District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Kyle David Robinson, age 29, of Baltimore, Maryland to 126 months in federal prison, followed by 8 years of supervised release, for sex trafficking of a minor. 

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; Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

“Robinson manipulated a 14-year-old minor victim, sexually abused her, and advertised her for commercial sex dates for his financial benefit.  In coordination with our law enforcement partners, our office continues to combat human trafficking through law enforcement training, persistent prosecution, and awareness,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “As tomorrow is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, I encourage Marylanders to learn about the common signs of human trafficking and report suspected human trafficking cases to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1(888) 373-7888”. 

According to his plea agreement, Robinson knowingly recruited, enticed, transported, and advertised a 14-year-old female (Minor Victim 1) to engage in commercial sex acts for his own financial benefit.  Robinson admitted that he was aware that Minor Victim 1 was 14-years old prior to advertising her for commercial sex.

In May 2021, Robinson approached Minor Victim 1 in his vehicle while Minor Victim 1 was sitting on the steps of near a group home where she resided.  Robinson told Minor Victim 1 that he was a pimp and referred to himself as “Youngblood”.  Despite Minor Victim 1 informing Robinson that she was a minor, Robinson asked for Minor Victim 1’s phone number and sent her a text message.  The following day, Robinson picked up Minor Victim 1 from the group home and brought her to his residence.

As detailed in his plea, in May and June 2021, Robinson transported Minor Victim 1 to his residence on multiple occasions.  On at least one occasion, Robinson engaged in unprotected sex with Minor Victim 1.  After one interaction in which Robinson had intercourse with Minor Victim 1, Robinson told Minor Victim 1 that she had to “break herself” to him, took $50 from Minor Victim 1, and told Minor Victim 1 that she should call him “daddy”.

Robinson advised Minor Victim 1 to download a social media application for the purpose of communicating with potential commercial sex customers.  Robinson then scripted responses to potential customers on Minor Victim 1’s behalf.  Additionally, Robinson sent verbally hostile messages to Minor Victim 1 and instructed her to always keep her phone with her. 

On June 4, 2021, in a text message with Minor Victim 1, Robinson informed Minor Victim 1 that he had to physically assault Victim 2, a 19-year-old female, for having a boyfriend.  Robinson arranged for Victim 2 to reside at his residence and for Victim 2 to go on commercial sex dates.  Like Minor Victim 1, Robinson had unprotected sex with Victim 2, and required Victim 2 to pay him money to associate with him.

As stated in his plea agreement, after law enforcement received information that Robinson offered young females for commercial sex, investigators arranged for an undercover agent to arrange for commercial sex.  In a conversation with the undercover agent, Robinson told the undercover agent that he had young girls and that he had two teenagers available for an hour at the rate of $1,000.  The undercover agent offered to pay $500 for half an hour with a tentative date and Robinson agreed.  Later in the conversation, Robinson told the undercover agent that he had only one female available because of a conflicting school schedule.

On June 7, 2021, Robinson called the undercover agent to arrange for two victims, including Minor Victim 1, to have commercial sex with the agent at a hotel.  Surveillance cameras captured Robinson and Minor Victim 1 as they entered the hotel for the commercial sex date.  Within the hotel room, the undercover agent offered $750 to have sex with Minor Victim 1.  Robinson then accepted the money for the sex date.  Shortly after, law enforcement entered the room and apprehended Robinson and secured Minor Victim 1.

This case was investigated by law enforcement agencies that are members of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders.  Members include federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members.  For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit http://www.mdhumantrafficking.org/.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the HSI, the Howard County Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary W. Setzer and Colleen E. McGuinn, who are prosecuting the case.

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

 

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Keon Ball, age 45, of Baltimore, Maryland to 66 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft in relation to multiple identity theft schemes and fraud schemes—including schemes conducted while on probation after a past state fraud conviction and while on pre-trial release in connection with state fraud charges.  The Court has ordered Ball to pay at least $715,504 in restitution. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Bo Keane of the United States Secret Service - Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, from May 2018 to June 2020, Ball and a co-conspirator incurred charges of over $1,000,000 on fraudulently established credit lines, using the identities of at least 10 victims in connection with the schemes.  For example, on August 25, 2018, Ball submitted a false and fraudulent application for a credit line account from a financial institution using the name, birth date, and social security number of Victim 1.  After the credit application was approved, Ball and his co-conspirator incurred $105,442.59 in purchases from Company 1 (a home improvement store) under the identity of Victim 1.  Ball and his co-conspirator committed the same criminal conduct in several instances, incurring charges of over $150,000 in connection with lines of credit opened using various other victims’ names—none of which was repaid.  Ball and his co-conspirator also repeatedly passed fraudulent checks to Company 1 purporting to pay the balances they incurred.  Further, as part of their scheme to defraud, Ball and his co-conspirator obtained two vehicles valued at over $60,000 and multiple pieces of heavy construction equipment valued at over $300,000 using the identity information of Victim 2.

As stated in his plea agreement, on February 5, 2019, law enforcement executed a search and seizure warrant on Ball’s luxury high rise in Baltimore where law enforcement seized multiple counterfeit identification documents including three fraudulent licenses, a card reader, re-encoder, blank white plastic card stock, hologram overlays, and a firearm which Ball was prohibited from possessing.  Investigators also discovered that Ball leased the apartment using a counterfeit identification document and the identifying information of another identity theft victim.  Law enforcement would go on to recover multiple pieces of the fraudulently obtained heavy equipment.  Ball was subsequently arrested and charged on a state level in connection with the fraudulent credit line scheme then was released on conditions. 

Despite his pending state charges, Ball was not deterred and his fraudulent activity continued.  In June and July 2020, Ball submitted fraudulent CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program loan applications (PPP loans) and obtained $256,664 in government-backed PPP funds for purported businesses that did not exist in any legitimate capacity.  Included with each application was a document purporting to be a 2019 IRS Form W-3 Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements which was in fact not legitimate and contained false information concerning purported wages paid and purported number of employees of each business.  Each application also falsely affirmed that Ball was not on probation in light of a past conviction at the time of each application.  The PPP funds were then deposited in a bank account that Ball had opened using the identity information of another victim.  Ball also started the PPP loan application process for two additional fraudulent PPP loans from Bank 1 in the amounts of $113,258 and $231,078.000 for purported businesses he ran. These loans, however, ultimately did not close.  In total, Ball caused a loss of $750,000, intended to cause a loss of over $1,450,000, and used the identifying information of more than 10 victims in connection with his schemes. 

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.  The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.  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.

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force was established to serve the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response.  The PRAC Fraud Task Force brings together agents from its 22 member Inspectors General to investigate fraud involving a variety of programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program.  Task force agents who are detailed to the PRAC receive expanded authority to investigate pandemic fraud as well as tools and training to support their investigations.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the USSS and the BCPD for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, 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 and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.  For more information on identity theft and fraud, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud. 

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow today sentenced Rajeim Ali Bradshaw, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 136 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute large quantities of fentanyl and heroin.  As part of the sentence the Court took into account that Bradshaw admitted that he possessed two firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.  

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 Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on June 20, 2019, Baltimore County Police officers executed a search warrant at Bradshaw’s home and recovered 5.5 kilograms of fentanyl—enough to kill 2,275,000 people, as well as a kilogram of heroin.  Law enforcement also located drug manufacturing, packaging, and distribution paraphernalia, including respirator mask, which are used to cut and package fentanyl.  A DNA sample from one of the respirator masks found in Bradshaw’s home matched Bradshaw’s DNA profile.  Further, Bradshaw’s cellphones were found to contain a large number of coded, drug-related messages.  For instance, Bradshaw indicated to others that he had heroin and fentanyl to sell by sending messages telling them that the “grill” or “restaurant” was open.

Bradshaw admitted that the .40-caliber pistol and a rifle found in Bradshaw’s bedroom and ammunition seized from him during the investigation were in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.  Bradshaw also admitted that the $48,000 in cash found in his bedroom during the search was drug proceeds.  As part of his plea agreement, Bradshaw must forfeit the firearms, ammunition, and the cash seized during the investigation.

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 prosecution is also 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 HSI Baltimore and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher M. Rigali and James T. Wallner, 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 Catherine C. Blake sentenced Robert Hankard, age 46, of Baltimore, Maryland to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for criminal civil rights violations and obstruction of justice including providing a BB gun that he knew would be planted on a suspect, falsely testifying to a federal grand jury about his role in the BB gun planting, falsifying an application for a search warrant and an arrest report in a second incident where drugs were planted on a suspect and falsifying an application for a search warrant and subsequent police report related to the search of an apartment. 

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.

“Marylanders deserve the right to honest and fair criminal proceedings, including law enforcement officials that always serve with integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “In coordination with our law enforcement partners, our office will continue to actively prosecute individuals who violate those positions of trust.”

According to the facts proven at trial, Hankard joined the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) in 2007 and was promoted to detective on March 20, 2014.  In 2014 and 2015, Hankard served on a Special Enforcement Section (SES) unit assigned to the BPD’s Western District.  On the evening of March 26, 2014, Hankard, who was not on duty that day, received a call from his partner, who advised him that Sergeant Wayne Jenkins had been “hemmed up” in something and asked Hankard if he had any “toys” or “replicas.”  Hankard understood that his partner was asking for a BB gun or air soft gun so that it could be planted on a suspect   Hankard advised that he did have a BB gun.  Hankard’s partner came to Hankard’s house and Hankard provided him with the BB gun, which was subsequently planted at the scene of the arrest of D.S., whom Jenkins had run over after chasing D.S.  No guns or drugs were recovered from D.S. at the time of his arrest, but drugs were recovered from D.S. at the hospital, where he had been taken in the custody of the Baltimore Police officers.  D.S. was charged with possession, use, and discharge of a gas or pellet gun, for the BB gun that was planted at the scene of D.S.’s arrest, and a number of drug offenses.  D.S. was detained on those charges until at least April 2, 2014, and the charges were dismissed on January 16, 2015.  Further, the evidence showed that on February 13, 2019, Hankard falsely testified before a federal grand jury by stating that he had not provided the BB gun to his partner on March 26, 2014.

The trial evidence showed that on March 2, 2015, Hankard and other officers arrested I.R. in the 5100 block of Falls Road in Baltimore City. Hankard and other officers took I.R.’s keys and went to Apartment A at 15 Cross Keys Road, which I.R. had been seen leaving earlier that day.  I.C. lived in Apartment A with her daughter.  Hankard used one of the keys that had been taken from I.R. to open the door to Apartment A and Hankard and other officers entered the apartment, which was not occupied at that time.  Once inside, Hankard searched a bag that he found inside a closet, which contained gel caps of heroin, two digital scales, and other drug paraphernalia   Hankard had not obtained a search warrant prior to entering the apartment or searching the bag.  Hankard then left the apartment and returned to BPD to prepare a search warrant for Apartment A.  Several BPD officers remained inside Apartment A and one of those officers called I.C. and asked her to return, which she voluntarily did.  I.C. then waited inside the apartment with the officers.

On the evening of March 2, 2015, Hankard appeared before a judge in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City and swore out the search warrant that he had prepared after entering Apartment A, in which Hankard allegedly falsely claimed that the “exterior” of Apartment A was secured, not disclosing that he and other detectives had entered Apartment A prior to obtaining a search warrant.  Nor did Hankard disclose that he had opened a bag containing gel caps with heroin, scales, and other paraphernalia prior to preparing a search warrant.  After obtaining the warrant, Hankard returned to the apartment where the other officers were waiting with I.C.  During the execution of the search warrant, the bag that Hankard had previously searched was seized along with its contents and I.C. was arrested.  I.R. was ultimately charged with drug offenses related to their seizure.  Following the execution of the search warrant, the evidence showed that Hankard authored official BPD reports which contained similar false statements.

Witnesses testified that on September 24, 2015, Hankard arrested D.B., a target in a drug investigation, as he sat in his pick-up truck in a motel parking lot.  According to trial testimony, after removing D.B. from the vehicle, Hankard and other officers searched the vehicle, but no drugs were found.  Other officers on the scene then went into the room where D.B. had been staying and found a woman, B.J., a large quantity of heroin that had not yet been packaged for distribution, and a small quantity of cocaine that had already been packaged for distribution.  The officers had not obtained a search warrant before entering the room.  After learning that no drugs had been found in the truck, another officer, with Hankard’s permission, planted some of the cocaine found in the motel room in D.B.’s truck, in order to justify the arrest of D.B. and B.J. and the entry into the motel room.

According to the evidence, Hankard subsequently wrote a search warrant for the motel room, which contained several false statements, including that his partner had “observed in plain view, a clear tied bag, that contained small zip lock bags (with red dice logo) of suspected cocaine (after opening the clear bag, it revealed 10 ziplock bags total)” in D.B.’s truck; that D.B. was seen throwing the package of suspected cocaine to the floor of the vehicle; that after making sure the motel room card key worked, detectives had secured the room pending a search warrant; and that Hankard “believes there is addition suspected controlled dangerous substances (CDS)” in the motel room.  As detailed in trial testimony, after the search warrant was obtained and executed at the motel room, Hankard prepared a false incident report, which was approved by his partner as the “officer-in-charge” at the time of the arrests, even though the SES unit’s Sergeant was on the scene at the time.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Wise and Christopher M. Rigali, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Jay Gordon, age 55, of Crofton, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to possession of child pornography.  Gordon was identified as a suspect in the trafficking of child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”), also called child pornography, during a nationwide investigation involving the receipt and distribution of CSAM via Dark Web sites and forum. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.

According to his guilty plea, during the investigation, Gordon’s Internet Protocol (IP) address was found to access Dark Web sites.  A search warrant was executed at Gordon’s residence and law enforcement seized numerous computer devices that Gordon admitted belonged to him.  Preliminary forensic analysis showed multiple images of CSAM.  Initially, Gordon declined to specify where he worked in Washington, DC, but the investigators determined that he worked in the IT department of a private school. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, a subsequent forensic examination of some of the seized devices showed thousands of videos and still images of child pornography.  Some of Gordon’s devices were secured in a manner that precluded forensic analysis.  The CSAM found on the devices was arranged in well- organized folders and reflected years of activity.  Gordon also used an application that facilitated anonymous web browsing.  Some of the images in Gordon’s collection were of prepubescent minors.  Forensic examination of computers that Gordon used at his work location indicated that he also accessed Dark Web sites relating to CSAM on those devices, which were also connected to digital media that showed connection to computer devices seized from Gordon’s home.

Gordon faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison followed by up to lifetime supervised release for possession of child pornography.  U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has scheduled sentencing for October 17, 2022 at 1:00 p.m.  Upon his release from prison, Gordon will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). 

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI in Baltimore and in Boston, Massachusetts for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham, who is prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Billy Wesson, age 20, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Wesson also admitted to participating in a series of armed robberies of convenience stores.

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

According to his guilty plea, between August 4, 2020 and August 7, 2020, Wesson and a co-conspirator committed three armed robberies of convenience stores.  In the first robbery on August 4, the store clerk began to run to the rear of the store when she saw the robbers enter.  Wesson chased after the employee, caught up with her and walked her back to the cash register, which she opened at gunpoint.  In the second robbery on August 6, Wesson approached a store employee from behind and placed the gun to the back of the employee’s head, telling her to “go to the register and open it.”  Wesson walked the employee to the register area and again ordered her to open the register, which she did.  In the third robbery on August 7, which was committed less than an hour after the second robbery, Wesson pointed a gun at a store employee immediately upon entering the store.  Wesson ordered the employee to open the register, which he did, but the employee could only open the first cash drawer and not the second drawer.  As in the two previous robberies, Wesson took the cash from the drawer and fled the store.

As detailed in his plea agreement, on the evening of August 8, 2020, at approximately 10:53 PM, four Baltimore Police Department officers were conducting routine patrol in an unmarked vehicle on 5100 block of Midwood Avenue in the Winston-Govans neighborhood in Northwest Baltimore.  There was a party in the area and individuals were in the street and on the sidewalk.  The officers saw an individual later, identified as Wesson, wearing a satchel across the right side of his body and conducting a “security check,” indicating that Wesson was armed.

The officers stopped their car and began to get out to approach Wesson.  Wesson immediately fled, followed by the four officers.  As he ran from the officers, Wesson threw his satchel on the sidewalk not far from one of the homes on Midwood Avenue, where it was almost immediately recovered by law enforcement.  The satchel was searched and was found to contain a loaded firearm that matched the gun used in connection with the robberies.  The satchel also contained a medicine bottle containing 7 blue baggies of a white rock substance (confirmed by lab results to be cocaine), and a black drawstring bag containing the following:  (1) a plastic bag containing a white rock substance (confirmed to be cocaine); (2) 55 gel capsules of white powder (later confirmed not to be drugs); (3) 3 green Ziploc baggies of white rock substance (confirmed to be cocaine); (4) 3 pink jugs of white rock substance (confirmed to be cocaine).  The cocaine—which amounted to less than 50 grams total—was packaged for street-level distribution.

On Wesson’s person, law enforcement recovered $279 in cash—proceeds from his drug trafficking—and suspected marijuana.  Wesson was arrested.  Wesson admitted that he possessed the firearm in connection with and in furtherance of his illegal business selling cocaine and the he knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

Wesson and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Wesson  will be sentenced to between seven years and eleven years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for November 4, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. 
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Colleen McGuinn, 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 Julie R. Rubin today sentenced Alexander Juarez-Sanchez, a/k/a Jose Manuel Flores, age 37, a citizen of Mexico most recently residing in Indianapolis, Indiana, to 210 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, specifically fentanyl and heroin, and for illegally re-entering the United States after removal.  Juarez-Sanchez was convicted of those charges on May 31, 2022.   

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Field Office Director Lyle Boelens of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Washington Division.

According to the evidence presented at his five-day trial, on August 5, 2020, Juarez-Sanchez and a co-conspirator were arrested near Hagerstown, Maryland, by officers of the Maryland State Police (MSP) following a traffic stop for following another vehicle too closely on I-81.  The driver, who was driving a vehicle with expired Indiana license plates registered to another car, was not able to provide any identification, could not identify the passenger (Juarez-Sanchez), and fumbled through questions about where they were going.  A K-9 unit was subsequently called, and after the dog alerted for drugs, a search of the vehicle yielded approximately $47,000 in cash, just under two kilograms of fentanyl and one kilogram of heroin, and other indicators of drug smuggling.  

Juarez-Sanchez and the driver initially provided false names, however, their fingerprints and photographs matched those taken when they had previously been in United States Border Patrol or ICE custody.  Evidence taken from the two men’s cell phones showed that, before their arrest, they had traveled directly from Burbank, California, where Juarez-Sanchez had obtained seven kilograms of drugs, four kilograms of which he had sold to a buyer in Kentucky for $44,000 the day before his arrest in Maryland.  Phone evidence also revealed that the men had conducted a similar trip to California in early July 2020 and transported an unknown quantity of drugs for sale to a buyer in a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois.  The driver entered a guilty plea in the case and is due to be sentenced in October 2022.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Maryland State Police, ICE ERO, and DEA for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam K. Ake and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy L. Schwartz, 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 – Matthew K. Walsh, age 24, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a minor in order to produce child pornography.  Specifically, Walsh admitted that he created fictitious online profiles purporting to be a minor female to contact and induce minor males between the ages of 12 and 17 to send sexually explicit images and videos the individual they believed to be a minor female, but was, in fact, Walsh.

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

According to his plea agreement, from at least 2016 through 2021, Walsh created fictitious profiles on several online platforms posing as a minor female to make contact with minor males between the ages of twelve and seventeen to induce them to produce sexually explicit images and videos to send to the purported minor female.  Once Walsh obtained the sexually explicit images and videos, he extorted the minor males into producing more sexually explicit images and videos at his instruction and threatened that if they failed to do so, Walsh would send the previously provided images and videos to the minor victims’ friends, family, and classmates.  Walsh directed the minor males to send him the images and videos he directed them to produce, and that the images and videos needed to include their face.

In some of the communications, by text, email, and video, the minor victims are crying and begging Walsh not to send the images and videos to their families and classmates, to leave them alone, and not to make them do more, but Walsh persisted with his threats and demands.  Walsh admitted that he harassed some of the victims for years and obtained hundreds of files depicting sexually explicit conduct from some of the victims.  In total, Walsh obtained approximately 2000 images and videos depicting sexually explicit conduct of the various minor males.

As detailed in the plea agreement, once Walsh received the sexually explicit files from the victims, he saved them into folders of fake names or a variation of the victim’s real name in a cloud storage account.  Walsh also uploaded the minor males’ files to various Twitter accounts and sold the sexually explicit files of the minors to others, obtaining approximately $8000 from the sale of the files.  Specifically, Walsh communicated with at least 50 different Twitter users interested in purchasing either individual files of child sex abuse material (CSAM), or Walsh’s “collections” of CSAM.  The “collections” contained over 100 different victims’ files.  In several messages, the Twitter users were aware that some of the individuals in the sexually explicit files were as young as 14-years-old.  Several Twitter users exchanged “tips” with Walsh on how to evade law enforcement and discussed methods for enticing and extorting victims’ nude images and videos.  Walsh was also a member of online groups which included other offenders who would post, sell, and trade CSAM. 

During the investigation, federal search warrants were executed on 17 Google accounts, 22 Twitter accounts, 4 Facebook accounts, 7 Instagram accounts, 6 Snap accounts, 3 Dropbox accounts, 3 TextNow accounts, a Kik account, an Apple account, and an Oath/Yahoo! account, all created and utilized by Walsh.   To date over 40 minor males have been positively identified as victims of Walsh’s conduct.  At least 30 victims’ pictures and videos were sold and/or distributed to others by Walsh.

Walsh faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for production of child pornography.  As required by his plea agreement, Walsh will make full restitution to all minor victims of his offenses as to all counts charged, whether or not he has entered a guilty plea to those counts.  As a consequence of Walsh’s conviction, upon his release from prison, Walsh will be required to register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, is an employee, and is a student, pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for November 4, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. 

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Noblesville, Indiana Police Department for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Judson T. Mihok and Paul E. Budlow, 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/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging four Maryland residents with federal conspiracy and wire fraud charges related to a CARES Act unemployment insurance fraud scheme with more than $3 million in losses.  The indictment was returned on July 13, 2022, and unsealed today upon the arrests of the defendants.  Charged in the indictment are:

            Tyshawna Davis, age 38, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland;             Tiia Woods, age 44, of Cockeysville, Maryland;             Donna Jones, age 55, of Hanover, Maryland; and
            Devante Smith, age 27, of Baltimore.

Davis, Jones, and Smith had initial appearances this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner.  They were released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.  Woods is detained in the Middle District of Florida pending a detention hearing scheduled for July 22, 2022.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to the 14-count indictment, from June 2020 through May 2021, the defendants used the personally identifiable information (PII) of victims to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits.  The CARES Act expanded states’ ability to provide unemployment insurance benefits for workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and allowed states to give an additional $600 per week to individuals collecting regular unemployment insurance compensation during certain months in 2020.

The indictment alleges that the defendants obtained the names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of victims using false pretenses, then used the PII to submit and certify fraudulent Maryland unemployment insurance (UI) benefit applications in the victims’ names.  For example, the indictment alleges that as part of the conspiracy a Maryland UI application was submitted in the name of Davis’s deceased ex-husband.  The defendants allegedly caused the UI benefits to be loaded onto debit cards which were mailed to the addresses of the defendants, rather than the victims.  The indictment alleges that the defendants used the fraudulently obtained debit cards to make cash withdrawals and other transactions throughout Maryland.  The defendants allegedly used the cash for their own benefit and for the benefit of others who were also not entitled to the money, including by purchasing luxury vehicles.  The indictment seeks the forfeiture of two 2021 Mercedes-Benz automobiles and any other proceeds of the scheme.

The indictment alleges that as a result of the scheme, at least 160 fraudulent UI claims were submitted in Maryland, with a loss of more than $3 million.  The indictment details 13 specific wire transfers involving fraudulent UI benefits obtained in the names of eight separate victims.

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

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 DOL-OIG and the FBI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary H. Ray and Christine Goo, who are prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury late yesterday convicted Jose David Navarro Cervellon, age 41, of Norcross, Georgia, on federal charges related to a murder-for-hire.    

The guilty verdict 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; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Tira Hayward of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to the evidence presented at his eight-day trial and to court documents, Navarro was an associate of Miguel Angel Ayala Rivera, who was the leader of the Pinos Locos Salvatrucha clique of MS-13.  In November 2016, co-defendant Miguel Antonio Renderos was looking for someone to murder Victim 1 in exchange for $10,000.  Navarro introduced Renderos to Ayala Rivera, who agreed to commit the murder.

The evidence presented at trial proved that Renderos wanted Victim 1 to be killed because in 2012, after Renderos allowed the victim to move into the basement of Renderos’s home, Victim 1 began to have a romantic relationship with Renderos’s wife.  With Navarro serving as the middleman between Renderos and Ayala Rivera, the defendants exchanged phone calls to arrange the murder.

As detailed at trial and in court documents, between November 1 and November 30, 2016, Navarro paid for a hotel room for Ayala Rivera and a co-conspirator at a hotel in College Park.  During that time, Ayala Rivera, Navarro and the co-conspirator conducted surveillance of Victim 1 in and around Victim 1’s residence.  On November 30, 2016, Navarro drove Ayala Rivera and the co-conspirator to Victim 1’s residence, where Ayala Rivera shot and killed Victim 1.  After the murder, Navarro left the area with Ayala Rivera and the co-conspirator and took Ayala Rivera to collect payment from Renderos for the murder of Victim 1.

Navarro faces a mandatory sentence of life prison for the murder-for-hire conspiracy and for the use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire; and a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, and up to life in prison for murder resulting from the use, carrying, brandishing and discharging of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has not yet scheduled sentencing for Navarro.

Co-defendants Miguel Angel Ayala Rivera, age 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland, and Miguel A. Renderos, age 47, of Hyattsville, Maryland, each pleaded guilty to their roles in the murder-for-hire and are scheduled to be sentenced on August 5, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. and September 6, 2022, at 10:00 a.m., respectively.  In a related case, Luis Cruz Hernandez, age 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the murder-for-hire and was sentenced to 51 years in federal prison

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County Police Department and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau and Leah B. Grossi, 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 – Calvin Abramowitz, age 48, of Lakewood, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud.  As part of his guilty plea, Abramowitz has been ordered to pay $209,036.    

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Shawn A. Rice of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General.

According to his guilty plea, Calvin Abramowitz and his brother, Philip Abramowitz, age 40, of Pikesville, Maryland conspired to defraud at least one financial institution by fraudulently obtaining Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans and property under false pretenses.   Specifically, Philip Abramowitz used his company 163 N. Potomac St., LLC., to facilitate the fraudulent sales of his Potomac Street, Baltimore, Maryland properties.

In May 2016, Philip Abramowitz decided to sell one of the Potomac Street properties (Property 1) to his brother, Calvin Abramowitz for $300,000 using an FHA-insured loan.  The FHA is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and provides mortgage insurance on loans made by FHA-approved lenders.  To qualify for the FHA-insured loans, the buyer must use the residence as their primary residence, disclose any familial or business relationship between the seller and buyer, and disclose the source of the money the buyer intends to use for the down payment and closing costs.

As stated in his guilty plea, Calvin Abramowitz applied for and received a $294,566 FHA-insured loan with a mortgage company (Mortgage Company 1) by falsely representing Philip Abramowitz’s bank account records as his own.  The defendants also concealed their familial relation from Mortgage Company 1 by submitting false company filings during the loan application process, having Philip Abramowitz’s property manager (Property Manager 1) pose as the sole seller and manager of 163 N. Potomac St., LLC and arranging Property Manager 1 to sign the FHA-loan contact as the official seller of the property.  Philip Abramowitz’s ownership of 163 N, Potomac St., LLC. or involvement in the sale was never disclosed.

Further, to facilitate the loan underwriting process, Philip Abramowitz gave Calvin Abramowitz $10,500 to pay for the closing costs for Property 1 as Calvin Abramowitz did not have the financial means to make the purchase.   Based on the fraudulent financial information presented during the loan application process, Mortgage Company 1 loaned Calvin Abramowitz $294,566 for the purchase of Property 1.  The majority of the loan proceeds were subsequently deposited into Philip Abramowitz’s bank account.  Ultimately, Calvin Abramowitz never used Property 1 as a primary residence and rented the property to tenants before ceasing mortgage payments and causing the property to fall into foreclosure.

Philip Abramowitz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in May 2022 and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 9, 2022, at 2:30 p.m.

Calvin Abramowitz faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison followed by 5 years of supervised release for bank fraud.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for December 6, 2022, at 2:30 p.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HUD-OIG for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Martin J. Clarke, 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 – Yesterday U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Devin Cunningham, age 27, of Baltimore, to 87 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

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; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to his guilty plea, Cunningham engaged in a years’ long conspiracy to sell and distribute narcotics including fentanyl, heroin, and other controlled substances in Baltimore.  From January 2017 to December 2020, scores of customers from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia traveled to the Forest Park area of Baltimore and purchased between a half of a gram and several grams of fentanyl or heroin and other controlled substances from Cunningham and his associates.

As part of their investigation, law enforcement conducted numerous controlled narcotics purchases from Cunningham and his co-conspirators.  In four of the controlled purchases, Cunningham either distributed or participated in the distribution of narcotics, including fentanyl, to a confidential informant.  For example, on July 24, 2018, Cunningham and an accomplice sold less than two grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin to a confidential informant for $200.

As stated in his plea agreement, Cunningham continued to sell heroin and fentanyl until his arrest in December 2020.  During his arrest, agents seized a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, four cell phones, and approximately several thousand dollars cash.  Law enforcement also executed a search warrant on the vehicle that Cunningham operated and recovered several items including drug packaging materials, labeling materials, digital scales, approximately 68 grams of fentanyl, approximately 41 grams of a heroin/tramadol mixture, and approximately 383 grams of marijuana.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, DEA, and FBI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also thanked the Montgomery County Police Department for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Rigali, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Tomorrow, July 20th, 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, 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 War Memorial, 101 N. Gay Street, Baltimore, MD.   More than 40 organizations, including at least 20 employers, will be on-site offering 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 legal assistance, among other areas of support and assistance. 

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 Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Michael Marotta, age 26, of Sewell, New Jersey to three years of probation with a 30-day term of community confinement, preceded by an intensive in-patient drug treatment program for making threatening interstate communications.  Marotta admitted that he used an anonymizing text message service to threaten physical harm to a Black woman and her family in Maryland. 

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

“Hate-fueled racially motivated violence must not be tolerated and this office will aggressively prosecute those who stoke fear and hate in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “We will protect and defend the civil rights of all individuals who are harassed on the basis of race.”  

"Hate crimes are a high priority for the FBI and FBI Baltimore works to reduce this targeted prejudice through coordination with our state and local law enforcement partners” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore field office.  “The violence driven by bias against a person’s race has a devastating effect on our communities and those who engage in such a manner will endure consequences.”   

According to Marotta’s plea agreement, on April 14, 2020, Marotta used an anonymizing mobile phone application, to send a threatening message to a Black Maryland woman.  In the message, Marotta used racial epithets to describe the Maryland woman and her family, and he threatened to come to their home and do physical harm.  As detailed in the plea agreement, Marotta wrote, among other things, that “I know where you live now, I’m coming to rape your family” and “eat my bullets.”  As detailed in his plea agreement, Marotta claims he does not know the recipient-victim of the message, nor does the recipient-victim know Marotta.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen M. Clarke commended the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Cunningham and Trial Attorney Thomas Johnson of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Travis Alewine, a/k/a “Sticks,” age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise in connection with his membership in the “Hillside” gang, operating in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.

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

“Travis Alewine and his fellow gang members have terrorized the Cherry Hill community for years,” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron.  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement and community partners to remove violent actors, like Alewine, from the street and make our communities safer.”

“The Hillside gang terrorized Cherry Hill for years,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby.  “The gang members pushed drugs into the community, threatened violence constantly, and even took the lives of others. ATF is proud to work alongside our partners in this case whose goal is the same as ours—to continue taking offenders like these off the street and create a safer Baltimore.”      

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.

Alewine and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Alewine will be sentenced to between 180 and 253 months in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III, has scheduled sentencing for November 18, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. 

All 21 defendants charged in this case, including Alewine, have pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy.  Eighteen defendants have been sentenced to between 10 and 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 their 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 and Victim Witness Specialist Shari Heise Forcina for their 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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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Jason Evans, age 48, of Millsboro, Delaware, to six years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and for violating the conditions of his supervised release.  The Court also ordered Evans to pay a total of $124,837.79 in restitution.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Bo Keane of the United States Secret Service - Baltimore Field Office; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad; and Chief Russell E. Hamill III of the Laurel Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, beginning in January 2018, Evans was on supervised release from a prior federal fraud and identity theft conviction.  Despite this, from June 2019 to August 2019, Evans used the identities of multiple victims to fraudulently obtain funds from financial institutions in the form of credit card accounts and cash advances.

For example, Evans submitted a fraudulent credit card application to a financial institution (financial institution 1) by using the name and personal identifying information of Victim 1.  Financial institution 1 subsequently approved the fraudulent application and established a credit card account in Victim 1’s name and mailed the card to an address controlled by Evans.  Additionally, in June 2019, Evans used a counterfeit Pennsylvania driver’s license in the name of Victim 1 to obtain a cash advance of $14,400 from financial institution 1.

In July 2019, Evans used a counterfeit license with the identifying information of Victim 1 and his picture to purchase nine smartphones from an Annapolis, Maryland smartphone store.  Evans charged $12, 114.74 using a credit card in Victim 1’s name and identity.  In total, Evans attempted to obtain at least $65,000 under Victim 1’s and other victims’ identities.

As stated in his guilty plea, while Evans was on pretrial release, Evans resumed his criminal conduct with an entirely new scheme.  From January 2021 to August 2021, Evans used counterfeit cards from two financial institutions to purchase gift cards and other items from grocery stores in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.  As a result of this scheme, Evans obtained $59, 837.79 in gift cards.  He was arrested again in July 2021 for this criminal conduct.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the Secret Service, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and the Laurel Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tamera Fine and Paul A. Riley, 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.  To report fraud, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Christopher Mann, age 39, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to racketeering conspiracy in relation to a scheme to smuggle contraband into the Metropolitan Transition Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

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, Baltimore Field Office; and Secretary Robert Green of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

According to his guilty plea, from June 2020 to November 2020, while Mann was a detainee at the Metropolitan Transition Center, he and other employees, detainees, and associates of MTC conspired to participate in a pattern of racketeering activity, including drug distribution and bribery.  Additionally, while Mann was a detainee, he engaged in a romantic relationship with a correctional officer (Co-conspirator 1).

Specifically, Mann, and at least three other conspirators, including outside facilitator, Cania Jefferson, age 35, and two correctional officers (Co-conspirator 1 and Co-conspirator 2) worked together to smuggle contraband into MTC in exchange for bribe payments.  At Mann’s direction, Co-conspirator 1 sent $1,000 bribe payments to Co-conspirator 2 on multiple occasions.  In exchange for these bribe payments, Co-conspirator 2 smuggled contraband into MTC and delivered it to Mann.  For example, in July 2020, after receiving a bribe payment from Mann, Co-conspirator 2 smuggled two cell phones, suboxone, and K2 into MTC but was apprehended by law enforcement on their way to MTC.

As stated in his guilty plea, in September 2020, law enforcement intercepted a series of phone calls in which Co-conspirator 1 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.  At Mann’s direction, Co-conspirator 1 sent the piece of paper to another detainee.  The mailing was seized by jail administrators, tested by a chemist, and found to have been soaked in synthetic marijuana.

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.

Mann faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for racketeering conspiracy.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for October 21, 2022, at 2 p.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and DPSCS for their work in the 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 – 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 announced today that the Justice Department has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into the Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP) under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The investigation will assess whether MDSP has engaged in racially discriminatory hiring and promotion practices.

“This office strives to protect the civil rights of all Marylanders, including the rights of our sworn law enforcement officers,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “This investigation also furthers our mission to restore trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve by ensuring fair employment practices by police departments.” 

“Discrimination has no place in any workplace, and especially in law enforcement agencies,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our investigation will determine whether the Maryland Department of State Police has created racially discriminatory barriers for Black people seeking job opportunities and promotions and, if so, identify the reforms necessary to ensure equal employment opportunities. All communities deserve law enforcement agencies that are built upon principles of fairness and equity.” 

The employment discrimination investigation will be conducted pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion. Under Title VII, the Justice Department has the authority to initiate investigations against state and local government employers where it has reason to believe that a “pattern or practice” of employment discrimination exists. The department has not reached any conclusions regarding the allegations in this matter.  The Governor and Maryland State Police Superintendent have been informed and pledged cooperation with the investigation.   

This matter is being investigated jointly by attorneys from the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the Employment Litigation Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.  Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Justice Department at 1-800-556-1950 (option 9), or via email at MDSPInvestigation@usdoj.gov. 

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

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The Justice Department announced today that it has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into the Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP) under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The investigation will assess whether MDSP has engaged in racially discriminatory hiring and promotion practices.

“Discrimination has no place in any workplace, and especially in law enforcement agencies,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our investigation will determine whether the Maryland Department of State Police has created racially discriminatory barriers for Black people seeking job opportunities and promotions and, if so, identify the reforms necessary to ensure equal employment opportunities. All communities deserve law enforcement agencies that are built upon principles of fairness and equity.” 

“This office strives to protect the civil rights of all Marylanders, including the rights of our sworn law enforcement officers,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “This investigation also furthers our mission to restore trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve by ensuring fair employment practices by police departments.” 

The employment discrimination investigation will be conducted pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex and religion. Under Title VII, the Justice Department has the authority to initiate investigations against state and local government employers where it has reason to believe that a “pattern or practice” of employment discrimination exists. The department has not reached any conclusions regarding the allegations in this matter. The Governor and Maryland State Police Superintendent have been informed and pledged cooperation with the investigation.   

This matter is being investigated jointly by attorneys from the Employment Litigation Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Justice Department at 1-800-556-1950 (option 9), or via email at MDSPInvestigation@usdoj.gov. 

Addressing discriminatory employment practices of state and local government employers through enforcement of the nation’s civil rights laws is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. The department has conducted numerous pattern or practice investigations of law enforcement agencies, fire departments, city, county and state governments under Title VII. Where violations have been found, the resulting settlements have led to important remedies. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt/employment-litigation-section.

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow today sentenced Anthony Gonzalez, age 40, of Aberdeen, Maryland to 13 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for coercion and enticement of a minor.  Judge Chasanow also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Gonzalez must continue to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Director Darrell R. Reider of the Swatara Township, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, between 2017 and 2019, Gonzalez coerced three minor females to engage in sexual activity.  Specifically, in June 2018, Gonzalez made contact with a minor female victim (Victim 1) on a social media application.  Although Victim 1’s profile stated that she was 18 years old, Victim 1 informed Gonzalez that her actual age was 16 years old.  During their communication, Gonzalez referred to Victim 1 as his girlfriend, discussed getting married to her, and initiated sexual conversations.

In one instance, Gonzalez asked Victim 1 to sneak out of her hotel room that she was sharing with her father to meet Gonzalez.  Specifically, on June 27, 2018, Gonzalez traveled from his Bel Air, Maryland residence to meet Victim 1 at the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania hotel.  There, Gonzalez and Victim 1 engaged in sexually explicit activity twice.  In one sexual encounter, Gonzalez recorded the sexual acts on his cell phone.  Additionally, Gonzalez brought Victim 1 a cell phone with the ability to take pictures and videos as her cell phone could not.  Following their meeting, Gonzalez asked Victim 1 “Do you always delete our messages from your phone baby?”.

Between 2017 and 2018, Gonzalez met Victim 2, when she was 13 years old.  Gonzalez initiated a romantic online relationship with Victim 2.  During their conversations, Gonzalez frequently held sexual conversations with Victim 2, convinced Victim 2 to send sexual images, and discussed meeting with Victim 2 in person.  When Victim 2 declined and blocked Gonzalez multiple times, a mutual friend encouraged her to communicate with him.

Gonzalez met Victim 3 in 2018 when she was 15 years old.  Gonzalez told Victim 3 that they were “boyfriend and girlfriend” and convinced her to send him sexually explicit images at his request.  Victim 3 genuinely believed that she had to do what Gonzalez requested because she was his “girlfriend.”  In total, Victim 3 sent explicit images over 500 times at the defendant’s request.

As detailed in his plea agreement, on January 24, 2019, a federal search warrant was executed at Gonzalez’s Aberdeen, Maryland residence.  As a result of the search warrant, law enforcement seized several devices including two tablets, three cell phones, and a SIM card.  In an interview with law enforcement, Gonzalez admitted to engaging in sex acts with Victim 1 and saved the recordings to an internet storage system.  He also admitted to law enforcement that he knew Victim 2 was a minor during their conversations and had approximately four sexually explicit images of her. 

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 Maryland State Police Department, and the Swatara Township Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who prosecuted the federal case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Sylvester Atekwane, age 32, of Hyattsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in relation to a CARES-Act unemployment insurance fraud scheme.  As part of his guilty plea, Atekwane will be required to pay at least $250,000 in restitution.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Tira Hayward 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 Troy W. Springer, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General; Special Agent in Charge Andrea Peacock, U.S. Department of the Treasury - Office of Inspector General.

“Some of the most vulnerable in our community trusted and relied on Atekwane and he abused them as they suffered through the pandemic – he will now be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron.

“Mr. Atekwane abused his position of trust as a caregiver for elderly people during a national health emergency,” said Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of HSI Baltimore.  “HSI is proud to have worked with our law enforcement partners to put an end to Mr. Atekwane’s exploitation of hundreds of victims.  We will continue to work tirelessly to protect the residents of Maryland from schemes directed at some of our most vulnerable population.”

“Sylvester Atekwane illegally enriched himself as part of a fraud scheme that diverted vital taxpayer resources away from those in need of unemployment insurance benefits during the pandemic. Atekwane and his coconspirators victimized over 600 individuals,” stated Troy W. Springer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General. “Protecting the integrity of the unemployment insurance program remains one of our highest priorities, and we will continue to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our other law enforcement partners to safeguard unemployment benefits for those in need of assistance during the unprecedented challenges brought about by the pandemic.”

According to his guilty plea, from February 2020 to February 2021, Atekwane and others agreed to collect the names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of victims to impersonate victims and submit fraudulent unemployment claims in those victims’ names.  In at least one instance, Atekwane used his position as a caregiver to unlawfully access victims’ personally identifiable information to obtain unemployment insurance benefits. 

As part of the scheme to defraud, conspiracy members received the unemployment benefits by directing the benefits to addresses that conspiracy members could access.  Specifically, Atekwane notified co-conspirators once unemployment benefits were received at his address or at nearby apartments.  Atekwane and others then collected the unemployment insurance prepaid debit cards, activated the debit cards, and withdrew cash from ATMs using the fraudulently obtained debit cards.

For example, in July 2020, Atekwane used an ATM in Seat Pleasant, Maryland to withdraw $1,000 in Maryland unemployment insurance benefits issued in the name of Victim 1.  Victim 1 is a Washington, D.C. resident who is unable to handle their finances and lives in a group home.  Atekwane used his position as a caregiver to unlawfully access and use Victim 1’s personally identifiable information to file for unemployment insurance benefits.  Additionally, in October 2020, Atekwane sent the personally identifiable information of another victim (Victim 2).  The information sent by Atekwane was later used to fraudulently apply for unemployment insurance benefits in Victim 2’s name.

Throughout the scheme, at least $150,000 in fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits from 61 victims were sent directly to Atekwane’s address or to nearby apartments.  As a result of the scheme, Atekwane personally obtained at least $6,000 in fraud proceeds.  In total, the entire scheme involved at least $2.7 million and over 600 individual victims.

Atekwane faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for January 6, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.  The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.  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.  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 U.S. Postal Inspection Service, HSI, DOL-OIG, and the U.S. Department of Treasury for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary H. Ray and Sean R. Delaney, 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.  To report fraud, visit  https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.

 

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Oluwaseyi Akinyemi, a/k/a “Paddy Linkin”, a/k/a “Joseph Kadin”, age 35, of Hyattsville, Maryland, yesterday to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for two counts of mail fraud relating to a social media advanced fee fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims.  Judge Chuang also ordered Akinyemi to pay $486,119.07 in restitution to his victims.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

“Akinyemi committed elder fraud and CARES Act COVID-19 fraud, which are both priorities for this Office,” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron. “Akinyemi not only took advantage of a nursing care patient, a national health crisis, and an employment crisis, but he also caused financial harm to at least 13 elderly victims.”

According to his guilty plea, from July 10, 2018 to April 29, 2019, Akinyemi and at least one co-conspirator engaged in a social media based elder fraud scheme.  Members of the conspiracy targeted elderly victims on social media platforms, representing themselves as agents of both real and fictitious government agencies and offered victims non-existent financial rewards if the victims first sent cash, money orders, or gift cards to cover associated “taxes and fees.”  Conspirators even impersonated social media accounts of the victim’s friends to vouch for their fraudulent financial scheme.  Believing that they would receive a financial reward, the victims sent cash, money orders, gift cards, and other valuable items through the mail to Akinyemi as well as other members of the conspiracy in order to obtain a financial reward.  Akinyemi, who lived in Landover, Maryland at the time, received packages under the aliases of Paddy Linkin,” “Flex,” “Joseph Kadin,” “Anna Marcos,” and other aliases.  After receiving the fraudulently obtained funds, Akinyemi kept a portion of the funds and provided the rest of the fraudulently obtained cash to co-conspirators in Nigeria.  Akinyemi admitted that this advance fee fraud scheme defrauded 13 victims from around the United States, ranging in age from 47 to 78 years old, of a total of $478,145.07.

For example, Victim 1, who was 78 years old and lived in Texas, received an application via social media to apply to a purported federal government grant program.  The application was accompanied by a message from a person whom Victim 1 believed was a friend, vouching for the program.  Victim 1 was told by members of the conspiracy that he had been approved for $100,000 in grant funds but would need to pay taxes before he could receive the grant funds.  As instructed by members of the conspiracy, Victim 1 sent multiple packages of money, including to Akinyemi.  To induce Victim 1 to continue to send money, members of the conspiracy sent Victim 1 electronic “certificates,” including a “Certificate of Completion” bearing the Internal Revenue Service seal, stating that it was from the “Federal and State Tax Institutes.”  Victim 1 also received a certificate with a U.S. flag on it with the words “Federal Grants” next to it which included Victim 1’s full name and the text: “Federal Government Grants for the sum of $5,000,000.”  After receiving these certificates, Victim 1 continued to send money to Akinyemi and other members of the conspiracy.  In total, Victim 1 sent between approximately $70,000 to $80,000 to Akinyemi.

Victim 2, who was 71 years old and lived in Indiana, received a message from someone they believed to be a high school friend regarding a “Strengthening Community Fund,” but was, in fact, a member of the conspiracy posing as the victim’s high school friend.  The conspiracy member told Victim 2 that they received money from the fund in the recent past and that there were different amounts for which a person could apply.  The member of the conspiracy then provided Victim 2 with the contact information for a fictitious agent representing the “Fund.”

After Victim 2 contacted and sought information regarding the Fund, a member of the conspiracy masquerading as an agent asked Victim 2 if they were ready to apply.  When Victim 2 communicated their desire to do so, the member of the conspiracy sought biographical information from Victim 2, including their monthly income.  Once Victim 2 provided this information, the member of the conspiracy informed Victim 2 that they had been “approved.”  Victim 2 applied for $80,000, which Victim 2 believed would cost $800 in fees.  Victim 2 sent a total of approximately $50,000 in fictitious fees and taxes in order to obtain money from the fictitious fund.

During an interview with law enforcement on April 25, 2019, Akinyemi confirmed that he had received packages from victims throughout the country, detailed the scheme to defraud, and informed investigators that individuals in Nigeria were responsible for soliciting the victims to send money to him.  Further, Akinyemi stated that he received approximately $80,000 in the mail in the year prior to his interview.  A subsequent review of Akinyemi’s phone revealed, among other things, photos of tracking numbers and dollar amounts, a receipt for a money order, and conversations with conspirators discussing the percentage of the proceeds Akinyemi would take for his participation in the conspiracy.  At least five victims suffered a substantial financial hardship as a result of the money that was fraudulently obtained by Akinyemi and his co-conspirators during the execution of the scheme.

According to his plea agreement, beginning in December 2020, Akinyemi and other co-conspirators also illegally obtained unemployment and CARES Act COVID-19 related benefits by filing fraudulent unemployment claims in the names of living and deceased victims from Maryland and Arizona.  Akinyemi and his co-conspirators used the mailing address of his Landover residence, as well as the home address of a Washington D.C. client to whom Akinyemi provided at-home nursing care services to receive the fraudulent unemployment insurance debit cards in the mail.  A total of nine unemployment insurance claims were filed using the address of Akinyemi’s D.C. nursing care client.  As stated in his plea agreement, 10 CARES Act Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (“PUA”) claims were filed with the state of Maryland using Akinyemi’s Landover residence as the mailing address, with an intended loss of more than $170,000.

In total, Akinyemi and his co-conspirators used the identities of 19 real individuals to file fraudulent CARES Act unemployment insurance and PUA claims, causing an actual loss of more than $7,000, and an intended loss of $250,000 in state and federal benefits.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.  The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.  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.

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force was established to serve the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response.  The PRAC Fraud Task Force brings together agents from its 22 member Inspectors General to investigate fraud involving a variety of programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program.  Task force agents who are detailed to the PRAC receive expanded authority to investigate pandemic fraud as well as tools and training to support their investigations.

The Department of Justice runs the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311), has an interactive tool for elders who have been financially exploited to help determine to which agency they should report their incident, and also a senior scam alert website.  Victims are encouraged to file a complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at this website or by calling 1-800-225-5324.  Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the DOL-OIG, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Rajeev R. Raghavan, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Toyosi Alatishe, a/k/a Felix Victor Johnson, age 51, of Columbia, Maryland, to 126 months in federal prison, for conspiracy to commit credit/debit card fraud, wire fraud, and for aggravated identity theft, in connection with two separate schemes from 2012-2015 to obtain fraudulent tax refunds.  Judge Blake also required Alatishe to serve a period of supervised release following his release from prison and pay restitution in the amount of $2,287,959.67.  A federal jury convicted Alatishe on all 16 counts charged in the indictment on January 24, 2019.

The Court had previously sentenced Alatishe in 2019, and re-sentenced him yesterday after he appealed his conviction and sentence to the U.S. Court of Appeals For The Fourth Circuit, which remanded the case for a new sentencing.  At the resentencing, Judge Blake only reduced Alatishe’s 2019 sentence by six months, based on the harsher conditions of confinement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and rejected Alatishe’s request for a time-served sentence. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Tira Hayward of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department.

According to the evidence presented at Alatishe’s six-day trial, in the first scheme, which occurred from 2012 to 2013, Alatishe misused his position as a caretaker for residents of a group home for individuals suffering from severe mental and physical disabilities, by using their personal information to file fraudulent tax returns with the IRS and the State of Maryland.  Alatishe also obtained access to the personal identifying information of other mentally disabled Maryland victims, who lived at group homes run by a company where Alatishe’s ex-wife worked, as well as eight other victim taxpayers from across the United States.  Alatishe filed the fraudulent tax returns through an online tax filing company and had the tax refunds deposited into bank accounts he controlled, including an account opened using a fraudulent Nigerian passport in the name of Felix Victor Johnson.  The fraudulent tax returns contained false information concerning the taxpayers, including their marital status, spouses, dependents, employers, wages, withholdings, tax due and owing, and refund amounts.  This resulted in Alatishe receiving fraudulently obtained tax refunds of more than $30,000 in March and April 2013, which the IRS direct deposited into the Felix Victor Johnson bank account. 

In the second scheme, a conspirator in Florida used the identifying information of a Florida accountant to fraudulently purchase debit cards from First View Financial, purportedly so that customers of the accountant could have their tax refunds transferred directly from the IRS to the cards.  The co-conspirator asked First View to mail 2,000 prepaid debit cards to him at an address in Tampa, Florida, which was actually the address of Regus Management Group, LLC, a company that provided virtual office services to businesses.  Still posing as the accountant, the co-conspirator contracted with Regus for mail forwarding.  Specifically, the evidence proved that all mail received by Regus in the victim accountant’s name was forwarded to Alatishe’s address in Columbia, Maryland.  Trial evidence showed that during January and February 2015, First View sent out the debit cards in five different shipments, which Regus then forwarded to Alatishe’s address. 

Further, the government presented evidence proving that in 2015, the personal identifying information of more than 300 individuals from across the United States was used without their permission and knowledge to file false tax returns with the IRS in order to obtain refunds.  More than 300 of the First View debit cards were activated and loaded with IRS tax refund money from the fraudulently filed tax returns.  The total value of the IRS funds loaded onto the cards was more than $2.2 million.  During February and March 2015, Alatishe and his co-conspirator withdrew more than $1 million through ATM and point-of-sale transactions, including the purchase of $40,000 in money orders. 

Further, between March 6 and March 15, 2015, Alatishe was captured on security video repeatedly using ATMs at a specific financial institution in Columbia, Maryland.  As detailed in the trial testimony, withdrawals occurred in short periods of time with many different cards from First View, in approximate withdrawal amounts of $300.  The large number of transactions and high dollar value resulted in the ATMs running out of money.  The financial institution conducted an investigation and notified law enforcement and First View, resulting in First View and other financial institutions freezing the remaining funds on the First View debit cards on about March 17, 2015. 

According to trial testimony, a federal search warrant was executed at Alatishe’s residence in June 2016.  Law enforcement recovered electronic evidence, including evidence as to Alatishe’s involvement in both fraudulent tax refund schemes.  Agents also seized physical evidence, including numerous handwritten lists containing the personal identifying information of identity theft victims.  Some of these handwritten documents were identified by Alatishe as his handwriting and the information on the handwritten sheets matched even more extensive lists of personal identifying information from his computer.  In 2013, Alatishe had been the subject of an investigation and search warrant by the Howard County Police Department, which led to the seizure of important evidence used during the federal trial of the two schemes. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the IRS-CI, DCIS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Howard County Police Department for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Dana J. Brusca, who prosecuted the case and handled the appeal and Paralegal Joanna B.N. Huber, who assisted with the prosecution.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community and 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 Catherine C. Blake today sentenced former Baltimore Police Sergeant Keith Allen Gladstone, age 53, of New Park, Pennsylvania, to 21 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to deprive civil rights, in connection with planting evidence at a crime scene.  As part of his plea, Gladstone also admitted that he told a witness to lie about the event if questioned by law enforcement.

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.

Keith Allen Gladstone joined the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) as an officer on November 20, 1992, and was promoted to Sergeant on December 16, 2011.  Gladstone retired from the BPD on December 25, 2012, but was subsequently reinstated as a Sergeant on December 9, 2013.  In March 2014, Gladstone was the officer-in-charge of a Special Enforcement Section (SES) unit assigned to BPD’s Western District.  Gladstone retired from the BPD for a second time on May 1, 2017.

On the evening of March 26, 2014, Gladstone, who was on duty, was having dinner with Detective Carmine Vignola when he received a call on his cell phone from Wayne Jenkins, another sergeant in the BPD, who was in a panic because he had just run over an arrestee, D.S., in the front yard of a home in Northeast Baltimore.  Gladstone obtained a BB gun from another BPD Officer, Detective Robert Hankard, then drove with Vignola to the site of D.S.’s arrest on Anntana Avenue and Belair Road in Northeast Baltimore City.  Gladstone admitted that he dropped the BB gun near a pickup truck where D.S. had laid injured on the ground although by the time Gladstone arrived D.S. had been taken to the hospital.  Gladstone told Jenkins, “it’s over by the truck,” or words to that effect.  The BB gun was then seen by another BPD officer and ultimately recovered by the BPD’s crime lab unit.  Based on a false statement of probable cause written by Jenkins in another officer’s name, D.S. was subsequently charged in Maryland state court with possession, use, and discharge of a gas or pellet gun, for the BB gun that Gladstone planted at the scene of D.S.’s arrest, and a number of drug offenses.  D.S. was detained on those charges and related charges for 10 months.  On January 16, 2015, the charges were disposed of by nolle prosequi, which is a form of dismissal.

As a result of his actions, Gladstone conspired to deprive D.S. of his liberty without the due process of law.   
After Jenkins and six other officers who had been members of the BPD’s Gun Trace Task Force were arrested on federal racketeering charges, Gladstone and Vignola arranged to meet in person.  Gladstone arranged for the meeting to take place in a swimming pool, to ensure that Vignola was not wearing a recording device.  Gladstone admitted that during the meeting, he told Vignola that if questioned by federal law enforcement about the events on March 26, 2014, Vignola should tell federal investigators that Gladstone and Vignola were at the crime scene for “scene security,” which Vignola knew was not true.  Gladstone also told Vignola to tell law enforcement that Gladstone had gotten the BB gun from his trunk, which was also not true, since Gladstone and Vignola had obtained the gun from Hankard.   

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

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

 

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Baltimore, Maryland – A criminal complaint has been filed against Steven Umberto Angelini, age 41, of Middle River, Maryland, on charges related to a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and oxycodone in the Baltimore area.  Angelini has been a member of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) since May 2006.  He was assigned to the Administrative Duties Division in 2022 and was suspended without pay today.    

Angelini was arrested today and had his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.  U.S. Magistrate Judge A. David Copperthite ordered that Angelini be detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for July 14, 2022.

The federal charges were 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; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, from at least January 2022, Angelini has conspired with members of the Infamous Ryders Motorcycle Club, including Co-Conspirator 1, who is the President of the Club in Maryland, to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and oxycodone.  Specifically, the affidavit alleges that on January 6, 2022, Angelini reached out to Co-Conspirator 1 by text message and offered to sell him oxycodone pills.  According to the affidavit, during the exchange, Angelini mentioned that he was trying to get cocaine and stated that his former supplier, a drug dealer working for Co-Conspirator 1, had been murdered.  As detailed in the affidavit, the two ultimately agreed that Co-Conspirator 1 would provide Angelini with $100 and cocaine in exchange for the oxycodone. 

The affidavit alleges that during the conversation, Angelini twice offered to exchange information on the supplier’s homicide for narcotics.  Co-Conspirator 1 asked Angelini to obtain sensitive information pertaining to the homicide.  The next day, Angelini allegedly sent Co-Conspirator 1 law enforcement information related to the investigation of the supplier’s murder.  As detailed in the affidavit, over the next several days, Angelini continued to update Co-Conspirator 1 on the investigation and to purchase narcotics.  According to the affidavit, Angelini told the Co-Conspirator that he had obtained the information requested by the Co-Conspirator, but despite several attempts, was not successful in transferring the additional law enforcement information.

According to the affidavit, Angelini did not communicate with Co-Conspirator 1 again until April 8, 2022, when Angelini offered to sell Co-Conspirator 1 a privately made firearm, also known as a “ghost gun,” in exchange for cash and narcotics.  Angelini also offered to provide ammunition, including hollow point ammunition.  As detailed in the affidavit, at Co-Conspirator 1’s direction, Angelini delivered the firearm to another conspirator later that day and received cash and drugs from that conspirator.

Later that month, Angelini allegedly provided additional oxycodone to Co-Conspirator 1.  As detailed in the affidavit, on April 26, Angelini texted Co-Conspirator 1 that he was at a gun shop and stated that he wanted to purchase cocaine from Co-Conspirator 1.  Angelini then offered to purchase ammunition and firearms accessories for Co-Conspirator 1 in exchange for cocaine.  According to the affidavit, Angelini purchased a magazine for the privately made firearm he sold to Co-Conspirator 1, as well as ammunition, including hollow-point ammunition, which he provided to Co-Conspirator 1 later that night in exchange for cocaine.

The affidavit further alleges that on May 4, 2022, after visiting a Rosedale, Maryland pain clinic and filling a prescription for oxycodone pills, Angelini called Co-Conspirator 1 and notified him that he had the pills available for sale.  They negotiated that Co-Conspirator 1 would give Angelini cash and cocaine in exchange for the oxycodone. 

If convicted, Angelini faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy and for distribution of oxycodone; and a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in federal prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  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 commended the FBI, HSI and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  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 https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging nine defendants in relation to a Maryland and California CARES Act COVID-19 unemployment insurance scheme.  The indictment charges the defendants with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and theft of United States Postal Office arrow keys.  The indictment was returned on June 21, 2022, and unsealed upon the defendants’ self-surrenders and arrests.  Charged in the indictment are:

Dementrous Von Smith, a/k/a “El Meecho”, age 26, of Waldorf, Maryland;

Nadine Mahoro Mwamikazi, age 25, of Silver Spring, Maryland;

Sky Tiffany Lawson, age 28, of Bowie, Maryland;

Christopher Thomas Yancy, a/k/a “Lil Bhris”, age 30, of Laurel, Maryland;

Sayquan Leon Bridges, a/k/a “Quan”, age 27, of Bowie, Maryland;

Christian Malik Adrea, a/k/a “Lil Leak”, age 24, of Michellville, Maryland;

Stephawn Malik Watson, a/k/a “O-Dawg”, age 26, of District Heights, Maryland;

Aiyanna Mone Washington, a/k/a “Yanna”, age 26, of Glenarden, Maryland.

Co-defendants Von Smith, Lawson, Bridges, Adrea and Washington had their initial appearances on July 7, 2022, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Coulson.  Yancy, Mwamikazi, Watson had their initial appearances yesterday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Copperthite.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Tira Hayward of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division (USPIS); 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; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG); Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III (MSP) and the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad. 

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, unscrupulous individuals lined their own pockets with funds intended to aid struggling families,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “Our office remains committed to prosecuting those who commit CARES Act COVID-19 fraud.”

“An important mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of fraud related to the unemployment insurance program.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations,” stated Troy W. Springer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

According to the 40-count indictment, from February 2020 to October 2021 the defendants allegedly conspired to obtain numerous victim’s birthdates, social security numbers, and other personal identifying information to prepare and submit fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits in Maryland and California.  As part of the scheme to defraud, the defendants allegedly caused financial institutions to load UI benefits onto debit cards and mail the cards to physical addresses provided and monitored by the defendants.  Additionally, the indictment alleges that once the defendants received the fraudulently obtained funds, the defendants made cash withdrawals and used the cash for their own financial benefit.  As alleged in the indictment, the defendants submitted over 200 fraudulent UI claims and resulted in a loss of more than $1.6 million dollars.  The indictment continues to allege that in October 2021, Yancy unlawfully possessed a United States Postal Service arrow key with intent to improperly use the key.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for the conspiracy as well as each count of wire fraud and two years in federal prison consecutive to any other sentence imposed for aggravated identity theft.  Yancy faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for unlawfully possessing stolen United States Postal Service arrow keys.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

This investigation was a coordinated effort between the Anne Arundel County Police Department, Maryland State Police, Prince George’s County Police Department, United States Postal Inspector, U.S. Department of Labor, and the Department of Homeland Security and Investigations, under the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network (MCIN).  The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services (GOCPYVS) provides grant funding and strategic support to MCIN member sites to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal organizations through inter-agency collaboration and data sharing to make Maryland safer.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.  The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.  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.  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 USPIS, HSI, ATF, DOL-OIG, the Maryland State Police, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked the United States Marshals Service, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Virginia State Police Department, Howard County Police Department, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen E. McGuinn, who is prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Darick Knighton, age 44, of Alexandria, Virginia, to five years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance.   The sentence was imposed on July 7, 2022.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Division; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Tira Hayward of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, from December 2018 to January 2020, Knighton, and others participated in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. From the spring of 2018 to December 2018, Knighton sold more than 100 grams of heroin to a confidential informant in Maryland.  For example, on December 13, 2018, Knighton sold 97.32 grams of heroin with trace amounts of caffeine and fentanyl to a confidential informant in exchange for $7,000.  Knighton also sold cocaine.  Beginning on April 4, 2019, law enforcement officers intercepted Knighton’s phone calls and were able to identify several of Knighton’s narcotics customers, including a customer to whom Knighton sold between 50 and 100 grams of cocaine.

As detailed in his plea agreement, Knighton had a longstanding relationship with his primary source of supply for heroin.  As a result, the source of supply provided Knighton with heroin on consignment, which Knighton then resold in smaller quantities to his own customer base.  Knighton also had other suppliers, including an individual based in Baltimore, Maryland.  Knighton admitted that he knew the drug trafficking organization was extensive and that his drug supplier obtained narcotics from at least one source located outside of the Washington, D.C. area.  On May 1, 2019, following a conversation between co-defendant Dwight Andrew Douse and the source of supply, the source of supply called Knighton to let him know that he could obtain 100 grams of heroin from his source of supply and that the drugs could be cut such that Knighton would have 125 grams of product to sell to his customers.  Knighton never directly dealt with Douse or with co-defendant Ana Avalos.  Knighton was also aware that his source of supply had additional narcotics customers in addition to Knighton.

Four co-defendants have pleaded guilty in this case, including Dwight Andrew Douse, age 45, of Newburgh, New York; and Ana Avalos, age 35, of Phelan, California.  Ana Avalos was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison in July 2021.  Douse and two other co-defendants who pleaded guilty are scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months.  One co-defendant is scheduled for trial in April 2023, and the final co-defendant is a fugitive.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, USPIS, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Metropolitan Police Department, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Virginia State Police, and the Fairfax County Police Department for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy F. Hagan and Joel Crespo, 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 Richard D. Bennett sentenced Marquis Moore, age 35, of Baltimore, to 12 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for committing a series of armed commercial robberies and for brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

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; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.

According to Moore’s guilty plea, from at least November 2018 to March 2019, Moore participated in at least 10 robberies, nine of them with co-defendants Milek Rankin, age 29, of Baltimore, and Dontrell Glover, age 30, of Baltimore, of commercial businesses, including fast-food restaurants, video game stores, cell phone stores, and discount stores in Baltimore, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County.  During each robbery, Moore brandished a firearm, to use fear to obtain money and/or other items from the businesses.

For example, on January 4, 2019, Moore and Rankin robbed a cell phone store in Essex, Maryland.  Moore carried a loaded handgun.  When the store employee resisted giving the robbers money from the business, Moore took the magazine out of the handgun, showed it to the employee, and said, “You can see it’s loaded.  We’re not playing games.”  The handgun was loaded with hollow point bullets.  During the robbery, Moore struck the employee with the handgun.  Moore and Rankin fled using a get-away vehicle driven by Glover.

Moore admitted that he committed at least 10 additional robberies, each time brandishing a gun and often pointing the gun at employees.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey N. McCulley and John W. Sippel, 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 – August Candeloro III, a/k/a “Nick,” age 34, of Catonsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal charge of possession of child pornography. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt 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.

On January 11, 2010, Candeloro was convicted of a second-degree sex offense involving a 13-year-old victim in Howard County Circuit Court.  As a result of that conviction, Candeloro was required to register as a sex offender.

Candeloro faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.  U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has scheduled sentencing for October 6, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.  Candeloro has been detained since his arrest on May 17, 2021.

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 Judson T. Mihok, who is prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – On Tuesday, July 5, 2022, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Jeremiah Peter Watson, age 24, of Hanover, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm in relation to a violent crime.

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 Acting Chief of Police Christopher Stock of the U.S. Park Police.

According to his guilty plea, on February 25, 2021, Watson drove to the entrance of a United States Secret Service facility, positioning his vehicle in a manner that blocked the driveway and prevented other drivers from passing through the entrance of the facility.  When a security officer (Victim 1) approached Watson to ask him to move his vehicle, Watson became verbally combative and did not move his vehicle.

A second security officer (Victim 2) approached Watson and asked him to move his vehicle and informed him that if he did not move his vehicle, a United States Secret Service agent would arrest him. Watson continued to be combative towards the security.  During the confrontation, Watson approached Victim 1 aggressively and lunged at Victim 2, putting his face within inches of Victim 2’s face.

When Watson lunged at Victim 2 and reached into his pocket, Victim 2 was startled and believed that Watson was armed.  In response, Victim 2 began to pull out his firearm and Victim 1 sprayed pepper spray at Watson.  Watson then retreated into his vehicle and drove away.

Before Watson drove away, the victims noted Watson’s distinctive colored cell phone case and license plate number.  As Victim 1, Victim 2, another security guard (Victim 3) and a United States Secret Service agent (Victim 4), began to re-enter the facility building, the victims saw Watson’s vehicle return and saw a flash of a gunshot coming out of the driver-side window towards them.  Watson did another U-turn and fired at least four additional shots before he drove away.

As stated in his guilty plea, United State Park Police officers responded to the scene where law enforcement recovered three 9mm ammunition shell casings and located a bullet fragment within a wall.  Through the review of information associated with Watson’s license plate registration, law enforcement linked the vehicle to Watson’s Hanover, Maryland address and identified the vehicle at Watson’s residence later that night.

On February 26, 2021, law enforcement executed search warrants at Watson’s residence and recovered Watson’s cell phone, 9mm ammunition, two empty 9mm cartridge cases, and a privately made 9mm handgun without a serial number, also known as a “ghost gun”.  Forensic examination concluded that the cartridge cases recovered from Watson’s vehicle had been fired from the recovered ghost gun and that the bullet fragment recovered from the scene was consistent with having been fired from the same ghost gun. 

All four victims were acting in the course of their duties as federal officers or employees when Watson discharged his firearm at them.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the U.S. Park Police for their work in the investigation and thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Secret Service for their assistance.  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 https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Yesterday U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Ercin Kalender, age 61, of Alexandria, Virginia and Lizette Kalender, age 44, of Alexandria, Virginia to one year and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy related to tax fraud within their corporate filings and business taxes.  Judge Xinis also ordered the Kalenders to pay restitution of $2,219,602.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

“Ercin and Lizette Kalender committed tax fraud for many years by purposely hiding their company’s true income to avoid paying their fair share, and then brazenly shared their criminal activity with potential buyers when trying to sell their business,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Darrell Waldon, Washington, D.C. Field Office.  “Our IRS-CI special agents will continue to seek out those who illegally benefit from unreported income and create unfair business advantages for themselves in the community.”

According to their guilty pleas, Ercin Kalender owned and operated Butch’s, a very successful Capital Heights, Maryland auto body shop.  Lizette Kalender worked at the autobody shop as a manager and bookkeeper.  In that capacity, she handled tax reporting matters and regularly worked with an outside tax preparation and accounting agency, which prepared the taxes for Butch’s and the personal tax returns for Ercin and Lizette.  

For the fiscal tax years of 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, Butch’s reported its income and expenses to the federal government by filing Forms 1120 with the Internal Revenue Service.  During this period, the Kalenders conspired with each other to include materially false information on their Form 1120s filed with the IRS on behalf of Butch’s.  The false information included on the Form 1120s included a significantly lower report of gross income and taxable income.

The Kalenders jointly worked to divert revenue from Butch’s and avoid significant revenues being deposited into Butch’s corporate bank accounts and reported to the IRS.  As part of the conspiracy, the Kalenders kept two sets of financial records for Butch’s, one that reported the actual revenues and profits of the business and a second set that reported lower figures which were used for tax purposes.  The Kalenders’ conspiracy to submit false tax returns also involved cashing checks, received at Butch’s at a Prince George’s check cashing facility (Business A).  The checks cashed at Business A were not reported on Butch’s tax returns and resulted in the underreporting of Butch’s annual income for fiscal years 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 by more than $6.6 million.  The corresponding tax loss to the IRS for the four years was $2,219,602.

As stated in their plea agreements, in August 2018, the Kalendars sought to sell Butch’s.  As part of the investigation, an undercover federal agent posed as a potential buyer and had contact with the Kalenders.  During their conversations, Ercin and Lizette explained the profitability of Butch’s and revealed their practices of the underreporting of revenues and income from Butch’s.  During one conversation, while Lizette was present, Ercin informed the uncover agent that he had a regular practice of taking checks intended to pay for auto body repair work and cashing them at Business A.  Some of the checks were made payable to Butch’s while other customer checks were written to Butch’s customers, or jointly payable to Butch’s and the customers.

Further, Ercin explained that while Butch’s filed tax returns showed $2.2 million in gross receipts, the actual gross receipts were closer to $3.1, $4.2, and $3.9 million for the fiscal years for 2015, 2016, and 2017; respectively.  He also stated that his father had done this for years before he had taken over Butch’s operations and that his father used Business A to cash checks for 30-35 years.  Ercin continued to explain the conspiracy by informing the undercover agent that he regularly cashed $50,000-60,000 at a time in off the books checks at Business A but estimated that he had reduced the amounts in recent years to approximately $30,000 to $35,000 cashed per visit to Business A.  Ercin also informed the agent that Lizette also reported sizeable W-2 income, which helped them evade scrutiny by the IRS.

While working with the outside tax preparation and accounting agency, Lizette deliberately hid the money flowing through Business A.  Lizette sent bank statements for the corporate accounts, check stubs, credit card statements, payroll records, and other business records but withheld the revenue received through the checks cashed at Business A.  Thus, underreporting taxable income to the tax preparation and accounting agency.

During conversations with the undercover agent, Lizette showed records to the undercover agent displaying total sales of $4.3 million and $3.9 million for the fiscal years 2017 and 2018.  Lizette also talked about pulling out invoices for additional customers from business records to cause business records to match their bank records.

As detailed in their plea agreements, the Kalenders knowingly caused a portion of the employee’s wages to be paid in cash and falsely reported the wages of Butch’s employees on Forms 941 filed with IRS.  In a conversation with the undercover agent, Ercin stated that he paid all his employees’ extra compensation in cash to avoid tax obligations except for one secretary who was not paid under the table.  This system of paying employees in cash deprived the State of Maryland of tax revenue and subverted the taxation systems of the IRS and Maryland.  In 2019, after the Kalenders became aware of the IRS’s investigation, Butch’s reported gross receipts of more than $4.5 million, an increase of more than $2.2 million over the fiscal year 2018.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the IRS-CI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Gruber, 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 Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Olatunde Vincent, age 35, of Pikesville, Maryland, to 50 months in federal prison yesterday, followed by 2 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.  Judge Gallagher ordered Vincent to pay more than $240,000 in restitution.  The charges stemmed from a fraud scheme in which Vincent and other conspirators used false identification documents containing the personal identifying information real persons to open bank accounts, which were used to receive money obtained from victim companies and individuals. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Lewis of the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Washington Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General; and Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Tira Hayward of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division.

According to Vincent’s plea agreement and other court documents, in early 2019, Vincent and others, including Idowu Raji, Hameed Adesokan, Adewumi Abioye, Lukman Salam, Akolade Ojo, and Damilola Lawal, conspired to defraud multiple businesses, individuals, and financial institutions.  As part of the scheme to defraud, Vincent and Raji used counterfeit identification documents in real persons’ names, while other conspirators used fraudulent passports, created and used limited liability companies to further hide their identities, and opened bank accounts in the names on the identification documents and passports or the limited liability companies.  Other conspirators made false representations to companies and individuals to induce them to fraudulently send money to the bank accounts.  The victims were deceived through look-a-like email addresses and other fraudulent means into sending money to bank accounts opened and controlled by Vincent and other conspirators.  Pursuant to the conspiracy, Vincent made multiple false representations to financial institutions and provided the financial institutions with fake documents.  After the fraud proceeds were credited to the bank accounts, Vincent and others engaged in multiple transactions with the fraud proceeds, including ATM withdrawals and wire transfers at the request of Raji and other conspirators. 

On June 9, 2022, Hameed Adesokan, age 35, of New Jersey, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, for his role in the related fraud scheme and was ordered to pay $2,007,475 in restitution.  In May 2022 co-defendant Idowu Raji, age 40, of Baltimore County, Maryland, was sentenced to 94 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $1,793,472 in restitution for this and a related case.  Adewumi Abioye, age 35, of Randallstown, Maryland; and Lukman Salam, age 37, of Bear, Delaware were sentenced to 27 months and 30 months in federal prison, respectively.  Akolade Ojo, age 21, of Owings Mills, Maryland, and Damilola Lawal, age 32, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, are awaiting sentencing.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, DSS, the U.S. Department of Labor-OIG, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Gruber, who prosecuted the case and Paralegal Joanna Huber, who assisted on 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/report-fraud.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Tray David Sherman, age 27, of Washington, D.C. pleaded guilty on Friday, July 1, 2022, to kidnapping.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on February 3, 2021, Sherman and his co-defendants Darius Young a/k/a “Mup”, Christopher Allen Young, Anthony Erik Hebron, and Lamar Perkins, worked together to kidnap a victim from a Maryland casino and hotel.

As stated in his guilty plea, Sherman and Hebron met Victim A at the hotel and casino, where they told Victim A that they would get women and money for Victim A if Victim A got them cocaine and accompanied them to Southeast Washington, D.C.  At approximately 7:30 a.m., Victim A agreed to travel to Southeast Washington, D.C. in Sherman’s car with Hebron.

At 7:54 a.m., Sherman, Hebron, and Victim A arrived in D.C., where Victim A obtained cocaine from Victim A’s cocaine supplier and returned to Sherman’s car.  Victim A then agreed to travel to a location with Sherman and Hebron in Southeast, D.C., where Victim A believed that Sherman and Hebron would provide Victim A with women and/or money in exchange for cocaine.  Sherman then drove Hebron and Victim A to Southeast D.C.

At 8:12 a.m., Young received a call from Hebron.  A minute later, Young called Mup to report that Sherman and Hebron had “snatched” Victim 1.  By 8:30 a.m., Sherman’s vehicle arrived at a location in Southeast D.C. where Young and Mup entered Sherman’s vehicle with Hebron, Sherman, and Victim A inside.  Hebron then pointed a gun at Victim A while conspiracy members took Victim A’s cocaine, cellphone, wallet, watch, and hotel key.

Sherman, Hebron, Young, and Mup then demanded the code to the safe in Victim A’s hotel room.  When Victim A refused, Hebron struck Victim A in the forehead with the gun.  In response, Victim A provided the code to his safe.  Young and Mup then exited Sherman’s vehicle with Victim A while Sherman and Hebron drove back to Victim A’s hotel room.

As Hebron and Sherman traveled back to the hotel and casino, Mup and Christopher Young led Victim A at gunpoint to a utility room inside a Southeast D.C. apartment building.  Inside the utility room, Mup and Young repeatedly assaulted Victim A, threatened Victim A’s life, demanded Victim A’s PIN number to his ATM card, and demanded information about the items located in his hotel room.  Young and Mup then relayed this information to Hebron and Sherman by phone. 

After changing clothes, Hebron and Sherman accessed Victim A’s hotel room where they stole Victim A’s property, including a gaming system, $1,500 in casino chips, and approximately $6,000 in cash. 

Sherman and Hebron then fled from the hotel in Sherman’s car and communicated with their co-conspirators to confirm that they had finished stealing Victim A’s items and were ready to link up with the other conspiracy members.  Moments later, law enforcement located Victim A, who had sustained several injuries, including a bloody wound on his forehead, a broken nose, and cuts on his mouth and eye. 

As stated in his guilty plea, on February 8, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Sherman’s vehicle where officers located three black gloves, a black mask, and the same clothing that Sherman and Hebron wore during the robbery.  Sherman was subsequently arrested on March 31, 2021, in Germantown, Maryland.  At the time of his arrest, officers executed a second search warrant on Sherman’s vehicle, where they located a digital scale with white residue, a black vest with ballistic plates, a .40 caliber handgun, and 27 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition.

Co-defendants Anthony Erik Hebron, a/k/a “Pain”, age 29; Lamar Jamal Perkins, age 28; and Christopher Allen Young, a/k/a “40,” age 27, all of Washington, D.C pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping.  Hebron is expected to be sentenced to 14 years in federal prison at his sentencing hearing on August 8, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.  Christopher Young was sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison on May 4, 2022.  Perkins was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on May 23, 2022.  Darius Young, a/k/a “Mup” was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison on June 27, 2022.

Sherman and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Sherman will be sentenced to no less than 8 years and no more than 10.5 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for October 12, 2022, at 10 a.m. 

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

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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI Washington and the FBI Baltimore Field Offices and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Engelking, who prosecuted the case, and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Grossi for her 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 – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced former Correctional Dietary Officer Chanel Pierce, age 29, of Pikesville, Maryland, yesterday to 21 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy in connection with her work at the Jessup Correctional Institution (JCI), a maximum-security prison that housed approximately 1,800 male prisoners.  The conspiracy, which included former correctional officers, inmates, and outside “facilitators,” was centered on bribing correctional officers to smuggle contraband, including narcotics, alcohol, tobacco, and cell phones, into the prison. 

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 Robert L. Green, of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

According to Pierce’s plea agreement and other court documents, correctional officers (COs) accepted or agreed to accept payments from facilitators and/or inmates or engaged in sexual relations with inmates as consideration for smuggling contraband into JCI.  Inmates acted as both wholesalers and retailers of contraband and, in the process, made profits that far exceeded the profits that could be made by selling similar drugs on the street.  For example, conspirator inmates could purchase Suboxone strips for approximately $3 each and sell them inside JCI for approximately $50 each, or for a profit of more than 1,000 percent. 

As detailed in her plea agreement, Pierce conspired with inmate Darnell Smith, a/k/a Hook, Smith’s outside facilitator, Chaz Chriscoe, and others to smuggle contraband, including controlled dangerous substances, such as Suboxone, into JCI and then distribute the contraband to Smith and other inmates.  Pierce regularly met with Chriscoe at her residence and elsewhere to obtain contraband for smuggling.  Pierce then concealed the contraband on her person, smuggled it into JCI, and distributed it to JCI inmates.  Pierce admitted that she did this regularly while employed at the facility.

In exchange for smuggling the contraband, Pierce received thousands of dollars in bribe payments, which were sent to her by co-conspirators on behalf of JCI inmates.  The memo line of the payments would often include the name or nickname of the inmate on whose behalf the bribe was made.  For example, on April 12, 2019, Pierce received a $500 bribe payment from co-defendant Vonda Bolden along with the message “for Boosie,” who was Bolden’s son, JCI inmate Marshall Hill.  Pierce transferred most of the bribe payments to her personal bank accounts and used the funds for her own benefit.

Early on the morning of May 25, 2019, Pierce met with co-defendant Chriscoe at her home and obtained several balloons filled with controlled substances to smuggle into JCI.  Pierce then went to work and was stopped by law enforcement as she entered the facility and searched.  Law enforcement recovered a concealed purple balloon from Pierce’s person containing Suboxone.  A subsequent search of Pierce’s home revealed several more balloons filled with contraband that she intended to smuggle into JCI.

All fifteen defendants charged in this case have pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy, including another former Correctional Office, co-defendant Dominique Booker.  Chaz Michael Chriscoe, age 41, of Owings Mills, Maryland, was sentenced to 39 months in federal prison; Inmates Darnell Smith, a/k/a Hook, age 41 and Marshall Hill, a/k/a Boosie, age 30, were sentenced to 63 months and to four years in federal prison, respectively; Dominique Booker, age 45, of Baltimore, Maryland and Vonda Bolden, age 57, of Baltimore, Maryland, are awaiting sentencing.

The U.S. Attorney expressed appreciation to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, whose staff initiated the JCI investigation and have been full partners in this investigation. 

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 Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Rigali, who is 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 www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Luther Moody Trent, age 21, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to malicious destruction of property by fire.

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; Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Niles R. Ford of the Baltimore City Fire Department

According to his guilty plea, on May 21, 2021, at approximately 1:30 a.m., Trent poured gasoline along the exterior of a Baltimore residence and then set the gasoline on fire while Victim 1, Victim 2, and Victim 3 were inside.  The fire caused significant damage to the residence and the adjoining property.  All three victims and firefighter personnel were alerted and were able to evacuate without injury.

Victim 1 was in a prior volatile relationship with Trent which result in the police being called on at least one occasion, as well as an order of protection being issued in favor of Victim 1.  Examination of Victim 1’s cell phone revealed that Trent had sent threatening text messages to Victim 1.

After further investigation, a Baltimore City police detective located a video of a prior incident with Trent and Victim 1 on March 23, 2021.  After reviewing the video, the BPD detective recognized Trent and remembered that he had approached him at the scene of the arson.  At that time, Trent identified himself as “Trey Johnson” and claimed to be inquiring about his “cousin” that he said lived in the residence.  According to the detective, Trent seemed to be acting nervous and drove away from the scene in a black two-door sedan.  Victim 1 confirmed that Trent drove a black two-door sedan at the time.

As stated in his guilty plea, Trent was interviewed by a local news station about the arson in which he claimed to have set Victim 1’s residence on fire because he was upset that he could not see Victim 1.  Further, Trent compared his actions to Romeo and Juliet and stated that “if I can’t have her, nobody can, or at least no one in Baltimore.”

Trent faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for malicious destruction of property by fire.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for August 11, 2022 at 10 a.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, Maryland State Fire Marshals, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore City Fire Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Sunil Chawla (“Chawla”), age 66, of Berlin, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to tax fraud.  As part of his plea agreement, Chawla will be required to pay $70,000 in restitution.   

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.

According to his guilty plea, Chawla owned and operated “India Emporium”, a seasonal retail store near Ocean City, Maryland for over 20 years.  Chawla also received income from a business (Company 1) operated by his son, defendant Saurabh Chawla (“Saurabh”), age 36, of Aurora, Colorado, from 2009 to August 2019.  Chawla’s duties at Company 1 included receiving electronics and other items obtained by Company 1.  Chawla was involved in reselling, maintaining and tracking Company 1’s inventory, and packaging and shipping daily orders as directed by his son, Saurabh.  From 2009 to 2018, Chawla received an annual salary from Company 1 of approximately $60,000.  Each month, Chawla frequently wrote himself a $5,000 check that was drawn against Company 1’s bank account.  In 2009 and 2010, Chawla intentionally did not report any income from Company 1.  Ultimately, from 2012 to 2018, Chawla repeatedly engaged in tax fraud by underreporting his $60,000 annual salary at Company 1, resulting in a tax loss of $70,000 to the IRS.

Chawla and Saurabh discussed and agreed on the amounts that Chawla would list on his tax returns, which would then be listed on Saurabh’s returns as an expense of Company 1.  In later years, part of Chawla’s compensation was fraudulently classified by Chawla and Saurabh as a non-taxable gift rather than compensation related to Chawla’s employment in an effort to lower Chawla’s taxable income in any given year. 

Further, Saurabh failed to file a Form 1099 each year to report Chawla’s income to the IRS.  In September 2013, Chawla emailed Saurabh, expressing his concern about whether a 1099 had been filed by Company 1 that would require Chawla to pay self-employment taxes.

As stated in his plea agreement, Chawla submitted a U.S. Joint Income Tax Return, IRS Form 1040, for the year 2017, in which he falsely reported that his adjusted joint gross income was $19,849 and that his total tax due was $3,571 when, in fact, Chawla knew that his joint taxable income was much greater than the amount reported. 

In September 2021, U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced co-defendant Saurabh Chawla to 66 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy, interstate transportation of stolen goods, and tax evasion.  The Court also ordered Saurabh Chawla to pay $713,619 in restitution and sign an order of forfeiture requiring him to forfeit several fraud related assets including a 2013 Tesla Model S, $2,308,062.61 from accounts held in his name, and the sale of property in Aurora, Colorado.

Sunil Chawla faces a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release for tax fraud.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for October 13, 2022, at 2 p.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the IRS and HSI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Paul A. Riley, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Dana Lamar Antonio Hayes, Jr., age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, on the federal charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.  The indictment was returned on June 23, 2022, and unsealed upon his arrest.  Hayes will have an initial appearance today at 3:30 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner.

The indictment 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 Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to the six-count indictment, between March 2020 and October 2021, Hayes submitted several a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Relief loan application (EIDL loan) and several Paycheck Protection Plan loan applications (PPP loans) to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and two financial institutions (Bank1 and Bank 2).

Specifically, the indictment alleges in March 2020, Hayes submitted a fraudulent EIDL loan application on behalf of his previously forfeited and recently revived company, D&L Investment Properties Inc.  The EIDL loan application allegedly contained false statements regarding the number of employees and payroll expenses of D&L.  On the basis of false and fraudulent information, the SBA approved Hayes’s EIDL application and provided Hayes loan funds on behalf of D&L.  The indictment also alleges that Hayes claimed to have company expenses of $15,000 and equipment costs of $35,000 when the company had been inactive since 2019.  Additionally, within the EIDL application, Hayes allegedly stated that he was not on probation at the time of the filing.  As alleged in the indictment, after the SBA initially denied Hayes’ EIDL application, he allegedly regularly contacted the SBA to have his EIDL application approved.  Once the application was approved and the funds were deposited into D&L’s bank account, Hayes allegedly transferred all of the loan proceeds from D&L’s bank account into his personal savings account.

Further, in June 2020 and January 2021, Hayes allegedly applied for several PPP loans with Bank 1 and Bank 2 on behalf of D&L.  In the PPP loan applications, Hayes allegedly included false statements regarding the number of employees, falsified tax forms, his probation status, and provided false payroll expenses of D&L.  On the basis of fraudulent information, Bank 1 and Bank 2 approved and provided PPP loans in the name of D&L.  As alleged in the indictment, Hayes quickly transferred the loan proceeds into his personal savings account. 

The indictment continues to allege that Hayes used the name and Preparer Tax Identification number of Victim 1 to submit a fraudulent Form 941 to Bank 2 without Victim 1’s knowledge or consent.  Victim 1 had been previously hired by Hayes to prepare D&L and Hayes’ personal tax returns, however, Victim 1 claims that they have never prepared Form 941’s for D&L, and federal records indicate no such form was ever filed. 

If convicted, Hayes faces a maximum sentence of twenty years in federal prison for wire fraud, ten years in federal prison for money laundering, and a mandatory two years in federal prison followed by any other sentenced imposed for aggravated identity theft.  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.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.  The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.  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.  An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the IRS- CI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, 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 – Rashaud Nesmith, a/k/a Shaud, age 21, and Michael Chester, a/k/a Mikkie, age 23, both of Baltimore, have pleaded guilty to their participation in a racketeering conspiracy, including attempted murder and murder, respectively, related to their participation in the violent street gang known as Cruddy Conniving Crutballs or Triple C, that operated throughout Baltimore City.  Chester entered his guilty plea today and Nesmith entered his plea yesterday.

Rashaud Nesmith also pleaded guilty to a second racketeering conspiracy charge in connection with his participation in a group that conspired to commit multiple armed carjackings and robberies throughout Baltimore City. 

The guilty pleas were announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to Nesmith’s plea agreement, Nesmith admitted that in connection with the carjacking and robbery conspiracy, Nesmith participated in a carjacking and two armed robberies and an attempted armed robbery, during two victims were shot and killed and one was shot and seriously injured.  Specifically, a carjacking on April 19, 2019, in which a firearm was brandished; the July 23, 2019 robbery of Devon Chavis during which at least one member of the conspiracy discharged a firearm, striking and killing Chavis; the August 1, 2019 attempted robbery of Kendrick Sharpe, during which at least one member of the conspiracy fired a gun, striking and killing Sharpe; and the August 8, 2019 robbery of a victim, during which at least one member of the conspiracy fired a gun, striking and severely injuring the victim.  In addition, Nesmith knew that his co-conspirators would commit other acts that he did not participate in, including a carjacking on June 12, 2019 where an individual was shot and killed, and five additional carjackings committed from June 12, 2019 through July 29, 2019.

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

As detailed in the plea agreements, the gang benefitted financially from, and affected interstate commerce by, selling narcotics, murdering drug dealers, taking contract killings, and engaging in street robberies.  Triple C members also robbed dice games for cash and occasionally carjacked vehicles. Members divided the proceeds of the robberies and murders among members who participated, and often contacted each other to commit a robbery if that member needed money.  

Also, according to the plea agreements, Triple C members routinely used social media to identify and locate victims and to communicate with each other and share information concerning possible retaliation for violent crimes committed by gang members.  Triple C members and associates used at least 14 firearms to commit crimes, often trading with each other or other groups to avoid detection through ballistic evidence.  They limited conversations about criminal plans to members of Triple C and critiqued each other after committing crimes regarding ways to improve their actions.

Chester admitted that he participated in five murders during which at least one member of the conspiracy discharged a firearm, including the murder of Devonte Monroe on August 19, 2017, the murder of Carols Jones on August 28, 2017, the murder of Diamante Howard on April 21, 2018, the murder of Darius Mason on July 29, 2018, and the murder of Corey Moseley on December 31, 2018.  In addition, Chester participated in an attempted murder on April 4, 2018 and on May 1, 2018 was found with the firearm which is a ballistics match to that attempted murder.  Nesmith admitted that as part of his activities with Triple C, he participated in four attempted murders, including an attempted murder of an individual on February 24, 2019; the attempted murder of Bel Air Road rivals on March 2, 2019; and the attempted murder of two individuals on July 4, 2019.  Chester and Nesmith acknowledged that as part of their activities with Triple C, they agreed to distribute controlled substances, including crack cocaine and that it was reasonably foreseeable to them that members of the conspiracy would commit additional murders, attempted murders, carjackings, and robberies. 

Chester, Nesmith and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts their pleas, Chester will be sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and Nesmith will be sentenced to 40 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for Chester of October 7, 2022, at 10 a.m.  U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has scheduled sentencing for Nesmith on October 28, 2022, at 12 p.m.                                         

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

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in these investigations and thanked the FBI and the Office of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney for their assistance in the investigations and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia C. McLane, who is prosecuting these cases.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Thamar Smith, age 48, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.   

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; and Sheriff Douglas Mullendore of the Washington County Narcotics Task Force.

According to his guilty plea, on March 18, 2019, law enforcement received an anonymous tip from a Hagerstown, Maryland storage facility customer reporting that an individual driving a large SUV and a storage unit conducted a suspected drug deal at the facility.  Law enforcement determined that the reported vehicle was registered to Smith and that the unit had been rented to Smith under a fraudulent New York State driver’s license that bore Smith’s photograph and the alias “Michael Silver”.

From March 20 to April 24, 2019, law enforcement surveilled activity at the suspected unit on a daily basis and observed Smith opening the storage unit to weigh and process suspected narcotics for distribution.  Smith accessed the storage unit on 39 separate occasions and obtained at least 250 grams of narcotics during his visits.

Through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers.  On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Ware’s residence.  Additionally, in Through further investigation, law enforcement determined that Smith supplied narcotics to Tyler and Eddie Ware, who were Hagerstown, Maryland heroin and fentanyl drug dealers.  On at least 30 separate occasions between April 8 and May 8, 2019, Smith visited Tyler Ware’s residence.  Additionally, in less than one month, Smith and Tyler contacted each other 714 times by cell phone.

As stated in his plea agreement, on August 9, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Smith’s Hagerstown, Maryland residence.  During the execution of the search warrant, Smith informed law enforcement that he had a storage unit in Hagerstown, Maryland and told officers where he kept the keys to the unit.

As a result of the executed search warrant at Smith’s storage unit, law enforcement located 15.4 grams of heroin, 8.9 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin, digital scales with suspected heroin residue, numerous small plastic baggies, and a glass jar containing a suspected cutting agent.

Tyler and Eddie Ware pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl on October 28, 2020, and January 11, 2021; respectively. 

Smith and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Smith will be sentenced to 92 months in federal prison followed by 4 years of supervised release.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for October 7, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. 

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA and the Washington County Narcotics Task Force for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christina A. Hoffman and Joan Mathias, 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 – Keith L. Brown, a/k/a “Clown”, age 63, of Annapolis, Maryland, pleaded guilty on June 27, 2022, to possession with intent to distribute phencyclidine (PCP), crack cocaine, heroin, and cocaine.    

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, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washinton Division; Chief Edward Jackson of the Annapolis Police Department; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad; and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess.

According to his guilty plea, in April 2021 Brown participated in several controlled purchases at two residences on Monroe Street in Annapolis, Maryland.  Law enforcement observed Brown frequently visiting the two residences.  During the transactions at one of the residences, presumed narcotic customers routinely stood in a line on the sidewalk outside of the residence prior to Brown’s arrival.  Further, on January 6, 2022, an individual who was seen walking in the vicinity of the location in which Brown’s transactions frequently occurred, overdosed directly in front of a covert law enforcement vehicle.  According to the first responders, the non-fatal overdose was attributed to the PCP.

As stated in his guilty plea, on January 13, 2022, law enforcement executed a search and seizure warrant on Brown’s Annapolis, Maryland residence and on Brown’s vehicle.  As the result of the search warrant, officers located several controlled substances.  Subsequent lab testing confirmed that Brown possessed 470 grams of PCP, 55.5 grams of crack cocaine, 6.2 grams of heroin, and 71 grams of cocaine.  On the same day, law enforcement executed search and seizure warrants at several other residences connected to Brown and his associates where officers seized $32,695 in cash as well as a handgun.

Brown and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Brown will be sentenced to 120 months in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for August 8, 2022, at 3:30 p.m. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended FBI, DEA, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joan C. Mathias and LaRai Everett, who are prosecuting the case.  Mr. Barron also thanked Kristy Penny and Alisha Swiger for their assistance.

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 – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment adding an additional charge against Roy C. McGrath, age 52, of Naples, Florida, for falsification of records to the previous federal charges of wire fraud and theft in programs receiving federal funds.

The superseding indictment was announced by First Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Phil Selden and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.  The United States Attorney has recused himself from this case.

“Honesty and integrity are essential elements of a public servant and those who operate in public trust,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Phil Selden. “Together with our federal and state partners, our office will continue to investigate and prosecute public officials who attempt to violate their trusted positions.”

McGrath was appointed by the Governor of Maryland to serve as Executive Director of Maryland Environmental Service (MES), a corporation owned by the State of Maryland to provide environmental services such as water and wastewater management, solid waste management, composting, recycling, dredged material management and other services to state and local government agencies, federal government entities, and private clients.  MES, which was headquartered in Millersville, Maryland, generated its operating funds from fees charged to governmental and private clients for its services, as well as from federal grants and funding from federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Department of Transportation.  MES functioned as an independent state corporation which did not pay its employees according to the state government pay scale but did require its employees to comply with state travel regulations, annual leave policies, and policies regarding compensatory leave, and time and attendance reporting.  McGrath resigned from MES as of May 31, 2020, to become the Governor’s Chief of Staff effective as of June 1, 2020.

Count Eight of the superseding indictment alleges that after press accounts of his “severance” payment from MES of a year’s salary or $233,647.23 occurred in August 2020, McGrath knowingly falsified a document which falsely purported to be a memorandum to the Governor of Maryland, referenced a salary of $233,647.23, and a severance package from MES.  The allegedly false memorandum contained a blue check mark, as characteristically used by the Governor of Maryland, in the “approved” box which created the illusion that the Governor had seen and approved the memorandum.  The allegedly false memorandum was backdated to May 18, 2020, which the indictment alleges was the date McGrath interviewed for the Chief of Staff position with the Governor.

The previously filed indictment alleges that to conceal the payments and circumstances surrounding the payments from the Governor of Maryland and the MES Board of Directors, McGrath falsely told the MES Board that the Governor was aware of and consented to the severance payment.  As detailed in the indictment, when the Governor learned about the severance package and questioned McGrath about it, McGrath falsely stated that the MES Board of Directors had offered him the severance payment in accordance with their usual practice.  McGrath also attempted to delete or caused to be deleted from the public minutes of the MES Board of Directors meeting, any mention of compensation of McGrath or the Executive Director of MES, or the amount $233,647.23, or the description of the compensation as a “year’s salary.”

The indictment re-alleges the federal charges previously filed against McGrath filed in 2021- specifically that from March 2019 through December 2020, McGrath personally enriched himself by using his positions of trust as the Executive Director of MES and the chief of staff for the Governor of Maryland to cause MES to make payments to McGrath, or on his behalf, to which he was not entitled.  One additional wire fraud charge has been added to the superseding indictment.

The previously filed federal indictment alleges that McGrath caused MES funds to be paid to a museum where he was a member of the Board of Directors instead of using his personal funds to pay his pledge to the museum; that McGrath caused the MES Board of Directors to approve paying McGrath a $233,647.23 severance payment—equal to one year’s salary—upon his departure from MES by falsely telling them that the Governor was aware of and approved the payment; that McGrath caused MES to pay tuition benefits for McGrath after he left MES by personally approving reimbursements for payments made by Subordinate Employee #1 on McGrath's behalf; and that McGrath falsified his time sheets, reporting that he was at work while on two separate vacations in 2019.

McGrath also faces pending state criminal charges relating to an alleged illegally recorded private conversations involving senior state officials without their permission during his employment at MES and as the Governor’s Chief of Staff.  In the state case, McGrath faces a maximum penalty of any sentence that is not cruel or unusual for Misconduct by a Public Official, and a maximum of five years in prison for felony theft, felony theft scheme, misappropriation, and for each violation of the Maryland Wiretap Statute.

If convicted of the federal charges, McGrath faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of the five counts of wire fraud; a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits; and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for the charge of falsifying a document.  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. 

First Assistant United States Attorney Phil Selden commended the FBI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Selden thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joyce K. McDonald, Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah R. David, who are prosecuting the federal case. 

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Darius Lawrence Young, a/k/a “Mup”, age 30, of Washington, D.C., today to 13 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit kidnapping, in connection with the kidnapping of a victim from a Maryland hotel and casino and for possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea and other court documents, on February 3, 2021, Darius Young, co-defendant Anthony Erik Hebron, co-defendant Christopher Young, co-defendant Lamar Perkins, and Co-conspirator 1 worked together to kidnap a victim from a Maryland casino and hotel.  As stated in their pleas, Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 met Victim A at the hotel and casino, where they made the false promise that they would get women for Victim A if Victim A accompanied them to Southeast Washington, D.C.  At approximately 7:30 a.m., Victim A agreed to travel to Southeast Washington, D.C. in Co-conspirator 1’s car with Hebron.

At 8:13 a.m., co-defendant Christopher Young called Darius Young to report that Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 had “snatched” Victim A.  Soon after Co-conspirator 1, Hebron, and Victim A arrived in Southeast D.C., Darius and Christopher Young entered into Co-conspirator 1’s vehicle with Victim A inside.  Hebron then pointed a gun at Victim A.  At that time, Hebron, Darius and Christopher Young, and Co-conspirator 1 took Victim A’s personal items including Victim A’s wallet, cell phone, hotel room key, and a watch valued at $500.

Hebron, Darius and Christopher Young, and Co-conspirator 1 then demanded the code to Victim A’s hotel safe.  When Victim A refused, Hebron struck Victim A in the forehead with the gun.  In response, Victim A told the co-conspirators the code to the hotel safe.  Hebron then forced Victim A out of the car.  Darius and Christopher Young then exited the vehicle with Victim A as Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 drove back to the hotel and casino to burglarize Victim A’s hotel room.

As Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 traveled back to the hotel and casino, Darius and Christopher Young led Victim A at gunpoint to a boiler room inside a Southeast D.C. apartment building.  Darius Young then called Perkins and directed him to look out for police or anyone else that might hear or see Darius and Christopher Young with Victim A.  Inside the boiler room, Darius and Christopher Young repeatedly assaulted Victim A, threatened his life, demanded Victim A’s PIN number to his ATM card, and demanded information about the items located in his hotel room.  Darius and Christopher Young then relayed this information to Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 by phone.  Simultaneously, Hebron and Co-conspirator 1 accessed Victim A’s hotel room where they stole Victim A’s property, including a gaming system, $1,500 in casino chips, and approximately $6,000 in cash. 

As stated in the plea agreements, after conspiracy members stole Victim A’s hotel items, and left Victim A inside the Southeast D.C. apartment building, law enforcement saw Darius and Christopher Young walking away from the building.  Moments later, law enforcement located Victim A, who had sustained several injuries, including a bloody wound on his forehead, a broken nose, and cuts on his mouth and eye. 

On March 16, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Darius Young’s residence, locating Young in a bedroom on the second floor of the residence.  Young was taken into custody.  Officers recovered two loaded .40-caliber pistols—one under the mattress and one in the closet in Young’s bedroom.  Law enforcement also recovered a .223-caliber assault-rifle style pistol loaded with 23 rounds of ammunition, located in a backpack in the bedroom.  The assault-rifle style pistol did not have any serial number or markings associated with a known manufacturer, indicating that it was a privately made firearm, also known as a “ghost gun.”  Outside the bedroom closet officers recovered a loaded 9mm pistol from the pocket of a dark gray jacket and a clear bag containing approximately 10 grams of crack cocaine.  Officers also recovered a black digital scale and firearms magazine containing nine rounds of 9mm ammunition from Young’s residence.  Young knew that he had previous felony convictions and therefore was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Co-defendants Anthony Erik Hebron, a/k/a “Pain”, age 29; Lamar Jamal Perkins, age 28; and Christopher Allen Young, a/k/a “40,” age 27, all of Washington, D.C pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping.  Hebron is expected to be sentenced to 14 years in federal prison at his sentencing on August 8, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.  Christopher Young was sentenced to 126 months in federal prison at his sentencing on May 4, 2022.  Perkins was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison at his sentencing on May 23, 2022.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and 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 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 Washington and the FBI Baltimore Field Offices and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Engelking, who prosecuted the case, and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Grossi for her 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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Baltimore, Maryland – Juawan Davis, age 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise.  Following his guilty plea, U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Davis to 13 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release.

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, Baltimore District Office; Secretary Robert Green 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 2017 to April 2019, Davis participated in the Normandy, Franklin, and Loudon “NFL” drug trafficking enterprise (DTO) and self-identified as an NFL member.  The term “NFL” stands for Normandy, Franklin, and Loudon, which are 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.  Members of the NFL distributed large quantities of heroin, cocaine base, and fentanyl to drug users and drug redistributors from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.  In furtherance of the enterprise, NFL members shared narcotics supplies and distributed narcotics on a daily basis, including heroin mixed with fentanyl.  Drug customers believed they were purchasing heroin, but in reality, the NFL DTO often altered the heroin with fentanyl or sold fentanyl to customers without any heroin.

As detailed in his plea agreement, law enforcement intercepted communications identified Davis as a participant in the NFL’s drug trafficking activities.  Specifically, Davis obtained heroin and fentanyl in distribution quantities from other NFL members, which he then sold to customers on a regular basis.  Davis agrees that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that he and other NFL members distributed over one kilogram of heroin during his participation in the DTO. 

Additionally, Davis intimidated, threatened, and publicly shamed individuals who the enterprise thought to be cooperating with law enforcement.  For example, on January 11, 2018, Davis posted a photo of a former NFL drug distributor on social media, in which Davis identified the former distributor as a “rat” or a person who cooperated with law enforcement.  Similarly, on January 31, 2018, Davis posted discovery information from a state prosecution which identified a witness in the case.  Davis made this post to assist an NFL member who was pending trial in that case.  The witness later refused to testify in state court and the case was dismissed against the NFL member.

Further, on December 20, 2018, agreed to provide an associate with one of his handguns after the associate requested the firearm.  In the process of retrieving the firearm, Davis traveled to his Baltimore home and shared a live stream video of himself brandishing a pistol.  Shortly after retrieving the pistol from his home, the law enforcement stopped Davis at a nearby gas station where agents searched his car and recovered 40 grams of a heroin fentanyl mix and a pistol loaded with ammunition.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, DEA, ATF, DPSCS, the Montgomery Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter J. Martinez, John W. Sippel, and James Wallner, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Aaron Arthur Fields, a/k/a “Handz”, age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for distribution of controlled substances, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount of crack cocaine and cocaine.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; Harford County Drug Task Force, a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, comprised of members of the Harford County Sheriff's Office, the Aberdeen Police Department, the Bel Air Police Department, and the Havre de Grace Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on November 4, 2018, Harford County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a Joppa, Maryland residence for a fatal overdose.  Emergency medical services personnel and deputies arrived and located two victims (Victim 1 and Victim 2) on the bedroom floor.  Victim 1 was found deceased while Victim 2 was revived and transported to the hospital for treatment.

In another bedroom, officers located a line of white powder on a book with a piece of a red straw.  The white powder was tested and determined to be a fentanyl and cocaine mixture.  The medical examiner concluded that Victim 1’s death was due to acute intoxication by fentanyl and cocaine.

As part of the investigation into Victim 1’s death, Victim 1’s cellphone was seized and searched.  A search of the cellphone contents revealed that Victim 1 contacted an individual (Individual 1) the night that Victim 1 and Victim 2 overdosed.  The communications with Individual 1 and Victim 1 indicated that Individual 1 arranged for Victim 1 to meet with Fields to purchase drugs on the night of November 4, 2018.  Fields admits that he distributed controlled substances to Victim 1 and that the death of Victim 1 resulted.

Additionally, during a traffic stop on April 10, 2019, investigators recovered three grams of heroin from an individual (Individual 2) investigators believed to have purchased drugs from Fields.  Individual 2 admitted that they purchased drugs from Fields and confirmed Field’s identity after officers showed Individual 2 a picture of Fields.

As stated in his plea agreement, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Field’s Baltimore residence where investigators recovered 126 grams of cocaine.  Investigators also recovered 28 grams of crack cocaine, 48 grams of cocaine, and $1,911 in cash from Fields’ person during his arrest in Rosedale, Maryland.  Fields admits that he possessed the crack cocaine and cocaine with intent to distribute it.  Fields also admits that he conspired with Individual 1 and others to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and the Harford County Task Force for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also thanked the Baltimore County Police Department for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Y. Oldham and who prosecuted the case, and Paralegal Kristy Penny for her assistance.

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 and visit the “Save a Life – Opioid Abuse” section.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Edward Scott Finn, age 48, of Dunkirk, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a federal tax evasion charge.  Finn is a former Lieutenant with the Prince George’s County Police Department and owned and operated Edward Finn Inc. (EFI), a private company. 

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

According to his plea agreement and other court documents, from approximately December 26, 1995 to April 26, 2021, Finn was a member of the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).  Members of the PGPD were allowed to work part-time outside employment in addition to their full-time duties, known as Secondary Law Enforcement Employment (SLEE).  According to the plea agreement and court documents, from 2014 to 2021, Finn used EFI and employed off-duty law enforcement officers to provide security services to apartment complexes and other businesses, primarily in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, to manage and operate his SLEE business. 

Finn admitted that he underreported a total of more than $1.3 million of EFI income on his 2014 through 2019 individual income tax returns.  During that time frame, Finn deposited checks payable to EFI into personal bank accounts or non-EFI bank accounts over which Finn had signature authority.  Finn also created false business expenses to lower his tax due by writing checks to relatives and friends for purported services performed; and used business funds to purchase a boat, a car, and other items for his personal use.  This underreported income resulted in a total tax loss to the government of $367,765.

Finn admitted that on April 22, 2021, as federal agents announced their presence at his front door to execute a search warrant on his residence, Finn initiated the erasure and resetting of his cellphone.  Finn then opened the front door to his residence and law enforcement recovered the phone in the master bedroom.

Finn faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for tax evasion.  As detailed in his plea agreement, Finn will also be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss, $367,765.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for Finn on October 7, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the IRS-CI and the FBI and for their work in the investigation and thanked the Prince George’s County Police Department and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Sullivan, who is prosecuting this case.

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Baltimore, Maryland- Deaven Cherry, age 35, of Baltimore, Maryland pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise.

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; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

“Deaven Cherry played a significant role in the Hillside gang’s violence, including selling poisonous drugs and murdering a rival gang member.  Now, he faces more than two decades in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney, Erek L. Barron.  “We hope this plea deters others who would ravage our communities.”

According to his guilty plea, Cherry was an associate of a group 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 the Cherry Hill 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 activities of the organization, including narcotics trafficking.  Hillside members also committed acts of robbery, and homicides, non-fatal shootings.

As stated in his 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 routinely engaged in acts of violence, including murder, directed at members of these rival organizations, or persons who happen to be located on territory controlled by these rival organizations.  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.  In order to carry out the murder of Victim 1, Cherry discharged a 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine and contained 21 rounds.  Ballistic evidence confirmed that Cherry’s firearm was used to murder Victim 1.

In 2019, Hillside co-defendants Kevin Horsey, Caesar Rice, and Michael Evans, all of Baltimore, were sentenced to 20 years, 22 years, and 14 years in federal prison; respectively for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise.  Co-defendants Keenan Lawson and Terell Luster were also sentenced to 23 years in federal prison.

Cherry and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Cherry will be sentenced to 21 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III, has scheduled sentencing for November 29, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and 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 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/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. 

 

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, who presided over this case in the District of Maryland, today sentenced Kenneth Wendell Ravenell, age 63, of Monkton, Maryland, to 57 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit money laundering conspiracy charge.  Ravenell was convicted of that charge on December 28, 2021, after a 16-day trial.

The sentence was announced by First Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Phil Selden; Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office.  The United States Attorney has recused himself from this case.

The trial evidence proved that Ravenell received drug proceeds from clients and associates who engaged in drug trafficking.  Evidence was presented that Ravenell also used bank accounts of the law firm to launder more than a million dollars; used the law firm’s bank accounts to receive drug payments and make payments to attorneys retained to represent other members of the conspiracy; and used the law firm’s bank accounts to make various investments on behalf of a drug trafficker client, concealing and misrepresenting the source of the funds and promoting the client’s unlawful activity.  According to trial evidence, Ravenell also received substantial cash payments derived from drug sales as compensation for laundering money. 

Specifically, the trial evidence demonstrated that from 2009 through 2014, Ravenell gave a drug dealer advice on how to launder the millions of dollars of cash that the dealer’s marijuana sales generated.  Ravenell advised the drug dealer to set up businesses that generated cash themselves and make investments in real estate projects, which the drug dealer did, in order to launder drug proceeds.  The drug dealer’s business activities were mainly in entertainment, where he organized concerts and other events.  Drug proceeds were used to pay expenses, like renting venues, hiring entertainers, and purchasing food and alcohol for re-sale.  Attendees to these events largely paid in cash for their tickets, which provided a second opportunity to launder money, namely, by mixing cash generated by marijuana sales with cash generated by ticket sales.  Ravenell and the drug dealer discussed all aspects of these events and the drug dealer’s entertainment-related activities, including the use of drug proceeds to fund the events and the mixing of drug proceeds with ticket sales.

            In 2011, the drug dealer was arrested and became a formal client of Ravenell’s and the law firm where he was a partner at that time.  Between 2011 and 2014, the trial evidence showed that in addition to advising the drug dealer on how to launder money, Ravenell personally laundered his client’s drug proceeds using the firm’s attorney trust account.  Ravenell accepted more than $1.8 million in drug proceeds and funds co-mingled with drug proceeds from entities and individuals associated with the drug dealer.  Ravenell also directed the payment of more than $1.2 million of these drug proceeds from the law firm’s accounts to various projects and third parties to benefit his client.  Ravenell’s purpose in accepting and disbursing these funds was to conceal the source of the funds as drug proceeds and promote his client’s on-going marijuana distribution activities. 

According to trial evidence in 2013, a client facing federal narcotics charges paid Ravenell more than $350,000 in drug proceeds through an associate of the client.  Ravenell instructed the associate to convert the drug proceeds into money orders and other instruments to conceal the source of the funds.  After Ravenell withdrew from the case, the client learned that Ravenell had only credited $187,000 to his case, not the more than $350,000 that the client had paid.

First Assistant United States Attorney Phil Selden commended the IRS-CI, the DEA, the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department, the Phoenix (Arizona) Police Department, and the Arizona Financial Crimes Task Force for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Selden thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Wise and Zachary Ray, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Hines, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Armando Ramirez, Jr., age 50, of Odenton, Maryland, to six years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for receipt of child pornography.  Judge Hollander also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Ramirez must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Anne and HSI Baltimore Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.

According to his guilty plea, between March 19, 2020, and March 28, 2020, law enforcement observed Ramirez’s home IP address access several files of child pornography including a 1 minute and 37 second video depicting a naked prepubescent female engaged in oral sex with an adult male.

Additionally, on March 21, 2020, using the same IP address, Ramirez requested a 48 second video of an adult sexually assaulting a prepubescent female in her sleep.

As stated in his plea agreement, on August 20, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at Ramirez’s residence where several items were seized including a USB hard drive, two laptops, 1GB USB flash drive, and a 500GB USB hard drive.  During the forensic review of the digital devices, law enforcement located 90,000 images and 3,000 videos, and 42 files of child pornography.  Some of the images and videos depicted the sexual abuse of toddlers.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, and the Anne Arundel Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam K. Ake, who prosecuted the federal case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Marcus Pitts, age 49, of Berlin, Maryland, today to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.    

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and the members of the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team: Chief Ross C. Buzzuro of the Ocean City Police Department; Worcester County Sheriff Matthew Crisafulli; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Chief Arthur R. Hancock of the Pocomoke City Police Department; and Chief Leo Ehrisman of the Ocean Pines Police Department.

According to Pitts’s guilty plea, in September 2018, members of the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team (WCCET) were investigating Pitts for suspected drug distribution.  While conducting surveillance at Pitts’s residence investigators saw a suspected drug user go into the residence, come out a short time later, and then drive away.  Investigators conducted a traffic stop of the individual and recovered a glass smoking pipe and a small amount of cocaine, which the person acknowledged he had just purchased from Pitts. 

On September 14, 2018, members of the WCCET executed a search warrant at Pitts’s residence, where they recovered approximately 396 grams of crack cocaine, baking soda, a glass Pyrex dish, plastic baggies, an empty digital scale box, three cell phones, and $1,472 in U.S. currency.  An additional cell phone was recovered from Pitts outside the residence.  A subsequent search warrant of the cell phones revealed numerous text messages indicating that Pitts was involved in trafficking crack cocaine. 

Pitts was released from state custody on bail on September 24, 2018.  He was arrested on January 2, 2019 on a federal arrest warrant.  At the time of his arrest, Pitts was in possession of a bag of crack cocaine, which he tried to throw away as police approached.  Investigators also recovered a cell phone from Pitts’s vehicle.  The cell phone was searched and was found to contain numerous text messages indicating that Pitts continued to distribute crack cocaine while he was released from state custody on bail.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI and the WCCET, comprised of the Ocean City Police Department, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police, the Pocomoke City Police Department and the Ocean Pines Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christina A. Hoffman and Darryl L. Tarver, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Norman Rosen, age 84, of Towson, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone in connection with his operation of Rosen-Hoffberg Rehabilitation and Pain Management Associates, P.A., where he was Medical Director and part owner.    

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, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG); and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, Norman Rosen, is a doctor and was licensed to practice medicine in the State of Maryland.  He served as the Medical Director and part-owner of Rosen-Hoffberg Rehabilitation and Pain Management (the “Practice”).  Rosen primarily worked at the Practice’s Towson, Maryland locations.  Rosen’s partner in the business and the Practice’s Associate Medical Director was Howard Hoffberg. 

According to Rosen’s guilty plea, patients at the Practice were often prescribed high doses of oxycodone, and other opioid medications.  Some patients were issued prescriptions for opioids after routinely providing aberrant urine toxicology screens, including positive results for cocaine, heroin, and other street drugs; positive results for controlled substances that were not prescribed by the Practice (which indicated the patient was likely buying medications off the street or was doctor-shopping); and/or negative results for the controlled substances prescribed by the Practice (which indicated prescribed substances were either not taken, being consumed too quickly, or sold by the patients).  Rosen knew that the Practice received complaints about the behavior of patients, including reports of suspected drug transactions in the parking lots near the Practice.  At times, patients were observed "nodding out" in the waiting area of the Practice.  Some patients tried to bring in urine that was not theirs in order to pass urine toxicology screens.  Some patients of the Practice overdosed and some of these patients required hospitalization and some died.  Several major pharmacies refused to fill any prescriptions issued by the Practice because of the high doses being prescribed.  Both Rosen and Hoffberg were aware of the conditions at the Practice and yet continued to prescribe medications to these patients.

As detailed in his plea agreement, as the Medical Director, Dr. Rosen established the rules for the Practice.  One of his rules was that the customer, i.e. the patient, is always right.  Sometimes, when other providers at the Practice discharged certain patients, Rosen continued to treat the patients at the Towson location.  At times, if a patient failed a urine toxicology screen because of illicit substances in their system such as heroin or cocaine, Rosen declined to discharge the patient and instead required the patient to return to the Practice more frequently for follow-up, sometimes as much as three times a week.

Rosen admitted that he issued prescriptions to some patients outside the bounds of the usual medical practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.  For example, Rosen prescribed large doses of oxycodone and clonazepam to a patient who had eight toxicology screens that were positive for cocaine and whose children had been taken from her because of her drug problems.  Similarly, Rosen ignored the red flags and prescribed oxycodone and methadone to a patient who admitted to illicit drug use; had previously been criminally charged for prescription fraud and drug trafficking; had overdosed; had urine toxicology screens that were positive for heroin, cocaine, and marijuana; and had been accused of selling her pills.

Rosen faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III has scheduled sentencing for November 29, 2022 at 9:30 a.m.

In related cases, Rosen’s partner, Howard Hoffberg, age 65, of Reisterstown, Maryland pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statutes, in connection with a scheme to accept payments from a pharmaceutical company in exchange for prescribing a fentanyl-based drug.  He was sentenced to eight months in federal prison.  Also, a physician’s assistant at the Practice, William Soyke, age 69, of Hanover, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone, fentanyl, methadone, and alprazolam and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the DEA, HHS-OIG and the Baltimore County Police Department  for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason D. Medinger, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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