District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow today sentenced Gerrod Davis, age 46, Glen Burnie, Maryland, to six years and three months in federal prison for laundering more than $1.8 million in drug proceeds.

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division, and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to the guilty plea, as part of the drug trafficking organization, Davis handled bulk cash narcotics proceeds while his associates were responsible for street-level distribution of narcotics.  Members of the drug trafficking organization shared the cash proceeds of their street-level distributions with Davis, who laundered the money on behalf of the organization.  Davis conducted “money drops” in which he transported large sums of drug proceeds to an individual purporting to act on behalf of a Mexican Cartel.  Davis made these transactions with the intention of promoting the drug trafficking organization and its business relationship with the Cartel as well as concealing the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds of the drug trafficking organization.  Between July 20, 2020, and May 6, 2021, the amount of money Davis laundered, or attempted to launder in furtherance of the conspiracy was at least $1,811,611. 

This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adeyemi Adenrele and Darryl Tarver, who prosecuted the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – After a four-day trial, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict convicting William Rich, age 43, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, of fraudulently obtaining more than $750,000 dollars in veteran disability benefits by falsely claiming that he was paralyzed.  Rich was convicted of five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft of government property.

The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland and Kim R. Lampkins, Special Agent in Charge, Mid Atlantic Field Office, United States Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”).

Evidence at trial established Rich intentionally misrepresented his physical condition during VA disability compensation and pension exams and in other communications with the VA in pursuit of VA disability benefits.  Rich claimed that he was paralyzed and unable to walk.  As a result, Rich received more than $750,000 in VA benefits to which he was not entitled including special monthly compensation, caregiver assistance compensation, and medical equipment.

Rich served in the United States Army from on or about September 22, 1998, to February 27, 2007, sustaining injuries on August 23, 2005, after being injured in a bombing in Baqubah, Iraq.  Rich’s injuries included temporary paralysis. Rich then applied to the VA’s disability compensation program, and according to the evidence presented at trial, approximately six weeks after Rich’s injuries, he made substantial progress toward recovery and was no longer paralyzed.  A subsequent medical report, indicated that Rich was able to perform certain essential daily activities with “complete independence” or “modified independence.”.” However, largely based on an October 11, 2007, exam, where Rich reported paralysis in his lower extremities and being confined to a wheelchair, he was granted permanent disability from VA.

In 2018, the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) launched a proactive investigation of disabled veteran files and learned of conduct by Rich inconsistent with his purported physical condition.  For more than two years, VA OIG Special Agents (SAs) investigated Rich, including conducting video surveillance.  Footage presented at trial showed Rich walking, going up and down stairs, entering and exiting vehicles, lifting, bending, and carrying items—all without visible limitation or assistance of a medical device, including a wheelchair.

Throughout the course of their surveillance, the only time agents observed Rich use a wheelchair was when he attended VA medical appointments.  Between March 2019 and February 2021, VA OIG investigators observed Rich standing and loading his wheelchair into the trunk of his car before VA medical appointments, using a wheelchair at VA appointments, wheeling himself from a VA medical appointment to his car, and then standing to load his wheelchair back into his car.  A review of Rich’s publicly available social media accounts revealed multiple images of Rich standing, with no indication that he was wheelchair bound, including an image Rich took of himself standing in front of a mirror at a gym, as well as videos of Rich lifting weights.

 In addition to receiving more than $8,000 in monthly disability benefits from the VA, Rich also received grants from the VA for “Automobile and Adaptive Equipment,” and “Specially Adapted Housing.” Rich used funds intended for the purchase of a specially adapted vehicle to buy a BMW 645ci luxury sports coupe.

Rich faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud and a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for theft of government property.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  Federal district court judges determine sentences after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  The date for Rich’s sentencing has not been scheduled. 

U.S. Attorney Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kertisha Dixon and Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen McGuinn, who prosecuted the case.  Mr. Barron also thanked former lead Special Agent, Brian Maddox, currently a Special Agent with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and Patrick Prewitt, Senior Special Agent and National Fleet Manager, with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General. 

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Note: Concurrent with the return of the indictment, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on Stigal’s location or his malicious cyberactivity. Anyone possessing such information should contact Rewards for Justice here.

A federal grand jury in Maryland returned an indictment yesterday charging Amin Timovich Stigal (Амин Тимович Стигал), 22, a Russian citizen, with conspiracy to hack into and destroy computer systems and data. In advance of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, targets included Ukrainian Government systems and data with no military or defense-related roles. Later targets included computer systems in countries that were providing support to Ukraine, including the United States. Stigal remains at large.

“As alleged, the defendant conspired with Russian military intelligence on the eve of Russia’s unjust and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to launch cyberattacks targeting the Ukrainian government and later targeting its allies, including the United States.” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to stand with Ukraine on every front in its fight against Russia’s war of aggression, including by holding accountable those who support Russia’s malicious cyber activity.”

“The GRU has repeatedly applied in cyberspace Russia’s statecraft of indiscriminate destruction and intimidation,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen. “The Department will do its part to prevent and disrupt such malicious behavior that relies upon online services or infrastructure in the U.S., or that targets U.S. victims. We will also identify, pursue, and eventually hold to account those responsible for Russia’s malicious actions, including the cybercriminals that the Russian government cultivates in furtherance of its malign agenda.”

“Amin Timovich Stigal attempted to leverage malware to aid the Russian military in the invasion of Ukraine,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “Today’s indictment demonstrates the FBI’s unwavering commitment to combat malicious cyber activities by our adversaries, and we will continue to work with our international partners to thwart attempts to undermine and harm our allies.”

“Malicious cyber actors who attack our allies should know that we will pursue them to the full extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “Cyber intrusion schemes such as the one alleged threaten our national security, and we will use all the technologies and investigative measures at our disposal to disrupt and track down these cybercriminals.”

“The indictment of Amin Stigal is yet another example of the FBI’s commitment to combating cyber threats both at home and internationally,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “To those adversaries who seek to compromise our international partners’ systems, know you will be identified and you will face consequences for your actions. The FBI vows to continually pursue justice and disrupt malicious cyber actors.”

According to court documents, in Jan. 2022, Stigal and members of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (GRU) of the Russian Federation (the Conspirators) conspired to use a U.S.-based company’s services to distribute malware known in the cybersecurity community as “WhisperGate” to dozens of Ukrainian government entities’ computer systems and destroy those systems and related data in advance of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The United States government previously joined with allies and partners in May 2022 to attribute this cyber-attack to the Russian military and to condemn the attack and similar destructive cyber activities against Ukraine.

On Jan. 13, 2022, the Conspirators attacked multiple Ukrainian government networks, including the Ukrainian Ministry of International Affairs, the State Treasury, the Judiciary Administration, the State Portal for Digital Services, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the Ministry of Energy, the Accounting Chamber for Ukraine, the State Emergency Service, the State Forestry Agency, and the Motor Insurance Bureau. The Conspirators infected computers on these and other networks with malware called WhisperGate, which was designed to look like ransomware. However, as the indictment alleges, WhisperGate was actually a cyberweapon designed to completely destroy the target computer and related data.

In conjunction with these attacks, the Conspirators compromised several of the targeted Ukrainian computer systems, exfiltrated sensitive data, including patient health records, and defaced the websites to read: “Ukrainians! All information about you has become public, be afraid and expect the worst. This is for your past, present and future.” That same day, the Conspirators offered the hacked data for sale on the internet. The effort was aimed at sowing concern among the broader Ukrainian population regarding the safety of government systems and data.

In August 2022, the Conspirators also hacked the transportation infrastructure of a Central European country that was supporting Ukraine. The indictment further alleges that from Aug. 5, 2021, through Feb. 3, 2022, the Conspirators leveraged the same computer infrastructure they used in the Ukraine-related attacks to probe computers belonging to a federal government agency in Maryland in the same manner as they had initially probed the Ukrainian Government networks.

If convicted, Stigal faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI’s Baltimore Field Office is investigating the case with the support of the FBI’s Milwaukee and Boston Field Offices.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron S.J. Zelinsky and Robert I. Goldaris for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section.

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

Indictment

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury in Maryland yesterday returned an indictment charging Amin Timovich Stigal [Амин Тимович Стигал], age 22, a Russian citizen, with conspiracy to hack into and destroy computer systems and data.  In advance of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, targets included Ukrainian Government systems and data with no military or defense-related roles.  Later targets included computer systems in countries that were providing support to Ukraine, including the United States.  Stigal remains at large.

The indictment was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

“Malicious cyber actors who attack our allies should know that we will pursue them to the full extent of the law” said U.S. Attorney Barron.  “Cyber intrusion schemes such as the one alleged threaten our national security, and we will use all the technologies and investigative measures at our disposal to disrupt and track down these cybercriminals.”

 “As alleged, the defendant conspired with Russian military intelligence on the eve of Russia’s unjust and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to launch cyberattacks targeting the Ukrainian government and later targeting its allies, including the United States.” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to stand with Ukraine on every front in its fight against Russia’s war of aggression, including by holding accountable those who support Russia’s malicious cyber activity.”
 

“The indictment of Amin Stigal is yet another example of the FBI’s commitment to combating cyber threats both at home and internationally,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office.  “To those adversaries who seek to compromise our international partners’ systems, know you will be identified and you will face consequences for your actions.  The FBI vows to continually pursue justice and disrupt malicious cyber actors.”

The indictment alleges that in January 2022, Stigal and members of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff (“GRU”) of the Russian Federation (the “Conspirators”) conspired to use a U.S.-based company’s services to distribute malware known in the cybersecurity community as “WhisperGate” to dozens of Ukrainian government entities’ computer systems and destroy those systems and related data in advance of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  The United States government previously joined with allies and partners in May 2022 [https://www.state.gov/attribution-of-russias-malicious-cyber-activity-against-ukraine/] to attribute this cyber attack to the Russian military and to condemn the attack and similar destructive cyber activities against Ukraine.

As alleged in the indictment, on January 13, 2022, the Conspirators attacked multiple Ukrainian government networks, including the Ukrainian Ministry of International Affairs, the State Treasury, the Judiciary Administration, the State Portal for Digital Services, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the Ministry of Energy, the Accounting Chamber for Ukraine, the State Emergency Service, the State Forestry Agency, and the Motor Insurance Bureau.  The Conspirators infected computers on these and other networks with malware called WhisperGate, which was designed to look like ransomware.  However, as the indictment alleges, WhisperGate was actually a cyberweapon designed to completely destroy the target computer and related data.

In conjunction with these attacks, the Conspirators compromised several of the targeted Ukrainian computer systems, exfiltrated sensitive data, including patient health records, and defaced the websites to read: “Ukrainians! All information about you has become public, be afraid and expect the worst.  This is for your past, present and future.”  That same day, the Conspirators offered the hacked data for sale on the internet.  The effort was aimed at sowing concern among the broader Ukrainian population regarding the safety of government systems and data.

In August 2022, the Conspirators also hacked the transportation infrastructure of a Central European country that was supporting Ukraine.  The indictment further alleges that from August 5, 2021, through February 3, 2022, the Conspirators leveraged the same computer infrastructure they used in the Ukraine-related attacks to probe computers belonging to a federal government agency in Maryland in the same manner as they had initially probed the Ukrainian Government networks.

Concurrent with the return of the indictment, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on Stigal’s location or his malicious cyberactivity.  Anyone possessing such information should contact Rewards for Justice here.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.  If convicted, Stigal faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in federal prison.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

U.S. Attorney Barron and Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen commended the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office for its outstanding work and thanked the FBI’s Milwaukee and Boston Field Offices for their support in the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron S.J. Zelinsky and Robert I. Goldaris for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section.  

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Today, United States District Judge Richard Bennett sentenced Ahmed Sary, age 46, of Baltimore, Maryland to seven years in federal prison, followed by one year of home detention, and three years of supervised release, in connection with a conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting financial institutions, relating to the submission of more than $17.9 million in fraudulent CARES Act loan applications.  The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office (‘FBI’), Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (“SBA-OIG”), Eastern Region, and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department (“BCPD”).

“Sary will now pay the price for living luxurious from stolen COVID-19 pandemic relief funds that others needed to keep a business open or to keep a roof over their heads,” said U.S. Attorney Barron.

"Ahmed Sary is a swindler and a cheat. This sentence holds him accountable for every lie he told and the almost $18 million in Covid relief funds he stole from American taxpayers to fuel his greed and lavish lifestyle,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. “The FBI and our partners will continue to bring to justice those who commit pandemic-related fraud."

“The Department of Justice remains committed to prosecuting fraudsters to who preyed upon our pandemic relief programs and the taxpayers. While the pandemic may have ended, the federal law enforcement response to the fraud continues, as demonstrated by this impactful case brought by our Strike Force in the District of Maryland,” said Director of COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Mandy Riedel. 

Financial assistance offered through the CARES Act included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), administered through the Small Business Administration (“SBA”), and SBA-approved lenders.  The SBA also offered an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) and/or an EIDL advance to help businesses meet their financial obligations.  An EIDL advance did not have to be repaid, and small businesses could receive an advance, even if they were not approved for an EIDL loan.  The maximum advance amount was $10,000.

According to the plea agreement and other court documents, from April 2020 through January 2022, Sary and his co-conspirators prepared false and fraudulent PPP loan and EIDL applications for a number of borrowers in exchange for a kickback, typically ranging from 20 percent to 30 percent of the loan amount.  The fraudulent PPP and EIDL loan applications prepared by Sary, and his co-conspirators grossly inflated the purported businesses’ number of employees, monthly payroll costs, and revenue numbers, including for businesses that didn’t exist in any legitimate capacity.

Sary and his co-conspirators filed 85 false and fraudulent PPP loan applications seeking a total of over $14,807,609.37 and 57 false and fraudulent EIDL applications seeking a total of over $3,093,670.50.  All the loans were ultimately funded.  After the loan funds were received and, in an attempt, to launder the funds at the direction of Sary, the loan recipient would typically provide Sary multiple, sometimes up to seven, checks that were signed by the loan recipient and that listed a payment amount and date but that left the payee name blank.  Sary would then write a payee name on each of those checks and deposit them.

In connection with some of the fraudulently obtained PPP loans for purported businesses, Sary also assisted the loan recipients with setting up payroll services with a payroll processor to make it appear that the fraudulently obtained PPP loan funds were being used for permissible purposes when they, in fact, were not.  The payroll services also facilitated the creation of documentation that could be used to substantiate a request for each of the PPP loans to be forgiven.

In addition to the loan kickback fees, Sary directly received $959,559 in PPP/EIDL funds for purported businesses he controlled, including a purported financial services business, a purported meatpacking business, a purported clothing company and a purported talent agency.  In fact, none of these businesses existed in any legitimate capacity. 

Sary admitted that he used the fraudulently obtained funds to travel to Dubai and Egypt on multiple occasions, to stay at luxury hotels, including the Four Seasons, while there, to purchase property in Egypt and to, among other things, open a beachfront restaurant in Alexandria, Egypt called Sary’s Kitchen. 

The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the CARES Act.  The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors.  The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.  

For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.  Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI, the SBA-OIG and the BCPD for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who is prosecuting the case.  He also recognized the assistance of the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber and Paralegal Specialist Julie Jarman.  

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao/md.

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Baltimore, Maryland – On Friday, June 21, 2024, United States District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Anthony Young, age 38, of Jefferson, Maryland, to twelve years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the armed robberies of an American Legion Post and a bank, both located in Frederick County, Maryland. 

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Jason Lando of the Frederick Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, on November 18, 2019, Young and another suspect entered the American Legion, Francis Scott Key Post 11, in Frederick, Maryland.  The two men entered the bar of the Post, brandishing a black handgun.  The men grabbed an employee, struck him in the mouth twice, and then restrained him with zip ties.  The men then stole a large sum of U.S. currency.  Witnesses observed the suspects entering a car that was determined to be registered to Young.  On December 5, 2019, the Woodsboro Bank in Frederick reported an armed robbery.  The suspect matched the description of Young.  Employees and witnesses stated that a man entered the bank, armed with a small black handgun, and was able to steal a large sum of U.S. currency.  The suspect then left the bank, entered a car, and left the area.  The car was traced back to Young.

On December 16, 2019, search warrants were executed at Young’s home.  During the search, law enforcement officers seized clothing and items that matched the description of one of the suspects from the American Legion robbery, and the suspect from the bank robbery.  Young was arrested and taken into custody.  He waived his rights and confessed to committing both robberies. 

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.

U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI and the Frederick Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr., who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – United States District Judge Brendan A. Hurson today sentenced Gary Leon Holloway, age 46, of Baltimore, Maryland, to fourteen years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for the armed robberies of cellphone stores located in Howard County, Anne Arundel County, and Baltimore County, Maryland. 

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division, Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department, Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department, Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department. 

According to his guilty plea, in January 2020, Holloway and his co-conspirators planned and committed armed robberies of three commercial businesses.  Specifically, on January 4, January 15, and January 22, Holloway and at least one of his co-defendants robbed cellphone stores in Ellicott City, Glen Burnie, and Dundalk, Maryland, respectively.  Holloway brandished a gun in each robbery and he and his co-defendant stole cellphones and other electronic devices.  In the first robbery, Holloway and his co-defendant also stole the wallets of two employees and in the third robbery, they forced the employees to open and empty the safe and stole cash in addition to the cellphones and electronic devices.  After the third robbery, Holloway and two co-defendants were arrested in Baltimore County.

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.

U.S. Attorney Barron commended the ATF, the Howard County Police Department, the Anne Arundel Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Sippel, Jr., and Adey Adenrele, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – On June 12, 2024, U.S. District Court Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Andrew Steven Martin, age 30, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 37 months of federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of ammunition and unlawfully possessing U.S. Postal Service keys used to access U.S. Postal Service mail receptacles.

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Ajay Lall of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”) Washington Division; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief Mark P. Sroka of the Gaithersburg City Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on May 17, 2022, a Gaithersburg Police officer performed a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Martin.  After approaching the vehicle, the officer detected an odor of marijuana emanating from the passenger compartment of the vehicle.  Law enforcement recovered a bag containing marijuana in the center console, a half-smoked joint of marijuana, and two USPS “arrow” keys—one of which opened two collection boxes located outside the Reisterstown Post Office. 

During the search of the vehicle law enforcement also recovered from the back seat area a stack of credit cards which were not in Martin’s name; two identification cards, one of which bore a picture of Martin and a different name; and approximately 42 checks bearing the names of payors and payees who were not Martin.  Law enforcement also located in the center framework near the floorboard additional checks in names other than Martin’s, at least five debit cards; a privately made 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with 10 9mm caliber ammunition cartridges; and an orange pill bottle containing 27 tablets found to contain heroin and fentanyl.  In total, law enforcement located 47 personal checks and two cashier’s checks in the vehicle.  The sum of the funds to be paid by the checks amounted to approximately $80,164.89.  Martin was arrested on an open warrant.

Martin knew that he had a previous felony conviction which prohibited him from possessing ammunition. 

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.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Gaithersburg City Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gustavo Ruiz and Assistant United States Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, Jr., who are prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Fode Sitafa Mara, age 39, with five counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor, one count of Coercion and Enticement and one count of Obstruction of Justice. The charges allege the sexual abuse of two minor victims, alleged to have occurred within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The indictment was returned on June 6, 2024, and the initial appearance was held on June 10, 2024, in Greenbelt before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan.

The indictment was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland and Deputy Assistant Director William Ferrari of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (“DSS”).

The seven-count indictment alleges that Mara, who holds a diplomatic status and was employed at the U.S. Embassy-Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, befriended a family that included two minor children. Over the course of that relationship, it is alleged that Mara groomed, coerced and sexually abused the two minor victims, who were 13 and 15 years old at the time of the abuse. These allegations of sexual abuse and rape are believed to have occurred at Mara’s embassy assigned residence, over the course of approximately one year.

If convicted, Mara faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 30 years’ incarceration and a maximum of life in federal prison for the charges of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor. A federal district court judge will determine any applicable sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

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

U.S. Attorney Barron commended the Diplomatic Security Service’s Office of Special Investigations, as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations, for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Ranganath Manthripragada and Trial Attorney Adam Braskich of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – On June 12, 2024, U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson sentenced Bernard Edwards, age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 70 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for the illegal possession of a machinegun and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person. 

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; and Special Agent in Charge Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division. 

According to his plea agreement and court documents, on June 8, 2023, at approximately 12:25 a.m., an officer from the Baltimore Police Department (“BPD”) observed a gray 2019 Chevrolet Malibu with an expired temporary license plate and the BPD officer initiated a traffic stop and then observed what appeared to be a gray-colored assault rifle in plain view through the car’ rear passenger window.  Edwards refused to exit the car when ordered and instead fled at high speed, leaving behind his license and registration with the officer. 

Once law enforcement located and obtained a warrant for Edwards’ residence, BPD searched and recovered five firearms and 1,168 rounds of ammunition from Edwards’ bedroom.  Among the firearms recovered was a polymer AR pistol bearing no serial number (“ghost gun”) that was modified with a machine gun conversion device.  Another firearm was a Glock handgun modified with a Glock switch.

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).  NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms.  NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles.  For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

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.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Baltimore Police Department and the ATF for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Gordin, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson today sentenced Marvin Benjamin Sparrow, age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland, to ten years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for an armed commercial robbery of a T-Mobile store in Baltimore County, Maryland. 

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department; Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, in January 2020, Sparrow and his co-conspirators planned and committed armed robberies of three businesses located in Howard, Anne Arundel, and Baltimore Counties.  Specifically, Sparrow participated in the January 22, 2020 armed robbery of a T-Mobile store located in Dundalk, Maryland.  During the robbery, Sparrow’s co-conspirator brandished a gun, and then Sparrow and the co-conspirator stole cellphones and other electronic devices.  After the robbery, Sparrow and two co-conspirators were apprehended and arrested by law enforcement officers. 

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.

U.S. Attorney Barron commended the ATF, the Howard County Police Department, the Anne Arundel Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Sippel, Jr., and Adey Adenrele, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced Rodley Balthazar, age 30, a Haitian citizen residing in Laurel, Maryland, to 37 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit transportation of stolen motor vehicles and receipt and possession of stolen motor vehicles. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Port of Baltimore Director Adam Rottman of U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and Chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Colonel Joseph F. Scott.

According to his plea agreement, between approximately September 2019 and June 2022, Balthazar worked with others to fraudulently rent vehicles from Hertz, Avis, and other car rental companies at locations in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Tennessee, and elsewhere.  Balthazar was able to rent these cars using false identifications and credit cards.

The vehicles would then be transported to Maryland where they would be loaded onto large cargo shipping containers and taken to the Port of Baltimore.  Then, using false declaration forms and other paperwork to conceal the containers’ contents, the containers with rental vehicles inside would be exported to West Africa via cargo ship where the vehicles could be sold. 

Law enforcement is aware of more than 40 vehicles that Balthazar and his co-conspirators either exported or attempted to export to West Africa.

Co-conspirator Jonathan Davis, age 39, of Laurel, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to receipt and possession of stolen vehicles and was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison.  A third co-conspirator, Abdul Karim Turay Jr. has pled guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, 2024.          

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the HSI Border Enforcement Security Task Force and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darren S. Gardner and Timothy F. Hagan who prosecuted the case.

            For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced defendant Jalen Craig McMillan, age 30, of Jessup, Maryland to 54 months in federal prison, 5 years of supervised release, and restitution of $165,891.68. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Christina Bentham of the U.S. Secret Service – Baltimore Field Office.

According to the evidence presented at his four-day trial, McMillan used his position as a “Member Service Representative” at a federal credit union to facilitate both the opening of accounts in the names of identity theft victims and subsequent financial transactions, including assisting with loans.  As detailed at trial and in court documents, co-defendant Archie Paul and his co-conspirators obtained, possessed, and used fictitious identities and the personal identifying information (“PII”) of real persons (the “victims”), which Paul and co-defendant John Fitzgerald Washington used to manufacture and procure false identification documents displaying the PII of the victims, but photographs of others.  Paul, co-defendant Tiffany Rainel Williams and others then used the false identification documents to impersonate the victims and with the help of McMillan and other conspirators, open bank accounts and conduct financial transactions in their names, including making large withdrawals from the victims’ accounts.

In addition to the conspiracy and bank fraud charges, McMillan was convicted of aggravated identity theft for providing the identifying information of a bank customer to Paul, knowing that it would be used to facilitate the fraud.  Specifically, the evidence proved that McMillan used his special access to the bank’s customer database to steal confidential PII belonging to Victim 5, a customer at the bank.  McMillan provided that information to Paul.  A co-conspirator subsequently opened a bank account using Victim 4’s PII and Victim 5’s banking information.  McMillan serviced the transaction and assisted the co-conspirator in obtaining a $10,000 loan in Victim 4’s name, which the co-conspirator immediately withdrew in cash.

Trial evidence proved that the conspirators intended to fraudulently obtain more than $400,000 from the bank and successfully defrauded the bank of more than $150,000.  

Co-defendants Archie Paul, a/k/a “Carter Hill” and “Zion Davis,” age 31, of Laurel, Maryland; John Fitzgerald Washington, age 52, of Waldorf, Maryland, and Tiffany Rainel Williams, age 37, of Glenarden, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and have been sentenced.  

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the U.S. Secret Service for its work in the investigation and thanked the City of Laurel Police Department for its assistance.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Bijon Mostoufi and Ranganath Manthripragada, who prosecuted the case.

            For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. Department of Energy employee Lisa Phillips, of Owings Mills, Maryland, has agreed to pay the United States $96,757.95 to resolve allegations that she violated the federal False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) to obtain an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) and EIDL advance during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The civil settlement was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron, and Inspector General for the Department of Energy, Teri L. Donaldson.  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Small Business Administration provided EIDLs and EIDL Advances to small businesses to be used for working capital and other normal operating expenses.  On July 10, 2020, Phillips signed and submitted a Loan Authorization and Agreement for an EIDL in the amount of $26,200.00. The United States contends that in her this EIDL application, the defendant made several material misrepresentations including, among other things, that, in 2019, her business had four employees, a gross annual revenue of $150,500, and $90,000 in cost of goods expenses.  Phillips also stated that her business opened on January 25, 2017, and that the business was in the Educational Services industry.  These misrepresentations were knowingly false; Phillips knew that she did not own or operate a business in the Educational Services industry, that she did not have any employees, and that she had neither the revenue nor cost of goods as stated in the application.  In addition to the $26,200 Loan, Phillips received a $4,000 advance.  The civil investigation was opened by the United States Attorney’s Office based upon a referral from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General. 

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners are committed to zealously pursuing cases involving COVID-19 fraud, including fraud related to the EIDL program,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.   

“We are going to continue to hold those who steal from the government accountable for their actions,” said Teri L. Donaldson, Inspector General, Department of Energy.  “Pandemic funds were designed to help the public during a difficult time and taking advantage of this program for personal gain will not be tolerated.”

The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations.  The settlement is not an admission of liability by Phillips nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well-founded.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the Inspector General, for its work in this investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Shea, who handled the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.   

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Baltimore, Maryland – After a three-week trial, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts today convicting Dennis Allen Hairston, age 34, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, and Donte Davon Stanley, age 33, of Rosedale, Maryland, on federal charges of kidnapping and robbery conspiracies; kidnapping; carjacking; robbery affecting commerce.  Hairston was also convicted of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. 

The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; and Harford County State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey. 

“My office will not tolerate carjackings,” stated U.S. Attorney Barron.  “We’re collaborating with our partners to prosecute these crimes and hold offenders accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“There’s no question these criminals belong behind bars, and their conviction guarantees that will happen,” said Special Agent in Charge William DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. “Hairston and Stanley’s actions are disturbing and will not be tolerated. FBI Baltimore is determined to ensure brazen individuals willing to use inconceivable violence for financial gain are brought to justice.”

Hairston and Stanley were each convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to affect commerce by robbery.  Hairston was convicted of counts relating to the first and second abduction, and Stanley was convicted of counts relating to the first abduction and acquitted on counts relating to the second abduction.  Both defendants were acquitted of conduct relating to a third abduction.

Evidence at trial established that from May 3, 2021, through August 26, 2021, the defendants planned and organized the kidnapping of three victims.  Two of the victims were employees of check cashing businesses.  According to trial testimony, defendants committed the crimes with the goal of robbing the check cashing businesses where two of the victims worked, and to steal cash and other items of value from the third victim.  Evidence at trial also established that the defendants planned and organized the carjackings of two of the victims’ vehicles. 

According to trial testimony, the victims were surveilled prior to the abductions, including attaching tracking devices to their vehicles.  The defendants then abducted the victims by posing as police officers by wearing police vests, police badges, and using a police-style light bar to stop the victims and their vehicles.  Trial evidence revealed that the defendants brandished firearms, bound, and blindfolded each victim and forcibly put them into a vehicle operated by the defendants.  At trial, the victims testified that the defendants used a blowtorch to burn two of the victims during the course of the kidnappings. 

As to the first victim, trial evidence established that, on May 5 to May 6, 2021, the defendants followed the victim from the check cashing business where she worked and, posing as law enforcement officers, used the police-style light bar to pull over her vehicle.  According to trial testimony, defendants wore police vests and badges, and brandished firearms to remove the victim from her vehicle.  Trial testimony further established that the defendants handcuffed the victim’s hands behind her back, zip-tied her feet, blindfolded her by placing a mask and duct tape around her face, and forcibly placed her into the rear of a vehicle operated by the defendants.  While driving with the victim, defendants Hairston and Stanley, burned the victim with a blowtorch in an attempt to obtain information from her to access the check cashing business where she worked, with the intent to remove all of the cash from the business.

As to the second victim, trial evidence established that, on May 15 to 16, 2021, Hairston and others approached the victim in his vehicle in Edgewood, Maryland.  Trial evidence proved that the Hairston again used a police-style light bar to pull over the second victim. Wearing police vests and badges, the evidence revealed that Hairston kidnapped the second victim and forcibly placed him into the rear of a vehicle operated by the conspirators.  After placing a mask over his face and duct-taping his face and stealing his vehicle, the second victim was burned with a blow torch in an effort to obtain cash and other items from him. 

The defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in prison for the kidnapping conspiracy and for each count of kidnapping; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for the robbery conspiracy and for each count of attempted robbery; a maximum of 15 years in federal prison for each count of carjacking.  Hairston also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and up to life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence relating to the first abduction.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson has not set a date for sentencing.

Davonne Tramont Dorsey previously pled guilty to his role in the offenses, and sentencing is scheduled for August 22, 2024.  U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson has scheduled sentencing for Dorsey for August 22, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.  Franklin Jay Smith also previously pled guilty to his role in the offenses.  Judge Hurson has not set a date for sentencing for Smith.

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.

U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Spencer Todd of the Civil Rights and Special Victims Section are prosecuting this case.  U.S. Attorney Barron also commended the work of the office’s professional staff, including the victim-witness unit, for their work on this difficult case.

            For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging David Godin, a/k/a “James St Patrick,” a/k/a “David Wetty,” a/k/a “Vic Pro” for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme to defraud the Maryland Department of Labor (“MD-DOL”) and California Employment Development Department (CA-EDD”) of unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier today, Godin was arrested by law enforcement in Florida and had his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court in Miami, Florida. 

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (“DOL-OIG”), and Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office. 

According to the indictment, beginning in June 2020, Godin created disposable email addresses and used them to file fraudulent UI claims with the MD-DOL and CA-EDD.  The UI claims contained false and fraudulent information and contained the personal identifiable information of identity theft victims from Maryland, California, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi and Washington, D.C.  

If convicted, Godin faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud and a consecutive term of 2 years’ imprisonment for aggravated identity theft.  Furthermore, if convicted, Godin must forfeit any property derived from the scheme to defraud to the United States.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

This case is part of the District of Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force, a Strike Force that is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.  The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors.  The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.  Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DOL-OIG, and IRS-CI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Bijon A. Mostoufi, who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – After a four-day trial, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict today convicting John Robert Williams III, age 42, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland on the federal charge of possessing a firearm and ammunition after having been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.

The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron, Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Chief of Police Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department. 

According to the evidence at trial, the defendant possessed a firearm and ammunition, specifically, a Kel-Tec P-11 semi-automatic pistol loaded with one round of 9mm Luger caliber ammunition – after having been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year. 

Specifically, on the evening of September 10, 2022, members of the Prince George’s County Police Department (“PGPD”) were conducting proactive patrols in a specific area of Oxon Hill, Maryland in response to recent gun and drug-related crime in this area.  An officer noticed a white Chevy Trailblazer stopped next to a business in this area and saw what he believed to be an interrupted drug transaction as he drove by.

After additional officers returned to do an investigative stop, law enforcement saw what appeared to be a firearm in the back right pocket of Mr. Williams’ pants.  Mr. Williams was placed into handcuffs for the officers’ safety, and law enforcement pulled from Mr. Williams’ back right pocket a Kel-Tec P-11 semi-automatic pistol loaded with one round of 9mm Luger caliber ammunition.

Trial testimony further showed that the officers also recovered from Mr. Williams the keys to the Trailblazer and approximately $2,458 in cash.  A subsequent search of the Trailblazer found a number of bags of marijuana, as well as two more firearms: a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver, and a loaded Ruger Model P89 9mm pistol.

At sentencing, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  U.S. District Judge Chuang has scheduled sentencing for September 11, 2024 at 2:30 p.m.

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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and PGPD for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Rosenthal and William Moomau, who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby today sentenced Marilyn J. Mosby, age 44, of Baltimore, Maryland to twelve months of home confinement as part of thirty-six months of supervised release, for making a false mortgage application and two counts of perjury. During the first twelve months of her supervised release Judge Griggsby also ordered Mosby to remain on home confinement, with electronic monitoring.  Judge Griggsby further ordered forfeiture of 90% of the property purchased with the fraudulently obtained mortgage, including any appreciation. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

On February 6, 2024, Mosby was convicted on the federal charge of making a false mortgage application when she was Baltimore City State’s Attorney, relating to the purchase of a condominium in Long Boat Key, Florida. Previously, on November 9, 2023, Mosby was convicted on two counts of perjury, relating to the withdrawal of funds from the City of Baltimore’s Deferred Compensation Plan claiming that she suffered adverse financial consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic while she was the Baltimore City State’s Attorney. 

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and IRS-CI agents for their work in the investigation and thanked the Baltimore City Office of the Inspector General for its assistance and invaluable public service. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean R. Delaney and Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, who prosecuted the federal cases.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland –After a seven-day trial, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts yesterday convicting Wayne I. Kacher, Jr., age 51, of Harford County, Maryland, on federal charges of conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud and bribery, honest services wire fraud, and bribery involving federal funds. 

The guilty verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office.

As detailed in trial testimony, the Maryland Broadband Cooperative, Incorporated (“MdBC”) was a not-for-profit corporation whose purpose was to work with internet service providers to offer broadband internet service to under-served and un-served areas in Maryland.  For a fee, public and private entities could join the cooperative and gain access to the broadband infrastructure that MdBC installed.  MdBC’s office was located in Salisbury, Maryland.  William Patrick Mitchell worked as the President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of MdBC.

Defendant Wayne Kacher (“Kacher”) was the president and owner of Bel Air Underground, Inc. (“BAU”), a company that is principally located in Baltimore County, Maryland.  BAU frequently acted as a subcontractor on projects for MdBC.  Kacher was also the president and owner of Pro Comm Engineering and Locating Services, LLC (“Pro Comm”), which was principally located in Baltimore, County Maryland.  Pro Comm also acted as a subcontractor on projects for MdBC.

From 2014 to 2018, MdBC paid Kacher’s company, BAU, more than $11 million for broadband network related work.  Of that amount, approximately $7.9 million was for work on installing and improving a fiber optic broadband connection from NASA Wallops Island to Patuxent River Naval Air Station (hereafter “Pax River”) in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, to enhance the communications capacity between those locations. 

The trial evidence showed that from at least 2014 to 2018, Kacher provided Mitchell with financial benefits, including cash payments, and payments for an all-terrain vehicle and a John Deere Gator owned by Mitchell.  Kacher also paid for renovations and improvements to Mitchell’s residence, including paying for the construction of a pole building on Mitchell’s property.  Kacher gave these things to Mitchell because of and in exchange for the work that MdBC was subcontracting to BAU and Pro Comm. 

At sentencing, not yet scheduled by the court, Kacher faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy; twenty years in federal prison for honest services wire fraud; and a maximum of ten years in prison for federal program bribery. 

On May 10, 2024, William Patrick Mitchell, age 58, previously pleaded guilty to Counts One and Two of the Superseding Indictment, which charged Mitchell with Conspiracy and Honest Services Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 1346.  Judge Gallagher will sentence Mitchell on October 4, 2024. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended DCIS and the FBI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Phelps and Christine Goo, who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – On Tuesday, May 21, U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Wayne Prince, a/k/a “Taz,” age 24, of Baltimore to 28 years imprisonment, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiring to participate in a violent racketeering enterprise known as the Black Guerilla Family (“BGF”) gang. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his plea agreement and other court documents, beginning in 2018 Prince was a member and associate of the BGF, also known as “Jamaa,” and participated in the BGF criminal enterprise, including a murder, a drug distribution conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute drugs and robbery.  BGF is a nationwide gang which began operating in prisons and is now involved in criminal activity, including murder, murder-for-hire, robbery, extortion, drug trafficking, obstruction of justice and witness intimidation, in cities throughout the United States, including Baltimore and throughout Maryland. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, on August 7, 2018, Prince and two co-conspirators attempted to murder an individual at a home that the intended target owned and was having renovated.  A construction crew was on site at the time.  During the attempted murder, Prince and a co-conspirator shot and killed one of the construction workers using a .40 caliber handgun.  They also shot a second construction worker in the head, but that person survived the attack.

Later that day, Prince bragged to an associate during a recorded jail call, “I’m about to get some money soon,” referring to an expected payment from Co-Conspirator 2 for Prince’s role in the attempted murder of the target.  From August 7 to August 9, 2018, Prince exchanged messages with a now-deceased member of Co-Conspirator 2’s inner circle, in which Prince made arrangements to collect payment from Co-Conspirator 2 for his role in the attempted murder of the target.

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).  NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms.  NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles.  For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

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.

This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the FBI, the Baltimore City Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ari D. Evans, Patricia C. McLane, and Kim Y. Hagan who are prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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The Justice Department today announced a series of coordinated and court-authorized actions to disrupt the illicit revenue generation efforts of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) information technology (IT) workers. As part of a Department-wide initiative – the DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative – the Department will continue to prioritize high-impact, strategic, and unified enforcement and disruption operations across the U.S. Government targeting U.S.-based enablers of unlawful DPRK IT workers overseas. Today’s announcement follows successful Department-led action in October 2023 which targeted similar and related conduct. 

Under the Initiative, launched in March 2024 by the National Security Division and FBI Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions, Department prosecutors and agents are prioritizing:

• The identification and shuttering of U.S.-based “laptop farms” (i.e., locations hosting laptops provided by victim U.S. companies to individuals they believed were legitimate U.S.-based freelance IT workers);
• Investigations and prosecutions of U.S.-based witting enablers, as appropriate;
• International partnerships with like-minded countries that also host IT worker support networks;
• Improved speed, tempo, and content of notifications to victims, primarily unwitting U.S. companies; and
• Enhanced partnerships with private sector online service providers, including in terms of identifying IT worker infrastructure and personas, improving the providers’ in-house fraud detection methods, and educating compliance personnel and the public regarding the threat (see e.g., May 2022 and October 2023 advisories, as well as a new advisory released today by the FBI).

“Today’s announcement reveals the complex web of deception and facilitators that is central to the North Korean regime’s schemes to evade international sanctions to finance its weapons program,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The disruptions announced today represent a focused and continuing effort to dismantle these illicit networks and thereby prevent North Korean IT workers from victimizing unwitting U.S. companies. Through such sustained campaigns against this threat, the Department will continue to enhance our collective national security and cybersecurity.”

“The FBI and its partners are committed to leveraging everything at our disposal to disrupt North Korean IT workers from subverting the rule of law in order to fund the DPRK’s weapons of mass destruction program,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “We will continue our work of maintaining order in the cyber space and preventing bad actors from taking advantage of it for their strategic geopolitical objectives.”

As alleged in court documents, the DPRK government dispatched thousands of skilled IT workers to live abroad, primarily in China and Russia, with the aim of deceiving U.S. and other businesses worldwide into hiring them as freelance IT workers, to generate revenue for its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs. The DPRK IT workers’ scheme involved the use of pseudonymous email, social media, payment platform and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and witting and unwitting third parties located in the United States and elsewhere. As described in a May 2022 tri-seal public service advisory released by the FBI, Department of the Treasury and Department of State, such IT workers have been known individually earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s UN-prohibited WMD programs.

***

Consistent with the goals of this initiative and prior to its inception, the District of Maryland led enforcement actions against Minh Phuong Vong of Bowie, Maryland, who was arrested this morning for his alleged participation in a scheme to assist overseas IT workers – posing with his identity – in working at U.S. companies in remote IT positions. Earlier this week, the FBI executed a premises search at Vong’s residence.

Separately, the Eastern District of Missouri led a seizure action against 12 website domains used by DPRK IT workers to mimic western IT services firms to support the bona fides of their attempts to secure remote work contracts for U.S. and other businesses worldwide.

“The alleged schemes likely benefitted the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in evading U.S. sanctions and victimizing American businesses,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “By stealing the identities of American citizens to commit fraud, they obtained proceeds which likely helped fund the North Korean regime’s priorities including nuclear weapons programs. The FBI and our partners are committed to rooting out insidious efforts that undermine our economic and national security.”

Vong Premises Search, Complaint, and Arrest – District of Maryland

As part of an investigation pre-dating the initiative, Vong was arrested today and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to the criminal complaint, Vong and other conspirators engaged in a scheme to fraudulently gain employment at companies located in the United States. These U.S. companies provided information technology services, including software development services, to the U.S. government. While Vong was nominally employed by these U.S. companies, he was not in fact the individual performing work for them. Remote IT workers based overseas instead posed as Vong and performed Vong’s job duties.

According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, in March 2023, as part of Vong’s hiring process with a U.S. company, the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. company conducted a video call with Vong where he verified Vong’s identity with a U.S. passport and Maryland driver’s license. A different individual, however, had appeared for an earlier interview for the position and later for work meetings during the course of Vong’s employment. That individual, charged as a John Doe defendant in the criminal complaint, is a native of North Korea and a self-described software developer who claimed to be living in Shenyang, China.

As alleged in the complaint, throughout the course of Vong’s employment with U.S. company, remote IT workers based overseas performed Vong’s job duties by accessing protected victim computer systems via remote internet connections and posing as Vong on work-related videoconferences. Vong also shipped one or more laptops to an address in China. Vong also received payment from U.S. Company and other employers, which he then transmitted to individuals located overseas, keeping a percentage for himself.

The FBI Baltimore Field Office is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin for the District of Maryland is prosecuting the case with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Alexandra Cooper-Ponte of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section.

Fraudulent DPRK IT Work Website Seizures – Eastern District of Missouri

On May 15, pursuant to a court order issued in the Eastern District of Missouri, the Department seized 12 website domains used by DPRK IT workers to hide their true identities and locations when applying to do remote work for U.S. and other businesses worldwide. The specific group of DPRK IT workers who created these domains work for the PRC-based Yanbian Silverstar Network Technology Co. Ltd. and the Russia-based Volasys Silver Star, both of which were sanctioned in 2018 by the Department of the Treasury. These IT workers funneled income from their fraudulent IT work back to North Korea using online payment services and Chinese bank accounts.

“Shutting down these websites is just one of the ways we are working to disrupt the flow of money to the North Korean weapons program,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “The business community can do their part by carefully vetting their online hires.”

The 12 website domains seized yesterday, partial images of which are included in the unsealed affidavit, were designed to appear as domains of legitimate, U.S.-based IT services companies located in Portland, Oregon; Houston; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Oklahoma City; Indianapolis; New York; and Richmond, Virginia. Three of the entities that claimed to own these domains were officially registered in Wyoming. The website contents included a variety of designed to entice potential victims, such as claims that the firms assisted hundreds of “happy clients” including Fortune 500 companies (potentially a fictitious claim) and completed hundreds of projects over thousands of work hours. Other websites included claims of having helped clients benefit from new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, “blockchain solutions,” cloud computing skills, and internet of things knowledge.

However, the website domains also included indicia that should have aroused suspicion about their bona fides.  For example:

• The phone numbers used to register these domains, or advertised as belonging to these businesses, did not have area codes that corresponded with the locations where these businesses claimed to have offices;
• Some of the addresses listed were homes, versus office buildings;
• The content included disjointed phrases that appeared to be attempts at inspirational quotes – e.g., “Nor, moreover, is there anyone who loves pain because it is pain, pursues it, wants to gain it, but;” and
• Awkward promotional phrases such as “here are our main features & many more features.”

The National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri are investigating this case. The FBI St. Louis Field Office conducted the investigation, with the assistance of the FBI Cyber Division.

***

The FBI, along with the Departments of State and Treasury, issued a May 2022 advisory to alert the international community, private sector and public about the North Korea IT worker threat. Updated guidance was issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), which includes indicators to watch for that are consistent with North Korea IT worker fraud.

Concurrent with today’s announcement and consistent with the initiative’s goals, two additional criminal prosecutions in the District of Columbia were unsealed today, resulting in two arrests and the execution of related seizures and search warrants in multiple jurisdictions. Both prosecutions reflect investigations that predate the initiative’s inception. Arizona woman Christina Marie Chapman was arrested on May 15 and three foreign nationals were charged on May 8 in connection with a similar IT worker scheme associated with North Korea. As part of this case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office seized wages earned by more than 19 overseas IT workers and will seek their forfeiture. Additionally, the District of Columbia charged Ukrainian national Oleksandr Didenko for similar conduct. As alleged, Didenko created fake accounts at U.S. IT job search platforms and with money service transmitters. Didenko was arrested in Poland on May 6 pursuant to an arrest warrant from the United States.

The U.S. Department of State has offered potential rewards for up to $5 million in support of international efforts to disrupt North Korea’s illicit financial activities, including for certain information related to individuals who are sent outside of North Korea to work to generate money for the North Korean government or who facilitate the activities of such North Korean nationals.

An indictment and a criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Baltimore, Maryland – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has filed a federal criminal complaint charging Minh Phuong Vong and a second individual “John Doe” whose true identity remains unknown with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349.  

The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.  The complaint was filed on May 15, 2024.   According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint,

Vong, a native of Vietnam, and a naturalized United States citizen, conspired with an unknown individual, John Doe, to commit wire fraud by making false and fraudulent statements and representations to a United States company over the Internet in order to persuade the company to hire Vong as a fullstack web developer for the purpose of receiving salary payments for work not performed by Vong.  

As alleged, the false representations included statements about Vong’s education, training and job experience.  Representatives of the US Company conducted a video interview over the Internet of an individual who identified himself as Vong.  Shortly after that interview, Vong participated in a second remote interview with a different representative of the US Company. In this interview, Vong showed his driver’s license and passport to confirm his identity and citizenship. 

Following those interviews, the company hired Vong and assigned him to work on a government contract.  The contract was part of a national defense program to develop software used by various other government entities that would allow them to coordinate aviation assets effectively.

According to the affidavit, Vong, however, did not perform software development work.  Instead, Vong worked at a nail salon in Bowie, Maryland, while an individual or individuals located in China used Vong’s access credentials to connect to a secure government website, perform the software development work, and attend regular online company meetings.  

“John Doe” communicated regularly with Vong and during those communications Vong and “John Doe” coordinated efforts to ensure that the U.S. Company did not know that an individual or individuals located overseas were actually posing as Vong to perform work on the government software development project.

The John Doe online communications also contained information and statements that indicated that “John Doe” is North Korean and a self-described software developer who lives in Shenyang, China. 

A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Baltimore FBI Field Office for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who is prosecuting the case. 

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 36, of Catonsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland.

According to court documents, in 2018, Clendaniel became acquainted with Brandon C. Russell, a Florida resident, who is currently charged with conspiracy to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland and is awaiting trial. Clendaniel and Russell espouse a white supremacist ideology and advocate a concept known as “accelerationism.” To “accelerate” or to support “accelerationism” is based on a white supremacist belief that the current system is irreparable and without an apparent political solution, and therefore violent action is necessary to precipitate societal and government collapse.

From at least December 2022 and continuing through February 2023, Clendaniel conspired with Russell and others to damage energy facilities involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity and to cause a significant interruption and impairment of the Baltimore regional power grid. As part of her guilty plea, Clendaniel admitted that she communicated and planned over encrypted communication applications (ECA) to carry out attacks against energy facilities. Russell and Clendaniel communicated their plans to commit an attack on the Baltimore Region power grid to a confidential human source (CHS-1).

Their plans began to culminate on Jan. 12, 2023 when CHS-1 and Russell discussed the planned substation attack in Maryland with a goal of working with Clendaniel to “maximize impact” and “to coordinate to get multiple [substations] at the same time.” Later that same day, Clendaniel, using the moniker “Nythra88,” sent a message to CHS-1 on ECA confirming her support of the attack. 

In the ensuing conversation, which continued through Jan. 14, 2023, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that she lived near Baltimore. She also stated that she was a felon, and had previously, but unsuccessfully, attempted to obtain a rifle. She asked CHS-1 to purchase a rifle for her, stating that she wanted to “accomplish something worthwhile” and that she wanted the rifle “within the next couple of weeks” to “accomplish as much as possible before June, at the latest.” On Jan. 18, 2023, on ECA, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that she had identified a few potential locations to target in her attack. CHS-1 stated that CHS-1 would have to be the “driver” and Clendaniel would have to be the “shooter” in the attack. Clendaniel confirmed that she was “determined to do this” and stated she would have done something earlier on her own if she had not lost her rifle “a few months ago.” The conversation continued with CHS-1 and Clendaniel discussing the specifics of the desired rifle and agreeing that Clendaniel would send CHS-1 a “wish list,” which she did the following day.

At various times from Jan. 21, 2023 through Jan. 29, 2023, CHS-1 exchanged encrypted messages, separately, with Clendaniel on ECA and Russell in which they discussed in detail the rifle and specific firearms accessories that Clendaniel wanted and potential targets for their attack.

On Jan. 29, 2023, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that the five substations she planned to target included: “Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall.” Clendaniel described how there was a “ring” around Baltimore and if they hit a number of them all in the same day, they “would completely destroy this whole city.” She added that they needed to “destroy those cores, not just leak the oil…” and that a “good four or five shots through the center of them . . . should make that happen.” Further, she stated that: “[i]t would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully.” When CHS-1 asked if it would accomplish a “cascading failure,” Clendaniel replied, “[y]es . . . probably” and that the attack targets are all “major ones.”  Clendaniel also said that the most difficult target that they would have to do together has “fire walls on three sides.”

During that conversation, Clendaniel sent CHS-1 five links to the “Open Infrastructure Map” which showed the locations of five specific Baltimore, Gas and Electric (BGE) electrical substations in Maryland. BGE is an energy company that utilizes substations, like the five targeted sites, to produce, convert, transform, regulate and distribute energy. Three of the five substations were located near the towns of Norrisville, Reisterstown and Perry Hall. The remaining two substations were in the vicinity of Baltimore City. Each location is a BGE substation with significant infrastructure.

On or about Jan. 31, 2023, Russell discussed with CHS-1 the attack of the targeted substations on ECA, including how to “make sure it’s done right,” how “it has been studied,” and how to make it “cascading” so as to maximize damage. Russell and Clendaniel believed that attacking these five electrical substations in the greater Baltimore area would serve accelerationism and help to break down society.

On Feb. 3, 2023, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Clendaniel’s residence in Catonsville, Maryland. During the search, law enforcement agents recovered from Clendaniel’s bedroom various firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Federal law prohibits Clendaniel from possessing these items because she is a convicted felon, including convictions in Cecil County Maryland for robbery in 2006 and robbery and attempted robbery in 2016.

Clendaniel pleaded guilty to conspiracy and felony possession charges. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the conspiracy charge and 15 years on the felon in possession charge followed by up to lifetime of supervised release for the conspiracy charge. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept 3.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and Michael Aubin for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case with valuable assistance from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division’s and Counterterrorism Section.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland is a partner in the U.S. Department of Justice’s United Against Hate community outreach program. The United Against Hate initiative seeks to directly connect federal, state and local law enforcement with traditionally marginalized communities in order to build trust and encourage the reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the nationwide launch of the initiative and its expansion to all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. 

Baltimore, Maryland – Sarah Beth Clendaniel, Catonsville, Maryland resident, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1366(a), and to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). 

Maryland United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office announced Clendaniel’s guilty plea.

“Ms. Clendaniel’s hate-fueled plans to destroy the Baltimore region power grid threatened thousands of innocent lives,” said U.S. Attorney Barron. “But, when law enforcement and the communities we serve are united in partnership, hate cannot win.”

“Ms. Clendaniel, a felon, spent months plotting, planning and taking steps to inflict grave damage to Maryland’s power grid in furtherance of her white supremacist ideology,” said Special Agent in Charge DelBagno. “Today’s guilty plea highlights the commitment of the FBI to hold individuals accountable for their actions. The FBI will continue to investigate violent threats as the safety and security of all Marylanders remains a priority.”

According to Clendaniel’s guilty plea:

In 2018, Clendaniel became acquainted with Brandon C. Russell, a Florida resident, who is currently charged with conspiracy to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland and is awaiting trial.  Clendaniel and Russell espouse a white supremacist ideology and advocate a concept known as “accelerationism.”  To “accelerate” or to support “accelerationism” is based on a white supremacist belief that the current system is irreparable and without an apparent political solution, and therefore violent action is necessary to precipitate societal and government collapse.

According to court documents, from at least December 2022 and continuing through February 2023, Clendaniel conspired with Russell to damage energy facilities involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity and to cause a significant interruption and impairment of the Baltimore regional power grid. 

As part of her guilty plea, Clendaniel admitted that she communicated and planned over encrypted communication applications (“ECA”) to carry out attacks against energy facilities. Russell and Clendaniel communicated their plans to commit an attack on the Baltimore Region power grid to a confidential human source (“CHS-1”).

Their plans began to culminate on January 12, 2023 when CHS-1 and Russell discussed the planned substation attack in Maryland with a goal of working with Clendaniel to “maximize impact” and “to coordinate to get multiple [substations] at the same time.”  Later that same day, Clendaniel, using the moniker “Nythra88,” sent a message to CHS-1 on ECA confirming her support of the attack. 

In the ensuing conversation, which continued through January 14, 2023, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that she lived near Baltimore.  She also stated that she was a felon, and had previously, but unsuccessfully, attempted to obtain a rifle.  She asked CHS-1 to purchase a rifle for her, stating that she wanted to “accomplish something worthwhile” and that she wanted the rifle “within the next couple of weeks” to “accomplish as much as possible before June, at the latest.”  On January 18, 2023, on ECA, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that she had identified a few potential locations to target in her attack.  CHS-1 stated that CHS-1 would have to be the “driver” and Clendaniel would have to be the “shooter” in the attack.  Clendaniel confirmed that she was “determined to do this” and stated she would have done something earlier on her own if she had not lost her rifle “a few months ago.”  The conversation continued with CHS-1 and Clendaniel discussing the specifics of the desired rifle and agreeing that Clendaniel would send CHS-1 a “wish list,” which she did the following day.

At various times from January 21, 2023 through January 29, 2023, CHS-1 exchanged encrypted messages, separately, with Clendaniel and with Russell in which they discussed in detail the rifle and specific firearms accessories that Clendaniel wanted and potential targets for their attack.

On January 29, 2023, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that the five substations she planned to target included: “Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall.”  Clendaniel described how there was a “ring” around Baltimore and if they hit a number of them all in the same day, they “would completely destroy this whole city.”  She added that they needed to “destroy those cores, not just leak the oil . . . ” and that a “good four or five shots through the center of them . . . should make that happen.”  Further, she stated that: “[i]t would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully.”  When CHS-1 asked if it would accomplish a “cascading failure,” Clendaniel replied, “[y]es . . . probably” and that the attack targets are all “major ones.”  Clendaniel also said that the most difficult target that they would have to do together has “fire walls on three sides.”

During that conversation, Clendaniel sent CHS-1 five links to the “Open Infrastructure Map” which showed the locations of five specific Baltimore, Gas and Electric (“BGE”) electrical substations in Maryland. BGE is an energy company that utilizes substations, like the five targeted sites, to produce, convert, transform, regulate and distribute energy.  Three of the five substations were located near the towns of Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall.  The remaining two substations were in the vicinity of Baltimore City.  Each location is a BGE substation with significant infrastructure.

On or about January 31, 2023, Russell discussed with CHS-1 the attack of the targeted substations on ECA, including how to “make sure it’s done right,” how “it has been studied,” and how to make it “cascading” so as to maximize damage. Russell and Clendaniel believed that attacking these five electrical substations in the greater Baltimore area would serve accelerationism and help to break down society.

On February 3, 2023, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Clendaniel’s residence in Catonsville, Maryland.  During the search, law enforcement agents recovered from Clendaniel’s bedroom various firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.  Federal law prohibits Clendaniel from possessing these items because she is a convicted felon, including convictions in Cecil County, Maryland for Robbery in 2006 and Robbery and Attempted Robbery in 2016.

Clendaniel faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the conspiracy charge and 15 years on the felon in possession charge followed by up to lifetime of supervised release for the conspiracy charge.    Senior United States District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for September 3, 2024 at 11 a.m.

U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI for their work in the investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and Michael Aubin who are prosecuting the federal case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland is a partner in the U.S. Department of Justice’s United Against Hate community outreach program.  The United Against Hate initiative seeks to directly connect federal, state and local law enforcement with traditionally marginalized communities in order to build trust and encourage the reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents.  Department of Justice Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the nationwide launch of the initiative and its expansion to all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. 

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Comfort Care Medical Equipment, Inc. (“Comfort Care”) and one of its owners, Patrick Chalmers, have agreed to pay the United States $352,800 to resolve allegations that they violated the federal False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which administers the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP) (collectively, the “United States”).  Comfort Care is a durable medical equipment provider that provides compression and lymphedema garments, for various body parts including legs and arms, to patients.   Patrick Chalmers was an owner of Comfort Care.  He owned 100% of its stock and served as Comfort Care’s President from September 2005 until December 31, 2019. 

            The civil settlement was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron, and Special Agent in Charge for the OPM Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Derek M. Holt. 

The civil investigation was opened by the United States Attorney’s Office based upon a referral from OPM, OIG regarding excessive billings.  Comfort Care billed almost all compression stockings (arms, legs, bras, etc.) utilizing HCPCS Code A6459 (gradient compression garment, not otherwise specified).  According to the contract that Comfort Care had with Care First, which administered the FEHBP plan, Comfort Care could utilize this code only if no other HCPCS code could be billed for the compression garment provided.  Once the A6549 HCPCS code was used, Comfort Care could bill FEHBP contracted plans for any amount and would be reimbursed at 65% of that amount.

“Federal contractors are required to bill the appropriate code for services rendered, not the code that puts the most money in their pockets.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners are committed to ferreting out unlawful compliance with government contracts," said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.   

“False claims threaten the integrity of the FEHBP and can make health care more expensive for American taxpayers,” said Special Agent in Charge Derek M. Holt, OPM OIG.  “I applaud our investigative staff and partners at the Department of Justice for their hard work on this case.”

The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations.  The settlement is not an admission of liability by Comfort Care nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well-founded.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Office of the Inspector General, for its work in this investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Corcoran and Sarah Marquardt, who handled the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.   

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The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor elections on May 14 in Prince George’s County, Maryland, to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws.

The department’s Civil Rights Division and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland work in partnership to enforce the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot. These Department of Justice components regularly deploy their staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country.  In addition, the Civil Rights Division also deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order. 

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Act and Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.

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The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor elections on May 14 in Prince George’s County, Maryland, to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws.

The department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland work in partnership to enforce the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot. The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country. In addition, the Civil Rights Division also deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order. 

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Act and Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 which was unsealed earlier today, charging Owen Jarboe, age 18, of Hagerstown, Maryland, Evan Strauss, age 26, of Moneta, Virginia, and Brayden Grace, age 18, of Columbus, Ohio, with conspiracy, cyberstalking, interstate threatening communications, and threats to damage or destroy by means of fire and explosives. 

The superseding indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to the six-count superseding indictment, from approximately December 10, 2023 through at least January 18, 2024, Evan Strauss, Owen Jarboe, and Brayden Grace, along with other conspirators, knowingly and unlawfully conspired to place and caused to be placed swatting calls to multiple police and emergency departments across the United States.  The superseding indictment alleges that the defendants were part of an online group known as “Purgatory” and that they used multiple online social media platforms, including Telegram and Instagram, to coordinate and plan their swatting activities and to announce swats that they had conducted.  The defendants and their conspirators often used shared scripts to obfuscate their phone numbers and identities.

Among the swatting incidents alleged in the superseding indictment are:

• a threat to burn down a residential trailer park in Alabama;
• a shooting threat against a teacher and unnamed students at a high school in Delaware;
• a shooting and bomb threat to the Albany International Airport in New York;
• a shooting and bomb threat against a casino in Ohio; and
• a multiple homicide event and shooting threat against individuals in a residence in Eastman, Georgia.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in federal prison for each count of conspiracy, cyberstalking and interstate threat and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on each charge to damage or destroy by means of fire and explosive.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI Baltimore Field Office for its outstanding work in the investigation and praised the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Columbus, Ohio Police Department, Newark, Delaware Police Department, Lenoir City, Tennessee Police Department, Albany, New York Police Department, Albany County, New York Sheriff’s Office , Fairburn City, Georgia Police Department, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania Police Department, Giles County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, Blue Springs, Missouri Police Department, Tarboro, North Carolina Police Department, Boston, Massachusetts Police Department, Dodge County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office, Houston County, Alabama Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI’s Mobile, Richmond, Boston, Charlotte and Cincinnati Field Offices for their valuable assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and Robert I. Goldaris, who are prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – On May 8, 2024, Dolapo Lawal, age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty to federal charges of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to the guilty plea, Lawal knowingly and willfully participated in and executed a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme to obtain fraudulent tax refunds using the identities of elderly victims, then load those refunds onto debit cards tied to bank accounts opened in the victims’ names, send those cards to secure known addresses throughout the United States, and finally withdraw those refunds in cash.  

As outlined at his guilty plea Lawal’s involvement in the scheme can be grouped into two efforts.

In the first instance, Lawal intentionally trafficked and used 24 Green Dot Bank debit cards in elderly victims’ names in the spring of 2022.  These cards were fraudulently loaded with more than $200,000 in 2021 tax refunds, which were fraudulently obtained through identity theft.  On April 8, 2022, the Baltimore County Police Department lawfully stopped and searched Lawal’s Mercedes S-class sedan.  During the search, officers found approximately $18,900 in cash and these 24 debit cards in a bag left under Lawal’s seat.  Lawal admitted to officers on the scene that this was his bag.  The vehicle also contained multiple plastic bags filled with opened packaging for these or similar debit cards.  Cell tower pings, automated license plate reader data, bank records, and Lawal’s admissions to law enforcement show that Lawal had used these 24 cards to conduct more than 300 cash withdrawals at ATMs to obtain more than $80,000 in the preceding month.  Lawal later admitted that he used these fraudulent debit cards on multiple occasions to conduct cash withdrawals for his personal benefit – specifically to make payments on his Mercedes and to pay off personal credit card debt.

In the second instance, Lawal possessed over 300 additional unique Green Dot Bank debit cards in his home on or about June 21, 2023.  That day, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Lawal’s residence.  During the search, IRS-CI agents found, among other items, a box containing more than 300 additional unique Green Dot Bank debit cards.  Lawal’s iPhone – also seized pursuant to the same search warrant – contained photographs of several of these cards along with portions of the packaging for each of the cards that had the bank account number and routing number for the corresponding account associated with the card.  Approximately 200 of these cards were linked to bank accounts opened in the names of additional victims, which were listed as the direct deposit accounts for fraudulent 2021 and 2022 tax refund claims filed in the names of those same victims.  Many of these tax returns were filed after Lawal’s April 8, 2022 traffic stop.  The total amount of fraudulent tax refund claims associated with these cards was over $3 million.  The IRS had not issued these refund claims before law enforcement searched Lawal’s home.  

In total, Lawal’s offenses furthered a scheme to defraud the United States of over $3 million.

Lawal faces a maximum of ten years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release for access device fraud.  He also faces a minimum mandatory sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, which will run consecutive to the access device fraud sentence, followed by up to one year of supervised release. 

Reporting from consumers about fraud and fraud attempts is critical to law enforcements efforts to investigate and prosecute schemes targeting older adults.  If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).  This Department of Justice Hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying next steps, including identifying appropriate reporting agencies, providing information to callers to assist them in reporting or connecting them with agencies, and providing resources and referrals on a case-by-case basis.  The hotline is staffed from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  English, Spanish, and other languages are available.  More information about the Department’s elder justice efforts can be found on the Department’s Elder Justice website, www.elderjustice.gov.  Victims are encouraged to file a complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at this website or by calling 1-800-225-5324. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the IRS-CI for its work in the investigation and thanked the Baltimore County Police Department for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph L. Wenner, and Paul Riley, who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – On May 2, 2024, U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby sentenced Alexus Paige Tyson, age 28, a resident of Hyattsville, Maryland, to 15 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for participation in a conspiracy whereby she used her position as a United States Postal Service (“USPS”) mail carrier to wrongfully access checks, money orders, and personal mail put into the mail by victims.  That information was then used by a co-conspirator, Travis Nnamani, to create counterfeit checks to take money from victims’ bank accounts.  In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Griggsby ordered Tyson to pay restitution of $129,967.22 to her victims.

According to her plea agreement, between August 2019 and October, 2020, Tyson assisted Nnamani to create fraudulent checks using victims’ personal information that Tyson and others at the United States Postal Service took from checks and other documents that victims placed into the mail system.  In many instances, checks or other documents mailed by victims were photographed by Tyson or other USPS employees and then the documents were put back into the mail with the victims not knowing their information had been stolen.  That information would then be used by Nnamani to create false checks using that information to access funds in victims’ bank accounts. 

Tyson also played a role as a recruiter of other employees at the USPS to engage in similar conduct, including selling federal stimulus checks they took from the mail. 

Tyson was the last of three defendants, including Nnamani and another USPS postal worker, Breanna Cartledge, to be sentenced in this case.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the United States Postal Inspection Service for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren S. Gardner, who prosecuted the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – The Department of Justice announced today it has reached a settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the Hilton Garden Inn at White Marsh, located in White Marsh, Maryland, to resolve alleged violations of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Department reached the agreement with AHIP MD Baltimore 5015 Enterprises LLC, who owns and, together with its agents, operates the hotel.  Under the agreement, the hotel will provide training to its staff about the ADA’s requirements to ensure that customers enjoy equal access to its services. Without admitting it violated the ADA, the hotel owner also agreed to a monetary payment to fully resolve the matter.

The settlement resolves an ADA complaint alleging that, after reserving an accessible room, when an individual with a disability and his mother attempted to check-in, the Hilton Garden Inn provided a room that was not accessible as it lacked a bathroom with a roll-in shower. According to the complaint, the individual with a disability and his mother were forced to accept a different room that did not have a roll-in shower as they had reserved.  As a result, the individual with a disability used a shower chair that was not affixed to the wall and slid backwards when he attempted to transfer, causing serious bodily injury.

The complaint prompted an investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. The ADA requires that hotels provide access to individuals with disabilities, including honoring reservations, providing fully accessible rooms, and making accommodations.

“People with disabilities deserve equal access to life’s most basic necessities, such as safe access to bathrooms and showers,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “The law protects people with disabilities who are traveling and requires that hotels provide equal access to their rooms and facilities. We appreciate the hotel’s remedial action and I encourage all hotels in the District of Maryland to review their policies and facilities to ensure they are accessible to all.”  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly S. Phillips represented the government during the investigation and settlement process. For more information about the ADA, please visit www.ada.gov, or call the Department of Justice’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD).  Information about filing a complaint, including instructions for filing a complaint online, can be found at https://www.justice.gov/crt/how-file-complaint.

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Baltimore, Maryland – On April 30, 2024, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Eddy Ray Blizzard, age 45, of Havre de Grace, Maryland to 42 months’ imprisonment followed by two years of supervised release. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Southeast Region Special Agent in Charge Edwin Bonano of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General.  “Eddy Blizzard deserves every year he will spend behind bars. His cruel and calculated scheme went on for years and his brazen deception caused great harm to the victim and his family,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. “The victim spent his life working diligently, saving for retirement, and building an inheritance for his loved ones. Blizzard not only stole a million dollars, but took away their security and peace of mind. The FBI will not stand idly by as fraudsters and cheats take advantage of our elderly citizens. We, along with our law enforcement partners, vow to identify, investigate and pursue those targeting vulnerable people in Maryland."

According to his plea agreement, Blizzard held several licenses that allowed him to operate as a registered broker and a registered investment adviser per the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”).  From 2003 to 2014, Blizzard was employed by a bank securities company (Bank 1) and from 2014 to 2017 he was employed by a bank investment services company (Bank 2), both in Maryland.   

As detailed in the plea agreement’s statement of facts, victim R.M. was a resident of Maryland and had attended school through the ninth grade.  R.M. was 75 years old in January 2020.  Beginning in 1963, R.M. went to work for a Baltimore based commercial air-conditioning company, where he enjoyed a successful career installing commercial grade air conditioning units around the country.  R.M.’s employer offered him supervisory positions at the company, but R.M. declined because he was not able to read or write.  R.M. was able to continue as an air conditioning technician by memorizing facts and figures and conceptualizing things visually.  R.M. routinely worked approximately 15 to 30 hours of overtime per week during his career to make extra money.  In 2003, after approximately 40 years of service with the air conditioning company, R.M. took a buyout and retired.  Six months later, R.M. decided to invest his retirement funds to provide an inheritance for his grandchildren.  R.M. sought investment advice from Bank 1, where he had his depository accounts.

Blizzard began working at Bank 1 shortly after R.M. began investing there and became R.M.’s financial adviser.  Blizzard admitted that in about 2005, he told R.M. that he “went out on his own” meaning that Blizzard began working as an independent financial advisor and asked R.M. if R.M. wanted to leave Bank 1 and use Blizzard as a full-time financial advisor.  Blizzard told R.M. that it would be a while before he had his own office, but he would continue to work out of the Bank 1 branch in Catonsville, Maryland.  However, Blizzard never went to work as an independent financial advisor. 

According to the plea agreement, approximately once a month, R.M. would drive from his new home in Chester, Maryland on the Eastern Shore to meet with Blizzard at Bank 1 in Catonsville, approximately one hour away; however, R.M. and Blizzard would meet in Blizzard’s car, not the office.  R.M. continued to meet with Blizzard in this way over several years.  These meetings lasted 30 to 45 minutes and R.M. was never told why they were meeting in Blizzard’s car. 

Blizzard admitted that after he became R.M.’s financial advisor, he began asking R.M. for signed blank checks.  R.M. recalled giving Blizzard 15-20 signed blank checks.  Blizzard filled in the remaining information to include the payee, the amount, the date, and detailed memo section, but R.M. did not know what the checks were for.  When R.M. received the cancelled checks in the mail, he knew Blizzard had written them out because R.M. recognized Blizzard’s handwriting.  Blizzard used these checks for personal purposes, and not for any benefit of R.M.  On approximately 12 different instances, R.M. went to his local bank to withdraw cash and was told there was not enough money in the account.  R.M. would then call Blizzard to let him know about the deficiency.  Blizzard then told R.M. to wait a day or two and there would be funds in the account to withdraw.  R.M. did not ask Blizzard why there were no funds in the account or how those funds were replenished.

During his years of investment with Blizzard, R.M. believed that his retirement funds were protected, meaning they would not lose value – a fact that Blizzard reiterated to R.M. many times.  R.M. also believed that Blizzard was handling payment of R.M.’s mortgage.

As detailed in the plea, in August 2019, R.M. realized there was a problem.  R.M. was preparing to go on a family vacation and attempted to withdraw $1,000 to $1,500 in cash from the local Bank 1 branch and was told there were not sufficient funds in the account.  R.M. attempted to contact Blizzard on his cell phone for a week with no response.  R.M. then went to Blizzard’s Perry Hall, Maryland residence to talk to Blizzard in person, knocking on the front and back doors of Blizzard’s residence.  No one came to the door, but R.M. received a voicemail from Blizzard, while he was still at Blizzard’s home.  In the voicemail, Blizzard stated that the neighbors had called him and were complaining about the banging on the door.  Blizzard further explained that all of R.M.’s money was gone, and that Blizzard had attempted suicide at his parent’s Myrtle Beach, South Carolina home, and was being hospitalized. 

On September 19, 2019, Blizzard sent an email to R.M.’s son in response to a message R.M.’s son had sent via social media to Blizzard’s wife inquiring about what happened to R.M.’s money.  Blizzard told R.M.’s son that he had made some bad investments and felt terrible about failing R.M. and that is why Blizzard tried to end his life.  As explained in his plea, Blizzard admitted that, in fact, he was never hospitalized and did not attempt suicide in South Carolina and that the reason R.M.’s account lost value was almost entirely because Blizzard withdrew R.M.’s funds, and deposited those funds into his own bank account, to use for his own purposes. 

A review of R.M.’s depository and investment accounts showed that between January 2013 and August 2019 there were a total of 242 distributions totaling approximately $1.4 million from R.M.’s retirement accounts.  Of those, 129 distributions totaling $1.2 million were specifically requested from R.M.’s retirement accounts instead of being regular systematic annuity payments.  After taxes and fees were deducted from those requested payments, approximately $1 million was deposited into R.M.’s Bank 1 account.  This review also revealed that from April 2016 to April 2019 Blizzard deposited approximately 112 checks drawn on R.M.’s account into various bank accounts at Bank 1 and elsewhere that were held by Blizzard jointly with his wife or individually.  These checks totaled approximately $848,000 and were written to Blizzard or Blizzard’s wife.  A review of these checks showed that almost all had comments written on the memo section indicating various purposes such as payment of property taxes, construction, boat payments, and down payments for a new house.  

In addition, on at least three occasions Blizzard stole R.M.’s Social Security income, which was directly deposited into R.M.’s checking account.  On each occasion, once the payment was deposited into R.M.’s account, a check in the amount of $1,200 or more, signed by R.M. and made payable to Eddy Blizzard, was deposited in Blizzard’s personal account.  Also, in the fall of 2019, R.M.’s home was put into foreclosure because Blizzard failed to make the mortgage payments on R.M.’s home as he had promised.  R.M. died on March 20, 2020.

Reporting from consumers about fraud and fraud attempts is critical to law enforcements efforts to investigate and prosecute schemes targeting older adults.  If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available through the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).  This Department of Justice Hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying next steps, including identifying appropriate reporting agencies, providing information to callers to assist them in reporting or connecting them with agencies, and providing resources and referrals on a case-by-case basis.  The hotline is staffed from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  English, Spanish, and other languages are available.  More information about the Department’s elder justice efforts can be found on the Department’s Elder Justice website, www.elderjustice.gov.  Victims are encouraged to file a complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at this website or by calling 1-800-225-5324. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the FHFA OIG for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evelyn Lombardo Cusson and Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, who are prosecuting this case. 

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help seniors, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/elder-justice-initiative.

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A Maryland man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act loan programs and to his role in a years-long scheme to defraud commercial equipment financing companies.

According to court documents, Andra Shirone Thompson, 47, of Silver Spring, joined a conspiracy to submit fraudulent applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans on behalf of companies he controlled, including Alpha Bravo Tango LLC., Senergy Consulting Group Inc., and Novus Ordo Seclorum LLC. As a result of the deceitful loan applications, Thompson fraudulently obtained $716,375. Thompson spent a portion of the proceeds on vehicles, including a 2014 Lamborghini Aventador, and on renovations to a home in North Carolina.

Thompson also joined a conspiracy to defraud equipment financing companies by submitting fraudulent invoices that falsely showed the sale of substantial quantities of computer servers and related equipment. Thompson and his co-conspirators caused borrowers to submit these invoices to lenders to support their applications for loans to purchase the items shown on the invoices. Once approved, the loan proceeds were deposited into accounts controlled by Thompson and his co-conspirators. Unbeknownst to the lenders, the sales evidenced by the invoices never occurred. Thompson and his co-conspirators typically “kicked back” a portion of the proceeds to the borrower who submitted the application and kept the rest for themselves. Thompson personally participated in three executions of this scheme that caused approximately $813,362 in fraudulently induced lending. 

Thompson pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Erek Barron for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C., Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Pittano of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Mid-Atlantic Region; Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Braithwaite of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), Eastern Region;  and Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.

IRS-CI, FDIC-OIG, SBA-OIG, and the FBI are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney David A. Peters of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wenner for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Hassan Tucker, age 43, of Baltimore, Maryland, with money laundering and violation of Bank Secrecy Act transaction reporting requirements. The indictment was returned on April 9, 2024, and unsealed today upon Tucker’s recent arrest. 

The defendant made an initial appearance on Monday April 29, 2024, in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson. Further proceedings will be set at a later date.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of IRS Criminal Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore Field Office.

According to the two-count indictment, on January 27, 2023, Tucker accepted $27,000 in U.S. Currency from an undercover federal agent posing as a drug trafficker in exchange for the purchase of a luxury SUV. Before completing the transaction, the undercover federal agent represented to Tucker that the $27,000 in U.S. Currency was the proceeds of drug trafficking activity. To conceal the transaction and the true owner of the SUV, Tucker agreed to place the SUV in the name of a female associate of the undercover federal agent, and did not report the cash transaction as he knew he was required to do under federal law. 

If convicted, Tucker faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison under Count One and five years in federal prison under Count Two.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended IRS-CI and the DEA for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven T. Brantley, who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis hosted a seminar today focused on promoting the health and safety of tenants living in HUD-assisted housing by focusing on eliminating environmental hazards and combatting sexual misconduct in HUD-assisted housing.

The seminar, which took place at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baltimore, was part of the HUD Office of Inspector General’s new community outreach initiative.  The topics included effective safe housing strategies, environmental justice concepts and issues, and how to recognize and report sexual misconduct in housing.

Participants included representatives from organizations who routinely work with vulnerable populations most likely to be impacted by environmental injustices, such as lead paint in their homes, or become victims of sexual harassment in housing by their landlords, property managers, maintenance staff, or other housing personnel in positions of authority.  Organizations represented included local law enforcement agencies, legal aid offices, fair housing organizations, shelters, and transitional housing providers.  Participants were encouraged to share their experiences, concerns, and expertise to build future partnerships and provide aid and assistance to beneficiaries when reporting matters related to health and safety in housing.

“Marylanders deserve to live and raise their families in areas that are safe and  where those who are tasked with providing HUD housing treat them with dignity and respect,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “My office is committed to addressing systemic environmental and housing violations that exist in underserved communities who rely on HUD’s housing assistance programs.  We hope our partnership with HUD-OIG, and with other federal agencies and community advocates, will afford us the necessary resources to support vulnerable communities in a more coordinated and impactful way.  The Safe Housing Summit is the first step of our expanded effort.”

“Everyone deserves to live in a home that is free from exposure to lead and other environmental hazards, and without the threat of sexual harassment or sexual assault by housing providers,” said Inspector General Oliver Davis. “Outreach summits like the one we cohosted today with the U.S. Attorney are an important way to increase awareness of tenants’ rights within HUD-assisted housing and build stronger partnerships within the community. We will continue to work closely with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate these violations of law.” 

If you or someone you know has information about environmental hazards and unsafe unit conditions in HUD-assisted housing or has been a victim of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or sexual exploitation—even if the events occurred years ago—report it to the HUD Office of Inspector General Hotline at 1-800-347-3735 or visit the website at www.hudoig.gov/hotline.  You may also file a complaint with HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at https://www.hud.gov/fairhousing/fileacomplaint.  

You may also contact the U.S. Department of Justice at 1-844-380-6178 or visit www.civilrights.justice.gov.  Individuals who believe they may have been victims of environmental injustices or housing discrimination may also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (410) 209-4965, USAMD.Environment@usdoj.gov or https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/civil-rights.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury convicted Charmaine Miesha Brown, age 45, of Lusby, Maryland, late yesterday for conspiracies to commit passport fraud and wire fraud, as well as bankruptcy fraud, and making a false statement in bankruptcy proceeding. 

The guilty verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Karen L. Brown Cleveland of the U.S. Department of the State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Colleen Lawlor of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division; and Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of the Department of Homeland Security.

As detailed in trial testimony, in January 2014, Charmaine Miesha Brown, a United States citizen, married Andrews Oduro Brown, a/k/a “Andrews Oduro,” a Ghanaian national who entered the United States in May 2013.  In 2021, Oduro obtained legal permanent resident status in the United States through his marriage to Brown. 

According to trial testimony, including testimony from Brown, and court documents, from December 2014 through April 2021, Brown and Oduro conspired to obtain United States passports for Oduro’s children, who were non-United States citizens, through false statements and fraudulent identity documents. 

For example, the evidence established that on December 1, 2014, Brown submitted an application for a passport in the name of Brown’s child, Child C, who is a U.S. citizen, but bearing the photograph of Oduro’s child, Child A, who was born in Ghana and is not a U.S. citizen.  After the application was approved, Child A traveled from Ghana to the United States using the fraudulently obtained U.S. passport.  On March 16, 2015, Brown and Oduro applied for a passport in Child A’s own name and submitted a fraudulent Ghanaian birth certificate in support of the application, falsely stating that Brown was Child A’s birth mother.  As detailed at trial, on March 17, 2020, Brown and Oduro applied for a passport in the name of Child B, Oduro’s non-U.S. citizen child, and again submitted a fraudulent Ghanaian birth certificate in support of the application, falsely stating that Brown was Child B’s birth mother.  After the application was approved, Child B used the fraudulently obtained U.S. passport to travel into the U.S.

Further, the evidence proved that from August 2016 through April 2021, Brown and Oduro conspired to receive payments from the state of Maryland’s Child Care Scholarship Program to which they were not entitled.  The Child Care Scholarship Program, formerly known as the Child Care Subsidy Program, provides reimbursement for childcare and direct payments to providers of childcare to low-income families.  Brown falsely reported to the state of Maryland that a friend, Individual 1, was watching her children.  Brown also falsely represented that Oduro was an “absent parent,” when in fact Oduro lived in the same home.  In addition, the trial evidence established that Individual 1 visited the United States in 2011 to 2012 before returning to Ghana and could not have provided the childcare services.  Instead, Oduro posed as Individual 1 and obtained payments from the state of Maryland between 2016 and 2021 to provide childcare to his and Brown’s own children . 

Finally, according to trial testimony and court documents, on March 5, 2018, Brown and Oduro defrauded creditors and the bankruptcy trustee, by filing a fraudulent Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland, using the name and partial social security number of Individual 1, seeking the discharge of thousands of dollars in debts and tax obligations to the state of Maryland that Oduro incurred using the name and PII of Individual 1.  Court records show that Brown filled out the petition documents.  On June 21, 2018, Oduro appeared at the discharge hearing in the bankruptcy court and identified himself as Individual 1, presenting a Pennsylvania identification that Brown and Oduro had fraudulently obtained in the name of Individual 1.  According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, as a result of the fraudulent bankruptcy petition in the name of Individual 1, Oduro and Brown caused the entry of an order discharging debt that Oduro incurred in the name of Individual 1.

Brown faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit passport fraud; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud; a maximum of five years in prison for bankruptcy fraud; and a maximum of five years in prison for a false statement in a federal bankruptcy proceeding.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for Brown on July 23, 2024.

On December 14, 2023, Andrews Oduro Brown, age 41, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit passport fraud, aggravated identity theft, and bankruptcy fraud.  Judge Chuang sentenced Oduro to 28 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered Oduro to pay restitution of $127,951.22.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Coreen Mao and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gustavo Ruiz, who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Robert Frazier, Jr., a/k/a “Glass,” age 42, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana.  As part of his plea agreement, Frazier also agreed to forfeit two high-power rifles, a handgun, and numerous rounds of ammunition.  

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Sheriff Sam Cogen of the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department. 

According to the plea agreement, law enforcement conducted an eviction at Frazier’s apartment in September 2021.  In order to evade capture, Frazier assaulted a Baltimore City Sheriff’s Officer and jumped from a second-story window before absconding in his car.  A subsequent search of the residence revealed quantities of fentanyl and marijuana, two rifles, including an AR-15 rifle which had been reported stolen, a digital scale, and cash. 

Law enforcement later observed Frazier selling drugs at a different location and subsequently made several controlled purchases of fentanyl and cocaine from Frazier.  Ultimately, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Frazier’s new residence and recovered cocaine, marijuana, a .38-caliber handgun, a digital scale, and drug packaging material.  In all, the parties agree that Frazier distributed up to 160 grams of fentanyl, which is enough to kill 32,000 people.     

U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin has scheduled sentencing for July 24, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.  Frazier faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jason D. Medinger, who is prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – After a four-day trial, a federal jury has found Charvez Brooks, age 35, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland, guilty of illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon, in violation of federal law. 

The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimi of the ATF - Washington Field Division; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department (“BPD”), and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates. 

According to the evidence presented at trial, in the days following the August 2019 shooting of an off-duty Baltimore police sergeant, Charvez Brooks was seen by a BPD Northeast District patrol officer driving a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle suspected of involvement in the shooting.  Although Brooks was not involved in the shooting, he immediately fled when he saw the police, leading them on a 10-minute high-speed chase through northeast Baltimore.  According to testimony at trial, during the flight, Brooks threw a loaded firearm out the window of his car into a parking lot on Belair Road.  Two people, who were standing at a nearby bus stop, saw the firearm get thrown from the car and promptly flagged down police, who recovered the gun.  As detailed in trial testimony, during a subsequent interview with the Baltimore Police, Brooks acknowledged that he threw the gun out of the window of his car.  At the time of the incident, Brooks had previous felony convictions in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County Circuit Courts for burglary, assault, theft, and drug possession.

Brooks faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm.   U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has not yet scheduled sentencing.

In August 2020, Brooks was convicted after a five-day federal trial for conspiracy to commit a commercial robbery in connection with the robbery of a gas station owner in January 2018.  Brooks’ co-defendants were charged with the robbery in May 2018, but Brooks was not identified as the third participant until sometime later.  Brooks was subsequently sentenced to 124 months in federal prison for that crime.

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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, BPD and Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anatoly Smolkin and Ari Evans, who are prosecuting the federal case.  He also recognized the assistance of the Paralegal Specialist Kristy L. Penny. 

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman today sentenced Joshua Shonubi, age 59, of Bowie, Maryland, for federal charges of Conspiracy to Commit Visa and Marriage Fraud and a charge of Aggravated Identity Theft.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Ron Rosenberg, District Director, Washington District Office of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

According to the guilty plea, the Defendant, who was a pastor at New Life City Church, used his position of trust to recruit church members who were U.S. Citizens to marry foreign nationals for financial compensation.  The Defendant accepted payment from the foreign nationals for facilitating these marriages.  The Defendant used his role as a pastor to recruit and groom economically disadvantaged United States citizens to marry these foreign nationals and then sponsored them for permanent residence in the United States. 

In furtherance of the fraud, the Defendant created false documentation and submitted it to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services so that the fraudulent marriage would be accepted and the foreign national could apply for lawful permanent residency, and later United States Citizenship.  Among other things, the Defendant submitted letters written on his church letterhead asserting under oath that he had performed and officiated the weddings himself.  The Defendant also procured and submitted fraudulent leases and paystubs to support the façade that the marriage between the U.S. Citizen and the foreign national was legitimate.  Between June 2008 and June 2021, the Defendant facilitated over 60 fraudulent marriages and submitted well over 100 fraudulent documents in support of his scheme.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI and USCIS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn, who prosecuted the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson sentenced Evan Thomas Harris Frock age 34, of Taneytown, Maryland, to 17 years in the Bureau of Prisons for sexual exploitation of a child. Frock, a substitute teacher and volleyball coach in Carroll County, Maryland, posing as a teenager, used social media accounts to meet and communicate with children and to encourage them to produce and send to Frock images and videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit activity. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Baltimore Field Office; Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees; Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department, and Carroll County State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker.

 According to his plea agreement, from 2021 through May 2022, Frock, pretending to be a minor male and a minor female, used a variety of aliases on several social media platforms to communicate with other users, including eight minor victims, ranging in age from 9 to 17 years old. Specifically, Frock used the internet-based accounts and aliases to persuade, induce, and coerce the victims to produce sexually explicit images and videos of themselves and send those images and videos to Frock. On at least one occasion, Frock distributed a sexually explicit video of a minor male and sent images of his own genitalia to the minors to induce them to reciprocate. Further, Frock possessed several hundred commercially available images and videos of child sexual abuse material that depicted toddlers, violence, and bestiality.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Howard County Police Department, and the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn, who prosecuted the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury has convicted Oluwatoyin Aborisade, a/k/a “Thoyinstar”, a/k/a “Toyin”, age 46, of Owings Mills, Maryland, for conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft. 

The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Karen L. Brown Cleveland of the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS); and Washington District Office Director Ron Rosenberg of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services-Fraud Detection and National Security (USCIS-FDNS).

According to the evidence presented at his 9-day trial, from approximately December 2017 to October 2020, Aborisade conspired with others to commit visa fraud by presenting false statements and fraudulent immigration documents to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.  Specifically, the evidence proved that Aborisade established Phemnick Legal Center LLC and other entities bearing the name Phemnick, to assist individuals and their families with immigration-related legal work, including filing official forms and paperwork to obtain immigration benefits in the United States.  In fact, Aborisade was not a licensed immigration attorney, was not licensed to practice law in Maryland or elsewhere, and neither Aborisade nor Phemnick were accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals to legally provide immigration services. 

As detailed at trial, Aborisade advertised immigration related services to aliens and their family members and friends through the use of business cards, social media and websites.  Aborisade gave false, inaccurate, and incomplete legal and immigration advice to alien-clients in order to induce them to retain his services and those of Phemnick.  Aborisade’s clients paid him a fee to complete and submit the necessary documents.  Aborisade knowingly presented false statements with respect to material facts in applications, affidavit and other documents required by immigration laws and regulations.

For example, as detailed in trial testimony, a co-conspirator paid Aborisade monetary compensation in order to draft a fraudulent lease to be submitted with various immigration filings to USCIS, in order to demonstrate that the co-conspirator had resided with his spouse, when in fact, he had not. Aborisade and a co-conspirator employee of Phemnick exchanged emails coordinating the editing and falsification of documents to be submitted in immigration filings to the USCIS, including psychological evaluations.  As part of the fraud, Aborisade also provided a co-conspirator with sample lease agreements to falsify immigration documentation, as evidence that alien-clients had resided with their spouses, when in fact, they had not.  The evidence proved that Aborisade submitted at least 12 fraudulent documents to the USCIS.

Finally, the evidence proved that Aborisade committed aggravated identity theft by using the personal identifying information (“PII”) of real people in fraudulent visa applications without the victims’ permission.  Specifically, Aborisade used the names, passports, social security numbers, IRS Forms 1040, of one group of identity theft victims, and the name and medical license number of another identity theft victim in filings with USCIS, without the victims’ knowledge or permission.

Aborisade faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit visa fraud, a maximum of 15 years in federal prison for each of 12 counts of visa fraud, and a mandatory minimum of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentenced imposed, for each of 10 counts of aggravated identity theft.  U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin has scheduled sentencing for August 1, 2024, at 2 p.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, DSS, and the USCIS-FDNS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Aubin and Darryl Tarver, who are prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Julius Bakari, age 46, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 3 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a scheme to fraudulently bill Medicaid.  The defendant’s conviction stems from a scheme involving services purportedly provided by Holy Health Care Services, LLC (“Holy Health”), a mental health services provider with locations in Washington, D.C.  Judge Xinis also ordered Bakari to pay restitution in the amount of the loss, $3,343,781.  The sentence was imposed on April 9, 2024.

According to his guilty plea agreement, Holy Health Care Services, LLC (“Holy Health”) was a mental health services provider with locations on North Capitol Street NW (“North Capitol location”) and Martin Luther King Avenue SE (“MLK location”) in Washington D.C.  Bakari, a resident of Maryland, owned and operated Holy Health. 

 From 2015 to September 2021, Holy Health was an authorized Medicaid provider.  On June 15, 2015, the District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Services (“DBH”) certified Holy Health to provide mental health services as a Free Standing Mental Health Clinic.  In 2018, DBH also certified Holy Health as a Mental Health and Rehabilitation Services (“MHRS”) provider.  As a certified MHRS provider, Holy Health had authority to provide and bill for a variety of mental health services including “community support” – a service for which community support workers (“CSWs”) provide rehabilitative and educational support to mental health patients both in clinical settings and in the community. To receive payment from Medicaid for community support services, Holy Health submitted bills for each patient visit with a CSW based on visit notes entered into an electronic healthcare system called the Integrated Care Management System (“ICAMS”).

As part of the conspiracy, Bakari and his co-conspirators paid bribes and kickbacks to Medicaid beneficiaries to induce the beneficiaries to visit Holy Health for mental health services.  Bakari and his co-conspirators caused claims to be submitted by Holy Health to Medicaid for services, including community support services, purportedly provided to Medicaid beneficiaries procured through bribes and kickbacks. 

In addition, at minimum, Bakari deliberately shielded himself from clear evidence that his co-conspirators entered false notes into ICAMS for services that were not rendered and were not provided as billed to Medicaid.  Holy Health then billed Medicaid for visits purportedly conducted that did not, in fact, occur for beneficiaries who, in many cases, had been recruited to Holy Health through kickbacks and bribes. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the HHS OIG, and the District of Columbia Office of Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their work in the investigation and the support provided by the District Department of Health Care Finance Division of Program Integrity during the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher M. Sarma and Megan S. McKoy, who are prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Gerrod Davis, age 46, of Glen Burnie, Maryland pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in a conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to the guilty plea, as part of the drug trafficking organization, Davis handled bulk cash narcotics proceeds while his associates were responsible for street-level distribution of narcotics.  Members of the drug trafficking organization shared the cash proceeds of their street-level distributions with Davis, who laundered the money on behalf of the organization.  Davis conducted “money drops” in which he transported large sums of drug proceeds to an individual purporting to act on behalf of a Mexican Cartel.  Davis made these transactions with the intention of promoting the drug trafficking organization and its business relationship with the Cartel as well as concealing the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds of the drug trafficking organization.  Between July 20, 2020, and May 6, 2021, the amount of money Davis laundered, or attempted to launder in furtherance of the conspiracy was at least $1,811,611. 

Davis faces a maximum of 20 years in prison followed by up to 3 years of supervised release.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for June 28, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. Davis and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Davis will be sentenced to 75 months in federal prison.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adeyemi Adenrele who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Kavon Dupree Jackson, age 26, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, pleaded guilty to a bank fraud conspiracy.  

The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Ajay Lall of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division (“USPIS”); and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department (“PGPD”).

According to his guilty plea, Jackson and a co-conspirator illegally possessed a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) “arrow key,” which they used to open USPS postal boxes and steal mail.  They then took the mail matter back to their residence and culled out any checks from the stolen mail.  Jackson and the co-conspirator then changed the names of the payees on the checks to their names or to the names other conspirators recruited to assist with the scheme.  Jackson and his co-conspirators would then cash the checks and immediately dissipate the funds for their own gain. 

Jackson’s co-conspirator used various social media accounts to advertise for persons with bank accounts at various financial institutions and offered to pay them to use their accounts to wash the stolen, counterfeited checks.  In return, these “money mules” would receive a small cut of the proceeds and Jackson and his co-conspirators would retain the rest.  Jackson also sometimes deposited stolen checks into his own account.  For example, on November 9, 2021, Jackson deposited check number 1354, drawn from Victim 1’s account, into Jackson’s own bank account at another bank.  Jackson altered the payee name on the check to that of his own.  Additionally, Jackson increased the amount of the check from $90 to $8,800.         

On March 16, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Jackson’s residence.  Law enforcement recovered a USPS arrow key, more than 350 stolen checks, an assault rifle, and numerous rounds of ammunition.  Law enforcement conducted another search warrant at Jackson’s residence on November 4, 2022, and recovered more stolen checks, mail matter, and a pistol.  Jackson agrees that both firearms were purchased with proceeds from the scheme and are subject to forfeiture. 

The scheme resulted in more than $250,000 in losses, representing the amounts of stolen checks that were deposited into the financial institutions associated with Jackson or his co-conspirators.  More than 50 victims had checks stolen from them which were later deposited into co-conspirators’ accounts.  As a result, some of the victims experienced substantial financial hardship. 

Jackson faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for the bank fraud conspiracy.  U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby has scheduled sentencing for June 18, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Jason D. Medinger, who is prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

Baltimore, Maryland – Law enforcement will enforce local and federal laws regarding Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, during the ongoing recovery and salvage operations underway on the Patapsco River and areas surrounding the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

FBI Baltimore, in conjunction with the United States Attorney's Office - District of Maryland, and members of the Unified Command – Maryland State Police (MSP), Maryland Transportation Authority Police, the United States Coast Guard, the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Synergy Marine – are reminding the public that the airspace is a 'No Drone Zone' and they are committed to identifying, investigating, disrupting and prosecuting the careless or criminal use of drones in the area.

“Drone operators need to know that we take seriously any incursion in the restricted airspace around the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Such incursions threaten the safety of those involved in the investigation of the bridge collapse and the recovery of victims. We will investigate and prosecute anyone who violates the ‘no drone zone,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.

“The FBI's message is simple: all drones are to stay away from the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. This is to ensure the safety of all first responders and crews in the area as well as to not interfere with their work," said William J. DelBagno, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office. "You will be charged federally if you fly a drone in a restricted area. It is harmful to the recovery operations, and it is illegal.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) on March 26 after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. The TFR extends for three nautical miles in radius, from the center of the bridge, and from the surface up to and including 1500 feet above ground level (AGL).

Law enforcement in the area is actively monitoring for illegal UAS/drone use and has responded to multiple drone incursions over the past few days.

There is a zero-tolerance policy regarding any UAS/drone use anywhere within the “No Drone Zone” established by the FAA. Anyone who attempts to fly a UAS/drone in any prohibited manner may be subject to arrest, prosecution, fines, and/or imprisonment.

Information about all federal UAS/drone regulations can be found on the FAA website. The specific TFR can be found at: Key Bridge TFR.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar today sentenced John Willie Kennedy, a/k/a “Cognac” and “Yak,” age 46, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for obstruction of justice, specifically for lying to a federal grand jury and to law enforcement in connection with a murder. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department and Howard County State’s Attorney Rich Gibson.

According to court documents, on September 3, 2017, Meiko Locksley was found shot in front of a townhouse in the 5500 block of Harpers Farm Road in Columbia, Maryland.  Locksley was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.  Kennedy, who called 911 to report the shooting, lived in the townhouse row directly behind the townhouses where Locksley was found.  In the days following the shooting, law enforcement interviewed Kennedy about the shooting, but Kennedy claimed he had not seen anything.  Kennedy said he was at home and found Locksley after hearing a loud “bang” and going to investigate.  Although Kennedy claimed not to have seen Locksley on September 3, phone records showed that the two had a series of calls shortly before Locksley was killed.

According to his plea agreement, on January 4, 2018, investigators interviewed Kennedy again, confronting him with the phone contact between his cellphone and Locksley’s cellphone.  Kennedy admitted that he “might have” sold marijuana to Locksley but denied having any information about the shooting.  Kennedy again maintained that he was in his house and only went out to investigate after hearing gunshots.  After the murder weapon was found in Baltimore City in March 2020, federal investigators obtained a search warrant for location data for Kennedy’s cellphone at the time of the murder.  The location data proved that at the time of the murder, Kennedy was in the parking lot in front of the townhouse where Locksley was killed.

As detailed in the plea agreement, on April 4, 2021, Kennedy falsely testified before the federal grand jury that he was in his house at the time that Meiko Locksley was shot.  Federal investigators subsequently learned that witnesses saw Kennedy in front of the townhome where Locksley was shot immediately before and after the shooting.  Kennedy was seen putting something in the back of his truck immediately after the shooting, then ran towards the direction of his townhome.  Kennedy admits that he lied to the grand jury and that by doing so he obstructed the proceeding and impeded the investigation.

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (“NIBIN”).  NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms.  NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles.  For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Baltimore Police Department, the Howard County Police Department, and the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kim Hagan and Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn, who prosecuted the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced Archie Arnold Paul, a/k/a “Carter Hill” and “Zion Davis,” age 31, of Laurel, Maryland, to 78 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.  Judge Messitte also ordered Paul to pay at least $151,091.16 in restitution and to forfeit a 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol bearing no serial number and more than 250 rounds of 9mm ammunition recovered during the execution of a search warrant at Paul’s residence on May 12, 2020. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Christina Bentham of the U.S. Secret Service – Baltimore Field Office.  

According to Paul’s plea agreement, he conspired with Jalen Craig McMillan, Jovan Bell, Tiffany Rainel Williams and John Fitzgerald Washington, and others to defraud Bank A.  Specifically, Paul, the primary leader and organizer of the scheme, and his co-conspirators, obtained and used fictitious identities and the personal identifying information (“PII”) of real persons.  Paul worked with Washington and others to manufacture and procure fraudulent identification documents displaying the PII of the victims, but photographs of others.  Paul, Williams, and others used the fraudulent identification documents to impersonate the victims, open account using fraudulent information and make large withdrawals from Bank A that belonged to the victims.  McMillan and Bell used their positions as “Member Service Representatives” at Bank A to facilitate both the opening of accounts in the names of identity theft victims provided by Paul and his co-conspirators, and subsequent financial transactions, including assisting with loans.  Paul and his co-conspirators, using the information of more than 10 victims, successfully defrauded Bank A of $151,091.16 and tried to obtain more than $405,000.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Secret Service for its work in the investigation and thanked the City of Laurel Police Department for its assistance.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Bijon Mostoufi and Ranganath Manthripragada, who are prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced En-Wei Eric Chang, age 48, a citizen of the United States and the Republic of Taiwan, residing in Taiwan, today to two years in federal prison, followed by supervised release of six months of home detention, for a conspiracy related to the export of defense materials to Iran.  Such materials were embargoed under the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (“ITSR”).  Judge Bennett also ordered Chang to pay a $10,000 fine.

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of  Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office.

“As this case demonstrates, federal prosecutors have long memories.  If you choose to flee rather than face your federal charges, you will be found and prosecuted,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron. 

As detailed in Chang’s plea agreement, the export from the United States of arms, munitions, military aircraft parts, and related components and technology, is strictly controlled.  The Munitions List is a catalog of designated “defense articles” which are subject to export and certain import restrictions.  Any person who intends to export defense articles on the Munitions List from the United States is required to first obtain a license and must identify in the required license application the ultimate and final destination of the goods.  At the time of the conspiracy, it was the policy of the United States to deny licenses, other approvals, and exports of defense articles destined for Iran.

According to his guilty plea, from January 2002 to March 2003, Chang conspired with David Chu to ship items on the Munitions List to Iran without obtaining the proper licensing.  Chu had a business relationship with an Iranian businessman and was the sole individual in contact with the Iranian businessman during the time of the conspiracy.  In 2001 Chu became acquainted with Chang through Chang’s work as an electrical component supplier.
 

According to the plea agreement and other court documents, in January 2002, Chu asked Chang to facilitate an Iranian businessman’s request to research satellite imagery dealers, and Chang agreed to do so.  Shortly thereafter, Chang emailed a Maryland corporation to acquire high-definition satellite space images of Tehran, Iran for export from the United States to Iran.  An undercover government agent based in Maryland ultimately responded to Chang, pretending to be a businessman who could help him acquire the satellite images from a defense contractor.  

Chang and the undercover agent communicated over serval months regarding the status of the satellite images order.  Chu’s Iranian contact subsequently asked Chu to research and source antennas, and on March 12, 2002, Chang contacted the undercover agent asking for quotes on cavity-backed spiral antennas with military applications, including the detection and surveillance of ground-based radar.  These antennas were designated as defense articles on the United States Munitions List.  The undercover agent agreed to attempt to source the antennas.  Chang admitted that he knew that the acquisition of the antennas from the United States for export either directly or indirectly to Iran without proper licensing, was a violation of United States law.  Chang also knew that he did not have the proper license or authorization.

As detailed in the plea agreement, the undercover agent ultimately quoted prices for various models of antennas and noted that the U.S.- based manufacturer “won’t even accept order without approved export license up front.”  Chang repeatedly urged the undercover agent to act faster and on July 19, 2002, Chang wrote: “The Iran guy promises [my co-conspirator, Chu] a 10 million USD business [per] year if we can really do this.”  On July 31, 2002, Chang provided banking information from the undercover agent to Chu to facilitate a $6,400 transfer to the undercover agent in Maryland as a 50% down payment on the cavity-backed antennas, which would take approximately five months to produce.

From March 2002 through January 2003, Chang kept in regular contact with the undercover agent regarding the antennas and asked the undercover agent for pricing information that he indicated was requested by his “buyer” in Iran for items that Chang indicated his “buyer” was interested in purchasing.  The items included: an anti-submarine and surveillance radar system for installation on helicopters and airplanes; military-grade night-vision goggles for use by pilots; helicopters and helicopter engines; ten handheld laser range-finders; and other military items.

By January 2003, the cavity-backed spiral antennas had been produced in the United States.  Chang, his co-conspirator, David Chu, and the undercover agent agreed to transfer the cavity-backed spiral antennas in Guam, where Chu could take possession of them and transfer them to Iran.  In February 2003, Chu travelled to Guam and took possession of the cavity-backed spiral antennas from the undercover agent.  Chu was arrested and his luggage seized by U.S. authorities before he could board the flight to Taiwan.

On March 4, 2003, the undercover agent, via email, informed Chang of his true identity and told Chang that he had been indicted in the District of Maryland with conspiracy to export U.S. Munitions List items to Iran, and that his co-conspirator Chu was in the custody of the U.S. Marshals.  The undercover agent encouraged Chang to turn himself in.  On March 12, 2003, Chang met with U.S. officials in Taiwan who told Chang that he should consider surrendering to the United States on the current charges, but Chang declined.  Chang remained a fugitive until his arrest on April 10, 2023 at Rome-Fiumcino International Airport in Italy and subsequent extradition to the United States.

Co-defendant David Chu, age 48, of Monterey Park, California, pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and was sentenced on February 23, 2004, to two years in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI and DCIS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Aaron S.J. Zelinsky and Robert I. Goldaris, who are prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland - United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron stated, “There is no evidence at this time to suggest that today’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has any ties to terrorism.  My office will continue to coordinate with our federal, state, and local partners to provide any support necessary.”  U.S. Attorney Barron added, “I am praying for the families and friends of the victims and everyone affected by this tragic event.”

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced Lewis Ismael Blandon, age 37, of Edgewood, Maryland, to 19 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child to produce a visual depiction of the sexual conduct.  Judge Maddox also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Blandon must continue to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to his guilty plea between 2002 through 2006, Blandon sexually abused a minor victim who was 12 years old at the time the abuse began.  Blandon coerced and enticed the victim to engage in the sexual conduct by using cell phone calls to arrange visits and using the chat feature on video games.  In addition, between 2020 and 2021, Blandon used several different online accounts with social media companies to exploit his victims.  Using a variety of aliases and handles on these platforms, Blandon communicated with several minor males, coercing and enticing them to produce sexually explicit images.  Blandon admitted that he also sent images of his own genitalia to the minor males in order to cause them to reciprocate.  Finally, Blandon also distributed commercially available child pornography on a messaging application to another user.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn, who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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