District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – Khary Owens, age 43, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.  

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

According to his guilty plea, during September and October 2020, detectives from the Baltimore Police Department conducted covert surveillance on a residence in the 500 block of Sheridan Avenue in Baltimore, after receiving information that the residence was being used for drug trafficking.  Detectives saw Owens engage in hand-to-hand drug transactions on the porch and on the sidewalk outside of the residence. 

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and for Owens’ person, which was executed on October 7, 2020.  Owens was seen walking to the house, wearing a vest and a backpack, which he hung up on the front porch of the home.  When Owens saw the detectives approaching the residence, he ran through the front door and up the stairs, where he threw a package containing 58 vials of cocaine out of the second story window and into the back yard.  Detectives staged in the back yard saw the package come out the window and recovered it.  Subsequent laboratory analysis revealed that the vials contained cocaine.

Owens was arrested and the backpack he left on the front porch was searched.  From the backpack, detectives recovered a medicine bottle filled with a suspected cutting agent, red zip tie baggies, and a .45-caliber pistol loaded with eleven cartridges of .45-caliber ammunition.

Owens and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Owens will be sentenced to between eight and 10 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for October 20, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and 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 and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles R. Gamper, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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The United States has filed a lawsuit against government contractor Intelligent Fiscal Optimal Solutions LLC (iFOS) and its owner, Tawanda M. Smith, both of Columbia, Maryland, alleging that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false invoices to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in connection with a contract for staff augmentation services awarded by DHS to iFOS.   

According to the United States’ complaint, iFOS and Smith coordinated with then DHS official Kenneth J. Buck, to steer a contract to iFOS. iFOS and Smith planned for Buck to enter into a subcontract with iFOS following his departure from DHS pursuant to which Buck would serve as the Strategic Advisor for the DHS contract, a role that would necessitate him communicating directly with his successor at DHS on behalf of iFOS. iFOS and Smith were allegedly aware of federal conflict-of-interest rules that limited Buck’s ability to communicate directly with DHS officials on behalf of iFOS during a mandatory “cooling off” period that applies to former government officials such as Buck, and they allegedly misled DHS contracting personnel by falsely representing that a different iFOS employee would serve as the Strategic Advisor and concealing their planned involvement of Buck. After the contract was awarded, iFOS and Smith allegedly submitted false invoices to DHS contracting personnel that concealed the extensive work performed by Buck on the contract, which allegedly included improper communications with his DHS successor that violated federal conflict-of-interest laws. The complaint further alleges that iFOS and Smith violated material contract requirements that mandated a background investigation be completed for all iFOS personnel, which Buck never completed. Earlier this month, Buck settled civil claims relating to his alleged role in the scheme.   

“The government’s conflict-of-interest rules protect the integrity of the government’s procurement process,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This lawsuit demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to pursue those who make false statements that undermine the government’s ability to enforce these important safeguards, or who otherwise misrepresent their compliance with critical contractual requirements. 

“The federal procurement system has strict policies to prevent corruption and contract manipulation,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “These ethics and conflict of interest policies must be enforced to ensure that government contract awards are beyond reproach. In partnership with our investigative partners, our office will continue to hold accountable those who weaken the integrity of our procurement system.”

“I appreciate the continued partnership between DHS OIG and the Justice Department, which helps ensure the integrity of DHS programs,” said Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). “This lawsuit should serve as a deterrent to individuals intent on defrauding the government.”  ​

The lawsuit is captioned United States v. Intelligent Fiscal Optimal Solutions LLC, et al., No. 22- CV No. 1:22-cv-01053-JMC (D. Md.), and is being handled by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. 

DHS OIG is investigating.    

Senior Trial Counsel Alicia J. Bentley of the Justice Department's Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Marquardt for the District of Maryland are handling the case. 

The claims asserted in the United States’ complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Greenbelt, Maryland – Shanta Johnson, age 44, of Germantown, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to aiding in the preparation of false tax returns.    

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 Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General.

According to her guilty plea, from January 2013 through at least April 2016, while employed at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”), Shanta Johnson prepared and filed false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) on behalf of her taxpayer clients.  As detailed in court documents, Johnson prepared at least some of these returns while at work at FEMA.  The false items on these tax returns included false deductions, fictional businesses and business expenses, and fake education expenses – all of which were designed to increase her clients’ tax refunds.  Johnson charged money for her services and, in many cases, directed a portion of her clients’ refunds into more than twenty bank accounts she controlled.  Johnson did not report the income she received for preparing tax returns on her own tax returns.  In total, Johnson prepared at least 194 tax returns.  She created and used numerous email accounts to establish accounts in the names of her clients on the online tax preparation software she used to make it appear as if her clients were preparing their own tax returns.  Johnson did not list herself as the paid tax preparer on any of them, as required under IRS rules.  She caused a tax loss to the IRS of $217,424.

 Johnson and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Johnson will be sentenced to between six and 15 months in federal prison and will be required to pay restitution to the IRS.  U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for August 30, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg commended the IRS-CI and DHS-OIG for their work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland Comptroller’s Office for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin R. Cottingham and Trial Attorney Sam Bean of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit 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 Andrews Oduro Brown, a/k/a Andrews Oduro, age 39, and Charmaine Miesha Brown, age 43, both of Germantown, Maryland, for conspiracies to commit passport fraud and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, bankruptcy fraud, and making false statements in a bankruptcy proceeding.  The indictment was returned on April 28, 2022, and unsealed upon the arrest of the defendants. 

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Lewis of the U.S. Department of the State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Washington Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division.

As detailed in the indictment, Andrews Oduro Brown, a/k/a Andrews Oduro was a Ghanaian national who entered the United States in May 2013.  Oduro married Charmaine Miesha Brown, a United States citizen, in January 2014 and in 2021, obtained legal permanent resident status in the United States through his marriage to Brown.  During this time, Oduro and Brown resided together with Oduro’s two children, Child A and Child B, and four of Brown’s children, including Child C.

According to the five-count indictment, from December 2014 through April 2021, Oduro and Brown conspired to obtain United States passports for non-United States citizen family members who were not entitled to receive such passports, through the use of false statements and fraudulent identity documents.  Once passports were issued on the basis of the false and fraudulent applications, Oduro and Brown arranged for the transportation of non-United States citizen family members to the United States using the fraudulently issued passports.

For example, on December 1, 2014, Brown allegedly submitted an application for a passport in the name of her son, Child C, but bearing the photograph of Child A.  The indictment alleges that Child A later used the fraudulent passport to enter the United States illegally.  On March 16, 2015, Oduro and Brown allegedly applied for a passport in the name of Child A and submitted a fraudulent Ghanaian birth certificate, falsely stating that Brown was Child A’s mother, in support of the application.  The indictment alleges that on March 17, 2020, Oduro and Brown applied for a passport in the name of Child B and again submitted a fraudulent Ghanaian birth certificate in support of the application that falsely stating that Brown was Child B’s mother.  On August 5, 2015, Oduro also allegedly submitted a passport application in the name of a United States citizen, but bearing the photograph of Oduro’s sibling, who is not a United States citizen.

According to the indictment, from August 2016 through April 2021, Oduro and Brown conspired to receive Child Care Subsidy Program payments to which they were not entitled.  The Child Care Subsidy Program provided reimbursement to low-income families for childcare and direct payments to both professional and informal providers of childcare to low-income families.  The indictment alleges that Brown and Oduro falsely reported to the State of Maryland that Individual F, a friend, was watching their children, when in truth and in fact, Oduro assumed Individual F’s identity to pose as a paid childcare provider to his own child and stepchildren.  The indictment alleges that Oduro and Brown used the personally identifying information (PII) of Individual F, without the victim’s knowledge or permission, to receive approximately $95,320 in Child Care Subsidy Program payments to which they were not entitled.

Finally, the indictment alleges that on March 5, 2018, Oduro and Brown defrauded creditors and the bankruptcy trustee, by filing a fraudulent Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition using the name and partial social security number of Individual F seeking the discharge of over $80,000 in debts and tax obligations to the State of Maryland that Oduro incurred using the name and PII of Individual F.  On June 21, 2018, Oduro appeared at the discharge hearing in the bankruptcy court and identified himself as Individual F, presenting a Pennsylvania driver’s license Oduro had fraudulently obtained in the name of Individual F.  As a result of the fraudulent bankruptcy petition in the name of Individual F, the indictment alleges that Oduro and Brown cause the entry of an order discharging approximately $49,317 in debt that Oduro incurred in the name of Individual F.

If convicted, Oduro and Brown each face a maximum sentence of 5 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit passport fraud; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud; a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft; a maximum of 5 years in prison for bankruptcy fraud; and a maximum of 5 years in prison for false statements in bankruptcy.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Davio, who is prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office are teaming up to publicize the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 21st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day being held at various sites across Maryland and the country on Saturday, April 30, 2022. 

National Drug Take Back Day is a nationwide event in which citizens can safely and anonymously dispose of unused prescriptions at DEA drop off location sites for free.  The nationwide effort aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible method of disposing of prescription drugs and educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.  Maryland has approximately 100 available sites. The public can find a nearby collection site at www.DEATakeBack.com or by calling 800-882-9539. 

Maryland U.S. Attorney Erek Barron will be participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day with the DEA as well as other federal, state, and local law enforcement officials at 5305 Village Center Dr, Columbia, MD from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The event is sponsored by HC DrugFree and the Howard County Police Department. 

“Over the course of the last year, the state of Maryland has seen a significant increase in drug overdoses and crimes that exploit the opioid epidemic.  For example, fentanyl, a drug that can be consumed safely when prescribed by a physician, can be severely addictive and has plagued countless Maryland families.  Thanks to the DEA’s efforts and the abundance of collection sites, individuals can safely dispose of unused medications that could lead to prescription drug abuse” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron.  “I encourage all Marylanders to dispose of unused and unneeded prescription drugs in their homes by participating in DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday or by visiting https://takebackday.dea.gov/ to find a collection site near them”.

DEA and our state and local partners throughout the area will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms.  DEA will also accept vape pens or other e-cigarette devices from individual consumers, only after the batteries are removed from the devices.  If the battery cannot be removed, individual consumers can check with large electronic chain stores who may accept the vape pen or e-cigarette devices for proper disposal.  Liquids, including intravenous solutions, syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs cannot be dropped off.  This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

Collection sites will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations in order to maintain the safety of all participants and local law enforcement.

Given the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, DEA wants to ensure that the public is aware of other ways they can dispose of unwanted prescription drugs without having to leave their homes. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have tips on how to safely dispose of drugs at home.  Go to https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines or https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/collecting-and-disposing-unwanted-medicines.

In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, prescription drugs can be disposed of at any of the 11,000 DEA authorized collectors at any time throughout the year, and at many local law enforcement agency sites.

Recent Federal Prosecution of Opioid Cases:

United States v. Rodney Mondell Coby: On April 13, 2022, Rodney Mondell Coby, a/k/a “Cuz,” age 33, of Waldorf, Maryland, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.  According to the evidence presented at trial, Coby distributed kilograms of fentanyl to resale and personal use customers of the course of several years.  On at least two occasions, Coby and others distributed fentanyl to two individuals who later died as a result of the consumed fentanyl.  During an executed search warrant at Coby’s apartment, law enforcement recovered 5 firearms, 159 rounds of ammunition, 121 individual baggies of fentanyl, and $22,000 in cash amongst other items.

United States v. Dwight Antonio Pitts: On March 1, 2022, Dwight Antonio Pitts, age 47, of Hanover, Maryland, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his participation in a drug distribution conspiracy involving large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana, shipped through the U.S. Mail from California to Maryland.  Pitts admitted that during his participation in the conspiracy, it was foreseeable that he and the other conspirators distributed approximately 8.5 kilograms of fentanyl; approximately 150 kilograms of cocaine; and approximately 50 kilograms of marijuana.

United States v. Justina Aburime: On January 11, 2022, Justina Aburime, age 53, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone and one count of distribution and dispensing of oxycodone.   From February 2017 to February 2020, Aburime conspired with others, including Thomas Charles Johnson, to distribute and dispense oxycodone outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose at Personal Touch Medical Spa, LLP (PTMS), a Largo, Maryland pain management clinic.  During her employment with PTMS, Aburime also allowed an unauthorized person to write oxycodone prescriptions using her medical credentials.  Specifically, Aburime allowed PTMS’s owner—who was not authorized to prescribe controlled substances—to prescribe oxycodone to individuals using pre-signed blank prescriptions bearing Aburime’s name and DEA registration number.  Aburime faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release for each count.

For more information on opioid abuse and where you can find help, please visit /media/1138691/dl?inline.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Eunice Nkongho, a/k/a “Eunice Bisong,” age 40 of California, late today to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering, related to a scheme to fraudulently obtain goods using what appeared to be a military e-mail address, but was actually a registered Yahoo e-mail address.  Judge Hazel also ordered Nkongho to pay restitution of $399,780.  A federal jury convicted Nkongho of the money laundering charges on October 15, 2021, after a seven-day trial.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Nasir Khan of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement's Washington Field Office.

According to testimony at the seven-day trial and to court documents, a co-conspirator of Nkongho’s established and used what was purported to be a U.S. Navy e-mail address, authentic forms, titles, addresses and other indicia to pose as a U.S. government contracting agent and fraudulently obtain merchandise, including large-screen televisions, specialized communications equipment, iPhones and iPads.  Much of the fraud scheme was conducted from outside the United States, including from Nigeria.  Three victim companies—one that provided wireless voice and data services that was headquartered in Washington State, one that was a wholesale audio-video distributor and manufacturer’s representative located in Virginia, and a defense contractor that designed, manufactured, and marketed communications equipment that was headquartered in Maryland—shipped merchandise, without prior payment, to co-conspirators on the East Coast.  Those individuals then shipped the stolen items to other co-conspirators on the West Coast, where they were sold.

Specifically, the evidence at trial proved that Nkongho twice received bags of cash from a co-conspirator in a gas station parking lot in Los Angeles, which was proceeds from the sale of the fraudulently obtained Apple products.  Nkongho then laundered the money through two separate series of complex transactions involving at least five bank accounts and, in doing so, both promoted the ongoing criminal activity and concealed the illegal source of the funds.  After multiple transactions, Nkongho wired some of this money to a co-conspirator in Nigeria in a way that would avoid transaction reporting requirements.

Similarly, the evidence at trial proved that Nkongho engaged in other transactions to conceal the nature and ownership of proceeds from the sale of the fraudulently obtained televisions.  In one of the conspiracy’s final acts, Nkongho provided a bag filled with more than $110,000 in cash to another co-conspirator so he could compensate other conspiracy members for their role in the television scheme.

Eight of the nine defendants charged in this case, including Nkongho, have been convicted for their roles in the fraud scheme.  The final defendant, Eunice Nkongho’s husband, Peter Unakalu, is a fugitive.                 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement for their work in the investigation and thanked the FBI Washington Field Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Adam K. Ake, who are prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Tommie Miller, age 36, of Jessup, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  

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 Chief Gregory Der of the Howard County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on March 2, 2021, the FBI executed a search warrant at Miller’s apartment.  Miller and his girlfriend were the only occupants of the apartment at the time of the search.  From a backpack found the main bedroom, agents seized a pistol loaded with 34 rounds of ammunition; an AR-style pistol with an obliterated serial number and three magazines containing 93 rounds of ammunition; 14 additional rounds of ammunition; one bag of cocaine; 25 gel capsules; and four bags of heroin.  Also from the bedroom, agents recovered $3,000 from a box on the floor; a lower receiver for a handgun from the attached bathroom; and a bag containing empty gel capsules from a closet near the main bedroom.  A search of the kitchen revealed an AR-style magazine with 25 rounds; a digital scale; a bag of cocaine; and drug paraphernalia. 

Miller admitted that the drugs, the manner in which they were packaged, the presence of drug paraphernalia, and the amount of cash indicate his intent to distribute the drugs and that the firearms were possessed in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime.

Miller faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.   U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has scheduled sentencing for July 5, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.

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

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 Howard County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Y. Oldham, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced the comprehensive community outreach strategy that is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program (PSN).  We are also announcing convictions in several federal cases involving firearms and fentanyl as examples of the enforcement prong of PSN. 

“The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland remains vigilant in the effort to reduce gun violence and the trafficking of controlled substances to ensure safer communities.  However, prosecution alone is not enough to combat the impact of guns and drugs in throughout our communities.  Our strategy to reduce violent crime statewide not only focuses on the prosecution of violence and the distribution of deadly drugs but by also by building community outreach and prevention efforts.  As part of these efforts, we are committed to providing returning citizens with re-entry resources to reduce the number of individuals cycling in and out of the criminal justice system,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “I encourage all returning citizens and their families to attend re-entry resource fairs in Baltimore and Prince George’s County where they can learn more about employment, housing, healthcare, and other support services.  Our mission is clear – we plan to not only prosecute crime, we plan to prevent it.”

In the effort to positively influence students, bring awareness to parents and educators, and encourage previous offenders to pursue a crime-free future, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland provides training and outreach to schools, as well as supports and participates in previous offender re-entry efforts including:

Re-Entry Resource Fairs:

On April 27, 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland is co-hosting a re-entry resource fair from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Baltimore War Memorial located at 101 N. Gay Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202.  This event will feature information for returning citizens and their families, including employment, educational, financial, health resources, and more helpful information.

On April 20, 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland supported a re-entry resource fair hosted by the Bridge Center at Adam’s House and Employ Prince George’s.  This event featured information for returning citizens and their families, including employment, educational, financial, health resources, and more helpful information.

Gang Culture and Our Children: How You Can Make a Difference: This presentation examines the impact gang culture is having on our children and focuses on the negative influences that traditional, nontraditional, and hybrid gangs have on our youth.  It is designed by a certified Maryland Police and Training Commissions instructor and Gang Awareness trainer and meets the training mandates of the Maryland Safe Schools Act.

Project Safe Neighborhood/Project Safe Childhood Ballpark Outreach:  During the summer of 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office and its federal law enforcement partners offer a wide range of prevention and intervention literature for youth.  Future outreach will include outreach at Frederick Keys, Delmarva Shorebirds, Aberdeen Ironbirds, and Bowie Baysox baseball games.

Our office is also available to assist local communities and groups in identifying federal and state grant resources; provide guest speakers on a wide variety of public safety issues; and help connect individuals and groups to assist and protect their communities.  For more information on our office’s community outreach programs, or for questions, please visit our community outreach page at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

In addition to our commitment to community outreach and engagement as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods this program also brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.  Some highlights of the United States Attorney’s Office’s recent PSN prosecutions include:

United States v. Earl LeRoy Griffin Jr.:  On April 19, 2022, Earl Leroy Griffin Jr., age 45, of Sunderland, Maryland was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  According to the evidence presented at his four-day trial, on September 5, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Griffin’s residence and on his vehicle as part of a drug investigation.  In Griffin’s locked vehicle, law enforcement recovered a stolen .40 caliber handgun, powder cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana.  The vehicle was registered to Griffin.  When he was searched incident to his arrest, Griffin had the keys to his vehicle and $1,870 in cash in his pockets.  Griffin had four previous felony drug convictions and knew that as a result, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition. 

United States v. Aaron Arthur Fields:  On April 1, 2022, Aaron Author Fields, age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl and to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and cocaine.  According to his guilty plea, as the result of a Howard County fatal overdose, law enforcement discovered phone communications that indicated that an individual had made arrangements for the victim to purchase controlled substances from Fields.  Additionally, investigators recovered three grams of heroin, believed to have purchased from Fields, from an individual during a traffic stop.  Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Field’s residence and recovered over 126 grams of cocaine, 28 grams of crack cocaine, and $1,911 in cash.  Fields admitted that he distributed controlled substances to Victim 1 and that the death of Victim 1 resulted.  Fields faces a maximum sentence of 240 months in federal prison for distribution of controlled substances and for the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and faces a maximum of 480 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.  Fields is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2022.

United States v. Zaid Rushdan:  In February 2022, Zaid Rushdan, age 41, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute PCP and crack cocaine, and to possession of stolen firearms.  Investigators determined that co-conspirators transported drugs and drug proceeds to facilitate Rushdan’s drug trafficking business after investigators observed their frequent trips to Rushdan’s apartment.  In February 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Rushdan’s apartment and seized a number of items including over a gallon (4,486 grams) of PCP, approximately 299 grams of powder cocaine, approximately 31 grams of crack cocaine, seven handguns, two rifles, approximately 652 rounds of ammunition, and $14,485 in cash.  Rushdan also knew, or had reasonable cause to believe, that four of the firearms were stolen.  Rushdan is expected to be sentenced to at least 121 months, but not more than 151 months in federal prison on May 5, 2022.

United States v. DeAundre Keys:  In February 2022, DeAundre Keys, age 35, of Lexington Park, Maryland, pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  As stated in Keys’ guilty plea, Keys sold fentanyl to three individuals.  One of the three individuals became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead.  The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland concluded that the victim’s cause of death was fentanyl and alcohol intoxication.  During an executed search warrant on Keys’ apartment in March 2021, law enforcement recovered 30.07 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, heroin, acetaminophen, 06-Monoacetylmorphine; drug paraphernalia, including a digital scale with fentanyl residue; a cutting agent; and plastic glassine baggies used for narcotics packaging and distribution; a Polymer 9mm handgun with a 30-round magazine containing 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition; one round of 9mm ammunition on the floor; two .40 magazines; an empty 30 round magazine; and $7,080 in cash, which were proceeds of Keys’ drug sales.  The seized firearm was a ghost gun—privately made with parts manufactured outside Maryland, which has no serial number and is not a registered firearm.  Keys knew that he had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing a firearm and/or ammunition.  Keys is expected to be sentenced to between 120 months and 144 months in federal prison on May 24, 2022.

United States v. Gibran Nelson-Smith:  In October 2021, Nelson-Smith, age 41, of Pikesville, Maryland, was sentenced to 228 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute kilogram quantities of heroin, and crack cocaine and fentanyl.  In 2018 and 2019, Nelson-Smith exercised a supervisory role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that operated in and around the Baltimore area.  Nelson-Smith admitted that he endorsed the use of firearms by members of the organization to maintain security in the areas where drugs were being sold, and also endorsed the use or threatened use of violence by members of the organization to protect the drug sales activities of the organization.  As the result of an executed search warrant at Nelson-Smith’s residence, law enforcement recovered several firearms, cash, and multiple controlled substances containing heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine.  Nelson-Smith agreed that over the course of the conspiracy, he and his conspirators distributed at least a kilogram of heroin, at least a kilogram of crack cocaine, at least 250 grams of cocaine, and at least 10 grams of fentanyl. 

United States v. Bobby Cannon:  In December 2021, Bobby Cannon, age 24, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to committing two murders and participating in the violent criminal conspiracy, the Normandy, Franklin, and Loudon (“NFL”) Criminal Enterprise.  As a member of the NFL enterprise, Cannon admitted to distributing over one kilogram of heroin, more than 400 grams of fentanyl, and more than 280 grams of crack cocaine.  Cannon and his co-conspirators also participated in violent criminal activities including murder, illegal firearm possession, witness intimidation and more. Specifically, in 2018, Cannon shot and killed an individual on behalf of the NFL Criminal Enterprise (Victim 1).  Victim 1 was believed to have been a federal witness cooperating with law enforcement.  Cannon also shot and killed Victim 1’s girlfriend.  Further, Cannon planned and attempted to murder another individual (Victim 2) in exchange for money from the NFL Criminal Enterprise in January 2019.  Despite being shot y Cannon multiple times, Victim 2 survived the shooting.  However, Victim 2 sustained life-threatening injuries.  Cannon is expected to be sentenced to between 348 months and 432 months in federal prison on June 1, 2022.

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

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods program, a unified and comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime that combines local, state and federal law enforcement efforts; community outreach; and public awareness, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile.

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 – Rajeim Ali Bradshaw, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. 

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

According to his guilty plea, on June 20, 2019, Baltimore County Police Department officers executed a search warrant at Bradshaw’s Baltimore residence.  As a result of the executed search and seizure warrant, officers located approximately 5.5 kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin, and a significant amount of drug manufacturing, packaging, and distribution paraphernalia including respirator masks which are commonly worn by individuals during the packaging of fentanyl.  Law enforcement was also able to obtain Bradshaw’s DNA from one of the respirator masks found in his home.  Additionally, officers located a series of drug-related messages including a text message in which Bradshaw stated that he was “still working” accompanied by a picture of Bradshaw in a respirator mask.

In addition to the drugs and paraphernalia seized at Bradshaw’s residence, law enforcement also recovered a .40 caliber pistol, a rifle, and $48,433 in cash from Bradshaw’s bedroom.  Bradshaw admits that he possessed the firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities and that he possessed the heroin and fentanyl with intent to distribute the drugs. 

Bradshaw and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Bradshaw will be sentenced to 136 months in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for July 29, 2022, at 9:30 a.m.  

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

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  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 https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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A Maryland man was sentenced today to life in prison for his conduct in connection with La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise, also known as MS-13.

MS-13 is a transnational gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland.

According to court documents, Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno aka Insolente, aka Trankilo, 24, of Landover, Maryland, was convicted on multiple racketeering-related offenses on Nov. 23, 2021 after a four-week trial. Alvarado-Requeno was convicted of three counts each of murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine.

According to the evidence presented at the four-week trial, between 2015 and 2018, Alvarado-Requeno and his co-defendant, Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, aka Reaper, 41, of Long Branch, New Jersey, controlled and operated the Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside (S.L.S.W. or Sailors) clique through a pattern of illegal activity, which included murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and witness tampering. Corea Diaz was sentenced to life in prison on April 1, 2022.

Evidence showed that the gang ran a protection scheme in and around its home base in Langley Park, Maryland, and extorted local businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory” and trafficked in illegal drugs. A large share of the proceeds of the gang’s illegal activities were sent to gang leadership in El Salvador to further promote the goals of the gang, using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.

The Sailors clique committed acts of violence against suspected rival gang members, as well as against its own membership for breaking gang rules. Evidence presented at trial showed that in June 2016, Alvarado-Requeno ordered members of the Sailors clique to murder a suspected rival in the woods at Malcolm King Park in Gaithersburg. Luring him with the promise of sex with a female MS-13 associate, the gang members ambushed the teenaged victim and stabbed him 153 times. The victim did not belong to any gang.

In March 2017, a member of the Sailors clique who was hiding from law enforcement in the Lynchburg, Virginia, area had a dispute with a local high school student. In response, Alvarado-Requeno and Corea Diaz organized a squad of MS-13 members to drive down to Lynchburg and murder the minor. The gang members kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut his hand off before killing him. After the murder, the Alvarado-Requeno and Corea Diaz helped to hide and protect the killers who escaped the scene from law enforcement.

According to evidence presented at trial, among the most important rules of MS-13 is the prohibition against talking to law enforcement, embodied by the maxim ver, oir, y callar – see, hear, and say nothing. The gang enforced this rule by placing a “green light” – an order to kill – on any member of MS-13 who was thought to be informing on the gang. In December 2016, Alvarado-Requeno directed and participated in the murder of a 14-year-old member of MS-13 who was suspected of talking to the police. The victim’s remains were discovered 18 months later in the woods outside of Germantown, Maryland.

The case was investigated by the FBI, HSI, the DEA’s Washington and Buffalo Field Divisions, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department and the Bedford County Sherriff’s Office. The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office provided valuable assistance.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Julie Finocchiaro and Alexander Gottfried of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Hagan and William Moomau for the District of Maryland.

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

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced El Salvadorian national Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno, a/k/a “Insolente” and “Trankilo,” age 24, of Landover, Maryland to life in federal prison, for conspiring to participate in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13, and for three counts each of murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, as well as for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine.  Alvarado-Requeno was convicted of those charges on November 23, 2021 after a four-week trial.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly; Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D'Antuono, of the FBI Washington Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Office; Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Bedford County (VA) Sheriff Michael W. Miller.

“The brutal and tragic violence perpetrated by Alvarado-Requeno and his fellow MS-13 gang members is totally unacceptable. Today’s sentence sends the message that the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and our local and state partners are working together to remove these violent international gang members to keep our communities safe from the threat of MS-13,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. 

“Members of the Sailors Clique of MS-13, including Alvarado-Requeno, spread fear in local communities using violence and extortion,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office.  “He directly participated in the brutal murder of a teenager, and directed and planned four other homicides with his MS-13 co-conspirators. With today’s sentence, he will no longer be able to commit—or direct others to engage in—brutal, senseless violence against members of our communities.”

Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said, “The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office has for years been dedicated to pursuing MS-13 across Long Island and dismantling the organization piece by piece, successfully prosecuting key leadership in our area and blunting gang violence in our communities.  This work, however, does not end at our county borders.  We are proud to have participated in the collaborative investigative effort that led to the prosecution of this dangerous criminal and further diminishes MS-13’s impact.”

MS-13 is a transnational gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador.  Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland. 

According to the evidence presented at the four-week trial, between 2015 and 2018, Alvarado-Requeno and his co-defendant, Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, a/k/a “Reaper,” age 41, of Long Branch, New Jersey, controlled and operated the Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside (S.L.S.W. or “Sailors”) Clique through a pattern of racketeering activity, which included murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and witness tampering.  Evidence showed that the gang ran a protection scheme in and around its home base in Langley Park, Maryland, and extorted local businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory.”  The gang also trafficked in illegal drugs, including marijuana, heroin, and cocaine.  A large share of the proceeds of the gang’s illegal activities were sent to gang leadership in El Salvador to further promote the goals of the gang, using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.

The Sailors Clique committed acts of violence against suspected rival gang members, as well as against its own membership for breaking gang rules.  The evidence showed that in June 2016, Alvarado-Requeno ordered members of the Sailors Clique to murder a suspected rival in the woods at Malcolm King Park in Gaithersburg.  Luring him with the promise of sex with a female MS-13 associate, the gang members ambushed the teenaged victim and stabbed him 153 times.  In fact, the victim did not belong to any gang.

In March 2017, a member of the Sailors Clique who was hiding from law enforcement in the Lynchburg, Virginia area had a dispute with a local high school student over marijuana.  In response, Alvarado-Requeno and Corea-Diaz organized a squad of MS-13 members to drive down to Lynchburg and murder the high schooler.  The gang members kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut his hand off before killing him.  After the murder, the Alvarado-Requeno and Corea Diaz helped to hide and protect the killers who escaped the scene from law enforcement.

Among the most important rules of MS-13 is the prohibition against talking to law enforcement, embodied by the maxim “ver, oir, y callar – see, hear, and say nothing.”  The gang enforced this rule by placing a “green light” – an order to kill – on any member of MS-13 who was thought to be informing on the gang.  In December 2016, Alvarado-Requeno directed and participated in the murder of a 14-year-old member of MS-13 who was suspected of talking to the police.  The boy’s remains were discovered eighteen months later in the woods outside of Germantown, Maryland.

The jury made special findings beyond a reasonable doubt that as part of the racketeering conspiracy Alvarado-Requeno murdered two other individuals and as part of the racketeering conspiracy Corea Diaz conspired to murder a third person.

On April 1, 2022, Judge Xinis sentenced Miguel Angel Corea Diaz to life in prison.  Corea Diaz was convicted of the racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, cocaine, and heroin; and possession with intent to distribute heroin.  

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

This case is part of 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 and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite commended the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, HSI, the DEA Washington and Buffalo Field Divisions, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Bedford County Sherriff’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron and Mr. Polite thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Hagan, and Trial Attorneys Julie Finocchiaro and Alexander Gottfried of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Marion Rose Payne, age 55, of Harwood, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to produce and transfer identification documents without lawful authority, specifically, Maryland driver’s licenses. 

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

According to her plea agreement, from at least July 2015 through March 2016, Payne and Co-Conspirator 2 were both employees of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) and worked in the Largo, Maryland branch office.  Payne’s duties at the MVA included the issuance of Maryland driver’s licenses. 

As detailed in her plea agreement, Payne and Co-conspirator 2 conspired with Warner Antonio Portillo to produce and transfer Maryland driver’s licenses without lawful authority.  Specifically, Portillo and others met with prospective Maryland driver’s license applicants who were willing to pay money to obtain a driver’s license illegally, typically because the applicants were aliens without legal status in the United States or were otherwise unable to obtain a lawfully issued driver’s license.  The applicants paid Portillo and others between $800 and $5,000 in cash for each fraudulently issued Maryland driver’s license.

Portillo or the applicants gave Payne and/or Co-Conspirator 2 the names, addresses, and other information that applicants wished to appear on their Maryland driver’s licenses.  Portillo provided the applicants and Payne and/or Co-Conspirator 2 with fraudulent documents necessary to obtain a Maryland driver’s license, including proof of payment of taxes, proof of Maryland residence, a valid license number from Motor Vehicle Departments in other states, and an identification document.  Portillo and others assisted the applicants to travel to the Largo branch of the MVA, and directed the applicants to Payne’s or Co-Conspirator 2’s workstation, where applicants obtained Maryland driver’s licenses produced by Payne or Co-Conspirator 2 without lawful authority.  Payne knew that the documents used in support of the driver’s licenses were fraudulent.

For example, on January 6, 2016, January 12, 2016, and February 11, 2016, Payne and Portillo met in the parking lot of the MVA Largo Branch.  After each meeting Payne produced six, eight, and seven fraudulent driver’s licenses, respectively.  During the conspiracy, the documents provided to obtain the fraudulent Maryland driver’s licenses included at least four Virginia DMV licenses and a bank statement belonging to real people that were used multiple times during the conspiracy.  The conspiracy resulted in the unlawful production and transfer of at least 276 Maryland driver’s licenses.  In exchange for the improperly issued driver’s licenses, Portillo paid Payne at least $25,000 in cash and gifts.

Payne faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for the conspiracy.  As part of her plea agreement, Payne will also be required to pay a money judgment of at least $25,000, which constitutes assets derived from or obtained by Payne as a result of the conspiracy.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for August 3, 2022, at 2:00 p.m.

Warner Antonio Portillo, age 36, of Manassas, Virginia, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI for its work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration Investigation and Security Services for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Mund, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Brandon Ross, a/k/a “Shaba X”, age 33, of Los Angeles, California to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a large-scale money laundering conspiracy. As part of his guilty plea, Ross will be required to pay at least $1,500,000 in restitution.   

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

According to his plea agreement, from October 2015 to January 2017, Ross, Peter Unakalu, Khalid Razaq, Saul Eady, Troy Barbour, and others participated in a scheme to launder proceeds of criminal activity by fraudulently obtaining technology-related merchandise without payment and selling the merchandise in furtherance of the money laundering scheme. 

As part of the scheme to defraud, Ross convinced three technology-related companies (victim companies) that his co-conspirators were authorized to make purchase agreements and then caused the victim companies to ship specialized communications equipment, cell phones, computers, and large screen televisions to co-conspirators without payment.  Ross and his co-conspirators subsequently sold or disposed of the fraudulently obtained property after receiving them.  These transactions were designed to conceal the true nature, location, source, and ownership of the unlawful proceeds.  

It was further part of the conspiracy that Ross received the fraudulently obtained proceeds and engaged in a series of bank and wire transfers to his co-conspirators in the effort to conceal the criminal nature of the scheme.  For example, on November 28, 2016, Ross deposited $7,500 in cash into Razaq’s bank account.  Then on December 2, 2016, Ross wired $2,955 to Unakalu, who was located in Nigeria, and falsely reported that it was for family support.  Additionally, in January and February 2017, Barbour paid a Maryland-based moving company to transport flat-screen televisions from Virginia to California.  On March 1, 2017, Ross provided Razaq $108,570 in cash as Razaq’s share of the proceeds from the scheme. 

Based on bank records, the value of the goods, surveillance footage, and financial and business records from the victim companies, the loss to the three victim companies was more than $1,500,000.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the DOD-OIG and HSI for their work on the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked the FBI, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and Customs and Border Protection for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Adam K. Ake, 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 Desmond Babloo Singh, age 20, of Temple, Texas, late yesterday to 18 months in federal prison, followed by one year of home detention as part of three years of supervised release, for two counts of cyberstalking.   

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, from April 18, 2020, to November 24, 2020, Singh used more than 100 different social media accounts, phone accounts, and various electronic communication tools to send harassing messages to Victim 1. The hundreds of public social media posts, text messages, and private social media messages included threats of death, bodily injury, sexualized violence, and racial slurs.  Many of the accounts created and used by Singh incorporated Victim 1’s name, making it appear as if the accounts were owned and operated by her. 

In early 2020, Singh sent Victim 1 online communications expressing his romantic interest in her.  After Victim 1 rebuffed Singh’s advances and asked him not to contact her, Singh commenced a months’ long cyberstalking campaign against both Victim 1 and Victim 2, the latter of whom Singh viewed as a romantic rival.

Singh frequently used the fraudulent accounts he created to denigrate Victim 1’s character, appearance, and make the assertion that Victim 1 was “obsessed” with him. Singh’s harassing conduct included, among other things, numerous implied threats of bodily injury or death.  For instance, Singh used a fraudulent social media account to send Victim 1 an image in which the faces of her and her family members were superimposed on the faces of several individuals hanging from nooses.  In another edited picture, Singh superimposed Victim 1’s mother’s face on the body of a grieving woman at a grave site.

On or about July 19, 2020, Victim 1 received a “follow” request on a social media platform from an account that Singh created.  On this account, Singh had posted pictures of Victim 1 and her family home.  Additionally, Singh posted Victim 1’s parents’ address in Maryland and stated there would be a party there the following day.  The following day, July 20, 2020, a Baltimore County Police Department employee received an anonymous email telling law enforcement to investigate a possible bomb at the parents’ home.  Law enforcement officers responded to the residence only to learn that the bomb threat was a hoax.  The federal investigation into Singh’s conduct revealed that Singh had solicited another individual to make the anonymous claim, in order to provoke an emergency police response to Victim 1’s parents’ home, referred to as “swatting.”

In furtherance of his harassment campaign against Victim 1, Singh also posted Victim 1’s personal information online including her birthdate, name, personal phone number, school, social media identities, and other identifying information.  This form of online harassment is commonly referred to as “doxing”.

During the investigation of Singh’s harassment campaign, investigators discovered notes in Singh’s phone that documented his plans to harass Victim 1, including the plans to physically assault Victim 1’s family members, post over 10,000 messages relating to Victim 1’s friends, harass Victim 2, and take pictures of Victim 1 in real life.

Singh not only harassed Victim 1, but he also harassed Victim 2, whom he perceived to be a romantic rival.  As he had done with Victim 1, Singh created numerous social media accounts incorporating Victim 2’s real name and publicly posted his personal information.  Using an anonymous account, Singh posted a video of an unidentifiable person knocking on the door of Victim 2’s former residence with a caption telling Victim 2 to answer the door.  Singh later posted the same video on an online platform which included Victim 2’s name, the former address of Victim 2, and a statement stating that he went to Victim 2’s residence to fight Victim 2.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher M. Rigali, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Charles Benjamin Stewart, Jr., age 49, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, on April 18, 2022, to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine; for illegally transporting a firearm obtained out of state; and for possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans; St. Mary’s County Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, from at least June 2016 through July 2017, Stewart conspired with Patrick Nathan Broxton, Stephen Eugene Clark, Jr., Stephen Michael Kinnison, Robert Eugene Davidson, and others to distribute heroin and cocaine in Calvert and Prince George’s County.  Stewart obtained heroin from Broxton and then sold smaller quantities of heroin to Kinnison, Davidson, and others.  Stewart also supplied cocaine to Kinnison and others for further distribution. 

During the course of the conspiracy, Stewart regularly communicated with Broxton, Clark, Kinnison, Davidson, and others, both in person and via phone calls and text messaging, to arrange narcotics transactions.  Between September 8, 2016 and February 10, 2017 law enforcement arranged controlled purchases of heroin from Stewart on four occasions, totaling 23 grams.  Law enforcement also obtained court-authorized wiretaps for the cellular telephones used by Stewart, Broxton, Clark, Kinnison, and Davidson. 

For example, between April 11 and 13, 2017, Stewart and Broxton communicated by telephone to arrange a heroin transaction at a convenience store in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  Law enforcement conducted surveillance and saw Broxton meet Stewart at the convenience store, where Stewart bought 150 grams of heroin.  Immediately following the meeting, Stewart returned to his residence and contacted one of his customers to see if the customer needed more heroin.

As detailed in his plea agreement, on three occasions between April 15 and May 6, 2017, Stewart purchased a total of more than 210 grams of cocaine from Clark.  For example, on April 24, 2017, Stewart arranged by phone to purchase 4.5 ounces of cocaine from Clark for $4,000.  Later that day, law enforcement surveilled the meeting at a fast-food restaurant in Prince George’s County, where Stewart and Clark completed the transaction.

On July 6, 2017, law enforcement executed search warrants at locations associated with the drug distribution conspiracy, including Stewart’s two residences in Upper Marlboro.  From Stewart’s residences, law enforcement recovered, among other things, a total of approximately 138 grams of heroin; approximately three grams of cocaine, crack cocaine and procaine (a local anesthetic drug); a prescription pill bottle containing approximately 89 Oxycodone pills; approximately three grams of a white powdery substance consisting of cocaine, heroin, caffeine, and diphenhydramine (an antihistamine); approximately 15 grams of cocaine; a total of $40,235 in cash; and drug paraphernalia, including an electric grinder and digital scale, both with heroin and cocaine residue; two bottles of Mannitol powder (a cutting agent); and empty zip-lock baggies.  Stewart admitted that he possessed the controlled substances, baggies, and grinder as part of his drug trafficking business and intended to distribute the drugs.

In addition, law enforcement officers also located and seized a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol loaded with nine rounds of ammunition and a spare magazine loaded with nine rounds of .40 caliber ammunition; a 9mm luger caliber semi-automatic pistol; a 12-gauge pump-action firearm; nine rounds of 9mm ammunition; approximately 21 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition; seven 12-gauge shotgun shells; and approximately $16,687 in cash.  Stewart admitted that he possessed the firearms and ammunition in furtherance of his drug trafficking business.  Further investigation revealed that the 12-gauge pump-action firearm and the .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol were both stolen.  Stewart also admitted that, between January 24, 2014 and July 6, 2017, he caused the transportation of a Smith and Wesson model SD9VE, from outside Maryland to his residence, while he was on probation. 

Co-defendants Patrick Nathan Broxton, age 50, of Ellicott City, Maryland; Stephen Eugene Clark, Jr., age 57, of Laurel, Maryland; Stephen Michael Kinnison, age 47, of Lusby, Maryland; and Robert Eugene Davidson, age 32, of Sunderland, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and were sentenced to between 19 months and 10 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 is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.  

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the ATF, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Engelking and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam K. Ake, 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 – A federal grand jury in Maryland has indicted Ron Elfenbein, M.D., age 47, of Arnold, Maryland, for three counts of healthcare fraud for submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and other insurers for patients who received COVID-19 tests at sites operated by the defendant.  The indictment was returned yesterday.

The Department of Justice today announced the criminal charges against Elfenbein and 17 other defendants in nine federal districts across the United States for their alleged participation in various fraud schemes involving health care services that exploited the COVID-19 pandemic and resulted in over $149 million in COVID-19 related false billings to federal programs and theft from pandemic assistance programs.  In connection with the enforcement action, the department seized over $8 million in cash and other fraud proceeds.

The Maryland indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of  Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Thomas Sobocinski for the FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Amy K. Parker for the Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General (OPM-OIG).   

“The indictment alleges that Ron Elfenbein took advantage of a national health crisis to line his own pockets,” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron.  “Our office has and will continue to investigate and prosecute fraud by anyone who used the COVID-19 pandemic to defraud individuals or the government.”

“The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Unit and our partners are dedicated to rooting out schemes that have exploited the pandemic,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “Today’s enforcement action reinforces our commitment to using all available tools to hold accountable medical professionals, corporate executives, and others who have placed greed above care during an unprecedented public health emergency.”

“This COVID-19 health care fraud enforcement action involves extraordinary efforts to prosecute some of the largest and most wide-ranging pandemic frauds detected to date,” said Director for COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Kevin Chambers.  “The scale and complexity of the schemes prosecuted today illustrates the success of our unprecedented interagency effort to quickly investigate and prosecute those who abuse our critical health care programs.”

Today’s announcement by the Department of Justice builds on the success of the May 2021 COVID-19 Enforcement Action and involves the prosecution of various COVID-19 health care fraud schemes.  Multiple defendants offered COVID-19 testing to induce patients to provide their personal identifying information and a saliva or blood sample.  The defendants are alleged to have then misused the information and samples to submit claims to Medicare for unrelated, medically unnecessary, and far more expensive tests or services.  

For example, according to the Maryland indictment, Elfenbein owned and operated Drs ERgent Care, LLC, d/b/a First Call Medical Center and Chesapeake ERgent Care.  Drs ERgent care operated drive-through COVID-19 testing sites in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties.  The indictment alleges that Elfenbein instructed the employees of Drs ERgent Care that, in addition to billing for the COVID-19 test, the employees were to bill for moderately complex office visits, lasting between 30 and 39 minutes for existing patients and between 45 and 59 minutes for new patients, even though Elfenbein knew that the visits lasted five minutes or less.  Further, the indictment alleges that Elfenbein, through Drs ERgent Care, submitted or caused the submission of claims totaling more than $1.5 million to Medicare and other insurers for office visits that were not provided as represented and were ineligible for reimbursement. 

“It is unconscionable that this defendant sought to line his own pockets during a global pandemic by grossly overbilling Medicare and other insurers for these vital healthcare services during a time of national crisis,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski.  “If the allegations against Dr. Elfenbein, and the 17 others that were charged today are proven, they should be ashamed of their conduct and will be held accountable for their criminal actions.”

In another type of COVID-19 health care fraud scheme announced today, defendants are alleged to have exploited policies that were put in place by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to enable increased access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“The attempt to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic by targeting beneficiaries and stealing from federal health care programs is unconscionable,” said Inspector General Christi A. Grimm of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  “HHS-OIG is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners at the federal and state level to ensure that bad actors who perpetrate egregious and harmful crimes are held accountable.”

“The OPM OIG has no tolerance for providers that profit off of the COVID-19 pandemic by defrauding the federal health care programs,” said Amy K. Parker, Special Agent in Charge, OPM OIG. “We are grateful to work with our law enforcement partners to hold the wrongdoers accountable for their flagrant fraud schemes.”

Today’s announcement also includes charges brought against two additional defendants for schemes targeting the Provider Relief Fund (PRF).  The PRF is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a federal law enacted in March 2020 that provided financial assistance to medical providers to provide needed medical care to Americans suffering from COVID-19.  In total, 10 defendants have been charged with crimes related to misappropriating monies intended for frontline medical providers and three have pleaded guilty.

The law enforcement action also includes charges against manufacturers and distributors of fake COVID-19 vaccination record cards, who intentionally sought to obstruct the HHS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in their efforts to administer the nationwide vaccination program and provide Americans with accurate proof of vaccination.  While not part of today’s announcement, in Maryland a federal criminal complaint was previously filed charging Amar Salim Shabazz, age 23, of Owings Mills, Maryland, for mail fraud and obstruction of justice in connection with his alleged distribution of fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards.

Additionally, the Center for Program Integrity, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CPI/CMS) separately announced today that it has taken an additional 28 administrative actions against providers for their alleged involvement in fraud, waste and abuse schemes related to the delivery of care for COVID-19, as well as schemes that capitalize upon the Public Health Emergency.

“We are committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to combat fraud, waste and abuse in our federal health care programs,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “The administrative actions CMS has taken protect the Medicare Trust Funds while also safeguarding people enrolled in Medicare.”

Today’s enforcement actions were led and coordinated by Assistant Chief Jacob Foster and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the National Rapid Response Strike Force, and Assistant Chief Justin Woodard of the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Gulf Coast Strike Force in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.  The Fraud Section’s National Rapid Response Strike Force and the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Strike Forces (SF) in Brooklyn, the Gulf Coast, Miami, Los Angeles, and Newark, as well as the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Maryland, District of New Jersey, District of Utah, Northern District of California, and Western District of Tennessee, prosecuted these cases.  Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the department’s website at: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit/case-summaries.

The SF is a partnership among the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the FBI, and HHS-OIG.  In addition, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Department of the Interior Office of the Inspector General, Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Food and Drug Administration Office of the Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of the Inspector General, and other federal and local law enforcement agencies participated in the law enforcement action.

The law enforcement action was brought in coordination with the Health Care Fraud Unit’s COVID-19 Interagency Working Group, which is chaired by the National Rapid Response Strike Force and organizes efforts to address illegal activity involving health care programs during the pandemic.

The Fraud Section leads the Health Care Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

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.

The Department of Justice needs the public’s assistance in remaining vigilant and reporting suspected fraudulent activity.  To report suspected fraud, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) at (866) 720-5721 or file an online complaint at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.  Complaints filed will be reviewed at the NCDF and referred to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement or regulatory agencies for investigation.

An indictment, complaint, or information is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

If convicted, Elfenbein faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each of the three counts of healthcare fraud and Shabazz faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ incarceration each for mail fraud and for obstruction of justice.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HHS-OIG, DCIS, the FBI, and OPM-OIG for their work in the Elfenbein investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew P. Phelps and Trial Attorney D. Keith Clouser of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section, who are prosecuting the case.  United States Attorney Barron also commended HSI, USPIS, HHS-OIG, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the Shabazz investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron S.J. Zelinsky and Sean R. Delaney, who are prosecuting that case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar yesterday sentenced Jose Joya Parada, a/k/a “Calmado,” age 20, to 50 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, and related violent crimes in aid of racketeering, connected to his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13.  On January 24, 2022, a federal jury convicted Joya Parada, along with Milton Portillo-Rodriguez, a/k/a “Little Gangster,” age 26; Juan Carlos Sandoval-Rodriguez, a/k/a “Picaro,” age 22; and Oscar Armando Sorto Romero, a/k/a “Lobo,” age 22; on those charges after a three-month trial. Portillo-Rodriguez, Sandoval-Rodriguez, and Sorto Romero were each also convicted of multiple counts of murder in aid of racketeering. 

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 James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations, Baltimore Office; Chief Jason Lando of the Frederick City Police Department; Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins; Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith, III; Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department; Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

MS-13 is a national and international gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries.  Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland.  The defendants were members of the Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”) and Parque Vista (“PVLS”) cliques.

The evidence at the three-month trial established that between 2015 and 2017, the defendants engaged in drug trafficking, extortion, and brutal acts of violence against suspected rivals of the gang in an effort to increase MS-13’s power in the Frederick County, Montgomery County, and Anne Arundel County areas of Maryland. 

At all times of this conspiracy, members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons.  To protect the gang and to enhance its reputation, MS-13 members were expected to use any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. MS-13 had mottos consistent with its rules, beliefs, expectations and reputation including “mata, viola, controla,” which translates as, “kill, rape, control,” and “ver, oir y callar,” which means, “see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing.” One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, often referred to as “chavalas,” whenever possible. 

MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang, as well as against rival gang members. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increase the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position. 

As detailed during the trial, from 2015 through 2017, the Fulton clique of MS-13 sought to increase its presence in Frederick, Wheaton, and Annapolis, Maryland through numerous acts of violence, extortion, and drug sales. Joya Parada was a member of the Fulton clique of MS-13.  Trial evidence related to Joya Parada focused on his participation in two grisly murders of individuals suspected of association with rival gang members carried out in 2017.  First, on March 31, 2017, the gang lured a 17-year old from Annapolis to Wheaton Regional Park, where they stabbed him over 100 times, dismembered him, removed his heart, and buried him in a clandestine grave.  Specifically, Joya Parada arrived at Wheaton Regional Park with other MS-13 members to dig the grave before the victim arrived there and participated in the murder by stabbing, cutting, and dismembering the victim. 

Two days later, the gang kidnapped another individual from Silver Spring, Maryland and brought him to a wooded area in Frederick, where he was killed with knives and machetes before being buried in a shallow grave.  Before being taken to Frederick, the victim, who was extremely intoxicated, was held in a basement laundry room in Wheaton, Maryland by members and associates of MS-13, including by Joya Parada.  Inside the laundry room, the victim was forced to remove his shirt so that gang members could examine his tattoos to satisfy themselves that the victim was associated with a rival gang and should therefore be killed.  

Co-defendant Sorto Romero and others went to the laundry room where the victim was being held, and they placed him in the backseat of a car in which Sorto Romero was a passenger.  In the meantime, Joya Parada and other members of MS-13 went to the woods in Frederick with weapons and a shovel to dig a grave and to wait for the victim’s arrival.  Sorto Romero eventually arrived with the victim, delivering the victim to other members of MS-13 who were waiting, including Joya Parada.  A member of MS-13 incapacitated the victim by hitting him in the head with a tree branch.  Joya Parada and others then dragged the victim through the woods to the hole they had dug for the victim’s grave.  They placed the victim face down on the ground next to the hole and stabbed and slashed his body repeatedly with a machete.  Joya Parada personally participated in this murder not only by slashing the victim with the long edge of the machete blade, but also by plunging the point of the machete into the victim’s back numerous times.  The victim died as a result of the blunt force trauma, stabbing, cutting, and chopping inflicted by Joya Parada and his co-conspirators. 

Based on his participation in this murder, Joya Parada earned the new nickname “Little Jason,” a reference to a character from a horror movie franchise who used a machete to kill his victims. 

According to trial evidence, these murders were all intended to maintain and increase the status of MS-13, as well as allow individual MS-13 members to maintain or increase their status within the gang.

More than 30 MS-13 members and associates have been convicted in this and a related case.

Portillo-Rodriguez, Sandoval-Rodriguez, and Sorto Romero each face a mandatory sentence of life in prison for each of the murder in aid of racketeering charges.  Chief Judge Bredar has scheduled sentencing for Sorto Romero for May 6, 2022, at 10 a.m.; for Portillo Rodriguez for May 13, 2022, at 10 a.m.; and for Sandoval Rodriguez for May 23, 2022, at 3:30 p.m.

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

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

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI; HSI; the Frederick Police Department; the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; the Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County Police Departments; and the Anne Arundel, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorneys for their work in the investigation, and the Baltimore County Police Department for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark, Zachary Stendig, and Anatoly Smolkin, who are prosecuting this case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Elliott Dennis Kleinman, age 68, of Bel Air, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and tax evasion, in connection with a kickback scheme that defrauded his employer of more than $20 million.    

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

According to his guilty plea, Kleinman was a longtime employee of Company 1, a family-owned global business headquartered in New York, but with manufacturing facilities in Belcamp and Abingdon, Maryland, both in Harford County.  Beginning in 2012, Kleinman and another employee (Employee 1) began to use their management positions at Company 1 to execute a fraudulent billing scheme whereby they would get illegal kickbacks from various drum vendors doing business with Company 1, which used drums to store and transport its products.  As the facility managers, Kleinman and Employee 1 oversaw the purchasing and storing of drums for use at the Harford County manufacturing facilities.  They also had authority to review drum invoices and authorize payments to the drum vendors. 

Anthony P. Urcioli, Sr., is the owner and President of Tunnel, Barrel & Drum Co, Inc. (TBD), located in Carlstadt, New Jersey, and of another drum supply company called Hartford Fibre Drum, Inc. ( Hartford), both of which did business with Company 1.  After TBD became a drum supplier to Company 1, Kleinman and Employee 1 entered into arrangement with Urcioli whereby TBD could continue selling drums to Company 1 if Urcioli agreed to fraudulently invoice Company 1 for more drums than TBD actually sold and delivered to the company.  If Urcioli agreed to falsify its invoices in this way, Employee 1 and Kleinman said that they and TBD could split the extra money Company 1 paid TBD for the made-up drum deliveries 50/50.  Employee 1 told Urcioli that he would split his share of the kickbacks with Elliot Kleinman 75/25.  Urcioli agreed to participate in the false billing scheme.  

From approximately January 2012 to January 31, 2020, Employee 1 contacted Urcioli at least once a week to discuss the number and type of drums that Employee 1 actually wanted delivered to Company 1’s Maryland facilities.  During the same conversation, Employee 1 told Urcioli how many additional drums to charge, but not deliver, to Company 1.  After Urcioli created the invoices that fraudulently billed Company 1 for both delivered and undelivered drums, Employee 1 approved the invoices and sent them to Company 1’s headquarters to be paid.  

In addition, Urcioli would create a handwritten purchase order ticket that summarized the breakdown of actual and bogus drum orders and how the kickback amounts were calculated.  Urcioli would put a copy of the purchase order ticket in an envelope along with Employee 1’s and Kleinman’s share of the kickback amount payable via checks from TBD and Hartford, and then send the envelope to their personal residences in Harford County, Maryland.  In December 2013, Urcioli told Employee 1 about Hartford, the other drum supply company Urcioli owned.  After receiving records that proved that Hartford was a legitimate company, Employee 1 and Urcioli agreed to expand the kickback scheme to include Hartford.    

Urcioli wanted to pay the kickbacks to Kleinman and Employee 1 by check so the payments would look like payments to drum wholesalers and be deductible as a cost of goods sold on TBD’s tax returns.  Kleinman advised that he wanted his kickback checks payable to a company he formed called “EDK Management, LTD.”  Urcioli agreed, and in addition to making the kickback checks drawn on TBD and Hartford accounts payable to that company, Urcioli wrote the word “drums” on the checks to further the pretense of legitimate purchases.             

Between January 2012 and January 31, 2020, Urcioli falsely invoiced Company 1 a total of $20,300,757.  TBD and Hartford kept half that amount while the remaining funds were sent to Employee 1 and Kleinman.  Kleinman’s share of the kickbacks was approximately $2,307,121. Kleinman opened and maintained two commercial bank accounts for EDK, one in the name of “EDK Management Ltd,” and the other in the name of “EDK Management Ltd t/a Main Street Cigars,” a retail store he owns, located in Bel Air, Maryland.  Kleinman deposited the drum vendor’s checks into EDK’s business account, where it was withdrawn as cash, spent on personal expenses, or transferred to the bank account for Main Street Cigars.      

For the period of 2017 through 2019, TBD paid Kleinman a total of approximately $1,034,911 in kickbacks for his role in the fraudulent billing scheme.  Kleinman’s 2017 through 2019 income tax returns filed with the IRS did not report those kickback payments as personal or business income, resulting in a loss to the U.S. government of approximately $291,143.

Kleinman faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and a maximum of five years in federal prison for tax evasion.  U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby has not yet scheduled sentencing.

Anthony P. Urcioli, Sr., age 78, of Park Ridge, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and filing a false tax return for his role in the scheme and is awaiting sentencing.

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

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Kyle Elio Ripper, age 25, of Laurel, Maryland, yesterday to 188 months in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, specifically, production of child pornography.  Judge Gallagher also ordered Ripper to pay $36,000 in restitution to his victims.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Sheriff Joseph Gamble of the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Ripper’s guilty plea, on January 17, 2020, the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation after discovering evidence that an adult male had sexual contact with a 14-year-old male (Minor Victim 1). 

As detailed in his plea agreement, on March 10, 2020, law enforcement executed search warrants at Ripper’s residence and on his vehicle and seized several electronic devices, including a laptop containing a 500 GB internal hard disk drive, a 2 TB external hard drive, and a cell phone.  Upon further investigation and review of Ripper’s phone, investigators discovered that Ripper had communicated with minors via the internet and engaged in sexual relations with at least two minor victims.  

Specifically, a forensic review of Ripper’s cell phone revealed that on December 28, 2019, Ripper engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with Minor Victim 1 in which Ripper requested Minor Victim 1 to send Ripper an image of Minor Victim 1’s genitals.  Ripper also asked to film a sexual encounter with the victim.  Ripper traveled to the victim’s residence, engaged in sexual relations with the minor victim, and made videos documenting the sexual encounter on his cell phone.  Additional evidence from Ripper’s cell phone revealed that in January 2020, Ripper also communicated with a 16-year-old male victim (Minor Victim 2).  During their communications, Ripper requested, and received, at least one sexually explicit image of Minor Victim 2.  According to communications on Ripper’s phone, Ripper traveled to Minor Victim 2’s residence in Baltimore to pick up the victim, and then took the victim to Ripper’s residence in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  Ripper then engaged in sexual acts with Minor Victim 2 and produced a video documenting his sexually explicit conduct with Minor Victim 2 using his cell phone.  

Additionally, a forensic review of Ripper’s hard drives and laptop revealed thousands of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.  For example, Ripper’s computer contained over 4,000 images and videos of child pornography, including a nine-minute video depicting the sexual abuse of a female toddler and multiple videos depicting the sexual abuse of an infant.

Ripper admitted that he knew Minor Victim 1 was 14-years-old before he engaged in sexual acts with the victim and Ripper admitted that he drove to the minor’s residence to engage in sexual relations with Minor Victim 1 on two occasions.  Ripper also admitted to having sex with Minor Victim 2. 

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 and the Talbot Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine L. Duey and Abigail Ticse, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Billy Lorenzo Bush, age 38, of Capitol Heights, Maryland to seven years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Toni M. Cosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on June 8, 2020, officers discovered Bush passed out and unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a vehicle that was involved in a single-vehicle accident.  Bush was the sole occupant in the vehicle.  Upon further inspection, officers saw baggies of marijuana spilling out of a backpack and a handgun on the front passenger seat.

After additional PGPD officers arrived on the scene, officers broke the driver’s side window to unlock the doors and remove Bush from the vehicle.  As a result of the search of Bush’s vehicle, officers recovered a .40 caliber handgun loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition, 1,100.80 grams of marijuana, digital scales, empty baggies, and 47.55 grams of a substance containing PCP.  Bush became responsive upon his removal from the vehicle and was subsequently taken into custody when they searched Bush incident to his arrest, officers found on his person 102.29 grams of a substance containing eutylone.

Bush agrees that he possessed the marijuana and eutylone and intended to distribute them to others.  Bush also agrees that he possessed the .40 caliber firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.

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 and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica C. Collins, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Earl Leroy Griffin, Jr., age 45, of Sunderland, Maryland, yesterday to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  A federal jury convicted Griffin of that charge on December 17, 2021, which qualified him for armed career criminal status and enhanced sentencing guidelines.

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; Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans; and Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey.

According to the evidence presented at his four-day trial, on September 5, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Griffin’s residence and on his vehicle as part of a drug investigation.  In Griffin’s locked vehicle, law enforcement recovered a stolen .40 caliber handgun, loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition; powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana; and three Maryland driver’s licenses bearing Griffin’s name and photo.  The vehicle was registered to Griffin.  When he was searched incident to his arrest, Griffin had the keys to his vehicle and $1,870 in cash in his pockets.

Griffin had four previous felony drug convictions and knew that as a result, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition. 

The jury acquitted Griffin on charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and 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 DEA, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, and the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Morgan and Timothy F. Hagan, Jr., who prosecuted the case.

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

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 Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Larry Francis Newman, Jr., age 37, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, to 76 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.   

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Cosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on September 5, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Newman’s Capitol Heights, Maryland residence.  As a result of the search warrant, officers recovered a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, 28.22 grams of crack cocaine divided into 547 individual baggies, 40.19 grams of cocaine, 106 vials of PCP, a bottle containing 21.71 grams of PCP, several empty vials containing PCP residue, and a digital scale from Newman’s bedroom.  Newman knowingly possessed the crack cocaine, cocaine, and PCP with the intent to distribute them.  Newman possessed the loaded firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities. 

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 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 PGPD for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Wright and Michael Morgan, 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 and click on “Save A Life - Opioid Abuse”.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Joseph Grigsby, age 51, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.   

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 Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office.

According to his guilty plea, from April 2020 to November 2020, Grigsby was a member of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in and around the Baltimore area.  Grigsby worked as a narcotics tester and transporter for the DTO by traveling to New York to obtain heroin and to Philadelphia to obtain cocaine on behalf of the DTO.  Upon his return to Baltimore, Grigsby delivered narcotics to the DTO leader.

In late June 2020, federal agents assigned to the Baltimore Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force began intercepting electronic and wire communications occurring over multiple cellphones used by the DTO leader.  For example, on July 25, 2020, agents intercepted several of the DTO leader’s conversations in which he discussed obtaining three kilograms of cocaine from a supplier for one of the DTO’s mid-level cocaine distributors.  In the conversation with the mid-level DTO distributor, the DTO leader agreed to obtain three kilograms of cocaine and sell the cocaine to the DTO distributor for $41,000 per kilogram.  Later that day the DTO leader communicated with Grigsby and told him to prepare for the drive to Philadelphia to obtain the cocaine supply and sent Grigsby the address of the supply location in Northwest Philadelphia.  The DTO leader and a co-conspirator (Co-conspirator 1) subsequently drove to Grigsby’s residence to meet Grigsby, and another individual (Individual 1).  In two separate vehicles, the pair drove to the agreed-upon supply location in Northwest Philadelphia, obtained at least two kilograms of cocaine, and traveled back to Maryland.  Following the drug transaction, the DTO leader, Grigsby, Co-conspirator 1, and Individual 1 traveled to an Owings Mills, Maryland gas station where agents observed Grigsby transfer a box that contained two kilograms of cocaine into the car in which the DTO leader was operating. 

In addition to his work as a narcotics transporter, Grigsby also tested narcotics for the DTO.  For example, in an intercepted call with the DTO leader on November 12, 2020, Grigsby provided a quality assessment of a drug sample.  In this conversation, Grigsby stated that the sample was a “7.5 out of 10” and that the sample was “good” in his opinion. 

As stated in Grigsby’s plea agreement, on November 16, 2020, law enforcement executed a search and seizure warrant at the DTO leader’s stash apartment where investigators located digital scales, hydraulic presses, packaging materials, and approximately 218 grams of a mixture containing multiple controlled substances, including fentanyl and heroin. 

Grigsby faces a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2022, at 2 p.m.

This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location.  This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks.  These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime.  The specific mission of the Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force is to reduce violent, drug-related, and gang crime in the Baltimore area and surrounding region.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA and FBI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment late yesterday charging four Baltimore area men with federal charges for: kidnapping and robbery conspiracies; kidnapping; carjacking; using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and attempted robberies of businesses.  The following are charged in today’s indictment:

            Dennis Allen Hairston, age 32, of Windsor Mill, Maryland;             Donte Davon Stanley, age 31, of Rosedale, Maryland;             Davonne Tramont Dorsey, age 28, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland; and
            Franklin Jay Smith, age 32, of Catonsville, Maryland.

Dorsey, Stanley, and Smith are in custody on related state charges and are expected to have initial appearances in U.S. District Court on May 2, 2022.  Hairston is in federal custody in Pennsylvania on unrelated charges.  His initial appearance has not been scheduled.

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; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; and Harford County State’s Attorney Albert J. Peisinger, Jr.

According to the 12-count indictment, from May 3, 2021 through August 26, 2021, the defendants planned and organized the kidnapping of three victims, J.H. and two employees of check cashing businesses, victims A.T. and A.K.  The defendants also allegedly planned and organized the carjacking of A.T. and J.H.  The indictment alleges that the crimes were committed with the goal of robbing the check cashing businesses where victims A.T. and A.K. each worked and to steal cash and other items of value from J.H.  The defendants allegedly posed as police officers, using police vests, badges, and a law enforcement-type light bar, to stop the victims and their vehicles, and according to the indictment, brandished firearms and a blow torch during and in relation to the kidnappings.  The indictment alleges that after the defendants removed the victims from their vehicles, they bound and blindfolded each victim and put them into the defendants’ vehicle.  With respect to A.K. and J.H. the indictment alleges that after they were carjacked, the defendants stole the victims’ vehicles and had someone follow them in the victim’s vehicle. 

As detailed in the indictment, on May 5 to May 6, 2021, the defendants followed victim A.T. from the check cashing business where she worked and, posing as law enforcement officers, used the law enforcement-type light bar to pull over A.T.’s vehicle.  Wearing police vests and badges, the defendants allegedly brandished firearms to remove A.T. from her vehicle, handcuffed her, placed her into the rear of one of their vehicles, blindfolded her, and stole her vehicle.  While driving with victim A.T., Hairston, Stanley, Dorsey, Smith, and others allegedly burned victim A.T. with the blow torch in an attempt to get information from A.T. in order to access the check cashing business where she worked, with the intent to remove all the cash from the business.

On May 15 to 16, 2021, the indictment alleges that the defendants and others approached victim J.H. in his vehicle in Edgewood, Maryland, and again used a law enforcement-type light bar to pull over J.H.  Wearing police vests and badges, the defendants allegedly brandished firearms to kidnap victim J.H., placed him into the rear of one of their vehicles, duct-taped his eyes and mouth, and stole his vehicle.  Hairston, Stanley, Dorsey, Smith and others drove J.H. in one vehicle and allegedly burned victim J.H. with a blow torch to obtain cash and other items from him. 

Further, the indictment alleges that on August 2 to August 3, 2021, Hairston, Stanley and Dorsey approached victim A.K. as she left the check cashing business where she worked.  The indictment alleges that, as with the previous victims, Hairston, Stanley, Dorsey, and others, wearing police vests and badges, brandished firearms to kidnap victim A.K. and placed her into the rear of one of their vehicles equipped with law enforcement-type lights, and blindfolded her.  While driving with victim A.K., Hairston, Stanley and Dorsey allegedly used the firearms to threaten A.K. to gain access to the check cashing business where she worked, with the intent to steal all the cash from the business.

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in prison for the kidnapping conspiracy and for each count of kidnapping; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for the robbery conspiracy and for each count of attempted robbery; a maximum of 25 years in federal prison for each count of carjacking; and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and up to life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for each count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

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

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Abigail E. Ticse, 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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Greenbelt, Maryland – Anthony Erik Hebron, a/k/a “Pain”, age 23, of Washington, D.C., and Darius Lawrence Young, a/k/a “Mup”, age 29, also of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today and Tuesday, respectively, to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, in connection with the kidnapping of a victim from a Maryland hotel and casino.  Darius Young also pleaded guilty to possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon.

The guilty pleas were 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; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to their guilty pleas, on February 3, 2021, Young, Hebron, co-defendant Christopher Young, age 26, of Washington, D.C., co-defendant Lamar Perkins, age 27, of Washington, D.C., 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 a 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 their 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. 

Co-defendants Lamar Perkins and Christopher Young pled guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping in February 2022 and are scheduled to be sentenced in May 2022.

Darius Young and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Young will be sentenced to between 12 and 13.5 years in federal prison.  Hebron and the government have agreed that, if the court accepts his plea agreement, Hebron will be sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled their sentencings for June 27, 2022, at 10 a.m. and August 8, 2022, at 10 a.m.; respectively.

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 for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron also praised the Prince George’s County Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Engelking, 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 Catherine C. Blake sentenced Lakeya Aldridge age 41, of Federalsburg, Maryland to nine years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Chief Michael McDermott of the Federalsburg Police Department; and Colonel Melissa Zebley of the Delaware State Police Department.

According to her guilty plea, in October 2018, Aldridge participated in a conspiracy to traffic Victim 1 led by Joshua Lankford, age 33, of Federalsburg, Maryland. Victim 1 had been engaging in commercial sex acts on her own before being approached by Lankford. Knowing of Victim 1’s drug addition, Lankford lured Victim 1 into performing commercial sex acts at his direction with the promise that he would help Victim 1 make more money to buy a house and attain custody of her son.

Days after luring Victim 1 to conduct commercial sex dates at his direction, Lankford recruited Aldridge, Kevonne Murphy, age 31, of Federalsburg, Maryland; and David Goodwin, age 29 of Federalsburg, Maryland to participate in the sex trafficking conspiracy.  Throughout the conspiracy, Aldridge forced Victim 1 to continue to engage in commercial sex acts and maintained Victim 1 in exchange for money from Lankford.

Specifically, on October 29, 2018, the conspiracy members drove Victim 1 back to Maryland from Delaware where she continued to engage in commercial sex acts and provided all funds she was paid to the co-conspirators.  After one commercial sex act, Victim 1 returned to the co-conspirators and gave them the money she had collected.  Aldridge and Murphy yelled at Victim 1 for not making enough money.  Fearing for her safety, Victim 1 attempted to escape by attempting to jump out of Aldridge’s moving car.  Aldridge then removed her belt and another co-conspirator put it around Victim 1’s neck to prevent her from escaping.  Murphy then contacted Lankford and informed him of Victim 1’s escape attempt.  Subsequently, Aldridge, Lankford, and the other conspiracy members drove to railroad tracks in a dark and remote location where Aldridge and her co-conspirators physically assaulted Victim 1 with Aldridge’s belt to maintain her compliance. 

After assaulting Victim 1, Aldridge and her co-conspirators transported Victim 1 to a motel in which Victim 1 was prohibited from wearing clothes for the remainder of the evening. Victim 1 was also forced to take a cold shower to cause her to suffer. Later that night, the co-conspirators drafted a sex acts sheet which listed acts that the victim would be required to perform for customers moving forward. The sex acts sheet was later recovered pursuant to a search warrant of the motel room.

As detailed in his plea agreement, on the morning of October 30, 2018, Victim 1 accessed Aldridge’s cell phone and called 911.  Upon arrival at the motel room, Murphy opened the door for Delaware State police troopers.  Troopers saw Victim 1 standing behind Murphy and Victim 1 began indicating that she was in distress.  The three conspirators were then detained. 

Report suspected instances of human trafficking and sex trafficking to HSI's tip line at 866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or by completing its online tip form.  Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended the HSI Baltimore and Philadelphia offices, the Maryland State Police Department, the Federalsburg Police Department, and the Delaware State Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary W. Setzer and Leah Branch of the Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Prosecution unit, 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/human-trafficking and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel today sentenced Rodney Mondell Coby, a/k/a “Cuz,” age 33, of Waldorf, Maryland, to 40 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.  A federal jury convicted Coby of those crimes on February 28, 2020, after a seven-day trial.

Judge Hazel ordered Coby to pay restitution in the amount of $935, reflecting the expense of cremation for the victim, whom the jury found died from Coby’s distribution of fentanyl to the victim.  Judge Hazel also ordered Coby to forfeit $22,000 in cash, jewelry, including a Rolex watch, and the firearms seized from his residence.  Coby has been in custody since his arrest on April 13, 2018. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron; and Charles County Sheriff Troy D. Berry.

“Rodney Coby knew that the fentanyl he was distributing was killing people, but he continued anyway,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “This sentence should put drug dealers on notice that when you deal fentanyl you are dealing death and you could spend decades in federal prison—especially if you use guns to ply your trade.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stop the tragic deaths resulting from opioid overdoses.”

According to the evidence presented at his seven-day trial, Coby distributed kilograms of fentanyl to resale and personal use customers over the course of several years.  The jury heard from witnesses who bought fentanyl directly from Coby.  Other witnesses presented evidence of Coby’s fentanyl distribution drawn from text messages, phone records, and surveillance video. 

On September 6, 2017, Coby and his co-defendant, Steven Jerome, distributed fentanyl to an individual, resulting in the death of the victim less than three hours later.  According to Steven Jerome’s plea agreement, after meeting with Coby for the drug transaction, the individual used the fentanyl that Coby distributed.  The individual immediately showed signs of overdosing.  By the time first responders were called, they were unable to resuscitate the victim. 

Further, the evidence introduced at trial also proved that Coby distributed fentanyl on November 29, 2017 to an individual who died on December 1, 2017, as a result of injecting fentanyl. 

On April 13, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Coby’s apartment and recovered five firearms, including a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol from Coby; a .357-caliber semi-automatic pistol; a 5.7x28mm semi-automatic pistol; a .300-caliber semi-automatic AR type pistol, a 7.62x39 caliber semi-automatic AK type pistol, as well as 159 rounds of various types of ammunition.  The .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol was found in a backpack next to 121 individual baggies of fentanyl and a bag of cocaine base.  The jury determined that Coby possessed the .45-caliber pistol in furtherance of his drug trafficking.  Law enforcement officers also recovered a total of over 200 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture, over 40 grams of cocaine base, 12 cell phones, a money counter, four digital scales, over $22,000 in cash, and jewelry including a Rolex, a gold chain, a gold and diamond pendant, and ladies’ gold and diamond grills.  Moreover, Coby had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.  

Steven Jerome, age 33, of Leonardtown, Maryland, pleaded guilty before trial to distributing fentanyl.  As detailed in his plea agreement, two individuals died as a result of his distributing fentanyl to them.  Jerome admitted to one of his associates that he worked with Coby to distribute narcotics.  Judge Hazel sentenced Jerome to 150 months in federal prison on November 17, 2020.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation, and thanked the Prince George’s County Police Department for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schwartz and 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 and click on “Save A Life - Opioid Abuse”.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm today sentenced George William Dodson, age 31, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, to 13 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy, two counts of commercial robbery, and for using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.   Judge Grimm also ordered Dodson to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is at least $24,277.66.

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; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on November 13, 2020, Dodson approached a private mail service delivery truck driven by his co-defendant.  Prior to approaching the delivery truck, the co-defendant and Dodson had communicated regarding Dodson’s location and the two had discussed the co-defendant keeping particular products on her delivery truck.  When Dodson approached the delivery truck, Dodson asked Victim 1, a seasonal employee for the mail delivery service, where phones and Xboxes were located in the vehicle.  Dodson walked Victim 1 to the back of the vehicle where the co-defendant was located. Dodson removed a rifle-style firearm from his bag and pointed it at Victim 1.  Dodson again asked for the location of the phones and gaming systems and threatened to shoot Victim 1.  Dodson took a number of packages near where the co-defendant was standing and placed them into a black bag.  Dodson then took the cellphones of Victim 1 and the co-defendant and threw them on the ground outside the truck and left the area.  The stolen packages included two Apple iPhones and other items, worth approximately $11,700.  That same afternoon, Dodson sold the stolen iPhones, and two other iPhones, through a co-conspirator for a total of $3,800.  Dodson met the buyer and the co-conspirator at a gas station in Oxon Hill, Maryland to complete the transaction.

As detailed in his plea agreement, the next day, November 14, 2020, another co-conspirator entered a retail phone store and asked the three employees working behind the counter if they had iPhone 12s for sale.  When the clerks confirmed that they did, Dodson then entered the business carrying an assault-style rifle.  Dodson pointed the gun at the store employees (Victim 2, Victim 3, and Victim 4) and demanded that they give him iPhones and open the safe.  Dodson and the co-conspirator forced the store employees into the back room where the safes were located.  Victim 2 was told to open the safe and Victim 3 and Victim 4 were told to get on the ground.  Dodson struck Victim 2 on the shoulder with the gun and told her to hurry up.  Dodson took multiple phones from the safe and put them into an olive-green canvas bag, while the co-conspirator stood lookout at the door to the room.  Dodson forced Victim 2 to get on the ground and finished loading the phones into his bag.  Dodson and the co-conspirator left the store, got into a getaway car being driven by another co-conspirator, and drove away.  The total value of the cellphones and electronic devices stolen from the retail store was approximately $12,527.66

One of the stolen phones contained a tracking device, which was activated.  Law enforcement tracked the device to Oxon Hill and then to Virginia.  Investigators stopped an individual who was carrying a black trash bag and recovered the cellphones and electronic devices stolen by Dodson.  The individual said he had purchase the cellular and electronic devices from Dodson for $6,080 and had met Dodson in Oxon Hill to complete the transaction.

On January 28, 2021, at approximately 3:54 a.m. Dodson was found by law enforcement who were responding to a report of a man slumped over the wheel of a black Jaguar SUV in Hyattsville, Maryland.  Dodson provided officers with a fraudulent driver’s license and the vehicle was found to have been reported stolen in Arlington County, Virginia.  During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement seized a black Polymer 80 handgun, which is a privately manufactured firearm (PMF), with no serial number, also called a “ghost gun,” which was loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition.  Dodson was later identified by a fingerprint scan.

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 Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Rajeev R. Raghavan and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Engelking, 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 Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Steven Bernard Norwood, age 46, of Lutherville, Maryland to 13 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and posses with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of a mixture containing cocaine, possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of a substance containing cocaine, and possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

“Drug trafficking on the scale practiced by Norwood not only fuels fatal fentanyl overdoses and opioid addiction, but it also fuels violence in our communities” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “In partnership with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to actively infiltrate and prosecute drug traffickers that pollute our communities with lethal substances for their financial benefit.”

As the result of a Baltimore County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigation, it was determined that from March 2019 to July 2020, Norwood acted as a large-scale cocaine and marijuana trafficker within the Baltimore area.  Norwood conspired with others to have large quantities of cocaine transported from California to Maryland, where Norwood would further distribute the cocaine.   

During the investigation, law enforcement identified an Owings Mills, Maryland apartment which Norwood used to receive, store, and package drugs.  Investigators also learned that Norwood’s co-conspirators frequently used hotels in the Owings Mills, Maryland area to carry out drug transactions.

For example, on November 24, 2019, Co-conspirator 1 flew from San Francisco to Baltimore.  Upon arrival, Co-conspirator 1 traveled with Norwood to the Owings Mills apartment where investigators saw the men drop off several suitcases.  Ultimately, Co-conspirator 1 delivered several kilograms of cocaine to Norwood.

On March 21, 2020, another co-conspirator (Co-conspirator 2) was in the Baltimore area after traveling from San Francisco.  Later that evening, one of Norwood’s co-conspirators (Co-conspirator 3) booked a room at a hotel that was used by Co-conspirator 2.  After the hotel room was secured, Co-conspirator 2, Norwood, and Co-conspirator 3 were seen entering the Owings Mills apartment.  At that time, Co-conspirator 2 was carrying several pieces of luggage.  Norwood obtained several kilograms of cocaine during this meeting.

As stated in his plea agreement, on July 13, 2020, Co-conspirator 2 traveled from San Francisco to Maryland and later traveled with Norwood to the Owings Mills apartment.  Shortly after their arrival, law enforcement executed a search and seizure warrant at the Owings Mills apartment and a Baltimore storage unit maintained by Norwood.

As a result of the executed search and seizure warrant at the Owings Mills apartment, law enforcement recovered approximately 14 kilograms of cocaine, nearly a kilogram of fentanyl, $369,000 in cash, a 9mm pistol, a money counter, and a boarding pass in Co-conspirator 2’s name.  The search and seizure executed at Norwood’s storage unit resulted in the discovery of approximately $1,759, 618 in cash, two .45 caliber pistols, and documents in Norwood’s name.  Norwood admits that the $2,128,618 in cash seized from him were proceeds of his drug trafficking activities.

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

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher M. Rigali and Anatoly Smolkin, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury today convicted Robert Hankard, age 45, of Baltimore, Maryland, of multiple federal crimes for 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, that he falsely testified to a federal grand jury in a federal investigation, and falsifying an application for a search warrant and subsequent police report related to the search of an apartment. 

The conviction 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.

“Today’s conviction further demonstrates this office’s continuing commitment to protect the civil rights of all Marylanders, including from egregious instances of police misconduct,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “I commend the outstanding work of Assistant United States Attorneys Leo J. Wise and Christopher M. Rigali, in obtaining this guilty verdict and recognize the FBI Special Agents and Task Force Officers who conducted this investigation.   Criminals who work in police agencies violate the faith of the community and they unfairly tarnish the reputations of the many honorable officers who work to protect us every day.”

“As evidenced by the jury's guilty verdict, the actions of Mr. Hankard were not only harmful to the individuals he swore under oath to protect, but they also undermined public trust and confidence in law enforcement,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski.  “The FBI will not tolerate those who abuse their positions of authority and is committed to rooting out public corruption and civil rights violations at all levels. We appreciate all our law enforcement partners who have assisted on this case.”

According to the trial evidence, Hankard has been a member of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) since 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 W.J. 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 Sergeant W.J. 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.

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 his partner 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.

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.

Hankard faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States; a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to deprive civil rights; a maximum of 20 year in federal prison for each of two counts of falsification of records in a federal investigation; and a maximum of five years in federal prison for false declarations before a grand jury.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has not scheduled a date for sentencing.  Hankard remains released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.

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 are prosecuting 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 – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Joshua Lankford a/k/a “20-20”, a/k/a “Light Bright”, a/k/a “Yellow”, age 33, of Federalsburg, Maryland, to 17 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for kidnapping in relation to a sex trafficking conspiracy.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Chief Michael McDermott of the Federalsburg Police Department; and Colonel Melissa Zebley of the Delaware State Police Department.

“Lankford exploited a young woman’s drug dependency and desire to establish a better life for herself and her child to deprive her of her basic humanity his own profit.  He also attempted to undermine our justice system by conspiring to kill the victim” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron.  “Let this sentence serve as a light to survivors impacted by human trafficking and as a deterrent to those conspiring to commit heinous human trafficking crimes.”

“This defendant preyed on a vulnerable young woman and cruelly exploited her for his profit,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for Justice Department’s the Civil Rights Division. “Sex trafficking is a heinous crime that has no place in our society. This sentence reflects the defendant’s horrific crime – a crime that deprives some of society’s most vulnerable members of their freedom and dignity. The Civil Rights Division will continue its vigorous enforcement of our human trafficking laws to hold perpetrators accountable and to seek justice for survivors of these heinous crimes.”

“Joshua Lankford’s crimes were nothing short of horrific; he kidnapped and victimized a vulnerable woman then plotted to kill her in order to save himself,” said James R. Mancuso, the Special Agent in Charge of HSI Baltimore.  “The atrocities of his crimes are clearly reflected in the severity of his sentence, and today, he will begin to pay his debt to society.  HSI Baltimore remains committed to investigating human trafficking organizations as they prey upon the most vulnerable populations in our communities.”

According to his guilty plea, from October 25, 2018, to October 30, 2018, Lankford led and organized a conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and to commit kidnapping.  Lankford induced Victim 1, who suffered from drug addiction, to travel from Maryland to Delaware to engage in prostitution, and transported Victim 1 across state lines to engage in commercial sex acts. 

Knowing of Victim 1’s drug addiction, Lankford lured her into performing commercial sex acts at his direction by falsely promising the victim that he would help her buy a house, make more money, and regain custody of her son.  Lankford also told Victim 1 that she would have to give all of the money she made from commercial sex acts to him.

Lankford continued to make false promises to Victim 1 in order to compel her to engage in commercial sex acts for his benefit for approximately two days.  Lankford also recruited Lakeya Aldridge, age 41, of Federalsburg, Maryland; Kevonne Murphy, age 31, of Federalsburg, Maryland; and David Goodwin, age 29 of Federalsburg, Maryland to engage in his sex trafficking conspiracy.   Specifically, Aldridge helped maintain Victim 1 while Murphy acted as the “muscle”.   Lankford informed Victim 1 that these co-conspirators would manage her when he was not physically present.

As stated in the plea agreement, between October 25, 2018, and October 27, 2018, Victim 1 performed commercial sex acts at two motels in Seaford, Delaware.  After meeting with clients, Victim 1 was required to give the money she made to Lankford or his co-conspirators.

On October 29, 2018, the co-conspirators drove Victim 1 back to Maryland where she continued to engage in commercial sex acts and provided all funds she was paid to the conspirators.  After one commercial sex act, Victim 1 returned to the co-conspirators and gave them the money she had collected.  Aldridge and Murphy yelled at Victim 1 for not making enough money.  Fearing for her safety, Victim 1 attempted to escape by attempting to jump out of Aldridge’s moving car.  Aldridge then removed her belt and put it around Victim 1’s neck to prevent her from escaping.  Murphy contacted Lankford and informed him of Victim 1’s escape attempt.  Lankford directed the conspirators to pick him up from his residence and stated that he knew where to take Victim 1 to punish her.  Lankford instructed the conspirators to drive to railroad tracks in a dark and remote location.  There, Lankford and his co-conspirators physically assaulted Victim 1 for her poor earnings and to maintain her compliance.  During Victim 1’s entrapment in the conspiracy, Lankford and his co-conspirators repeatedly told Victim 1 that Lankford had recently committed and had been acquitted of murder to keep Victim 1 fearful of her life and compliant to their demands. 

After assaulting Victim 1, Lankford and his co-conspirators transported Victim 1 to a motel in which Victim 1 was prohibited from wearing clothes for the remainder of the evening.  Victim 1 was also forced to take a cold shower for the purpose of causing her to suffer.  Later that night, Lankford and his co-conspirators drafted a sex acts sheet which listed acts that the victim would be required to perform for customers moving forward.  The sex acts sheet was later recovered pursuant to a search warrant of the motel room. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, on the morning of October 30, 2018, Victim 1 accessed Aldridge’s cell phone and called 911.  Upon arrival at the motel room, Murphy opened the door for Delaware State police troopers.  Troopers saw Victim 1 standing behind Murphy and Victim 1 began indicating that she was in distress.  The three conspirators were then detained.  Prior to his arrest, Murphy called Lankford and informed him that Victim 1 was detailing her experience to the police.  At that time, Murphy told Lankford to go “underground”.  In response, Lankford told Murphy not to worry as he would send Victim 1 a lethal dose of heroin laced with battery acid.

Lankford was arrested two days later and informed officers that he deleted the contents of his cell phone in anticipation of his apprehension.  While incarcerated, Lankford told a co-conspirator that he intended to kill Victim 1 to prevent her from testifying against them at trial. 

Aldridge pled guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping in 2020.  Murphy and Goodwin pled guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking in 2019.

Report suspected instances of human trafficking and sex trafficking to HSI's tip line at 866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or by completing its online tip form.  Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended the HSI Baltimore and Philadelphia offices, the Maryland State Police Department, the Federalsburg Police Department, and the Delaware State Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary W. Setzer and Leah Branch of the Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Prosecution unit, 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/human-trafficking and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel today sentenced Abraham Oliver, age 26, a former inmate in the Montgomery County Department of Corrections, to 61 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and for aggravated identity theft while he was incarcerated.  Further, Judge Hazel ordered the defendant to forfeit approximately $12,166.93 held in inmate accounts and pay restitution in the full amount of the victim’s losses, which is $31,252.35.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Greg L. Torbenson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.

According to Oliver’s plea agreement, between January and April 2018, while Oliver was an inmate in the Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DOCR), he conspired with co-defendant Octavia Ikea Terry to fraudulently obtain and use the credit and debit card numbers of others, without their knowledge or permission.

Specifically, Oliver admitted that he directed Terry to purchase bitcoin, then use the bitcoin to purchase credit and debit card numbers on the darkweb.  Oliver further instructed Terry to identify available credit and debit counts available for sale that were from Maryland then use the debit and credit card numbers to make deposits into Oliver’s inmate escrow account and other inmates’ escrow accounts.  Oliver provided Terry with the inmate numbers during telephone calls he made from DOCR to Terry.  Oliver also told Terry that other inmates would send Terry checks from their resident inmate accounts and instructed Terry to set up a post office box in North Carolina to receive the checks.

Following Oliver’s instructions, Terry used the fraudulently obtained credit and debit card numbers to make unauthorized deposits totaling $31,252.35 into the accounts of at least 12 different inmates, including $5,579.10 into Oliver’s inmate account.  The debit and credit accounts from which the money was drawn included the accounts of four identity theft victims.  Inmates, including Oliver and two other inmates, authorized a total of $9,325 to be sent from their inmate escrow accounts to Terry at various addresses, including the post office box in North Carolina set up at Oliver’s direction.

The fraudulent transactions resulted in chargebacks to victim Company A of $31,252.35.

Octavia Ikea Terry, age 25, of Maxton, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to her role in the conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.                    

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Marcus Pitts, age 49, of Berlin, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.    

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

Pitts and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Pitts will be sentenced to seven years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for June 17, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. 

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 – Kyle David Robinson, age 29, of Baltimore, Maryland pleaded guilty today to sex trafficking of a minor.

The plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Chief Gregory J. Der of the Howard County Police Department; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

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.

Robinson approached Minor Victim 1 in May 2021 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 Victim 1.

Robinson faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison for sex trafficking of a minor.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for July 22, 2022, at 9:30 a.m.

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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Greenbelt, Maryland – Steven Darnell Richers, age 25, of Manassas, Virginia, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing in firearms and ammunition without a license.  

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

According to his guilty plea, from at least January through March of 2019, Richers conspired with another federal defendant, Christopher Heard, to sell firearms and ammunition.  For example, on January 22, 2019, Richers exchanged text messages with Heard about firearms trafficking activity and meeting for a transaction.  In their conversation, Heard told Richers that he would bring Richers, who was living in Virginia at the time, “endless clients.”  Heard also told Richers that Heard was coming from Maryland to meet with Richers in Virginia.

In furtherance of the conspiracy, on or about January 25, 2019, Heard sold an unloaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol and fourteen rounds of 9mm ammunition to a Confidential Source 1 (“CS 1”) in Maryland for $700.  On January 26, 2019, Richers sent a text message to Heard that stated in part “I knew you were finna sell that hk lol.”

On February 5, 2019, CS 1 introduced Heard to another individual (“CS 2”). During that meeting in Maryland, Heard informed CS 2 that he could get CS 2 a firearm and displayed to CS 2 a .22 long rifle caliber firearm. Later that day, CS 2 had a phone call with Heard.  During the call, Heard stated that he could get whatever firearms CS2 needed and that he had someone in Virginia who could get whatever firearm he wanted, including a brand new AR short barrel.  Heard stated, “That’s where I get all my joints from Virginia…everything clean and fresh out the box.”

On March 25, 2019, Richers exchanged text messages with Heard about firearms trafficking activity.  Richers sent an image of an AR-type rifle that Richers had in his residence at the time.  Heard asked, “how much,” and Richers said that the price was $560.

On October 9, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Richers’s residence and seized, among other things: approximately 1,727 rounds of assorted ammunition; a 12 Gauge shotgun; a 40-caliber pistol; and .380v caliber pistol.  The seized firearms and ammunition were involved in or used in Richers’s business of dealing in firearms without a license.

Richers faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy to engage in the sale of firearms and ammunition without a license.   U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for August 8, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.

Christopher Maurice Heard, age 32, of Waldorf, Maryland previously pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 28, 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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation and thanked the Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwight J. Draughon, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging eight individuals, including the President, Vice-President and Chief Finance and Strategy Officer at a company that provided medical billing and coding services on government contracts and an employee at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and related charges, in connection with a scheme to defraud WRNMMC and the Defense Health Agency (DHA).  The indictment was returned on March 17, 2022, and unsealed today upon the arrests of three defendants.  Charged in the indictment are:

            Akbar Masood, age 59, of Great Falls, Virginia;             Michelle O. Peebles, age 48, of Riverdale, Mayland;             Harriett Jackson, a/k/a “Harriett Soumah,” age 49, of Glenarden, Maryland;             Judith Russ, age 58, of Washington, D.C.;             Rhonda Paul, age 46, of Washington, D.C.;             Wesley Williams, age 47, of Takoma Park, Maryland;             Bagnon Jaques Titi, age 44, of Riverdale, Maryland; and
            Alfred Antonio Duncan, age 44, of White Plains, Maryland.

Masood, Peebles, and Jackson are expected have initial appearances this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt.  The remaining defendants are expected to have initial appearances later today or on April 8, 2022.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Scott Moreland of the Major Procurement Fraud Field Office, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID); Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office (DCIS); Special Agent in Charge Alison F. Zavada of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), Washington Field Office; and Acting Inspector General Rene Febles of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Office of Inspector General (WMATA OIG).

According to the 12-count indictment, Masood was a part owner and “Chief Strategy Officer” of Company A, a Virginia-based company that served as a prime contractor for medical support services to WRNMMC and DHA.  Peebles was a site manager at Company A.  Jackson was President, Peebles was Vice-President, and Masood was “Chief Finance and Strategy Officer” of Company B, headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, which primarily provided medical billing and coding services on government contracts.

The indictment alleges that beginning in at least December 2016, Masood, Peebles, and Jackson established HMA Solutions as a Delaware Limited Liability Corporation, headquartered in Riverdale, Maryland, to take advantage of WRNMMC’s increased need for contract medical coders.  Using his authority within Company A, Masood allegedly subcontracted work to HMA on Company A’s contract with WRNMMC to supply medical coding support without disclosing his participation in HMA to Company A’s co-owners.  Masood, Peebles, and Jackson allegedly used the stolen identities of actual persons, including credentialed medical coders, to demonstrate that HMA had the ability to perform medical coding evaluation, feedback, and training services as a subcontractor to Company A.  The indictment alleges that the defendants used falsified signature of one victim, who was a credentialed medical coder, to sign consulting agreements with Company A and representing that other identity theft victims would be performing the work.  Further, the indictment alleges that Masood, Peebles, and Jackson generated false billable hours using the names of identity theft victims which they charged to Company A, which then billed those hours to WRNMMC.  Russ, an official with WRNMMC, then allegedly verified the work performed by the non-existent coders.  According to the indictment, beginning no later than January 2017, Russ was paid regularly by Peebles or Company B and had not disclosed this outside income or employment to officials at WRNMMC.

According to the indictment, Masood, Peebles, and Jackson steered a subsequent WRNMMC contract with Company A for in-person coding support from highly skilled coders (CDI Specialists), who are paid at a higher rate, to HMA as a sub-contractor.  Masood, Peebles, and Jackson then allegedly billed Company A—and thereby WRNMMC—for CDI Specialist hours, none of which were ever provided. 

As detailed in the indictment, Peebles and Jackson then recruited Paul, Williams, Titi, and Duncan to pose as medical coders and sign consulting agreements with Company A, even though none of them had any experience or credentials as medical coders.  The indictment alleges that Paul, Williams, Titi, and Duncan repeatedly submitted falsified medical coding invoices, claiming the processing of thousands of encounters each month, and causing Company A to bill WRNMMC over $1 million for their false claims alone.

According to the indictment, between 2017 and 2019, the defendants obtained approximately $3.3 million from the scheme to defraud WRNMMC and DHA.

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.  All of the defendants except Russ also face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each of the eight counts of wire fraud.  Masood, Peebles and Jackson each face a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for each of the two counts of aggravated identity theft, and Russ faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for participating in the scheme, which was a conflict of interest to her federal employment.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Army CID, DCIS, NCIS, and WMATA OIG for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam K. Ake, and Rajeev R. Raghavan, who are prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland –Keon Ball, age 45, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to 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.  As part of his plea agreement, Ball will be ordered to pay at least $715,504 in restitution. 

The guilty plea 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 guilty plea, 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 did likewise multiple other times afterward, 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 $30,000 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, bank 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 also 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. 

As stated in the plea agreement, 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 and intended losses 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.

Ball faces a maximum sentence of twenty years in federal prison for wire fraud conspiracy and a mandatory consecutive two years in federal prison consecutive to any sentence imposed for aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for July 22, 2022, at 11:30 a.m.

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 is prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.  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 Richard D. Bennett sentenced Charles Hand, age 68, of Aberdeen, Maryland, late yesterday to 14 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for distribution of child pornography in relation to his association with an internet-based child pornography website dedicated to the advertisement and distribution of child pornography, the discussion of pedophilia, and the sexual abuse of children.  Judge Bennett also ordered that, upon Hand’s release from prison, he 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). 

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.

“Charles Hand not only facilitated and perpetuated the abuse of children by posting—and helping others to post—child sex abuse material on an internet website dedicated to the sexual abuse of children, but he also exposed himself and engaged in lascivious behavior with at least one child victim.  Hopefully, this sentence will deter others who advocate and participate in the abuse of children.  I am extremely proud of the work done by dedicated and diligent agents and prosecutors that led to the prosecution and conviction of Hand, who facilitated such horrendous abuse,” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron.

According to his guilty plea, between October 2020 and December 2020, Hand repeatedly distributed child pornography files on a child pornography website to multiple individuals, including to an undercover FBI agent during online chats.  During the chats, Hand repeatedly discussed his sexual interest in children and his desire to sexually abuse them.  Hand repeatedly posted child pornography to certain areas of the website which required users to post a certain number of files of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct to the site.

On at least three instances, the undercover FBI agent downloaded child sex abuse material that Hand posted, including several videos of prepubescent girls between four and eight-years-old being sexually abused by adult males.  During conversations with the undercover agent, Hand also discussed his own sexual activity with a minor child and his wife divorcing him as a result.  

As stated in his plea agreement, on March 3, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hand’s residence, seizing multiple electronic devices, including two computers, a digital camera, and a SD card.  Hand used the computers to download, upload, possess, and distribute child pornography, including on the child pornography website.  Hand possessed a total of more than 117,000 images and videos of child pornography on the two computers, including numerous depictions of sadistic or masochistic conduct, depictions of prepubescent minors in bondage, and bestiality involving prepubescent minors. 

Additionally, one computer contained over 9,000 records concerning a known victim of child pornography whose real identity had become known by other pedophiles. That folder contained images of the victim being sexually abused, numerous articles and records about her, her parents, her participation in high school sports, non-pornographic photos of her taken from social media platforms, court records concerning her abuser, and the federal prosecution of the abuser.  Hand also possessed a publication that described how to have sex with children without getting caught and approximately 2,800 “stories” related to sexual activity with children, many of which were written from the perspective of a pedophile. 

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 for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley and Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Adolph Scott, age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to transporting an individual to engage in prostitution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.   

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Chief Gregory J. Der of the Howard County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, from approximately early 2020 to February 3, 2021, Scott traveled with Victim 1 and other females from North Carolina to Maryland to engage in commercial sex acts.  As part of his guilty plea Scott agreed that he coerced, threatened, and forced Victim 1 to engage in commercial sex acts for his own benefit.

Throughout the trafficking of Victim 1, Victim 1 was required to give all commercial sex proceeds that she earned to Scott.  Additionally, Scott overcharged Victim 1 for the drugs that he bought for her, therefore gaining a profit.  Scott was aware that Victim 1 and the accompanying females were highly dependent on heroin and cocaine. 

As stated in his plea agreement, on February 2, 2021, law enforcement received a report regarding possible human trafficking at an Elkridge, Maryland hotel.  As a result of the report, undercover police surveilled the hotel and responded to a commercial sex advertisement at the motel. 

After an undercover agent was solicited for sex by a female in a hotel room and officers saw Scott exit the same hotel room as the soliciting female, officers placed Scott under arrest.  

Upon the search of Scott’s person, officers located two cell phones, $428 in cash, and distribution amounts of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.  Scott agrees that he intended to distribute the controlled substances to Victim 1 and the other females.

As detailed in his plea agreement, a state search warrant was obtained to search the contents of Scott’s cell phone.  One of the phones was found to be the phone initially used to communicate with undercover detectives in response to the commercial sex advertisement.  Additionally, the phone contained text message conversations regarding drug distribution and commercial sex dates at the motel.

A federal search warrant was also obtained to search the contents of Scott’s storage locker in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Within the unit, investigators located condoms, lubricant, heroin needles, and documents belonging to Scott, Victim 1, and the other females.

Scott faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for transporting an individual to engage in prostitution and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for July 11, 2022 at 2:30 p.m.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI and the Howard County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Setzer 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 https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/human-trafficking and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced El Salvadorian national Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, a/k/a “Reaper,” age 41, of Long Branch, New Jersey today to life in prison for conspiring to participate in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13 and for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and murder in aid of racketeering; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, cocaine, and heroin; and possession with intent to distribute heroin.  A federal jury convicted Corea Diaz of those charges on November 23, 2021 after a four-week trial.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly; Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D'Antuono, of the FBI Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Office; Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Bedford County (VA) Sheriff Michael W. Miller.

“The brutality of Corea Diaz is almost unfathomable.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove these violent gang members to keep our communities safe from the violence perpetrated by MS-13,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “With the help of members of our communities we will work to bring to justice those MS-13 members who commit these horrible crimes.”

“Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, also known as Reaper, reported directly to the gang’s top leadership in El Salvador and was responsible for implementing MS-13’s program of violence and intimidation on the East Coast,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly.  “In 2017, our office, working with dedicated members of the Drug Enforcement Administration, began an investigation into illicit narcotics, which were being trafficked and distributed on Long Island.  That investigation quickly mushroomed as we learned more about MS-13 and the reign of terror being directed by Corea Diaz.  Working with more than 20 agencies, we disrupted MS-13 operations on the East Coast.  I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland, the FBI, and our countless partners who helped bring Corea Diaz to justice.”

“As members of MS-13, Corea Diaz and his co-conspirators were ruthless and showed no regard for human life by extorting innocent people, tampering with witnesses, and ordering a murder over a drug dispute,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “With today’s sentence, Corea Diaz will no longer be able to commit senseless violence and homicidal acts on our streets. The FBI remains steadfast in our resolve to work with our partners to ensure that individuals like Corea Diaz are held accountable for their crimes and to eliminate MS-13's violence from our communities.”

“Any time we can get a notorious gang member off the streets, it is a victory for both law enforcement and law-abiding citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of HSI Baltimore.  “In this case, the criminal is particularly violent, and now he will face the consequences of his crimes.  HSI is grateful to have worked with our partnering federal and local law enforcement agencies to make the communities safer for the citizens of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.”

MS-13 is a transnational gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador.  Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Maryland, including Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County. 

According to the evidence presented at the four-week trial, between 2015 and 2018, Corea Diaz and co-defendant Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno controlled and operated the MS-13 Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside (S.L.S.W. or “Sailors”) Clique through a pattern of racketeering activity, which included murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and witness tampering.  Evidence showed that the Sailors Clique ran a protection scheme in and around its home base in Langley Park, Maryland, and extorted local immigrant-run businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory.”  The Sailors Clique also trafficked in illegal drugs, including marijuana and cocaine.  A large share of the proceeds of the Sailors Clique’s illegal activities were sent to gang leadership in El Salvador to further promote the goals of the gang, using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.

The Sailors Clique committed acts of violence against suspected rival gang members, as well as against its own membership for breaking gang rules.  In March 2017, a member of the Sailors Clique who was hiding from law enforcement in the Lynchburg, Virginia area had a dispute with a local high school student over marijuana.  In response, Corea-Diaz and co-defendant Alvarado-Requeno organized a squad of MS-13 members to drive down to Lynchburg and murder the high schooler.  The gang members kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut his hand off before killing him.  After the murder, Corea Diaz and co-defendant Alvarado-Requeno helped to hide and protect the killers who escaped the scene from law enforcement.

Among the most important rules of MS-13 is the prohibition against talking to law enforcement, embodied by the maxim ver, oir, y callar – see, hear, and say nothing. The gang enforced this rule by placing a “green light” – an order to kill – on any member of MS-13 who was thought to be informing on MS-13.

Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno, a/k/a “Insolente” and “Trankilo,” age 24, of Landover, Maryland, was also convicted at trial and faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.  Judge Xinis has scheduled his sentencing for April 25, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.

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

This case is part of 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 and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite commended the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, HSI, the DEA Washington and Buffalo Field Divisions, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Bedford County Sherriff’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron and Mr. Polite thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Hagan, and Trial Attorneys Julie Finocchiaro and Alexander Gottfried of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Travis Joseph Crawford, age 34, of Edgewood, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a child to produce child pornography and to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso 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; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; and Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to Crawford’s plea agreement and other court documents, on November 30, 2020, Harford County Sheriff’s deputies went to Crawford’s residence, based on a warrant issued for Crawford by Maryland State Police for firearm related offenses.  When the officers arrived, they heard Crawford call, “Where’s my gun?”  Crawford was arrested and law enforcement recovered an Apple iPhone 7, an Apple Watch, and a fully-loaded .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol. 

A search warrant subsequently executed on Crawford’s phone revealed three sexually explicit videos involving Jane Doe, all of which were recorded without her knowledge or permission.  Specifically, on two occasions in July 2020, when Jane Doe was 12 years old, Crawford produced videos of Crawford’s hand touching Jane Doe’s buttocks and genitals over her shorts while Jane Doe slept.  On November 29, 2020, when Jane Doe was 13 years old, Crawford hid his iPhone under the sink in a bathroom used by Jane Doe and recorded a video of Jane Doe in the bathroom, undressing and getting into and out of the shower.   

Crawford was previously convicted of a felony and therefore was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

As a result of his guilty plea, upon his release from prison, Crawford will also 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). 

Crawford and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Crawford will be sentenced to at least 15 years, but no more than 22 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled Crawford’s sentencing hearing for July 27, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.  Crawford remains detained.

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, ATF, the Maryland State Police, and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Aaron Arthur Fields, a/k/a “Handz”, age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty on March 30, 2022, to 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 guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; and the Harford County Task Force, comprised of members including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Harford County Sheriff's Office, Maryland State Police, Aberdeen Police Department, Bel Air Police Department, Havre de Grace Police Department and the Harford County States Attorney’s Office.

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 admitted 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 these drugs from Fields.  Individual 2 admitted that they purchased drugs from Fields and confirmed Fields’ identity after officers showed Individual 2 a picture of Fields.

As stated in his plea agreement, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Fields’ 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 admitted that he possessed the crack cocaine and cocaine with intent to distribute it.  Fields also admitted that he conspired with Individual 1 and others to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.

Fields faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for distribution of controlled substances and for the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine.  U.S. District Judge Hollander has scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Jason Wade Harley, age 48, of Frederick, Maryland to 135 months in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography.  Harley was also ordered to pay $24,000 in restitution.

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; Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith; and Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins.

According to Harley’s plea agreement, on February 24, 2020, four suspected child pornographic images were uploaded to the internet.  The internet platform to which the images were uploaded reported the upload to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).  Investigators determined that several of the images distributed on the internet platform depicted the sexual abuse of infants and prepubescent minors, and that the upload was linked to Harley’s account.

On August 28, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at Harley’s residence. As a result of the executed search warrants, investigators located a SIM card within a cell phone that contained two videos of children engaged in sexually explicit activity as well as 499 images of child pornography, including images that depicted the sexual abuse of infants and prepubescent minors.  That same day, Harley admitted to investigators that he sent images of child pornography to online accounts and that he has sexual fantasies involving children.

As stated in his plea agreement, investigators also executed a search warrant for Harley’s online accounts.  Following the review of Harley’s internet activity, investigators discovered evidence that Harley searched multiple phrases indicative of child pornography.  On another internet account connected to Harley, investigators discovered 11 additional images of child pornography and conversations between Harley and another internet user.  Within the online communications, Harley stated that he possessed 260 pictures and 130 videos of child pornography in a hidden vault and expressed his interest in sexual abuse of children. 

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 Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine L. Duey and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce R. King, Chief Counsel of the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office cross-designated to handle this case, who prosecuted the federal case.

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

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A Maryland man is charged with willful transmission and retention of National Defense Information (NDI) in an indictment unsealed today in the District of Maryland.

According to court documents, as an employee of the National Security Agency (NSA), Mark Robert Unkenholz, 60, of Hanover, held a Top Secret/SCI clearance and had lawful access to classified information relating to national defense that was closely held by the government (National Defense Information or NDI).

As detailed in the indictment, national security information is classified as Top Secret, Secret or Confidential. Only individuals with the appropriate security clearance could have authorized access to such classified national security information. All classified information can only be stored in an approved facility and container.

According to the 26-count indictment, on 13 occasions between Feb. 14, 2018 and June 1, 2020, Unkenholz, lawfully having possession of, access to, and control over NDI, which he had reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation, willfully transmitted that information to another person who was not entitled to receive it. The indictment alleges that the information Unkenholz transmitted was classified at the Secret and Top Secret/SCI levels and that Unkenholz transmitted the classified information using his personal email address to the other person’s private company email addresses. The person receiving the information held a Top Secret/SCI clearance from April 2016 until approximately June 2019, while employed at a company referred to in the indictment as Company 1. From July 2019 until approximately January 2021, the person worked for a company referred to in the indictment as Company 2, and was not authorized to access, or receive, classified information.

The indictment alleges that Unkenholz’s personal email address, and the company email addresses of the person receiving the information were not authorized storage locations for classified NDI. Unkenholz allegedly retained the classified NDI within his personal email address.

Unkenholz was arrested this morning and will make his initial court appearance this afternoon in Baltimore. If convicted, Unkenholz faces a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment for each of the 13 counts of willful transmission of NDI and a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment for each of the 13 counts of willful retention of NDI. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and P. Michael Cunningham for the District of Maryland and Trial Attorney S. Derek Shugert of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Controls Section are prosecuting the case.

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

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Mark Robert Unkenholz, age 60, of Hanover, Maryland, for willful transmission and retention of National Defense Information (NDI).  The indictment was returned on March 29, 2022 and unsealed today upon the arrest of the defendant. 

Unkenholz is expected to have initial appearance at 3:00 p.m. today in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s Nationals Security Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

As an employee of the National Security Agency (NSA), Unkenholz held a TOP SECRET/SCI clearance and had lawful access to classified information relating to the national defense that was closely held by the government (“National Defense Information” or “NDI”).

As detailed in the indictment, national security information is classified as “TOP SECRET,” “SECRET,” or “CONFIDENTIAL.”  Only individuals with the appropriate security clearance could have authorized access to such classified national security information.  All classified information can only be stored in an approved facility and container.

According to the 26-count indictment, on thirteen occasions between February 14, 2018 and June 1, 2020, Unkenholz, lawfully having possession of, access to, and control over NDI, which he had reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation, willfully transmitted that information to another person who was not entitled to receive it.  The indictment alleges that the information Unkenholz transmitted was classified at the SECRET and TOP SECRET/SCI levels and that Unkenholz transmitted the classified information using his personal email address to the other person’s private company email addresses.  The person receiving the information held a TOP SECRET/SCI clearance from April 2016 until approximately June 2019, while employed at a company referred to in the indictment as “Company 1.”  From July 2019 until approximately January 2021, the person worked for a company referred to in the indictment as “Company 2” and was not authorized to access or receive classified information  

The indictment alleges that Unkenholz’s personal email address, and the company email addresses of the person receiving the information were not authorized storage locations for classified NDI.  Unkenholz allegedly retained the classified NDI within his personal email address.

If convicted, Unkenholz faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each of the 13 counts of willful transmission of NDI and for each of the 13 counts of willful retention of NDI.  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 and Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen commended the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron and Mr. Olsen thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and P. Michael Cunningham and Trial Attorney S. Derek Shugert of the of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Controls Section, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Anuja Kurichh, M.D., an internal medicine physician who operates a medical practice known as PHC Healthcare, LLC in College Park, Maryland, has agreed to pay the United States $555,000 to resolve allegations that she violated the federal False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the United States for medical services that were not performed by her.   

The civil settlement was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron, Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon of the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Amy K. Parker of the Office of Personnel Management – Office of the Inspector General (OPM-OIG).

“It is imperative that Medicare and other federal health care programs are protected from fraud because those programs are funded through tax-payer dollars,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “The United States Attorney’s Office will hold accountable those providers who defraud federal health care programs by billing for services not rendered by them.”

“Medical providers participating in federal health care programs are obligated to appropriately and lawfully bill for services,” stated Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “False claims charged to the Medicare program divert funds necessary to support essential health services for patients most in need. HHS-OIG works diligently with our law enforcement partners to detect and deter illegal actions that pose threats to the integrity of Medicare.”

“Today’s settlement should serve as a warning to those who would attempt to defraud the Government,” said Special Agent in Charge Amy K. Parker, OPM OIG.  “The OPM OIG is committed to protecting the integrity of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and we will continue to investigate and prosecute false claims that waste taxpayer dollars and increase the cost of medical care.”

Dr. Kurichh is board certified in internal medicine, specializing in the internal organs and systems of the body.  By virtue of her specialty, she may and does diagnose and treat a spectrum of health conditions.  According to the settlement agreement, between August 1, 2013 and January 31, 2019, Dr. Kurichh billed both Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (“FEHBP”) for ultrasound studies of the: (1) area behind the abdominal cavity; (2) heart, including blood flow and valve function; (3) blood flow on both sides of the head and neck; (4) arteries and arterial grafts in both legs; and (5) for such things as the removal of ear wax, blood sample collection, and corresponding evaluation and medical management codes indicative of face-to-face patient encounters supposedly lasting for time intervals of ten to fifteen minutes, despite being outside of the United States on the billed dates of service as reflected by travel records.  During the billed dates of service, Dr. Kurichh was the sole provider for PHC Healthcare, LLC and was responsible for identifying the Current Procedural Terminology Codes to be used for billing the services rendered.  During that same time frame, Dr. Kurichh also billed Medicare and the FEHBP for ultrasound services, specifically the interpretation of ultrasounds purportedly performed by another physician who did not, in fact, perform those services.

The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations.  The settlement is not an admission of liability by Dr. Kurichh or PHC Healthcare, LLC, nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.    

The case arose from an initiative launched by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland which involves the use of specialized resources and personnel to review Medicare billing data.  The review of that data has enabled the United States Attorney’s Office to identify areas of concern where it appears that billing irregularities may have taken place.  Partnering with the affected agencies, the United States Attorney’s Office has developed the ability to investigate these billing irregularities to determine whether the matter is appropriate for enforcement under the False Claims Act. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HHS-OIG and OPM OIG for their work in this investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tarra DeShields and Vince Vaccarella who handled this case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging four Baltimore County residents for conspiracy and for engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license, including privately-made firearms.  Charged in the superseding indictment are:  Tyjae Bladen, age 21, of Parkville, Maryland; Brian Brownell, a/k/a “Cole,” age 31, of Dundalk, Maryland; Maurice Dacosta, a/k/a “Jr,” age 24; and Cameron Taylor, a/k/a “Chino,” age 21, both of Parkville, Maryland.  Bladen and Taylor are also charged with illegal possession of machineguns.  The indictment was returned on March 22, 2022, and unsealed yesterday upon the arrest of Brownell.  Bladen and Taylor were charged in the original indictment and remain on pre-trial release.  Dacosta is detained on unrelated charges in Baltimore County.

Brownell and Dacosta each had an initial appearance today U.S. District Court in Baltimore.  Brownell was ordered to be detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for March 31, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.

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

According to the 17-count superseding indictment, the defendants sold registered, as well as privately-made firearms (PMF), sometimes called ghost guns, which are firearms that lack any identifiable markings.  A PMF can be manufactured using do-it-yourself kits sold by several companies.  A machinegun conversion device, sometimes referred to as a “switch,” is used to convert a semiautomatic Glock-type pistol to fire fully automatic.  Firearms and machinegun conversion devices may also be built by using a 3D printer to create the firearm and machinegun conversion device’s component parts.  None of the defendants had a federal firearms license nor were they authorized to transport, manufacture, or deal in firearms. 

According to the superseding indictment, the defendants acquired firearms parts to be built into firearms and sold.  Dacosta, Taylor, and Bladen are also alleged to have acquired do-it-yourself kits to be built into firearms and machinegun conversion devices to sell for a profit, as well as using a 3D printer to create firearms and machinegun conversion devices. 

As detailed in the superseding indictment, between October 4, 2021 and January 4, 2022, Dacosta, Brownell, Bladen, and Taylor allegedly sold an undercover officer (UC) a total of 24 firearms, including 20 ghost guns; two confirmed and eight suspected machine gun conversion devices—several that were 3D printed; magazines; and ammunition.  The four ghost guns sold by Brownell were AR-15 firearms.

After Dacosta was arrested in Baltimore County on November 9, 2021 on unrelated charges, he allegedly instructed Bladen to continue selling firearms to the UC.  The superseding indictment alleges that Bladen met with the UC on November 22, 2021 to sell him a firearm, but the firearm did not work.  Bladen continued to communicate with the UC and allegedly arranged to sell the UC three switches and a firearm for $6,500.  The superseding indictment alleges that on December 13, 2021, Bladen drove Taylor to the meeting location, where Taylor sold the UC a 9x19mm caliber pistol with no serial number, a magazine, a machinegun conversion device, and three additional suspected machinegun conversion devices, all of which were 3D printed, for $6,800.  During the sale, Taylor allegedly told the UC that he had already sold 10 switches.

According to the superseding indictment, on January 21, 2022, investigators recovered a 3D printer, four machinegun conversion devices, and 16 suspected machinegun conversion devices from Taylor’s residence; a 3D printer and 9mm luger pistol with no serial number from Dacosta’s residence in Baltimore; and a 3D printer from Dacosta and Bladen’s residence.

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy and for each count in which they are charged with engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.  Taylor and Bladen also face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count of unlawful possession of a machinegun.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

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

This case is 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, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Annie McGuire, who is prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland- Kinnard Riggs, age 47, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a mixture containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.  In an unrelated case, James Meekins, age 36, of Baltimore, Maryland pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to their guilty pleas, as a result of a 2019 OCDETF Strike Force investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Riggs and Meekins were identified as associates of unrelated drug trafficking organizations (DTO) known as the “Special” DTO and the “Bullseye” DTO; respectively.

Between September and October 2019 investigators intercepted communications of individuals associated with the Special and Bullseye DTOs and observed both defendants conducting trafficking activity, including hand to hand drug transactions within their respective DTO’s territory.  Intercepted communications and observations established that both DTOs operated on a daily basis.

Specifically, in November 2019, during a controlled purchase involving an undercover officer, Riggs gave two DTO associates a clear bag and engaged in a hand-to-hand drug transaction in an alley.  Soon after that transaction, the undercover officer purchased 10 gelatin fentanyl capsules from the same two DTO associates.  Chemical analysis of these purchases identified the presence of fentanyl.

Likewise, investigators conducted controlled purchases in the known territory of the Bullseye DTO from co-conspirators who advised their narcotics as being “Bullseye”.  Subsequent analysis of the substances obtained during the controlled purchases identified a detectable amount of fentanyl.

In November and December of 2019, investigators executed search and seizure warrants at locations associated with the Special and Bullseye DTOs, including Riggs’ residence.  As a result of the search warrant executed at Riggs’ residence, investigators recovered 19 gelatin capsules containing fentanyl and a .22 caliber pistol loaded with eight rounds of ammunition and the pistol also had an obliterated serial number.  As a result of the executed search warrants at various Bullseye DTO locations and its members, investigators recovered approximately 400 grams of mixtures containing fentanyl, cutting agents used in preparing controlled substances, and packaging paraphernalia. 

Riggs and Meekins face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.  U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for June 14, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. and June 15, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. for Riggs and Meekins; respectively.

This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location.  This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks.  These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be 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.

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 DEA and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Austin, who is prosecuting the cases.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury convicted Sandra Denise Curl of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Percy Leroy Jacobs of Prince Frederick, Maryland late yesterday for conspiring to defraud the United States, helping file false tax returns, and theft of government funds.  

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

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

Curl and Jacobs face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States, three years in prison for each count of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return, and ten years in prison for theft of government property. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for both defendants on July 7, 2022.

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

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced Anthony Michael Mileo, age 56, of Huntingtown, Maryland, to three years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography.  At the time of his indictment in January 2020, Mileo was a Corporal with the Maryland National Capital Park Police Department and was a K-9 handler.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Calvert County State’s Attorney Robert Harvey.

According to his plea agreement, on August 7, 2019, the Maryland State Police (MSP) Computer Crimes Unit received a referral from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the possession of child sexual abuse material.  The cybertip indicated that video files documenting child sexual abuse were uploaded to a document storage application account.  The document storage application provided the contents of the account to investigators.  The content included over a dozen video files depicting child sexual abuse and provided the IP address associated with the transfer of videos depicting child sexual abuse to the account on July 1, 2019.

As detailed in the plea agreement, investigators learned that the e-mail address was associated with Mileo and the IP addresses were associated with an Internet Service Provider account located at Mileo’s address in Calvert County, Maryland.  On September 5, 2019, MSP obtained a search warrant for the contents of the e-mail account which revealed approximately 71 video files depicting child sexual abuse, including prepubescent minors and images depicting children in bondage being sexually abused.  The video files included a series of known victims of child abuse identified through NCMEC.  The e-mail account also contained non-contraband material, including employment information associated with Mileo.

On November 7, 2019, members of the MSP and HSI executed a search warrant at Mileo’s residence and recovered three cellular telephones: an Apple iPhone 7 Plus, which was seized from Mileo’s person; a black Kyocera phone seized from the rear of Mileo’s Park Police-issued vehicle; and a police-issued black iPhone in a black case with “K9” on the back.  Mileo was arrested.

A forensic analysis was undertaken on the Apple iPhone 7.  A third-party vendor was contracted to unlock the phone so that its contents could be searched.  The document storage application originally identified in the cybertip was identified on the phone, along with two additional document storage accounts.  None of the 168 files collectively contained within the second and third document storage accounts identified on the phone were able to be accessed, but many of the file names were indicative of child sex abuse material.  Investigators also identified a chat application on the phone.  One of the recovered chats contained an image depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler.  The files Mileo uploaded depicting the sexual abuse of children could be accessed from any device with an Internet connection, including the cellular telephones recovered by investigators.  For example, Mileo uploaded the document storage application onto his personal iPhone, which allowed him to access the images of child sexual abuse he had previously uploaded to the application.

Mileo previously faced related charges in Calvert County, but those charges were dismissed in favor of federal prosecution.

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 Baltimore and the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for their work in the investigation and thanked the Office of the State’s Attorney for Calvert County for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, 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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