Northern District of Illinois

CHICAGO — John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, today announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will operate a telephone hotline on Election Day (Nov. 8, 2022) to receive complaints related to the voting process.

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud.  The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing a local point of contact for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

“A crucial part of our democracy is the integrity of our electoral system,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “A citizen who is entitled to vote should not be hindered or prevented from doing so.  Similarly, election officials and staff must not be subject to unlawful threats of violence.  Our office stands ready to help ensure the sanctity of the voting process.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys and other staff will monitor the hotline and respond to complaints, as needed.  The hotline numbers, staffed on Election Day only, are (312) 469-6157 and (312) 469-6158.

Complaints can also be made directly to the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. by phone at (800) 253-3931 or online at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.

In addition, the FBI Chicago Field Office will have special agents and other staff available on Election Day to receive allegations of election fraud or other election-related complaints.  The phone number for the FBI Chicago Field Office is (312) 421-6700.

Federal laws protect the rights of voters to mark their own ballot or be assisted by a person of their choice.  Federal laws protect against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes.  Violations of federal election laws could result in prison time and monetary fines.  For information as to the location and hours of polling sites, Illinois residents are advised to contact the Illinois State Board of Elections by logging on to www.elections.il.gov or by calling (312) 814-6440.

CHICAGO — The former controller of a Chicago health club has pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge for embezzling more than $4 million from the club.

PETER CRAIG SAVELY, 58, of Chicago, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of bank fraud.  The conviction is punishable by a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million, and restitution is mandatory.  U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman set sentencing for Feb. 2, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.

The guilty plea was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Douglas Zloto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Chicago Field Office; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson.

Savely admitted in a plea agreement that from 2013 to 2020 he issued purported payroll checks on the club’s bank account to four employees.  Savely signed the checks as the club’s controller and, since the checks also required the signature of the club’s Chief Financial Officer, forged the CFO’s signature without the CFO’s knowledge, the plea agreement states.  Savely then forged the payees’ signatures to fraudulently endorse the checks and deposited them into bank accounts that he controlled, the plea agreement states.  As a result of the fraud scheme, Savely converted more than $4.1 million for his own personal use.  Savely admitted that he attempted to conceal the embezzlement by regularly making false entries in the club’s financial ledgers and causing the losses associated with the checks to be spread across multiple departments, thereby making the losses harder to detect.

CHICAGO — An office manager for a Chicago medical practice has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for fraudulently writing opioid prescriptions.

ROSEMARY MAYS worked for a medical practice on the South Side of Chicago.  From 2009 to 2016, Mays conspired with another individual to write more than 3,000 fraudulent prescriptions for hydrocodone, oxycodone, and other controlled substances.  Mays used a prescription pad belonging to a doctor in the practice and wrote the prescriptions in her own name and the names of dozens of unsuspecting friends and family members who had not been treated by the doctor and had no legitimate medical need for the controlled substances.  Mays and her co-conspirator then caused friends and family members to fill the fraudulent prescriptions at pharmacies in the Chicago area and provide the opioids to Mays and the co-conspirator.  After the fraudulent prescriptions were filled, some of the controlled substances were sold throughout the Chicago area for a profit. 

Mays attempted to conceal the scheme by creating fake patient profiles for the individuals whose names she put on the fraudulent prescriptions to make it seem as if the individuals had been treated by the doctor and prescribed the opioids.  In reality, they were not patients of the doctor and had not been prescribed any medications by the doctor. 

Mays, 47, of South Holland, Ill., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to dispense and distribute a controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose or practitioner license.  U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland imposed the year-and-a-day prison sentence Wednesday in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the DEA Chicago Field Division; John Morales, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Mario Pinto, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Chicago Regional Office.

“Defendant was the key player in a multi-year criminal conspiracy,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Rothblatt argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “Defendant abused the trust of a doctor with whom she worked to write thousands of fraudulent prescriptions for dangerous and addictive opioids.”

CHICAGO — A former high-ranking official in a labor union was sentenced today to more than a year and a half in federal prison for accepting $325,000 in unlawful cash payments from a Chicago business and failing to report the payments on his tax returns.

JOHN T. COLI SR., 63, of Putnam, Ill., pleaded guilty pursuant to a cooperation plea agreement in 2019 to one count of receiving a prohibited payment as a union officer and one count of making a false income tax return.  The government recommended a sentence of 19 months in prison and U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer imposed that term after a hearing in federal court in Chicago. 

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; John Morales, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General in Chicago; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet S. Bhachu.

Coli served from 2000 to 2017 as the Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local Union 727.  Coli admitted in a plea agreement that from 2014 to 2017, he received quarterly payments of $25,000 from a Chicago business that employed workers represented by Local 727.  Coli acknowledged in the plea agreement that had law enforcement not intervened, he expected to receive four more quarterly payments from the company and then retire from the union.

The tax count pertained to Coli’s knowing and willful failure to report the secret payments as income for the calendar years 2014 through 2016.  This conduct resulted in a federal tax loss of approximately $105,000 and a State of Illinois tax loss of approximately $12,500.

In addition, Coli acknowledged in the plea agreement that he received other income and benefits from representatives of businesses that dealt with Local 727 that were not properly disclosed to the U.S. Department of Labor.  The benefits included meals in Las Vegas and other cities, free box seat tickets to National Football League and Major League Baseball games, use of a yacht in the U.S. and Italy, and periodic cash payments.

ROCKFORD — Two inmates at the United States Penitentiary in Thomson, Ill., have been sentenced to additional prison terms for assaulting other inmates.

GEORGE RICHARD GAUNT, 34, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, to be served consecutively to the federal sentence he is currently serving for robbing multiple banks.  

KELLY BRYAN SCHNEIDER, 29, was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison, to be served consecutively to the sentences he is currently serving for murder and hate crime in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and the State of Idaho. 

Gaunt and Schneider each pleaded guilty to federal assault charges.  U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard imposed the additional sentences this week after hearings in federal court in Rockford.

The sentences were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Ashley T. Johnson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincenza L. Tomlinson.

Gaunt and Schneider admitted in plea agreements that on Aug. 9, 2019, they punched, kicked, and stomped on an inmate’s body and head multiple times, causing serious injuries and loss of consciousness.  The pair continued to strike the inmate while he was defenseless and in a protective posture.  Schneider admitted that he attempted to bite off the inmate’s ear and continued to strike the inmate until correctional staff intervened. 

Gaunt and Schneider assaulted another inmate on Aug. 23, 2019.  In that attack, the pair punched, kicked, and stomped on the inmate’s body and head multiple times, causing serious injuries and loss of consciousness.  Gaunt and Schneider continued to strike the inmate while he was defenseless.

Gaunt and Schneider admitted in their plea agreements that neither of the victims provoked the attacks in any way.

A federal jury convicted a licensed Illinois psychologist of defrauding Medicare over the course of several years by causing the submission of fraudulent claims for psychotherapy services he never provided.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Renato F. Duarte, aka Ren Duarte, 63, of Chicago, caused the submission of fraudulent Medicare claims from July 2016 through June 2019 for psychotherapy services purportedly provided to nursing home patients in Chicago and surrounding areas. Duarte’s scheme included fraudulently billing for in person services on dates that Duarte was traveling outside of the country and fraudulently billing for psychotherapy purportedly provided to patients who were deceased.

Duarte was convicted of four counts of health care fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois; Acting Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI Chicago Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Mario M. Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office made the announcement. 

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Chicago Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. 

Trial Attorneys Steven Scott and Thomas D. Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for more than $19 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

CHICAGO — A federal drug trafficking investigation has resulted in charges against ten individuals for allegedly conspiring to distribute at least 35 kilograms of fentanyl-laced heroin and crack cocaine on the West Side of Chicago.

During the multi-year probe, law enforcement seized more than a kilogram of narcotics, as well as 13 firearms and more than $40,000 in suspected illicit proceeds.  The investigation, led by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, and Chicago Police Department, utilized covert surveillance operations, controlled narcotics purchases, and wiretapped communications to shut down the defendants’ drug trafficking activities, which were centered mainly in Chicago’s North Austin neighborhood.

Many of the defendants were arrested this week and have begun making initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

The federal charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago; and David Brown, Superintendent of CPD.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Kelly and Simar Khera represent the government. 

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers and other alleged criminal offenders that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against alleged criminal networks.

Charged with a federal drug conspiracy are CARLOS JAMES, 46; SAMUEL BROOKS, 71; PAURICE ROSE, 46; DONALD WILLIAMS, 34; VASHON JAMES, 39; DAVID LAMB, 56; FELICIA SINGLETON, 57; THOMAS BIRT, 54; AVIS KNIGHT, 54; and HAYDEE CANO, 46; all of Chicago.  Brooks is also charged with illegally possessing a handgun as a previously convicted felon.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Carlos James led a drug trafficking organization that distributed at least 35 kilograms of fentanyl-laced heroin and at least 1.1 kilograms of crack cocaine to street-level customers in Chicago from April 2021 to August 2022.

Carlos James allegedly worked with Rose and Williams to prepare and package the drugs for distribution on the street.  The drug trafficking organization used multiple “stash houses” in Chicago, including residences in the 1700 block of North Mango Avenue and the 1600 and 1700 blocks of North Mayfield Avenue, to store the narcotics and the cash proceeds, the complaint alleges.  Brooks served as a street-level manager of the organization, providing narcotics to Lamb, Singleton, Birt, Knight, and Cano to sell to customers on the street, the charges allege.  Vashon James allegedly prepared crack cocaine and collected the proceeds after the sales.

During the probe, law enforcement executed court-authorized searches of the stash houses and other locations and worked with a cooperating source to make nine controlled purchases of narcotics from the defendants’ organization.

The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

ROCKFORD — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to more than ten years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl and heroin.

RAYLOE JACKSON, 46, of Maywood, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to possession of fentanyl and heroin with intent to distribute.

Jackson admitted in a plea agreement that on April 3, 2020, he met with a Rockford-based narcotics supplier in Maywood and obtained more than a kilogram of fentanyl and nearly 200 grams of heroin, which Jackson intended to distribute to another individual.  When law enforcement attempted to stop Jackson after his meeting with the supplier, Jackson ran from the officers and threw a bag containing the fentanyl and heroin over a fence into a backyard of a residence on South 14th Avenue in Maywood.  Officers ultimately caught and arrested him.

As part of his plea agreement, Jackson also admitted that in 2019 he possessed two kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute.  This case was Jackson’s fourth felony drug-trafficking conviction.

U.S. District Judge Phillip G. Reinhard imposed the 124-month prison sentence after a hearing Wednesday in federal court in Rockford.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The investigation was conducted by a DEA task force, which includes officers from the Crystal Lake, Ill. Police Department, Belvidere, Ill. Police Department, and Boone County, Ill. Sheriff’s Office.  The Rockford Police Department assisted in the investigation.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Paccagnini and Talia Bucci.

CHICAGO – Seven Chicago-area residents have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly fraudulently obtaining at least $16 million in small business loans and grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.

The defendants engaged in fraud related to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) – one of the sources of relief under the CARES Act, according to a 33-count indictment returned Wednesday in the Northern District of Illinois.  Charged with wire fraud and money laundering are MAJA NIKOLIC, 34, of Brookfield, Ill., MARKO NIKOLIC, 34, of La Grange, Ill., NEBOJSA SIMEUNOVIC, 37, of Lyons, Ill., MIJAJLO STANISIC, 33, of Willowbrook, Ill., BRANKO ALEKSIC, 33, of Chicago, MILICA SUMAKOVIC, 31, of Chicago, and DORDE TODOROVIC, 32, of Chicago. 

Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; R. Sean Fitzgerald, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Homeland Security Investigations; J. Russell George, Inspector General of the Treasury Department Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA); Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago; and Hannibal Ware, Inspector General of the U.S. Small Business Administration.  The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Malgorzata Tracz Kozaka and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kavitha J. Babu.

The EIDL program provided loan assistance or grants to cover working capital and other operating expenses.  According to the indictment, the defendants in the spring and summer of 2020 submitted to the SBA fraudulent applications in which they claimed to own and operate various businesses in Illinois and Florida.  The applications and supporting documents contained materially false representations about the defendants’ companies, including the number of purported employees, revenue amounts, and other expenses, the indictment states.

The indictment alleges that the defendants caused the SBA to disburse at least $16 million in EIDL loans and grants into bank accounts controlled by the defendants and others.  The defendants allegedly used the money to make cash withdrawals and transfers for their personal benefit.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  Each wire fraud and money laundering charge is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving COVID-19 is encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or filing an online complaint at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

CHICAGO — A man has been charged in federal court with conspiring to “straw purchase” 27 firearms in Indiana on behalf of a Chicago resident.

From 2016 to 2019, RICARDO LARREA purchased 26 handguns and one shotgun from federally licensed dealers in Hammond, Ind., and falsely certified on required federal forms that he was the actual buyer of the guns, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Larrea purchased the guns on behalf of a Chicago resident who identified which firearms he wanted and paid Larrea to buy them, the indictment states.  After falsely completing the forms and making the purchases, Larrea provided the firearms to the Chicago resident, the charges allege.

The indictment charges Larrea, 27, of Whiting, Ind., with one count of conspiracy to knowingly make false statements in connection with the acquisition of a firearm.  Larrea pleaded not guilty Wednesday at his arraignment before U.S. District Judge John F. Kness.  A status hearing was set for Nov. 18, 2022.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kavitha J. Babu and Jonathan L. Shih.

Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is the focus of the Department of Justice’s Chicago Firearms Trafficking Strike Force.  As part of the strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with 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 identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.

Holding firearm offenders accountable through federal prosecution is also a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

The conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

SOUTH BEND – Nahkomie Taylor, 31 years old, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio on his plea of guilty to two counts of bank robbery and one count of  brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Taylor was sentenced to 262 months in prison, 2 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $12,155 in restitution. 

According to documents in this case, Nahkomie Taylor was on parole for armed robbery for less than a month when he robbed a bank at gunpoint in South Bend on February 18, 2020. Three days later, Taylor robbed a different bank at gunpoint in South Bend. That same day, he traveled to Oak Park, Illinois, and robbed a third bank at gunpoint. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the South Bend Police Department, the Oak Park Police Department, and the Chicago Police Department.  The case was prosecuted in coordination with the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois and handled by Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse.

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

 

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ROCKFORD — An inmate at the United States Penitentiary in Thomson, Ill., has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of second-degree murder and assault relating to the death of a fellow inmate. 

On Dec. 15, 2021, DONTA MADDOX assaulted his cellmate, Bobby Everson, resulting in fatal injuries, according to an indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Rockford. 

Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of life in federal prison, while the maximum sentence for the assault charge is ten years.  Arraignment for Maddox, 44, has not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ladd.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — Five individuals in the Chicago area have been charged with unlawfully possessing U.S. Postal Service keys or stealing from the mail.  The indictments were brought as part of “Operation Broken Arrow,” an ongoing federal investigation into the thefts of postal keys and mail.

Indictments recently unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago allege that the defendants unlawfully possessed the keys or stole from the mail in Chicago this year and last year.  Charged with unlawfully possessing a U.S. Postal Service key are SAVANNAH S. SHANDOR, 29, of Chicago, JOSEPH T. SOLOMON, 37, of Norridge, Ill., THADDEUS J. HARPER, 42, of Chicago, SHAUN A. WHITE, 25, of Chicago, and JORDAN J. MCPHEARSON, 31, of Chicago.  Shandor, Solomon, and Harper are also charged with stealing pieces of mail.

The indictments and arrests were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kai Pickens, Acting Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Substantial assistance was provided the Central Area Field Office of the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.  The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Madriñan.

“It is illegal under federal law to possess a stolen or reproduced key suited to a U.S. Postal Service lock,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “We will continue to work with our federal and local law enforcement partners to hold accountable anyone who unlawfully possesses such a key or steals from the mail.”

“A critical mission of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is to ensure the integrity of the U.S. Mail and to protect postal customers,” said USPIS Acting Inspector-in-Charge Pickens.  “Strong collaboration with our law enforcement partners led to the successful investigations and arrests of these individuals who compromised the postal system.  We will continue to build on these efforts to investigate alleged criminals who damage trust in the U.S. mail.”

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  Unlawfully possessing a Postal Service key is punishable by a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison, while theft of mail carries a maximum sentence of five years.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury in Chicago has charged former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives MICHAEL J. MADIGAN with corruptly arranging for payments to be made to a political ally as part of an alleged conspiracy involving Illinois Bell Telephone Company, which does business as AT&T Illinois. 

Madigan was originally indicted earlier this year on racketeering and bribery charges for allegedly using his official position to corruptly solicit and receive personal financial rewards for himself and his associates.  The initial indictment accused Madigan and his close friend – co-defendant MICHAEL F. MCCLAIN – of causing the utility company Commonwealth Edison to make monetary payments to Madigan’s allies as a reward for their loyalty to Madigan, at times in return for performing little or no actual work for the company.  The initial indictment also charged Madigan with engaging in multiple schemes to reap the benefits of legal work unlawfully steered to his private law firm.

The superseding indictment unsealed today includes the prior charges and adds an additional conspiracy count against Madigan and McClain related to an alleged corruption scheme involving AT&T Illinois.  The new indictment alleges that Madigan and McClain in 2017 conspired with AT&T Illinois’s then-president to corruptly arrange for $22,500 to be paid at the direction of the company to the Madigan ally.  AT&T Illinois allegedly made the payments through an intermediary – a lobbying firm that performed services for AT&T Illinois – to conceal the true nature of the payments, which was to influence and reward Madigan’s efforts as Speaker to assist AT&T Illinois with respect to certain legislation in the Illinois General Assembly.  Although the members of the conspiracy formulated a pretextual assignment for Madigan’s ally to disguise why the ally was being paid, the ally performed no actual work for AT&T Illinois and had no role in advancing the legislation, the charges allege.

Madigan, 80, of Chicago, and McClain, 75, of Quincy, Ill., will be arraigned on the superseding indictment on a future date to be set by the U.S. District Court in Chicago.

The former AT&T Illinois president – PAUL LA SCHIAZZA, 65 – was charged in a separate federal indictment unsealed today with participating in the conspiracy and committing other offenses, including using a facility in interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity.  Also today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a one-count criminal information charging AT&T Illinois with using an interstate facility to promote unlawful activity.

The charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu, Diane MacArthur, Timothy J. Chapman, Sarah E. Streicker, Michelle Kramer, and Julia Schwartz.

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.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — The former president of Illinois Bell Telephone Company, which does business as AT&T Illinois, has been charged in federal court with participating in a conspiracy to unlawfully influence the former Illinois Speaker of the House of Representatives involving the company’s efforts to advance legislation in the Illinois General Assembly.

PAUL LA SCHIAZZA conspired in 2017 with former Speaker Michael J. Madigan, Madigan’s close friend, Michael McClain, and others, to corruptly arrange for $22,500 to be paid to a Madigan ally, according to a five-count indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  AT&T Illinois caused the payments to be made through an intermediary – a lobbying firm that performed services for AT&T Illinois – to conceal the true nature of the payments, which was to influence and reward Madigan’s efforts as Speaker to assist the company with respect to certain legislation, the indictment alleges.  Although the members of the conspiracy formulated a pretextual assignment for Madigan’s ally to disguise why the ally was being paid, the ally performed no actual work for AT&T Illinois and had no role in advancing the legislation, the indictment states.

La Schiazza, 65, is charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of corruptly giving something of value to reward a public official, and three counts of using a facility in interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity.  Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu, Diane MacArthur, Timothy J. Chapman, Sarah E. Streicker, Michelle Kramer, and Julia Schwartz.

Madigan, 80, of Chicago, and McClain, 75, of Quincy, Ill., were charged in a separate, superseding indictment unsealed today with participating in the AT&T Illinois conspiracy and committing other bribery and misconduct offenses.  Also today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a one-count criminal information charging AT&T Illinois with using an interstate facility to promote unlawful activity.

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.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A man who failed to appear in federal court in Chicago before his 2009 drug trial has been arrested in Panama and returned to the United States.

COSME CHACON, 53, was arrested Tuesday after arriving in Panama City on a flight from Colombia.  Chacon was removed to Chicago and appeared Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth W. Jantz in the Northern District of Illinois.  Chacon is currently detained in federal custody.

The arrest and return were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; R. Sean Fitzgerald, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of Homeland Security Investigations; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.  IRS Criminal Investigation Panama City, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided support in securing the defendant’s return to the United States.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian F. Williamson represents the government.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, and other alleged criminal offenders that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against alleged criminal networks.

Chacon was among four defendants indicted in Chicago in 2007.  The indictment accused the defendants of participating in a drug trafficking organization that transported heroin to Chicago from New York, Florida, and Texas.  After the drugs were sold in the Chicago area, Chacon allegedly laundered the illicit proceeds through wire transfers to Colombia and other overseas locations.  He was charged with drug conspiracy and money laundering.

Chacon was free on bond when he failed to appear for status hearings in the weeks leading up to a scheduled trial date of Sept. 21, 2009.  A warrant was then issued for his arrest.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt.  Chacon is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  The drug conspiracy charge against Chacon is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison and a maximum of life, while the money laundering charge is punishable by up to 20 years.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

Chacon’s three co-defendants pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison terms of 16 years, 12 years, and one year.

CHICAGO — Illinois Bell Telephone Company, LLC, which does business as AT&T Illinois, today agreed to pay $23 million to resolve a federal criminal investigation into alleged misconduct involving the company’s efforts to unlawfully influence former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan.

The investigation of AT&T Illinois is being resolved with a deferred prosecution agreement under which the company admitted it arranged for payments to be made to an ally of Madigan to influence and reward Madigan’s efforts to assist AT&T Illinois with respect to legislation sought by the company.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office today filed a one-count criminal information in U.S. District Court in Chicago charging AT&T Illinois with using an interstate facility to promote legislative misconduct.  Under the agreement, the government will defer prosecution on the charge for two years and then seek to dismiss it if AT&T Illinois abides by certain conditions, including continuing to cooperate with any investigation related to the misconduct alleged in the information.

The deferred prosecution agreement requires AT&T Illinois to pay $23 million to the federal Crime Victims Fund.  Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled. 

The charge and the deferred prosecution agreement were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amarjeet S. Bhachu, Diane MacArthur, Timothy J. Chapman, Sarah E. Streicker, Michelle Kramer, and Julia Schwartz.

AT&T Illinois’s admissions regarding the charged conduct are contained in a Statement of Facts attached to the deferred prosecution agreement.  AT&T Illinois admitted that in 2017 it arranged for an ally of Madigan to indirectly receive $22,500 in payments from the company.  The company paid the money through an intermediary – a lobbying firm that performed services for AT&T Illinois.  Although AT&T Illinois employees formulated a pretextual assignment for Madigan’s ally to disguise why the ally was being paid, the ally performed no actual work for AT&T Illinois and the company made no effort to ensure any work was performed.  AT&T Illinois acknowledged in the agreement that AT&T Illinois’s then-president used an interstate facility to facilitate Madigan’s indirect receipt of a thing of value, namely the payments made to his ally, in exchange for Madigan’s vote and influence over a bill.

In addition to the monetary penalty and its continued cooperation with the government, AT&T Illinois’s obligations under the agreement include implementing a new compliance and ethics program and providing annual reports to the government regarding remediation and implementation of the program.  If AT&T Illinois fails to completely fulfill each of its obligations under the agreement during the two-year term, the U.S. Attorney’s Office can initiate prosecution of the charged offense.

ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for trafficking heroin and cocaine.

TERVARIE LOTTIE, 34, pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to distribute a kilogram or more of heroin, conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to distribute.

U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey imposed the prison sentence on Sept. 29, 2022, after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the ATF; Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department; Gary Caruana, Winnebago County Sheriff; and J. Hanley, Winnebago County State’s Attorney.  The federal investigation was conducted by the FBI-led Rockford Area Violent Gang Task Force, which includes the above law enforcement agencies and the Loves Park and Freeport Police Departments.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Talia Bucci.

Lottie admitted in a plea agreement that he led a drug-trafficking organization that distributed heroin to other drug dealers and street-level customers in the Rockford area in 2017.  Lottie and co-defendant TYSHON WATSON, of Rockford, shared a cell phone that the organization’s street-level customers contacted to arrange to buy heroin.  On days when Watson had the phone, Watson sold heroin to those customers and provided proceeds to Lottie.  On days when Lottie had the cell phone, Lottie personally sold heroin to the street-level customers.  Lottie also personally sold larger quantities of heroin to other drug dealers in the Rockford area. 

Another member of the drug-trafficking organization – co-defendant JOHNIA WILSON, of Rockford – recruited certain individuals to buy heroin from the organization, with Wilson brokering transactions between Lottie and the buyers.  Wilson also helped Lottie collect drug-trafficking proceeds owed to the organization.  As part of the conspiracy, Lottie maintained an apartment in Rockford that he used as a “trap house” to store and package heroin for sale, distribute to customers, and meet with Watson and Wilson. 

Lottie separately conspired with another co-defendant – DEVONTE GORDON, of Rockford –to possess cocaine.  As part of that conspiracy, Lottie arranged for Gordon to purchase two kilograms of cocaine from one of Lottie’s narcotics suppliers in 2017.

The three co-defendants were previously sentenced to federal prison terms.  Gordon was sentenced to 87 months for conspiracy to distribute cocaine; Watson was sentenced to 57 months for conspiracy to distribute heroin; and Wilson was sentenced to 36 months for conspiracy to distribute heroin.

CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a man to more than four years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded handgun near a Chicago playground while on parole for a prior gun offense.

KEJUAN CARR, 26, of Chicago, illegally possessed the gun on March 22, 2021, inside Chicago’s Humboldt Park and directly across the street from a children’s playground.  Chicago Police officers conducting remote surveillance observed Carr holding the firearm while standing among a group of people in the 1300 block of Luis Munoz Marin Drive.  Officers arrested Carr as he left the park.  The gun in his possession was loaded with 13 live rounds of ammunition.

Carr had previously been convicted of multiple felonies in state court and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a gun.  He was on parole for a recent firearm conviction when he possessed the gun near the playground.

Carr pleaded guilty earlier this year to the federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm.  U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood on Monday imposed a 51-month prison sentence.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Illinois Department of Corrections.

“There is a dangerous atmosphere of gun violence that pervades this city and this District,” Assistant U.S. Attorney James P. Durkin argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “But for the alert, swift, and professional actions of Chicago Police officers who observed the defendant possessing the gun on surveillance video and swiftly took him into custody, the defendant could have caused another all-too-common scene of senseless violence and tragedy.”

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

CHICAGO — A man was charged today in federal court with intentionally damaging a reproductive health services facility in Chicago.

MICHAEL BARRON, 41, most recently of Chicago, is charged in a criminal information in the Northern District of Illinois with intentionally damaging a Planned Parenthood Health Center on June 5, 2021.  The charge accuses Barron of damaging the facility because it provided reproductive health services.

The charge was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and LaDon Reynolds, United States Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sivashree Sundaram and Paige Nutini.

The public is reminded that a criminal information is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The charge against Barron is punishable by a maximum sentence of one year in federal prison.  Arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.

ROCKFORD — A man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for illegally possessing a machine gun in Rockford.

THOMAS BROOKS II, 20, of Rockford, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of illegal firearm possession.  As a previously convicted felon, he was prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms.  Brooks admitted in a plea agreement that while in Rockford on Nov. 1, 2021, he illegally possessed a handgun loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a “switch” device that modified the firearm to become fully automatic.

U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard imposed the sentence on Friday after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the ATF; and Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department.  The government was represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodora Anderson, a prosecutor with the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office who is working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office under a federal grant to prosecute certain firearm offenses in federal court.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

Two Illinois home health care company owners were sentenced yesterday as part of a $6.7 million home health care fraud scheme.

Patricia Omorogbe, 61, of Lansing, a registered nurse, was sentenced to two years in prison. Felix Omorogbe, 71, of Lansing, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Patricia Omorogbe was also ordered to pay $6,643,094 in restitution. Felix Omorogbe was ordered to pay $1,592,362 in restitution.

According to court documents, the Omorogbes owned and operated three home health companies:  A&Z Home Health Care and Dominion Home Health Care, both located in Lansing, and Alliance Home Health Care, located in Hammond, Indiana. From approximately January 2009 to June 2018, the Omorogbes secretly paid bribes and kickbacks to patient marketers in exchange for referrals of Medicare beneficiaries to the companies.

Patricia Omorogbe maintained relationships with marketers and signed sham contracts with patient marketers on behalf of the companies, while Felix Omorogbe facilitated kickback payments to marketers by writing checks to himself and agency employees, who would then convert the checks to cash that was used to pay kickbacks to marketers. Patricia Omorogbe caused fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare for home health services that falsely represented that she, as a registered nurse, performed assessments of patients on dates when she was out of the country. It was the practice of the Omorogbes’ companies to admit, discharge, and re-certify certain patients repeatedly, regardless of their medical conditions. 

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Mario M. Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Chicago Regional Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI Chicago Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Sarah W. Rocha, Victor B. Yanz, and Claire T. Sobczak of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Mott for the Northern District of Illinois prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for more than $19 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted a man on carjacking and firearm charges for allegedly violently stealing a vehicle from a woman in Chicago earlier this year.

MONTE HANDLEY, 18, of Chicago, stole a Nissan Sentra on Jan. 17, 2022, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  The carjacking allegedly occurred in the 5000 block of South Kolin Avenue in the Archer Heights neighborhood on Chicago’s Southwest Side.  In addition to the driver, another woman and a one-year-old child were passengers in the vehicle at the time of the alleged carjacking.

The indictment charges Handley with carjacking and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.  The carjacking count is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison.  The firearm count carries a minimum prison term of seven years and a maximum of life, which must be served consecutively to any sentence imposed for the alleged carjacking. 

Handley is currently in law enforcement custody.  Arraignment in federal court is set for Oct. 5, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sunil R. Harjani.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The Illinois State Police provided valuable assistance in the investigation.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Vermylen and Prashant Kolluri.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A former Chicago Police Officer has been indicted on a federal civil rights charge for the alleged kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse of an individual while on duty.

JAMES SAJDAK, 64, of Chicago, is charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, according to an indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Sajdak is alleged to have kidnapped and sexually abused the victim in Chicago on March 5, 2019.

The charge in the indictment is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.  Sajdak pleaded not guilty today during his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan E. Cox.  A status hearing was scheduled for Oct. 12, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Morgan.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

A federal jury convicted a Chinese national and former Army Reservist yesterday for acting within the United States as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ji Chaoqun, 31, of Chicago, was found guilty on one count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, specifically the People’s Republic of China, without first notifying the Attorney General; one count of acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China without first notifying the Attorney General; and one count of making a material false statement to the U.S. Army. The jury acquitted Ji on two counts of wire fraud.

Evidence presented at the two-week trial revealed that Ji worked at the direction of a high-level intelligence officer in the Jiangsu Province Ministry of State Security (JSSD), a provincial department of the Ministry of State Security for the People’s Republic of China. Ji, a Chinese citizen residing in Chicago, was tasked with providing the intelligence officer with biographical information on certain individuals for possible recruitment by the JSSD. The individuals included Chinese nationals who were working as engineers and scientists in the United States, some of whom were U.S. defense contractors.

In 2016, Ji enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves under the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program, which authorized the U.S. Armed Forces to recruit certain legal aliens whose skills are considered vital to the national interest. In his application to participate in the MAVNI program, Ji falsely stated that he had not had contact with a foreign government within the past seven years. In a subsequent interview with a U.S. Army officer, Ji again failed to disclose his relationship and contacts with the intelligence officer.

Ji faces up to 10 years in prison for acting within the United States as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China and up to five years for the conspiracy and false statement offenses. A sentencing date has not been scheduled yet. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois; and Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division made the announcement.

The FBI investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Army 902nd Military Intelligence Group.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vikas Didwania and Barry Jonas for the Northern District of Illinois and Senior Trial Attorney Heather Schmidt of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

CHICAGO — A man has been charged in federal court with murdering a Chicago teenager during a robbery last fall.

DEANDRE NORELS JR., 20, of Chicago, is charged with one count of using a firearm to cause a murder, one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and one count of robbery, according to an indictment returned Sept. 13, 2022, in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Norels and a co-conspirator allegedly murdered William McGee on the afternoon of Nov. 11, 2021, while carrying out a planned robbery of McGee on the South Side of Chicago.  McGee, 18, was fatally shot near the 900 block of East 98th Street in Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood.

The charges in the indictment are punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison and a maximum of death.  Norels is currently detained in federal custody while awaiting trial.  He has pleaded not guilty.  A status hearing is set for Oct. 28, 2022, at 9:30 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Kramer and Margaret Steindorf.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A federal jury in Chicago today convicted a Chinese national of acting illegally within the United States as an agent of the People’s Republic of China.

JI CHAOQUN, 31, was found guilty on one count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, specifically the People’s Republic of China, without first notifying the Attorney General; one count of acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China without first notifying the Attorney General; and one count of making a material false statement to the U.S. Army.  The jury acquitted Ji on two counts of wire fraud.

The conviction for acting as an unregistered Chinese agent is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison, while the conspiracy and false statement convictions are each punishable by up to five years.  U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman did not immediately set a sentencing date.

The verdicts were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the U.S. Department of Justice; and Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The U.S. Army 902nd Military Intelligence Group provided valuable assistance.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vikas Didwania and Barry Jonas of the Northern District of Illinois, and Senior Trial Attorney Heather Schmidt of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

Evidence presented at the two-week trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago revealed that Ji worked at the direction of high-level intelligence officers in the Jiangsu Province Ministry of State Security, a provincial department of the Ministry of State Security for the People’s Republic of China.  Ji, a Chinese citizen residing in Chicago, was tasked by Xu Yanjun, a Deputy Division Director within the Ministry of State Security, with providing an intelligence officer with biographical information on certain individuals for possible recruitment by the JSSD.  The individuals included Chinese nationals who were working as engineers and scientists in the United States, some of whom worked for U.S. defense contractors.  This tasking was part of an effort by the Jiangsu provincial department to obtain access to advanced aerospace and satellite technologies being developed by companies within the U.S.  Xu was convicted last year in the Southern District of Ohio of conspiracy and attempting to commit economic espionage and theft of trade secrets.

In 2016, Ji enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves under the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program, which authorized the U.S. Armed Forces to recruit certain legal aliens whose skills are considered vital to the national interest.  In his application to participate in the MAVNI program, Ji falsely stated that he had not had contact with a foreign government within the past seven years.  In a subsequent interview with a U.S. Army officer, Ji again failed to disclose his relationship and contacts with a foreign intelligence officer.

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has charged a man with illegally possessing a loaded handgun, cocaine, and fentanyl on a Chicago Transit Authority train.

The indictment in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges TERRELL WEATHERS, 29, of Chicago, with one count of illegal possession of a firearm, one count of possession of cocaine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  The indictment alleges that Weathers illegally possessed the handgun, cocaine, and fentanyl on July 13, 2021.  Chicago Police officers boarded a CTA Green Line train at the Adams/Wabash stop in the city’s downtown Loop neighborhood and arrested Weathers.

Weathers was previously convicted of a criminal felony and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

The charges in the federal indictment carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a maximum of life.  Arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes has been set for Oct. 3, 2022, at 1:00 p.m.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Marie E. Ursini.

“Anyone thinking of illegally possessing a firearm on public transit in Chicago needs to know that a federal prosecution could await them,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “We will continue to use every available federal law enforcement tool to keep Chicago transit riders safe.”

Holding alleged drug and firearm offenders accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

ROCKFORD — Two men have been sentenced to federal prison terms for illegally possessing firearms in Rockford.

U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston on Friday sentenced RAHIME BRIGGS, 25, of Rockford, to six years and ten months, and, in a separate case, sentenced D’LEON JOHNSON, 25, of Rockford, to four years and two months.

Briggs and Johnson pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of illegal firearm possession.  As previously convicted felons, they were prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms. 

Briggs admitted in a plea agreement that he illegally possessed a handgun and rifle on Feb. 1, 2021, in Rockford.  Johnson admitted in a plea agreement that he illegally possessed two handguns and a drum-style magazine loaded with ammunition on March 15, 2021, in Rockford.

The sentences were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the ATF; and Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Ladd.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

ROCKFORD — A Rockford man was sentenced today to seven and a half years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded semi-automatic handgun.

SHAZARIYAH F. HIBBETT, 33, illegally possessed the gun on Oct. 27, 2020.  Hibbett was a passenger in a vehicle that Rockford Police officers attempted to stop.  The driver of the vehicle drove from officers at a high rate of speed, eventually stopping in a residential area.  Hibbett got out of the passenger side and immediately discarded the handgun outside of the vehicle.  He then fled on foot before being apprehended by police a few blocks away. 

Hibbett pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of illegal possession of a firearm.  He had previously been convicted of multiple felony offenses and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a gun.

U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston imposed the 90-month sentence after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Maveus.

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted a Chicago man for allegedly illegally possessing cocaine and two semiautomatic handguns in the city last month.

An indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges SEAN DWYER, 51, with conspiracy, drug, and firearm offenses.  The charges allege that Dwyer illegally possessed cocaine at two locations on the South Side of Chicago.  Federal law enforcement conducted a court-authorized search on Aug. 17, 2022, and discovered cocaine and the two firearms, as well as more than $85,000 in cash.  Dwyer was previously convicted of multiple felonies in state court and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

The federal charges against Dwyer carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of life.  Dwyer pleaded not guilty today during his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole in Chicago.  Dwyer is currently in federal custody and a detention hearing is set for Monday.

The indictment also charges BRIDGETT MASSEY, 35, of Chicago, with conspiracy and drug possession.  Massey pleaded not guilty today during her arraignment before Judge Cole.  She was ordered released from custody on a personal recognizance bond.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the DEA.  Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan DeMarco.

Holding alleged drug and firearm offenders accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of crime issues facing the district.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

CHICAGO — A federal jury in Chicago today convicted recording artist ROBERT SYLVESTER KELLY, also known as “R. Kelly,” on child pornography and exploitation charges.

Evidence at the four-week trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago revealed that Kelly enticed multiple girls to engage in sexual activity and recorded some of the abuse on videotape.  Kelly met the victims in the late 1990s and engaged in sex acts with them while they were under the age of eighteen.   

Kelly, 55, of Chicago, was convicted on three counts of producing child pornography and three counts of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity.  Each count of producing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison and a maximum of 20 years.  The maximum sentence for each count of enticement of a minor is ten years.  In all, Kelly faces a sentence of ten to 90 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber did not immediately set a sentencing date.

The conviction was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; R. Sean Fitzgerald, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.  Substantial assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Chicago Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeannice W. Appenteng, Elizabeth R. Pozolo, Jason A. Julien, and Brian F. Williamson represented the government.

The jury acquitted Kelly on seven other counts, including one count of child pornography, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography, and two counts of enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.  The jury also acquitted two co-defendants, who were former employees of Kelly’s music business: DERREL MCDAVID, 61, of Chicago (acquitted of one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography, and two counts of receiving child pornography) and MILTON BROWN, also known as “June Brown,” 56, of Chicago (acquitted of one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography).

“The guilty verdicts finally hold Robert Kelly accountable for the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl, and they help right the wrongs that occurred in a prior prosecution in Cook County,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “The damage Mr. Kelly inflicted on his victims is immeasurable.  I want to thank the victims for their strength, perseverance, and courage in coming forward to testify at trial.  With regard to the not-guilty verdicts, we respect the jury’s decision.  While certain aspects of the charges and the trial made it difficult to obtain convictions for all of the charged conduct, it is clear that justice has been served by the guilty verdicts returned today.”

CHICAGO — John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, today announced the resignation of First Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Kocoras, effective next month.  Mr. Kocoras served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney since May 2018, supervising the Office’s Criminal and Civil Divisions.

“John Kocoras has served the citizens of the Northern District of Illinois and the United States with tremendous distinction,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “John made our office better each and every day with his sharp mind, strong leadership, and enduring humility.  John stands out among a distinguished list of outstanding prosecutors who have served this office as First Assistant U.S. Attorney.  I cannot thank John enough for his humble service and trusted counsel, and I look forward to all that he will achieve in the future.”

“It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney and to work alongside talented colleagues in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partner agencies in federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said Mr. Kocoras.  “I am profoundly grateful for the trust placed in me by John Lausch and for the opportunity to serve the Department of Justice during such important times.  I am very proud of all that we have accomplished and excited about the future of this office.”

U.S. Attorney Lausch selected Mr. Kocoras as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney, a position that is second in command in the Office.  Under Mr. Kocoras’s supervision, the Office achieved important criminal convictions in the areas of public corruption, violent crime, national security, civil rights, financial fraud, and many others, while also investigating and prosecuting significant civil fraud and discrimination cases.

Mr. Kocoras also helped supervise the Office’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which included prosecuting numerous individuals for allegedly defrauding the federal government during a vulnerable time in our nation’s history.

Mr. Kocoras earned his law degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He previously served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 2000 to 2005.

ROCKFORD — A man was sentenced today to 41 years in federal prison in connection with a series of violent retail-store robberies in Rockford.

In the fall of 2015, RICKEY CLAYBRON and his co-conspirators carried out three violent robberies and one attempted robbery, using firearms to terrorize store clerks and patrons while stealing cigarettes and cash.  Claybron or his co-conspirators physically assaulted, restrained, and shot at some of the store employees, wounding one of them.

A federal jury last year convicted Claybron, 36, of Rockford, on conspiracy, robbery, and firearm charges.  In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston in Rockford ordered Claybron to pay $10,280.75 in restitution.

Two co-conspirators – DEANDRE R. HAYWOOD and DARNELL LEAVY, both of Rockford – pleaded guilty prior to Claybron’s trial.  Haywood was sentenced last year to 26 and a half years in federal prison, while Leavy was sentenced in 2019 to eleven and a half years.

Claybron’s sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The investigation was conducted by the FBI-led Rockford Area Violent Crime Task Force, which includes law enforcement officers and agents from the FBI, Rockford Police Department, Loves Park Police Department, and Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica S. Maveus and Kaitlin Klamann.

According to evidence presented at Claybron’s trial, the three robberies and one attempted robbery occurred within a three-week period:

• Oct. 28, 2015: H&A Tobacco, 1623 Broadway in Rockford.  Claybron pointed a gun at a clerk and ordered the clerk and a customer to get on the ground.  Cash and multiple cartons of cigarettes were stolen from the store, along with the clerk’s personal belongings.
• Nov. 2, 2015: Advance Auto, 3019 Auburn St. in Rockford.  A store employee was ordered at gunpoint to lay on the ground while another employee was ordered to open the cash registers.  One employee was struck in the side of the face with a gun and later shot at when he ran from the store.  The robbers stole cash from the store and from one of the employees.
• Nov. 5, 2015: Zake Convenience, 824 7th St. in Rockford.  In this attempted robbery, Claybron pointed a gun at store clerks and reached behind a partition.  When Claybron was unable to gain access to the cash register, he and the other robbers fled the store.
• Nov. 13, 2015: Shell Express, 3003 11th St. in Rockford.  Claybron pointed a sawed-off shotgun at customers while Haywood pointed a gun at store employees and grabbed cigarettes and cash from the registers.  Haywood then shot one of the employees in the back while Claybron struck an employee in the head with the shotgun.

ROCKFORD — A Freeport, Ill. resident was sentenced today to 17 years in federal prison for traveling to Iowa to engage in sexual conduct with a minor he met online.

ERICH BRINKMEIER, 27, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and one count of commission by a registered sex offender of a felony offense involving a minor.  U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard in Rockford ordered that the prison term be followed by a lifetime of court-supervised release.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The Freeport Police Department assisted in the investigation.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Maveus.

Brinkmeier admitted in a plea agreement that in October 2019 he traveled from Illinois to Iowa to engage in sexual conduct with a 14-year-old minor he met online.  Brinkmeier was a registered sex offender and was required under Illinois law to comply with the Illinois Sex Offender Registry.

Brinkmeier also admitted to contacting another minor victim online and coercing her to send Brinkmeier sexually explicit images of herself.

CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded handgun in Chicago and fraudulently obtaining a small business loan under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.

TYJUAN LIGHTHALL illegally possessed the gun on Jan. 17, 2019, while riding in a vehicle in the Rogers Park neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side.  The gun, which Lighthall had unlawfully purchased from an individual in Indiana for $400, was equipped with an extended magazine capable of holding more than fifteen rounds of ammunition.  As a previously convicted felon, Lighthall was not legally allowed to possess a firearm. 

Lighthall was free on bond in the firearm case when he engaged in the Covid-relief fraud.  In April 2021, Lighthall applied for a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program, which was a source of relief for small businesses under the CARES Act.  A PPP loan allowed the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spend a certain amount of the loan on essential expenses, such as payroll, rent, and utilities.  Lighthall fraudulently represented to a lender that he was the sole proprietor of a business called “Tyjaun Lighthall,” which purportedly did business under the name “Infinite 5 Creations LLC.”  Lighthall submitted the fraudulent application knowing that this business did not exist.  After the loan application was approved, the lender deposited $20,833 in Lighthall’s bank account.

Lighthall, 25, of Chicago, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal firearm charge and admitted in a plea agreement that he also engaged in the PPP fraud.  U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis imposed a 63-month prison sentence on Sept. 1, 2022, after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Richard Eddington, Interim Chief of the Evanston Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared C. Jodrey and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Niranjan Emani represented the government.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving Covid-19 is encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or filing a complaint online at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

CHICAGO — A Grundy County man has been sentenced to 12 and a half years in federal prison for illegally possessing firearms and explosive devices.

JOHN FEENEY possessed two handguns, three explosives, multiple magazines of ammunition, and drug paraphernalia on Jan. 25, 2020, in Morris, Ill.  The explosives included a 4-inch diameter cardboard aerial shell containing perchlorate explosives and black powder; a 2-inch diameter cardboard aerial shell containing perchlorate explosives; and a 2-inch diameter cardboard aerial shell secured to a plastic cup and containing metal Phillips-head bits, copper wire, and perchlorate explosives.  During a dispute a day earlier, Feeney used one of the firearms to shoot at an individual, striking the individual’s vehicle.  Feeney had previously been convicted of a felony offense in state court and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm or explosive.

Feeney, 32, of Minooka, Ill., pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this year to one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of illegal possession of an explosive during the commission of a felony.  U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso imposed the 150-month prison sentence on Wednesday.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Ken Briley, Grundy County Sheriff.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Kramer.

CHICAGO — A consultant pleaded guilty in federal court today to offering and providing bribes to public officials in an effort to benefit his clients.

ROBERTO CALDERO, 69, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.  The conviction is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger set sentencing for Dec. 15, 2022.

The guilty plea was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The Chicago Public Schools Office of Inspector General participated in the investigation.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Kramer.

Caldero admitted in a plea agreement that in 2016 he offered and arranged for bribes to be provided to a City of Chicago alderman and a Chicago Public Schools employee in exchange for them taking official actions to benefit Caldero’s clients, who were seeking a custodial services contract at CPS, an honorary street name designation in Chicago, and the renaming of a parcel of property believed to be a Chicago Park District park.  The benefits Caldero offered the CPS employee included the prospect of future employment, champagne, discounted event space for a family event, and admission to an annual benefit for a museum.  To influence the alderman, Caldero arranged for campaign contributions to be made to political organizations affiliated with the alderman or his ward.  Unbeknownst to Caldero, the alderman was cooperating with the FBI.

ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison for illegally possessing firearm “switch” devices.

JAVAUGHN A. HIXSON, 23, possessed and sold four of the devices, also known as “Glock switches,” in Rockford from October to December of 2020.  Each conversion device is designed and intended to convert a firearm into a machine gun capable of automatically firing more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger. 

Hixson also illegally possessed a loaded handgun with an extended magazine.  On Jan. 4, 2021, Hixson was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by the Rockford Police Department.  Hixson ran from the officers and tossed the gun into the snow.  Hixson had previously been convicted of a felony weapons offense and was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

Hixson pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of illegally possessing machine guns and one count of illegally possessing the firearm. 

U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston imposed the 66-month prison sentence on Aug. 25, 2022, after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.  In a written sentencing order, Judge Johnston stated, “The sole and exclusive purpose of Glock switches, which are easily manufactured, is to convert an already dangerous firearm into an extremely dangerous machinegun.  The dangerousness manifests itself not only in the sheer number of bullets that can be emptied from the magazine in the blink of an eye but also in the resulting lack of control of the firearm when discharging it.  The damage a machinegun can inflict is enormous.  The damage — intended and unintended — a handheld machinegun can inflict is just as great.  This offense involved 9 Glock switches, some of which Mr. Hixson sold believing they would be resold to others.”

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Gary Caruana, Winnebago County Sheriff; and Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Talia Bucci.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

CHICAGO — A federal judge has sentenced a Chicago-area firearms trafficker to ten years in prison for unlawfully dealing handguns and “switch” devices capable of converting semi-automatic firearms into machine guns.

In September 2020, LEONARD D. JOHNSON supplied at least four “switch” devices, also known as “Glock switches,” to an individual who later sold them to a confidential informant and an undercover law enforcement officer.  The individual and Johnson then split the proceeds.  In December 2020, law enforcement executed a court-authorized search of Johnson’s residence in Robbins, Ill., and discovered 117 “switch” devices and three handguns that had been converted into machine guns, as well as another handgun, a silencer, three extended magazines, and ammunition.

Johnson was arrested in December 2020 on a federal firearm charge.  He violated his conditions of pre-trial release while continuing to traffic firearms in 2021.  He later fled to Georgia, where he was arrested in March 2022.

Johnson, also known as “Scrap,” 34, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to one count of unlawfully dealing firearms and one count of illegal possession of a machine gun.  U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall imposed the ten-year prison sentence on Aug. 25, 2022.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Lansing, Ill., Police Department and the Midlothian, Ill., Police Department.

“Defendant was a prolific machine gun dealer in the Chicago area,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Mulaney argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “Glock switches are a prevalent danger in this community that have no purpose other than to inflict maximum damage on enemies and any innocent bystanders who get caught in the spray of bullets.”

Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is the focus of the Department of Justice’s Chicago Firearms Trafficking Strike Force.  As part of the strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with 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 identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.

Holding firearm offenders accountable through federal prosecution is also a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a man of committing murder to maintain and increase his position in a violent Chicago street gang.

PIERRE ROBINSON, 29, of Chicago, was found guilty of committing murder in aid of racketeering.  The jury returned its verdict on Aug. 25, 2022, after a four-day trial in U.S. District in Chicago.  The conviction is punishable by a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr., set sentencing for Feb. 8, 2023.

The conviction was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Albert Berry III and Margaret Steindorf.

Evidence at trial revealed that Robinson murdered Glenn Houston, Jr., on Dec. 23, 2014, for the purpose of maintaining and increasing Robinson’s position in the Evans Mob street gang.  Robinson shot Houston, 23, multiple times inside a store in the 400 block of East 79th Street in the Chatham neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.  The Evans Mob, also known as “GuttaGang,” is a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in narcotics trafficking and committed acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, and assault, to acquire and preserve the gang’s territory on the South Side of Chicago.  Members of the Evans Mob used social media to publicly claim responsibility for their acts of violence, taunt rival gang members, and took steps to prevent law enforcement’s detection of its criminal activities.

ROCKFORD — A federal judge in Rockford today sentenced an Illinois man to 55 years in federal prison for the killing of Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Jacob Keltner.

A jury earlier this year convicted FLOYD E. BROWN, 43, of Springfield, Ill., of second-degree murder of a federal officer, attempting to kill additional federal officers, assault of federal officers, and multiple firearm offenses.  U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly imposed the sentence after a hearing in federal court.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, Rockford Police Department, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, Bloomington Police Department, Loves Park Police Department, Lincoln Police Department, Logan County Sheriff’s Office, and Illinois State Police.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Talia Bucci, Scott Paccagnini, and Ronald DeWald.

“Through the violent actions of Floyd Brown, the Keltner family lost a devoted son, husband and father, and the citizens of the Northern District of Illinois lost a dedicated public servant,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “Special Deputy Keltner made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our nation.  His bravery and dedication will not be forgotten.  We remain committed to prosecuting violence against federal law enforcement officers to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Special Deputy Keltner put his life on the line every day to protect and serve his community,” said FBI Acting SAC Johnson.  “Tragically, on March 7, 2019, he paid a terrible price for his dedication.  We will never stop working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to remove violent offenders from our streets and safeguard those who care for our communities.”

Special Deputy Keltner was fatally wounded on March 7, 2019, when members of the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force and other law enforcement officers attempted to execute a warrant for Brown’s arrest at a Rockford hotel.  Special Deputy Keltner served as a McHenry County Sheriff’s deputy and was a sworn member of the task force.  Brown was wanted on a residential burglary charge.   

When the officers attempted to gain access to Brown’s third-floor hotel room, he fired ten shots through the door and nearby walls, narrowly missing a Deputy U.S. Marshal and two Special Deputy U.S. Marshals.  Brown then jumped out of a window and fired a shot that fatally struck Special Deputy Keltner, who was covering the exterior of the hotel. 

Brown was arrested several hours later near Lincoln, Ill., after a high-speed pursuit.

CHICAGO — A man has admitted in federal court that he robbed eight Chicago-area banks over a seven-month period in 2019.

MANUEL MARTINEZ, 26, of Chicago, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of bank robbery.  Martinez admitted in a plea agreement that he robbed a total of eight banks in Chicago and nearby suburbs from April to September of 2019.

Two co-defendants – ANDRES ADAME, 37, of Melrose Park, Ill., and AARON FLORES, 24, of Chicago – previously pleaded guilty to three counts of bank robbery apiece and admitted to participating with Martinez in some of the heists.

Each count of bank robbery is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman set sentencings for Oct. 4, 2022, for Adame; Oct. 13, 2022, for Flores; and Nov. 30, 2022, for Martinez.

The guilty pleas were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Elmwood Park Police Department, Park Ridge Police Department, Franklin Park Police Department, Niles Police Department, and Schiller Park Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Chung.

Martinez, Adame, and Flores admitted to participating in the following robberies:

• Citibank, 3535 N. Central Ave. in Chicago, on Sept. 17, 2019.
• TCF Bank, 1 W. Devon Ave. in Park Ridge, Ill., on Sept. 18, 2019.
• PNC Bank, 10272 W. Grand Ave. in Franklin Park, Ill., on Sept. 26, 2019.
• Fifth Third Bank, 5670 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago, on Sept. 27, 2019.
• U.S. Bank, 7312 W. Grand Ave. in Elmwood Park, Ill., on Oct. 2, 2019.

Martinez and Adame also admitted to participating in the following robberies:

• Chase Bank, 7007 Dempster St. in Niles, Ill., on April 6, 2019.
• TCF Bank, 9343 W. Irving Park Rd. in Schiller Park, Ill., on Sept. 6, 2019.

In addition, Martinez admitted to robbing Citibank, 3535 N. Central Ave. in Chicago, on April 10, 2019, while Adame admitted to robbing U.S. Bank, 10035 W. Grand Ave. in Franklin Park, Ill., on Feb. 2, 2019, and Chase Bank, 2639 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago, on April 27, 2019.

ROCKFORD — A DeKalb, Ill., resident was sentenced today to three years in federal prison for bringing undocumented workers to the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain.  

U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard imposed the sentence on LUIS ALFREDO DELACRUZ, 53, after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and R. Sean Fitzgerald, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Homeland Security Investigations.  The DeKalb Police Department assisted in the investigation.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincenza Tomlinson.

Delacruz admitted in a plea agreement earlier this year that on Nov. 1, 2015, he knowingly brought an alien to the U.S. to work at Delacruz’s business, Alfredo’s Iron Works in Cortland, Ill.   Delacruz admitted that he paid a smuggling fee to another individual to bring the worker into the country.  Once the worker started working for Delacruz’s business, Delacruz deducted the smuggling fee from the worker’s paychecks, referring to it as an “employee loan repayment.” 

Investigating agents who executed a search warrant at Delacruz’s business found in a desk drawer fraudulent identification documents for an additional ten undocumented workers.  In all, Delacruz admitted that he smuggled at least two people into the U.S. on at least four separate occasions.

ROCKFORD — A Rockford woman has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for making false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms.

KIANA MARTIN, 30, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard in Rockford.

Martin pleaded guilty on May 18, 2022, to misrepresenting to federally licensed firearms dealers that she was the actual transferee or buyer of firearms when, in fact, she was not the actual transferee or buyer of the firearms.  In a plea agreement, Martin admitted that on multiple dates she knowingly made false and fictitious written statements to the firearms dealers in connection with the acquisition of firearms, and then transferred those firearms to known felons who could not legally purchase them.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department.  The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Maveus.

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.

CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded handgun during an altercation on a Chicago street.

JULIAN ALMANZA, 22, of Chicago, illegally possessed the gun on the afternoon of Jan. 14, 2021, in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood.  At one point during the altercation Almanza stood in the middle of a street and pointed the gun at multiple individuals.  When Chicago Police officers began arriving on the scene, Almanza slid the firearm under a truck.  The officers quickly discovered the gun, which was equipped with an extended magazine and loaded with 25 rounds of ammunition.

Almanza had previously been convicted of two firearm felonies in state court and was not legally allowed to possess the gun.  He was on parole for the more recent firearm offense at the time of the federal charge.

Almanza pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm.  U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee imposed a 44-month prison sentence Thursday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick M. Mott represented the government.

Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted two men on carjacking charges in connection with the violent thefts of vehicles in the north suburbs of Chicago.

EDSON RESENDEZ and MAVERICK CELA forcibly took vehicles in Morton Grove, Ill., and Skokie, Ill., according to an indictment unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  The indictment charges Resendez, 21, and Cela, 21, both of Chicago, with one count of conspiracy to commit carjackings and two counts of carjacking.  Resendez also faces an additional count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Resendez was arrested Thursday morning and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in federal court.  A detention hearing is set for Aug. 23, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert.

Cela is currently in the custody of the state of Illinois.  His arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled. 

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department, Morton Grove Police Department, and Skokie Police Department.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cornelius A. Vandenberg.

According to the indictment, Resendez and Cela took a Chevrolet Sonic from a victim in Morton Grove on Sept. 11, 2020.  Cela later disposed of the vehicle by lighting it on fire in the 6200 block of North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, the indictment states.

On Sept. 13, 2020, Resendez and Cela took a Lexus GS350 from a victim in Skokie, the indictment states.  The pair later disposed of the vehicle in the 4800 block of South Hermitage Avenue in Chicago, the charges allege.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Each carjacking count is punishable by up to 15 years in federal prison.  The firearm count against Resendez carries a minimum prison sentence of seven years and a maximum of life, which must be served consecutively to the sentence imposed for the carjacking offense.  The conspiracy charge is punishable by up to five years.  If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

A federal court today ordered an Illinois company to stop manufacturing and distributing drugs alleged to be adulterated in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).

In a civil complaint filed on Aug. 17, the United States alleged that Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals Inc., violated the FDCA at the company’s facility in Morton Grove, Illinois, by manufacturing and distributing adulterated drugs. Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals makes and distributes prescription and over-the-counter drugs, such as cough syrups and nasal sprays. The Department of Justice alleged that the company violated the FDCA by failing to have adequate procedures to prevent cross-contamination of equipment, failing to reject drug lots using a contaminated ingredient, and failing to fully investigate the root cause of such contamination. The department also alleged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected the company’s facility five times, in 2011, 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2021, and that many of the violations were repeat violations the FDA had identified in earlier inspections.

The current good manufacturing practice regulations mandate that manufacturers control the processes and procedures by which drugs are manufactured, processed, packed, and held, to ensure that drugs have the identity, strength, quality, purity, and other attributes necessary for their safe and effective use. Drugs not made in conformance with current good manufacturing practice regulations are adulterated and in violation of the law. According to the Justice Department’s complaint, the FDA issued Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals several warnings, including a warning letter to the company in 2017, regarding alleged deficiencies at its facility.

“Drug manufacturers have an important responsibility to ensure drug quality and safety,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work closely with the FDA and take action against manufacturers who fail to abide by laws designed to protect public health.”

“Pharmaceutical companies must manufacture and distribute prescription and over-the-counter drugs in compliance with federal law,” said U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr., for the Northern District of Illinois. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our colleagues at the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch to ensure public health is not jeopardized.”

“Current good manufacturing practice requirements are the foundation of a safe and effective national drug supply,” said Director Donald Ashley of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Compliance. “These manufacturing fundamentals are necessary to ensure the public is not put at risk from adulterated drug products. Today is a culmination of the dogged oversight needed to hold drug manufacturers accountable for the safety, efficacy, and quality of the drug products they produce as we work to best protect public health.” 

The defendants agreed to settle the suit and be bound by a consent decree of permanent injunction. The negotiated consent decree entered by the court permanently enjoins the defendants from violating the FDCA, and requires, among other things, that the defendants stop manufacturing, processing, labeling, holding, or distributing adulterated drugs. Further, the defendants must destroy all drugs in the facility, except for those that are medically necessary. 

Senior Litigation Counsels Donald Lorenzen and Christina Parascandola of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch prosecuted the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, along with Senior Counsel Michele Svonkin and Joshua A. Davenport of the FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel, provided valuable assistance.

Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

The claims resolved by the resolution announced today are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

ROCKFORD — A Texas man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for distributing anabolic steroids through the mail.

DAVID E. HUTCHINSON, 47, of Georgetown, Texas, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of distributing anabolic steroids.  U.S. District Judge John R. Blakey imposed the prison sentence Thursday after a hearing in federal court in Rockford.

The sentencing was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and William Hedrick, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Talia Bucci.

According to a written plea agreement, Hutchinson, who used the name “Robolics,” distributed anabolic steroids through the U.S. mail from at least January to November of 2019.  Hutchinson sold a variety of products containing anabolic steroids.  He advertised the steroids through online forums, both directly and through sales representatives.  He took orders via email, and he accepted payment either by cash mailed to a fictitious company or via bitcoin transfer.  Upon payment, Hutchinson shipped orders of anabolic steroids to customers in multiple states.  Hutchinson admitted in the plea agreement that he mailed several parcels containing anabolic steroids to a location in Algonquin, Ill.  The shipments fulfilled orders that were placed by federal law enforcement acting in an undercover capacity. 

When law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hutchinson’s then-residence in North Carolina on Nov. 21, 2019, Hutchinson was found to be in possession of more than 6,900 grams of anabolic steroids in powder form, several U.S. mail parcels containing anabolic steroids that Hutchinson had packaged for shipment, various mixing and packaging materials, several firearms, a safe containing more than $88,000 in cash, and a cryptocurrency hard wallet containing approximately $87,332 in cryptocurrency.  Hutchinson admitted in the plea agreement that on Nov. 18, 2019, he delivered to a post office in North Carolina a parcel containing samples of his product that he was shipping to Slovakia for chemical analysis.  The following day, he delivered to the post office nine parcels containing anabolic steroids that he was mailing to customers.