District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – April is Second Chance Awareness Month.  To recognize the importance of second chances, on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office, the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation, and the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE), will sponsor a one-stop reentry resource fair that will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Baltimore War Memorial, 101 N. Gay Street, Baltimore, MD.   More than 40 organizations, including at least 20 employers, will be on-site offering support, assistance and resources to returning citizens and justice-involved persons, including in the areas of employment, job training, educational opportunities, health services, transitional housing and more. 

This reentry resource and job fair is a component of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s violent crime reduction strategy.  In addition to the office’s enforcement efforts to remove violent criminals with guns from our communities, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has initiated a number of outreach, intervention and prevention efforts to support and invest in communities plagued by violence, such as this reentry resource fair.

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 Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Steven McCullough, age 36, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 58 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for  being a felon in possession of a firearm an ammunition.  

The sentence 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; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

“Our strategy of preventing violence by removing illegal guns and repeat offenders from the streets by any legal means necessary is paying off,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “As of today, homicides in Baltimore are down more than 17% from last year and non-fatal shootings are down nearly 20%.  We remain laser-focused on reducing violent crime in Baltimore and throughout the state.”

According to his guilty plea, on December 3, 2020, McCullough posted a video of himself on social media, which shows him approaching a vehicle holding a black handgun.  Baltimore Police officers saw the video, recognized that McCullough was in the 1200 block of North Luzerne Avenue and responded to that location.  Officers located McCullough, wearing the same gray sweatshirt and sweatpants as in the video, and attempted to place him under arrest.  McCullough ran, pulling a black firearm from his sweatshirt pocket.  A short distance later, McCullough tripped, with the gun still in his hand, and tossed the firearm out of his reach.  McCullough was arrested and the gun, a 10mm pistol was recovered.  The handgun was loaded with one round of 10mm jacketed hollow point ammunition in the chamber but was missing a magazine.  A canvass of the path of pursuit recovered a magazine loaded with nine rounds of 10mm ammunition identical to the round found in the gun.  McCullough was searched and officers also recovered approximately 36 vials containing a total of approximately 40 grams of cocaine for distribution.  McCullough admitted that he knew he has a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

In two separate cases last week, defendants pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm in a school zone.  Terrence Johnson, age 23, of Baltimore, posted a video on social media showing him driving a car with a black and brown handgun between the center console and the driver’s seat.  Johnson was located within 1,000 feet of Green Street Academy and detectives recovered the gun, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with eight rounds of 9mm ammunition from Johnson’s waistband.  Johnson was sentenced to six months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit the gun and ammunition.

In the second case, Gerald Dean, age 31, of Baltimore, was found by BPD officers asleep in a car with the lights on and the engine running.  The pink handle of a handgun was seen protruding from under the armrest of the center console.  Officers opened the door, secured Dean, and recovered the handgun from under the armrest of the center console.  Dean was searched and officers recovered eight small green containers of crack cocaine, four small black containers of heroin, sixteen pills of methamphetamine, and one sublingual strip.  At the time, Dean was within 1,000 feet of the grounds of a school zone, specifically Katherine Johnson Global Academy (formerly Calverton Elementary/Middle School).  Dean will be sentenced on July 27, 2023.

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 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 these investigations.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Martin J. Clarke and Brandon K. Moore, who prosecuted the McCullough case and thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Liane Kozik and Jonathan Tsuei, who prosecuted the Johnson and Dean cases, respectively.

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 Richard D. Bennett sentenced Tse Ernst Bangarie, age 47, of Hyattsville, Maryland, and co-defendant Edith Ngang, age 57, of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, each to 46 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for conspiracy, and for illegally exporting firearms and ammunition from the United States to Nigeria without obtaining the required licenses from the U.S. State Department.  According to court documents, the purpose of the conspiracy was to assist separatists fighting against the government of Cameroon.  Bangarie was sentenced on April 18, 2023 and Ngang was sentenced yesterday. 

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

According to their plea agreements, from at least November 2017 until July 19, 2019, Bangarie, Ngang and their co-conspirators agreed to export firearms, ammunition and other military-type items in violation of the federal smuggling statute, the Arms Export Control Act and other export laws.  Bangarie owned and operated a freight forwarding company in Landover, Maryland and was responsible for arranging for the shipment of the firearms, ammunition and other items in at least one overseas shipping container.  Bangarie also referred individuals to co-conspirator Tamufor St. Michael to cut open and then weld shut metal compressors that the conspirators used to conceal many of the firearms in the shipping containers.  Bangarie participated in meetings of the conspirators, both online and in person, including in the basement of St. Michael’s residence, where the conspirators also reloaded ammunition, assembled firearms, and wrapped various items for overseas shipment.

Ngang admitted that she also participated in the reloading of ammunition in the basement of St. Michael’s residence in at least August and October 2018.  However, the conspirators banned her from coming in person after a video of Ngang loading the ammunition was posted on social media in October 2018, something the conspirators considered a serious security breach.  Ngang remained a member of the conspiracy and continued to communicate with St. Michael and others about the ongoing efforts to unlawfully export the firearms, ammunition and other items from the United States.

As detailed in their plea agreements, in December 2018, Ngang provided a shipping container, with a 1989 Toyota truck inside, for the conspirators to use to export the firearms, ammunition and other items.  St. Michael and other co-conspirators then loaded the container, secreting weapons, ammunition and other military-type items inside the truck and multiple compressors.  The container was sent to the Port of Baltimore for export, departing on January 17, 2019, with a destination of Onne, Nigeria.  Bangarie caused the electronic export information (“EEI”) to be filed with the Department of Commerce, listing the contents of the container as one Toyota Tundra truck, one 1989 Toyota truck, and “doors and frames.”  The EEI also listed the U.S. Principal Party in Interest as an individual with the initials M.A.O. and a non-existent address.  The telephone number listed for M.A.O. corresponded with a pre-paid cellular telephone.  Bangarie knew that much of the information on the EEI was false and he intentionally did not include any mention of the firearms, ammunition and other items hidden in the container.

Approximately one month later, the shipping container was ordered returned to the Port of Baltimore and on May 20, 2019, law enforcement personnel in Baltimore unsealed the container and examined its contents.  In addition to the trucks and what appeared to be the contents of an old schoolhouse, the defendants and their co-conspirators had concealed firearms, ammunition, rifle scopes, and other items in duffle bags placed in the trucks and in heavily wrapped packages inside sealed compressor units, in the shipping container.  In all, law enforcement recovered from the shipping container 38 firearms, 28 of which had obliterated serial numbers.  The guns included sniper rifles, SKS assault rifles (some with bayonets), other rifles and several handguns.  There were 44 high-capacity magazines, two rifle scopes and over 35,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as military-type items, including boots, pepper spray, zip-tie style handcuffs, hydration packs, and other items.  

Tamufor St. Michael, age 42, of Rosedale, Maryland and five co-conspirators pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing. A jury convicted three other members for the conspiracy, transportation of firearms with obliterated serial numbers, and smuggling following a jury trial in May, 2022.  Judge Bennett has sentenced two of those individuals, Eric Fru Nji and Wilson Nuyila Tita, to 63 months of incarceration and the third, Wilson Che Fonguh, is awaiting sentencing.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the ATF and DCIS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron recognized the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement; the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their contributions to the investigation.  U.S. Attorney Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Vishesh Aragam Guruprasad, age 31, of Boyds, Maryland yesterday to 42 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for a drug distribution conspiracy involving the purchase and sale of drugs through darkweb marketplaces, and money laundering. 

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 (“DEA”) - Washington Field Division; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Acting Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”) Washington, D.C. Field Office; Postal Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, between at least July 2016 and February 2019, Aragam conspired to distribute and possessed with the intent to distribute over two kilograms of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as MDMA.  Specifically, Aragam admitted that he bought and sold illegal narcotics, including MDMA and marijuana, on various darkweb marketplaces.  For example, between July 15, 2016 and June 13, 2017, Aragam sold over two kilograms of MDMA on one darkweb marketplace and from October 2018 to April 2019, Aragam completed over 1,000 transactions selling MDMA, heroin, or marijuana through another darkweb marketplace.  Aragam’s darkweb customers paid for the narcotics in Bitcoin, which the darkweb marketplace would maintain until Aragam transferred to Bitcoin to a virtual currency wallet Aragam maintained.  Aragam used a virtual currency exchange to broker the exchange of Bitcoin to cash.

Aragam admitted that he obtained distribution quantities of MDMA from the United Kingdom, which he sold to drug customers throughout the United States over the darkweb.  Aragam had the MDMA shipped from the United Kingdom to the post office boxes of co-conspirators, who would then deliver the drugs to Aragam.  As detailed in the plea agreement, Aragam also sold drugs from his residence.

As stated in his plea agreement, Aragam routed the proceeds from his sale of illegal narcotics through several accounts and converted the proceeds from Bitcoins to U.S. dollars to conceal the nature and source of the proceeds.  For example, on June 30, 2017, Aragam transferred 18 Bitcoins from a darkweb marketplace to his virtual currency account at Exchange A, and a few days later, exchanged the 18 Bitcoins into U.S. dollars.  Aragam transferred $41,822.05, the value of the 18 Bitcoins as of that date, to Aragam’s virtual wallet spend account at his bank, then, in a series of transactions, moved the money into other accounts Aragam controlled.

A search warrant executed at Aragam’s residence on April 4, 2019, recovered four rifles and a shotgun, more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition, 92.83 grams of MDMA, marijuana, and one gram of a mixture containing phenylethyl and fentanyl.

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, HSI, the IRS-CI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the ATF, and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher M. Sarma and Leah B. Grossi, 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/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Brayan Alexander Torres, a/k/a “Spooky,” age 29, of Adelphi, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday, to a racketeering conspiracy, including murder, related to his participation in the Weedams Locos Salvatrucha clique of the MS-13 gang.  Torres admitted that he was the clique’s “First Word” or leader. 

On March 24, 2023, co-defendants and MS-13 members and associates Brian Samir Zelaya Mejia, a/k/a “Chispa,” age 25, of Hyattsville, Maryland and Jorge Isaac Argueta Chica, a/k/a “Timido,” age 22, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, also pleaded guilty to their participation in the racketeering conspiracy, including extortion and accessory after the fact of first degree murder.

The guilty pleas were announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski 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.

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 Maryland 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 agreements, from at least August 2018 through July 2021, Torres was the “First Word” or leader of Weedams Locos Salvatrucha, (WLS), an MS-13 clique operating primarily in Adelphi, Maryland.  Zelaya Mejia and Argueta Chica were members of the WLS clique from at least March 2019 through July 2021.

On August 8, 2020, Torres and other WLS members, including co-defendant Franklyn Sanchez, were gathered at a park in Prince George’s County, Maryland, where they agreed to murder Victim 4, who was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement and to whom Sanchez owed a debt.  Sanchez was armed with a revolver and Torres handed a second revolver to another MS-13 member, instructing that person to shoot first when Victim 4 arrived.  Sanchez and the other WLS member each fired multiple shots at Victim 4, who fell to the ground.  Sanchez then pistol-whipped Victim 4 and stabbed him with a knife. Torres then walked over and stabbed Victim 4 with a screwdriver.  Torres and other WLS members dragged Victim 4’s body to a stream and left it there.  As he was leaving the woods, Sanchez noticed he was bleeding and 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, Torres called other WLS members, including Zelaya Mejia, Argueta Chica and co-defendant Agustino Eugenio Rivas Rodriguez, and ordered them to bring shovels to the wooded area, where they dug a hole and buried Victim 4’s body.  Victim 4’s body was later recovered with a bullet wound to the head.

On June 5, 2020, Torres also conspired with other MS-13 members to kidnap and kill a female member of the rival 18th Street gang.  Torres and Rivas Rodriguez ordered subordinate members of the gang to gather at a house with firearms in preparation for the murder, while another MS-13 associate was at a separate location with Victim 5.  The group of MS-13 subordinates gathered with guns and were preparing to follow their orders, when police arrived on scene and interrupted the plan. 

Torres admitted that he directed the collection of extortion payments, or “rents,” from at least two extortion victims on behalf of WLS.  Torres, Zelaya Mejia, Argueta Chica, Rivas Rodriguez, co-defendant Hernan Yanes-Rivera and others collected the rents, 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.

Finally, Torres participated in money laundering by transferring gang funds obtained through its extortion activities to MS-13 members and associates in El Salvador.  As detailed in the plea agreement, Torres also accepted a delivery of rent payments that had just been collected from three brothels by a WLS member, with the intent to use the funds to promote MS-13’s illegal activities, including extortion. 

The government and the defendants have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Torres will be sentenced to 28 years in federal prison and Zelaya Mejia and Argueta Chica will each be sentenced to six years in federal prison.  Torres will also be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, including any funeral costs incurred by Victim 4’s estate.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Torres on August 31, 2023; and for Zelaya Mejia and Argueta Chica on July 11, 2023 and July 21, 2023, respectively.

Franklyn Edgardo Sanchez, a/k/a “Delinquente,” age 26, of Adelphi, Maryland; Hernan Yanes-Rivera, a/k/a “Recio,” age 22, of Adelphi, Maryland; and Agustino Eugenio Rivas Rodriguez, a/k/a “Terrible,” age 25, of Silver Spring, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the racketeering conspiracy.  If the Court accepts the guilty pleas, Sanchez will be sentenced to 28 years in federal prison, Yanes-Rivera will be sentenced to 22 years in federal prison and Rivas Rodriguez will be sentenced to 16 years in federal prison.  Judge Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Sanchez on May 19, 2023, for Rivas Rodriguez on July 21, 2028, and for Yanes-Rivera on July 28, 2023.

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 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 Barron and Assistant Attorney General Polite 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 Attorneys Brendan Woods and 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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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III, today sentenced Travis Alewine, a/k/a “Sticks,” age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 253 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise in connection with his membership in the “Hillside” gang, operating in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.  Alewine admitted that as part of his gang activities, he participated in a murder.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Robert McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, Alewine was a member of “Hillside” a group which operated in the 600 block of Cherry Hill Road and other locations throughout Cherry Hill and in west and southwest Baltimore.  Members of Hillside distributed powder and crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and marijuana, and used the proceeds of their narcotics sales to purchase firearms, to enrich themselves, and to further the activities of the organization, including narcotics trafficking.  Hillside members operated stash houses in Cherry Hill to cut and package narcotics for distribution and committed acts of violence, including robberies, homicides, and non-fatal shootings.

As stated in Alewine’s plea agreement, Hillside members and associates have been in a long-running dispute with persons not part of the gang, including Up Da Hill (“UDH”), the Lakebrook Circle Boys, and others.  Members and associates of Hillside have engaged in acts of violence, including murder, directed at members of these rival organizations, or persons who impeded on Hillside’s territory.  Alewine knew members of Hillside sold narcotics and committed violent acts against rival gangs or others who impeded on Hillside’s territory.  It was reasonably foreseeable to Alewine that Hillside was responsible for the distribution of between one and three kilograms of heroin; between 280 grams and 840 grams of crack cocaine; between five and 15 kilograms of cocaine; as well as marijuana and oxycodone.

As part of Alewine’s participation in the Hillside enterprise, Alewine and three other members of Hillside discharged a .45-caliber firearm, shooting and killing Anthony Cureton, whom they mistakenly believed was a member of UDH and attempted to murder another individual nearby; Alewine possessed firearms, including a loaded .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a loaded .44-caliber revolver; and he possessed with intent to distribute narcotics, as well as participated in the preparation of narcotics for sale.

All 21 defendants charged in this case have pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy.  Alewine and co-defendant Deaven Cherry fled after their indictment and were fugitives until their arrests in 2019 and 2020, respectively.  Cherry was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison on April 17, 2023.  The other Hillside co-defendants were sentenced to up to 30 years in federal prison. 

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.

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 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 praised the ATF, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Marshals Service for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Patricia C. McLane and Brandon K. Moore, who are prosecuting the case.  U.S. Attorney Barron also recognized Paralegal Specialist Andrew Murray for his assistance.

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 – Former high school and youth football coach, Moshe Michael Imel, age 53, of Owings, Maryland, pleaded guilty late yesterday in U.S. District Court to two counts of production of child pornography involving two minor victims.  As part of his plea agreement to the federal charges, Imel also agreed to plead guilty to charges related to the sexual abuse of minors in three cases in the Circuit Court for Calvert County, which is scheduled for May 2, 2023.  Imel remains detained.

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); Calvert County Sheriff Ricky Cox; and Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey.

According to his plea agreement, between July 2018 and November 2020, Imel was an assistant football coach at a Calvert County High School.  In March 2021, law enforcement interviewed two victims who reported that beginning when Imel coached the individuals in a youth football program and continuing through high school, Imel groomed and then sexually abused the victims.  Specifically, Imel admitted that he directed each victim to expose and touch himself in a sexual way and ultimately engaged in sexual contact with the victims on numerous occasions.  Imel also created sexually explicit videos of the victims documenting his abuse. 

A search warrant was executed at Imel’s home and confirmed that the basement—including the action figures lining the walls, the computer setup, the cameras, sex toys and other paraphernalia—was as the victims had described it to law enforcement.  A review of fourteen electronic devices seized at Imel’s residence revealed that they all contained child pornography or evidence of Imel’s sexual contact with minors.

Imel and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Imel will be sentenced to between 25 and 40 years in federal prison for production of child pornography.  As detailed in the plea agreement, Imel will be sentenced for the state case after his federal sentencing.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for August 8, 2023, 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 the HSI, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, and the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, who is prosecuting the federal case and recognized Rebecca N. Cordero, who is prosecuting Imel’s case in State court.

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 Richard D. Bennett sentenced former Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Lane Chaudry, age 43, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for two counts of fraud in connection with obtaining confidential phone records.  As part of his guilty plea, Chaudry admitted that he committed the crime to stalk his victims. 

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office. 

“Adam Chaudry egregiously abused his power,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “We wield prosecutorial power for the public interest, not for personal interest.  This office will tolerate nothing less.”

“Prosecutors, like law enforcement, are expected to protect the innocent and hold accountable those who partake in criminal activities.  For Chaudry to abuse his power and the trust of both law enforcement and the public for his own inappropriate purposes hinders the ability to carry out the mission and feeds public skepticism,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI Baltimore Field Office.  “Today’s sentence is a message such exploitation will not mar the reputation of prosecutors and law enforcement who take pride and responsibility in maintaining law and order.”  

According to the plea agreement, from June 2009 to June 18, 2021, Chaudry worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office (“BSAO”).  From September 2015 until he left the BSAO, Chaudry worked in the BSAO’s Homicide Division.  During his tenure in the office, Chaudry maintained an intimate relationship with two of the victims.  At no time were any of the victims a witness or target of any criminal investigation or prosecution by the BSAO. 

As detailed in the guilty plea, Chaudry fraudulently caused 65 grand jury and trial subpoenas to be sent to telecommunications companies in Florida and New Jersey requesting telephone records of the victims.  Additionally, an investigator at BSAO provided Chaudry information that he previously requested, including a victim’s home address, MVA information, and driver’s license photograph.  Chaudry then used this information, along with information from the fraudulent subpoenas, to get details about the victims’ hotel stays and other personal and private information.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the State Prosecutor’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. Delaney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah R. David, who prosecuted the case.  For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang today sentenced Daniel Velcu, age 43, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 34 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud.  As part of his sentence, Velcu will be required to pay $1,313,499.79 in restitution.

The sentence 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 - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Serra of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) Mid-Atlantic Region; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Terry Sult of the Cary, North Carolina, Police Department; and Sheriff Dusty Rhoades of the Williamson County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office.

According to his guilty plea, beginning in June 2018 to October 2020, Velcu and his co-conspirators conspired to steal checks from the U.S. mail intended for religious institutions and deposit the illegally obtained funds into multiple fraudulent bank accounts at various victim financial institutions.  Conspirators, including Velcu, conducted the thefts by driving to roadside mailboxes of churches and other religious institutions and removing the mail, specifically targeting donation checks.

As part of the scheme to defraud, Velcu and other co-conspirators fraudulently opened bank accounts at victim financial institutions, often in fictitious names, with the aid of co-conspirator Diape Seck, who was an employee at one of the victim financial institutions.  Velcu used false names and accompanying fraudulent identity documents containing his photograph to open accounts and receive ATM cards and account information, in addition to using accounts opened by Seck.  Velcu and others deposited stolen checks into the fraudulently opened bank accounts and into bank accounts held in his own or a family member’s identity.  Velcu and co-conspirators then withdrew cash from the fraudulent bank accounts through ATMs and spent the illegally obtained proceeds using debit cards associated with the bank accounts. 

During the course of the conspiracy, Velcu personally deposited at least 70 stolen checks, totaling at least $40,357.50 and those accounts received at least $48,987.44 from approximately 101 stolen checks.  Information found on Velcu’s cellular phone revealed that eight additional accounts in the name of Velcu or a family member received at least $82,872.65 from approximately 145 stolen checks

On October 9, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Velcu’s residence and storage unit in Baltimore and recovered approximately $87,064 is cash, assorted gold coins and jewelry, all of which are being forfeited as proceeds of the conspiracy.  Law enforcement also seized fraudulent French identity documents containing photographs of Velcu and a false name.

Five other conspirators previously pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and were sentenced to up to five years in federal prison.  Former bank employee Seck was convicted after trial.  Seck faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each of conspiracy to commit bank fraud; bank fraud; making false entries in bank records; and receipt of a bribe or reward by a bank employee.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for Seck on June 2, 2023, at 2:30 p.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, HSI, the FDIC Office of Inspector General, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Cary (North Carolina) Police Department, and the Williamson County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Wright, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Deaven Cherry, age 35, of Baltimore, Maryland to 21 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Interim Chief Dennis J. Delp of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, Cherry was an associate of a gang known as “Hillside” which operated in part of Cherry Hill in Baltimore, Maryland.  Members of Hillside distributed powder and crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and marijuana, primarily in a local shopping center, in other locations throughout Cherry Hill, and in west and southwest Baltimore City.  The members of Hillside used the proceeds of their narcotics sales to purchase firearms, to enrich themselves, and to further the narcotics trafficking and other activities of the organization.  Hillside members also committed acts of violence, including robberies, non-fatal shootings and homicides.

As stated in his plea agreement, Hillside members and associates have been in a long-running dispute with rival gang members, including Up Da Hill (“UDH”), the Lakebrook Circle Boys, and others.  Members and associates of Hillside have routinely engaged in murder and other acts of violence directed at members of these rival gangs, or persons in the territories controlled by these rival gangs.  Cherry knew members of Hillside sold narcotics and committed violent acts against rival gangs or others who impeded on Hillside’s territory.  Further, Cherry admitted that he participated in Hillside’s racketeering enterprise, including the murder of a UDH member (Victim 1).  On May 22, 2010, Cherry shot and murdered Victim 1 in the 2900 block of Denham Circle.  Later that day, Cherry was in possession of a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine containing 21 rounds.  Ballistic evidence confirmed that Cherry’s firearm was used to murder Victim 1.  Cherry also admitted that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that Hillside was responsible for the distribution of between one and three kilograms of heroin, between five and 15 kilograms of cocaine, between 280 and 840 grams of crack cocaine, as well as marijuana and oxycodone.

Cherry and co-defendant Travis Alewine fled after their indictment and were fugitives until their arrests in 2020 and 2019, respectively.  Nineteen other Hillside co-defendants pleaded guilty and were sentenced to up to 23 years in federal prison.  Travis Alewine has also pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 20, 2023, at 9:30 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 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 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 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 praised the ATF, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore City Police Department for their work in the investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Patricia C. McLane and Brandon K. Moore, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – The first of three defendants, Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, age 29, has been extradited from Canada to the United States to face a federal indictment, and is scheduled to have his initial appearance on Friday, April 14, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amjel Quereshi.  A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Simon-Ebo, James Junior Aliyu, a/k/a “Old Soldier,” and “Ghost,” age 28 and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu, age 31, all Nigerian citizens residing in South Africa, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering and for wire fraud and money laundering charges related to a business email compromise (“BEC”) scheme with losses of more than $6 million.  The indictment was returned on June 24, 2019, and unsealed on July 6, 2022, upon the defendants’ arrests outside the United States. 

The indictment 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 the seven-count indictment, from February 2016 until at least July 2017, the defendants conspired with others to perpetrate a BEC scheme.  Specifically, the indictment alleges that the defendants and their co-conspirators, including co-conspirators residing in Maryland, gained unauthorized access to email accounts associated with individuals and businesses targeted by the conspirators.  The co-conspirators then allegedly 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.” 

The indictment also alleges that the defendants 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.  For example, defendant Aliyu is alleged to have made a $350,000 wire transfer from one of the drop accounts in Maryland to an account he controlled in South Africa, knowing that the funds were the proceeds of a crime and that the transaction was designed to conceal the nature, source and ownership of those funds.  Finally, the defendants are charged with wire fraud, related to the BEC scheme.  Specifically, Simon-Ebo is charged in three wire fraud counts involving $6,343,533.10 in victim funds being wired to accounts controlled by conspirators.

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud conspiracy, for the money laundering conspiracy, and for each count of wire fraud.  If convicted, Aliyu also faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for 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 HSI’s Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force and the U.S. Secret Service for their work in the investigation.  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 – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Shanese Butler, age 35, of Baltimore, a former Correctional Officer at the Metropolitan Transition Center (“MTC”) in Baltimore, to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy related to a scheme to smuggle contraband the MTC.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

According to court documents and her guilty plea, from June 2020 to November 2020, Butler engaged in a romantic relationship with Christopher Mann while he was a detainee at the Metropolitan Transition Center, and conspired with Mann, other employees, detainees, and associates of MTC to participate in a pattern of racketeering activity, including drug distribution and bribery. 

Specifically, Butler, Mann and at least two other conspirators, including outside facilitator, Cania Jefferson, age 35, and Correctional Officer Thomas Green, worked together to smuggle contraband into MTC in exchange for bribe payments.  At Mann’s direction, Butler sent $1,000 bribe payments to Green on multiple occasions.  In exchange for these bribe payments, Green smuggled contraband into MTC and delivered it to Mann.  For example, in July 2020, after receiving a bribe payment from Mann, Green smuggled two cell phones, suboxone, and K2 into MTC but was apprehended by law enforcement on their way to MTC.

The evidence showed that Butler controlled Mann’s Cash App account, through which multiple payments were made to Green and facilitator Cania Jefferson; and multiple payments from and on behalf of Mann’s customer’s inside MTC were received.  The government presented evidence that, not only did Butler assist in managing the day-to-day financial aspects of Mann’s contraband smuggling organization, she assisted in liquidating the operation’s proceeds.  Cash App records confirm that between September 16 and October 3, 2020, Butler withdrew approximately $33,000 from the account.  The FBI recovered approximately 10 percent of that amount, $3,020, while searching Butler’s home on October 2, 2020.  The balance of the proceeds is unaccounted for.

According to court documents, in September 2020, law enforcement intercepted a series of phone calls in which Butler and Mann devised a scheme to spray liquid K2 onto a piece of paper, and to smuggle the paper into MTC through the United States mail service.  Butler sent the piece of paper to another detainee as a “trial.”  The mailing was seized by jail administrators, tested by a chemist, and found to have been soaked in synthetic marijuana.  When the FBI raided Butler’s home in October 2020, they recovered a spray bottle containing liquid K2, as well as multiple pieces of paper that had been soaked in liquid K2.

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

Co-defendants Christopher Mann, age 40, of Baltimore; Thomas Green, age 34, of Pikesville, Maryland; and Cania Jefferson, age 36, of Lansdowne, Maryland previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme and were sentenced to between a year and a day and three years in federal prison.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and DPSCS Intelligence and Investigative Division for their work in this joint investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter J. Martinez and Aaron S.J. Zelinsky 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 George L. Russell, III sentenced Daniel Ongele, age 33, of Bowie, Maryland to 33 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a $1.2 million bank fraud scheme. 

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

  According to his guilty plea, from January to June 2018, Ongele obtained the account information of the elderly victims from a co-conspirator who was employed as a bank teller.  Specifically, the co-conspirator, without authorization, accessed confidential computerized account information at the bank and obtained the names and other personal identifying information (PII), which was then provided to Ongele.  Ongele and others then used automated teller machines in Maryland to deposit and attempt to deposit fraudulent checks drawn on the compromised accounts into accounts belonging to other conspirators.  Ongele obtained information pertaining to at least nine victim accounts, which he used to conduct fraudulent transactions.  Ongele admits that as a result of his fraudulent conduct and the foreseeable conduct of his co-conspirators, the intended loss was $1,293,237.06.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter J. Martinez, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Charles Austin Jenkins, age 66, of Thurmont, Maryland, and Robert Justin Krop, age 36, of Frederick, Maryland, with conspiracy and false statements in order to acquire machineguns.  Krop is also charged with illegal possession of machineguns.  No court appearance is scheduled for the defendants at this time. 

The indictment was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

As detailed in the indictment, Charles Jenkins has been the Sheriff of Frederick County since his election in 2006 and was most recently re-elected in 2022.  Robert Krop is the principal owner and operator of firearms-related businesses in Frederick County.  Krop and his businesses held up to two Federal Firearms Licenses (“FFLs”) that allowed Krop and the business, under certain circumstances, to possess and deal in machineguns.

The six-count indictment alleges that from August 2015 to May 2022, Jenkins and Krop conspired to unlawfully purchase machineguns and falsified multiple documents on the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office letterhead requesting machineguns for evaluation and demonstration to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.  Krop allegedly drafted these documents for Jenkins’ signature.  According to the indictment, Jenkins and Krop knew that there would not be a demonstration of the machineguns to the Sheriff’s Office and that the machineguns were intended for rental to Krop’s customers.  Krop also allegedly illegally possessed seven machineguns.  The indictment further alleges that Krop’s business offered political support to Jenkins in recognition of his support for the business. 

If convicted, Jenkins and Krop face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy, for false statements in records maintained by a federal firearms licensee and for false statements to federal law enforcement.  If convicted, Krop also faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for unlawful possession of a machinegun. 

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 ATF for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Goo and Leo Wise, who are prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Devon Powell, a/k/a “Smuppy,” age 32, of Baltimore, today to 235 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for racketeering and drug conspiracy charges, related to his activities as a member of the Eight Tray Gangster (ETG) Crips gang in Baltimore.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

The ETG Crips are a violent subset of the Crips gang that originated in California in the 1970s, eventually operating on the streets and in correctional facilities in Maryland beginning in the 2000s.  For many years, the ETG Crips controlled the drug trade in particular territories in Baltimore City, including the area around the intersection between West Baltimore Street and South Hilton Street in West Baltimore (the “Baltimore Hilton neighborhood”), the area around the intersection between West Lexington Street and North Fremont Avenue (the “Lexington Terrace neighborhood”), and the area around the intersection between Frankford Avenue and Sinclair Lane in North Baltimore (the “Frankford Sinclair neighborhood”).  The ETG Crips members from the Baltimore Hilton and Lexington Terrace neighborhoods referred to themselves as the Baccwest ETG Crips—modeling themselves after the Baccwest ETG Crips in Los Angeles—and ETG Crips members from the Frankford Sinclair neighborhood called themselves the Nutty North Side ETG Crips.  The two groups worked together for common criminal purposes.

According to his guilty plea, Davon Powell was a member of the Baccwest ETG Crips in Baltimore.  The Baccwest ETG Crips operated street-level drug distribution “shops” primarily in the Baltimore Hilton neighborhood, the Lexington Terrace neighborhood and the Franklin Sinclair neighborhood, distributing heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana.  Non-members of the gang who attempted to sell drugs in the ETG Crips’ territories were targeted for violence by ETG Crips members.  Powell admitted that he and his co-defendants conspired to distribute and distributed drugs, including heroin and crack cocaine.

The ETG Crips used social media websites to assert their claim to drug territories, intimidate rival gangs and witnesses against gang members, and to enhance the status of the ETG Crips and of individual members within the gang.  Members of the ETG Crips posted photos and rap videos to social media websites flaunting weapons and threatening to kill those who stood in the way of the gang.  By participating in criminal activities in furtherance of the gang, particularly violent acts directed by the ETG Crips leadership, ETG Crips members earned respect from fellow members and maintained or advanced their position within the gang.

Also, as detailed in his plea agreement, on May 19, 2019, in the 4900 block of Greencrest Road, Powell attempted to murder Victim 22, shooting the victim multiple times using a 9mm caliber pistol.  Co-defendant Trayvon Hall, who was the leader of the ETG Crips, provided the weapon and served as the getaway driver.  A week later, Hall offered to give Powell the 9mm caliber pistol used in the shooting, in exchange for a .40 caliber firearm that Powell had in his possession.  Powell advised that the .40 caliber firearm was his “favorite,” but he had a friend with a .40 caliber firearm who might be willing to trade.  Powell warned Hall that his friend’s gun was “dirty,” meaning it had been used to shoot or kill someone.  Ultimately, Powell did swap guns with Hall, taking the 9mm pistol used to shoot Victim 22, and giving Hall his .40 caliber firearm.

Co-defendant Trayvon Hall, a/k/a “Tru,” and “G Tru,” age 31, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to his role in the gang and was sentenced on December 7, 2022, to 454 months in federal prison.

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

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

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the ATF, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter J. Martinez and Kim Y. Oldham, 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 Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Eric Wilson, age 51, of Owings Mills, Maryland, yesterday to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on drug conspiracy and distribution charges related to his supplying cocaine, crack cocaine and fentanyl to drug traffickers operating in West and Northwest Baltimore.

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 Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, in April 2020, law enforcement began an investigation into drug trafficking in West and Northwest Baltimore.  During the investigation, Wilson was identified as a source of supply for co-conspirators involved in the drug trafficking organization (“DTO”).  Law enforcement intercepted calls between Wilson and his co-conspirators discussing the distribution of cocaine, crack cocaine and fentanyl, as well as other controlled substances.

Wilson admitted that he maintained two stash locations to store, cut and package drugs with other members of the conspiracy—his residence in Owings Mills, Maryland and a home in the 3200 block of Presstman Street in Baltimore.  On April 29, 2021, investigators executed search warrants at both locations.  From the Owings Mills residence law enforcement recovered: approximately 158 grams of a cocaine and fentanyl mixture; drug paraphernalia; one .40 caliber round of ammunition; $23,126 in cash, believed to be drug proceeds; and nine phones.  From the Presstman Street residence law enforcement recovered: a mixture containing approximately 1,541 grams of cocaine; 717.72 grams of crack cocaine; 10.999 grams of fentanyl pills; and kilo wrappers and drug paraphernalia.

Throughout the course of his involvement in the conspiracy, it was reasonably foreseeable to Wilson that he or other members of the conspiracy would distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, as well as quantities of crack cocaine, fentanyl and heroin, in furtherance of the conspiracy.

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 prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces 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 against priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks.  These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through relationships forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime.  The specific mission of the Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force is to reduce violent, drug-related, and gang crime in the Baltimore area and surrounding region.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaRai N. Everett and James T. Wallner, 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 Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Wilson Nuyila Tita, age 47, of Owings Mills, Maryland, to 63 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for conspiracy, for transporting firearms with obliterated serial numbers, and for smuggling firearms and ammunition from the United States to Nigeria.  Tita was convicted of those charges on May 6, 2022, along with co-defendants Eric Fru Nji, age 42, of Fort Washington, Maryland and Wilson Che Fonguh, age 41, of Bowie, Maryland, after a two-week trial.

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

According to the evidence presented at trial, from at least November 2017 through July 19, 2019, Tita and his co-defendants conspired with each other and with others to export firearms, ammunition and other military typed items from the United States to Nigeria.  Specifically, the evidence at trial established that co-conspirators secreted 38 firearms, 28 of which had the obliterated serial numbers in a shipping container that they sent out of the Port of Baltimore in January of 2019.  The guns included sniper rifles, SKS assault rifles (some with bayonets), other rifles and several handguns.  There were 44 high-capacity magazines, two rifle scopes and over 35,000 rounds of ammunition.  The evidence proved that co-conspirators concealed the firearms, ammunition, rifle scopes, and other items in duffle bags and heavily wrapped packages inside sealed compressor units, placing those items into a shipping container destined for Nigeria.  According to trial testimony and court documents, Tita was present for the loading of the container, but that did not load anything himself, because Tita “didn’t like to get his hands dirty.”  Instead, Tita gave instructions to the others as they loaded the container.

As detailed in trial testimony, Tita and his co-conspirators contributed funds for the purchase of firearms, ammunition, reloading materials and other equipment for shipping overseas to separatists fighting against the Government of Cameroon.  Tita and his co-conspirators communicated about their efforts and plans to ship weapons and ammunitions using an on-line encrypted messaging application and code words in order to conceal their activities.  Co-defendant Fonguh and seven defendants charged in related cases are awaiting sentencing.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the ATF and DCIS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron recognized the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement; the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their contributions to the investigation.  U.S. Attorney Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Adam Michael Nettina, age 34, of West Friendship, Maryland, for using the telephone to threaten a group that advocates for LGBTQ individuals.  The criminal complaint was filed on March 31, 2023, and Nettina was arrested later that evening.  Nettina had his initial appearance on April 3, 2023, in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Maddox and was ordered to be detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for April 7, 2023, at 1:30 p.m.

The federal charge was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, on the evening of March 28, 2023, the victim organization received a threatening voicemail from a phone number, which investigators identified as belonging to Adam Michael Nettina.  The message referenced the March 27, 2023, mass shooting at a school in Nashville, Tennessee, involving multiple shooting fatalities, where the perpetrator was publicly identified as being transgender.  During the call, numerous threats were made including, “…We’ll cut your throats.  We’ll put a bullet in your head….You’re going to kill us?  We’re going to kill you ten times more in full.”

If convicted, Nettina faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for interstate communications with a threat to injure.  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. 

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 and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron and Ms. Clarke thanked Assistant U.S. Paul E. Budlow and Deputy Chief Bobbi Bernstein of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, who are prosecuting the federal case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland (USAO-MD) is launching the national Department of Justice initiative, United Against Hate, this spring.  Together with our local partners, USAO-MD’s United Against Hate campaign will empower local residents and communities to combat unlawful acts of hate, stand against racism and discrimination and alter the course of growing intolerance. 

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 – William R. Johnson, Jr., age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of honest services wire fraud, for seeking and accepting bribes and kickbacks, totaling at least $16,804, to falsely certify that applicants for Maryland handgun qualifying licenses (HQL) and wear and carry permits (CCW) had completed the required training. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Baltimore Field Office; and Interim Chief Dennis J. Delp of the Baltimore County Police Department (“BCPD”).

“We’re taking a hardline on any and all firearms-related violations,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “These requirements are in place for good reasons and we’re trusting law enforcement officials to ensure compliance.”

As detailed in court documents, Johnson joined the Baltimore County Police Department in August 2008, and obtained a qualified handgun instructor certificate (QHIC) from the Maryland State Police on April 29, 2019.  In order to purchase, rent, or receive a handgun in Maryland, residents must have a handgun qualification license (HQL), which requires, among other things, that an applicant complete four hours of instruction by a qualified handgun instructor, including classroom training, a firearms orientation, and a “live fire” exercise in which the applicant safely shoots the weapon.  Similarly, to obtain a license to wear and carry a firearm (referred to as a wear and carry permit or “CCW”) residents must undergo a minimum of 16 hours of instruction for an initial CCW application, and a minimum of eight hours of instruction for a renewal CCW application which is administered by a qualified handgun instructor.  Part of the training course for obtaining a CCW is a firearms qualification exercise in which the applicant must shoot a specific course, scoring at least 70 percent accuracy, to demonstrate their proficiency and use of the firearm.

According to his guilty plea, from May 2019 through September 2021, Johnson solicited and accepted bribes and kickbacks, paid through interstate electronic funds transfer services like Venmo, CashApp and Zelle, from applicants seeking HQLs and CCWs in exchange for Johnson falsely certifying to the Maryland State Police that the applicant had completed the training required by law.  Johnson communicated with applicants and arranged the payments using a messaging application.  Johnson charged approximately $100 for an HQL certification and between $150 and $200 for a CCW certification.  In conversations with the applicants, Johnson made clear that once they paid the money, Johnson would send them the required documentation and they did not need to attend the required classes.  After receiving payment from the applicants, Johnson sent the applicants a “Certified Qualification Score Sheet” falsely certifying that the applicant completed the required training.  The applicants then submitted those falsified forms as part of their application.  Based on the falsified documentation provided by Johnson and submitted by the applicants, the applicants received an HQL and/or CCW from MSP. 

Johnson further admitted that in January 2021, he provided information to A.F. regarding a BCPD investigation into A.F. during a text message conversation about Johnson signing off on A.F.’s required HQL training.  The information Johnson provided included details which led A.F. to determine the probable identity of the individual who provided the confidential information, the fact that the individual stopped providing information to the Narcotics Unit, and that the Narcotics Unit closed out the investigation.  

Johnson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for honest services wire fraud.  As part of his plea agreement, Johnson will be required to pay a money judgment of at least $16,804, representing the proceeds he obtained from the scheme.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for Johnson on July 13, 2023.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore, the Maryland State Police, and the Food and Drug Administration - Office of Investigations for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Goo and Leo J. Wise, 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 – Sean Donnelle Hawkins, age 48, of Marbury, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday federal charges related to his distribution of cocaine, crack cocaine, and firearms in Charles County, Maryland.  During the investigation, Hawkins sold eight firearms to a law enforcement source, including four privately made semi-automatic firearms, known as “ghost guns.” 

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 Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry.

As detailed in his guilty plea, Hawkins admitted that on 10 separate occasions from October 2021 to May 2022, he sold cocaine, crack cocaine and/or firearms to law enforcement sources.  Between February 18, 2022 and May 24, 2022, Hawkins sold a law enforcement source eight firearms, including four privately made firearms, often referred to as “ghost guns.”  One of the privately made firearms was a semi-automatic pistol and came with a high-capacity magazine capable of receiving 33 rounds of 9mm ammunition and was loaded with 31 rounds of ammunition.

In total, Hawkins sold the law enforcement sources 85.493 grams of crack cocaine, 111.528 grams of cocaine, eight firearms and 468 rounds of ammunition.  Hawkins knew that he had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.  Hawkins also had reason to believe that the law enforcement source could not lawfully possess firearms and intended to use or dispose of the firearms unlawfully.

On August 3, 2022, a search warrant was executed at Hawkins’ residence.  Hawkins was inside the residence and informed law enforcement that he had drugs and firearms inside a cooler in the home.  The cooler was located and contained: a .38 special caliber revolver, loaded with five rounds of .38 caliber ammunition; a 9mm semi-automatic pistol; two empty firearm magazines; three bags containing a total of 411.84 grams of marijuana; one knot-sealed bag containing 5.52 grams of a mixture of powder and crack cocaine; one baggie holding 20 round green tablets of a mixture of cocaine and oxycodone; one container of white tablets of a mixture of cocaine and oxycodone; and one green tablet of oxycodone.  Law enforcement also recovered two shotguns from the residence and more than 1,000 rounds of assorted caliber ammunition, as well as $1,264 in cash that Hawkins intended to use to commit or facilitate the distribution of controlled substances.  Hawkins admitted to possessing the firearms, ammunition, and magazines recovered in the cooler in furtherance of his drug trafficking.

Hawkins and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Hawkins will be sentenced to between 10 and 13 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for August 1, 2023.  As part of his plea agreement, Hawkins will forfeit the firearms recovered from his home on August 3, 2022, and waives any right or interest in the ammunition and magazines seized during the searches related to the case.

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 Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bijon A. Mostoufi and Timothy F. Hagan, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has sentenced Israel Ramirez, age 29, of Burtonsville, Maryland, to 17 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for an armed robbery of an armored truck, two armed bank robberies and the armed robbery of a convenience store.  In each of the armed robberies, Ramirez discharged his weapon.  Ramirez discharged his handgun multiple times in the bank robberies.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief Russell E. Hamill III of the Laurel Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on July 4, 2021 Ramirez committed the armed robbery of convenience store in Laurel, Maryland.  During the robbery, Ramirez brandished a firearm, which he fired into a cigarette display behind the register when the employees had trouble opening the register.  Ultimately, the employees were able to open the register and provided Ramirez with cash.  On July 12th, Ramirez robbed the same store.  An employee recognized Ramirez as the person that had robbed the store and discharged his weapon the week before.  Ramirez kept his hand in his pocket and demanded that the employee open the register.  The employee provided Ramirez with cash from the register and Ramirez left the store.

Later on July 12, 2021, Ramirez began following an armored truck that had recently conducted a cash drop/pickup at a nearby bank.  The armored truck pulled into a shopping center and parked in front of a bank.  The driver of the armored truck went into the bank for a pickup/drop off.  Shortly thereafter, Ramirez pulled into the parking lot and parked near the armored truck.  Ramirez got out of his car and adjusted the front and rear license plates, so they were folded up onto themselves, then watched as the driver left the bank with deposit bags and got into the armored truck.  Ramirez followed as the armored truck driver pulled into another parking lot to conduct another pickup.  Ramirez, brandishing a gun, approached the driver as he was leaving a business with the deposit bag.  Ramirez demanded the bag, which the driver gave him.  Ramirez demanded that the driver give him the earlier deposit bags, but the driver said he could not get back into the armored truck.  As Ramirez returned to his car, the driver attempted to get into the driver’s side of the armored truck and Ramirez aimed his gun in the direction of the driver and the armored truck and fired one shot.  Ramirez then fled with the cash he stole from the driver.

On November 4, 2021 and December 3, 2021, Ramirez robbed two banks in Silver Spring, Maryland.  In each robbery, Ramirez brandished a gun, which he fired after entering the bank, and demanded that the bank employees give him $10,000.  In the first robbery, after receiving money from an employee, Ramirez walked toward the exit and fired his gun into a wall as he left the bank.  In the second bank robbery, Ramirez fired multiple shots into the ceiling of the bank before demanding cash.

During the second robbery, a bank employee saw Ramirez pull down his mask and recognized him as a frequent customer of the bank.  A search warrant was executed at Ramirez’s residence that same day.  Law enforcement recovered a black 9mm handgun that matched the description of the gun used by Ramirez during the robberies.  Shell casings recovered from each of the robberies were also identified as coming from that gun, which was registered to Ramirez. 

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 FBI, the Prince George’s Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Laurel Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joel Crespo and Caitlin Cottingham, 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 Robert Reeves III, age 37 of Dallas, Texas, to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen goods where the defendant and his co-conspirators broke into businesses and stole cash from Bitcoin-related ATMs.  Judge Hollander also ordered Reeves to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is $55,316. The sentence was imposed on March 27, 2023.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; and Interim Chief Dennis J. Delp of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, from August 2018 through at least September 13, 2018, Reeves, co-defendants Meleech Neugent and Brandon Davis, and other individuals conspired to travel from the Dallas, Texas area to other parts of the United States, including the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, break into businesses after they closed and steal cash from Bitcoin-related automated teller machines (“ATMs”).  Specifically, on August 29, 2018, Reeves, his co-defendants and others traveled from Dallas, Texas to Dulles International Airport and rented a vehicle.  In the early morning hours of August 31, 2018 and September 1, 2018, they used that vehicle to drive to locations in Rockville, Columbia and Baltimore, Maryland, where they broke into four separate businesses.  Once inside the business, the conspirators stole cash from the ATM machines. 

As stated in is plea agreement, video surveillance from the burglary locations showed three individuals committed the acts, arriving and departing in a black Jeep Patriot with New Jersey license plates.  Records revealed that the vehicle was owned by a car rental company and had been rented at Dulles Airport by Reeves and his co-conspirators.  Records associated with Reeves’ internet and cell phone accounts showed that he searched for each victim business while the group was in Maryland.  Later on September 1, Reeves and other co-conspirators visited a shopping center in Tysons Corner, Virginia.  A video posted to co-defendant Neugent’s social media showed Neugent counting bundles of cash while purchasing shoes at a high-end designer retail store.  Reeves and some co-conspirators returned to Texas, flying from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Before leaving, the Jeep Patriot that was rented by Reeves was reported as being in a car accident with Reeves and Neugent listed as the occupants of the vehicle.

Reeves admitted that on August 23, 2018, he participated in a similar burglary in Illinois.  Specifically, Reeves and another man approached a business in Elgin, Illinois, while carrying prying tools.  One man pried open the door and the men then pried open the ATM inside the business, removing approximately $3,000 from the ATM.

Meleesh Neugent, age 40, and Brandon Davis, age 35, both of Dallas, Texas, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy.  Neugent was sentenced to time served and Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on May 31, 2023.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI Baltimore and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, 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/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Khary Owens, age 44, of Baltimore, Maryland, yesterday to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.  As part of Owens’ plea agreement, he admitted that he possessed a .45-caliber handgun, loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition, in furtherance of his drug trafficking.  

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 Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, in September and October 2020 Baltimore Police Department (“BPD”) detectives conducted covert surveillance on a residence in the 500 block of Sheridan Avenue in Baltimore after receiving information that the house was used for drug distribution.  Detectives saw Owens on the front porch of the residence and on the sidewalk in front of the house.  During their surveillance, detectives saw Owens supply drugs by engaging in hand-to-hand drug transactions.

As detailed in his plea agreement, detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and for Owens’ person, which was executed on October 7, 2020.  Detectives saw Owens arrive at the residence, then hang his vest and backpack on the front porch.  When Owens saw the detectives approaching the residence, he ran inside the house and up the stairs, where he threw a package of 58 vials of cocaine out a second story window into the backyard.  The package was retrieved by waiting BPD detectives. Officers entered the residence and placed Owens under arrest.  From the backpack Owens left on the front porch, law enforcement recovered a .45-caliber firearm, loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition, a medicine bottle filled with a suspected cutting agent to mix with controlled substances, and drug packaging materials.  Owens admitted that he intended to distribute the cocaine and that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking.

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. Attorneys Jonathan Tsuei, 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 – Laboratory Corporation of America (“Labcorp”) has agreed to pay the United States $2,100,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act by overbilling the Department of Defense (“DoD”) for genetic tests performed by GeneDx, LLC, a third-party reference laboratory used by Labcorp to perform genetic tests for military members. 

The civil settlement was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Services, Mid-Atlantic Field Office, Christopher W. Dillard, and Special Agent in Charge of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Major Procurement Fraud Field Office, L. Scott Moreland.

“Federal contractors are required to bill for costs actually incurred.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners are committed to protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring integrity and compliance with government contracts,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.   

“This settlement demonstrates DCIS’ vigorous commitment to investigate false claims related to DoD contracts. The submission of truthful and accurate documentation for payment by health care entities is essential to the integrity of DoD contracts,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher W. Dillard, DCIS Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “DCIS proudly stands with our investigative law enforcement partners and with the support of the Defense Health Agency to root out fraud, waste and abuse.”

“We are very pleased with today's announcement,” said Special Agent-in-Charge L. Scott Moreland of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Major Procurement Fraud Field Office. “This is a true testament to our continued commitment to work closely and seamlessly with our outstanding fellow law enforcement agencies to protect the financial interests of the United States Army and the United States Government as a whole.”

In 2012, LabCorp entered a contract with DoD to perform laboratory testing at all DoD Military Treatment Facilities throughout the world.  Certain specialized tests performed on the DoD contract, including genetic tests involving fetuses and parents, were performed by GeneDx as a reference lab for Labcorp.  GeneDx would invoice Labcorp for these genetic tests and Labcorp would in turn invoice DoD.  According to the settlement agreement, from December 1, 2013 through June 30, 2021, LabCorp double and/or triple billed DoD for genetic tests performed by GeneDx; overcharged DoD for genetic tests performed by GeneDx; and inappropriately billed DoD for tests performed by GeneDx when LabCorp could not later locate evidence of a (i) DoD requisition form, (ii) GeneDx test result, and/or (iii) corresponding GeneDx invoice. 

The civil settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by Donna Hecker-Gross, a former employee of Labcorp, under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act.  The False Claims Act permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and obtain a portion of the government's recovery.  The civil lawsuit is captioned United States ex rel Donna Hecker-Gross v. Laboratory Corporation of America, Inc. PX 18-3459 (D. Md).  As part of the settlement, the Ms. Hecker-Gross will receive $357,000. 

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Army Criminal Investigation Division for their work in this investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Corcoran and Sarah Marquardt, who handled the case.

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

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Baltimore – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow today sentenced Jarvis Antonio Coleman-Fuller, age 35, of Hagerstown, Maryland and Eric Tyrell Johnson, a/k/a “E,” age 39, of Owings Mills, Maryland, to 156 months and 150 months in federal prison, respectively, each followed by five years of supervised release, on charges related to a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, specifically fentanyl and heroin in Washington County, Maryland.  A federal jury convicted the defendants on November 17, 2022, after a two-week trial

The sentences were 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; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Washington County Sheriff Brian K. Albert; Chief Paul “Joey” Kifer of the Hagerstown Police Department; and Washington County States’ Attorney Gina Cirincion.

According to the evidence presented at trial, beginning in about April 2019 and continuing to about November 2019, the defendants and their co-conspirators conspired to distribute heroin and fentanyl in the Washington County area.  During the investigation, law enforcement seized narcotics, including at least 1.3 kilograms of fentanyl, five firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and more than $12,534 in cash.  Witnesses testified that Johnson and Coleman-Fuller distributed fentanyl and illegally possessed firearms.  Johnson and Coleman-Fuller both had previous felony convictions and were prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.  The trial evidence also proved that Coleman-Fuller possessed a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes.

Eight co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and were sentenced to between 10 years in prison and time served. 

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, HSI, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington County Narcotics Task Force, and the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution  Mr. Barron also thanked the Baltimore County Police Department and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the case.  Mr. Barron commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joan C. Mathias and Adeyemi Adenrele, who are prosecuting this 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/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Alexander Barabash, age 52, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud, relating to the submission of fraudulent Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act loan applications.  The CARES Act was enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.   

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

“Barabash fraudulently obtained more than $1.2 million in CARES Act loans intended to assist struggling businesses,” said Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for Maryland.  “CARES Act fraud is a continuing priority for this office and fraudsters will be held accountable for their actions.”

“Investigating those who fraudulently acquired Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act relief funds will continue to be a focus of IRS-CI,” said Kareem A. Carter, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office. “The CARES Act was put into place to assist those struggling financially due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, not for bad actors to buy cars and houses.”

Financial assistance offered through the CARES Act included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), administered through the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) and participating lenders. 

According to his plea agreement, between April 2020 and January 2021, Barabash submitted three fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of his construction company iDesignbuild LLC (“iDesignBuild”).  Barabash is the sole owner and CEO of iDesignBuild and was the sole authorized signer of the company’s business bank account.

As detailed in the plea agreement, on April 9, 2020, Barabash submitted a PPP loan application falsely stating that iDesignBuild had four employees and an average monthly payroll of $18,750.  In fact, the company did not have any employees, but engaged independent contractors for work-related matters.  Based on the representations made in the fraudulent application, on April 23, 2020, Barabash received $46,800 in PPP loan proceeds in the iDesignBuild bank account.  On April 25, 2020, Barabash submitted a second fraudulent PPP loan application on behalf of iDesignBuild, stating that the company had seven employees and an average monthly payroll of $38,777.60.  In support of the application, Barabash submitted IRS Forms 941 for each quarter of 2019 and a 2019 IRS Form 940 for iDesignBuild, signed by Barabash and his tax preparer, knowing that they had never been filed with IRS.

Barabash admitted that on January 20, 2021, he submitted a third fraudulent loan application on behalf of iDesignBuild, representing that the company had 37 employees and an average monthly payroll of $525,227.  In support of the application, Barabash again submitted fraudulent IRS Forms 941 for each quarter of 2019 and a fraudulent 2019 IRS Form 940.  Compared to the fraudulent forms submitted with the unsuccessful April 25, 2020 PPP loan application, the forms submitted in January 2021 reported more than six times the number of employees and nearly $1.5 million more in wages in each quarter.  The forms were again signed by Barabash and his tax preparer.  Barabash knew that the forms did not accurately reflect iDesignBuild’s wages or revenues, nor had they been filed with the IRS.  Based on Barabash’s false representations, the bank funded a PPP loan of $1,295,000, which was credited to iDesignBuild’s bank account on February 26, 2021.

Barabash used the fraudulently obtained loans to facilitate the purchase of two properties in Sparks Glencoe, Maryland, and to purchase a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette.  Barabash admitted that he knew those were not permissible uses of PPP funds and the transactions would not have been made

Barabash faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for wire fraud.   As part of his plea agreement, Barabash will be required to pay a money judgment in the amount of $1,295,000 and forfeit $504,869.54 in funds seized from the iDesignBuild business bank account.  Barabash has also agreed to forfeit his interest in property located at 14044 Fox Hill Road in Sparks Glencoe, Maryland as a substitute asset, the net proceeds of which will be applied to the money judgment.  Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for June 26, 2023 at 12:00 p.m.

The District of Maryland Strike Force is one of three strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the CARES Act.  The 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 IRS-CI and U.S. Secret Service for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Darryl L. Tarver, who is prosecuting the case.  He also recognized the assistance of the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber and Paralegal Specialist Juliette Frase. 

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 – Robert Hopewell, age 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

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 Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on February 8, 2022, Baltimore Police Department officers performed a traffic stop after noticing that a vehicle, later found to be driven by Hopewell, had and illegally tinted windshield.  After stopping the car, officers noted a strong odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and ordered Hopewell to exit the vehicle.  A search of the vehicle revealed shavings of suspected marijuana on the front passenger side of the vehicle and a plastic bag of suspected cocaine on the front driver’s side floorboard.  In the backseat area, the detectives noticed that the rear plastic plate cover for the center console appeared to be loose and readily removable.  Once the plate cover was removed, the detectives recovered a 9mm caliber pistol loaded with approximately 17 rounds of 9mm ammunition.  Hopewell admitted that he knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition as a result of a previous felony conviction.

Hopewell and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Hopewell will be sentenced to no more than 78 months in federal prison.  Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for June 6, 2023 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 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 Jonathan Tsuei, 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 Theodore D. Chuang today sentenced John Erasmus Frimpong, age 42, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, to 114 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and securities fraud, in connection with a $28 million Ponzi scheme involving 1st Million, a purported wealth management and financial literacy company.  Judge Chuang also ordered Frimpong to pay restitution, along with his co-defendants, in the full amount of the actual, total loss, including (1) $16,664,020 for the full amount of the victims’ losses relating to the 1st Million scheme to defraud; and (2) $797,775 for the full amount of losses caused by Frimpong’s separate scheme in which he contracted directly with individual victims purporting to invest on their behalf.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Matthew R. Stohler of the United States Secret Service - Washington Field Office; and Postal Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington

According to his plea agreement, Frimpong and his co-conspirators operated a Ponzi scheme through a Delaware incorporated business named The Smart Partners LLC, doing business as 1st Million LLC or 1st Million Dollars (“1st Million”).  1st Million presented itself as a wealth management and financial literacy company.  Frimpong acted as 1st Million’s “Managing Partner” and “Chief Marketing Operator” and co-defendant Arley Ray Johnson acted as 1st Million’s “Chief Operating Officer” or “Director of Operations.” 

Frimpong admitted that he made false and misleading representations to potential investors as to the nature and safety of the investments in 1st Million, the rates of return, and the experience, training and licensure of 1st Million and its principals.  Specifically, Frimpong and his co-conspirators falsely claimed they would be investing victims’ money and that investors were being paid using the profits generated by the trading.  Frimpong and other conspirators also falsely promised investors that their principal would be protected in a “trust” and returned in full upon the completion of the investment, regardless of market volatility.  Frimpong and his co-conspirators further falsely promised extremely high rates of return.  Many of these false promises were repeated not only by Frimpong, but also by “agents” who were given higher rates of return for bringing in investors.  Frimpong also falsely told investors that he and 1st Million were “licensed” traders, and in compliance with all laws and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. 

In reality, Frimpong and his co-conspirators did not use investor funds for trading, nor did they place investor principal—or any investor funds—into a trust account.  In fact, victim funds were not placed in a trust account or otherwise guaranteed.  Neither Frimpong, nor anyone else at 1st Million had a license to offer securities or trade currency.  In addition, Frimpong and his co-defendants falsely claimed that 1st Million was financially healthy and earning astronomical profits, but 1st Million’s accounts were frequently overdrawn and 1st Million had substantial cash flow problems, all of which Frimpong and his co-conspirators concealed from investors. 

Frimpong and his co-conspirators used investor funds for personal gain, including cash and cryptocurrency transfers to themselves and family members.  Frimpong and the co-conspirators used some investor funds to keep the scheme afloat, including by using investor funds to make payments to existing investors, leading those investors to believe that they were receiving “returns” on their investments as they had been promised.  Frimpong and his co-defendant also used investor funds to pay office expenditures and fund lavish events at hotels in order to recruit additional investors. 

As detailed in the plea agreement, Frimpong and his co-conspirators fraudulently solicited over $28.3 million from over 1,200 victims across the United States, including in Maryland, Texas, Florida, New York and Georgia. 

By Spring 2019, 1st Million’s accounts were often overdrawn by hundreds of thousands of dollars, and some of the checks 1st Million sent to pay investors monthly returns were returned by the bank due to insufficient funds.  Nevertheless, Frimpong continued to solicit funds from existing investors, as well as new investors, and failed to tell any of these potential investors of 1st Million’s financial problems.  Ultimately, the scheme collapsed in May 2019 and hundreds of 1st Million investors collectively lost millions of dollars. 

As the scheme started to collapse in the spring of 2019, Frimpong began his own separate scheme in which he contracted directly with individuals to invest on their behalf, again falsely promising to invest the money in foreign exchange, falsely promising sky-high returns, and falsely telling his clients that he was a duly-licensed trader.  Frimpong admitted that he invested very little of these clients’ money and instead used hundreds of thousands of dollars of fraudulently obtained investment proceeds to fund his own lifestyle.  Through this separate scheme, Frimpong misappropriated at least $1,499,751 in U.S. currency from individual victim investors.

Arley Ray Johnson, age 63, of Bowie, Maryland, was sentenced in January to78 months in federal prison for his role in the fraud scheme.

Dennis Jali fled the United States in May 2019, but has since been arrested in South Africa. 

Separate civil actions filed against Frimpong and his co-defendants by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission remain pending.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin R. Cottingham and Jennifer L. Wine, 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/report-fraud.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Eric Fru Nji, age 42, of Fort Washington, Maryland, to 63 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for conspiracy, for transporting firearms with obliterated serial numbers, and for smuggling firearms and ammunition from the United States to Nigeria.  Judge Bennett also ordered Nji to pay a fine of $25,000.  Nji was convicted of those charges on May 6, 2022, along with co-defendants Wilson Nuyila Tita, age 47, of Owings Mills, Maryland and Wilson Che Fonguh, age 41, of Bowie, Maryland, after a two-week trial.

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

According to the evidence presented at trial, from at least November 2017 through July 19, 2019, Nji and his co-defendants conspired with each other and with others to export firearms, ammunition and other military typed items from the United States to Nigeria.  Specifically, the evidence at trial established that Nji and his co-conspirators secreted 38 firearms, 28 of which had the obliterated serial numbers in a shipping container that they sent out of the Port of Baltimore in January of 2019.  The guns included sniper rifles, SKS assault rifles (some with bayonets), other rifles and several handguns.  There were 44 high-capacity magazines, two rifle scopes and over 35,000 rounds of ammunition.  As detailed in trial testimony, Nji and his co-conspirators contributed funds for the purchase of firearms, ammunition, reloading materials and other equipment for shipping overseas to separatists fighting against the Government of Cameroon.  The evidence proved that Nji and his co-conspirators concealed the firearms, ammunition, rifle scopes, and other items in duffle bags and heavily wrapped packages inside sealed compressor units, placing those items into a shipping container destined for Nigeria.  Nji and his co-conspirators communicated about their efforts and plans to ship weapons and ammunitions using an on-line encrypted messaging application and code words in order to conceal their activities.

Fonguh, Tita and seven defendants charged in related cases are awaiting sentencing.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI and the ATF for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron recognized the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement; U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service; Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their contributions to the investigation.  U.S. Attorney Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center, Inc., (“DCMC”), and Diagnostic Imaging Associates, LLC (“DIA”), both located in Lanham, Maryland, have agreed to pay the United States $2,002,052.17 to resolve allegations that they violated the federal False Claims Act. 

According to the settlement agreement, DCMC and DIA entered into a long-standing arrangement whereby DIA billed Medicare and Medicaid under its assigned number for both the professional services provided by DIA and for the technical services rendered by DCMC’s outpatient cancer screening facility (the “Center”).  DIA then paid the Center a portion of the Medicare or Medicaid reimbursed global fee for the technical services provided by the Center.  The Center was not enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid during that time, so it did not have a billing number and was not eligible for reimbursement from those programs.

The civil settlement was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

“The resolution in this matter demonstrates the commitment of the United States Attorney’s Office to rigorously protect Medicare and Medicaid from those who would flout the regulations prescribed by those programs for the reimbursement of medical care,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  

“Health care providers have a responsibility to follow the law, and exploiting insurers for personal gain defies that objective,” stated Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).  “HHS-OIG is committed to safeguarding the integrity of our federal health care programs.  We thank the tireless efforts of our agents and law enforcement partners to fight fraud that targets these programs and to protect taxpayer dollars that fund them.”  

DCMC owns and operates a hospital (“Hospital”) that provides acute care services, including radiation oncology and breast health care services.  Specifically, the Hospital provides biopsy and mammography services and bone density screenings to diagnose and treat breast cancer and other diseases through an outpatient cancer screening facility (the Center).  DIA provides diagnostic and interventional radiology services.  DIA executed a written agreement with the Hospital to provide diagnostic and interventional radiology services to the Center, as well as the interpretation of such tests.  The Center, through the Hospital, provided the imaging equipment, office space, technicians and supplies to facilitate the performance of the radiology-related tests.  The contract between the Hospital and DIA specified that tests performed at the Center would be billed by the Center on a global fee basis under the Center’s provider number, with DIA being paid a percentage of the Medicare or Medicaid reimbursed global fee for performing the professional component, that is, interpreting the tests.  A global fee reflects payment for both the technical and professional components of a medical service billed together as a unit. 

However, the Center did not obtain its own number under which it could bill Medicare and Medicaid for the services provided to beneficiaries insured by those programs.  Between March 15, 2010, and October 19, 2020, by agreement between the Hospital and DIA, DIA submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid using DIA’s supplier number to bill those programs for both the professional and technical components of the services rendered in the Center even though the Hospital performed the technical component of the Center’s services.  Both the Hospital and DIA knew that the Center did not have a billing number as required by Medicare and Medicaid to be eligible for reimbursement for rendered medical services.

The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations.  The settlement is not an admission of liability by DCMC and DIA, nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.  The case arose from DCMC’s and DIA’s reporting of the billing arrangement to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol; DCMC and DIA cooperated throughout the ensuing federal investigation conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.    

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DHHS-OIG for its work in this investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Tarra DeShields who handled this case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced NFL gang leader Gregory Butler, a/k/a “Gotti,” “Sags,” and “Little Dick,” age 31, of Baltimore, Maryland, yesterday to 30 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise related to his activities in the NFL gang, which operated in the Edmondson Village area in Southwest Baltimore.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Division Office; Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, from 2016 to March 2020, Butler was a leader of the NFL enterprise and participated in its illegal activities with other members, including the NFL drug trafficking organization (“DTO”).  The term “NFL” stands for Normandy, Franklin, and Loudon, three adjacent streets that run through the Edmondson Village in Baltimore.  Members of NFL have social and familial ties to the Edmondson Village neighborhood in southwest Baltimore. 

During the conspiracy, NFL members distributed large quantities of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine to drug customers and re-distributors from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.  Butler admitted that he obtained narcotics from multiple sources of supply and stored the narcotics in stash houses that he controlled.  Over the course of the charged conspiracy, Butler and his co-conspirators distributed over one kilogram of heroin and more than 280 grams of crack cocaine and more than 400 grams of fentanyl.

Butler admitted that the NFL enterprise sold heroin and fentanyl to multiple drug customers who subsequently overdosed and died.  Butler agreed that these fatal overdoses were reasonably foreseeable to him, in light of his direct oversight of the enterprise’s drug trafficking activities.  For example, on about August 16, 2016, Butler coordinated the sale of heroin to customer in Rockville, Maryland, who, later that day, used the heroin and died.  In addition, Butler paid members and associates of the NFL enterprise to commit multiple murders on behalf of the enterprise and at least one of those murders was carried out by members of the NFL gang.

More than 30 defendants in this and related cases have pleaded guilty.  Including Butler, 29 of the defendants have been sentenced to between 30 years and time served. 

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

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, DEA, DPSCS, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Frederick County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office and the Frederick County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office for their assistance.   Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Sippel, Jr., James T. Wallner and Robert I. Goldaris who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Carl Gage Linden, age 57, of Mount Rainier, Maryland, yesterday to 32 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for production of child pornography.  Judge Xinis also ordered Linden to pay a special assessment of $200 and that, upon his release from prison, Linden 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”).  Linden was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $25,401 to the victims.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Linwood Alston of the Mount Rainier Police Department; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.

According to his guilty plea, Linden was arrested on November 12, 2020, on charges of second degree assault and third and fourth degree sexual offenses, after Victim 1 found sexually explicit photos of herself on Linden’s phone.  A subsequent forensic analysis of Linden’s laptop and cellular phone revealed dozens of videos, photos, and images depicting the sexual abuse of Victim 1 and Victim 2, when the victims were between seven and eleven years old.

As required by his plea agreement on the federal charges, on November 30, 2022, Linden also pleaded guilty to related sex abuse charges in Prince George’s County Circuit Court.  Linden is scheduled to be sentenced in that case on March 22, 2023. 

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 Mount Rainier Police Department, and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin Cottingham and Kelly O. Hayes, 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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Greenbelt, Maryland –  Hernan Yanes-Rivera, a/k/a “Recio,” age 22, of Adelphi, Maryland, and Agustin Eugenio Rivas Rodriguez, a/k/a “Terrible,” age 25, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to their participation in a racketeering conspiracy, including murder, related to their activities as part of the MS-13 gang.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski 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.

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, and 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 August 2018 through July 2021, Rivas Rodriguez and Yanes-Rivera were members and associates of Weedams Locos Salvatrucha, (WLS), an MS-13 clique operating primarily in Adelphi, Maryland.  Rivas Rodriguez was the clique’s second in command. 

On February 23, 2020, at the direction of Rivas Rodriquez and another MS-13 leader, Yanes-Rivera and co-defendant MS-13 member Franklyn Sanchez, shot and killed Victim 1, a former WLS member, in retaliation for the victim’s suspected cooperation with law enforcement.  According to the plea agreement, Victim 1 sat for interviews with local police following a robbery he committed with a fellow WLS member.  Victim 1’s co-defendant pleaded guilty prior to Victim 1’s murder.  In the weeks prior to the murder, Victim 1 had been in touch with WLS members over social media, text messages and voice calls.  Records show that WLS members told Victim 1 that if he met with gang members to make amends, his cooperation would be forgiven.  Victim 1 was instructed to wait on the side of a road at a location in or near Adelphi, Maryland, on February 23, 2020.  A junior WLS member drove Yanes-Rivera and Sanchez to the location, where they picked up Victim 1.  They drove to a location in or near Hyattsville, Maryland.  Yanes-Rivera, Sanchez and Victim 1 got out of the car and walked into a wooded area, where Yanes-Rivera and Sanchez shot Victim 1.  Victim 1 died from his gunshot wounds.  As a result of his participation in the murder, Yanes-Rivera was promoted within the hierarchy of MS-13.

On August 8, 2020, WLS members, including Franklyn Sanchez, were gathered at a park in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  Sanchez and several of the WLS members agreed to the murder of 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.  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, Rivas Rodriguez and 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.  Victim 4’s body was later recovered with a bullet wound to the head.

Rivas Rodriguez also conspired with other MS-13 members to kill a female member of the rival 18th Street gang.  Rivas Rodriguez and the WLS leader ordered subordinate members of the gang to track the female to a house and kill her.  The group of MS-13 subordinates gathered with guns and were preparing to follow their orders, when police arrived on scene and stopped the plan from coming to fruition. 

Rivas Rodriguez and Yanes-Rivera were also responsible for collecting extortion payments, or “rents,” from at least two extortion victims on behalf of WLS.  Rivas Rodriguez and Yanes-Rivera knew that the victims making extortion payments did so under the threat of death or bodily injury by members of WLS.  For example, when WLS imposed rent on Victim-2, an MS-13 member told Victim-2 that “people who don’t pay go down.”  

Finally, Yanes-Rivera also participated in money laundering by transferring gang funds obtained through its extortion activities to MS-13 members and associates in El Salvador. 

The government and the defendant have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Yanes-Rivera will be sentenced to 22 years in federal prison and Rivas Rodriguez will be sentenced to 16 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Rivas-Rodriguez and Yanes-Rivera on July 21, 2023 and July 28, 2023, respectively.

Franklyn Edgardo Sanchez, a/k/a “Delinquente,” age 26, of Adelphi, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charges on March 7, 2023.  Judge Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Sanchez on May 19, 2023.

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 and Assistant Attorney General Polite 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 Attorneys Brendan Woods and 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/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, along with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced today that they filed a statement of interest to explain the application of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) to lenders relying on discriminatory home appraisals.  The statement of interest was filed in Connolly, et al. v. Lanham, et al., a lawsuit currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland alleging that an appraiser and a lender violated the FHA and ECOA by lowering the valuation of a home because the owners were Black and by denying a mortgage refinancing application based on that appraisal. 

“The requirement that applicants and homeowners be treated equally is not new,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron.  “Appraisal bias is a serious and ongoing issue in this country, and it is critical that the United States ensures the proper construction and application of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to hold appraisers and lenders accountable.”

“Discriminatory home appraisals are unlawful, perpetuate the racial wealth gap, and deny communities of color the benefits of homeownership,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “When appraisers or lenders treat homebuyers or homeowners differently because of race, they violate federal law.  The Justice Department is working to ensure an open and fair housing market by taking on appraisal bias, modern-day redlining, discriminatory loan pricing practices, and other forms of discrimination that may rear their ugly head at any stage of the home-buying process.”

“Lenders that discriminate against people seeking homeownership perpetuate inequities that prevent communities from thriving,” said CFPB Deputy Director Zixta Martinez.  “CFPB's Statement of Interest filing with the Justice Department is one piece of our broader efforts to ensure fair and accurate appraisals in our residential mortgage markets.”

The Connolly lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs Nathan Connolly and Shani Mott, who sought a refinance loan for their home in Baltimore, Maryland.  The plaintiffs allege that the appraiser, Shane Lanham, significantly undervalued their home at $472,000 because they are Black.  They also allege that they told the lender, loanDepot.com, LLC (loanDepot), that the appraisal was discriminatory, but that loanDepot still denied the loan and retaliated against them.  When their home was later evaluated by a different appraiser, the plaintiffs replaced their family photos with photos borrowed from white friends and colleagues and enlisted a white colleague to pose as the homeowner.  This appraisal resulted in a valuation of $750,000 – an increase of almost 60%.

The defendants have moved to dismiss the case, and the plaintiffs have opposed the defendants’ motions. Through the statement of interest, the department and the CFPBaddress three legal principles incorrectly represented in loanDepot’s motion to dismiss.  First, the statement sets out the appropriate pleading standard for disparate treatment claims under the FHA and ECOA.  Second, the statement clarifies that it is illegal for a lender to rely on an appraisal that it knows or should know to be discriminatory.  Third, the statement explains that a violation of § 3617 of the FHA does not require an underlying violation of another provision of the FHA.  The motions to dismiss are currently pending before the court.

The FHA prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status (having one or more children under 18), nation origin and disability.  ECOA prohibits creditors from discriminating against credit applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, because an applicant receives income from a public assistance program, or because an applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly S. Phillips of the District of Maryland and Trial Attorney Nathan Shulock of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, who handled the Government’s Statement of Interest.

More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at justice.gov/crt.  More information about the Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) is available at pave.hud.gov/.

Individuals may report housing discrimination to the Justice Department by calling 1-833-591-0291, emailing fairhousing@usdoj.gov, or submitting a report online. Individuals also may report housing discrimination to Department of Housing and Urban Development by calling 1-800-669-9777 or filing a complaint online. In addition, individuals may report credit discrimination to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at 1-855-411-2372 or online.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Darryl Colton Frazer, age 34, of Silver Spring, Maryland, yesterday to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for gun and drug conspiracy charges and for violation of supervised release.  Frazer was convicted of those charges on November 3, 2022, after a three-day trial.

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 Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).

According to the evidence presented at trial, on July 25, 2019, MCPD officers approached Frazer and co-defendant Shamire Moore after noting that Moore appeared to match the description of an individual involved a recent shooting.  When Frazer and Moore saw the officers, they ran into a nearby residential area.  Officers followed them and found Frazer in a nearby apartment building’s open stairwell attempting to enter an apartment.

Witnesses testified that Frazer was ordered to stop and to drop a black bag that he was carrying.  Instead, Frazer threw the black bag from the stairwell into an adjacent courtyard.  The black bag was immediately recovered by police, and Frazer was arrested.  The black bag contained: a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol; 103 grams of marijuana packaged into four separate plastic bags; a digital scale, and latex gloves. 

At the time of his arrest, Frazer was on supervised release for a previous federal conviction for unlawful weapons possession and had only finished his sentence for that offense the month before.  Frazer knew that as a result of his previous conviction, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. 

Shamire Moore pleaded guilty just before trial.  According to Moore’s plea agreement, officers found Moore lying on the ground in a nearby wooded area.  They ordered Moore to stand up and surrender, but instead, Moore scaled a fence and jumped onto an adjacent government property.  Moore was eventually caught and arrested after a struggle.  The black bag that Moore was carrying contained a loaded .38 caliber revolver, 106 grams of marijuana packaged into four separate plastic bags inside a larger Ziploc bag, and a digital scale, among other items.  During a search of Moore’s clothing and effects, law enforcement also recovered $579 in cash, which represented proceeds of Moore’s drug trafficking offense.  Moore admitted that he possessed the marijuana with intent to distribute it and that the firearm was in furtherance of drug trafficking since it was intended, at least in part, to defend his drug inventory and drug proceeds.

Shamire Moore, age 31, of Bowie, Maryland, was sentenced on March 7, 2023, to five years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

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 Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam K. Ake, Joel Crespo and Patrick D. Kibbe, 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 Stephanie A. Gallagher today sentenced Randy Owens, age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 78 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.  

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 Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department (“BPD”).

According to Owens’ guilty plea, on July 22, 2019, BPD detectives learned that an individual in the 600 block of North Edgewood Street in Southwest Baltimore was possibly armed with a handgun that was hidden in a striped bag.  BPD officers went to that location and spotted a person, later identified as Randy Owens, matching the description, including the striped bag.  Owens was observed trying to conceal himself from the officers are he watched them through a parked vehicle’s windows as they drove down the 600 block of N. Edgewood Street.  The officers circled the block and then drove down the 600 block of N. Edgewood a second time.  As they turned into the block, the officers saw Owens standing on the porch of a residence in the 600 block of N. Edgewood.  A BPD officer approached Owens and asked him to approach the officer.  Owens walked off the front porch and towards the sidewalk but as the BPD officer approached, Owens ran away, clutching the striped bag.  After a brief foot chase, BPD officers caught Owens.  A search of the striped bag revealed an IMI Uzi 9mm semiautomatic pistol, loaded with 31 rounds of 9mm ammunition.  Owens knew that as a result of his previous felony convictions, he was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr., who prosecuted the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury today convicted Ronald Eugene Watson, also known as Sabir Muhammad, age 59, of Brandywine, Maryland, today on 23 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns.  

The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Watson was a self-employed tax return preparer operating SW Accounting Associates (“SWAA”) in Largo, Maryland.  The evidence proved that from at least 2015 to at least 2017, Watson prepared and electronically filed with the IRS fraudulent Forms 1040 and related Schedules A and C for his taxpayer-clients.  Watson included inflated and fictitious tax deductions and fraudulent business profits and losses in order to obtain larger tax refunds to which the taxpayer-clients were not entitled.  According to witness testimony, Watson varied his preparation fees depending on the amount of the refund requested, with fees typically ranging from approximately $500 up to approximately $1,500.

“With filing season underway, the conviction of Mr. Watson is a timely reminder of the importance of choosing an honest, trustworthy preparer.  This conviction should also put unscrupulous preparers on notice about the consequences that await those who do not play by the rules,” said IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter. 

Watson faces a maximum of three years in federal prison for each of the 23 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns.   U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for June 13, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.

U.S. Attorney Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg commended the IRS-CI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron and Mr. Goldberg also thanked Assistant United States Attorney G. Michael Morgan, Jr. and Trial Attorney Matthew L. Cofer of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, 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 – Franklyn Edgardo Sanchez, a/k/a “Freddy,” “Magic,” “Miclo,” and “Delinquente,” age 26, of Adelphi, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to his participation in a racketeering conspiracy, including two murders, related to his activities as part of the MS-13 gang.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski 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.

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, and 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 August 2018 through July 2021, Sanchez was a member and associate of Weedams Locos Salvatrucha, (WLS) an MS-13 clique operating primarily in Adelphi, Maryland.  On February 23, 2020, at the direction of an MS-13 leader, Sanchez and a co-defendant MS-13 member, shot and killed Victim 1, a former WLS member, in retaliation for the victim’s suspected cooperation with law enforcement.

According to the plea agreement, Victim 1 sat for interviews with local police following a robbery he committed with a fellow WLS member.  Victim 1’s co-defendant pleaded guilty prior to Victim 1’s murder.  In the weeks prior to the murder, Victim 1 had been in touch with WLS members over social media, text messages and voice calls.  Records show that WLS members told Victim 1 that if he met with gang members to make amends, his cooperation would be forgiven.  Victim 1 was instructed to wait on the side of a road at a location in or near Adelphi, Maryland, on February 23, 2020.  A junior WLS member drove Sanchez and f Sanchez’s co-defendant to the location, where they picked up Victim 1.  They drove to a location in or near Hyattsville, Maryland.  Sanchez, his co-defendant, and Victim 1 got out of the car and walked into a wooded area, where Sanchez and the co-defendant shot Victim 1.  Victim 1 died from his gunshot wounds.  As a result of his participation in the murder, Sanchez was promoted within the hierarchy of MS-13.

On August 8, 2020, WLS members, including Sanchez, were gathered at a park in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  Sanchez and several of the WLS members agreed to the murder of Victim 4, who was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement and to whom Sanchez owed a debt.  After driving to a nearby wooded area, a WLS leader called Victim 4 and told him to come to the wooded area to participate in a disciplinary beating of Sanchez.  In reality, as Sanchez knew, the gang intended to murder Victim 4.

Sanchez was armed with a revolver, and a second revolver was given to another MS-13 member to participate in the murder.  When Victim 4 arrived, Sanchez and the other MS-13 member each fired multiple shots at Victim 4, causing Victim 4 to fall to the ground.  Sanchez then pistol-whipped Victim 4 and stabbed him with a knife.  WLS members dragged Victim 4’s body to a stream and left it there.  As he was leaving the woods, Sanchez noticed he was bleeding and became concerned that his DNA was 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.  Victim 4’s body was later recovered with a bullet wound to the head.

Sanchez also participated in money laundering by transferring gang funds to MS-13 members and associates in El Salvador.  Sanchez knew the money he transferred was the proceeds of the gang’s extortion activities

The government and the defendant have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Sanchez will be sentenced to 28 years in federal prison.  Sanchez will also be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, including any funeral costs incurred by Victim 1 and Victim 4’s estates.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for May 19, 2023.

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 and Assistant Attorney General Polite commended the FBI, HSI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Crespo, and Trial Attorneys Brendan Woods and 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/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury convicted Cory Collin Fitzgerald Sanders, age 39, of Hagerstown, Maryland, late yesterday on federal charges of wire fraud, false claims, and making and using a false document in connection with his companies’ performance on federal contracts.  

The guilty verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, of the National Capital Region of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael D. Butler II of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Economic Crimes Field Office.

According to the evidence presented at the nine-day trial, in June 2014 Sanders formed Sandtech LLC, a Maryland limited liability company whose business was the sale of video teleconference equipment to the Department of Defense and other agencies of the federal government.  Sanders was the sole owner, agent, and president of Sandtech.  Witnesses testified that Sanders obtained contracts with federal agencies for Sandtech to provide telecommunications equipment and services.  Sanders caused Sandtech to fail to perform on contracts with the U.S. Department of Labor and the Department of the Army, which terminated the Sandtech contracts for cause.  Sanders then formed Cycorp Technologies in 2016 to provide the same type of telecommunication services as Sandtech. 

The trial evidence proved that from February 10, 2015 through June 30, 2020, Sanders engaged in a scheme to defraud the government by entering into contracts with federal agencies which required Sandtech or Cycorp Technologies to provide new telecommunications equipment which was still under manufacturers’ warranty.  The evidence showed that in his communications with federal agency contracting officers Sanders provided false information about the delivery, source, warranty, and/or condition of the electronic equipment provided by his companies, including misrepresentations that the equipment was new and protected by the manufacturer’s warranty, when Sanders knew that the equipment was not new, or was new but not under warranty, or was procured through unauthorized channels.  The evidence also showed that Sanders was not authorized to provide certain IT services to the federal government, although he represented to government officials that he was.  

Further, Sanders provided contracting officials with false information and false documents about the credentials, certifications, and qualifications of Cycorp Technologies.  As proven during trial, Sanders provided fabricated and forged documents falsely certifying Cycorp Technologies’ status as an “authorized partner” of two large national telecommunications equipment manufacturers.  If true, the certificates would have authorized Cycorp Technologies to buy directly from those companies’ distributors, provide maintenance to their equipment, or re-sell their new and warrantied products.  In addition, Sanders submitted invoices on behalf of Sandtech and Cycorp Technologies so that the government agencies he contracted with would pay for deficient or non-existent performance by electronic deposit into business bank accounts.

Sanders faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of 12 counts of wire fraud; a maximum of five years in federal prison for each of two counts of false claims; and a maximum of five years in federal prison for making and using a false document.  Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for Sanders on July 14, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Department of Labor – OIG and the NCIS for their work in the investigation and thanked the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the Offices of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of State, the U. S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Defense Criminal Investigation Service, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Justice for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joyce K. McDonald and Evelyn Lombardo Cusson, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Gregory Santos, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 102 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for illegal possession of a firearm in a school zone and for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on September 17, 2019, Santos was driving in the area of 5th Street and East Patapsco Avenue.  Baltimore Police officers saw Santos roll through a stop sign.  When Santos saw the officers, he slammed on his brakes, ending up in the middle of the intersection.  Santos then sped through a school zone, failed to stop at a second stop sign, and almost collided with another vehicle as he drove onto the 300 block of Pontiac Avenue, a posted school zone near the Maree Garnett Farring Elementary School.  Officers attempted to perform a traffic stop, but Santos did not stop.  Santos eventually threw a firearm out of his window in the 3600 block of 5th Street.  Officers recovered  a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, which had disassembled after hitting the ground, and 11 9mm cartridges of ammunition.  Investigators were able to reassemble the handgun and fire it.  Santos admitted he possessed the loaded firearm while he was driving in the school zone.

Santos was arrested on a state warrant for illegal possession of a firearm on October 20, 2019.  While Santos was incarcerated, he instructed his girlfriend to get narcotics that were in their home and sell them.  A search warrant was executed at the residence on November 22, 2019, and law enforcement recovered more than 1,000 grams of powder cocaine and approximately 771.28 grams of fentanyl, as well as items used to mix and package narcotics for sale.  Santos admitted that he was conspiring with others to distribute narcotics.

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 FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Keelan Diana and Assistant U.S. Attorney 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-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury today convicted Valfonso Dewitt, a/k/a “Valentino” and “Val,” age 72, of Bronx, New York, for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and on two counts for using his cellular telephone to facilitate illegal drug distribution.  The jury acquitted Dewitt on three counts of using his cellular telephone to facilitate illegal drug distribution.

The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.

According to the evidence presented at his four-day trial, from January 2019 through at least September 2019, Dewitt conspired with co-defendant James Isaac Gaston, Gaston’s wife Jacqueline Shelton Gaston, and others to distribute fentanyl.  The evidence proved that in September 2019, Dewitt distributed nearly half a kilogram of pure fentanyl—enough to kill almost 250,000 people—to James Gaston just outside Memphis, Tennessee.  Approximately 14 hours later, law enforcement seized the fentanyl during a traffic stop on Gaston’s car shortly after Gaston drove over the I-495 bridge from Virginia into Prince George’s County, Maryland.

James Isaac Gaston, age 74, and Jacqueline Shelton Gaston, age 52, both of Lanham, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug distribution conspiracy and are scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, 2023 and June 23, 2023, respectively.

Dewitt faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in federal prison for the drug conspiracy and a maximum sentence of four years in federal prison for each count of using his cellular phone to facilitate a drug felony.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has not yet scheduled a sentencing date for Dewitt.

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

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the FBI, and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Prince George’s County Police Department and the Maryland State Police for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey J. Izant and Geonard F. Butler II, 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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A Maryland man was sentenced today to life in prison for racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, and conspiring to destroy evidence connected to his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jose Domingo Ordonez-Zometa, aka Felon, 33, of Landover Hills, was a member of MS-13, a transnational criminal enterprise and one of the largest street gangs in the United States that is composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries. Ordonez-Zometa and his co-conspirators – Jose Rafael Ortega-Ayala and Jose Henry Hernandez-Garcia – were members and associates of the Los Ghettos Criminales Salvatruchas (LGCS or Ghettos) clique of MS-13. Ordonez-Zometa was the leader of the LGCS clique.

Between August 2018 and April 2019, Ordonez-Zometa and his co-conspirators participated in the MS-13 criminal enterprise by engaging in acts of violence, including murder, the destruction of evidence, and witness tampering, among other crimes. Ordonez-Zometa and his fellow gang members committed these crimes to increase MS-13’s power in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, including Maryland and Virginia. 

As part of the conspiracy, MS-13 members were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang, using any means necessary to force respect, 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. 

On March 8, 2019, Ordonez-Zometa called a meeting of the LGCS clique at his house to discuss clique matters, including recent contacts that another LGCS clique member (Victim 1) had with the police. Ordonez-Zometa, his co-conspirators, Victim 1, and other MS-13 members participated in the meeting, during which Ordonez-Zometa questioned Victim 1 about his/her cooperation with police. During the questioning, Ordonez-Zometa, his co-conspirators, and at least one other MS-13 member assaulted Victim 1 based on their incorrect suspicions that Victim 1 was cooperating with law enforcement. They also assaulted another MS-13 member who attempted to defend Victim 1. The assault culminated with Ordonez-Zometa ordering that Victim 1 be killed. His co-conspirators and other MS-13 members then stabbed and murdered Victim 1 in Ordonez-Zometa’s basement. 

After the murder, Ordonez-Zometa ordered his co-conspirators and other LGCS clique members to conceal and destroy evidence of the murder. Ortega-Ayala and other MS-13 members transported the body of the victim to a secluded location in Stafford County, Virginia. They set the victim’s body on fire and then destroyed and concealed evidence of the murder from the vehicle used to transport the victim. Meanwhile, Ordonez-Zometa, Hernandez-Garcia, and another MS-13 member stayed at the crime scene and attempted to remove, destroy, and conceal evidence of the murder, including Victim 1’s blood. 

In December 2022, Ordonez-Zometa, Ortega-Ayala, and Hernandez-Garcia were convicted at trial of racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering conspiracies, committing murder in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to destroy and conceal evidence.

Ortega-Ayala and Hernandez-Garcia also face a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Their sentencing dates have not yet been set.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland, and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.

The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Fairfax County Police Department investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Office.

Trial Attorneys Jared Engelking and Matthew Hoff of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morgan for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case.

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 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.

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced Jose Domingo Ordonez-Zometa, a/k/a “Felon,” age 33, of Landover Hills, Maryland, to life in federal prison for racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering conspiracies, for committing murder in aid of racketeering, and for conspiracy to destroy and conceal evidence connected to his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13.  Ordonez-Zometa was convicted on December 16, 2022, after a two-week trial, along with co-defendants Jose Rafael Ortega-Ayala, a/k/a Impaciente,” age 30, of Greenbelt, Maryland; and Jose Henry Hernandez-Garcia, a/k/a “Paciente,” age 29, of Annandale, Virginia.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations, Baltimore Office; Stafford County Sheriff David P. Decatur; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief Kevin Davis of the Fairfax 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.  Ordonez-Zometa and his co-defendants were members and associates of the Los Ghettos Criminales Salvatruchas (“LGCS” or “Ghettos”) clique of MS-13.

The evidence at trial established that between August 2018 and April 2019, Ordonez-Zometa and his co-defendants participated in the MS-13 criminal enterprise by engaging in acts of violence, including murder, the destruction of evidence, and witness tampering, among other crimes.  The criminal acts were committed by gang members to increase MS-13’s power in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including Maryland and Virginia. 

As part of the conspiracy, members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons, 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 during the trial, Ordonez-Zometa was the leader of the LGCS clique.  Ordonez-Zometa called a meeting of the LGCS clique at his house on March 8, 2019, to discuss clique matters, including recent contacts that an LGCS clique member (Victim 1) had with the police.  Ordonez-Zometa, Victim 1, the co-defendants, and other MS-13 members participated in the meeting, during which Ordonez-Zometa questioned Victim 1 about his/her cooperation with police.

During the questioning, Ordonez-Zometa, his co-defendants and at least one other MS-13 member assaulted Victim 1, based on their incorrect suspicions that Victim 1 was cooperating with law enforcement.  They also assaulted another MS-13 member who attempted to defend Victim 1.  The assault culminated with Ordonez-Zometa, as LGCS clique leader, ordering that Victim 1 be killed.  Ortega-Ayala, Hernandez-Garcia and other MS-13 members then stabbed and murdered Victim 1 in Ordonez-Zometa’s basement. 

According to trial testimony, after the murder, Ordonez-Zometa ordered Ortega-Ayala, Hernandez-Garcia, and other LGCS clique members and co-conspirators, to conceal and destroy evidence of the murder.  Ortega-Ayala and other MS-13 members transported the body of the victim to a secluded location in Stafford County, Virginia, and set the victim’s body on fire, then destroyed and concealed evidence of the murder from the vehicle used to transport the victim.  Meanwhile, Ordonez-Zometa, Hernandez-Garcia, and another MS-13 member stayed at the crime scene and attempted to remove, destroy, and conceal evidence of the murder, including the blood of Victim 1. 

Ortega-Ayala and Hernandez-Garcia also face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.  Their sentencing dates have not been set.

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.

This case is 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.    

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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. commended the FBI, HSI, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Fairfax County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for its assistance.  Mr. Barron and Mr. Polite thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morgan and Trial Attorneys Jared Engelking and Matthew Hoff of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting this 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 Lydia Kay Griggsby sentenced Robert A. DiNoto, age 48, of Huntington, New York, late yesterday to one year of incarceration to be served as six months in federal prison and six months of home detention, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in connection with a fraudulent billing scheme involving a manufacturing company with facilities in Harford County, Maryland.  Judge Griggsby also ordered DiNoto to pay restitution and to forfeit a total of $514,352. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to his guilty plea, Robert A. DiNoto, is the owner and President of American Pride Distributors (“American Pride”), located in, Woodbury, New York.  American Pride sold commercial drum containers used by manufacturers to store and transport products.  Robert DiNoto is the brother of Eugene DiNoto (E. DiNoto), a former longtime employee of Company 1, a family-owned global business headquartered in New York, but with manufacturing facilities in Belcamp and Abingdon, Maryland, both in Harford County. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, beginning no later than 2014, Robert and E. DiNoto agreed to execute a fraudulent billing scheme to defraud Company 1, through the submission of false invoices for undelivered drums.  As the facility manager for Company 1, E. DiNoto oversaw the purchasing and storing of drums for use at the Harford County manufacturing facilities and had the authority to review drum invoices and authorize payments to the drum vendors.  Robert DiNoto approached E. DiNoto about how he could start his own drum vending company.  E. DiNoto subsequently told Robert DiNoto about other drum vendors that were defrauding Company 1 using a fraudulent billing scheme.  Robert DiNoto, who was in the real estate business at the time, decided to use a company he owned, called Sandpiper Properties, Inc., trading as American Pride Distributors, to facilitate the scheme to defraud Company 1. 

Once American Pride Distributors was formed, Robert DiNoto began receiving drum purchase orders from E. DiNoto for Company 1 to establish a legitimate pattern of drum sales between American Pride and Company 1.  However, because Robert DiNoto was never in the business of manufacturing or reconditioning drums, he filled Company 1’s orders by buying the requisite number of drums from an actual drum manufacturer and arranging to ship them to Company 1’s facilities in Harford County, Maryland.  Robert DiNoto billed Company 1 for the drums using American Pride invoices, which E. DiNoto approved for payment via emails to Company 1’s accounting department in New York. 

Soon thereafter, Robert DiNoto began fraudulently invoicing Company 1 for drums that he and American Pride never delivered to the company.  To conceal the fraudulent invoices, he would intermittently send the bogus invoices before and after sending legitimate ones.  For example, in 2017, Robert DiNoto sent legitimate invoices #1555 through #1558 between February 15 and April 12 in the amounts of $19,223, $19,419, $18,038, and $20,908, respectively.  He then submitted a fraudulent invoice, #1559, and received a payment from Company 1 for $19,448 for a shipment of 358 “NEW 55 GALLON STEEL DRUMS” that were never delivered. 

Between December 2016 and August 2019, Robert DiNoto used American Pride’s invoices to bill and receive a total of approximately $257,181 from Company 1 for nonexistent drum deliveries.  Robert DiNoto used the proceeds from the fraudulent billings for personal expenses, including to pay his credit card bills. 

To avoid scrutiny throughout the conspiracy, the DiNotos kept their familial relationship with American Pride a secret from Company 1 employees.  Despite their best efforts, third-party vendors used by American Pride would sometimes inadvertently forward an email or invoice intended for Robert DiNoto to Company 1.  E. DiNoto would criticize Robert DiNoto for the mistake and ask him to remind his third-party vendors never to send correspondence to Company 1’s address.  On at least one occasion, Robert DiNoto used an alias to conceal his identity when communicating with Company 1 employees.   

Eugene Andrew DiNoto, age 51, of Bel Air, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, engaging in an illegal monetary transaction, and filing a false tax return, in connection with schemes that defrauded his employer of more than $29 million.  He is awaiting sentencing. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and IRS-CI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Martin J. Clarke and Harry M. Gruber, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Malcolm Goods, age 31, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a firearm within a school zone.  

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 Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to Goods’ guilty plea, on September 12, 2021, Baltimore Police officers received a call for an armed person at the intersection of Pennsylvania and Cumberland Avenues in Baltimore.  The person was carrying a gun, wearing a white construction hat and orange safety vest, and riding a bicycle.  An officer monitoring a closed-circuit television camera located an individual, later identified as Goods, matching that description in the 600 block of Cumberland Avenue.

When officers arrived on scene, Goods got on a bicycle and rode on the sidewalk for a few blocks.  Near the 1600 block of N. Carey Street, officers pulled over next to Goods told Goods to stop  in an area about one block away from Sandtown-Winchester Achievement Academy, a Baltimore public elementary and middle school.  Goods initially agreed to stop, then rode away on the bicycle.

After briefly losing sight of Goods, officers found him knocking on someone’s front door and placed him into custody.  An officer saw the grip of a firearm in Goods’ waistband and recovered a.40 caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number, loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition.  During his arrest, including after he was read his Miranda rights, Goods made several statements which indicated that he was aware that he possessed a firearm.  Goods agreed that he knew or had reasonable cause to believe that he was within 1,000 feet of the grounds of the Sandtown-Winchester Achievement Academy.

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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Moore and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Simpkins, 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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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has sentenced August Candeloro III, a/k/a “Nick,” age 35, of Catonsville, Maryland, today to 15 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for a federal charge of possession of child pornography. 

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; Acting Superintendent of the Maryland State Police Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr.; and Interim Chief Dennis J. Delp of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, beginning in 2019 Candeloro began using a messaging application to send images depicting the sexual abuse of children.  After additional investigation, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Candeloro’s residence and seized his cellular phone from his bedroom.  The phone was found to contain conversations between Candeloro and other users of the messaging application.  Candeloro also joined private chat groups on the messaging application, many of which had chatroom names indicative of trading child pornography.  Candeloro posted links to a secure cloud storage platform in many of the chatrooms.  The secure cloud storage platform allows the user to create links containing encrypted files and chats with keys controlled by the user.  Candeloro’s phone also revealed over 2000 images of suspected child pornography, including images involving prepubescent minors and depicting sadistic and masochistic conduct.

Candeloro was previously convicted in two cases for a second-degree sex offense involving a 13-year-old victim in Howard County and Baltimore County Circuit Courts.  As a result of those convictions, Candeloro was required to register as a sex offender.

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 HSI, Maryland State Police, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen E. McGuinn, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Stephen Kennedy, age 33, of Temple Hills, Maryland, and Donnell Kelly, age 33, of Washington, D.C., for conspiracy to commit arson, arson affecting interstate commerce, commercial robbery, and use of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence, in connection with a series of convenience store robberies.  Kennedy and Kelly are also charged with being felons in possession of a firearm and an explosive device, respectively, and Kennedy is charged with carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony.  The indictment was returned on February 22, 2023, and was unsealed today upon the arrests of the defendants.  

The indictment 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; Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian Geraci; St Mary’s County Sheriff Steven A. Hall; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief Tiffany D. Green of the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department.

According to the 10-count indictment, from at least January 2021 to January 2022, the defendants conspired to commit arsons at 7-Eleven convenience stores so that they could obtain cash contained in ATMs in the stores.  Specifically, the indictment alleges that Kennedy and Kelly traveled to 7-Eleven locations while they were open for business and deployed explosive devices to set fire to the buildings, and on at least one occasion, demanded the contents of the cash register.  The defendants allegedly burned the stores to force their closure and shut off power to the security cameras, which would enable them to return to the unguarded locations to burglarize the ATMs unhindered.  The indictment alleges that this resulted in losses to the ATM company of at least $249,000.  To conceal the evidence of their crimes, Kennedy and Kelly allegedly burned vehicles used in the arson attacks and/or burglaries and/or made false police reports regarding stolen license plates.

If convicted, Kennedy and Kelly each face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the arson conspiracy and each of four counts of arson affecting interstate commerce; a maximum of 20 years in prison for an armed commercial robbery; a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and up to life in federal prison for using a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence; and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for being felons in possession of an explosive device and firearm.  Finally, Kennedy faces a mandatory sentence of 10 years, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for carrying an explosive during the commission of another federal felony.  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 defendants each had an initial appearance today in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ajmel A. Quereshi. Kelly and Kennedy agreed to remain detained pending detention hearings scheduled for Friday, March 3, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. and at 3:30 p.m., respectively. 

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

This case is part of 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 Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the ATF Washington Field Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Alexandria, Virginia Police Department for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam K. Ake and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rosenthal, 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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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury in Maryland has convicted Diape Seck, age 29, of Rockville, Maryland for his role in a bank fraud scheme in which he and his co-conspirators obtained or attempted to obtain almost $2 million by fraud, including by stealing checks from the mail of churches and religious institutions.  The guilty verdict was returned late on February 24, 2023.

The guilty verdict 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 - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Acting Special Agent in Charge Mike Serra of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG); Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Terry Sult of the Cary, North Carolina, Police Department; and Sheriff Dusty Rhoades of the Williamson County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office.

According to the evidence presented at his eight-day trial, from at least January 2019 to January 2020, Seck, a customer service representative with Bank A, conspired with Mateus Vaduva, Marius Vaduva, Vlad Baceanu, Nicolae Gindac, Florin Vaduva, Marian Unguru, Daniel Velcu, Vali Unguru and others to commit bank fraud.  Specifically, the evidence showed that Seck fraudulently opened bank accounts in fake identities in exchange for cash bribes.  Co-conspirators engaged in fraud that included fraud involving rental cars and the deposit of checks stolen from the incoming and outgoing mail of churches and other religious institutions, into the fraudulently opened bank accounts.  The co-conspirators then withdrew the funds and spent the fraudulently obtained proceeds.

As detailed in the trial evidence, Diape Seck facilitated the opening of hundreds of bank accounts at Bank A for his co-conspirators, who used purported foreign identity documents, often but not universally Romanian, to fraudulently open bank accounts with him at Bank A, as well as bank accounts at other victim financial institutions.  Seck opened accounts for co-conspirators without their presence in the bank, without verifying identity information, and opened accounts for co-conspirators who opened multiple accounts at a time under different identities.  To conceal his improper activities, Seck opened accounts for the co-conspirators at the same time he conducted legitimate bank activities.  The co-conspirators paid Seck cash in exchange for him opening the fraudulent bank accounts.

According to court documents and witness testimony, Seck violated numerous bank policies in opening approximately 412 checking accounts in a one-year period from approximately January 2, 2019 through January 3, 2020, relying predominantly on purported Romanian passports and driver's license information.  Checks payable to and written from churches and other religious institutions from around the country were deposited into many of the 412 checking accounts which were not opened in the names of the churches.

The co-conspirators fraudulently negotiated the stolen checks by depositing them into the victim bank accounts, including the fraudulent accounts opened by Seck at Bank A, often by way of automated teller machine (ATM) transactions.   After depositing the stolen checks into the bank accounts, the conspirators made cash withdrawals from ATMs and purchases using debit cards associated with the bank accounts.

Co-conspirators Vlad Baceanu, age 38; Daniel Velcu, age 43; Marian Unguru, age 36; and Vali Unguru, age 20, all of Baltimore, Maryland, previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud.  Nicolae Gindac, age 52, of Dania Beach, Florida was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of $1,096,660.11; Mateus Vaduva, age 29, of Baltimore was sentenced to five years in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of $1,320,885.84; Florin Vaduva, age 31, of Dania Beach, Florida was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of $1,096,660.11; and Marius Vaduva, age 28, of Baltimore was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of $1,334,230.84, after they previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud.

Seck faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each of conspiracy to commit bank fraud; bank fraud; making false entries in bank records; and receipt of a bribe or reward by a bank employee.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for Seck on June 2, 2023, at 2:30 p.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, HSI, the FDIC Office of Inspector General, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Cary (North Carolina) Police Department, and the Williamson County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Wright and Darren Gardner, 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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A North Carolina woman and a Maryland man were each sentenced today to 30 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States, aiding in the preparation of false tax returns and stealing government funds.

According to court documents, between 2013 and 2016, Sandra Denise Curl of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Percy Leroy Jacobs of Prince Frederick, Maryland, filed estate and trust tax returns (Forms 1041) on behalf of multiple fraudulent trusts they owned, seeking refunds to which they were not entitled. Curl and Jacobs also filed false personal returns, claiming fictitious tax withholdings in order to generate refunds. In total, the defendants attempted to defraud the IRS of more than $2.2 million.

In addition to the terms of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel ordered both defendants to serve three years of supervised release and to each pay $959,044 in restitution to the United States.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Jeffrey McLellan and George Meggali of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morgan for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case.

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Sandra Denise Curl of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Percy Leroy Jacobs of Prince Frederick, Maryland late yesterday to 30 months each in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to defraud the United States, helping file false tax returns, and theft of government funds.  Judge Hazel also ordered the defendants to each pay $959,044 in restitution.  On March 21, 2022, a federal jury convicted the defendants after trial.

The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division; and Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to evidence presented at trial, between 2013 and 2016, Curl and Jacobs filed tax returns on behalf of multiple fraudulent trusts they owned, seeking refunds to which they were not entitled.  Curl and Jacobs also filed false individual tax returns in their own names, claiming fictitious tax withholdings in order to generate refunds.  In total, the defendants attempted to defraud the IRS of more than $2.2 million.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division commended IRS-Criminal Investigation for its work in the case.  U.S. Attorney Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morgan and Trial Attorneys Jeffrey McLellan and George Meggali of the Tax Division, 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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