District of Maryland

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced inmate Corey Alston, a/k/a “C,” age 29, yesterday to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy charge for being a leader in a scheme to smuggle contraband into the Maryland Correctional Institute Jessup (MCIJ), including narcotics, unauthorized flash drives, tobacco, and cell phones into the prison.

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

According to court documents, MCIJ was a medium-security prison in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, that housed approximately 1,100 male inmates, with 262 custody staff or Correctional Officers (COs) and 52 non-custody staff, including case management, medical, and administrative staff.

Alston admitted that he was a leader in the racketeering conspiracy.  As detailed in the plea agreement, Alston conspired with four outside facilitators, Tyrisha Johnson, Jamia Lawson, Ashley Alston, and Aldon Alston, who obtained and packaged contraband, met with the correction officers and employees to provide contraband and bribe payments, and managed the proceeds of illegal contraband sales for Alston.  According to Alston’s plea agreement, Correctional Officer Janel Griffin and another MCIJ employee brought the contraband into the prison for Alston, in exchange for bribe payments, and Alston conspired with inmate Schvel Mack to sell the contraband to other inmates. 

Alston was overheard by law enforcement on a series of recorded calls arranging for contraband to be smuggled into MCIJ and arranging payment for the contraband and for bribes. Recorded jail calls between Alston and others confirm that between April 16 and August 14, 2017, Griffin met with Johnson or another facilitator on at least six occasions to obtain contraband and at least $2,800 in bribe payments.  Griffin smuggled the contraband, including Suboxone and Percocet, into MCIJ.

In addition to Corey Alston, 14 other defendants—six outside facilitators, four prison employees, and four inmates—have pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy, including Janel Griffin, Schvel Mack, Tyrishia Johnson, Jamia Lawson, Ashley Alston, and Aldon Alston.  Seven defendants are awaiting sentencing and five defendants are pending trial. Correctional Officer Janel Griffin, age 42, of Baltimore and inmate Schvel Mack, a/k/a Weezy, and L Weezy, age 31; were sentenced to 27 months each in federal prison and inmate Tavon Price, a/k/a Tay, age 37 was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison.

This case arose from the efforts of the Maryland Prison Task Force, coordinated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and comprised of local, state, and federal stakeholders that meet regularly to share information and generate recommendations to reform prison procedures and attack the gang problem that has plagued Maryland in recent years.  The work of the Task Force previously resulted in the federal convictions of more than 78 defendants, including 16 correctional officers, at the Eastern Correctional Institution, and 40 defendants, including 24 correctional officers, at the Baltimore City Detention Center.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation. The U.S. Attorney expressed appreciation to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, whose staff initiated the MCIJ investigation and have been full partners in this investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren E. Perry and Sean R. Delaney, who are prosecuting this case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Orvil Perez-Jimenez, age 34, of Dundalk, Maryland to two years and four months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for the transfer of false identification documents, the sale of citizenship documents, and aggravated identity theft. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Andrew Wroblewski of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS)- Washington Office.

According to his guilty plea, from 2017 to March 2020, Perez-Jimenez obtained birth certificates and social security cards issued to real U.S. citizens, without those individuals’ knowledge or consent. He then sold these identification documents to alien clients living in the United States. Additionally, Perez-Jimenez sold fraudulent identification cards to the alien clients listing the victim citizens’ personal identifying information but displaying photos of his alien clients.

Specifically, in 2017, Perez-Jimenez agreed to sell birth certificates, social security cards, and false driver’s licenses to a married couple living in Maryland without lawful status to reside in the United States (Individual 1 and Individual 2) for $5,000. After directing the couple to produce two passport-sized photos of themselves, Perez-Jimenez fraudulently obtained the birth certificates and social security cards issued in the names of two real U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico. Perez-Jimenez also obtained fake Puerto Rican driver’s licenses listing the names of the two citizens but displaying the photos of Individual 1 and Individual 2, respectively.

Individual 1 and Individual 2 then used identity documents purchased from Perez-Jimenez to make false applications for U.S. passports, fraudulently obtain employment eligibility verification with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, open financial accounts, and obtain Maryland driver’s licenses in the names of the victims residing in Puerto Rico.

As stated in his plea agreement, on February 8, 2020, Perez-Jimenez informed an undercover DSS agent that he could provide a Puerto Rican birth certificate, driver’s license, and a social security card. On February 11, 2020, Perez-Jimenez asked the agent to provide his height, weight, hair color, skin color, and two passport-sized photos of himself, as well as $1,000 as a deposit. Perez-Jimenez and the DSS agent met two days later, and the agent provided Perez-Jimenez the information requested including the photos, and $1,000 in cash.

On March 12, 2020, Perez-Jimenez met with the agent in Baltimore, Maryland, provided him with the falsified identity documents and accepted an agreed upon final payment of $2,000 in cash.  Perez-Jimenez was subsequently arrested. The identity documents included a birth certificate and social security card issued in the name of a real U.S. citizen residing in Puerto Rico, as well as a fake Puerto Rico driver’s license.  The counterfeit driver’s license that Perez-Jimenez procured for the agent displayed the photo of the agent and the identifying information of the victim living in Puerto Rico.

During the search of Perez-Jimenez’s person, vehicle, and residence, law enforcement recovered an Internal Revenue Service Form W-2 in the victim’s name, a cell phone, and other documents and electronic devices.

Examination of the cell phone revealed communications between Perez-Jimenez and other persons about procuring identification documents, including discussions about obtaining passport-sized photos and physical descriptions for the purpose of creating fake driver’s licenses and photos of identification documents issued in a victim’s name.   

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DSS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Maddox, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Davante Harrison, a/k/a “YGG Tay,” age 27, of Baltimore, yesterday to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute heroin; being a felon in possession of a firearm; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Harrison was convicted of those charges by a federal jury on August 20, 2021, after a five-day trial.

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

According to the evidence presented at his five-day trial, in October and November 2019, Harrison was part of a drug conspiracy that distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in Baltimore and Baltimore County.  Law enforcement officers investigating the conspiracy surveilled Harrison, who is believed to be the leader of the group “Young Go Getters,” and observed him traveling from Baltimore to locations in Rosedale and Golden Ring Park in Baltimore County, where he made short stops to conduct narcotics transactions.  Afterward, Harrison traveled to a casino in Delaware with the drug proceeds.

According to testimony and court documents, on November 25, 2019, FBI investigators executed search warrants at locations associated with the conspiracy, including a search of Harrison.  From Harrison, investigators recovered $9,277 in cash and a .40 caliber handgun loaded with an extended magazine containing 17 rounds, including one in the chamber.  The $9,277 were proceeds of Harrison’s drug trafficking activity.  At a stash location associated with the conspiracy, law enforcement recovered a 9mm pistol, loaded with 16 rounds, including one in the chamber; a .25 caliber pistol loaded with five rounds; a container with 386 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin; several clear plastic bags containing a total of 40 grams of cocaine; a clear plastic bag containing 50 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl; a clear plastic bag containing 27 grams of crack cocaine; a plastic bag containing 71 grams of a fentanyl mixture; and drug paraphernalia.

Harrison knew that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition as a result of a previous felony conviction.

Co-defendant Christopher Jerry, age 30, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2, 2021.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Goo and Charles Austin, 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 James Bender, age 36, of Baltimore, Maryland to one year and one day in federal prison, six months of home detention, and three years of supervised release, for federal conspiracy and tax fraud charges. 

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

According to his guilty plea, from 2014 through August 2019, Bender controlled three eBay accounts, in the names of HiddenGemFurniture (HGF), EddiesAffordableGear (EAG), and AffordableGoodies4You (AG).  EAG and AG offered sports-related merchandise for sale, including jerseys and shirts. Bender also used, operated, and controlled related PayPal accounts. 

Bender admitted that beginning in 2014 he agreed to allow a good friend and co-defendant, Saurabh Chawla, and a relative of Chawla’s, SC2, to sell goods and merchandise through Bender’s eBay accounts. Chawla’s eBay account had previously been suspended due to security concerns. From May 2014 through August 2019, Bender and Chawla conspired so Chawla could use Bender’s eBay and PayPal accounts to sell stolen goods and merchandise. 

As detailed in the plea agreement, in furtherance of the fraud scheme, Bender and Chawla repeatedly deceived online platforms such as Amazon, eBay, as well as the manufacturers and distributors, as to the source of the goods and merchandise being sold by Bender and Chawla. More than $3 million of these goods and merchandise had been stolen, including more than $125,000 of iPods that had been stolen from a New Mexico school district and intended for underprivileged children. In 2018, Chawla and Bender sold more than $550,000 of goods and merchandise that had been stolen from a Delaware FedEx facility. As part of his participation in the fraud scheme, Bender received more than $10,000 per year from the eBay sales of stolen goods and merchandise.

Bender further admitted that he filed false tax returns for the tax years 2014 through 2018, which falsely inflated the gross receipts and cost of goods sold of Bender's businesses. In each of these years, Bender reported as his gross receipts amounts that had actually been generated by Chawla's sales through his eBay stores, and reported as his cost of goods sold the difference between gross receipts and the amount Chawla paid him for the use of his eBay stores. As a result, Bender engaged in significant misstatements on his tax returns for each year. Bender also subscribed to additional false information on his tax returns, including overstating his postage expenses. In total, Bender stipulates that he failed to pay the United States an additional $36,518 in taxes due and owing for the tax years 2014 to 2018.

As part of the conspiracy to defraud, Chawla purchased stolen Apple products from Kristy Stock from 2012 to 2018. Stock was a New Mexico public school employee responsible for overseeing a program to provide Apple iPods to school children with the intent to benefit underprivileged Native American children in New Mexico. Stock stole more than 3,000 iPods purchased by the school district and sold them to Chawla. Chawla initially purchased the iPods from Stock on eBay, and they later dealt directly with each other, in emails, texts, and phone calls. Stock admitted that she received more than $800,000 in illegal proceeds from selling stolen iPods worth more than $1 million. In 2019, Chawla purchased Apple products that he believed had been stolen by a different person working at another school district in New Mexico, including 25 iPads for $5,000 in May 2019. After his relative received the stolen goods, Chawla listed them for sale online through eBay at a substantial markup.

Co-defendants Saurabh Chawla, age 36, of Aurora, Colorado and Joseph Kukta, age 45 of Laurel, Delaware, were sentenced to 66 months and 42 months in federal prison; respectively. Additionally, Chawla was sentenced to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $713,619, and to sign an order of forfeiture requiring him to forfeit a 2013 Tesla Model S, $2,308,062.61 from accounts held in his name, and the sale of property in Aurora, Colorado. Kukta was ordered to pay $1,101,743.91 in restitution and forfeiture of $1,880,000.

Co-defendant Kristy Stock, age 46, of Waterflow, New Mexico is scheduled to be sentenced in 2022.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced William Diggs, age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland to 42 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute, possession with the intent to distribute, and the distribution of crack cocaine. 

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

According to his guilty plea, from December 2019 to September 2020, Diggs conspired with others to possess, distribute, and sell crack cocaine in the area of the 2600 block of Greenmount Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland. As a member of a drug trafficking organization (“DTO”), Diggs sold crack cocaine, including to two individuals who happened to be confidential informants for law enforcement.

Over the course of four drug transactions, Diggs sold 42 vials of cocaine base as well as an eighth of an ounce of crack cocaine to an ATF confidential informant. Additionally, during one drug transaction, the confidential informant asked Diggs if they could purchase a firearm. Diggs told the informant they could purchase a firearm for $200 when he gained possession of the firearm, although he ultimately did not proceed with the firearm transaction.

As stated in his plea agreement, a second confidential informant witnessed Diggs and two co-conspirators in a Baltimore rowhouse where the confidential informant saw several firearms. Diggs later admitted the firearms were possessed in furtherance of the drug conspiracy.

The Baltimore City Police Department’s Drug Analysis Unit confirmed that the substances sold by Diggs contained cocaine base.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Maryland Attorney General’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Stendig, Lindsey N. McCulley and Special Assistant United States Attorney Lindsay DeFrancesco, who prosecuted the case.

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

 

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Charles Benjamin Stewart, Jr., age 46, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to federal charges 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 guilty plea 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; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. 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 Azziz 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 their narcotics transactions. At the direction of law enforcement, a confidential informant purchased quantities of heroin, totaling 23 grams, from Stewart on four occasions between September 8, 2016 and February 10, 2017. Law enforcement obtained court-authorized wiretaps for the cellular telephones used by Stewart, Broxton, Clark, Kinnison, and Davidson.  Those intercepted communications showed that Stewart knew that Davidson and Kinnison resold portions of the drugs they purchased from Stewart to their own customers; that Broxton was obtaining distribution quantities of heroin; that Clark was obtaining distribution quantities of cocaine; and that both Broxton and Clark had other narcotics clients besides Stewart.

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 of Broxton and saw him leave his job at a drug rehabilitation facility to meet Stewart at the convenience store, where Stewart bought 150 grams of heroin from Broxton.  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, between April 15 and May 6, 2017, Stewart purchased cocaine from Clark on three occasions, totaling more than 210 grams of cocaine.  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.

According to his plea agreement, Stewart, who was not a licensed importer manufacturer, dealer, or collector of firearms and who was on probation at the time, transported, or caused to be transported firearms from outside the state of Maryland to his residence.  In particular, between January 24, 2014 and July 6, 2017, Stewart caused the transportation of a Smith and Wesson model SD9VE, bearing serial number HFC4476, from outside Maryland to his residence.

Stewart and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts his plea, Stewart will be sentenced to between eight and fourteen years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for March 1, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.

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.  Broxton was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison; Clark was sentenced to 19 months in federal prison; and Kinnison was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison. Davidson is scheduled to be sentenced on February 14, 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.  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 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 – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm today sentenced Eddie Ray Johnson, Jr., age 60, of Brandywine, Maryland, to 16 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, with the first 12 months to be served in home confinement, for theft of government property, in connection with a scheme to use his government-issued travel credit card to obtain more than $1.1 million in cash advances.  In addition, Judge Grimm ordered Johnson to perform 500 hours of community service, pay a $15,000 fine, forfeit $4,000 seized during a search on November 6, 2019, and pay restitution of $1,157,540.69.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Brigadier General Terry Bullard of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI); 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 Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to his plea agreement, from January 2003 to February 2018, Johnson was a civilian Air Force employee, most recently as a travel coordinator in the Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Legislative Liaison, where he planned congressional travel and reviewed and approved accounting packages submitted by trip escorts, among other duties.  Johnson admitted that from March 2014 through September 2017, he used his government-issued travel credit card to obtain more than $1.1 million in cash advances, at least $774,000 of which he diverted to his own personal use.

As detailed in the plea agreement, Johnson frequently deposited the stolen funds into a non-interest- bearing account opened in his name at a bank branch in the Pentagon.  Employees in the Office of Legislative Liaison were instructed to open such accounts so that they could more easily deposit and withdraw government funds for official use without accruing interest.  After depositing the stolen funds, Johnson wrote checks to himself, which he deposited into his personal bank accounts, and spent the money for his personal benefit, including on living expenses, a baby grand piano, loan payments for a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and family vacations.  Johnson also admitted that he provided cash to his family members, including his spouse.

During execution of a search warrant at Johnson’s residence on November 6, 2019, law enforcement recovered approximately $15,174 in cash.  Johnson agrees that at least $4,000 of the funds seized were the proceeds of his offense.

In all, Johnson’s conduct caused a loss to the U.S. government of $1,157,540.69, which includes $26,506.02 in banking and service fees that the Air Force paid monthly in connection with the cash advances Johnson obtained. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the OSI, the DCIS, and the IRS-CI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dana J. Brusca and Elizabeth Wright, who prosecuted the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury convicted El Salvadorian nationals Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno, a/k/a “Insolente” and “Trankilo,” age 24, of Landover, Maryland, and Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, a/k/a “Reaper,” age 41, of Long Branch, New Jersey yesterday for conspiring to participate in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise also known as MS-13. Alvarado-Requeno was also convicted of three counts each of murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine.  Corea Diaz was also convicted of one count each of 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.

The convictions were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce A. Smith; 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 brutal and tragic violence perpetrated by these MS-13 members and their fellow gang is totally unacceptable. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland and our local and state partners are working together to remove these violent gang members to keep our communities safe from the threat of MS-13,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “We will continue to work to bring to justice these transnational gangs, but we need the continued help of members of our communities in order to carry on our work against MS-13.”

“MS-13 terrorizes communities across the western hemisphere using fear, violence, and intimidation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “MS-13 exploits undocumented people and those communities that may not have easy access to law enforcement. This prosecution demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to dismantling this criminal organization and protecting all people.”

Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce A. Smith said, “This verdict has brought justice to the many victims – named and unnamed, individuals and immigrant communities in the eastern United States – that have been terrorized by MS-13. Miguel Angel Corea Diaz’ reign of terror is over.  I am proud of the contribution my office has made to our federal partner’s efforts through our 22-agency partnership and wiretap investigation that revealed Corea Diaz as a regional director of this brutal, transnational gang. We are truly safer today and I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland and the U.S. Department of Justice for securing a conviction against these dangerous defendants.”

“This investigation is an example of the dedication and hard work of not only the FBI, but also the Northern Virginia Safe Streets/HIDTA task force, and all our partners who work each day to fight the crime and violence that terrorize communities,” said Steven M. D'Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue to take steps to aggressively target and pursue leaders of transnational criminal gangs like MS-13, who have been involved in scores of criminal activity. These criminal acts, such as racketeering, murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and witness tampering will not be tolerated, and these two guilty verdicts are clear examples of law enforcement’s resolve to eradicate these violent gangs.”

“This verdict not only deals a crippling blow for MS-13 operating on the east coast, it also represents a victory for the citizens terrorized by MS-13,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore. “The partnership of HSI, FBI, DEA, Montgomery County Police, Prince George’s County Police and Bedford County Sheriff’s Office makes for a strong team, and other criminal elements operating in the area should take notice; we will come after them as well.”

“Criminal organizations, drugs, and violence are inextricably linked,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “There is no better example than MS-13, which is notorious for its ruthless tactics to further its criminal activities. Today’s convictions will prevent these MS-13 leaders from inflicting brutality on our communities. DEA is committed to the tireless interagency and international efforts to remove the malignant presence of drug trafficking organizations and safeguard the health and well-being of Americans.”

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 Corea Diaz 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. 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 Correa Diaz conspired to murder a third person.

Alvarado-Requeno and Corea-Diaz each face mandatory sentences of life imprisonment. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has not yet scheduled sentencing.

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.

# # #

Yesterday, a federal jury in Maryland convicted two El Salvadorian nationals for conspiring to participate in La Mara Salvatrucha, a transnational criminal enterprise, commonly known as MS-13.

Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno, aka Insolente, aka Trankilo, 25, and Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, aka Reaper, 39, were convicted of multiple racketeering-related offenses. Alverado-Requeno and Corea-Diaz were both convicted on racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

“MS-13 terrorizes communities across the western hemisphere using fear, violence, and intimidation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “MS-13 exploits undocumented people and those communities that may not have easy access to law enforcement. This prosecution demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to dismantling this criminal organization and protecting all people.”

“The brutal and tragic violence perpetrated by these MS-13 members and their fellow gang is totally unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland and our local and state partners are working together to remove these violent gang members to keep our communities safe from the threat of MS-13. We will continue to work to bring to justice these transnational gangs, but we need the continued help of members of our communities in order to carry on our work against MS-13.”

“This investigation is an example of the dedication and hard work of not only the FBI, but also the Northern Virginia Safe Streets/HIDTA task force, and all our partners who work each day to fight the crime and violence that terrorize communities,” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D'Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue to take steps to aggressively target and pursue leaders of transnational criminal gangs like MS-13, who have been involved in scores of criminal activity. These criminal acts, such as racketeering, murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and witness tampering will not be tolerated, and these two guilty verdicts are clear examples of law enforcement’s resolve to eradicate these violent gangs.”

“This verdict not only deals a crippling blow for MS-13 operating on the east coast, it also represents a victory for the citizens terrorized by MS-13,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore. “The partnership of HSI, FBI, DEA, Montgomery County Police, Prince George’s County Police and Bedford County Sheriff’s Office makes for a strong team, and other criminal elements operating in the area should take notice; we will come after them as well.”

“Criminal organizations, drugs, and violence are inextricably linked,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “There is no better example than MS-13, which is notorious for its ruthless tactics to further its criminal activities. Today’s convictions will prevent these MS-13 leaders from inflicting brutality on our communities. DEA is committed to the tireless interagency and international efforts to remove the malignant presence of drug trafficking organizations and safeguard the health and well-being of Americans.”

According to court documents, MS-13 is organized into a series of sub-units or “cliques” that operate in specific geographic locations, and each clique is typically controlled by a single leader, sometimes known as the “First Word.” Alvarado-Requeno and Corea Diaz were both leaders of the Sailors clique. Corea Diaz held the title of Primera Palabra, or “First Word,” for the entire east coast. Alvarado-Requeno was the First Word of the Sailors for the Sailors in Maryland.

According to evidence presented at the four-week trial, between 2015 and 2018, the defendants controlled and operated the Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside (SLSW or Sailors) through a pattern of racketeering activity, including 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 illicit activities 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 its own membership for breaking gang rules. 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 commanded a squad of MS-13 members to drive down to Lynchburg and murder this high school student. The gang members kidnapped the student from his front lawn and cut his hand off before killing him. After the murder, the defendants helped to hide and protect the killers 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, Correa Diaz conspired to murder a third person.

Alvarado-Requeno was convicted of three counts each of murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine. Corea Diaz was convicted of one count each of 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. Alvarado-Requeno and Corea-Diaz each face mandatory sentences of life imprisonment.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office, HSI Baltimore, the DEA’s New York Field Division and Baltimore District Office, Prince George’s County Police Department, Montgomery County Police Department, and Bedford County Sherriff’s Office investigated the case. Nassau County District Attorney’s Office provided valuable assistance.

Trial Attorneys Julie Finocchiaro and Alexander Gottfried of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Hagan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Brian Blackston, age 32, of Baltimore, yesterday to 70 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine in the Monument Street area of East Baltimore. 

The sentence 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 Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to Blackston’s plea agreement, in July of 2018, Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) Strike Force Group 1 began an investigation of the Monument Street corridor in East Baltimore, which is known to support a high volume of street-level drug distribution and acts of violence associated with the drug trafficking.  During the investigation, law enforcement identified multiple street-level drug trafficking “shops,” with the two most prominent located in the 400 block of North Montford Avenue at Jefferson Street (“the Montford DTO”) and in the 2400 block of East Monument Street at Port Street (the “Out the Mud,” or “OTM DTO”). 

As detailed in his plea agreement, investigators identified Blackston as a drug distributor for the OTM DTO who agreed with his co-conspirators to acquire and to assist in distributing controlled substances to others. Investigators conducted physical surveillance and intercepted calls between Blackston and his co-conspirators discussing the distribution of drugs, including cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl and heroin. 

Throughout the course of Blackston’s involvement in the conspiracy, it was reasonably foreseeable to Blackston, and within the scope of the conspiracy that he or other members of the conspiracy would distribute between 500 grams and two kilograms of cocaine, as well as quantities of crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, during the course of and in furtherance of the conspiracy. 

Blackston is the final defendant to be sentenced of the 25 defendants charged as part of this investigation who either pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial.  

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 the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaRai Everett and James T. Wallner, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Phillip J. “Jamie” Harrington III, age 50, of Dorchester, Maryland, to one year of probation, to pay a $10,000 fine, a $5,000 special assessment, and to perform 100 hours of community service for unlawful employment of undocumented workers.  Judge Hollander sentenced Capt. Phip’s Seafood Inc. to three years of probation and to pay a $240,000 fine for visa fraud related to the employment of temporary workers employed at Harrington companies.  In addition, Judge Hollander ordered Harrington and Captain Phip’s seafood to participate in a verification program for their employees and were debarred from participating in the H-2B visa program.  The fines were paid today.

The sentences were 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 Andrew Wroblewski of the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS); and Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG).

Philip J. Harrington, Jr. was Capt. Phip’s owner, President, and sole Director until his death on February 13, 2018. Since March 6, 2019, Capt. Phip’s has been owned and operated by Philip Harrington’s, son, Jamie Harrington.  The primary business of Capt. Phip’s is the production and distribution of ice as well as the processing of seafood. For more than a decade, Capt. Phip’s has participated in the H-2B work visa program through which it has obtained temporary foreign workers to fill seasonal positions.

According to the company’s guilty plea, from 2013 through 2018, Captain Phip’s Seafood Inc. routinely sought prevailing wage determinations for multiple job descriptions, and then filed petitions for H-2B visas for only the jobs with the lowest prevailing wage, regardless of the actual work duties of the employees.  The H-2B Visa Program is a temporary non-agricultural worker program in which an employer may seek temporary authorization for foreign workers to legally enter and work in the U.S.  To obtain an H-2B Visa, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) must ensure the positions have been advertised to U.S.-based workers and assign the appropriate wage to be paid (“prevailing wage”) based on the job description.

As stated in the plea agreement, Captain Phip’s willfully submitted false and inaccurate job descriptions to obtain lower prevailing wages for its foreign workers.  Capt. Phip’s omissions about the full scope of the job duties to be performed by its temporary foreign workers resulted in the DOL approving Capt. Phip’s to pay lower prevailing wage than it would have been authorized if Capt. Phip’s had provided truthful information.

For example, in 2016, Capt. Phip’s requested and received prevailing wage determinations for three position: ice conveyor operators with a prevailing wage of $12.51; oyster production workers with a prevailing wage of $16.96; and ice machine operators (ice production workers) with a prevailing wage of $11.10. Capt. Phip’s then filed a petition for ice production workers with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The petition was approved and the Department of State (DOS) issued 24 H-2B visas to non-immigrant Mexican nationals authorizing them to work for Capt. Phip’s as ice production workers in the United States.  Once the Mexican ice production workers entered the United States, Capt. Phip’s used these workers for jobs beyond ice production, including for oyster processing, as maintenance workers, truck drivers and drivers’ assistants.  Capt. Phip’s admits that it intentionally and falsely claimed that the foreign workers would only be engaged in ice production in order to pay them the lower prevailing wage.  Had Capt. Phip’s truthfully filed for H-2B visas for many of these duties, these employees would have been entitled to a higher wage.

As stated in the company’s plea agreement, on August 31, 2017, a USCIS officer and government agents conducted a site visit at Capt. Phip’s location in Secretary, Maryland. At that time, Capt. Phip’s H-2B workers were authorized only to engage in oyster production work. During the site visit, three H-2B visa beneficiaries were interviewed through an interpreter and indicated that their current duties involved ice packing duties rather than oyster production work.

A USCIS officer and agents also interviewed Phillip Harrington, Jr., who signed all the H2-B visa petitions for Capt. Phip’s and his son, Jamie Harrington, who identified himself as the Vice President of Capt. Phip’s, responsible for “running the business,” to include the buying and selling of product, managing the levels of product, and hiring and/or firing. Jamie Harrington admitted that all of Capt. Phip’s H-2B workers were packing ice, and none of them were currently processing any oysters. The workers’ H-2B visas for 2017 only permitted them to work in oyster processing. Jamie Harrington admitted that Capt. Phip’s visa petitions should have been for workers for both ice and oyster processing.

During the August 31, 2017 interview, Jaime Harrington stated that he was also the President of Easton Ice Company, Inc. (“Easton Ice”).  The principal office for Easton Ice is the same physical address as Capt. Phip’s premises in Secretary, Maryland.   A subsequent interview of a recipient of multiple H-2B visas filed by Capt. Phip’s including in 2017, when the H-2B workers were only authorized for oyster processing, revealed that their duties that season were to drive a truck and deliver ice. In September 2017, an agent observed this person driving a truck bearing the name “Easton Ice.” The agent also saw another Capt. Phip’s H-2B recipient delivering ice and riding in the truck. Easton Ice did not apply for H-2B visas in 2017, and workers with H-2B visas obtained through Capt. Phips were not authorized to work for Easton Ice Company. Nevertheless, Jamie Harrington admitted that Capt. Phip’s H-2B visa recipients were routinely directed to perform work for Easton Ice and other businesses controlled by Philip and Jamie Harrington.

On August 9, 2018, government agents interviewed Jamie Harrington at Capt. Phip’s premises in Secretary, Maryland. Jamie Harrington admitted that the company was not in compliance with the requirements of the H-2B visa program and that some of Capt. Phip’s H-2B workers were driving trucks or performing other duties outside the scope of their visas, including performing work for other companies controlled by Philip and Jamie Harrington, including Easton Ice, Woodfield Ice Company, Inc. (“Woodfield Ice”), as well as two Ocean City, Maryland, motels owned by members of the Harrington family.  Agents pointed out to Jamie Harrington that if the H-2B applications had been truthful about the location and job duties for workers at Woodfield Ice the prevailing wage would have been much higher because that business is in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

Between approximately 2013 and 2018, Capt. Phip’s filed petitions for H-2B visas for approximately 142, nonimmigrant workers.  Capt. Phip’s officers involved in the H-2B process were aware that the nonimmigrant workers were intended to be employed to engage in work beyond the job descriptions authorized by the workers’ visas.  Capt. Phip’s realized unlawful benefits through the use of fraudulently low prevailing wages between April 2013 to December 2018, although the exact amount cannot be determined. Capt. Phip’s has not participated in the H-2B visa program since at least January 2019.

Jamie Harrington is also the owner and operator of multiple other businesses involved the production and distribution of ice as well as processing of seafood, rental machinery, housing development, oyster farming, and other ventures including: Easton Ice; Woodfield Ice; PJH Oyster; Two Sons R.S., LLC; Philson Properties, LLC; Two Sons C.P. LLC; P&N Farms; Atlantic Rental, LLC; DMS Hurlock, LLC; The Preserve at Wright’s Wharf Homeowners Association; and Super Transporter, LLC. (together with Capt. Phip’s, the “Harrington Companies.”

Harrington admitted in his plea agreement that, beginning in 2013 and continuing through at least August 9, 2018, he engaged in a pattern and practice of hiring and employing workers without lawful immigration status at the Harrington Companies. Most of the unauthorized workers were Mexican citizens and nationals. Some of the undocumented workers Jamie Harrington hired and employed entered the United States lawfully and overstayed their visas, others never had lawful status to be present in the United States. Analysis of payroll and other records shows that approximately 89 undocumented workers were employed by the Harrington Companies between 2013 and 2018. Harrington continued to employ several of the workers even after he knew they had been placed into removal proceedings by immigration officials because they did not have lawful status to be present or working in the United States.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, DSS, and DOL-OIG for their work in the investigation and thanked the Baltimore District Office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division for its assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – Lynette Carlest, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to participating in a racketeering conspiracy, including drug distribution and bribery, by assisting a detainee at Chesapeake Detention Facility (CDF) in Baltimore, Maryland to have contraband smuggled into the facility.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Baltimore Field Office; and Secretary Robert Green of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).

According to her guilty plea, between 2018 and March 11, 2019, Carlest conspired with others to assist a detainee to smuggle narcotics, cell phones, and other contraband into CDF. Specifically, Carlest used a mobile monetary transfer application to manage the financial aspects of the detainee’s smuggling operation. For example, Carlest used the application to send at least four bribe payments of $800 or more to Darren Parker, a correctional officer at CDF, in exchange for Parker’s assistance in smuggling contraband into the jail.

As detailed in the plea agreement, Carlest met with Parker and provided him with contraband on multiple occasions. For example, on March 10, 2019, Carlest met with Parker to give Parker a cell phone, charger, suboxone, and tobacco to be smuggled into CDF and given to the detainee. On March 11, 2019, Parker brought the contraband to work and was approached by law enforcement officers in the CDF parking lot. Later that day, Carlest received a call from the detainee, using a contraband cell phone inside CDF, informing her that Parker had been caught attempting to smuggle contraband into the jail.

Carlest faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for racketeering conspiracy. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell has scheduled sentencing for February 9, 2022 at 11 a.m.

Correctional officers Darren Parker, age 45, of Baltimore, Maryland and Talaia Youngblood, age 35, of Randallstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty to their roles in a racketeering conspiracy at CDF on October 18, 2021 and October 13, 2021, respectively. They admitted that they accepted bribes to smuggle contraband, including narcotics, tobacco, and cell phones, into the jail. Another co-defendant, Jasmine Coleman, age 29, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty on October 25, 2021, to arranging bribes and providing contraband to be smuggled into CDF on behalf of another detainee.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and DPSCS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter J. Martinez and 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 help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Andrew Joseph Trimmer, age 32, of Bowie, Maryland to ten and a half years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and assault on a federal officer.   

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 (DEA); Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD); Chief Darryl McSwain of the Maryland National Capital Park Police, Montgomery County Division; Chief John Nesky of the Bowie Police Department; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal E. Awad.

According to his plea agreement, between May 2018 to September 2020, Trimmer and his girlfriend, Alicia Walls, conspired with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.

Specifically, on May 28, 2018, in Bowie, Maryland, Trimmer sold fentanyl to Victim A. During the narcotics transaction, Victim A and Victim A’s friends ingested the heroin that Trimmer distributed. Shortly after ingestion, Victim A overdosed and lost consciousness. After receiving life support treatment, Victim A survived the overdose, which constituted a serious bodily injury. Prior to the overdose on May 28, 2018, Trimmer distributed at least one gram of heroin and fentanyl to Victim A approximately two times per week for two years.

Occasionally, Trimmer and Walls sold narcotics in the presence of a minor child.  On July 16, 2019, while caring for a 9-month-old child, Walls fell asleep after ingesting narcotics, and the child obtained narcotics from Wall’s belongings, ingested the narcotics, and subsequently overdosed. Trimmer and Walls then transported the child to a nearby hospital where healthcare workers revived the child. After receiving additional lifesaving measures, the child survived.

Following the child’s overdose, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Trimmer and Walls’s hotel room. As agents announced themselves, Trimmer attempted to flee on foot. After disregarding law enforcement’s commands to stop, a federal task force officer attempted to physically stop Trimmer from fleeing. Trimmer then proceeded to grab the officer’s body armor and began to physically assault the officer. Eventually, Trimmer was apprehended. The officer sustained a torn meniscus as a result of the assault. During his altercation with the officer, Trimmer shed his jacket from which officers later recovered 30 grams of fentanyl. From Trimmer’s car, police recovered digital scales, plastic bags, and razor blades used by Trimmer and Walls to distribute drugs.

Trimmer and Walls had numerous narcotics customers in the Bowie area, including two other victims, Victim B and Victim C. After Trimmer was taken into custody, Walls continued to distribute heroin and fentanyl to Victim B and Victim C.  In October 2020, after obtaining heroin and fentanyl from Walls, Victim B and Victim C both overdosed.  Both were transported to the hospital for advanced life support and treatment and ultimately survived.   Together, over a six month period, Walls and Trimmer distributed at least 240 grams of heroin and fentanyl to Victim B and Victim C.  

Following his arrest and incarceration, Trimmer assaulted corrections officers on three separate occasions causing bodily injuries to several corrections officers. As part of his sentence, Judge Grimm ordered Trimmer pay restitution of $52,174.52 for injuries sustained by the federal task force officer and the corrections officers during the assaults by Trimmer.   

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the PGPD, the Maryland National Capital Park Police, the Bowie Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy L. Schwartz, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer L. Wine, and Dwight Draughon who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Elias Nick Costianes, Jr., age 43, of Nottingham, Maryland, for two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance—specifically, testosterone and cocaine. The indictment also charges Costianes with possession of firearms and ammunition by an unlawful user of any controlled substance.  The indictment was returned on November 18, 2021 and Costianes will have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore at a later date. Costianes remains released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services since his arrest on a related federal criminal complaint.

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

According to the three-count indictment and other court documents, on February 12, 2021, the FBI executed search warrants at Costianes’s residence, on his vehicle, and on Costianes’ cellphone.  Court documents allege that law enforcement recovered four firearms from the residence: a 9mm pistol; a M&P 15 semi-automatic rifle; a .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle; and a 12-gauge shotgun, as well as 9mm, .22 caliber, .223 caliber, and shotgun ammunition.  Law enforcement also allegedly recovered three vials of testosterone enanthate and one vial of testosterone cypionate, both controlled substances.

As detailed in court documents, the electronic evidence from Costianes’ phone, including photographs and text message conversations, allegedly revealed that Costianes used and conspired to traffic cocaine and testosterone by acquiring controlled substances from his suppliers to distribute to friends and associates.  The indictment alleges that the conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute testosterone lasted from February 2020 through February 2021 and the conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine lasted from March through December 2020.

If convicted, Costianes faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of the two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance; and a maximum of 10 years in prison for possession of firearms and ammunition by an unlawful user of a controlled substance.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant, 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.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – Dwight Antonio Pitts, age 47, of Hanover, Maryland, pleaded guilty on November 19, 2021, to charges related to 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. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Superintendent Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III of the Maryland State Police; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office.

According to his guilty plea, since November 2019, the Maryland State Police (“MSP”), Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”) were investigating a drug trafficking conspiracy involving Pitts, Michael Fisher (a.k.a. Mark Wilson), and others, who were distributing fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana in the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan areas.  Investigators used court-authorized wiretaps to intercept calls and other communications between Pitts, Fisher, and other conspirators in which they discussed drug distribution with each other and with other individuals.  Investigators also conducted surveillance of drug transactions conducted by both Pitts and Fisher.

During the conspiracy, Pitts and Fisher traveled to California multiple times to obtain kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl.  Once in possession of the narcotics, Pitts or Fisher used the U.S. Mail to ship the narcotics back to Maryland for distribution.  

Between May and August 2020, U.S. Postal Inspectors interdicted several parcels from the mail, including two parcels bound for an address in Hyattsville, Maryland that was identified as a location leased by Pitts.  On August 13, 2020, a search warrant was authorized for the two parcels.  Law enforcement recovered more than two kilograms of cocaine from one parcel and more than two kilograms of fentanyl from the other parcel. Investigators obtained video surveillance from the El Segundo Branch Post Office, from which the parcels had been mailed.  The video showed Pitts at the post office at the time the parcels were mailed. 

On August 13, 2020, investigators obtained consent to search Co-Conspirator 2’s residence in Los Angeles after watching Fisher transfer a box containing approximately $190,020 in cash to Co-Conspirator 2’s car.  Law enforcement recovered from the residence two duffle bags containing approximately 30 kilograms of cocaine, along with two additional duffle bags that contained more than $193,980 in narcotics proceeds, not including the approximately $190,020 Fisher provided to Co-Conspirator 2 earlier that day.

On August 17, 2020, law enforcement executed search warrants at the six locations in Maryland associated with Pitts and Fisher and at a residence in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Investigators seized 15 firearms—6 firearms from locations associated with Pitts and 9 firearms from locations associated with Fisher—along with kilogram quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana.  In total, during the investigation law enforcement seized approximately 35 kilograms of cocaine, approximately 6.5 kilograms of fentanyl, and approximately 50 kilograms of marijuana.  In addition, investigators seized approximately $1,501,308, which Pitts admitted was proceeds from the sale of narcotics.

As detailed in the plea agreement, additional evidence, including evidence seized from searches on cellular phones of conspirators and CCTV footage, showed that between July 2019 and August 2020, the conspiracy was responsible for mailing approximately 121 parcels from Los Angeles area Post Offices to locations in Maryland. 

Pitts admitted in his plea agreement that the amount involved in the conspiracy attributable to him as a result of his own conduct and the conduct of other conspirators reasonably foreseeable to him is approximately 8.5 kilograms of fentanyl; approximately 150 kilograms of cocaine; and approximately 50 kilograms of marijuana.

Pitts and the Government have agreed that, if the court accepts the guilty plea, Pitts will be sentenced to between 12 and 15 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher scheduled sentencing for March 1, 2022, at 11:00 a.m.

Co-defendant Michael Fisher, a.k.a. Mark Wilson, age 47, of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the same charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2022, at 2:00 p.m.

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

The overdose crisis continues to devastate our state and local communities. If you believe you may need substance use disorder treatment or recovery services, please call 1800-662-HELP (4357). You may also visit the website for United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland for further information and resources on opioid awareness here.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the MSP, USPIS, and DEA for their work in the investigation and recognized the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles and Las Vegas DEA, and the USPIS Phoenix Division-Las Vegas, Nevada for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Anatoly Smolkin, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Romano, who are prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Anthony Gonzalez, age 40, of Aberdeen, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to coercion and enticement.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Director Darrell R. Reider of the Swatara Township Police Department (Pennsylvania).

According to his guilty plea, between 2017 and 2019, Gonzalez used cell phones and the internet to persuade, entice, and coerce three minor females to engage in sexual activity. 

Specially, in June 2018, Gonzalez made contact with an underaged female victim (Victim 1) on a social media application. Although Victim 1’s profile stated that she was 18 years old, Victim 1 informed Gonzalez that her actual age was 16 years old. During their communication, Gonzalez referred to Victim 1 as his girlfriend, discussed getting married to her, and initiated sexual conversations.

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

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

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

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

Gonzalez and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Gonzalez will be sentenced to between 10 and 16 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for February 24, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. 

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

Acting United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Maryland State Police Department and the Swatara Township Police Department (Pennsylvania) for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who is prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Jacob Matthew Martz, age 41, of Sharpsburg, Maryland, with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and with possession of a machinegun, in connection with 16 firearms and multiple machinegun conversion devices found at the defendant’s residence.  The indictment was returned on November 4, 2021 and unsealed yesterday upon the arrest of the defendant.

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; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

According to the two-count indictment, on October 6, 2021, Martz illegally possessed six pistols, a 12-gauge shotgun, a .410 shotgun, and eight rifles. The indictment alleges that Martz knew that, as a result of previous felony firearms convictions, he was prohibited from possessing firearms.  Further, the indictment alleges that Martz possessed machineguns, specifically, machinegun conversion devices for AR-15 style rifles, also known as “drop in auto sears,” parts designed and intended solely and exclusively, for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun.  Finally, the indictment seeks the forfeiture of all 16 firearms upon the conviction of the defendant.

If convicted, Martz faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of firearms and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for 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. At yesterday’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Coulson ordered that Martz be released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the ATF for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Austin, 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 – A federal jury convicted Feliciano de Jesus Diaz-Martinez, a/k/a Alex, age 43, of Owings Mills, Maryland, yesterday for sex trafficking of a child, enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and distribution of a controlled substance.  Diaz-Martinez has been in custody since his indictment on July 25, 2019.

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

According to the evidence presented at his nine-day trial, from at least 2016 through May  2019, Diaz-Martinez, a Guatemalan national in the United States illegally, caused more than eight individuals, including minors, to engage in commercial sex acts for his own financial benefit by means of force, fraud, and coercion.  Trial testimony confirmed that Diaz-Martinez knew that Victim 1 was 16 years old when he first caused her to engage in commercial sex acts.  Victim 1 continued to work for Diaz-Martinez until she was approximately 18 years old.  The evidence proved that nearly all of the victims that Diaz-Martinez caused to engage in commercial sex acts suffered from serious substance abuse disorders, including addictions to heroin, crack cocaine, and Xanax.  Diaz-Martinez took half or all of the money earned by the victims working for him, and sold some of the victims narcotics, often at prices significantly higher than he paid to purchase the drugs.

As detailed in trial testimony, Diaz-Martinez maintained a network of friends and associates who paid to engage in commercial sex acts with the victims Diaz-Martinez advertised and made available to them.  Diaz-Martinez sent his customers pictures of the victims available for commercial sex and set the prices that customers would pay to engage in sex acts with the victims he controlled.  Diaz-Martinez then transported, or caused to be transported, victims to his customers’ homes, or to hotel rooms he rented, to engage in commercial sex acts.  The evidence showed that Diaz-Martinez also invited customers to engage in commercial sex acts with victims in his apartment and in a storage unit that he rented.

Witnesses testified that Diaz-Martinez maintained several different accounts in alias names on a social media platform, which he used to recruit and communicate with the victims in order to entice them to work for him and engage in commercial sex acts, including many users he had never met.  The jury found that Diaz-Martinez sometimes offered the users he communicated with heroin and crack cocaine, referred to as “boy” and “girl,” in exchange for engaging in commercial sex with his customers.  Diaz-Martinez also directed the victims working for him to recruit their friends, many of whom were also addicted to narcotics, to engage in commercial sex for his financial benefit.

Several victims testified that Diaz-Martinez frequently demanded that they engage in sex acts with him, free of charge, and that he retaliated against the victims if he was not personally satisfied with the sexual encounter.  Diaz-Martinez also retaliated against victims who violated his rules, failed to earn sufficient money from commercial sex, or otherwise displeased him in a number of ways, including, abandoning them at customers’ homes and on roadsides without their belongings or transportation and withholding drugs from the victims whom he knew to be addicted.

Diaz-Martinez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison for sex trafficking of a minor and for enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution; a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years and up to life in prison for each of four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; and a maximum of 20 years in prison for distribution of controlled substances.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for February 11, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.

This case was investigated by 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.justice.gov/usao/md/priorities_human.html.

Report suspected instances of human 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 commended HSI Baltimore, the Baltimore County Police Department and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary W. Setzer and P. Michael Cunningham, who are prosecuting the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Moshe Michael Imel, age 51, of Owings, Maryland, with five counts of production of child pornography involving two minor victims.  The indictment was returned yesterday. Imel will have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt at a later date. Imel remains detained on separate State charges.

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

According to the five-count indictment, during two months in 2018, Imel persuaded, enticed and coerced Victim A to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce images documenting the sexually explicit conduct.  Similarly, the indictment alleges that on three occasions during one month in 2020, Imel enticed and coerced Victim B to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce images documenting the sexually explicit conduct of Victim B.

Law enforcement believes there may be other victims.  Please report suspected sexual abuse 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.

If convicted, Imel faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each of the five counts of production of child pornography.  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 was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.       

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, and the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Kristi N. O’Malley, who are prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Mateus Vaduva, age 29, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty on November 17, 2021 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, in connection with a scheme to steal from the mail donation checks intended for religious institutions.   

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Shimon R. Richmond of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG); Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Toni Dezomits of the Cary, North Carolina, Police Department; and Sheriff Dusty Rhoades of the Williamson County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office.

According to his guilty plea, beginning in June 2018 to January 2021, Vaduva and his co-conspirators conspired to steal checks from the U.S. mail intended for religious institutions and deposit the illegally obtained funds into multiple fraudulent bank accounts at various victim financial institutions. Conspirators, including Vaduva, conducted the thefts by driving to roadside mailboxes of churches and other religious institutions and removing the mail, specifically targeting donation checks.

As part of the scheme to defraud, Vaduva and other co-conspirators fraudulently opened bank accounts at victim financial institutions under false identities. Conspiracy members often opened fictitious bank accounts with the aid of a conspiracy member that was an employee at one of the victim financial institutions. In addition, Vaduva and his co-conspirators used at least two extended family members who were minors to assist in the account openings.

Vaduva and co-conspirators then withdrew cash from the fraudulent bank accounts through ATMs and spent the illegally obtained proceeds using debit cards associated with the bank accounts.

Throughout the scheme to defraud, Vaduva personally deposited at least approximately 126 stolen checks totaling at least approximately $79,551.07. In total, co-conspirators deposited at least 3,067 stolen checks from Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and elsewhere, totaling in approximately $1,307,484.23.

As stated in his plea agreement, Vaduva and his co-conspirators will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is at least $1,307,484.23.

Vaduva faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for February 18, 2022 at 2 p.m.

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

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A federal court in Maryland permanently enjoined a Baltimore-based physician assistant from prescribing opioids and other controlled substances, the Department of Justice announced today.

Pursuant to an agreed consent judgment filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman enjoined Elizabeth J. Allen from dispensing, prescribing or administering any controlled substances. The consent decree resolves a civil complaint filed by the government alleging that Allen, while working at a Maryland pain clinic, repeatedly prescribed opioids in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. The government alleged that from 2014 to 2019, Allen issued hundreds of prescriptions that had no legitimate medical purpose and fell outside the usual course of professional medical practice. The injunction requires that Allen never again apply for or seek the reinstatement of her DEA registration, which is required for a medical professional to prescribe controlled substances. 

“Anyone who prescribes opioids and other controlled substances must comply with professional standards and the law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to ensure that medical providers abide by the Controlled Substances Act.”

“Physician assistants and nurse practitioners are subject to the Controlled Substances Act and cannot overprescribe opioids and hide behind their affiliations with physicians in an attempt to shield themselves from criminal and civil liability,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “The court’s approval of this consent decree should remind all medical practitioners that the U.S. Attorney’s Office intends to use all the tools at its disposal—both criminal and civil—to combat the opioid epidemic which continues to plague our State. We will hold responsible all medical professionals who contribute to Maryland’s opioid epidemic by overprescribing opioids, regardless of their title or the letters that follow their name.”

“The DEA continues to hold prescribers and all medical professionals accountable when they violate the law,” said Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the DEA Washington Division. “Overprescribing controlled substance pharmaceuticals remains a key threat and can lead to overdoses. We will continue to investigate these prescribers in order to save lives.”

The government’s complaint alleged that Allen repeatedly prescribed dangerous and potentially lethal combinations of opioids and benzodiazepines. The complaint also alleged that Allen continued to prescribe patients opioids even after some tested positive for illicit or unprescribed substances in urine toxicology screens. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generally recommends that primary care clinicians avoid daily dosages of opioids over 90 morphine milligram equivalents (MME), the government alleged that Allen wrote prescriptions that could cause some patients to exceed 700 MME daily. The government alleged that prescriptions written by Allen were a contributing factor in the death of at least one Marylander. Allen denied the government’s allegations.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control, Washington Division, Baltimore District Office.

The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan C. Lazerow and Trial Attorneys Donald Lorenzen and Thomas Rosso of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch.

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has approved a consent decree that permanently enjoins Elizabeth J. Allen, a Baltimore-based physician assistant, from prescribing opioids and other controlled substances, resolving the United States’ civil allegations that Allen violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in illegally prescribing opioids. Under the consent decree, Allen agrees to never apply for or seek the reinstatement of her DEA registration—which is required for a medical professional to prescribe controlled substances, and which lapsed in 2020. 

The approval of the consent decree was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division; and Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division.

“Physician assistants and nurse practitioners are subject to the Controlled Substances Act and cannot overprescribe opioids and hide behind their affiliations with physicians in an attempt to shield themselves from criminal and civil liability,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “The Court’s approval of this consent decree should remind all medical practitioners that the U.S. Attorney’s Office intends to use all the tools at its disposal—both criminal and civil—to combat the opioid epidemic which continues to plague our State.  We will hold responsible all medical professionals who contribute to Maryland’s opioid epidemic by overprescribing opioids, regardless of their title or the letters that follow their name.”

“Anyone who prescribes opioids and other controlled substances must comply with professional standards and the law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to ensure that medical providers abide by the Controlled Substances Act.”

“The DEA continues to hold prescribers and all medical professionals accountable when they violate the law,” stated Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division.  “Overprescribing controlled substance pharmaceuticals remains a key threat and can lead to overdoses.  We will continue to investigate these prescribers in order to save lives.”

The government alleged that from 2014 to 2019, Allen, who practiced medicine as a physician assistant at the Centers for Rehabilitation, Pain Management, and Wellness in Pikesville, Maryland, issued hundreds of prescriptions that had no legitimate medical purpose and fell outside the usual course of professional medical practice. 

More specifically, the government’s complaint alleged that Allen repeatedly prescribed dangerous and potentially lethal combinations of opioids and benzodiazepines. The complaint also alleged that Allen continued to prescribe patients opioids even after some tested positive for illicit or unprescribed substances in urine toxicology screens. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generally recommends that primary care clinicians avoid daily dosages of opioids over 90 morphine milligram equivalents (MME), the government alleged that Allen wrote prescriptions that could cause some patients to exceed 700 MME daily. The government alleged that prescriptions written by Allen were a contributing factor in the death of at least one Marylander. Allen denied the government’s allegations.

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron and Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton commended the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control, Washington Division, Baltimore District Office for its work in the investigation.  U.S. Attorney Barron and Acting Assistant Attorney General Boynton also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Alan C. Lazerow and Trial Attorneys Donald Lorenzen and Thomas S. Rosso of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, who handled the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Tyler Dean Fowler, age 29, of Easton, Maryland, with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. The indictment was returned on November 10, 2021. Fowler was arrested for these charges on November 18, 2021 in North Carolina.

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; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police and Chief David A. Spencer of the Easton Police Department.

According to the four-count indictment, in October 2019 Fowler knowingly received several images of minors engaged in sexually explicit activity including an image of a minor male’s genitalia.

The indictment also alleges that Fowler’s cell phone and laptop contained one or more visual depictions of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

If convicted, Fowler faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years for receipt of child pornography; and a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. 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. At today’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court in in the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. Magistrate Judge David Keesler ordered that Fowler be detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the Maryland State Police Department, the Easton Police Department, and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office of North Carolina for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abigail E. Ticse and Paul E. Budlow, who are prosecuting the federal case.

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.         

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 – United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron announced today that three cities in the District of Maryland have received grants totaling $3 million from the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS Hiring Program (CHP). The Department of Justice announced more than $139 million in grant funding through the program. The grants will provide direct funding to 183 law enforcement agencies across the nation, allowing those agencies to hire 1,066 additional full-time law enforcement professionals, including 24 officers in Maryland.

“We are committed to providing police departments with the resources needed to help ensure community safety and build community trust,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.  “The grants we are announcing today will enable law enforcement agencies across the country to hire more than 1,000 additional officers to support vitally important community oriented policing programs.”

“Our local law enforcement partners are facing unprecedented challenges.  I am happy that these grants from the Department of Justice will assist them to hire the officers needed to keep our communities safer and advance community oriented policing in our local police departments,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. 

The following cities in Maryland received awards:

            City of Cumberland received $375,000 to hire three officers;             Town of Forest Heights received $500,000 to hire four officers; and
            City of Seat Pleasant received $2,125,000 to hire 17 officers.

CHP is a competitive award program intended to reduce crime and advance public safety through community policing. CHP provides funds directly to law enforcement agencies to hire new or rehire additional career law enforcement officers, thereby increasing their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. Of the 183 agencies awarded grants today, approximately half will use the funding to focus on building legitimacy and trust between law enforcement and communities; 41 agencies will seek to address high rates of gun violence; 21 will focus on other areas of violence; and 19 will focus CHP resources on combating hate and domestic extremism or supporting police-based response to persons in crisis.  The complete list of awards can be found here. 

Since its creation in 1994, COPS has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 135,000 officers. CHP, COPS’ flagship program, continues to be in demand today: In FY21, COPS received 590 applications requesting nearly 3,000 law enforcement positions. For FY22, President Biden has requested $537.0 million for CHP, an increase of $300 million.

To learn more about CHP, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp-award.  For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Department of Justice agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served.

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. Magistrate Judge Gina L. Simms today sentenced Anthony Lesane, age 56, of Fort Washington, Maryland, a former police officer at the Department of Defense, to one year of probation, and a $6,000 fine, for theft of government property, related to his overbilling the government for hours he had not worked.  Judge Simms also ordered Lesane to perform 100 hours of community service in the first nine months of his probation and pay restitution in the amount of $25,832.47, which Lesane paid today at his sentencing.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office.

According to Lesane’s plea agreement, from at least August 2016 through October 2019, Lesane, a police officer working for the Department of Defense at a facility in Prince George’s County, Maryland, falsely recorded work hours in his department’s time and attendance system that he had not worked.  On most occasions, Lesane claimed to have worked overtime hours and on at least one occasion, Lesane claimed work hours while he was out of the country on vacation.

As a result of his fraudulent time and attendance entries, Lesane stole at least $25,832.47 by overbilling his employing agency.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service for its work in the investigation and thanked the Naval Criminal Investigative Service 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 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 – Edwin Kerry Smith, age 43, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and admitted that heroin he distributed to one victim resulted in the victim’s fatal overdose.   

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, Smith was arrested on March 11, 2021 in Maryland for attempting to distribute four ounces of heroin. Smith committed this offense while on pretrial supervision on narcotics charges in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County.

As part of his guilty plea, Smith also admitted that on August 22, 2019 he distributed heroin to Victim A, who subsequently ingested the heroin provided by Smith, overdosed and died. At the scene of Victim A’s death, law enforcement discovered a ziplock bag containing 1.33 grams of heroin and a small plastic bag containing .34 grams of cocaine. According to an autopsy report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland, Victim A died of morphine and quetiapine intoxication. The last outgoing communication on Victim A’s phone was a text to order narcotics from Smith and according to historical cell site data, Smith and Victim A met on August 22, 2019 in the same location where Victim A’s body was found. Approximately one month earlier, Smith was arrested near that same location with two bags of heroin, totaling 21.02 grams.

Smith and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Smith will be sentenced to eight years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for February 28, 2022 at 2 p.m. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Washington Metro Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin R. Cottingham, who is prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Rudy Adonaldo Chavez, age 31, of Guatemala to 97 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit murder for hire and for distribution of cocaine. 

The sentence 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 his plea agreement, on September 6, 2019 HSI investigators arranged a cocaine transaction between a confidential informant and Chavez. The confidential informant purchased 2 ounces of cocaine from Chavez for $2,500.

Three days later, investigators arranged a controlled meeting between the confidential informant and Chavez, who was in the country illegally. During the meeting, Chavez solicited assistance from the confidential informant to murder another individual. As agreed to in the statement of facts, Chavez stated that the intended victim had previously killed two of Chavez’s friends and shot his brother, as a result of an unsuccessful drug deal that took place in Guatemala.

On September 11, 2019, the confidential informant called Chavez on the phone to introduce him to an undercover officer posing as a “hitman”. During the conversation with the hitman, Chavez explained why he wanted to murder the intended victim, that the intended victim fled from Guatemala, illegally entered the United States, and settled in California. He further explained that he had an associate (co-conspirator 1) that was willing to lure the intended victim from California to Baltimore to execute the murder. Chavez also informed the undercover officer that co-conspirator 1 was aware of the plan to murder the intended victim.

Furthermore, Chavez and the undercover officer discussed pricing for the murder. Specifically, Chavez agreed to pay the undercover officer $5,000 “up front” and the remaining $5,000 after the victim was murdered. As a result of the meeting, Chavez and the undercover officer exchanged phone numbers to arrange future meetings regarding the murder for hire.

In a controlled meeting with the undercover officer on September 19, 2020, Chavez provided the undercover officer with approximately $2,000 as a down payment for the murder. Prior to the meeting, Chavez and the undercover agent agreed that the undercover agent would use the $2,000 to pay for an apartment that would be used as a location to lure the intended victim. Chavez also provided the undercover officer with co-conspirator 1’s phone number.

As stated in his plea agreement, on September 26, 2019, in a meeting with the undercover officer, co-conspirator 1 gave the intended victim’s phone number to the undercover officer to communicate with co-conspirator 1. Chavez also provided the undercover officer with a picture of the intended victim.

Law enforcement was able to identify the intended victim with the information provided by Chavez and the co-conspirator and detained the intended victim in California in order to prevent the murder.                     

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the HSI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Y. Oldham and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Romano, who prosecuted the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Ian Carlton Alexander a/k/a “Shawn Alexander”, age 50, of Towson, to 61 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

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 (DEA); Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on October 3, 2019, Alexander travelled from his Towson, Maryland residence to New York to acquire 1,990 grams of cocaine that he intended to distribute to a potential narcotics customer in Maryland. The following day, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on Alexander as he was returning from New York to Maryland. Law enforcement recovered approximately two kilograms of cocaine in the passenger compartment and a 9mm handgun in the vehicle’s center console. Law enforcement also recovered approximately $3,357 from Alexander’s person at the time of the arrest.

As detailed in his plea agreement, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Alexander’s Towson, Maryland residence. As a result of the search warrant, law enforcement seized 28 grams of heroin, an assault rifle, and two AR-15 box magazines loaded with armor piercing ammunition.

Alexander knew that as the result of a previous felony conviction, he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the DEA, USPIS, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin R. Cottingham and Special Assistant United States Attorney Coreen Mao, who prosecuted the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chaung sentenced Rodney Jerrod Jefferson, age 29, of Hyattsville, Maryland to seven and a half years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Judge Chaung has also ordered Jefferson to pay a total of $35,100.17 in restitution.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division.

According to his plea agreement, from May 2018 to August 2019, Jefferson conspired with Michael Deandre Packer, age 38, of Washington, D.C. and others to rob postal workers, steal at least 1,000 checks from postal collection boxes worth more than $1.5 million, and deposit the stolen checks into fraudulent bank accounts.

For example, on October 14, 2018, Packer robbed a postal worker in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.  Prior to the robbery, the postal carrier saw Packer in a black Infiniti vehicle.  Investigators later determined Packer had purchased the Infiniti G37 the day before the robbery using an altered or fictitious check and a fraudulent driver’s license bearing Packer’s photograph. 

On December 14, 2018, officers stopped Packer while driving a Audi A7. Investigators later determined that Packer purchased the Audi using a counterfeit $25,000 check. Inside the vehicle, officers located a key used to open postal collection boxes, 119 stolen checks worth $102,260, stolen mail, 130 grams of marijuana, and Packer’s cell phone. A review of the cell phone communications revealed conversations between Packer and Jefferson about negotiating stolen checks, the purchase of firearms, and photographs of firearms.  During a subsequent search warrant executed at Packer’s residence, investigators found another key used to open postal collections boxes, more than 1,000 stolen checks worth in excess of $1.5 million, as well as fraudulent driver’s licenses and credit cards.

On February 27, 2019, investigators executed a search warrant at Jefferson’s residence and found several keys used to open postal collection boxes, stolen checks from different states, deposit receipts and credit cards in other individuals’ names, and a magnetic stripe reader used for encoding credit cards. The issuers of the stolen checks reported to investigators that they deposited the checks into the U.S. Postal Service collection boxes, but the checks were never delivered.

As stated in his plea agreement, four months later on June 18, 2019, investigators arrested Jefferson near Seabrook, Maryland where Jefferson was driving a stolen Cadillac CTS. During a search of Jefferson’s vehicle, investigators found 160 stolen personal checks in various stages of alteration, multiple credit cards in different names, a credit card embosser, and a loaded handgun.

Less than two months later, on August 5, 2019, Jefferson used a rented truck to steal mail from postal collection boxes in Alexandria, Virginia. Three days later, law enforcement stopped Jefferson while he was driving the same rental truck and inside the truck located debit and electronic payment cards in other individuals’ names, additional stolen and altered checks, an ATM deposit receipt matching the information one of the fraudulently obtained debit cards, and a fraudulent driver’s license displaying Jefferson’s photograph.

Over the course of the conspiracy, Packer and Jefferson were recorded on bank surveillance video cashing and negotiating several fraudulent checks and withdrawing the fraud proceeds. Jefferson also admitted to using fraud proceeds to purchase U.S. Postal money orders.  In total, Jefferson obtained at least $24,244 proceeds as a result of the conspiracy. Jefferson, Packer and their co-conspirators caused victims an actual loss of at least $35,100.17.

Co-defendant, Michael Packer previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than four years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $35,100.17.              

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the USPIS for their work in the investigation.  U.S. Attorney Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer L. Wine and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica C. Harvey, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Kiara Haynes, age 36, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to two counts of aiding and abetting the use and discharge of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime and crime of violence, causing the death of Jennifer Jeffrey and her seven-year-old child. Haynes has been detained since her arrest in Texas on June 18, 2021, on a related federal criminal complaint. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Mark K. Lewis of the Cambridge Police Department.

“The murders of Jennifer Jeffrey and her child were a tragedy,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “The loss of any life is tragic, and never more so than a child.  If you threaten or harm a witness, especially a child, the full weight of federal law enforcement will be harnessed to hold you accountable and bring you to justice, no matter how long it takes.”

According to Haynes’s plea agreement, Haynes helped her co-defendant, with whom she was romantically involved, plan to steal heroin from Jennifer Jeffrey, a long-time friend of Haynes. On May 26, 2015, the co-defendant arrived at Haynes’s apartment from the co-defendant’s home in Cambridge and the two went to the phone store, where the co-defendant bought a new phone. During the course of the evening, the co-defendant explained that Jeffrey had heroin and he planned to rob and kill Jeffrey to get the heroin. The co-defendant confirmed to Haynes his intention to kill not only Jeffrey, but her minor child if the child were present at the time of the robbery. Haynes offered to help the co-defendant get a gun.

Haynes subsequently contacted a relative whom she knew to have a gun. The relative was incarcerated at the time. Haynes told the relative on a recorded jail line that she needed the gun so the co-defendant could rob Jeffrey of her drugs. In exchange for allowing Haynes to use the gun, Haynes promised to give the inmate “like 30 [grams]” of the stolen heroin and his gun back. The inmate agreed to loan Haynes the gun. After the call, Haynes and the co-defendant met with the inmate’s brother, who gave Haynes a .45 caliber firearm. Haynes and the co-defendant returned to Haynes’s apartment with the gun.

Later that night, as detailed in the plea agreement, the co-defendant left Haynes’s apartment to go hang out with Jeffrey at Jeffrey’s nearby home. When Haynes woke up later and realized that the co-defendant had not returned, Haynes got upset. Between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Haynes walked over to Jeffrey’s home and began banging on the door and yelling for the co-defendant to come out. Jeffrey’s relative opened the door and told Haynes that children were in the house asleep and that Haynes should go home, which she eventually did.

According to Haynes’s plea agreement, at approximately 7:23 a.m., the co-defendant walked back from Jeffrey’s residence to Haynes’s apartment. The co-defendant told Haynes that Jeffrey had shown him a large amount of heroin and that Jeffrey’s child did not feel well and had not gone to school that day. At approximately 11:41 a.m. Haynes overheard the co-defendant on the phone with Jeffrey, who was talking about making breakfast for the co-defendant. When the co-defendant got off the phone, he retrieved the .45-caliber gun from Haynes’s bedroom and told Haynes that he was going to Jeffrey’s to get the drugs.

When the co-defendant returned to Haynes’s apartment, Haynes asked him what had happened. The co-defendant told Haynes that Jeffrey and her child were dead and gave Haynes a bag of heroin as her “cut” of Jeffrey’s drugs. When Haynes went to a friend’s house to meet the co-defendant, she overheard individuals telling the co-defendant that the heroin was only worth $8,000. As detailed in the plea agreement, Haynes returned the gun to the inmate’s relative along with the heroin given to her by the co-defendant, as payment for the use of the gun.  

On May 28, 2015, after a receiving a call for assistance, the Baltimore Police Department discovered Jeffrey and her child dead in their home.

In the plea agreement, Haynes further admitted that she lied to investigators and prosecutors about these events on five occasions between May 2015 and November 2020.

Haynes faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison on each of the two counts. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett scheduled sentencing for February 24, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Cambridge Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dana J. Brusca, Sandra Wilkinson, and Paul Budlow, who are prosecuting the case, and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Hanlon for his assistance.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Tirrel Saunders, a/k/a “Pretty”, age 35, of Baltimore, Maryland to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Saunders was a member of the Gregory Butler Drug Trafficking Organization (“Butler DTO”) which distributed heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. 

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; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, from October 2018 to April 2019, FBI investigators intercepted phone communications of the Butler DTO that operated in and around the Baltimore area, arranging heroin, crack cocaine, and fentanyl sales to drug users and redistributors from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The Butler DTO sold thousands of dollars in narcotics daily and frequently sold over 100 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl on a daily basis. Customers of the Butler DTO believed they were purchasing heroin; however, the Butler DTO adulterated all heroin it sold with fentanyl.

As stated in his plea agreement, Saunders was identified as a Butler DTO supervisor, which involved managing the daily supplies of narcotics and the collection of drug proceeds from distributors. FBI investigators intercepted communications of Saunders regularly arranging the resupply of heroin and crack cocaine to co-conspirators who would then sell those narcotics to customers. Saunders also communicated with Butler DTO leadership and acted as a liaison between Butler DTO leadership and street-level distributors.

Saunders agreed that over the course of the conspiracy, he distributed over one kilogram of heroin to street-level distributors.

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

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, DEA, Montgomery County Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. United States Attorney Barron also recognized the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the City of Rockville Police Department; the Baltimore County, Howard County, and Montgomery County Police Departments; the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; the Maryland State Police; the West Virginia State Police; the Virginia State Police; the Warren County (VA) Sheriff’s Department; the Winchester (VA) and Front Royal (VA) Police Departments; and the Frederick County and Howard County State’s Attorney’s Offices for their assistance. United States Attorney Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew DellaBetta and Peter J. Martinez, who prosecuted the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Russell Ramseur, age 44, of Largo, Maryland, to seven years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin and for possession with intent to distribute heroin. 

The sentence was announced by Acting 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; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division.

According to Ramseur’s plea agreement, from at least April 2014 through December 2015, Ramseur was registered as a vendor on a Darknet marketplace where he advertised the sale of heroin to the general public under the username "BESTMAN365." On the Darknet marketplace, Ramseur accepted orders for heroin and received payments from customers in Bitcoin. Ramseur and his co-conspirators packaged and shipped heroin from Capitol Heights, Maryland, to customers throughout the United States.

Throughout the course of the investigation, law enforcement intercepted or received through the mail at least nine packages containing heroin. 

On December 14, 2015, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at the residence of one of Ramseur's associates in Greenbelt, Maryland. During the search, law enforcement seized $13,000 in cash from a safe, which Ramseur admits was the proceeds of his heroin distribution.

The Darknet marketplace where Ramseur advertised the sale of heroin allowed customers to rate vendors.  In 2015, investigators compared listings for heroin by BESTMAN365 with subsequent customer reviews.  Based on that comparison and the length of the drug trafficking conspiracy, Ramseur admitted that it was reasonably foreseeable that Ramseur and his co-conspirators distributed between one kilogram and three kilograms of heroin through the Darknet marketplace.

This case was prosecuted utilizing resources from the Dark Market and Digital Currency Crimes (DMDCC) Task Force. The DMDCC Task Force is a joint effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI – Baltimore, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Food and Drug Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department, targeting the use of dark net marketplaces and digital currencies to facilitate criminal activities. The past several years have witnessed a significant increase in the use of the internet (both the clear net and dark net) and digital currencies to facilitate, for example, the illegal sale and distribution of narcotics and firearms, computer technologies (including hacking tools), and Personal Identifiable Information (PII). In response to this rising threat, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI, and their partners formed the DMDCC Task Force to facilitate stronger collaboration among law enforcement partners combatting these crimes.

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.         

Acting United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the FBI, USPIS, and DEA for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam K. Ake and Kristi N. O’Malley 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 Reginald Leon Bolden, age 37, of Harford County, Maryland yesterday to nine years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine. As part of his plea agreement, Bolden must also forfeit a Chevrolet Camaro and more than $3,000.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Harford County State’s Attorney Albert J. Peisinger, Jr.; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; Sheriff Jeff Gahler of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office; and the Harford County Narcotics Task Force comprised of members of the Harford County Sheriff's Office, Aberdeen Police Department, Bel Air Police Department, and Havre de Grace Police Department.  

According to his guilty plea, as a result of the Harford County Narcotics Task Force investigation Bolden, Tremayne Gerrad Murphy, and Joel William Hammond were identified as members of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that was distributing powder and crack cocaine.

Law enforcement observed Bolden and his co-conspirators engaged in drug-related activities, including on February 24, 2020, when investigators surveilled Bolden and Murphy as they traveled to Wilmington, Delaware to meet with a cocaine supplier. After purchasing nine ounces of cocaine from the supplier, Bolden and Murphy returned to Harford County to distribute the cocaine.

Two days later, Murphy was observed traveling to a Wilmington, Delaware casino to return the cocaine to the cocaine source after customers complained about the quality of the cocaine. After meeting with the source, detectives followed Murphy back to Harford County where they saw Murphy conduct a hand-to-hand drug transaction.

As stated in his agreement, on March 15, 2020, Bolden was heard discussing the purchase of three ounces of crack cocaine from co-defendant Hammond. Bolden arranged the transaction through an intermediary, who gave money to Hammond in exchange for a small backpack, which investigators believed contained the cocaine.

Once the intermediary notified Bolden that he was home, Bolden arranged for Murphy to pick up the crack cocaine, then texted the intermediary. Investigators subsequently saw the intermediary leave his residence with the small backpack of suspected cocaine and get into a vehicle operated by Murphy. The intermediary quickly exited Murphy’s vehicle without the backpack and Murphy then traveled to Bolden’s residence.

Later, Bolden was seen leaving Hammond’s residence and driving back to Harford County. As Bolden returned to Harford County, members of the Harford County Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant on his vehicle and seized 16 grams of powder cocaine, 41 grams of crack cocaine, and $660 in cash.   That same day, a search warrant was executed at Bolden’s residence and law enforcement recovered 12 grams of crack cocaine, $2,785 in cash, numerous items of packaging material, and a digital scale containing cocaine residue.

As a member of the DTO, Bolden agrees that it is reasonably foreseeable that the amount of crack cocaine sold was at least 280 grams but less than 840 grams.

On September 1, 2021, co-defendant Tremayne Murphy, age 40, of Harford County, Maryland, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Murphy and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, he will be sentenced to between 60 months and 92 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for December 17, 2021 at 11 a.m.

On October 28. 2021, Judge Bennett sentenced co-defendant Joel Hammond, age 35, of Essex, Maryland, to six years in federal prison for his role in the drug distribution conspiracy. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Harford County Narcotics Task Force, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Romano, who is prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Dominic Jerry Robinson, age 27, of Parkville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to the federal charges of conspiracy to steal mail and mail theft in connection with various fraud schemes. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; 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, between May 2019 and March 2020, Robinson conspired with others, including Nicholas Milano White and Cedric Jonathan McNeal Parker, to engage in fraud schemes and criminal conduct including, theft of mail, fraud involving checks and money orders, trafficking and possession of false identification documents, and unlawful possession of counterfeit credit and debit cards.

For example, Robinson admits that on October 10, 2019, a forged check in the amount of $3,500 drawn on a victim’s trust account was deposited into a “drop account,” a bank account used to deposit and transfer proceeds of fraud, without the consent or authorization of the account holder, a resident of Illinois. That same day, Robinson was captured on surveillance withdrawing $3,500 from the drop account at an ATM in Baltimore.

As detailed in Robinson’s plea agreement, on February 5, 2020, co-defendant Nicholas Milano White deposited a $4,250 stolen check into a bank account opened in Robinson's name. The check had been stolen from a mail collection box in Rosedale, Maryland. The stolen check was subsequently altered to list Robinson as payee and endorsed with Robinson’s signature. ATM surveillance images captured White getting out of a white sedan registered to Robinson in order to make the fraudulent deposit. Within two days of the fraudulent deposit, approximately $2,382.50 was debited from Robinson’s account through withdrawals and purchases.

Between March l, 2020, and March 8, 2020, Robinson, White, and McNeal Parker stole mail from multiple USPS collection boxes. On March 1, 2020, White sent Robinson a list of locations of mail collection boxes via text message. During the early morning hours of March 8, 2020, Robinson picked up White and McNeal Parker and traveled with them in Robinson’s white sedan to a mail collection box in Rosedale, Maryland, where White and McNeal Parker were captured on surveillance images exiting the vehicle, stealing mail from a collection box, and reentering the vehicle with the stolen mail. Robinson and his co-defendants traveled to several other locations and stole mail from at least two other collections boxes. Baltimore County Police Department officers began pursuing Robinson’s vehicle, which fled.  Law enforcement eventually located the vehicle in a residential area of Pikesville, Maryland. The vehicle was unoccupied and gloves, trash bags, and approximately 358 pieces of unprocessed U.S. mail were on the ground outside of the vehicle. Law enforcement found and arrested Robinson and White at a nearby location.

Mail stolen by Robinson and his co-conspirators included mail deposited by at least approximately 136 postal customers and addressed to the Internal Revenue Service, the Comptroller of Maryland, and numerous other government agencies, businesses, and individuals. Approximately 48 victims reported that mail stolen by Robinson and his co-conspirators contained bank checks or other financial instruments valued at approximately $48,938. Many victims also reported that their stolen mail contained documents listing sensitive personal identifying information ("PII") and/or sensitive financial information.

During a search of Robinson’s vehicle, law enforcement recovered a red cell phone, three credit cards not issued in Robinson’s name, a false photo identification listing a name with initials A.D., three money orders totaling $1,575 and listing A.D. as payee, and a portable mini encoder, a device used to encode magnetic stripes on credit or debit cards.  Further investigation revealed that the money orders found in the vehicle had been stolen from mail collection boxes in February 2020. The money orders were subsequently altered to remove the names of the original payees and to list A.D.'s name as the payee of each money order.

Examination of the red cell phone confirmed that the cell phone was owned and used by Robinson and revealed text messages about stealing mail and committing fraud by counterfeiting checks and money orders and negotiating stolen checks. Robinson’s cell phone also contained text messages he exchanged with White asking White to produce a false photo identification for another person in exchange for payment. Robinson sent White a photo of the person's face and certain identifiers, including a Social Security number belonging to another person. White eventually responded with a photo of the fake photo identification he produced upon Robinson’s request.

Robinson’s cell phone also contained sensitive personal and financial information belonging to other persons. Law enforcement recovered from the cell phone images of other persons' W-2 tax forms and other sensitive documents, including medical records. Robinson admitted that he also possessed credit and debit card "dumps" on his cell phone, which included information associated with at least 20 credit and debit cards issued to other persons and the persons' names and addresses and that he had made fraudulent charges totaling at least $6,284.19 on those credit and debit card accounts. Robinson also had notes on the phone listing PII, including Social Security numbers, assigned to at least 20 real persons. Examination of Robinson’s cell phone showed that he had browsed personal data broker websites and websites that illegally marketed and distributed sensitive credit and debit card information.

As part of his plea agreement, Robinson will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which the parties have stipulated is at least $12,366.69.            

Robinson and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Robinson will be sentenced to between 30 and 42 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for February 3, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. 

Nicholas Milano White, age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced on March 30, 2021, to eight years in federal prison, and was ordered to pay restitution of $29,234. Cedric Jonathan McNeal-Parker, age 30, of Randallstown, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal mail and to mail theft and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. 

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Maddox, who is 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 – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Wardell Lester, Jr., age 66 of Baltimore, Maryland today to one year in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for theft of government property in connection with the theft of $223,655 in social security benefits intended for his mother.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division (SSA OIG).

According to his plea agreement, from September 1997 to January 2018, Lester stole monthly Social Security Retirement Insurance benefit payments from the Social Security Administration intended for his mother. Lester failed to notify the Social Security Administration that his mother had died in September 1997 and falsely reported that he spent the funds on her behalf. As a result of this offense, Lester personally obtained approximately $223,655 from the Social Security Administration to which he was not entitled.

As the son and representative payee of his mother, Lester was charged with spending his mother’s Social Security retirement benefits on her behalf and was required to file annual reports that documented transactions using those funds. Each year, Lester provided falsified reports that detailed how he spent the funds on food, housing, and personal items.  In 2012, Lester elected to receive payments by direct deposit to an account in his name. Records from the account show that Lester would withdraw virtually all of the funds by ATM at the beginning of each month.

As stated in his plea agreement, in an interview with SSA OIG agents on January 11, 2019, Lester admitted to spending his mother’s benefits on drugs and living expenses. Lester further admitted to falsifying Social Security Administration benefit accounting forms. At the end of the interview, Lester gave a written statement in which he apologized for the spending of the funds, but Lester continued to spend the benefit payments until SSA terminated them in May 2019.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the SSA OIG for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Davio, who prosecuted the case.

 

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Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Eladio Alfaro Sarmiento, age 55, of New Carrollton, Maryland, for production of child pornography involving two victims under the age of three.  The criminal complaint was filed on September 23, 2021, and unsealed today upon the defendant’s initial appearance.

The federal charge 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 Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, on August 9, 2021, the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) received five cyber-tipline referrals from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), generated when a representative from an Internet search engine discovered child pornography within the photo storage for a user.  The referrals requested expedited processing because of potential “hands-on abuse.”

As detailed in the criminal complaint, the cyber-tip contained information about a specific video file believed to contain child sex abuse material allegedly created by Sarmiento, as well as the metadata related to the location where the video was filmed, which approximately maps to the area of Sarmiento’s residence.

Specifically, the cyber-tips contain approximately 44 video files that were uploaded between June and August 2021, from two email accounts allegedly connected to Sarmiento.  According to the affidavit, the videos document the sexual abuse of prepubescent minors, including Victim 1 and Victim 2, who are both under the age of three.  Investigation of the photos section of one of the email addresses allegedly used by Sarmiento revealed hundreds of images and videos depicting child sex abuse material.

On August 11, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Sarmiento’s residence and recovered five cellular phones, as well as clothing worn by Victim 1 and Victim 2 in videos that were part of the NCMEC cyber-tips. A subsequent forensic analysis of the contents of one of the cell phones allegedly belonging to Sarmiento revealed several images that appear to be “still” images from the videos depicting the sexual abuse of Victim 1 and Victim 2. The affidavit alleges that there were also several other images located on the cell phone showing ownership attributions such as an image of a COVID-19 vaccination card in the name of Eladio Alfaro, selfies depicting Sarmiento, as well as a social security card in his name. Sarmiento was arrested on August 11, 2021 on State charges filed in Prince George’s County related to child pornography and rape and has been detained since his arrest.

If convicted, Sarmiento faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for production of child pornography.  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.  At today’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles B. Day ordered that Sarmiento be detained.

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

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly O. Hayes, who is prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – Odunayo “Baba” Oluwalade, age 25, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a federal wire fraud conspiracy in connection with a scheme purporting to sell COVID-19 vaccines.  

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 Mark S. McCormack of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Criminal Investigations’ Metro Washington Field Office; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, Oluwalade conspired with others to obtain access to a bank account for use in the fraud scheme.  Oluwalade admitted that he knew the bank account would be used for a fraud scheme, but was not aware of the specifics of the scheme.  The scheme called for Oluwalade to be compensated for his role in obtaining bank accounts for use in the scheme.

As detailed in Oluwalade’s guilty pleas, the scheme involved the creation of a fake domain, named “Modernatx.shop” (the “Fake Domain”), which appeared visually similar to Company 1’s actual home page, including in the trademarked logos for Company 1, colors and markings.  Company 1 is a biotechnology company that focuses on drug discovery, drug development, and vaccine technologies, including a vaccine for COVID-19. According to the plea agreement, unlike Company1’s website, the Fake Domain had the text: “YOU MAY BE ABLE TO BUY A COVID-19 VACCINE AHEAD OF TIME,” with a link to “Contact us.”

Oluwalade admitted that on November 13, 2020, he received a message from an individual asking him to obtain bank accounts to be used in the fraud scheme.  On November 16, 2020, a co-conspirator texted Oluwalade that he had located someone who would allow them to use his Navy Federal Credit Union account for the fraud scheme.  The co-conspirator provided Oluwalade with the banking information, which he sent to a second co-conspirator.

On January 11, 2021, an HSI Special Agent, in an undercover capacity (“UC”), contacted a number listed on the Fake Domain, which investigators determined was linked to an account on an encrypted messaging application which also allows voice-over-Internet calls and video chats.  The number replied approximately two hours later requesting an e-mail address to contact the UC, which the UC provided. Approximately four minutes later the UC received an e-mail from sales@modernatx.shop, an e-mail address which appears on the Fake Domain, purporting to welcome the UC to Company 1 and providing a brief description of Company 1 and the storage requirements of Company 1’s vaccine.

After several additional e-mails, the UC received information regarding payment, delivery, and purchase for alleged Company 1 vaccines from a Google e-mail address.  The UC was sent a purported invoice for 200 doses of Company 1’s vaccine at $30.00 per dose, for a total of $6,000, with payment terms listed as 50% up front and 50% upon delivery.  The UC was allegedly instructed to send payment to the Navy Federal Credit Union account discussed above.  The UC transferred a portion of the funds to the account as directed.

According to his plea agreement and court documents, on January 15, 2021, the government seized the fake domain and executed a series of search warrants, including at the home of the co-conspirator with the Navy Federal Credit Union account.  Investigators used that co-conspirator’s phone to send Oluwalade a message: “Yo where u want me send the bread?” (referring to the cash investigators had sent to Williams’s bank account for the purchase of alleged vaccines as directed).  Oluwalade replied, “Yea send me some thru zelle and some through cash app.”  Both Zelle & Cash App are online payment platforms.  Oluwalade provided his Cash App User ID name, and investigators made a cash transfer of the funds to Oluwalade’s Cash App account per his request. 

 Odunayo “Baba” Oluwalade faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy.   U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher did not schedule a sentencing date.

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.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron S. J. Zelinsky and Sean Delaney, who are prosecuting the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Jamie Clemons, age 36 of Pasadena, Maryland, to nine years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for malicious destruction of a property by fire, in connection with the fire on July 28, 2017, at Coconut Charlie’s, a bar in Pasadena.  Judge Bennett also ordered Clemons to pay restitution in the amount of $560,346.26. As a result of the arson, Coconut Charlie’s sustained over $500,000 in damage; the building was razed and the business was forced to permanently close.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; the Anne Arundel County Fire Chief Trisha L. Wolford; and the Anne Arundel County Fire Marshal Division Chief John Lane.

“This defendant not only endangered our brave firefighters who responded to the arson that he set, he caused devastating damage to a longtime Maryland business, forcing it to close,” said  U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “The fire arsons often cause are indiscriminate in the lives and property they put in jeopardy. Arsons are also often difficult crimes to uncover and prove in court, and I am grateful to our investigative and prosecution teams for their dedication and persistence.”

According to the indictment and the government’s plea letter, on July 28, 2017, Clemons maliciously damaged and destroyed by fire a bar known as Coconut Charlie’s, located in the 9100 block of Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena, in order to conceal evidence of an assault he had committed there on July 22, 2017.

As detailed in the statement of facts filed as part of the government’s plea letter, on July 22, 2017, at approximately 1:00 a.m., Clemons assaulted his girlfriend on the patio area of Coconut Charlie’s.  An Anne Arundel County Police officer witnessed the assault and it was also captured on Coconut Charlie’s video surveillance system.  As a result, Clemons was charged with second degree assault and theft of less than $100 in the District Court for Anne Arundel County, and was served with a summons for the case on July 27, 2017.

Clemons admitted that in the early morning hours of July 28, 2017, he assembled multiple incendiary devices akin to Molotov cocktails, then lit the wicks for the devices on fire, and threw them at the exterior of Coconut Charlie’s in an attempt to burn the structure and destroy the video surveillance system, which had captured his assault on his girlfriend the week prior.

Due to the size of the fire, several agencies responded in an attempt to control and extinguish the fire, and a firefighter sustained injuries due to the force of a Backdraft that caused him to fall off a ladder. A fire scene examination was conducted, and the area of origin of the fire was determined to be the west exterior of the restaurant. Investigators reviewed the exterior camera footage from the video recording system, which remained operational after the fire, and were able to observe multiple flashes of light (at least three), followed by a sustained fire on the west exterior of the structure.

Charred melted plastic cups, which had been filled with gasoline, and a burnt cloth used as a wick material were located on the roof and exterior grounds of the building, and most were found to contain the presence of gasoline. Clemons admitted that he set the wicks on fire prior to throwing the devices on the roof. An accelerant detection K-9 dog also alerted to the presence of gasoline on the west side of the exterior just on the other side of the fence surrounding Coconut Charlie’s. This is the area where Clemons launched the devices at Coconut Charlie’s. A short distance away, along the north side of the exterior of the property fence line, a glove was found which tested positive for the presence of an ignitable liquid and contained Clemons’ DNA.

On November 30, 2017, a federal search warrant was obtained for Clemons’ text messages on his cell phone. The contents of those messages revealed that after the assault and in the days leading up to the fire, Clemons sent multiple text messages expressing concern as to whether police would obtain the video surveillance of the assault, and what the video had captured.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, and the Anne Arundel County Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Judson T. Mihok and Mary W. Setzer, 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 George J. Hazel sentenced David Annor, age 28 and Lesley Annor, age 23, both of Gaithersburg, Maryland to federal prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with a romance scheme in which conspiracy members induced elderly and isolated victims to send money to co-conspirators based on romantic assertions and other misrepresentations. David Annor, Lesley Annor, and their co-conspirators received and laundered the payments from the victims.  David Annor was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.  Lesley Annor was sentenced to 20 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered the Annors to pay $6,278,250 in restitution.

The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Director in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division (USPIS); and Special Agent in Charge Matthew R. Stohler of the United States Secret Service - Washington Field Office (USSS).

“David and Lesley Annor preyed on hundreds of elderly victims around the world. They took advantage of their trust to selfishly obtain millions of dollars in fraud proceeds. Now, they will spend time in federal prison for the severe financial fraud they have inflicted on vulnerable elderly victims,” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “This sentencing should serve as a deterrent from others conspiring to defraud our elderly citizens.”

“This investigation is yet another example that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is strongly committed to ensuring the sanctity of the U.S. Mail and will hold those who prey on our most vulnerable citizens accountable for their actions.” said Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division.

“Today’s sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s and our law enforcement partners’ commitment to pursuing justice for victims of elder fraud,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “We will continue to track down criminals like Annor and his co-conspirators—who coldheartedly prey on their elderly victims’ isolation, loneliness, and vulnerability and then pocket their hard-earned money—and hold them to account for their cruel scams.”

“We are pleased to see justice served here. These individuals preyed on the elderly making their crimes particularly egregious. The outcome of this collective investigative effort should send a clear message that these types of scams will not be tolerated.” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew R. Stohler of the United States Secret Service - Washington Field Office.

According to their guilty pleas, between May 2017 and October 2020, David Annor, Lesley Annor, and a co-conspirator participated in a romance scheme that targeted elderly victims online, typically through social media, dating websites, e-mail, and online applications.  Once the conspiracy members convinced the victims to trust them, the conspiracy members would instruct the victims to send money to bank accounts and physical addresses linked to David Annor and conspiracy members. Conspirators often received 10 percent of the victim’s money and sent the remainder of the money to co-conspirators located in Ghana.

For example, in September 2018, Victim 2, a woman born in 1957, met an individual claiming to be Brett Fernley on a social media platform. Fernley told Victim 2 that he was an underwater welder from Canada, who resided in Florida and worked near Ireland. After engaging in what Victim 2 thought to be romantic conversations, and gaining Victim 2’s trust, Fernley began asking Victim 2 for money.

In December 2018, Fernley instructed Victim 2 on how to send money to a bank account in the name of Ravid Enterprise, a business bank account opened and controlled by David Annor. Bank records show that Victim 2 wired over $44,800 to the Ravid Enterprise bank account.

Over the course of the scheme, the conspiracy members laundered over $6,200,000 through approximately 34 bank accounts at 11 different financial institutions. At least $3,909,396 in victim payments were made into personal and business bank accounts controlled by David Annor.

The Annor brothers have remained in custody since their arrest on November 16, 2020.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised FBI, USPIS, and the USSS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Windom and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jessica C. Harvey from the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Larry Francis Newman, Jr., age 37, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and 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 Timothy Jones 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. 

Newman and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Newman will be sentenced to between 61 months and 96 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for March 16, 2022 at 10 a.m. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  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 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 – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang today sentenced two members of the racially motivated violent extremist group “The Base” each to nine year in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for firearms and alien-related charges arising from federal charges in Maryland and Delaware.  Judge Chuang found that, based on additional evidence presented by the government at a hearing on October 25, 2021, the defendants committed these crimes with the intent to promote federal terrorism crimes.

Brian Mark Lemley, Jr., age 35, of Elkton, Maryland, and Newark, Delaware, previously pleaded guilty to the Maryland charges of conspiracy to transport certain aliens, to transporting certain aliens, to disposing of a firearm and ammunition to an illegal alien, and to transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony; and for the Delaware charges of harboring certain aliens, aiding and abetting an alien in possession of a firearm, and obstruction of justice. 

Canadian national Patrik Jordan Mathews, age 29, recently of Newark, Delaware, previously pleaded guilty to the Maryland and Delaware charges of being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition; for the Maryland charge of transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony; and for the Delaware charge of obstruction of justice. 

A third co-defendant and member of “The Base,” William Garfield Bilbrough IV, age 21, of Denton, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport an alien and to transporting the alien, specifically, The Base member Patrik Mathews, and was sentenced to five years in federal prison.

Today’s sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; United States Attorney for the District of Delaware David C. Weiss; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

“Lemley, Mathews and others in The Base were assembling firearms and collecting thousands of rounds of ammunition with the intent to commit violence in furtherance of white nationalism and the downfall of the American state” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “Detecting, disrupting, and deterring terrorist threats continues to be a top priority of the Justice Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will use all of the tools at our disposal to investigate and prosecute violent extremists.”

U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss stated, “Violence predicated on racial hatred lies at the core of the Base philosophy. Defendants embraced that philosophy and made preparations— through planning, training and manufacturing weapons—to execute that philosophy. These actions, designed to promote terror, deserve harsh punishment. Today’s sentence delivers that punishment.”

“Brian Lemley and Patrik Mathews betrayed their countries and forfeited their freedom when they conspired, with others, to attack and murder innocent civilians, children, police officers and federal agents. Today’s sentence ensures they never achieve those goals,” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Identifying and disrupting terrorist plots, both foreign and domestic, is one of the FBI’s top priorities, and the round-the-clock teamwork with our partners saved innocent lives and kept Lemley and Mathews’ endgame of civil war out of reach.”

“These individuals had a mission to terrorize and harm innocent people, and destroy infrastructure to cause chaos, all in an effort to advance their White nationalist beliefs. They spent months obtaining firearms and ammunition in preparation to execute it,” said ATF Baltimore Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. “ATF is proud to be part of FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force where we can lend our expertise in firearms and explosives investigations to the greater goal of identifying and preventing violent extremism. Strong partnerships between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are crucial in ensuring we stop these individuals, no matter what state or jurisdiction they are in.”

According to court filings, Lemley, Mathews, and Bilbrough were members of The Base, a racially motivated violent extremist group.  Since 2018, The Base has built a coalition of white supremacist members within the United States and abroad through, among other things, online chat rooms, in-person meetings, propaganda, and military-style training.  The Base’s accounts on social media repeatedly posted content promoting terrorism, lone-wolf attacks, and a white ethno-state.

As detailed in their plea agreements, Lemley and Bilbrough traveled in Lemley’s vehicle to participate in a regional training camp conducted by members of The Base in Georgia from August 2 through August 4, 2019, including participating in tactical training and firearms drills.  Later in August, Lemley and Bilbrough attended another The Base training camp in a different state.

As detailed in the plea agreements for Lemley and Mathews, on August 19, 2019, the Winnipeg (Canada) Free Press published an article regarding one of its reporter’s infiltration of The Base that led to the identification of Mathews as a member of The Base. Mathews then fled Canada and illegally entered the United States. At some point thereafter, Lemley and Bilbrough learned that Mathews had unlawfully crossed the border.

On August 30, 2019, Lemley and Bilbrough traveled in Lemley’s truck from Maryland to southern Michigan to pick up Mathews in order to transport him to the East Coast where he could safely reside and continue his participation in The Base.  Lemley later drove Mathews to the area of Chincoteague, Virginia, in order to conceal Mathews’ presence in the United States.

On Saturday, September 14, 2019, Lemley traveled in his vehicle from his residence in Elkton, Maryland, to Chincoteague Island, Virginia, where he picked up Mathews.  Lemley and Mathews then traveled south, through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to Rome, Georgia, in the vicinity of the residence of a known member of The Base.  Approximately five hours later, Lemley departed for Maryland and Mathews stayed at the Georgia property.

According to court documents, on October 30, 2019, Lemley and Bilbrough drove to Georgia to attend a training camp at the property of another member of The Base.  Mathews, who was already residing at the Georgia property, also attended the training camp.  While in Georgia, on November 2, 2019, Lemley and Bilbrough purchased approximately 1,550 rounds of 5.56 ammunition.  Later that day, Lemley, Mathews and Bilbrough traveled from Georgia to Maryland.  The next day, Lemley and Mathews dropped Bilbrough off at his house and traveled to Elkton, Maryland, where Mathews spent the night at a motel a few minutes from Lemley’s residence.  On November 4, 2019, Lemley and Mathews rented an apartment in Newark, Delaware, where they resided until their arrests on January 16, 2020.

As detailed in the government’s sentencing memorandum, on December 13, 2019, law enforcement agents executed a court authorized delayed-notification search warrant of the Delaware residence.  Agents located Base propaganda flyers, notes suggesting that Mathews had vetted an applicant to The Base, a large number of military style Meals-Ready-to-Eat (“MREs”), and obtained images of electronic devices.  Agents found several videos of Mathews espousing violent, anti-Semitic, and racist language.  Many of the videos discussed killing people in furtherance of “the movement.”

Intercepted communications obtained from a court-authorized closed circuit television camera and microphone installed in the Delaware residence and other evidence showed that the defendants believed that a pro-firearms rally in Richmond, Virginia on January 20 , 2020, would begin the collapse of the United States government, which white nationalists often refer to as the Boogaloo.  After the November 2019 state elections both chambers of the Virginia legislature and the Governor were controlled by elected representatives from the Democratic Party. The defendants believed that the Democrats intended to use their power to pass a variety of gun control and other legislation anathema to the white nationalist cause.  The defendants believed that at the rally on January 20, they and other like-minded confederates would begin systematically murdering and destroying to force the capitulation and demise of the U.S. government.  The evidence showed that the defendants began preparing for the Virginia violence weeks before the scheduled rally.

According to their plea agreements, on December 20, 2019, Mathews took steps to construct a rifle out of various weapons parts and watched a video on his phone that provided directions on constructing the rifle.  Lemley and Mathews also discussed the rifle and parts that needed to be obtained to finish constructing the rifle.  Lemley and Mathews admitted that they held and manipulated the rifle.

On December 21, 2019, the defendants discussed the Virginia plan.  They wanted to “create f*****g some instability while the Virginia situation is happening,” “derail some rail lines,” “…shut down the highways,” “shut down the rest of the roads,” and “kick off the economic collapse of the US within a week after the Boog starts.” Lemley stated, “I mean even if we don’t win, I would still be satisfied with a defeat of the system…”

The evidence further showed that on December 23, 2019, the defendants discussed murdering a law enforcement officer in order to obtain additional gear for the Virginia plan.  For example, after Lemley discussed with Mathews what a good shot he was, “My shot group my grouping at 300 yards is an inch and a half…,”  Lemley stated, “Guy is the guy is just like sitting there he just parked in his in his car and sitting in his in his driver’s seat and not moving he’s just sitting there…An all I have to do is is plink him right through the f*****g windshield…and everything is now mine.”

As detailed in court documents, on December 25, 2019, the defendants discussed killing guards at the federal prison in Indiana where a convicted mass murderer was being held, in order to break that person out of jail.

On December 26, 2019, the defendants continued discussing how Base members should take out power lines in Virginia and kill “the system.”  Specifically, Mathews wanted Base members to “get to every single thing you can take out---power lines, everything.  We need to f*****g escalate this and spread that idea and just say ‘f*****g bring the system down.’ When Virginia happens, we f*****g kill the system.”

Lemley and Mathews acknowledged that on December 29, 2019, they discussed visiting a gun range to test fire the newly constructed rifle.  On January 2, 2020, Lemley took the rifle from the apartment in Delaware to a public gun range in Maryland, where he was observed by an FBI agent.  On January 5, 2020, Mathews and Lemley left the Delaware residence with at least one firearm and went to the same public gun range previously visited by Lemley.  Prior to their arrival, the FBI had set up a stationary camera in a vehicle near the range and an ATF agent was in the vicinity of the range.  Agents observed, and the camera recorded, Mathews in possession of, and firing a firearm.  Lemley observed Mathews’ shots through an unattached rifle scope.

Lemley admitted that on January 7, 2020, he ordered approximately 1,500 rounds of 5.56 mm and 6.5 mm ammunition, which fit two rifles possessed by Lemley and Mathews.  On January 11, 2020, Lemley drove Mathews from their Delaware residence to the Maryland gun range they had visited previously.  Mathews admitted that while at the range, he handled and fired the rifle.  On the way back to Delaware, the men stopped at Lemley’s prior residence in Elkton, where they retrieved some of the 1,500 rounds of ammunition Lemley had ordered on January 7.  Mathews admitted that he knew he was an alien illegally present in the United States at the times he possessed the firearm and ammunition in Maryland and Delaware.

As detailed in court documents, that same day, the defendants told an undercover FBI employee about what was happening in Virginia and that they “expected 60,000 militia to show up in the capitol” on January 20, 2020 and that they were “rolling for chaos.”  Lemley further stated, “It’s just that we can’t live with ourselves if we don’t get somebody’s blood on our hands…”  Later that day Lemley stated, “If we’re not ambushing feds, and we’ve got nothing better to do, we might as well go disable that infrastructure…”  Per Lemley, “I’ll be kind of like on the ground in Richmond.  Not in the front, but way int eh back, just kind of looking at things, seeing how things are going, and if it turns into a shoot-out, I’ll immediately retreat from the city and then start organizing all the people that are going to come and respond.”  Lemley established the Shenandoah valley as the base camp.

On January 15, 2020, Lemley and Mathews had an extensive conversation about Virginia, including the possibility of going to jail for their conduct. During the conversation, Mathews told Lemley, "Right now, if I ever get captured, I am going to jail for the rest of my life. You realize they’re just gonna call us terrorists…."

Early in the morning on January 16, 2020, federal agents executed federal arrest warrants on Lemley and Mathews at the Delaware residence. Before Lemley and Mathews submitted to the agents, however, Lemley repeatedly directed Mathews to smash his cell phone.  Lemley and Mathews smashed their cell phones and dumped them into the toilet.  Lemley and Mathews admitted that by doing so, they intended to obstruct or impede the administration of justice with respect to the investigation, prosecution, and sentencing of their offenses.  Their activity was fully captured on video and audio surveillance equipment installed in the Delaware residence, pursuant to a federal court order.  From the residence, agents recovered two firearms, ammunition, magazines, radios, camping gear, tactical gear, and MREs.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and United States Attorney David C. Weiss commended the FBI Baltimore Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) and the ATF for their work in the investigation, and thanked U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland State Police, and the Delaware State Police for their assistance.  Mr. Barron and Mr. Weiss thanked their offices’ national security prosecutors, who are handling the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland - A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Lewis Ismael Blandon, a/k/a “LordLewy”, age 35, of Edgewood, Maryland, for the charges of sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement, distribution/receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and transfer of obscene matter to a minor. Blandon is a former Baltimore City Public Schools music teacher.

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

According to his 18-count indictment, beginning in December 2020, Blandon operated several different social media accounts and a variety of aliases on these platforms to meet and/or communicate with minor males. Blandon allegedly used these aliases and social media platforms to persuade, induce, entice and coerce three minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct and to send Blandon images and video of that conduct during the victims’ online communications with Blandon.

The indictment alleges that Blandon, using an alias of “JaggRock,” also used an online messaging account to send images of what Blandon represented was his penis to one of the minor victims on three separate occasions.  Under the same username, Blandon also allegedly distributed and possessed other sexually explicit images and videos of minors, including a video depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler.

If convicted, Blandon faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each of two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor; a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison for each of two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct; a maximum of 40 years in federal prison for four counts each of receipt of child pornography and distribution of child pornography; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each of three counts of possession of child pornography; and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each of three counts of transfer of obscene matter to a minor. 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. Blandon has been detained since he was arrested on related charges on October 13, 2021.  

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. 

The case was investigated by the FBI-led Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force, created in 2010 to combat child prostitution, with members from10 state and federal law enforcement agencies.  The Task Force coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit to identify missing children being advertised online for prostitution.

MCETF partners with 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.justice.gov/usao/md/priorities_human.html.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Maryland Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen E. McGuinn, who is prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Joel William Hammond, age 35, Essex of Maryland, to six years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine. 

The sentence 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; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; Harford County State’s Attorney Albert Peisinger; Sheriff Jeff Gahler of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office; and the Harford County Narcotics Task Force comprised of members of the Harford County Sheriff's Office, 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, the Harford County Narcotics Task Force undertook an investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) distributing powder and crack cocaine in Harford County, Maryland. Over the course of the investigation, detectives intercepted numerous drug-related communications over social media and phone calls, which identified Hammond as a drug supply source. 

On March 7, 2020, task force detectives followed one of the DTO members who met with Hammond at Hammond’s residence in Essex, returned to Harford County.  Detectives then observed a member of the DTO meet with several known drug users. Detectives believe that the DTO member obtained two to three ounces of crack cocaine from Hammond, which were then sold to the DTO’s customers.

Hammond met with members and customers of the DTO on at least 10 occasions between March and April 2020. Specifically, on March 31 detectives intercepted a series of communications indicating that a member of the DTO planned to meet Hammond to obtain crack cocaine. Investigators learned that Hammond sold approximately one ounce of crack cocaine to the individual during the meeting.

On April 21, 2020, investigators learned that Hammond and a DTO member were to meet later that day. Detectives observed Hammond and the DTO member make contact at Hammond’s residence. Soon after, the DTO member drove back to Harford County. A traffic stop by the Harford County Sheriff’s office led to a search of the vehicle by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team and Harford Narcotics Task Force, after first obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle.

As a result of the search, law enforcement discovered two plastic bags, both containing a white substance, as well as $660 in cash. One of the bags contained 16 grams of a white rock like substance that was similar to powder cocaine that had been directly cut off a kilogram of pressed cocaine. The second bag contained an off-white rock-like substance that law enforcement determined to be 41 grams of crack cocaine. The combined weight of the two bags was 57.9 grams.

On April 22, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hammond’s residence and seized a small quantity of crack cocaine.

Hammond agrees it is reasonably foreseeable that the conspiracy involved at least 112 grams but less than 196 grams of crack cocaine.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Harford State’s Attorney’s Office, the Harford County Narcotics Task Force, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Romano who prosecuted the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Zhiyang Yang, age 61, formerly of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 14 months in federal prison, which is time served, for making illegal payments to an immigration official.  The sentence was imposed on October 26, 2021.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jim Valenzuela of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR); and Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.

According to his plea agreement, Yang entered into the United States on a tourist visa in May 2018 and never departed, contrary to the terms and duration of that visa. Later, Yang was identified by immigration authorities and ordered to report regularly to an ICE, Enforcement and Removal contractor. The contractor managed the supervision of certain individuals during the pendency of immigration proceedings.

On at least four occasions, Yang provided cash to a case manager (Public Official 1) in relation to immigration matters.

First, on September 27, 2019, Yang met with Public Official 1 for a scheduled appointment as part of Yang’s monitoring agreement with ICE, pending Yang’s immigration proceedings.  An interpreter was participating in the meeting by telephone while both Public Official 1 and Yang were physically present in a room. In the meeting with Public Official 1, Yang stated that he “wanted his freedom back.”  Public Official 1 informed Yang that he was on the lowest form of monitoring, but Public Official 1 could potentially reduce the frequency of Yang’s required office visits. Public Official 1 also informed Yang that there was a process for the reduction of required meetings. Immediately after Public Official 1 ended the call with the interpreter, Yang looked over his shoulders before offering Public Official 1 several folded bills of cash. Public Official 1 refused the money twice and left the office to make copies of documents for Yang. Yang then concealed $100 under Public Official 1’s keyboard. Public Official 1 reported the conduct to the appropriate authorities.

On October 11, 2019, Yang met with Public Official 1 for an immigration monitoring meeting. At that time, Public Official 1 was acting in an undercover capacity at the direction of law enforcement. Upon entering Public Official 1’s office, Yang placed $200 in cash in Public Official 1’s pocket and asked for reduced monitoring.  During their conversation, Public Official 1 stated that if he were to help Yang with less reporting, as Yang requested, Public Official 1 would need “more money”. Yang subsequently asked if $1,000 would suffice and said that he could provide it before the next scheduled appointment.

During an in-office meeting with Public Official 1 on October 25, 2019, Yang gave Public Official 1 $700 in cash, in exchange for Public Official 1 reducing the frequency of Yang’s in-office visits. Yang then inquired about obtaining additional immigration benefits, asking if he could obtain legal status earlier, as he wanted “as much freedom as possible.”

On December 20, 2019, Public Official 1 stated there could be another way to help Yang obtain a Green Card (officially known as a “Permanent Resident Card” which allows an immigrant to live and work permanently in the United States), but that it would be illegal. In response, Yang stated that he would very much appreciate that and would compensate those involved. Public Official 1 then estimated a price of $15,000 for Yang to obtain the Green Card. At the end of the conversation, Yang asked if he could pay upon the next visit.  At the next office visit, Yang made a $5,000 down payment towards the illegal Green Card. 

From December 2019 to August 28, 2020, Yang continued to speak with Public Official 1 and other immigration officials, who were also acting in an undercover capacity, to arrange installment payments in the effort to illegally obtain a Green Card. In several instances, the officials reiterated that this was illegal activity. Yang’s response was “not to worry.”

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised ICE OPR and HSI Baltimore for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Wright, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Justin Ryan Best, age 46, of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute and to possess 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 Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

According to his guilty plea, from 2013 to April 2021, Best operated an illegal steroid manufacturing business from his Laurel, Maryland residence and conspired with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute, home manufactured steroids throughout the United States.

In March 2021, investigators received information about a suspicious parcel that had been shipped from a Chinese sender to Best’s Laurel, Maryland residence. The shipment was flagged because two shipments from the same China-based sender were previously seized and contained equipment to illegally press pharmaceutical pills. The parcel destined for Best also contained a similar cargo description that was previously used for other Chinese shipments containing pill press components. After the interception of the parcel destined for Best, investigators discovered pill press components concealed inside bubble wrap.

As stated in his plea agreement, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Best’s Laurel, Maryland residence.  Officers located and seized 8,500 units of controlled substances used in manufacturing steroids, including two 2,000-milliliter jars of testosterone cypionate, 198 pills of oxandrolone, 114 pills of stanozolol, 61 pills of oxymetholone, nine 10-milliliter vials of testosterone enanthate, one 10-milliliter vial of testosterone phenylpropionate, syringes, and packaging and mailing materials.

In addition to precious metals, collectable coins, and $6,127 in cash, officers recovered approximately 167 firearms consisting of 120 handguns, 39 rifles, seven shotguns, and 25 silencers.  Officers also seized hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, as well as 277 firearm magazines and 18 sets of firearm accessories from Best’s garage.  Best agreed that the seized firearms, silencers, ammunition, magazines and firearm accessories were purchased with proceeds of his manufacturing and distribution of controlled substances.

In an interview with law enforcement, Best stated that he had manufactured and distributed steroids for approximately 10 years and that he purchased the raw material from Chinese sellers using cash or Bitcoin.  Best also stated that he mixed and manufactured vials of steroids at his residence, sold the products on an encrypted messaging application, and commonly shipped the steroids using the U.S. Mail to customers throughout the United States.  Best also informed officers that he was employed full-time as a software engineer and contractor for the United States Navy’s Office of Naval Intelligence, which paid him a salary of approximately $140,000 a year.  Best estimated that his drug trafficking operation generated an additional $100,000 per year.

Best faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for February 18, 2022 at 2 p.m.

This case was prosecuted utilizing resources from the Dark Market and Digital Currency Crimes (DMDCC) Task Force. The DMDCC Task Force is a joint effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI – Baltimore, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Food and Drug Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department, targeting the use of dark net marketplaces and digital currencies to facilitate criminal activities. The past several years have witnessed a significant increase in the use of the internet (both the clear net and dark net) and digital currencies to facilitate, for example, the illegal sale and distribution of narcotics and firearms, computer technologies (including hacking tools), and Personal Identifiable Information (PII). In response to this rising threat, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI, and their partners formed the DMDCC Task Force to facilitate stronger collaboration among law enforcement partners combatting these crimes.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI, ATF, the Maryland State Police – Forensic Sciences Division and the Laurel Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey J. Izant and Caitlin R. Cottingham, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging four defendants with a racketeering conspiracy at the Metropolitan Transition Center (MTC), in Baltimore, Maryland.  The indictment charges two former correctional officers (COs), a detainee, and an outside “facilitator” for their roles in the conspiracy, which allegedly involved paying bribes to correctional officers to smuggle contraband, including narcotics, tobacco, and cell phones, into the jail.  The indictment was returned on October 13, 2021 and made public today.  Charged in the indictment are:

Christopher Mann, age 39, of Baltimore, a detainee at MTC; Thomas Green, a/k/a “Fatass,”, age 33, of Pikesville, Maryland, a former Correctional Officer at MTC; Shanese Butler, age 33, of Baltimore, a former Correctional Officer at MTC; and
Cania Jefferson, age 35, of Landsdowne, Maryland, an outside facilitator.

Green, Butler, and Jefferson will have their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Baltimore today beginning at 2:00 p.m. Mann is currently serving a state sentence and will be brought in for his initial appearance at a later date.

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

“Corrupt correctional officers that smuggle contraband into jails endanger the lives of their co-workers and the detainees entrusted to their care,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “Prisoners can use contraband cell phones to direct criminal activity outside, which also endangers the community.  The United States Attorney’s Office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to root out prison corruption and prosecute those who abuse their positions of trust to facilitate and engage in criminal behavior.”

“This case demonstrates that we will not tolerate employees in positions of trust violating their oaths,” said Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Federal, state, and local officials will continue to work together to ensure public servants who violate their duty for personal gain will be held accountable.”

According to the indictment, MTC is a medium security facility run by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) for the housing of Maryland pretrial detainees.  MTC houses approximately 500 male detainees in eight housing areas, or “dorms.” 

The indictment alleges that from about June 2020 and continuing until November 2020, the COs smuggled contraband into MTC, including narcotics, cell phones, and tobacco.  The indictment alleges that the narcotics smuggled into MTC included buprenorphine, commonly referred to as “Suboxone” and synthetic cannabinoids (otherwise known as “K2”).  The COs allegedly accepted and agreed to accept payments from facilitators and detainees as consideration for smuggling contraband into MTC.  The indictment alleges that Shanese Butler also engaged in a romantic relationship with Christopher Mann. Mann and his facilitators paid the COs for smuggled contraband using cash and electronic payment platforms, including Cash App.  Mann allegedly received payment from other detainees for contraband transactions via Cash App and other methods, often with the assistance of facilitators.

The defendants allegedly used cell phones to communicate with one another and to coordinate their contraband smuggling and trafficking activities.  The indictment alleges that by using contraband cell phones, Mann avoided using MTC’s jail call system, thereby enabling him to have undetected and unrecorded conversations with his co-conspirators.

The indictment documents numerous text and phone conversations between Mann, Butler, and Jefferson during which Mann directed Butler and Jefferson to make payments to Green and others and  arranged for the delivery of contraband to Green for smuggling into MTC. 

On July 29, 2020, Mann allegedly used a contraband cell phone to call Jefferson.  Mann told Jefferson that he had just paid a bribe to Green to have Green transport him to a building where Butler was working by herself so that Mann and Butler could have sex.  According to the indictment, Mann complained to Jefferson that after he arrived at the building, Butler was reluctant to have sex because she was afraid of being caught.  Mann allegedly complained to Jefferson that the aborted rendezvous was a wasted opportunity.  The indictment alleges that approximately three week later, during a call on August 19, 2020, Mann instructed Jefferson to purchase an engagement ring for Butler at a store in Columbia Mall.  Two days later, Mann allegedly wired $1,650 via Cash App to Jefferson to cover the cost of the ring.

According to the indictment, on several occasions in September 2020, Mann called Butler on a contraband cell phone to discuss sending contraband, specifically paper soaked in liquid K2, through the mail. During one conversation, Butler allegedly suggested sending the paper to another detainee to solicit the detainee’s feedback as to whether the K2 was sufficiently potent.  The indictment alleges that in another conversation Butler noted that the paper looked “glossy” and suggested that printing a picture on it would make it less noticeable to law enforcement.  Mann allegedly instructed Butler to print a picture depicting “white people” on the paper and to mail the paper to a specific white detainee at MTC.  The indictment alleges that Butler subsequently notified Mann that she had sent the K2 soaked paper to the white detainee, using the alias “Tiffany Baker” in the return address.

The indictment alleges that during the same time frame, Mann suggested to Jefferson that his father was concerned that law enforcement officers were aware of his criminal activity.  Mann allegedly told Jefferson, “My father acting like the goddam federal agents are coming to get me.”  Jefferson allegedly responded, “No, ain’t nobody coming to get nobody.” 

On October 2, 2020, law enforcement executed search warrants at residences belonging to Butler and Jefferson.  Law enforcement seized K2, as well as drug paraphernalia, from Jefferson’s residence.  At Butler’s residence, investigators seized K2, $3,020 in cash, and the engagement ring Jefferson had given to Butler on Mann’s behalf. 

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the racketeering conspiracy. 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 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 DPSCS for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter J. Martinez and Aaron S.J. Zelinsky, who are prosecuting the federal case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Troy Lee Neal, age 42, of Elkton, Maryland, to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

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; Superintendent Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III of the Maryland State Police; and Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams.

According to his guilty plea, investigators identified Neal as well as co-defendants Mark Williams and Kevin Johnson as suppliers of cocaine after an extended investigation dating back to 2019. The conspiracy members distributed crack cocaine to multiple customers in Elkton, Maryland.

Law enforcement also intercepted at least eight instances in which Neal, or his co-conspirators, conversed in coded conversations about drug activity. For example, on May 27, 2020, after a series of calls between a co-conspirator and a customer, police observed Neal and a co-conspirator visit a customer’s residence. Shortly after their arrival, two male customers entered the co-conspirator’s residence. After one of the two male customers left the residence, police conducted a traffic stop of this customer and seized 3.6 grams of crack cocaine. At that time, Williams, Neal, and Johnson were arrested.

As stated in his plea agreement, on June 13, 2020 law enforcement covertly observed Neal, Williams, and Johnson depart from Neal’s residence and travel to the Bronx in New York, where investigators believe that the conspiracy members obtained cocaine.  The next day, on June 14, 2020, law enforcement observed the three men travel back to Neal’s residence.  Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Neal’s residence and recovered 497 grams of compressed suspected cocaine, several bags of suspected marijuana, a digital scale, and several cell phones.

Co-defendant Mark Williams was sentenced to seven years in federal prison on September 23, 2021 for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. Co-defendant Kevin Johnson was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for the same charges on August 23, 2021.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the HSI, the Maryland State Police Department, and the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Wilkinson and Kim Y. Oldham, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Glenda Hodges, age 72, of Clinton, Maryland, yesterday to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after Hodges pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, in connection with the misuse of federal funds, and other fraud related to non-profit and for-profit entities that Hodges operated, and additional fraud committed while Hodges was on pretrial release for the wire fraud charges.  Judge Xinis also ordered Hodges to forfeit $268,573.41 through a money judgment and to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is $295,060.48.

The guilty plea and sentence were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge D. Nichole Fleming of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, Fraud Detection Office; Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

“Glenda Hodges not only defrauded the government and taxpayers, she also abused the trust of elderly victims, taking their money to pay her personal expenses and leaving them in debt,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron.  “Perpetrators of this type of egregious fraud will be prosecuted to fullest extent of the law.”

According to Hodges’ plea agreement, Hodges owned and was the Chief Executive Officer of Still I Rise Incorporated, a non-profit entity which purported to provide services and resources to minority survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking; Still I Rise Comprehensive Support & Training Services LLC (“CSST”), a for-profit entity; and the Women’s Wellness Center (WWC), a for-profit medical weight loss clinic operated under the umbrella of CSST. Between 2010 and 2017, Hodges was awarded more than $2 million in grants from the United States Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) Office of Violence Against Women (“OVW”) and Prince George’s County to implement a violence against women program through Still I Rise.

As detailed in her plea agreement, the three grants that DOJ OVW awarded Hodges and Still I Rise were authorized only for the stated purpose of implementing Still I Rise’s non-profit program to address violence against women; specifically, to provide community services related to violence against women, including crisis intervention, support groups, financial and employment counseling, material assistance, job training, advocacy, court and medical accompaniment, language services, and transportation, and to provide a $12,000 stipend each year to Hodges as the Director of Still I Rise. 

Hodges admitted that she converted funding from the grant awards to her personal benefit and to pay WWC payroll and other WWC expenses.  By 2016, Hodges had exhausted the grant funding and her companies were financially distressed.  Hodges then used fraudulent means to inject additional funding into WWC and Still I Rise.

Specifically, Hodges admitted that on October 9, 2015, she caused $134,800 to be stolen from Victim 1—a mutual fund in Pennsylvania—and wired into a bank account associated with Still I Rise, and then used the stolen funds for expenditures at WWC and for her personal benefit.  In addition, on April 8, 2016, Hodges deposited a $72,938 altered business check related to a federal cancer research grant that was stolen from Victim 2, a prominent university in Texas, into a different bank account opened in the name of Still I Rise and over which Hodges was the sole authorized signer. 

Further, between March 10 and August 26, 2016, Hodges fraudulently opened credit accounts at two financial institutions using the identifying information of Victim 3, an elderly volunteer at Still I Rise, without the victim’s knowledge or permission, accumulating at least $40,000 in debt.  Hodges admitted that, to secure one of the lines of credit, she had Victim 3 medically transported to a nearby bank. When Victim 3 was brought to the bank, Victim 3 was in pain and in a wheelchair, and had an antibiotic catheter line running to her heart.  When the loan for which Hodges transported Victim 3 was not approved, Hodges used Victim 3’s personal information to acquire a credit card in Victim 3’s name, maxed out the $25,000 limit on the card and failed to make any payments on the debt.  Hodges used the funds to pay for expenses such as Hodges’ homeowners’ insurance, internet service, Medicare services, and car repairs.

Finally, Hodges admitted that between October 9, 2020 and October 21, 2020, after her initial indictment and while she was on pretrial release, Hodges defrauded a fourth victim by claiming she would monitor the victim’s finances while the victim prepared to move out of state. Hodges assured the victim that she would return the funds once the victim was settled in her new location. Hodges drove the victim to her financial institution and procured a check for $71,731.85, which Hodges deposited into her own bank account. Hodges spent the victim’s money on personal expenditures, without the victim’s authorization, and failed to repay the victim.

Hodges admitted that the actual loss to OVW and Victims 1, 2, 3, and 4 was at least $295,060.48.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, the Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor, and the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly O. Hayes and Caitlin R. Cottingham, who prosecuted the case.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – William Terrell Hudson, age 41, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine.    

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

According to his guilty plea, in January 2021, during proactive enforcement efforts in the area of Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, ATF investigators identified a social media post by “byrdman4711” that was consistent with advertising the sale of crack cocaine. Investigators later determined that the account belonged to Hudson and asked a confidential informant to message Hudson’s “brydman4711” account to arrange the purchase of crack cocaine.

As a result of ATF’s investigation, Hudson distributed crack cocaine in exchange for cash on eight occasions between February 9, 2021 and April 7, 2021. Hudson agrees that he distributed more than 28 grams but less than 112 grams of cocaine base.

Hudson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute cocaine base.   U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for January 14, 2022 at 10 a.m.

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Stendig and Lindsey McCulley, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Lindsay DeFrancesco, 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 today returned an indictment charging William R. Johnson, Jr., age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland, for a federal charge of honest services wire fraud, for allegedly seeking and accepting bribes and kickback to falsely certify that applicants for Maryland handgun qualifying licenses (HQL) and wear and carry permits (CCW) had completed the required training.  Johnson is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore tomorrow, October 27, 2021 at 3:45 p.m.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

Johnson, who joined the Baltimore County Police Department in August 2008, became a narcotics detective on February 18, 2014.  Johnson obtained a qualified handgun instructor certificate (QHIC) from the Maryland State Police on April 29, 2019.  In order to purchase, rent, or receive a handgun in Maryland, residents must have a handgun qualification license (HQL).  To obtain an HQL, the applicant must be at least 21 years old and complete four hours of instruction by a qualified handgun instructor, including classroom training, a firearms orientation, and a “live fire” exercise in which the applicant safely shoots the weapon. Similarly, to obtain a license to wear and carry a firearm (referred to as a wear and carry permit or “CCW”) residents must have completed the Maryland State Police (MSP) firearms training course within two years of submitting a new or renewal application.  In addition, the applicant must undergo a minimum of 16 hours of instruction for an initial CCW application, and a minimum of eight hours of instruction for a renewal CCW application which is administered by a qualified handgun instructor.  Part of the training course for obtaining a CCW is a firearms qualification exercise in which the applicant must shoot a specific course, scoring at least 70 percent accuracy, to demonstrate their proficiency and use of the firearm.

According to the six-count indictment, from May 2019 through September 2021, Johnson solicited and accepted bribes and kickbacks, paid through interstate electronic funds transfer services like Venmo, CashApp and Zelle, from applicants seeking HQLs and CCWs in exchange for Johnson falsely certifying to the Maryland State Police that the applicant had completed the training required by law. 

As detailed in the indictment, Johnson communicated with applicants and arranged the payments using a messaging application.  Johnson allegedly charged approximately $100 for an HQL certification and between $150 and $200 for a CCW certification.  In conversations with the applicants, Johnson allegedly made clear that once they paid the money, Johnson would send them the required documentation and they did not need to attend the required classes.  The indictment alleges that, after receiving payment from the applicants, Johnson sent the applicants a “Certified Qualification Score Sheet” falsely certifying that the applicant completed the required training.  The indictment alleges that the applicants then submitted those falsified forms as part of their application.  Based on the falsified documentation provided by Johnson and submitted by the applicants, the applicants received an HQL or CCW from MSP.  The indictment alleges that Johnson received six payments from five individuals seeking to obtain an HQL, a CCW, or both an HQL and CCW.

According to the indictment, since April 29, 2019, Johnson has certified at least 100 applicants for handgun qualification licenses and at least 45 for wear and carry permits.

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

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

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore, the Maryland State Police, and the Food and Drug Administration - Office of Investigations for their assistance.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Wise and Christine Goo, 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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