District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Jose Lainez Martinez, age 29, an El Salvadoran national residing in Silver Spring, Maryland, yesterday to 24 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after Lainez Martinez pleaded guilty to his participation in a racketeering conspiracy, including a murder, related to his activities as part of the MS-13 gang.

The guilty plea and sentence were 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; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

According to court documents, La Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as “MS-13,” is an international criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Frederick County, and throughout the United States.  In Maryland and elsewhere, MS-13 members are organized in “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city or region.  MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence, both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang and against rival gangs.  One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible.  Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increases the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position. 

As detailed in the plea agreement, from at least January 2020, Lainez Martinez was a member or associate of the MS-13 Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”) clique and agreed with members of MS-13 to conduct and participate in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity that included murder, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion and drug distribution.  Lainez Martinez admitted that, to assist the gang to raise money, he participated in the sale of marijuana and the collection of extortion money from brothels and other businesses, providing the proceeds to gang leadership. 

In the Spring of 2020, a MS-13 member, who was a former roommate of Victim 20, was assaulted by Victim 20 and others because they believed the MS-13 member had stolen property from Victim 20.  After being told of the assault, MS-13 members indicated that the gang would have to retaliate against Victim 20 to maintain its standing.  MS-13 gang members also believed that Victim 20 was associated with the rival 18th Street gang, which was another sufficient reason to kill him.  

According to the plea agreement, the night of May 25, 2020, LAINEZ MARTINEZ and other MS-13 gang members gathered in a park in Silver Spring, Maryland.  During that meeting, participants in the meeting discussed the plan to murder of Victim 20, which was scheduled to happen the morning of May 26, 2020. 

As detailed in court documents, on May 26, 2020, at approximately 7:05 a.m., two FLS MS-13 gang members approached Victim 20 as he left his apartment in Silver Spring, Maryland and fired handguns at him repeatedly, hitting him eight times and killing him. 

Following the murder, Lainez Martinez and co-defendant Oscar Efrain Zavala Urrea traveled to Annapolis where they met a third MS-13 gang member.  Lainez Martinez and Zavala Urrea changed their clothes and disposed of the old clothing.  They gave the third gang member a backpack containing two firearms for safe keeping.  A few days later, Maryland State Police stopped the third gang member who had the backpack containing the two firearms.    

Last week, Chief Judge Bredar sentenced co-defendant Oscar Efrain Zavala Urrea, age 23, an El Salvadoran national residing in Silver Spring, Maryland, to 25 years in federal prison for his participation in the racketeering conspiracy.

Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement.  The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know.  You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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 Barron commended the FBI, HSI, Montgomery County Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark and Anatoly Smolkin, 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 https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Njuh Valentine Fombe, a/k/a “Valentine”, age 37, a Cameroonian citizen, formerly residing in Beltsville, Maryland, today to 12 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and for aggravated identity theft, in connection with a business email compromise fraud scheme with intended losses of more than $2 million.  Based on court documents and evidence presented during Fombe’s sentencing, the Court also found that Fombe engaged in a pandemic-related unemployment fraud scheme while he was a fugitive residing in the United Kingdom.

In addition to prison time, Judge Chasanow ordered Fombe to pay restitution of $325,856.12 and to forfeit $547,310.23.

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;  Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, National Capital Region of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG); Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Chief Russell E. Hamill III of the Laurel Police Department.

According to court documents and evidence presented at today’s sentencing hearing, from at least September 2016 to August 2018, Fombe conspired with others to commit wire fraud by conducting business email compromise (“BEC”) schemes in which Fombe‘s co-conspirators gained unauthorized access to email accounts, personal identifying information, and bank accounts by sending false wiring instructions to the victims’ email accounts.  Fombe and his co-conspirators then used the illegally obtained personal information to obtain counterfeit checks in the name and information of the victims’ bank accounts.  Victims of the BEC scheme were from California, Tennessee, Michigan, Hawaii and Illinois.  Fombe and his co-conspirators also registered fraudulent shell entities to facilitate the scheme, opening and managing bank accounts in the names of the fraudulent shell entities’, as well as their own names and aliases, to direct and receive proceeds of the BEC and check schemes. 

After Fombe’s indictment in 2019, Fombe fled the United States on a fraudulently obtained Honduran passport, ultimately residing in the United Kingdom until his arrest there on June 16, 2022 and subsequent extradition to the United States.  

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, DOL-OIG, the Baltimore County Police Department and the Laurel Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly O. Hayes, Christopher M. Sarma, and Bijon Mostoufi, 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 – Gary Leon Holloway, Jr., age 46, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to committing an armed robbery and to using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  

The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States 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; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department, and Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, in January 2020, Holloway and his co-conspirators planned and committed armed robberies of three 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 on January 22, 2020, Holloway and two co-defendants (the other robber and the get-away driver) were arrested.  Detectives later learned that Holloway was related to two of his co-defendants.

Holloway and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Holloway will be sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson has scheduled sentencing for June 21, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. 

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Baltimore Police Department, the Howard County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr. 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 – Eugene Edward Golden, age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child and to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child in order to produce and transmit a visual depiction of the sexually explicit conduct. 

The guilty plea 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; Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland State Police (“MSP”); Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, beginning in at least 2019, Golden located several females, specifically six co-defendants, using dating or prostitution websites, and communicated with each of them individually using texts, messaging applications and social media.  Golden requested that each of the women produce sexually explicit videos and images of children, citing his a fetish, and then to send those files to Golden in exchange for financial compensation. 

Golden’s co-defendants agreed to his requests and produced and distributed sexually explicit images and videos of at least 12 minor victims, using their cellphones.  The victims ranged in age from approximately one year old to 13 years old.  Images and videos documenting the sexual abuse were found in Golden’s online accounts.  Golden produced and received well over 100 images and videos documenting the sexual abuse of children at his request.

Golden faces a maximum sentence of 90 years in federal prison—a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for each of the three counts.  U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox has not set a date for sentencing.

As detailed in Golden’s plea agreement, upon his release from prison, Golden will be required 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”). 

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 HSI, the MSP-led Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Howard County Police Department 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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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Giovanni Pope, age 30, to 200 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for the murder of his mother, a Department of Defense civilian employee working in Bahrain.

The federal charge was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge John Parkinson of the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Middle East Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

On November 3, 2023, Pope pleaded guilty to second degree murder in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.  According to the plea agreement, on January 31, 2021, Pope killed his mother in the apartment they shared in Bahrain, by stabbing her with a knife he obtained from the kitchen.  At the time, Pope’s mother was employed as a United States Department of the Navy civilian employee, assigned to Naval Support Activity, Bahrain, and Pope was living with her as a dependent. 

As detailed in court documents, after fatally stabbing his mother, Pope cleaned her body and removed evidence of the murder from the apartment.  He then left in his mother’s car.  He was apprehended by Bahraini authorities on February 1, 2021.  Pope admitted to law enforcement that he got a knife from the kitchen, went into the living room where his mother was seated, and fatally stabbed her.  Pope further admitted that after killing his mother, he purchased an airline ticket to return to the United States, departing on the morning of February 2, 2021. 

On February 11, 2021, Pope was ordered detained and removed from Bahrain to the United States pursuant to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act.  On March 4, 2021, Pope was charged by indictment in the District of Maryland with one count of Murder while Employed by or Accompanying the Armed Forces Outside the United States.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri commended the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the FBI for their work in the investigation and thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for its assistance.  Mr. Barron and Ms. Argentieri thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham and Trial Attorney Brian Morgan of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, who prosecuted the case.  

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Baltimore, Maryland – Theodore Sapperstein, age 66, of Pikesville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.  

The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and Postal Inspector in Charge Carroll N. Harris of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Los Angeles Division.

According to his guilty plea, Sapperstein and his coconspirators unlawfully debited money from the bank accounts of unknowing victims throughout the United States without their authorization, created shell companies, and falsely represented that debits against consumer-victims’ bank accounts were authorized as payment for services allegedly provided by those shell companies.

The unauthorized debits against consumer-victim accounts resulted in returned transactions and high return rates that could generate scrutiny from banks.  To both conceal and continue making unauthorized debits, Sapperstein and his coconspirators caused “micro debit” transactions (i.e., a large number of low-value sham transactions) to be made against other bank accounts that they controlled and/or funded, and which they knew would not result in returns.  The “micro debits” were therefore used to artificially lower return rates to levels that Sapperstein and his coconspirators believed would reduce bank scrutiny and potential termination of banking services.  Sapperstein helped broker payment processing for the fraud scheme, securing a payment processor who processed the unauthorized debits and the fraudulent micro debits.  As part of his guilty plea, Sapperstein admitted that more than $1.5 million in loss was reasonably foreseeable to him.

“We formed the Maryland Financial Intelligence Task Force to identify financial fraudsters, whose actions impact victim-account holders here in Maryland and beyond,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “Our goal is to aggressively protect the financial information of public consumers.”

“Those who knowingly participate in schemes to use personal and financial information about American consumers to steal money from their accounts will be held accountable,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We are committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who facilitate such schemes.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will not tolerate schemes aimed at draining the accounts of innocent people trying to create financial stability for themselves and their families,” said Inspector in Charge Carroll N. Harris for USPIS. “Postal Inspectors along with their law enforcement partners will tirelessly investigate these crimes, ensuring these criminals face the maximum penalties for their illegal activities.”

Sapperstein faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud.   U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for August 15, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for its work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for its assistance in the prosecution of the case.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Darryl Tarver and Trial Attorneys Wei Xiang, Meredith Healy, and Amy Kaplan of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, 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 – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Oscar Efrain Zavala Urrea, age 23, an El Salvadoran national residing in Silver Spring, Maryland, today to 25 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his participation in a racketeering conspiracy, including a murder, related to his activities as part of the MS-13 gang.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

According to court documents, La Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as “MS-13,” is an international criminal organization composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Frederick County, and throughout the United States.  In Maryland and elsewhere, MS-13 members are organized in “cliques,” smaller groups that operate in a specific city or region.  MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence, both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang and against rival gangs.  One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible.  Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increases the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position. 

As detailed in the plea agreement, from at least January 2020, Zavala Urrea was a member or associate of the MS-13 Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”) clique and agreed with members of MS-13 to conduct and participate in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity that included murder, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion and drug distribution. 

In the Spring of 2020, a MS-13 member, who was a former roommate of Victim 20, was assaulted by Victim 20 and others because they believed that MS-13 member had stolen property from Victim 20.  After being told of the assault, MS-13 members indicated that the gang would have to retaliate against Victim 20 to maintain its standing.  MS-13 gang members also believed that Victim 20 was associated with the rival 18th Street gang, which was another sufficient reason to kill him.  

According to the plea agreement, over the course of several weeks Zavala Urrea and other MS-13 members met to plan the murder of Victim 20, including discussing what role each participant would play, conducted surveillance to determine when Victim 20 left the apartment, and obtained guns to be used in the murder.  The night of May 25, 2020, Zavala Urrea and other MS-13 gang members gathered in a park in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Zavala Urrea met with each gang member to discuss the plan to murder Victim 20, which was to happen the next morning.

As detailed in court documents, on May 26, 2020, at approximately 7:05 a.m., two FLS MS-13 gang members approached Victim 20 as he left his apartment in Silver Spring, Maryland and fired handguns at him repeatedly, hitting him eight times.  Victim 20 died as a result of being shot. 

Following the murder, Zavala Urrea and a co-conspirator traveled to Annapolis where they met a third MS-13 gang member.  Zavala Urrea and the co-conspirator changed their clothes and disposed of the old clothing.  They gave the third gang member a backpack containing two firearms for safe keeping.  A few days later, Maryland State Police stopped the third gang member who had the backpack containing the two firearms.    

Zavala Urrea admitted that, to assist the gang to raise money, he also participated in the sale of marijuana and the collection of extortion money from brothels and other businesses, providing the proceeds to gang leadership. 

Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement.  The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know.  You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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 Barron commended the FBI, HSI, Montgomery County Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark and Anatoly Smolkin, 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 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 – Daric Evans, age 32, of Crisfield, Maryland, a correctional officer at the Eastern Correctional Institution (“ECI”) in Westover, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to obstruct justice, related to covering up evidence that a fellow officer at ECI had unlawfully assaulted an inmate.

The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Baltimore Field Office.

According to his guilty plea, on July 12, 2021, while working at ECI, Evans learned that another officer had used force against an inmate.  Upon learning of the incident, Evans responded to the scene, where he assisted other correctional officers with escorting the inmate to a medical evaluation.  During the evaluation, the inmate cried and was visibly injured with blood on his face.  The inmate also asserted that he had been assaulted by a correctional officer, Samuel Warren.  Then, Evans and several other correctional officers escorted the inmate to a cell for a monitored strip search.  During the strip search, the inmate was fully compliant and crying.  Correctional Officer David Quillen filmed the inmate during the evaluation and strip search.

After the strip search, Evans and a number of other correctional officers watched Quillen’s video of the inmate.  After watching the video, a supervisory officer commented that the video looked bad and needed to be deleted.  Quillen indicated that he would delete the video, and Evans understood that Quillen subsequently did so.  In addition, the supervisory officer proposed a cover story for why the video had gone missing, and Evans and other officers agreed to lie about the deletion. 

Following the deletion, Evans and other correctional officers discussed that—as previously agreed—they would lie to investigators about what had happened to the video of the inmate.  Evans in fact lied about what happened to the video, including by withholding the information from state investigators and lying to federal investigators.  

Evans faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy to obstruct justice.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for June 27, 2024.

Samuel Warren, age 38, of Westover, Maryland, has since pleaded guilty to federal offenses related to his unlawful assault of the inmate and is scheduled for sentencing on June 11, 2024. David Quillen, 37, of Ocean View, Delaware, also pleaded guilty to federal offenses related to the deletion of the video and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for its assistance.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Marquardt and Trial Attorney Erin Monju of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section who are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Special Legal Counsel Mark Blumberg of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

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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A correctional officer at the Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) in Westover, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to obstruct justice, with the purpose of covering up evidence that a fellow officer at ECI had unlawfully assaulted an inmate.

According to court documents, on July 12, 2021, while working at ECI, Daric Evans, 32, learned that another officer had used force against an inmate. Upon learning of the incident, Evans responded to the scene, where he assisted other correctional officers with escorting the inmate to a medical evaluation. During the evaluation, the inmate cried and was visibly injured with blood on his face. The inmate also asserted that he had been assaulted by a correctional officer, Samuel Warren. Evans and several other correctional officers escorted the inmate to a cell for a monitored strip-search. During the strip-search, the inmate was fully compliant and crying. Another correctional officer, David Quillen, filmed the inmate during the evaluation and strip-search.

Following the search, Evans and a number of other correctional officers watched Quillen’s video of the inmate. After watching the video, a supervisory officer commented that the video looked bad and needed to be deleted. Quillen indicated that he would delete the video, and Evans understood that Quillen subsequently did so. In addition, the supervisory officer proposed a cover story for why the video had gone missing, and Evans and other officers agreed to lie about the deletion.  

Following the deletion, Evans and other correctional officers discussed that — as previously agreed — they would lie to investigators about what had happened to the video of the inmate. Evans lied about what happened to the video, including by withholding the information from state investigators and lying to federal investigators.

Warren pleaded guilty to offenses related to his assault of the inmate and cover-up of the assault. Quillen also pleaded guilty to offenses related to the deletion of the video.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland and Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Baltimore Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Baltimore Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Trial Attorney Erin Monju of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Marquardt for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Special Legal Counsel Mark Blumberg of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

A U.S. citizen was sentenced today to 16 years and eight months in prison for killing his mother, a U.S. Department of Defense civilian employee stationed at a naval base in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

According to court documents, on Jan. 31, 2021, Giovonni Z. Pope, 30, killed his mother in the apartment they shared in Bahrain by stabbing her with a knife. At the time, Pope’s mother was employed as a U.S. Department of the Navy civilian employee, assigned to Naval Support Activity Bahrain, and Pope was living with her as a dependent. After fatally stabbing his mother, Pope cleaned her body and removed evidence of the murder from the apartment. He then left in his mother’s car. On Feb. 1, 2021, Pope was apprehended by Bahraini authorities.

On Feb. 11, 2021, Pope was ordered detained and removed from Bahrain to the United States pursuant to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act. Pope was charged on March 4, 2021, in the District of Maryland with one count of murder while employed by or accompanying the armed forces outside the United States. Pope pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, 2023, to second degree murder.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland; Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Rothrock of the FBI Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge John Parkinson of the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Middle East Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI and NCIS investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Brian Morgan of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Cunningham for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance.

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury yesterday convicted Brian Patrick Werth, age 39, of Beltsville, Maryland, for two counts of production of child pornography and for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.  Werth was also convicted of committing a crime involving a minor by a registered sex offender. 

The guilty verdict 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 Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to the evidence presented at his three-day trial, between January and June 2021, Werth persuaded, enticed, and coerced two minor female victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce visual depictions of such conduct and to transmit the images to Werth using the internet-based applications.  Werth communicated with the victims over an internet-based chat application.

As detailed in testimony at trial, Werth enticed and persuaded a 14-year-old female victim through various means, including, for example, sending her pictures of other apparent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, flattering her, and sending her cash card codes for the purchase of lingerie and “school girl” outfits that the 14-year-old female had identified in texts to Werth.  Werth also enticed and persuaded a separate 15-year-old female victim  to produce child pornography for him and transmit it to him via internet-based applications.

Trial evidence proved that during that same time frame, Werth also communicated with a third 11-year-old female victim.  The conversations were sexual in nature with Werth asking directly for nude pictures of the 11-year-old victim.

Werth faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in federal prison and a maximum of 50 years in federal prison for production of child pornography due to his prior conviction, to be followed by a 10 year mandatory consecutive sentence for commission of a new offense involving a minor while being required to register as a sex offender.  Werth also faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and up to life in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor.  Upon his release from prison Werth will be required to 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.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for July 23, 2024 at 9:30 a.m.

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 HSI and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaShanta Harris and Adam K. Ake, 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/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Garrison Thomas, age 41, of Hyattsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. 

The guilty plea 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; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department (“PGPD”).

According to his guilty plea, on December 27, 2022, Thomas was the passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by PGPD officers for having expired Virginia registration tags.  As officers approached the vehicle, they detected the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and asked the driver and Thomas to exit the vehicle.  Thomas was asked to put his hands on top of the car and as an officer attempted to pat him down a struggle ensued.  During the struggle, Thomas shed his coat and ran from the scene, followed by PGPD officers.  Another office picked up Thomas’ coat and recovered a 9mm pistol loaded with approximately 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition from the coat.

Thomas was apprehended and arrested.  In the car, law enforcement located a magazine loaded with 10 rounds of 9mm ammunition in the vehicle and a digital scale with suspected cocaine residue.  A search of Thomas recovered approximately $328 in cash, approximately 1.138 grams of para-fluorofentanyl; an open plastic bag corner containing approximately 4.840 grams of crack cocaine; two knotted plastic bag corners containing approximately 2.906 grams of powder cocaine, and approximately .545 grams of loose powder and crack cocaine.

Thomas admitted that the firearm, ammunition, magazine and cash constituted proceeds of his drug trafficking activity, or were used or intended to be used, to facilitate Thomas’s drug offense.  Further, Thomas knew that he had been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.

Thomas faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.   U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for July 19, 2024 at 2:00 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 Dawn M. Ellison and Kelly O. Hayes, 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-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Orlando Ray Coleman, Sr., age 44, of Millersville, Maryland, to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

The sentence 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; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad; and Annapolis Police Chief Edward Jackson.

According to his guilty plea, in November 2019, law enforcement received information about several drug trafficking organizations operating in and around the Annapolis, Maryland area and identified Orland Ray Coleman, Sr. as a drug trafficker operating in the Annapolis and Baltimore metropolitan areas and who was believed to be responsible for distributing drugs to other drug trafficking organizations in the Annapolis area.  Additional investigation revealed that Clarence Coby was a source of supply to Coleman, specifically providing Coleman and other Annapolis-areas drug traffickers with fentanyl and cocaine.

In mid-May 2021, several search warrants were executed on houses associated with Coleman.  From Coleman’s house in Millersville, investigators recovered approximately $39,280 from a safe in the main bedroom.  At a house in Glen Burnie, Maryland, believed to be his stash location, investigators recovered a total of approximately 256 grams of fentanyl, approximately 192 grams of cocaine, approximately 43 grams of crack cocaine, and approximately 453 grams of heroin, and paraphernalia to include numerous gel caps with residue, and two scales with residue, among other items.  Additionally, from the bedroom closet law enforcement recovered a rifle, one magazine with 6 rounds of .223 caliber ammunition, one 7.62 x 39 round magazine with 32 rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition, and a full box of loose ammunition in a grey box from a suitcase and a second rifle was recovered from another suitcase in the closet.  Coleman admitted that he possessed the fentanyl with the intent to distribute it, and that the firearms, magazines, and ammunition constituted proceeds of Coleman’s drug trafficking activity or were used, or intended to be used, to facilitate Coleman’s drug trafficking activity.

On November 28, 2023, Clarence Coby, age 48, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. 

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 DEA-led High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force comprised of agents and officers from the Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County and Howard County Police Departments, the Laurel City Police Department, the Annapolis Police Department, and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department; the FBI Annapolis Safe Streets Task Force; the Anne Arundel County Police Department; and the Annapolis Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney LaRai Everett, 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/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Carlos Guardado-Eagle, age 22, of Hagerstown, Maryland, on March 5 to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a series of armed carjackings and an attempted carjacking. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Baltimore Field Office; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Kevin Davis of the Fairfax County, Virginia Police Department; Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

According to his guilty plea, between May 15, 2022 and June 1, 2022, Guardado-Eagle and a co-conspirator carjacked four victims at gunpoint.  On June 6, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator attempted a fifth carjacking, but the victim would not surrender the keys to the vehicle and Guardado-Eagle and the co-conspirator fled without obtaining the vehicle.  On each occasion, Guardado-Eagle and the co-conspirator wore masks to conceal their identities and took BMWs.  In three of the carjackings, after obtaining the keys to the BMW, Guardado-Eagle and the co-conspirator split up, with one driving the BMW and the other driving another vehicle.

Specifically, on May 15, 2022, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator rear-ended a 2014 BMW in District Height’s Maryland.  When the driver got out of the car to inspect the damage, Guardado-Eagle and the co-conspirator got out of their car, pointed guns at the victim, demanded the victim’s keys and directed the victim to run across the street.  Guardado-Eagle and the co-conspirator then fled with one driving the BMW and the other driving the vehicle they used in the collision.

In addition, on May 19, 2022, Gardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator conducted an armed carjacking from a victim in Severn, Maryland; on May 26, 2022, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator committed an armed carjacking in Silver Spring, Maryland, as that victim was stopped at a traffic light; and on June 1, 2022, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator committed an armed carjacking in Tysons Corner, Virginia.  Finally, on June 6, 2022, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator attempted an armed carjacking in a parking garage in Baltimore.  In the June attempted carjacking, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator confronted their potential victim and when the victim refused to provide their car keys and attempted to flee, Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator assaulted this victim.  The victim refused to surrender their keys and Guardado-Eagle and his co-conspirator fled in another vehicle.

The law enforcement investigation led to Guardado-Eagle’s arrest later in June, 2022.

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 FBI, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Fairfax, Virginia Police Department, the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas F. Potter, 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 – A federal grand jury returned an indictment on March 5, 2024, charging Verena May Mathis, age 24, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, for sexual exploitation of a child and for child sex trafficking. 

The indictment 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; Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland State Police (“MSP”); Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to the two-count indictment, on approximately December 5, 2020, Mathis produced sexually explicit images of a minor victim and used the minor victim to engage in a commercial sex act, in reckless disregard of the fact that the victim was less than 14 years of age.

As detailed in court documents, the case arose when a video depicting the minor victim and an adult woman, subsequently identified as Mathis, were found during a search of the online accounts of Edward Golden, a defendant in a separate child exploitation case.  On February 13, 2024, MSP released redacted photographs to the public depicting the distinctive tattoos of the woman in the video with the minor victim, with an offer of up to $14,000 in reward money for information leading to her identification.  A public tip led to the arrest of Mathis.

If convicted, Mathis faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child and a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to life in federal prison for child sex trafficking.  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.  The defendant is expected to have an initial appearance on this indictment in U.S. District Court in Baltimore at a later date.  She was previously charged by criminal complaint and has been detained since her arrest on February 15, 2024.

Eugene Edward Golden, age 38, of Baltimore, is charged in a 160-count second superseding indictment with conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child, sexual exploitation of children, child sex trafficking, and receipt and possession of child pornography.  The superseding indictment alleges that Golden communicated with women to arrange for the creation of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  If convicted, Golden faces up to life in federal prison.  Golden is detained.

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.       

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the MSP-led Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Howard County Police Department 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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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow today sentenced Madani Ilara Tejan, a/k/a “Malik,” “Mylik,” and “Dani,” age 31, of Washington, D.C., to 50 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for using a firearm in connection with murder and robbery, and for a fentanyl distribution conspiracy.  Tejan was convicted of those charges on February 17, 2023, after a nine-day trial.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department; Director Corenne Labbé of the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections; and Director Thomas N. Faust of the D.C. Department of Corrections.

According to the evidence presented at this nine-day trial, on October 3, 2018, Tejan met with a drug customer, to whom Tejan had arranged to sell drugs.  During the meeting, Tejan shot and killed the drug customer (Victim 1), then stole the Victim 1’s car, wallet, and other personal items.  On October 20, 2018, a search warrant was executed at a residence in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, associated with Tejan and law enforcement recovered Victim 1’s wallet, two bags of marijuana and a prepaid cellular phone.  Investigation revealed that the prepaid phone had been in contact with the Victim 1’s phone several times on October 3, 2018 and was used interchangeably with Tejan’s registered phone to communicate with  Victim 1 in the hours before his murder.  Additionally, 1,013 fentanyl pills were seized from Tejan while he was residing in a government-run residential facility.  Tejan’s social media accounts and phone messages revealed that he distributed fentanyl marketed as oxycodone as well as other prescription drugs and marijuana to multiple individuals, including Victim 1.

At a hearing held on February 27, 2024, the Court found that Tejan was also involved with the murder of Victim 2, which occurred on October 15, 2018.  According to court documents and information provided at motions hearings, Victim 2 drove Tejan to his meeting with Victim 1 and was a witness to Victim 1’s murder.  Witnesses reported that on October 15, 2018, the day of Victim 2’s murder, Tejan spent the day with Victim 2.  Later that day, Tejan left with Victim 2 to sell marijuana in Washington, D.C., where Victim 2 was found shot to death.  A ride sharing application showed that Tejan was picked up just minutes after Victim 2’s murder one block from where Victim 2 was found dead.

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 and Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri commended the FBI and the Baltimore Cross-Border Task Force, the DEA, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections, and the D.C. Department of Corrections, for their work in the investigation and thanked the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes and Trial Attorney Gerald A. A. Collins of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, 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-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Henry Onyedikachi Echefu, age 32, a Nigerian national residing in South Africa at the time of the criminal conduct, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, related to a business email compromise (“BEC”) scheme.  Echefu arrived in the United States on November 30, 2023, after being extradited from Canada. 

The guilty plea 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 Matthew R. Stohler of the U.S. Secret Service - Washington Field Office.

According to his plea agreement, from February 2017 until at least July 2017, Echefu conspired with others to perpetrate a BEC scheme.  Specifically, Echefu and his co-conspirators, including co-conspirators residing in Maryland, gained unauthorized access to email accounts associated with individuals and businesses targeted by the conspirators and sent false wiring instructions to the victims’ email accounts from “spoofed” emails, which are emails with forged sender addresses, to deceive the victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by perpetrators of the scheme, called “drop accounts.” 

Further, during the same time frame, Echefu and his co-conspirators conspired to commit money laundering by disbursing the fraudulently obtained funds in the drop accounts to other accounts by initiating account transfers, withdrawing cash, obtaining cashier’s checks and by writing checks to other individuals and entities, to hide the true ownership and the source of those assets.  As detailed in the plea agreement, the intended loss for transactions in which Echefu was directly involved—which were some, but not all of the transactions involving Echefu and his co-conspirators—was approximately $304,414 and the actual loss resulting from these transactions was at least $199,929.  Echefu had personal control over at least $22,187.35 of the funds obtained from victims. 

According to the plea agreement, Echefu will be required to pay a money judgment in the amount of $22,187.35 and pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which the parties agree is at least $199,929.

Echefu faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud conspiracy and for the money laundering conspiracy.  U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has scheduled sentencing for May 23, 2024, at 2:00 p.m.

Co-defendant Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, age 30, also a Nigerian nation who resided in South Africa at the time of the criminal conduct, extradited from Canada on April 12, 2023, previously pleaded guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay a money judgment of $45,925 and to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, $1,072,306.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI’s Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force and the U.S. Secret Service for their work in the investigation.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Department of Justice Canada’s International Assistance Group also provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of both Echefu and Simon-Ebo.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, 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 – On Friday, March 1, 2024, after less than an hour of deliberation, a federal jury convicted Donte Antwaun Herring, age 24, of Washington, D.C., for the armed robberies of two phone stores in December 2020.  

The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to the evidence presented at his eight-day trial, on December 17 and December 23, 2020, Herring and his co-conspirators robbed phone stores in Halethorpe and Owings Mills, Maryland, respectively.  In each robbery, Herring and his co-conspirators brandished firearms.

Specifically, according to trial testimony, on December 17, 2020, at shortly after 7:15 p.m., Herring and a co-conspirator entered a phone store in the 3900 block of Washington Boulevard, in Halethorpe, Maryland.  After initially posing as customers browsing for cell phones, the co-conspirator and Herring announced a robbery and brandished firearms—pointing them in the direction of the victim employee.  Trial evidence proved that Herring ordered the victim employee to take him and the co-conspirator to the store’s safe, then ordered the victim to open the safe.  After the victim opened the safe, Herring and the co-conspirator removed various electronic devices from the safe, including multiple boxes of Apple cellular telephones, watches and iPads, along with cash from the store’s register.  They then fled in a maroon minivan.

Witnesses testified that in the robbery on December 23, 2020, co-defendant Rico Dashiell entered a telephone store in the 10000 block of Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills, Maryland and acted like a customer.  Herring and another co-conspirator then entered the store brandishing firearms and Dashiell pointed a gun at a victim employee.  Witnesses testified that Herring and the co-conspirator pointed their guns at a victim customer and other employees and ordered them to get down on the floor. The victim customer was also ordered to empty his pockets and Herring and the co-conspirator took the victim’s wallet (containing his driver’s license and credit cards), along with his car keys, which were on an orange lanyard, and an Apple iPhone 8S plus, valued at approximately $350.  Herring and the co-conspirator went to the back room and Dashiell escorted a victim employee to the back room at gunpoint and ordered the victim to open the store safe.  The victim complied and Herring and the co-conspirator removed nearly all of the electronic devices from the safe—including Apple and Samsung Galaxy devices (76 devices total)—and placed them in large garbage bags they had brought with them.  When Herring and the co-conspirator finished emptying the safe, they ordered the three victims from the main floor of the store to the room in the back of the store where the safe was kept.  According to trial testimony, as Herring and the co-conspirator left the room, the co-conspirator sprayed pepper spray at the victims’ faces.  In the meantime, Dashiell directed a victim employee to open the store’s cash register and stole $322 from the register.

Herring and his co-conspirators then fled in a vehicle that had been stolen earlier in the day and that had tags stolen from another vehicle.  According to trial evidence, law enforcement was able to track the vehicle to a home in Catonsville, Maryland, where aviation units were able to film Herring, Dashiell and the co-conspirator unloading the stolen merchandise from the car and taking it into the residence.

As detailed in trial testimony, law enforcement officers arrived at the residence and attempted for hours to make contact with the suspects and any other occupants of the residence.  After two young children who lived at the residence (who had no relation to the robbers) came out of the house, law enforcement executed a search warrant of the residence and arrested the robbers, who had been hiding in the attic.  During a search incident to his arrest, law enforcement seized, among other things, $622.16 from the co-conspirator ($322 of which was proceeds from the robbery), along with a round of ammunition.

According to trial evidence, during their search of the residence, law enforcement also recovered, among other things, the clothing, gloves, and headwear worn by the robbers during the robbery; the 76 devices stolen during the robbery; the canister of pepper spray used to spray the victims during the robbery; the stolen wallet belonging to one of the victims of the robbery; and the three firearms used by Herring, Dashiell and the co-conspirator during the robbery; as well as a Polymer 80 Gray Grip with a black slide 9mm semi-automatic pistol, with no serial number, commonly known as a “ghost gun,” which was also loaded.

Electronic evidence presented at trial included multiple text messages in which Herring discussed his planning of the December 23, 2020 robbery.  It likewise included photographs from a co-conspirator’s iCloud account that showed Herring holding large amounts of cash within hours of the robbery on December 17, 2020.

Co-defendant Rico Dashiell, age 25, of Fort Washington, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the robbery and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.

Herring faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each of two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and a mandatory minimum of seven years, consecutive to any other sentence, and up to life in federal prison for each of two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.   U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox has scheduled sentencing for May 31, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Michael Aubin, 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 – Davonne Tramont Dorsey, age 30, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland pleaded guilty on March 1, 2024, to carjacking and to using, carrying and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence.  Dorsey also admitted that he and other conspirators kidnapped victims and attempted to rob them, using force and threats of force. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock 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 Healey.

According to his plea agreement, in May and August 2021, Dorsey and other conspirators planned to impersonate police officers to stop vehicles, carjack and abduct victims, and use force and threats of force to steal cash  Dorsey and other conspirators posed as police officers, using police vests, badges, and a law enforcement-type light bar, to stop the victims and their vehicles, and brandished firearms and a blow torch during the kidnappings. 

As detailed in the plea agreement, on May 15, 2021, driving a Ford Fusion with police-style lights, Dorsey and other members of the conspiracy drove to Edgewood, Maryland to abduct and rob J.H.  Dorsey and the others were wearing police-style vests with “police” written on them, masks, and gloves.  Around midnight on May 15-16, 2021, J.H. left Edgewood, driving a 2022 Toyota Camry.  The members of the conspiracy used the police-style lights to stop J.H’s vehicle.  Dorsey and the conspirators, armed with firearms, approached J.H.’s car and identified themselves as police.  The conspirators told J.H. that he had an outstanding warrant, and that he was under arrest.  The conspirators put J.H. in handcuffs, put duct tape over his eyes and mouth, bound his feet, and put him in the back of their vehicle.  J.H. was then driven away in the Ford Fusion with two of the conspirators while two other members of the conspiracy followed in J.H.’s Camry.  While JH was in the Ford Fusion, the conspirators demanded $10,000, told J.H. that they knew where he lived and that they would kill his parents if he did not cooperate.  One of the conspirators used a blow torch to burn J.H.’s chest multiple times when J.H. did not answer questions.  The conspirators took J.H.’s necklace, wallet, phone, and car keys.  After more than 5 hours of driving and demanding money, the conspirators released J.H. in Baltimore City at approximately 5:20 a.m.

Further, Dorsey admitted that on August 2, 2021, he and two co-conspirators approached victim A.K. as she left the check cashing business where she worked.  The conspirators, wearing police vests and badges, brandished firearms to kidnap victim A.K. and placed her into the rear of one of their vehicles equipped with law enforcement-type lights.  The driver was holding a blowtorch with a blue fuel canister, and A.K. observed a bottle of bleach on the floor in the back of the car.  After A.K. entered the vehicle, the men bound A.K.’s wrists behind her back with zip-ties and used black duct tape to affix a blindfold over her eyes.  One of the men stated to A.K., “We don’t burn sisters.”

According to the plea agreement, while in the vehicle, the men took A.K.’s wallet, phone, and keys, which included the keys to the check cashing business.  The men demanded that A.K. provide access to the check cashing business, including demanding the A.K. provide the men with access codes, safe codes, and the amount of money in the safe at the business.  The men demanded information from A.K. for nearly 6 hours, then released A.K. in Edmonson Village in Baltimore City at approximately 1:00 a.m.   Before they drove away, the men instructed A.K. not to remove her face covering until they had driven away. 

Dorsey and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the guilty plea, a sentence of 15 years in federal prison is the appropriate disposition of the case.  U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox has scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2024, at 10:00 a.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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

United States Attorney Erek L. 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.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Spencer Todd, 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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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson sentenced Michael Akame Ngwese Ay Makoge, a/k/a “Hype” and “2Hype”, age 29, of Laurel, Maryland, yesterday to 53 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a wire fraud conspiracy and for aggravated identity theft, related to a Maryland and California unemployment insurance (“UI”) fraud scheme totaling more than $1.5 million.  Judge Hurson also ordered Makoge to forfeit over $297,400 and to pay restitution of $2,094,319.

Co-defendant Christian Malik Adrea, a/k/a “Leak,” “Lil Leak,” age 26, of Mitchellville, Maryland, pleaded guilty on February 26, 2024, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft for his role in the fraud scheme.

The sentence and guilty plea were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Ajay Lall of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division (USPIS); Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG); Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland State Police (MSP); and 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, from March 2020 to October 2021, Makoge and his co-conspirators impersonated victims to submit fraudulent claims for pandemic-related UI benefits in Maryland and California.  As part of the scheme, Makoge and his co-conspirators obtained the birthdates, social security numbers, and other personal identifying information (“PII”) of numerous victims which they used to prepare and submit fraudulent applications for UI benefits.  The applications contained false information, including the victims’ contact information, states of residence, and availability for work.  These fraudulent applications caused financial institutions to load UI benefits onto debit cards and mail the cards to physical addresses provided and monitored by Makoge and his co-conspirators.  Once Makoge and his co-conspirators received the fraudulently obtained benefits on the debit cards, they used them for cash withdrawals and other transactions for their own financial benefit. 

A search at Makoge’s residence on February 16, 2021, recovered 11 UI debit cards in the names of six victims from the bedroom.  Makoge, Adrea, and another co-conspirator were present at the time of the search.  The investigation also revealed numerous text messages between Makoge and his co-conspirators, including Adrea, exchanging the PII of victims and discussing the execution of the UI fraud scheme.

Adrea’s phone was also seized during the search and in the notes section, he had the name, date of birth, and social security number of 22 victims.  The total loss of funds tied to these victims in the notes as well as those sent via text message totaled $195,556 and involved over 45 different fraudulent UI claims.

Further, Makoge made numerous ATM withdrawals using the identities of victims, personally obtaining at least $35,540 as a result of his participation in the scheme.  UI records revealed that the Adrea and his co-conspirators are connected to multiple UI profiles of actual victims whose identities were used to open accounts and obtain benefits without their permission.  These victims are also tied to texts and calls between Adrea and his co-conspirators over several months.  In all, Makoge, Adrea, and their co-conspirators submitted more than 200 fraudulent UI claims using the names and PII of victims, resulting in more than $1.6 million in losses.

Of the 11 defendants charged in this fraud scheme, five, including Makoge and Adrea, have now pleaded guilty and two, Makoge and Dementrous Smith, have been sentenced.

Adrea and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts his plea, Adrea will be sentenced to 65 months in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson has scheduled sentencing for May 30, 2024

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 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 USPIS, DOL-OIG, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, HSI, MSP, and ATF, for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked the United States Marshals Service, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance.  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 and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Samuel Sweeley, age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to federal charges of involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with a fatal vehicle crash on the Baltimore-Washington (“BW”) Parkway.  

The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and Chief Jessica M.E. Taylor of the United States Park Police (“USPP”).

According to his guilty plea, at approximately 2:38 a.m. on September 4, 2022, Sweeley was driving his Lexus SUV northbound on the BW Parkway, approaching the ramp to the inner loop of I-495/I-95.  Sweeley got into the exit lane, but did not exit, instead driving onto the shoulder beyond the exit ramp.  Approximately 10 to 15 feet beyond the exit ramp, Sweeley drove his SUV into the rear of an occupied Hyundai Elantra sedan, which was parked on the shoulder with its hazard lights on.

As detailed in the plea agreement, the male driver was pronounced dead at the scene and the female passenger was transported to the hospital.  Sweeley consented to a blood draw and was transported to the hospital by a USPP officer.  Sweeley subsequently declined to allow a blood draw to occur.  The officer noticed that Sweeley had an odor of alcohol emanating from his person and breath, was slurring his speech, and had red, bloodshot, water eyes.  The officer administered field sobriety tests, determined that Sweeley was under the influence of alcohol, and obtained a search warrant for a blood draw from Sweeley.  At 6:48 a.m., approximately four hours after the crash, Sweeley’s blood was drawn and found positive for alcohol at a level of .15 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.

The USPP investigation of the collision determined that the primary causes of the crash were  that Sweeley improperly utilized a parallel deceleration lane, was traveling 80 mph in a posted 55 mph zone, and was driving under the influence at the time of the crash.

Sweeley faces a maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison for involuntary manslaughter and a maximum of six months in prison for driving under the influence.  As part of his plea agreement, Sweeley will be required to pay restitution, including compensation for the loss and/or damages to the victim’s vehicle, as well as the victim’s emergency medical, funeral and burial costs.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for June 18, 2024 at 2:30 p.m.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the USPP for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Shabnam Aryana and Joel Crespo, 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 – U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Jourdain Larose, a/k/a “JBlacc,” age 28, of Ellicott City, Maryland, yesterday to 40 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the use and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death, in connection with a murder-for-hire conspiracy.  Larose solicited others to murder victim Juan Ross in exchange for money and in the course of the murder-for-hire Larose aided and abetted his co-conspirators who discharged firearms, resulting in the death of Ross.

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; Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department; and Howard County State’s Attorney Rich Gibson.

According to his plea agreement, Larose accused Juan Ross, age 23, of Columbia, Maryland, of cooperating with law enforcement, including on a live social media conversation on September 9, 2020, and in text message. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, Larose provided a gun to a conspirator on September 12, 2020, for the purpose of killing Juan Ross.  On October 3, 2020, when the conspirator had not committed the murder yet, Larose solicited co-defendant Tyrik Braxton to commit the murder instead.  On that same date, Braxton texted a cell phone number linked to co-defendant Daquante Thomas with the address where Ross could be found. 

According to court documents, on October 4, 2020, after text messaging each other about the address where they could find the victim, Braxton, Thomas, and another co-conspirator drove to the area of Basket Ring Road in Columbia to locate Juan Ross, then drove to a drug store nearby, where Braxton got out of the car and left the area.  A short time later, Thomas and the co-conspirator returned to Basket Ring Court, shot and killed Juan Ross and drove away together.

Although they denied knowing each other in post arrest statements, investigators linked Larose and Braxton through cellphone records and witness interviews.  According to the plea agreement, after Ross’s murder, Braxton texted Larose that he had something important to discuss, and Larose told Braxton to Facetime him.  As detailed in the plea agreement, on October 7, 2020, Braxton texted Larose, “It’s going to be hot as sh** out here” to which Larose responded, “It already is bro.”

Co-defendant Tyrik Braxton, a/k/a “Son-Son,” age 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death and is expected to be sentenced to between 20 and 25 years in federal prison.  No date has been set for his sentencing.  On January 11, 2023, Judge Rubin sentenced co-defendant Daquante Thomas, age 21, of Baltimore, to 35 years in federal prison for the same charge.  Thomas admitted that he was one of the shooters.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Howard County Police Department, and the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution and thanked the FBI, the Maryland State Police, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Y. Hagan, 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/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Noel Chimezuru Agoha, age 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 40 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to a series of fraud schemes with losses of more than $1.5 million.  Judge Hollander also ordered Agoha to pay restitution of $1 million.

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; Special Agent in Charge Karen L. Brown Cleveland of the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, between February 2015 and November 2018, Agoha conspired with others, including co-defendants Sessieu Oulai and Kelechi Ntibunka, to execute a business email compromise (“BEC”) scam.

As part of the scheme, “drop accounts” were opened with financial institutions and controlled by the Agoha and his co-conspirators, in order to receive money from victims of criminal fraud schemes, including the BEC scam, and launder fraud proceeds.  Specifically, as detailed in the plea agreement, members of the fraud conspiracy used false and fraudulent e-mails to deceive individuals and companies who were engaged in financial transactions and/or ongoing business relationships with other individuals or entities by impersonating clients, persons in positions of authority, and representatives of companies with whom the victims had ongoing business.  Through these false and fraudulent e-mails, the conspirators induced the victims to send money via electronic transfer or deposit into bank accounts controlled by Agoha and other conspirators.  In this way, the Defendant and other conspirators intercepted payments intended for others.  Agoha, Oulai, Ntibunka, and other conspirators also monitored drop account activity (deposits, transfers, and balances), relayed information, and provided instruction about transactions to co-conspirators via text messages.  In total, the defendants and their co-conspirators  received, or attempted to receive, more than $1.1 million in proceeds from BEC scams.  Agoha personally obtained approximately $111,242 as a result of the BEC scheme to which he is pleading guilty.

Agoha also joined a fraud conspiracy that conducted dating or romance scams targeting individuals looking for romantic partners or friendships on dating websites and other social media platforms.  Specifically, members of the fraud conspiracy created profiles using fake names, locations, images, and personas in order to initiate and cultivate relationships with prospective victims under false pretenses.  Once a relationship with a victim was initiated, conspirators attempted to convince or induce the victim to provide money through electronic transfer or deposit into bank accounts controlled by the conspiracy, and/or items of property through interstate delivery or international shipment.  Victims were sometimes induced to conduct transactions at the direction of the conspirators, such as transfers in and out of particular bank accounts. 

Agoha used business bank accounts he controlled in Maryland to receive and launder proceeds of dating scams.  Proceeds of the fraud that were deposited into Agoha’s accounts were withdrawn and spent through various purchases and payments.  Agoha and his co-conspirators accrued more than $1 million in dating scam proceeds.

After pleading guilty to their roles in the fraud scheme, Sessieu Ange Oulai, age 37, of Parkville, Maryland, was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison and Kelechi Arthur Ntibunka, age 35, of Essex, Maryland, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.  Judge Hollander also ordered that Oulai and Btibunka pay restitution of $300,000.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised HSI’s Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darryl Tarver and Paul A. Riley, 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 – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Mary Ann Mendoza, a/k/a “Mary Ann Manuel,” “Trinity,” “M3,” and “Emily James,” age 51, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, to 12 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for federal charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud related to a debt elimination and wealth management fraud scheme.  Judge Chuang imposed the sentence on Friday, February 23, 2024, and ordered Mendoza to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $981,293.07 and pay restitution of $3,281,109.38.  A federal jury convicted Mendoza and co-defendant Willie Lamont Hicks, a/k/a “Will Woodward” and “CW,” age 52, of Kansas City, Missouri, on October 4, 2023.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Edwin S. Bonano of the Southeastern Region - Federal Housing Finance Agency - Office of Inspector General; Special Agent in Charge Javan Wilson of the U.S. Department of the Treasury - Office of Inspector General; Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.

According to the evidence presented at the seven-day trial, from August 2011 to at least September 2017, Mendoza and Hicks, who represented themselves as partners and as husband and wife, held in-person trainings purporting to educate victim-debtors on how to discharge consumer debt, including mortgage debt, credit card debt, and automobile financing debt.  Mendoza and Hicks also marketed wealth management services to victims, including purporting to set up a family office and to fund business opportunities.

As detailed in trial testimony, during the debt elimination classes, Mendoza and Hicks, who claimed to be an attorney, told victims that on the back of their social security cards and birth certificates, there was a number that unlocked access to a special bank account with funds owed to the victims by the U.S. government.  The defendants also told the victim-debtors that they could create or use “trusts” to fulfill the wealth management or debt elimination services, or to obtain return on investment. 

The evidence proved that Mendoza, Hicks, and their associates offered to facilitate the discharge of the debt held by the victims or perform other purported services for a fee, such as a percentage of the victim-debtors’ outstanding debt.  The defendants accepted payment in the form of cash, wire transfers, personal and cashier’s checks, and the use of the victim-debtors’ credit.  Victim-debtors also paid the defendants through the liquidation of their retirement savings, the leasing of apartments, and the purchase of vehicles and office equipment and supplies.  In 2017, Mendoza and Hicks caused one victim to transfer almost $100,000 from the victim’s bank account to the accounts of fraudulent corporate entities controlled by the defendants.  Trial testimony showed that victim-debtors were induced into providing the defendants with over one million dollars in cash and other forms of payment during the period of the conspiracy.

According to the evidence also presented at trial, Mendoza and Hicks used the victims’ personal identifying information without the victims’ knowledge or permission and provided the victims with fraudulent documents, including Internal Revenue Service forms, memorandums of agreement, intake forms, and other materials that the defendants claimed were necessary for discharging debt.  The evidence showed that Hicks, Mendoza, and their associates mailed the fraudulent paperwork to the victim-debtors’ creditors, lenders, and the Internal Revenue Service purporting to effectuate the discharge of the victim’s debts. 

As a result of Mendoza’s and Hicks’ scheme, victims suffered substantial financial harm, including foreclosure and eviction, homelessness, depletion of their retirement savings, significant downgrading of their credit scores, bankruptcy, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees and penalties owed to the IRS as a result of the fraudulent paperwork mailings.

On February 15, 2024, Judge Chuang sentenced Hicks to 22 years in federal prison and ordered him to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $1,649,897.33 and pay restitution of $3,281,109.38. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Federal Housing Finance Agency - Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of the Treasury - Office of Inspector General, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked the United States Marshals, the Hinesville, Georgia Police Department, the Gwinnett County, Georgia Police Department, the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Offices of Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Georgia, Eastern District of Texas, New Jersey, and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Coreen Mao, 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 – David Quillen, 37, of Ocean View, Delaware, a correctional officer at the Eastern Correctional Institution (“ECI”) in Westover, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to obstruct justice and to destruction of records, related to covering up evidence that a fellow officer at ECI had unlawfully assaulted an inmate.

The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Baltimore Field Office.

According to his guilty plea, on July 12, 2021, while working at ECI, Quillen learned that another officer had used force against an inmate.  Upon learning of the incident, Quillen responded to the scene with a video camera and began recording the inmate.  While Quillen filmed him, the inmate asserted that he had been assaulted by a correctional officer—Officer Samuel Warren—for no reason.  The inmate also cried, and was visibly injured, with blood on his face.

After Quillen stopped filming, he and other officers watched the video Quillen had filmed.  While watching the video, a supervisory officer commented that the video did not look good for Warren and indicated that the video should be deleted.  Warren agreed, and Quillen and other officers agreed to lie about the deletion.  Understanding that the video contained evidence that Warren’s use of force against the inmate had been unlawful, Quillen deleted the video. 

Following the deletion, Quillen lied about what happened to the video, including to supervisors at ECI, and to state and federal investigators.

Warren has since admitted that he unlawfully assaulted the inmate and has pleaded guilty to federal offenses related to that assault.

Quillen faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy to obstruct justice and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for destruction of records.   U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for May 22, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended the FBI and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for its assistance.  Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Marquardt and Trial Attorney Erin Monju of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section who are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Special Legal Counsel Mark Blumberg of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

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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A correctional officer at the Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) in Westover, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to an information charging him with one count of conspiring to obstruct justice and one count of destruction of records, with the purpose of covering up evidence that a fellow officer at ECI had unlawfully assaulted an inmate.

According to court documents, on July 12, 2021, while working at the ECI, David Quillen, 37, learned that another officer had used force against an inmate. Upon learning of the incident, Quillen responded to the scene with a video camera and began recording the inmate. While Quillen filmed him, the inmate asserted that he had been assaulted by a correctional officer — Samuel Warren — for no reason. The inmate also cried and was visibly injured with blood on his face.

After Quillen stopped filming, he and other officers watched the video Quillen had filmed. While watching the video, a supervisory officer commented that the video did not look good for Warren and indicated that the video should be deleted. Warren agreed and Quillen and other officers agreed to lie about the deletion. Understanding that the video contained evidence that Warren’s use of force against the inmate had been unlawful, Quillen deleted the video.

Following the deletion, Quillen lied about what happened to the video, including to supervisors at ECI and to state and federal investigators.

Warren has since admitted that he unlawfully assaulted the inmate and has entered guilty pleas to both federal offenses related to that assault.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland and Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Baltimore Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Baltimore Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Marquardt for the District of Maryland and Trial Attorney Erin Monju of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Special Legal Counsel Mark Blumberg of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section.

Greenbelt, Maryland – After deliberating less than 90 minutes, a federal jury convicted Jalen Craig McMillan, age 30, of Jessup, Maryland, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.  The jury returned its verdict late on February 16, 2024.

The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland 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 Paul Archie, 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 are awaiting sentencing.

McMillan faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for the conspiracy and for each count of bank fraud and a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed for aggravated identity theft.  U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte has scheduled sentencing for McMillan on June5, 2024, at 2:30 p.m.

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 https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Willie Lamont Hicks, a/k/a “Will Woodward” and “CW,” age 52, of Kansas City, Missouri, yesterday to 22 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for federal charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud related to a debt elimination and wealth management fraud scheme.  Judge Chuang also ordered Hicks to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $1,649,897.33 and pay restitution of $3,281,109.38.  A federal jury convicted Hicks and co-defendant Mary Ann Mendoza, a/k/a “Mary Ann Manuel,” “Trinity,” “M3,” and “Emily James,” age 51, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, of those charges on October 4, 2023.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Edwin S. Bonano of the Southeastern Region - Federal Housing Finance Agency - Office of Inspector General; Special Agent in Charge Javan Wilson of the U.S. Department of the Treasury - Office of Inspector General; Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.

According to the evidence presented at the seven-day trial, from August 2011 to at least September 2017, Hicks and Mendoza, who represented themselves as partners and as husband and wife, held in-person trainings purporting to educate victim-debtors on how to discharge consumer debt, including mortgage debt, credit card debt, and automobile financing debt.  Hicks and Mendoza also marketed wealth management services to victims, including purporting to set up a family office and to fund business opportunities.

As detailed in trial testimony, during the debt elimination classes, Hicks, who claimed to be an attorney, and Mendoza told victims that on the back of their social security cards and birth certificates, there was a number that unlocked access to a special bank account with funds owed to the victims by the U.S. government.  The defendants also told the victim-debtors that they could create or use “trusts” to fulfill the wealth management or debt elimination services, or to obtain return on investment. 

The evidence proved that Hicks, Mendoza, and their associates offered to facilitate the discharge of the debt held by the victims or perform other purported services for a fee, such as a percentage of the victim-debtors’ outstanding debt.  The defendants accepted payment in the form of cash, wire transfers, personal and cashier’s checks, and the use of the victim-debtors’ credit.  Victim-debtors also paid the defendants through the liquidation of their retirement savings, the leasing of apartments, and the purchase of vehicles and office equipment and supplies.  In 2017, Hicks and Mendoza caused one victim to transfer almost $100,000 from the victim’s bank account to the accounts of fraudulent corporate entities controlled by the defendants.  Trial testimony showed that victim-debtors were induced into providing the defendants with over one million dollars in cash and other forms of payment during the period of the conspiracy.

According to the evidence also presented at trial, Hicks and Mendoza used the victims’ personal identifying information without the victims’ knowledge or permission and provided the victims with fraudulent documents, including Internal Revenue Service forms, memorandums of agreement, intake forms, and other materials that the defendants claimed were necessary for discharging debt.  The evidence showed that Hicks, Mendoza, and their associates mailed the fraudulent paperwork to the victim-debtors’ creditors, lenders, and the Internal Revenue Service purporting to effectuate the discharge of the victim’s debts. 

As a result of Hicks’ and Mendoza’s scheme, victims suffered substantial financial harm, including foreclosure and eviction, homelessness, depletion of their retirement savings, significant downgrading of their credit scores, bankruptcy, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees and penalties owed to the IRS as a result of the fraudulent paperwork mailings.

Mendoza faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud.  Judge Chuang has scheduled sentencing for Mendoza on February 23, 2024, at 9:30 a.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Federal Housing Finance Agency - Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of the Treasury - Office of Inspector General, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked the United States Marshals, the Hinesville, Georgia Police Department, the Gwinnett County, Georgia Police Department, the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Offices of Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Georgia, Eastern District of Texas, New Jersey, and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Coreen Mao, 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 – Dexter Nikoe Eaton, age 34, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty yesterday to armed bank robbery, related to a series of bank and armed commercial robberies he committed. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to Eaton’s plea agreement, between June 3 and July 30, 2022, Eaton committee six separate robberies/attempted robberies of banks and other businesses and used a firearm in four of the robberies.

Specifically, Eaton admitted that on June 3, 2022, he robbed a bank in the 3200 block of West North Avenue in Baltimore, providing a note to the teller that demanded money and threatened to kill the teller’s family if the teller did not comply with Eaton’s demands.  On June 9, 2022, Eaton attempted to rob a check cashing and financial services business located in the 1600 block of West North Avenue, again by passing a note to the teller.  The teller refused to read the note, instead activating an alarm, and Eaton fled the bank.  Law enforcement collected the note passed by Eaton, which again demanded money and threatened to kill the family of the employee if Eaton’s demands were not met.

As detailed in his plea agreement, on June 10, 2022, Eaton, armed with a handgun, entered a bank in the 3200 block of West North Avenue wearing a black head covering and a surgical mask and pointed the gun at customers and employees stating, “Nobody move.  Give me $4,000 or everyone in this b***h is dead.”  Eaton forced a customer to the ground at gunpoint and took the customer’s wallet and cash.  With the gun still pointed at the customer’s head, Eaton demanded that an employee get him $4,000 or Eaton would shoot the customer.  The bank employee, fearing for her safety and the safety of others, gave Eaton cash, and Eaton fled the bank.  On June 27, Eaton, armed with a handgun, robbed a bank in the 4700 block of Liberty Heights Avenue in Baltimore, pointing a gun at the security guard’s head and forcing the security guard to accompany Eaton to the teller window, where a customer was conducting a transaction.  With the gun still at the security guard’s head, Eaton demanded that the teller give him $7,000 and threatened to shoot the security guard and the customer if the teller did not give him money or pushed any alarms.  Fearing for her safety, the teller gave Eaton cash and he fled the bank.

Finally, on July 23, 2022, and July 30, 2022, Eaton robbed two businesses in the 3100 block of West North Avenue.  In both robberies, Eaton held employees at gunpoint and demanded money, threatening an employee in the second robbery for moving too slow.  The employees in both robberies gave Eaton cash and he left the stores.

Eaton and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, a sentence between seven and 20 years in federal prison is the appropriate disposition of the case.   U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for May 15, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.                     

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the FBI and Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reema Sood and Paul E. Budlow, 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 – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Mark Ryals, age 35, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 42 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for unlicensed dealing in firearms. 

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; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, in early July 2021, law enforcement received information that Ryals was illegally selling firearms from his residence in Baltimore.  That month, an undercover law enforcement agent asked Ryals to sell him firearms.  Ryals agreed to make the sale and on July 15, 2021, Ryals sold the undercover officer two privately manufactured 9mm pistols and a .17 caliber firearm silencer for $2,250.  Ryals knew that he was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a final protective order that was served on him on June 30, 2021.  Ryals also knew that he didn’t have a license to deal or sell firearms.

According to court documents, between July 15 and August 11, 2021, Ryals sold firearms to undercover law enforcement personnel on six separate occasions, resulting in the purchase of 21 additional firearms from the defendant. 

As detailed in the plea agreement, on August 12, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Ryals’ residence and recovered two privately manufactured 9mm pistols, one of which was equipped with a large capacity magazine; a short barreled 12-gauge shotgun with no serial number; a .22 caliber firearm; 237 rounds of assorted ammunition and $1,190 in cash, most of which was ATF funds used in the controlled purchases.  Additionally, officers recovered firearms accessories and tools used in the creation of privately manufactured firearms, including a Dremel press with red plastic shavings on it.  Ryals waived his Miranda rights and agreed to an interview with law enforcement, during which Ryals admitted that he had been making firearms and selling them.

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 the Baltimore Police Department 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 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 – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Ernest Lee Bailey, age 51, of Owings Mills, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and MDMA.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) - Washington Division; and Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the National Capital Region U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General (“DOL-OIG”).

According to his guilty plea, from at least November 2019 to November 2020, Bailey led a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that was responsible for distributing kilogram quantities of controlled substances, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and MDMA in and around Baltimore.

As detailed in his plea agreement, between June and November 2020, law enforcement intercepted communications from multiple cellphones used by Bailey in connection with his drug activities, including “source” phones, which Bailey used to communicate with sources of drug supply, and “shop” phones with Bailey used to communicate with downstream distributors.

The intercepted communications revealed that Bailey obtained heroin from a Mexican-based DTO.  The Mexican DTO’s middleman in New York City delivered narcotics to, and received payments from, Bailey on behalf of the Mexican DTO. 

Bailey admitted that he obtained cocaine from a source of supply in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, through a co-conspirator who was a Baltimore-area cocaine wholesaler.  Bailey also recruited another individual to serve as a courier to transport cocaine from Philadelphia to Baltimore on behalf of Bailey.  On at least five separate occasions Bailey and a co-conspirator acquired kilograms of cocaine from the Philadelphia source and directed the courier that Bailey recruited to bring the cocaine back to Baltimore.

According to the plea agreement, Bailey maintained a network of wholesale drug redistributors who sold the drugs supplied by Bailey to their own customers.  In addition, Bailey rented an apartment on Heath Street in Baltimore which he used as a stash location to store and process drugs for redistribution. 

Finally, Bailey admitted that he used the proceeds of bank fraud to pay the rent on the apartment.  Specifically, Bailey’s used pandemic-related unemployment insurance benefits that were fraudulently issued to an inmate, T.S., on a bank debit card in July 2020.  Bailey contacted the bank, posing as T.S. and requested that the PIN on the card be reset.  Bailey confirmed the card number and the average card balance, which was $19,230.45.  Bailey then used the funds on the card to purchase four $500 U.S. Postal Service money orders.  Bailey used $1,000 of the money orders toward his down payment on a new Acura MDX and the remaining money orders, marked payable from the individual in whose name Bailey rented the Heath Street apartment, toward the rent on the apartment.

On November 16, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Bailey’s residence and recovered 13 cell phones, men’s designer watches and other jewelry, and $8,980 in cash.  Bailey later admitted that the cash and jewelry represented proceeds from the sale of controlled substances or money intended to be used to purchase controlled substances.  Searches of the Heath Street apartment recovered drug paraphernalia, including digital scales, drug cutting agents and hydraulic presses and controlled substances, including over 215 grams of a mixture of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and tramadol; and 301 grams of eutylone, a controlled substance analogous to MDMA.

Bailey was the last defendant in this 13-defendant case to be sentenced.  Eleven co-defendants pleaded guilty to their roles in the DTO and were sentenced to between one and six years in federal prison and one defendant passed away after being indicted.

This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location.  This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.  The specific mission of the Baltimore Strike Force is to reduce violent, drug-related, and gang crime in the Baltimore area and surrounding region.  The Baltimore SF is comprised of agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Maryland National Guard, the Maryland State Police, and the Maryland Transportation Authority, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, DEA, and the DOL-OIG for their work in the investigation and recognized the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey J. Izant and Anatoly Smolkin, 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-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Lambert Mbom, age 50, of Riverdale, Maryland, to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and for conspiracy to make false statements relating to health care matters 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 Mbom to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss, $4,450,588.66.  The sentence was imposed on February 8, 2024.

The guilty verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division; Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS OIG”); and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

According to evidence presented at Mbom’s six-day trial, he was a program administrator at Holy Health.  Holy Health entered into Medicaid Provider Agreements with the District of Columbia’s Department of Health Care Finance (“DHCF”), to provide healthcare services to D.C. Medicaid recipients and was certified by the District of Columbia’s Department of Behavioral Health (“DBH”) to provide mental health services as a freestanding clinic and 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.  

According to evidence presented at trial, Mbom and his co-conspirators paid to Medicaid beneficiaries to induce the beneficiaries to visit Holy Health for mental health services.  As detailed in trial testimony, Mbom 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. 

As detailed in trial testimony, Mbom and his co-conspirators paid individuals to come into the office and then used their personally identifiable information (“PII”) to bill Medicaid for services that were not rendered or were not rendered as billed.  The evidence proved that Mbom made up fake Holy Health employees who were purportedly Community Support Workers so that he could bill Medicaid for services provided by these fake employees.  Witnesses testified that during the investigation, sources posing as mental health patients were sent to Holy Health to obtain community support services.  Not only did the sources not receive the services as billed, but Holy Health billed for CSW services for those patients for visits that never happened.  

The jury acquitted Mbom of conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute.

The owners of Holy Health, Julius Bakari, age 46, and Mboutchock Kabiwa a/k/a “Eugenie Bakari” or “Eugenie Kabiwa,” age 46, both of Silver Spring, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a scheme to pay bribes and kickbacks to Medicaid beneficiaries to induce the beneficiaries to visit their company.  Kabiwa was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay restitution of $3,493,681.  Bakari is scheduled to be sentenced on April 9, 2024.

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.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Evan Thomas Harris Frock age 34, of Taneytown, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to 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.  He remains detained on related state charges.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock 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.

Frock faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years for sexual exploitation of a child to produce child pornography.  U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson has scheduled sentencing for Frock on April 16, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. 

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 E. 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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Baltimore, Maryland – As a result of a law enforcement operation on February 7, 2024, 10 defendants were arrested at locations throughout Maryland and three search warrants were executed related to an alleged money laundering conspiracy involving more than $9.5 million in proceeds from fraud schemes.  Law enforcement agents from the Homeland Security Investigations Mid-Atlantic El-Dorado Task Force, the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service participated in yesterday’s searches and arrests.  Additional defendants are currently fugitives.

A federal grand jury in Maryland returned two indictments last year that were unsealed upon the arrests of the defendants.  The following defendants were arrested in connection with these two cases.

Case Number: 23-CR-411 (MJM)

            1. Adanegbe Gift Osemwenkhae, age 38, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland;             2. Emily Gil Arias, age 26, of Silver Spring, Maryland;             3. Fatoumata Boiro, age 30, of Largo, Maryland;             4. Lakeisha Parker, age 31, of Baltimore;             5. Martin Ogisi, age 35, of Severn, Maryland;             6. Blondel Ndjouandjouaka, age 30, of Silver Spring, Maryland;             7. Kevin Colon, age 33, of Curtis Bay, Maryland; and
            8. Lorena Perez Herrera, age 27, of Silver Spring, Maryland.

Case Number: 23-CR-304 (MJM)

            9. Yahye Sowe, a/k/a “Cash,” age 40, of Largo, Maryland; and
            10. Areal El-Lovieta Harris, age 24, of Hanover, Maryland.

The defendants had initial appearances yesterday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Austin.  Osemwenkhae, Ogisi, and Ndjouandjouaka consented to detention, Sowe and Boiro were detained pending detention hearings scheduled for February 9, 2024, and the remaining defendants were released on conditions under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.

The indictments were 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 Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), Washington, D.C. Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Nicolas Evans of the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Inspector General (“EPA OIG”); and Special Agent in Charge Ken DeChellis, of the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Cyber Field Office (“DCIS”).

According to the indictments, the defendants allegedly created and used limited liability companies and other shell businesses to open bank accounts on which the shell entities were listed as the account holders.  Members of the conspiracy had signature authority for the bank accounts, at times using aliases or stolen identities.  The defendants and their co-conspirators used the bank accounts to receive money obtained from the fraud victims.  The victims included government agencies, organizations, and companies, such as an environmental trust, an urban redevelopment program, a medical center, a transportation and logistics company, a school district, a college, and a county government, among others.  Some of the co-conspirators obtained and used forged and counterfeited identification documents, including documents bearing the names of individual identity theft victims.

As detailed in the indictments, the victims were deceived into sending money to the conspirators’ bank accounts based on false pretenses, such as being provided with false bank account information for legitimate vendor payments and false wire transfer information for legitimate transactions.  After the fraudulently obtained funds were received in the bank accounts, the defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly engaged in financial transactions to conceal and disguise the nature and source of the money through cash withdrawals, the purchase of cashier’s checks, debit card transactions, and by transferring funds to other bank accounts controlled by the conspirators.

According to the indictments, the defendants obtained and used a portion of the fraud proceeds for themselves.  The defendants allegedly used some of the fraud proceeds to purchase vehicles, some of which were shipped or attempted to be shipped outside the United States.  As alleged in the indictment, the defendants also engaged in international financial transactions and caused fraud proceeds to be sent outside the United States.

The indictment further alleges that the defendants in case 23-CR-411 (MJM) and their co-conspirators collectively conducted and attempted to conduct financial transactions involving more than $9.5 million in fraud proceeds.  The indictment in 23-CR-304 (MJM) alleges that the defendants and their co-conspirators conducted and attempted to conduct financial transactions involving more than $2 million in fraud proceeds.

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy and for each count of money laundering.  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 HSI Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force, IRS-CI, EPA-OIG, and DCIS for their work in the investigation and recognized the Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County Police Departments for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Stephanie Williamson, who are prosecuting these cases.  He also recognized the assistance of the Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber. 

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 Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Delvon Lashawn Redd, age 30, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, yesterday to 78 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for abusive sexual contact with a minor.  Judge Boardman also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Redd 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 and Special Agent in Charge Brian T. Platt of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to his guilty plea, from April 17 to May 28, 2022, Redd, a U.S. Navy service member was staying at the Navy Lodge Hotel located at the U.S. Naval Air Station Patuxent River Base in Patuxent River, Maryland.  On approximately May 6, 2022, Redd began communicating on a social media platform with an 11-year-old minor female who claimed she was 18 years old.  Redd asked the victim to send him pictures of herself and the victim sent a short video of herself.  In their online conversations that day, Redd commented on how young the victim looked.  Despite that, later that evening Redd drove to the victim’s house in Lexington Park, Maryland, picked the victim up near her home and drove her back to the Navy Lodge, where security footage shows Redd and victim entering his room at approximately 9:44 p.m.  Once inside the room, Redd had sexual intercourse with the victim.  The following morning, Redd drove the victim back to her house.

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 NCIS for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christoper Sarma, 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/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Daniel Williams, age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity, including murder, carjacking, and armed robbery, just before the start of his trial in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. 

The guilty plea 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; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock 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.

According to his guilty plea, from at least April 2019 to the present, Williams and at least five other people agreed to participate in a criminal enterprise which committed a series of armed commercial robberies, armed robberies, attempted armed robberies, and carjackings, some of which resulted in the murder or non-fatal shooting of the victims.  Williams and the co-conspirators used at least three different firearms to commit the crimes and shared the proceeds of their exploits, which they promoted on social media.

As detailed in the plea agreement, between June 9, 2019 and August 12, 2019, the conspirators committed seven carjackings, six armed robberies and two attempted armed robberies.  During a carjacking on June 12, 2019, a victim was shot and killed; a victim was shot during an attempted armed robbery on July 24, 2019; and a victim sustained life threatening injuries after the victim was shot during a robbery on August 8, 2019.

Williams admitted that he personally participated in an armed carjacking on June 9, 2019, the armed robberies of three businesses in Baltimore and on June 28, 2019, the attempted armed robbery of a victim in the 22800 block of Forest Glen Road during which the victim was shot to death.

Williams and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Williams will be sentenced to 16 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has scheduled sentencing for June 6, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. 

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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia C. McLane and Clinton J. Fuchs, 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 – A federal jury today convicted Marilyn J. Mosby, age 44, of Baltimore, Maryland, 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.  The jury acquitted her of making a false mortgage application related to her purchase of a home in Kissimmee, Florida.

The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock 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.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron said, “We humbly respect the court’s considered rulings, opposing counsels’ zealous advocacy, and the wisdom of both jury verdicts in this case and we remain focused on our mission to uphold the rule of law.”

“Ms. Mosby’s conduct undermines the confidence the public deserves to have in their government officials," said Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office. "The jury’s decision holds Ms. Mosby accountable for disregarding the laws she swore to uphold. The FBI works diligently to ensure that anyone who engages in fraud and corruption will be held accountable for their bad acts.”

According to the evidence presented at trial, in February 2021, Mosby made a false statement in an application for a $428,400 mortgage to purchase a condominium in Long Boat Key, Florida.  As part of the application, Mosby falsely stated that she had received a $5,000 gift from her husband to be applied to the purchase of the property.  According to the evidence presented at trial, Mosby made this statement in order to secure a lower interest rate. According to the evidence presented at trial, Mosby did not receive a $5,000 gift from her husband, but rather transferred $5,000 to him, and he then transferred the $5,000 back to her.

Mosby faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for making a false mortgage application. 

On November 9, 2023, Mosby was previously 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 Baltimore City State’s Attorney.  Mosby faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each of the two counts of perjury. 

U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby has not yet scheduled a sentencing date in either of Mosby’s pending federal cases.

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.  Mr. Barron praised Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean R. Delaney and Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, for their focus and hard work throughout 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 – Andrew Steven Martin, age 30, of Silver Spring, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition and to unlawful possession of U.S. Postal Service keys used to access U.S. Postal Service mail receptacles.

The guilty plea was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Postal Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (“USPS”)- 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. 

Martin faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition and for illegal possession of USPS arrow keys.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for April 30, 2024, at 2:30 p.m.

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 https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Matthew Hebert, age 44, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, on federal felony charges related to his flying a drone over M&T Bank stadium during the National Football League’s AFC Championship game in Baltimore on January 28, 2024. 

The federal charges were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Baltimore Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Thomas Neighbors of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, Mid-Atlantic Regional Office; and Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland State Police (“MSP”).

“Illegally operating drones poses a significant security risk that will lead to federal charges,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron, “Temporary flight restrictions are always in place during large sporting events.”

“Operating a drone requires users to act responsibly and educate themselves on when and how to use them safely,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office. “The FBI would like to remind the public of the potential dangers of operating a drone in violation of federal laws and regulations.  The reckless operation of a UAS in the vicinity of a large crowd can be dangerous to the public, as well as interfere with other law enforcement and security operations.”

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, on January 28, 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration had put in place a temporary flight restriction (“TFR”) for M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore during the National Football League (“NFL”) AFC Championship game, which precluded the flight of any UAS, including flying a UAS under the Exception for Recreational Flyers.  A TFR temporarily restricts certain aircraft, including an UAS, from operating within a three nautical mile radius of the stadium.  This is a standard practice for stadiums or sporting venues where a regular or postseason Major League Baseball, NFL, or NCAA Division One Game is occurring; or a NASCAR Cup, Indy Car, or Champ Series Race is occurring.  The TFR goes into effect one hour before the scheduled start time and lasts until one hour after the end of a qualifying event.

During the game on January 28, 2024, the incursion of an unidentified and unapproved drone was deemed a serious enough threat that NFL Security temporarily suspended the game.  MSP Troopers tracked the movement of the drone directly over the stadium and deployed to the area where the drone landed in the 500 block of South Sharp Street in Baltimore.  FBI agents traveled to that location and assisted MSP Troopers.  Hebert was located at that location and spoke with law enforcement.

Hebert advised law enforcement that he purchased a DJI UAS in 2021 and used the DJI account to operate the drone.  The drone was not registered, nor did Hebert possess a Remote Pilot certificate to operate it.  As detailed in the affidavit, on past occasions, the DJI application prevented him from operating the UAS due to flight restrictions and Hebert relied exclusively on the DJI application to tell him if he was not allowed to fly the UAS.  The affidavit alleges that on January 28, 2024, Hebert assumed he was allowed to fly his UAS since the DJI application did not prevent him from doing so.  Hebert allegedly flew the drone approximately 100 meters or higher for approximately two minutes.  According to the affidavit, while in flight, Hebert captured approximately six photos of himself and the Stadium and may have taken a video as well. 

If convicted, Hebert faces a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison for knowingly operating an unregistered UAS and for knowingly serving as an airman without an airman’s certificate.  Hebert faces a maximum of one year in federal prison for willfully violating United States National Defense Airspace.  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 initial appearance and arraignment will be scheduled later this month.

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. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, DOT OIG, and MSP for their work in the investigation, and thanked the FAA Office of Security & Hazardous Materials Safety for its substantial assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham, 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 –Tomeka Glenn, a/k/a “Tomeka Harris” and “Tomeka Davis,” age 47, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, relating to the submission of millions of dollars in fraudulent COVID-19 CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications.

Glenn’s co-defendant, Kevin Davis, age 43, also of Windsor Mill, Maryland, pleaded guilty on January 25, 2024, to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector Genera (“SBA-OIG”), Eastern Region; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.

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, administered through the Small Business Administration (“SBA”).  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 Glenn’s plea agreement, beginning in June 2020 and continuing through March 2021, Glenn and various co-conspirators prepared numerous false and fraudulent EIDL and PPP loan applications for various businesses (including some that did not exist in any legitimate capacity) and that included false information concerning, among other things, number of employees, monthly payroll costs, and revenue.  The PPP applications also routinely included false and fraudulent Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) tax forms and bank statements, which were submitted by Glenn to substantiate the false representations made in the applications. 

Glenn admitted that she received kickback payments from the loan borrowers in exchange for her assistance in connection with the submission of fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications, ultimately receiving more than $400,000 in kickbacks in connection with the scheme. These kickbacks typically amounted to 10% to 20% of the loan amount.  

In total, the kickback scheme resulted in the disbursement of at least $2,715,649.12 in fraudulently obtained PPP and EIDL funds in connection with 23 fraudulent PPP loans and EIDLs.

According to Glenn’s plea agreement, Glenn and her then-fiancé Davis, received $300,726.50 in PPP/EIDL funds for various entities that they controlled, and Glenn attempted to obtain $601,511.20 in additional fraudulent PPP and EIDL funds too. 

Glenn used the fraudulently obtained funds to pay for a luxury vacation at a resort in Jamaica, to purchase a 2021 Mercedes-Benz S580 sedan valued at $148,171.60, to buy thousands of dollars in luxury jewelry, as well as numerous other luxury goods, including items from Luis Vuitton, Neiman Marcus, Dior, Cartier, Gucci, Chanel, and Hermes.

At the time of her scheme, neither Glenn, nor Davis had any legitimate source of income, and in May 2020, each applied for unemployment insurance benefits in the State of Maryland.   

As detailed in Davis and Glenn’s plea agreement, on January 6, 2023, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at their residence.  Davis and Glenn were present at the residence at the time of the search and were arrested in connection with the fraudulent COVID-19 CARES Act loans.

According to Davis’s plea agreement, during the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement found and seized four firearms loaded with ammunition—a 9mm firearm, and three .40 caliber firearms.  Later investigation revealed that the one of the .40 caliber firearms had earlier been reported stolen by its owner.

As detailed in the plea, the firearms were hidden by Davis in the air ducts of the residence: two firearms were hidden in the main bedroom air duct where Davis slept and kept his personal effects; the other two firearms were in the air duct of the bathroom closest to the main bedroom.  Moreover, two of the firearms were further stuffed in socks in attempt to hide them.  Davis admitted that he possessed and secreted the firearms in the air ducts of his home (and in the socks) in an attempt to conceal them from law enforcement after learning that federal agents had a warrant to search his home.  Davis’s concealment of the firearms constitutes attempted obstruction of the administration of justice with respect to the investigation.  Each of the four firearms recovered from Davis’s home on January 6, 2023 were later found to have his DNA on them.  A later review of Davis’s iCloud account revealed the existence of, among other things, a series of videos depicting Davis handling firearms, including a shotgun and an assault rifle.  Davis knew that his previous felony conviction prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition.

As part of their plea agreements, Glenn and Davis will be required to forfeit their interest in any assets derived from or obtained by them as a result of, or used to facilitate the commission of, their illegal activities.  Specifically, Glenn is required to forfeit a money judgment in the amount of at least $700,726.50; the 2021 Mercedes-Benz; cash in bank accounts she controlled that were held in the names of business entities; and jewelry, including her 3.03 carat yellow diamond engagement ring, a Diamond Miami Cuban Link Chain with 31.5 carats of VS1 diamonds, and Rolex, Cartier and Breitling watches.  Davis must forfeit the firearms and ammunition.

Glenn faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud conspiracy and Davis faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled Glenn’s sentencing for May 7, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. and scheduled sentencing for Davis on April 17, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.

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 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 FBI, the SBA-OIG, and the Baltimore County Police Department 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. 

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 – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Adeyanju Adewale, age 40, of Reisterstown, Maryland, to five years in federal prison, followed by one year of home detention as part of three years of supervised release, for a wire fraud conspiracy that resulted in a loss of millions of dollars to Medicaid, businesses, law firms, financial institutions, individuals, and to the state and federal governments.  Judge Bennett also ordered that Adewale must pay restitution of $4,258,587.03.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Karen L. Brown Cleveland of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (“DSS”) – Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS-OIG”).  

According to his plea agreement, between 2018 and 2022 Adewale coordinated a series of frauds with various co-conspirators.  Adewale assisted co-conspirators to obtain fraudulent identification documents that were used to perpetrate the fraud.  Co-conspirators created shell companies and used shell company names and false, forged and counterfeit identification documents, including passports, to open bank accounts.  Adewale obtained the bank information from his co-conspirators and communicated with his foreign conspirators about where the fraud proceeds should be directed.  The foreign co-conspirators caused the victims to be misled into sending their money to those accounts.  Adewale also served as a go-between with conspirators outside the United States and the U.S.-based bank account holders.

For example, as detailed in the plea agreement, in January 2019, Adewale worked with co-conspirators to fraudulently obtain money through a business email compromise scheme that victimized a business in Virginia that was seeking to disburse settlement funds.  The victim business sent more than $400,000 to the bank account of an individual in Maryland who used the funds from the victim to purchase $71,000 and $62,000 cashier’s checks and caused the cashier’s checks to be delivered to an address in Baltimore used by Adewale.  Adewale caused checks to be deposited into bank accounts controlled by co-conspirators and provided information about the companies associated with those bank accounts to members of the conspiracy located outside the United States.  Adewale shared in the proceeds of the fraud.

During 2020, Adewale also participated in hospital frauds targeting Medicaid.  Specifically, Adewale and his co-conspirators obtained money that the Ohio and Colorado Medicaid programs and the state of Ohio, sought to pay hospitals in Ohio and Colorado, including as reimbursement for health care services.  As part of the fraud, false information was sent to an Ohio government office and Colorado Medicaid regarding the bank accounts on file for the hospitals.  As a result of the fraudulent representations, from July to September 2020, the state of Ohio transferred approximately $3.5 million to a bank account controlled by a co-conspirator.  The majority of the funds were quickly removed by the co-conspirator, transferred via check to other accounts.  Similarly, in September 2020, fraudulent information was provided to representatives of Colorado Medicaid regarding the bank account on file for the hospital in Colorado.  Later that month, Colorado Medicaid sent approximately $610,000 to a bank account controlled by the conspirators.  Again, Adewale shared in the proceeds of the fraud schemes.

Adewale admitted that as a result of the fraud schemes the actual fraud losses exceeded $4.2 million, including more than $1 million in actual losses to a federal health benefit program, specifically, Medicaid.

“The Diplomatic Security Service is pleased with the success of this case. This shows the positive outcome when federal agencies work together to stop criminals from exploiting U.S. passports for illegal profit,” said Karen L. Brown Cleveland, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). “We’re committed to investigating U.S. business operators who acquire U.S. passports to carry out criminal activities.”                   

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri praised the DSS, HSI, and HHS-OIG for their work in the investigation and thanked the FBI for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Tamera Fine and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Gary A. Winters and Christopher Wenger of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, 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 – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Darien Coleman age 23, of Baltimore, to 270 months in federal prison, and sentenced co-defendant Darrell Carter, age 27, of Baltimore to 300 months in federal prison, each followed by five years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy, including murders and attempted murders, related to their participation in the violent street gang known as Cruddy Conniving Crutballs or Triple C, which operated throughout Baltimore.  Chief Judge Bredar imposed the sentences on January 29, 2024.

The sentences were announced 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); Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Departments.

According to Coleman and Carter’s plea agreements and other court documents, Triple C members engaged in a pattern of criminal racketeering activity between 2015 and 2020, including more than a dozen murders and numerous non-fatal shootings, robberies, and carjackings, in order to promote the reputation of Triple C and to command respect from the neighborhood.  Other spin-offs of the gang are “SCL” and recently, “TRD.”

As detailed in the plea agreements, the gang benefitted financially from selling narcotics, murdering drug dealers, taking contract killings, and engaging in street robberies.  Triple C members also robbed dice games for cash and occasionally carjacked vehicles.  Triple C members and associates used at least 14 firearms to commit crimes, often trading with each other or other groups to avoid detection through ballistic evidence.  Members divided the proceeds of illegal activities among those who participated in the crimes, and often contacted each other to commit a robbery if a member needed money.  Members of Triple C often critiqued each other after committing crimes regarding ways to improve their performance. 

Triple C members routinely used social media to identify and locate victims, to communicate with each other, and to share information concerning possible retaliation for violent crimes committed by gang members.  Details of the crimes committed by Triple C members were publicized on social media and thus were well-known to CCC members. 

Darien Coleman admitted that he participated in the December 31, 2018 murder of Corey Mosley, during which at least one member of the conspiracy fired a gun, striking and killing Mosley.

Darrell Carter admitted that he participated in the October 27, 2015 murder of Quinton Heard in Baltimore, and the June 1, 2016 attempted murder of A.F. in the 3200 block of Tivoly Avenue in Baltimore, during which at least one member of the conspiracy fired a firearm in an attempt to collect the $10,000 contract on A.F.’s life.  In addition, Carter possessed a 9mm handgun loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition on November 12, 2020, in the 2300 block of Harford Road.

In addition to these violent acts, both defendants admitted that they agreed to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, including crack cocaine, on behalf of the racketeering enterprise.

This investigation has led to the guilty pleas of 34 members and associates of Triple C.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in this investigation and thanked the United States Marshals Service and the Office of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia C. McLane and Michael C. Hanlon, 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/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn.

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Baltimore, Maryland – En-Wei Eric Chang, age 48, a citizen of the United States and the Republic of Taiwan, residing in Taiwan, pleaded guilty today to a federal conspiracy charge, related to the export of defense materials to Iran.  Such materials were embargoed under the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR).  

The guilty plea 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.

“National security is a top priority, and we will relentlessly pursue and hold accountable those who put us at risk,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.

As detailed in the 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 Chang’s guilty plea, from January 2002 and 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 and other court documents, in January 2002, the Iranian businessman requested that Chu research satellite imagery dealers.  Chu asked Chang to facilitate this request, 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.  The undercover agent told Chang: “if the items are going for end use in Iran, sending them there would be a violation of U.S. law.”  Chang wrote back that the images could be sent to Taiwan, and that “from Taiwan to Iran my friend will take care of it.”

Chang and the undercover agent communicated over serval months regarding the status of the satellite images order.  After Chu’s Iranian contact asked Chu to research and source antennas, on March 12, 2002, Chang contacted the undercover agent asking for quotes on antennas and included in his email specific part numbers for cavity-backed spiral antennas with military applications, including related to 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 the laws of the United States.  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: “Please understand our final end user is Iran. ‘the country’ They will keep buying the stuff if we can always deliver . . . 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 $6,400 to be transferred 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, then checked his luggage, which contained the antennas, for a flight from Guam to Taipei, Taiwan.  Chu was arrested and his luggage was 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 to surrender to the United States. 

Chang remained a fugitive until his arrest on April 10, 2023, at Rome-Fiumicino 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, followed by three years of supervised release.

Chang faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for May 8, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.

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 – A complaint and proposed consent decree have been filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland to resolve allegations that MedStar Health, Inc., a healthcare provider in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by denying people with disabilities equal access to medical care by excluding their necessary support persons.  Under the proposed consent decree, which the Court must approve, MedStar Health has agreed to pay a total of $440,000 to compensate eligible affected individuals.  MedStar Health will also revise its policies to ensure ADA compliance, train its workforce on the new policies, and report to the Department on any future exclusion of support persons, as defined in the Decree. 

The lawsuit and proposed consent decree was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“Patients are entitled to equal access to healthcare.” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “We appreciate MedStar Health’s cooperation in this investigation and are pleased that MedStar Health has agreed to take comprehensive steps to ensure that patients with disabilities have the same opportunities to obtain medical care and services.” 

“For some people with disabilities, having a support person accompany them is critical to ensure they have the same access to health care as everyone else.  This is a key promise of the ADA,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When health care providers do not appropriately account for the needs of people with disabilities, they may provide unequal care in violation of the ADA.  The Justice Department is committed to combatting such discrimination.”

As detailed in the complaint, certain individuals with dementia, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and other disabilities may require the assistance of a support person (such as a family member, companion, or aide) when accessing medical care, including to provide information about medical history and/or to understand medical directions.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, MedStar Health instituted policies restricting the flow of individuals into its buildings.  The government’s complaint alleges that MedStar Health failed on numerous occasions to modify its visitor restrictions so that people with certain disabilities, which affected their ability to independently access medical care, could be accompanied by their support persons.  As a result, they were unable to receive equal care without the assistance of their support person.

This matter was handled jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the Civil Rights Division’s Disability Rights Section.  U.S. Attorney Erek Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Marquardt and Trial Attorney Anne Langford of the Civil Rights Division, who handled the case.

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires private hospitals and other health care providers to provide individuals with disabilities with full and equal enjoyment of their goods and services.  For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office’s civil rights work, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/civil-rights.  ADA complaints may be filed online at https://www.ada.gov/file-a-complaint/.  Anyone in Maryland may also report civil rights violations by emailing USAMD.Civilrightscomplaint@usdoj.gov.

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Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Jose Hilario Aldana-Moreno, age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, yesterday to 22 years in federal prison, followed by 40 years of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child to produce of child pornography.  Judge Hollander also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Aldana-Moreno must 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; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates.

According to his guilty plea and other court documents, from 2014 to 2020 Aldana-Moreno sexually abused a minor victim, beginning when the victim was 10 years old.  Aldana-Moreno was a truck driver and traveled for work.  On at least five occasions while Aldana-Moreno was away, he engaged in video chats with the victim and convinced the victim to pose for him, taking screenshots of her genitals.  Aldana-Moreno also took images and videos documenting his sexual abuse of the victim at her home and when the victim traveled with him.   

As detailed in his plea agreement, Aldana-Moreno was arrested on January 15, 2022, and his cellphone was recovered.  A search of the phone revealed that Aldana-Moreno used a messaging application to send a video depicting the genitals of two prepubescent males to two separate individuals on May 29, 2018.

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 Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office 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/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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The Justice Department announced today that it filed a complaint and proposed consent decree in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland to resolve allegations that MedStar Health Inc., a leading health care provider in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by denying people with disabilities equal access to medical care by excluding their necessary support persons.

“For some people with disabilities, having a family member, aide or other support person by their side is critical to ensure they have the same access to health care as everyone else,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When health care providers impose visitor restrictions that do not appropriately account for the needs of people with disabilities, they may run afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Justice Department is committed to safeguarding the civil rights of people with disabilities, including ensuring equal access to medical care.”

“Patients are entitled to equal access to health care,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “We appreciate Medstar Health’s cooperation in this investigation and are pleased that Medstar Health has agreed to take comprehensive steps to ensure that patients with disabilities have the same opportunities to obtain medical care and services.” 

Some individuals with dementia, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder and other disabilities may require the assistance of a support person (such as a family member, companion or aide) to provide their medical history or understand medical directions when accessing medical care. The complaint alleges that MedStar Health failed on numerous occasions to modify its visitor restrictions so that people with certain disabilities which affected their ability to independently access medical care could be accompanied by their support persons. As a result, they were unable to receive equal care without the assistance of their support person. 

Under the proposed consent decree, which the court must approve, MedStar Health has agreed to pay a total of $440,000 to compensate multiple eligible affected individuals. MedStar Health will also revise its policies to ensure ADA compliance, train its workforce on the new policies and report to the department on any future exclusion of support persons, as defined in the decree. 

This matter was handled jointly by the department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. Title III of the ADA requires private hospitals and other health care providers to provide individuals with disabilities with full and equal enjoyment of their goods and services.

For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TTY 1-833-610-1264) or visit www.ada.gov. If you believe you’ve been discriminated against, you may file a complaint online at www.civilrights.justice.gov/. Anyone in the District of Maryland may also report civil rights violations by emailing USAMD.Civilrightscomplaint@usdoj.gov.

The Justice Department today announced charges against two individuals and the guilty plea of a third individual for orchestrating a $1.89 billion cryptocurrency fraud scheme.

Sam Lee, 35, an Australian citizen residing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was charged in an indictment unsealed today for allegedly co-founding HyperFund, also known as HyperTech, HyperCapital, HyperVerse, and HyperNation. Rodney Burton, 54, of Miami, and Brenda Chunga, 43, of Severna Park, Maryland, were promotors of HyperFund.

“The defendants are charged with defrauding investors to the tune of $1.89 billion. As alleged in court documents, the defendants falsely represented that investors would receive substantial returns paid from cryptocurrency mining operations, which did not in fact exist,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “With our partners in Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation, we are committed to uncovering sophisticated frauds involving cryptocurrency and digital assets and bringing those who perpetrate them to justice.”

“The level of alleged fraud here is staggering,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “Whether it’s cryptocurrency fraud, or any other financial frauds, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This office and our law enforcement partners will hold perpetrators accountable for these and other fraud schemes.”

According to court documents, from June 2020 to November 2022, Lee and his co-conspirators allegedly offered and sold investment contracts to the public through HyperFund’s online investment platform. HyperFund’s promotional materials allegedly made various false claims, including that investors who purchased HyperFund “memberships” would receive between 0.5% to 1% daily in passive rewards until the company either doubled or tripled the investor’s initial investment. To convince investors that HyperFund could make such payments, HyperFund allegedly claimed that its payments would be disbursed in part from its revenues from large-scale crypto mining operations, when in truth, HyperFund did not have such operations. Beginning in at least July 2021, HyperFund allegedly began to block investor withdrawals.

“Today’s charges are a testament to the incredible work of HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “I commend our law enforcement partners, including those at HSI Baltimore, for their outstanding collaboration. HSI will continue to protect American investors from financial predators.”

“The illegal activity alleged in this case is precisely the type of conduct IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners are committed to deterring,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge David Meisenheimer of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS:CI) Washington, D.C. Field Office. “These charges send a clear message that we have the tools and internal fortitude to protect our financial systems by diligently investigating, prosecuting, and holding accountable those who seek to defraud the American public.”

Lee is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Burton is charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. He also faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count. Chunga pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force and IRS:CI are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Tian Huang of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron S.J. Zelinsky and Spencer Todd for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.  

If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas.

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

Baltimore, Maryland – Three individuals are charged in U.S. District Court in Maryland for orchestrating a $1.89 billion cryptocurrency fraud scheme.

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Sam Lee, age 35, an Australian citizen residing in the United Arab Emirates for allegedly co-founding HyperFund, also known as HyperTech, HyperCapital, HyperVerse, and HyperNation.  The indictment was returned on January 25, 2024, and unsealed today.  Co-conspirator Rodney Burton, a/k/a “Bitcoin Rodney,” 54, of Miami, Florida, is charged by criminal complaint for his role as an alleged promoter of HyperFund.  Co-conspirator Brenda Chunga, 43, of Severna Park, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to her role in the fraud scheme. 

The federal charges were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) New York; and Acting Special Agent in Charge David Meisenheimer of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), Washington, D.C. Field Office.

“The level of alleged fraud here is staggering,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “Whether it’s cryptocurrency fraud, or any other financial frauds, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This office and our law enforcement partners will hold perpetrators accountable for these and other fraud schemes.”

“The defendants are charged with defrauding investors to the tune of $1.89 billion. As alleged in court documents, the defendants falsely represented that investors would receive substantial returns paid from cryptocurrency mining operations, which did not in fact exist,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “With our partners in Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation, we are committed to uncovering sophisticated frauds involving cryptocurrency and digital assets and bringing those who perpetrate them to justice.”

“Today’s charges are a testament to the incredible work of HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “I commend our law enforcement partners, including those at HSI Baltimore, for their outstanding collaboration.  HSI will continue to protect American investors from financial predators.”

“The illegal activity alleged in this case is precisely the type of conduct IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners are committed to deterring,” said David Meisenheimer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C. Field Office. “These charges send a clear message that we have the tools and internal fortitude, to protect our financial systems by diligently investigating, prosecuting, and holding accountable, those who seek to defraud the American public.”

According to court documents, from June 2020 to November 2022, Lee and his co-conspirators allegedly offered and sold investment contracts to the public through HyperFund’s online investment platform.  HyperFund’s promotional materials allegedly made various false claims, including that investors who purchased HyperFund “memberships” would receive between 0.5% to 1% daily in passive rewards until the company either doubled or tripled the investor’s initial investment.  To convince investors that HyperFund could make such payments, HyperFund allegedly claimed that its payments would be disbursed in part from its revenues from large-scale crypto mining operations, when in truth, HyperFund did not have such operations.  Beginning in at least July 2021, HyperFund allegedly began to block investor withdrawals.

If convicted, Lee faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud.  Burton has been arrested on a criminal complaint charging him with one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.  At a detention hearing today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Erin Aslan in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Maryland, Burton was ordered to be detained.  If convicted, he also faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each of those counts. 

Brenda Chunga, a/k/a “Bitcoin Beautee,”pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, for her role as a promoter of HyperFund.  According to her plea agreement and other court documents, Chunga conducted online investor meetings, including in Maryland, to promote HyperFund’s investment programs and which detailed the purported returns that prospective investors could earn from investing in HyperFund.  Chunga admitted that she personally received at least $3 million in fraud proceeds from her participation in the conspiracy.  As detailed in her plea agreement, Chunga will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which the parties agree is at least $3 million, but could be significantly higher.  Chunga faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has not yet scheduled a sentencing date.

Neither an indictment nor a criminal complaint is a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment or criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

If you believe you are a victim in this case, please contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness Unit toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or by email at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov.  To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force and IRS-CI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron S.J. Zelinsky and Spencer Todd, and Trial Attorney Tian Huang of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section 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 Paula Xinis today sentenced MS-13 member Kevin Alexander Castillo Calderon, a/k/a “Fantasma,” “Ghost,” “Eterno,” and “Josue Argueta Gonzalez,” age 25, of Adelphi, Maryland, to 26 years in federal prison for a racketeering conspiracy, including a murder, connected to his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13. 

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, is a national and international gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries.  Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, operate throughout the United States, including in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.  Castillo Calderon and his co-defendants were members and associates of the Weedams Locos Salvatruchs (“WLS”) clique of MS-13. 

Members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons, at all times, using any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence.  One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, often referred to as “chavalas,” whenever possible.  Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increases the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position. 

As detailed in court documents, on August 8, 2020, WLS members, including Castillo Calderon, WLS leader Brayan Alexander Torres and Franklyn Sanchez, were gathered at a park in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  Castillo Calderon, Torres, Sanchez and other WLS members agreed to murder Victim 4, who was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement and to whom Sanchez owed a debt.  Sanchez and another MS-13 member murdered Victim 4, then WLS members dragged Victim 4’s body to a stream and left it there.  Castillo Calderon then picked up a large rock and dropped it on Victim 4’s head.  As he was leaving the woods, Sanchez was concerned that his DNA may have been left on the body.  To prevent the discovery of DNA or other evidence and to hinder the investigation and prosecution of Victim 4’s murder, other WLS members were called and ordered to bring shovels to the wooded area, where they dug a hole and buried Victim 4’s body.  In addition, at Torres’ direction, Castillo Calderon took the guns used to shoot Victim 4 and Victim 4’s cell phone, put them in a bag he was carrying and disposed of the evidence.  Victim 4’s body was later recovered with a bullet wound to the head.

Castillo Calderon was also responsible for collecting extortion payments, or “rents,” from extortion victims on behalf of WLS, knowing that the victims making extortion payments did so under the threat of death or bodily injury by members of WLS.  For example, gang members used baseball bats to impose rents and sometimes collected rent while flashing firearms or otherwise making it known that they were carrying weapons.

Brayan Alexander Torres a/k/a “Spooky,” age 29, and Franklyn Edgardo Sanchez, a/k/a “Freddy,” “Magic,” “Miclo,” and “Delinquente,” age 26, both of Adelphi, Maryland, were each previously sentenced to 28 years in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, including any funeral costs.

Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement.  The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations both have nationwide tiplines that you can call to report what you know.  You can reach the FBI at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or you can call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.

These cases are 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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

These cases are also Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigations. 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 Barron and Acting Assistant Attorney General Argentieri commended the FBI, HSI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and the Montgomery County Police Department for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Crespo and Trial Attorney Christopher Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang 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 https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn.

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A Maryland man was sentenced today to 26 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, including murder, connected to his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13. 

According to court documents, Kevin Alexander Castillo Calderon, also known as Fantasma, Ghost, Eterno, and Josue Argueta Gonzalez, 25, of Adelphi, and his co-defendants were members and associates of the Weedams Locos Salvatrucha (WLS) clique of MS-13. MS-13 is one of the largest street gangs in the United States and is composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other Central American countries. 

Members of MS-13 are expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons, at all times, using any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals whenever possible. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increases the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position. 

On Aug. 8, 2020, WLS members, including Castillo Calderon and co-defendants WLS leader Brayan Alexander Torres, 30, of Adelphi, and Franklyn Edgardo Sanchez, 26, also of Adelphi, were gathered at a park in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Castillo Calderon, Torres, Sanchez, and other WLS members agreed to murder Victim 4, who was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement and to whom Sanchez owed a debt. Sanchez and another MS-13 member murdered Victim 4, then other WLS members dragged Victim 4’s body to a stream and left it there. Once in the stream, Castillo Calderon picked up a large rock and dropped it on Victim 4’s head. As he was leaving the woods, Sanchez was concerned that his DNA may have been left on the body. To prevent the discovery of DNA or other evidence and to hinder the investigation and prosecution of Victim 4’s murder, other WLS members were called and ordered to bring shovels to the wooded area, where they dug a hole and buried Victim 4’s body. In addition, at Torres’ direction, Castillo Calderon took the guns used to shoot Victim 4 and Victim 4’s cell phone, put them in a bag he was carrying, and disposed of the evidence. Victim 4’s body was later recovered with a bullet wound to the head.

Castillo Calderon was also responsible for collecting extortion payments, or “rents,” from extortion victims on behalf of WLS, knowing that the victims making extortion payments did so under the threat of physical violence by members of WLS. For example, gang members used baseball bats to impose rents and sometimes collected rent while displaying firearms or otherwise making it known that they were carrying weapons.

Castillo Calderon pleaded guilty in August 2023 to RICO conspiracy.

Torres and Sanchez were each previously sentenced to 28 years in prison upon their prior guilty pleas. The court also ordered each to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, including any funeral costs.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland, Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Baltimore Field Office, Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore, and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department made the announcement.

The FBI, HSI, and the Prince George’s County Police Department investigated the case, with substantial assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Montgomery County Police Department. 

Trial Attorney Christopher Taylor of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Crespo for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.

Anyone with information about MS-13 is encouraged to provide their tips to law enforcement. Call the FBI tipline at 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), or the HSI tipline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.