Street, was sentenced on June 29, 2022, to 120 months in prison on each of four counts of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of bank robbery, and one count of armed bank robbery, all to run concurrently. He was also ordered to serve an additional 24 months in prison in relation to his conviction for attempted escape from the Livingston County Jail. That sentence is to be served consecutively to the 120 months in prison imposed for the robbery offenses.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Beck admitted to robbing the following businesses and banks:

      Dollar General in Buffalo, Illinois, on April 8, 2021

      Bank of Pontiac, doing business as Odell Bank, in Odell, Illinois, on April 9, 2021

      Fast Stop Store in Odell, Illinois, on April 17, 2021

      Village Pantry in Paxton, Illinois, on April 18, 2021

      Subway in Danville, Illinois, on April 19, 2021

      Elmwood Bank, a division of Morton Community Bank, in Elmwood, Illinois, on April 20, 2021.

During this robbery spree, Beck stole cars from two different individuals, one on April 7, 2021, in Mechanicsburg and another on April 19, 2021, in Paris, Illinois, as well as a car from Green Hyundai in Springfield, Illinois, on April 16, 2021, and one from Central Illinois Motors in Springfield on April 17, 2021. He also stole license plates from two other individuals, which he then used on the stolen cars.

Beck was arrested on the current charges in April 2021, indicted in May 2021, and has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since that time. While in custody, in September 2021, Beck attempted to escape from the Livingston County Jail, where he was being held.

Beck pleaded guilty to all charges in January 2022.  There was no plea agreement.

At the time of his arrest, Beck was on supervised release for a bank robbery he committed in 2007, for which he was sentenced to the Bureau of Prisons for 151 months. He was also on state parole for an armed robbery conviction in Champaign County, Illinois. He had been released from federal prison in January 2019 and released from the Illinois Department of Corrections sentence in 2020.

Also at the hearing, U.S. District Judge Joe Billy McDade found that, because of previous violent crime convictions, as well as the current bank robbery convictions, Beck was a career offender.

U.S. Attorney Gregory Harris commended the exceptional coordination and cooperation of the law enforcement agencies affected by Beck’s crime spree. “The dedication and cooperation of the law enforcement agencies – including the State’s Attorneys’ Offices for Livingston, Peoria, Edgar, Vermilion, Sangamon, and Ford Counties – led to the arrest of John Beck before he could do any more harm to the people and businesses of central Illinois,” Harris said.

“Thanks to the exemplary work of our law enforcement partners, FBI Springfield was able to piece together Beck’s 14-day crime spree allowing for significant federal charges that help ensure he is no longer a menace to Illinois communities,” said Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “This sentence holds Beck accountable for his actions and demonstrates the effectiveness of working collaboratively with our partners to combat violent crime.”

The investigation was conducted by the Sheriff’s Departments in DeWitt, Edgar, Livingston, Peoria, and Sangamon, Illinois, counties; the Danville, Elmwood, Paxton, and Springfield, Illinois, Police Departments; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Office; and the U.S. Marshals Service. Criminal Chief Darilynn J. Knauss represented the government in the prosecution.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict on June 23, 2022, against Stacey Furlow, 61, of the 3000 block of North Peoria Road in Springfield, Illinois, for attempted enticement of a minor, use of interstate facilities to attempt to transmit information about a minor, and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. Sentencing for Furlow is scheduled for October 21, 2022, at the U.S. Courthouse in Springfield.

During the trial, the government presented evidence that established that between August 27 and August 29, 2020, Furlow met an individual online and believed he was communicating with a fifteen-year-old child. Despite learning the individual’s age, Furlow discussed engaging in sexual activity with the minor, asked for the minor’s address on numerous occasions, and sent inappropriate pictures of himself to the child. On August 29, 2020, after confirming that the minor was alone, he asked for the child’s address and drove to the residence expecting to engage in sexual conduct; he was then arrested. 

Furlow remains in the custody of U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing. At sentencing, he faces statutory penalties of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison for attempted enticement of a minor; not more than five years in prison for use of interstate facilities to attempt to transmit information about a minor; and not more than 10 years in prison for attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

The prosecution was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Office, with assistance from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; the Springfield Police Department; and the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tanner K. Jacobs and Sierra Senor-Moore represented the government at trial.

The case against Furlow was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –A Rochester, Illinois, man, Christopher Schaller, 48, of the 1500 block of Appalachian Trial was sentenced on June 9, 2022, to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for six counts of wire fraud resulting from a mortgage fraud scheme.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Schaller used his extensive knowledge of the mortgage industry and the trust placed in him by his employer, Diamond Residential Mortgage Corporation (Diamond), as the manager of its Springfield, Illinois, office, to defraud others and to benefit himself.

Also at the hearing, United States District Judge Sue E. Myerscough found Schaller was in a position of trust, was acting in a supervisory position, and utilized sophisticated means to conduct the wire fraud. Schaller was ordered to pay $61,369.36 in restitution and was prohibited from working in a mortgage-related employment position while on supervised release unless given express permission by the Court. Judge Myerscough ordered that $32,811 in restitution be made payable to the Veterans Administration, with the rest owed to Diamond. Previously, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) had revoked Schaller’s mortgage loan originator license and fined him $128,000. In a related matter, IDFPR and Diamond entered into a consent order where Diamond agreed to pay $1,275,000 to settle all allegations.

Schaller was indicted in September 2019 and plead guilty in August 2020. After initially being placed on bond, Schaller’s bond was revoked, and he has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshal since June 10, 2021.

The statutory penalties for wire fraud are not more than 20 years in prison, not more than five years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.

“The significant prison sentence imposed by Judge Myerscough shows that white-collar defendants who harm customers and steal from their employers and entities like the Veterans Administration will pay a stiff penalty for their actions,” said Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Quivey. 

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation prioritizes investigating sophisticated white collar crime schemes like the one used by Schaller,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “We are committed to dedicating our investigative resources to target fraud in its many forms to ensure offenders are brought to justice.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Illinois Attorney General’s Office, and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Tanner Jacobs and Sierra Senor-Moore represented the government in the prosecution.

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict on June 16, 2022, against Monica Renee Wright, 38, of the 1600 block of Auburn Drive, Colorado Springs, Colorado, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of actual methamphetamine and at least 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Sentencing for Wright has been scheduled for October 10, 2022, at the U.S. Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa.

During three days of trial, beginning on June 13, the government presented evidence establishing that beginning in June 2016, Wright conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine in Illinois. The case began when the Drug Enforcement Administration seized approximately 58 grams of 90+% pure methamphetamine from Wright's coconspirator's residence in Illinois. Agents worked up the chain of distribution to identify the source of the methamphetamine as Wright.

After the guilty verdict, Wright was taken into the custody of the United States Marshal’s Service. At sentencing, she faces statutory penalties of ten years to life imprisonment.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group (QCMEG); Rock Island County Sheriff’s Department; Scott County Sheriff’s Department; and Colorado Springs Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alyssa Raya and Jennifer Mathew represented the government at trial.  

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict on Thursday, June 2, 2022, against Donald R. Felton, 37, of the 900 block of West Poplar Street in Taylorville, Illinois, for possession with intent to distribute 50 or more grams of actual methamphetamine (“Ice”). Sentencing for Felton has been scheduled for October 5, 2022, at the federal courthouse in Springfield, Illinois.

Over two days of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that beginning in May 2019, law enforcement officers initiated an investigation of Felton for traveling to the St. Louis area to obtain methamphetamine for redistribution in the Taylorville area. On June 8, 2019, officers saw Felton drive his SUV to a rest area near Hamel, Illinois, north of St. Louis, where he met with an unknown man, and then returned to Taylorville. Once Felton returned to Taylorville, officers executed a traffic stop and then searched the SUV. During the search, officers seized 398 grams (nearly one pound) of pure methamphetamine (“Ice”) and a digital scale. They also seized more than $800 in cash from Felton.

Felton remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals. At sentencing, Felton faces statutory penalties of a minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison, up to a $20,000,000 fine, and a minimum of 10 years and up to a life term of supervised release.

The case investigation was conducted by the Illinois State Police Central Illinois Enforcement Group, Christian County Sheriff’s Office, Taylorville Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy A. Bass and Sierra Senor-Moore represented the government at trial.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, resident, Brock A. Purdy, 34, of the 2000 block of Converse Avenue was sentenced on May 31, 2022, to eleven years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of Ice methamphetamine.

At the sentencing hearing in front of United States District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence that between September 1, 2016, and February 21, 2017, Purdy, along with co-defendant, Brendon Richardson, conspired to distribute well over 200 grams of “Ice” methamphetamine in Mason and Menard Counties in the State of Illinois. The government’s evidence showed that the defendants purchased methamphetamine on the dark web using cryptocurrency and had the drugs mailed to them. They then further distributed the methamphetamine in central Illinois. The defendants also used an encrypted messaging application to try and hide their activities. Richardson was sentenced to six years in federal prison in January 2020.    

Purdy, who is formerly of Menard County, was indicted in May 2018 and pleaded guilty in January 2020. He has been detained since March 2018. Prior to the instant federal offense, Purdy had been convicted three times for state offenses involving the distribution of drugs, as well as for aggravated battery and aggravated fleeing a peace officer. He was on parole with the Illinois Department of Corrections at the time the federal drug conspiracy started.

The statutory penalties for conspiracy to distribute 50 or more grams of Ice methamphetamine are not less than ten years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and not less than five years of supervised release.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office; United States Postal Inspection Service; Illinois State Police; Menard County Sheriff; and Mason County Sheriff investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution.

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – A Moline, Illinois, man, Zachary Ryan Inman, 28, of the 5000 block of 4th Avenue, was sentenced on May 26, 2022, to five years’ imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release, for possession of ammunition as a felon.

According to the evidence presented at sentencing, law enforcement agents responded to a domestic disturbance at a Moline apartment building. There, Inman was found hiding in a closet. Witnesses at the sentencing hearing testified that during the incident Inman battered his girlfriend, threatened her, and brandished a gun. A gun was not ultimately located but when booked at the Rock Island (Illinois) County Jail, agents found ammunition in Inman’s pocket.

At the sentencing hearing, Chief U.S. District Judge Sara L. Darrow stated that Inman’s actions should be considered in crafting his sentence. Chief Judge Darrow emphasized the danger that Inman’s actions posed to the community, his criminal history, and the need to protect the public.

Inman entered a plea of guilty to the offense in August 2021. The statutory penalties for felon in possession of a firearm are a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum three year term of supervised release.

The Moline Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Mathew represented the government in the prosecution.

URBANA, Ill. – A Kankakee, Illinois, man, Jody Lagesse, 48, of the 100 block of North 7th Ave., was sentenced on May 24, 2022, to seven years’ imprisonment in the Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by a 10-year term of supervised release, for attempted enticement of a minor and use of interstate facilities to attempt to transmit information about a minor.

At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm, the government presented evidence that on February 14, 2020, Lagesse attempted to persuade, induce, and entice an individual whom he believed had not attained the age of 18 years, to engage in sexual activity. Lagesse also knowingly used means of interstate commerce, the internet and a cellular telephone, with the intent to entice, encourage, offer, and solicit that person to engage in sexual activity.

Lagesse was indicted in March 2020 and pleaded guilty in January 2022.

“Our office is committed to working with federal and local partners to combat the scourge of online predators who target some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris. “Along with these efforts, we urge parents and guardians to closely monitor their children’s internet usage. You are part of our first line of defense against those who seek to victimize children.”

“The internet can be a haven for those intent on exploiting the innocence of children online. That’s why the FBI prioritizes our efforts to identify, investigate and arrest predators, ensuring they are held accountable for their actions.” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz.

“The collaboration between my office and the Department of Justice is essential to identifying individuals who exploit minors, and ensuring those predators are held accountable,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. “I appreciate our ongoing partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s office and look forward to continuing to protect Illinois communities from individuals who prey upon children.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon O’Brien, Deputy Bureau Chief with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Internet Crimes Against Children Task, represented the government in the prosecution.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.