District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Floyd Montague, age 28, of Baltimore, to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees; Chief Thomas J. Ledwell of the Westminster Police Department; and Baltimore City Sheriff John Anderson.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “All too often, guns and drugs go hand in hand—and both are killers.  Armed drug dealers, like Floyd Montague, are on notice that gun crime may lead to federal time, where there are no suspended sentences and no parole—ever.” 

According to Montague’s plea agreement, on November 29, 2018 and January 29, 2019, Montague met with an individual working with law enforcement at a gas station in Baltimore County.  On both occasions the individual got into the front passenger seat of Montague’s vehicle and Montague sold the individual drugs.  Specifically, on November 28, 2018 Montague sold the individual 20 vials containing 3.69 grams of cocaine; 10 bags containing 1.2 grams of heroin, and a paper fold containing .503 grams of heroin.  On January 29, 2019, Montague sold the individual 24 baggies containing 2.96 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl and 40 vials containing 4.43 grams of cocaine.

Following the sale of drugs on January 29, 2019, police attempted to arrest Montague, but Montague drove his vehicle into oncoming traffic and fled.  During his flight, Montague struck an undercover vehicle being driven by police officers, causing extensive damage to the police vehicle.  Montague turned into a lumber yard, drove through a chain link fence at the rear of the property, and after the vehicle came to a stop, fled on foot.

Montague was subsequently apprehended and searched.  Officers recovered 17 bags containing a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, with a net weight of 2.48 grams.  A search of Montague’s vehicle recovered cash totaling $927.80 and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun containing a magazine loaded with ten cartridges.  The gun had been reported stolen on May 8, 2016.  The firearm had several wet drops of blood on it.  Montague’s DNA matched the DNA found in the blood on the firearm.  Montague had at least two previous felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.                 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised HSI, the Maryland State Police, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Westminster Police Department, and the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, which are part of the Carroll County Drug Task Force, for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Goldsticker, who prosecuted the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Darnell E. Bassett, age 24, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with a fatal accident on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.  The guilty plea was entered on September 25, 2019.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Chief Gregory T. Monahan of the U.S. Park Police; and Chief Peter Newsham of the Metropolitan Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, on June 24, 2019, a vehicle driven by Bassett was involved in a collision with a District of Columbia Metropolitan Police cruiser in northeast Washington, D.C.  The police vehicle was disabled, but Bassett continued driving at a high rate of speed, going the wrong way on a one-way street.  Another marked Metropolitan Police vehicle pursued Bassett with its lights and siren activated.  Bassett did not stop, making his way into Maryland on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

Bassett continued driving northbound on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway at a high rate of speed and passed other vehicles by driving on the right shoulder of the highway.  Sometime during the incident, one of his tires blew out, but Bassett nevertheless continued driving on the shoulder of the highway and passing other traffic.  While driving at least 70 miles per hour, Bassett began to take the right-side exit ramp to the inner loop of Interstate 495, then veered left across the on-ramp and into the triangular painted safety zone between the ramp and the travel lanes, striking a Honda CR-V that was stopped in the safety zone.  The Honda spun around and then turned onto its side.  The driver of the Honda died as a result of the crash. 

Bassett faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison.  As part of his plea agreement, Bassett is also required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victim’s losses and injuries caused to the victim and the victim’s vehicle, which includes but is not limited to the costs of the victim’s funeral and burial costs.  U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for November 27, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the U.S. Park Police and the Metropolitan Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Morgan and Hollis Raphael Weisman, who are prosecuting the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Zhi Tian Lang, age 23, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, pleaded guilty on September 25, 2019, to receipt of child pornography and to extortion by threat to ruin the reputation of another.  Lang admitted that he threatened to post revealing photos of the victims on social media and other Internet platforms if they did not send him sexually explicit photographs and/or videos of themselves. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Acting Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, between at least January and October 2014 Lang communicated with minor female victims ranging in age from 13 to 17 years old and located throughout the United States, including South Dakota, Wisconsin, and New Jersey.  Lang used an Internet messaging application and used the name “Seth” when contacting his victims.  Lang would obtain pictures of minor victims from their social media accounts or through direct flirtation.  The picture often depicted the victims in their underwear.  Lang would then demand that unless the victim provided him with nude pictures, he would post the initial pictures on a public Internet account or send them directly to one or more of the victim’s acquaintances.

As detailed in his plea agreement, at least eight minor victims provided Lang sexually explicit photos and/or videos of themselves in response to Lang’s threats.  Lang admitted that he posted photographs of minor victims to coerce them and sent at least one photo to another individual.

As a result of his conviction, Lang will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).  Unless indigent, Lang will also be required to pay a special assessment of $5,000.

Lang faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for receipt of child pornography and a maximum of two years in prison for extortion by threat to ruin the reputation of another.  U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte has scheduled sentencing for January 8, 2020 at 9:30 a.m.

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who is prosecuting the federal case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Gari Terrell Miller, age 39, of Clinton, Maryland, to 9 years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, and to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.  Miller was one of the first defendants charged as part of the new federal-state initiative announced in December 2018 to combat the fentanyl crisis in Maryland.

Under this new initiative, titled the “Synthetic Opioid Surge,” or “SOS” for short, every arrest involving distribution of fentanyl made by law enforcement in Baltimore is reviewed jointly by the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to determine whether the case will be handled in the state or federal system.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office will prosecute more cases involving fentanyl as a result of this new program.  The use of federal resources and statutes, which carry significant terms of imprisonment, is necessary to prosecute those individuals who pose the greatest threat to public safety in distributing lethal doses of fentanyl.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Colonel Woodrow Jones, Chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.

“Law enforcement partners are working together to arrest and prosecute those who peddle deadly fentanyl on our streets and in our neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Drug traffickers are on notice that dealing in fentanyl increases their odds of federal prosecution.  People are dying from fentanyl overdoses in Baltimore City and throughout Maryland.  We must do everything we can to reduce overdose deaths from this drug and from all opioids.”

According to his plea agreement, on April 12, 2018, a Maryland Transportation Authority Police officer conducted a traffic stop near Conway Street in Baltimore, after observing Miller drifting between lanes and turning onto Conway Street without signaling.  During the stop, the officer smelled marijuana.  After the officer conducted a sobriety test, he searched Miller and recovered approximately $740 in cash and a white powdery substance that was 49 grams of fentanyl—enough to kill 24,500 people.  Law enforcement also recovered from Miller’s vehicle $3,300 in cash bound with rubber bands, and a drug ledger listing weights, names, and dollar amounts.  The ledger reflects, and Miller admits, that he sold 832 grams of heroin.

Miller further admitted that he conspired with others to distribute fentanyl and heroin in Maryland.  Miller had others assisting him with distributing narcotics and collecting the drug proceeds.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended DEA and Maryland Transportation Authority Police for their work in the investigation and thanked Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby and her office for their assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Samika N. Boyd, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Jason Kiser, age 40, of Taneytown, Maryland, to eight years in federal prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release, for witness retaliation and illegal possession of firearms.  Kiser admitted that he burned the vehicle of an individual in retaliation for that person providing information to law enforcement concerning Kiser’s illegal possession of firearms.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Carroll County Sheriff James T. DeWees; and Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci.

“We take witness tampering and witness retaliation very seriously,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Those who tamper with or retaliate against a witness will face federal prosecution and federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.”

According to his plea agreement, on May 8, 2018, Kiser went to a gunsmithing store in Taneytown, Maryland, which was located in a building next to the owner’s home.  The store was in the process of moving to a new location on West Baltimore Street in Taneytown.  Kiser asked the owner if he could take the parts from a firearm that Kiser had brought into the store with him, and place them on a stripped receiver that Kiser planned to obtain from another store.  The owner of the store knew Kiser and believed that Kiser had previously been convicted of theft of a motor vehicle and possibly other crimes and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.  On May 9, 2018, an ATF investigator conducted a compliance check at the gunsmithing store and the owner advised the investigator of Kiser’s request.  The ATF investigator opened a criminal investigation of Kiser. 

On May 10, 2018, Kiser arrived at the gunsmithing store’s new location on West Baltimore Street in Taneytown, and provided the owner with an AR-556 rifle; a PWA, Model Commando receiver; and a Model A-15 receiver.  Kiser asked the owner to place a forward grip on the AR-556 rifle and take the parts off of the PWA Commando and place them on the A-15 receiver.  In coordination with investigators, on May 11, 2018, the owner advised Kiser that the firearms were ready.  Law enforcement arrested Kiser as he walked towards the store.  Kiser was charged in the Circuit Court for Carroll County with illegal possession of firearms.  In the charging documents, the officer identified the store owner as a witness. 

In the early morning hours of July 17, 2018, the store owner awoke at his house to the sound of a car horn.  The store owner looked out of his bedroom window and saw his vehicle, which was parked in the carport adjacent to his residence, on fire.  Firefighters extinguished the fire and called Maryland State Fire Marshals to determine the cause of the fire.  Investigators located a glove from behind the carport and recovered a plastic can cover and bolt cutters from next to the driveway.  They also recovered pieces of burned debris from the vehicle.  DNA evidence recovered from the glove and bolt cutters revealed a high stringency match to Kiser’s DNA, which was submitted to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) during Kiser’s previous arrests.  Investigators categorized the fire as an arson, based on the DNA evidence.

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 Robert K. Hur commended ATF, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia C. McLane and Mark Gurzo, formerly a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in Maryland and now an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Pennsylvania, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Dennis Pulley, a/k/a Denmo, age 31, of Baltimore, to 35 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to participate in a drug distribution conspiracy and a violent racketeering enterprise known as Trained To Go (TTG), as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  The racketeering conspiracy included eight murders, as well as drug trafficking and witness intimidation.  Pulley and his co-defendants were also convicted of a drug distribution conspiracy involving heroin, marijuana, and cocaine.  The TTG gang operated in the Sandtown neighborhood of West Baltimore.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.

“Dennis Pulley and his fellow gang members brought violence and misery to West Baltimore, in the form of murders, shootings, armed robbery, witness intimidation, and drug dealing. Now, Pulley will spend 35 years in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Hopefully criminals who are not deterred from terrorizing our neighborhoods by the threat of prison can be deterred by the reality of years spent in a federal prison far from home—where there is no parole.  Ever.”

According to the evidence presented at their 24-day trial, Pulley and his co-defendants are all members or associates of TTG, a criminal organization that operated in the Sandtown neighborhood of West Baltimore, whose members engaged in drug distribution and acts of violence including murder, armed robbery, and witness intimidation.  As part of the conspiracy, each defendant agreed that a conspirator would commit at least two acts of racketeering activity for TTG. 

The evidence at trial showed that members and associates of TTG sold heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, and worked to defend their exclusive right to control who sold narcotics in TTG territory.  Pulley served as one of TTG’s primary suppliers of heroin and marijuana.  TTG members routinely sold “packs” of heroin and gram quantities of marijuana from multiple locations in Sandtown.  Typically, a “pack” contained between 25 and 50 gel capsules of heroin.  In addition, the evidence proved that between May 20, 2010 and January 9, 2017, Pulley, his co-defendants, and other members of TTG committed acts of violence, including murders, shootings, armed robbery, and witness intimidation.  Murders were committed in retaliation for individuals robbing TTG members of drugs and drug proceeds, or while TTG members robbed others of their drugs and drug proceeds, as well as in murder-for-hire schemes.  Further, the defendants engaged in witness intimidation through violence or threats of violence, to prevent individuals from cooperating with law enforcement.

For example, in the summer of 2016, a feud developed between Pulley and Chris Pennington, a/k/a “Magic.”  Pennington and several other individuals robbed a marijuana distributor that Pulley supplied.  When Pulley learned that Pennington was offering money for information concerning Pulley’s location, Pulley solicited members of TTG and others to murder Pennington.  On January 9, 2017, Pennington was shot multiple times and died.  Search warrants were subsequently executed at Pulley’s home and the home of a co-defendant, Brandon Wilson.  Law enforcement recovered the gun used to murder Pennington at Wilson’s home and recovered a .22-caliber pistol, one pound of marijuana, and $32,758 in cash from Pulley’s home.  On October 18, 2018, a witness was on the stand testifying about Pulley during the trial.  While counsel were participating in a bench conference with the presiding judge, Pulley mouthed the words “I’ll kill you” to the witness, which was seen by a Deputy U.S. Marshal.

The leader of the gang, Montana Barronette, a/k/a Tana and Tanner, age 23, and his brother, Terrell Sivells, a/k/a Rell, age 27, both of Baltimore, were each sentenced to life in prison on February 15 and April 26, 2019, respectively.  Timothy Floyd, a/k/a Tim Rod, age 28, of Baltimore, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on July 19, 2019.  Co-defendants Brandon Wilson, a/k/a Ali, age 24, and Taurus Tillman, a/k/a Tash, age 30, both of Baltimore, were each sentenced to 25 years in prison on March 1 and May 21, 2019, respectively.  Two other co-defendants, John Harrison, a/k/a Binkie, age 28, and Linton Broughton, a/k/a Marty, age 25, both from Baltimore, were sentenced to life in prison and to 30 years in prison, respectively, on March 15, 2019.  Three other TTG members previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to between five and 25 years in prison.

Another defendant, Roger Taylor, a/k/a Milk, age 28, of Baltimore, a fugitive since July 2017, was arrested on June 30, 2019, and is now awaiting trial.  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 investigation was conducted by the FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force, which includes FBI special agents and task force officers from the Baltimore, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County Police Departments.  FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force is responsible for identifying and targeting the most violent gangs in the Baltimore metropolitan area, to address gang violence and the associated homicides in Baltimore.  The vision of the program is to use federal racketeering statutes to disrupt and dismantle significant violent criminal threats and criminal enterprises affecting the safety and well-being of our citizens and our communities.

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

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.                       

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur and Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, the ATF, the DEA, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Romano, Daniel C. Gardner, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Hanley formerly of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Angela Marie Farr, a/k/a Angela Pace, Angela Mullins, and Angela Biggs, age 33, of Leonardtown, Maryland; Michael Vincent Pace, age 39, of Leonardtown, Maryland, and Mary Francis Biggs, age 62, of Lexington Park, Maryland with conspiracy and theft of government property.  Farr was also charged with aggravated identity theft and social security fraud.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Field Office Kim R. Lampkins for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General; and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General.

The five-count indictment alleges that Farr served as the organizer of a conspiracy in which she submitted false and fraudulent documents to the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) claiming that Farr, her then-husband, Michael Pace, and her father, Individual 1, were homebound and required full-time assistance and disability compensation.  Farr’s mother, Mary Biggs, conspired with Farr to file fraudulent documents on behalf of Individual 1, and, when Farr so exaggerated Individual 1’s disabilities that the VA determined that Individual 1 could not handle his own finances, appointed Biggs as Individual 1’s fiduciary.

Angela Marie Farr was a member of the United States Navy from August 2, 2005 to April 19, 2007.  On October 6, 2009, Farr received a service-connected disability rating of 70% based on fraudulent documentation she submitted, which purported that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from an incident in which she was raped by another serviceman.  Farr admitted to local law enforcement to fabricating the incident.  Farr also claimed to the VA that she suffered a traumatic brain injury from an on-duty car accident, which was also determined to be a fabrication. Ultimately, the VA increased Farr’s service-connected disability rating to 100% based on additional fraudulent documentation she submitted.  As a result, Farr received approximately $390,000 from the VA to which she was not entitled.

Farr is also charged with stealing the identity of a physician identified in the indictment as “Doctor 1” when she submitted forged documents to the VA purportedly authored by that physician.  Farr is also charged with social security fraud for fraudulently receiving $35,000 in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for her claimed disabilities.

Michael Vincent Pace was a member of the United States Army from August 30, 2001, to February 2, 2002, and from January 4, 2005, to June 2, 2006, as well as the United States Army National Guard from May 22, 2007, to October 28, 2007.  Pace and Farr were married from 2008 until they divorced on December 5, 2017.  Pace was deemed to be 100% disabled by the VA, based on fraudulent medical documentation submitted to the VA.  Despite claiming to be profoundly disabled, Pace also received a Caregiver Assistance stipend from the VA exceeding $2,500 per month for purportedly caring for Farr.  As a result, Pace received approximately $274,000 from the VA to which he was not entitled.

Mary Francis Biggs was Farr’s mother, and the wife of Individual 1.  Individual 1 was a member of the United States Navy from January 29, 1974, to January 31, 1997, and is Farr’s father. Individual 1 received a 100% service-connected disability rating by the VA based on fraudulent documentation Farr and Biggs submitted on his behalf.

On July 5, 2017, the VA determined, based on fraudulent documentation, that Individual 1 was not capable of managing his finances because of his purported disabilities, and appointed Biggs as Individual 1’s fiduciary.  As such, Biggs was responsible for the receipt and expenditure of Individual 1’s fraudulently obtained VA benefits funds.  As a result, Biggs and Individual 1 received approximately $156,000 in disability compensation and SMC to which they were not entitled.  Biggs conspired with Farr to hide from the VA the fact that Individual 1 was capable of working, and was in fact actively employed.

Farr, Pace, and Individual 1 purported to be wheelchair-bound and to require in-home nursing to accomplish everyday tasks due to their claimed service-connected injures.  However, during the period they were purportedly disabled, Farr operated a social media marketing company based in Leonardtown, Maryland, Pace raised his three children and regularly exercised at a local CrossFit gym, and Individual 1 was employed as a division head at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, Maryland.

If convicted, Farr faces a mandatory minimum of 2 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; Biggs and Pace face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

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 Robert K. Hur commended the VA-OIG and the SSA-OIG for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Davio, who is prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Kenneth Wendell Ravenell, age 60, of Monkton, Maryland, on federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and narcotics conspiracy.  The indictment was returned late on September 18, 2019. 

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office.

Law enforcement will have no comment beyond this press release at this time. 

According to the indictment, Ravenell violated the legitimate and lawful purpose of the law firm where he worked in order to enrich himself and Individual 1 by receiving payments from a drug trafficker client and his associates in exchange for instructing the client and his associates how to evade law enforcement and continue their drug trafficking, laundering drug proceeds, and obstructing justice to protect the client and his associates.

Further, the indictment alleges that Ravenell knowingly protected and assisted co-conspirators in their drug trafficking by coaching co-conspirators about law enforcement techniques so that they could evade these techniques when they trafficked in narcotics. Ravenell allegedly used the law firm’s bank accounts to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars and protect the drug trafficking organization.  Ravenell allegedly used the law firm’s bank accounts to receive drug payments and make payments to attorneys retained to represent other members of the conspiracy, concealing and misrepresenting the source of the funds to those attorneys.  Ravenell allegedly created and caused the creation of false records, including a client file in the name of a person that the law firm did not represent, in order to conceal the source of the funds used to pay other lawyers for their representations of members of the conspiracy.  According to the indictment, Ravenell misrepresented to employees of the law firm the purpose of payments he directed them to make for or on behalf of members of the conspiracy.  Ravenell also allegedly received substantial cash payments derived from drug sales as compensation for laundering money and for protection he provided to his co-conspirators.

In addition, the indictment alleges that Ravenell and a co-conspirator obtained information about arrested co-conspirators, including whether or not they were cooperating and the status of their cases, and provided such information to other members of the conspiracy so that they could protect ongoing drug operations.  The indictment alleges that Ravenell obtained access to incarcerated co-conspirators, whom he did not represent, so that Ravenell could attempt to improperly influence their testimony, attempt to cause them to execute false affidavits and witness statements which he knew to be false, and attempt to cause witnesses to withhold testimony from official proceedings against his client. 

Finally, the indictment alleges that Ravenell participated in a conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana.

If convicted, Ravenell faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the racketeering conspiracy; a maximum of 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy; and a maximum of life in prison for the narcotics conspiracy.  The case will be handled by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady, who has been assigned to preside over this case in the District of Maryland.

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 Robert K. Hur commended the IRS-CI, the DEA, the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department, the Phoenix (Arizona) Police Department, and the Arizona Financial Crimes Task Force for their work in the investigation and thanked the prosecutors who are handling the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Devon Denzel Thompson, age 26, of Woodlawn, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute three kilograms of fentanyl. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

“Law enforcement partners are working together to arrest and prosecute those who peddle deadly fentanyl on our streets and in our neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Drug traffickers are on notice that dealing in fentanyl increases their odds of federal prosecution.  We will continue to do everything we can to reduce overdose deaths from this drug and from all opioids.  Add a gun to that equation and you face an even longer sentence in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.  Please, put down the gun and save a life—maybe even your own.”

According to his plea agreement, on March 16, 2018, Thompson was pulled over for a traffic violation by Baltimore County Police Department officers.  During the course of the traffic stop, law enforcement asked Thompson to get out of his vehicle, but he did not comply.  Instead, Thompson drove away, followed by the Baltimore County officers, who observed Thompson throwing items out of the window.  Ultimately, Thompson was stopped and placed under arrest.  Law enforcement recovered a digital scale and other drug paraphernalia from the vehicle.  Law enforcement recovered the items Thompson threw from his vehicle, including a baggie containing over 40 grams of fentanyl.

Based on those recoveries, a warrant was obtained to search Thompson’s residence.  During the search, law enforcement recovered three kilograms of fentanyl and over $10,000 from Thompson’s bedroom and a .380-caliber handgun and rounds of live ammunition from other areas of the house.  Thompson admitted that the drugs and gun were his and that he possessed the gun in connection with his drug distribution.

As part of his plea agreement, Thompson is required to forfeit any assets directly traceable to the offense, including $14,144 in cash and the .380-caliber firearm and ammunition recovered from his home.

Thompson and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Thompson will be sentenced to between 10 and 12 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for December 20, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher M. Rigali and Lauren E. Perry, who are prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – James Dorsey, a/k/a Boosey, Boosey Boo, and Bad Ass, age 24, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a commercial robbery, which resulted in the death of 18-year-old Markel Benson. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, on October 12, 2015, Dorsey, Ameer Baker, Keyon Hawkins, and a juvenile planned a robbery of Benson, who sold marijuana outside a restaurant located in the 2300 block of W. North Avenue in Baltimore.  Before the robbery, Dorsey, Baker, Hawkins, and the juvenile drove around the block where the restaurant was located to make sure that Benson was there.  Baker was driving Hawkins’ car.  After seeing Benson, Baker drove the men to Pulaski and Smallwood Roads, where they met Deonta Douglas.  Baker gave Hawkins a gun.  Hawkins, Douglas and the juvenile returned to the restaurant on foot, while Baker and Dorsey drove Hawkins’ car.

At approximately 6:40 p.m., Hawkins, Douglas, and the juvenile approached the restaurant and asked a friend of Benson’s if anyone had any “weed.” Benson’s friend indicated that Benson, who was inside the restaurant, had weed.   Hawkins went inside and robbed Benson of his drugs, cash, and phones.  Hawkins and the other men ran away.  Benson was angry and wanted to find the men who robbed him and get his property back.  Benson and his friend went to a nearby associate’s house to get a gun, then walked to the area where Benson believed they would find the robbers.  Benson and his friend were captured on a CCTV street camera walking together and Benson appeared to be carrying a gun.  The time noted on the CCTV camera was 6:55 p.m.

In the meantime, Douglas, Hawkins, Baker, Dorsey, and the juvenile were back on Ridgehill Avenue.  Hawkins returned Baker’s gun to him and gave him Benson’s stolen phone.  Hawkins started to roll a joint using Benson’s stolen marijuana when Douglas let the others know that Benson and his friend were coming up the street.  Douglas yelled “line ‘em up,” a street phrase meaning to shoot someone.  At that moment, Dorsey and Baker ran up an alley and Dorsey fired three shots. One shot hit Benson, killing him.  Baker’s gun jammed.  The CCTV camera captured individuals scattering on foot, running away from the shots.

Immediately after the shooting, Baker, at Dorsey’s direction, contacted a co-conspirator to take them from the scene of the crime.  Baker used Benson’s stolen phone to call Hawkins and a family member. 

Dorsey and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Dorsey will be sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for December 16, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. 

Keyon Hawkins, age 25; Deonta Douglas, a/k/a Cuzzo, age 24; and Ameer Baker, a/k/a Meer, age 25, all of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the robbery.  Hawkins was sentenced to 111 months in federal prison.  Judge Bennett has scheduled sentencing for Baker and Douglas on November 12 and December 4, 2019, respectively, each at 3:00 p.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Wilkinson and Lindsey N. McCulley, who are prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow today sentenced Charles Mario Brown, Sr., age 48, of Baltimore, to seven years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.  Brown admitted that he operated a prostitution business involving a 16-year-old female, and at least four adult females, who performed commercial sex acts in the Baltimore area. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler.

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring human traffickers to justice.  These violent criminals exploit our most vulnerable for profit and must be stopped.”

According to Brown’s plea agreement, Brown and his co-conspirator met a 16-year-old runaway (“Victim 1”) in November 2016, while she was walking in Baltimore.  Brown and the co-conspirator directed Victim 1 to meet with sex customers who called or sent text messages in response to online prostitution advertisements featuring the victim, which were posted by the conspirators.  The conspirators agreed to provide Victim 1 with food and a place to stay in exchange for money she earned through commercial sex acts, and bought her lingerie that she wore in photos taken for prostitution ads.  Brown drove Victim 1 to outcalls, where Victim 1 engaged in commercial sex acts and collected payment.  Brown and the co-conspirator directed Victim 1 to give them at least some of the proceeds from her commercial sex acts, and she did so. 

On December 9, 2016, an undercover Harford County Sheriff’s Office detective contacted a phone number found in the cell phone of a deceased male sex customer A.G.  (A.G. suffered a fatal heroin overdose in a hotel room in Edgewood, Maryland in the presence of one of Brown’s adult female sex workers.)  The detective contacted the phone number to arrange an overnight commercial sex date at a hotel in Edgewood and to request heroin.  At the co-conspirator’s request, Victim 1 communicated with the detective to make arrangements for the commercial sex date, which included taking $1,000 for the purchase of heroin after arriving at the hotel.

As detailed in his plea agreement, Brown and the co-conspirator transported Victim 1 and an adult female to the hotel.  Victim 1 and the woman went into the hotel room identified by the detective.  Investigators recognized Victim 1 from prostitution ads posted online, and Victim 1 identified herself by the name listed in those ads.  Brown and his co-conspirator, who were waiting in the SUV outside the hotel room, were arrested and their cell phones were seized.  Forensic examination of the cell phones revealed numerous communications in furtherance of the prostitution business. 

This case was investigated by law enforcement agencies who are members of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders.  Members of the Task Force 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.  Suspected instances of human trafficking can be reported 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.

In addition, the case was prosecuted 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 Attorneys’ 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 Robert K. Hur commended Homeland Security Investigations and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the Brown case.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Maddox, who is prosecuting the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Jamie Clemons, age 34, of Pasadena, Maryland, with malicious destruction of a property by fire, in connection with the fire on July 28, 2017, at a bar in Pasadena.  The indictment was returned on September 11, 2019, and unsealed today upon the defendant’s arrest.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada 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.

The one-count indictment alleges that Clemons maliciously damaged and destroyed by fire a bar known as Coconut Charlies, located in the 9100 block of Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena.

If convicted, Clemons faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  At today’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, U.S. Magistrate Judge A. David Copperthite ordered that Clemons be detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Monday, September 16, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.

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 Robert K. Hur 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. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Judson T. Mihok and Mary W. Setzer, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow today sentenced Annette Elizabeth Jones, age 45, of Port Deposit, Maryland, to 24 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for bank fraud in connection with a scheme to embezzle funds from the labor union where she worked.  Jones entered her guilty plea on May 7, 2019.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; District Director Mark Wheeler of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor - Management Standards; and Special Agent in Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Field Office Kim R. Lampkins for the US Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General.

According to her plea agreement, Jones is the former Treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local Union 331, which represented approximately 760 employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Perry Point, Maryland.

As detailed in her plea agreement, Jones executed two fraud schemes through which she embezzled at least $82,180.73 from the Union.  First, from July 2012 through July 2015, Jones stole at least $80,944.80 in Union funds by forging her colleagues’ signatures on 335 Union checks that she wrote to herself and then cashed or deposited those checks at multiple financial institutions.  Second, from January 2014 through July 2015, Jones used a Union-issued credit card to pay for $1,235.93 in personal expenses using Union funds on 20 separate occasions.

Jones admitted that she took steps to conceal the scheme from the Union.  For example, not only did Jones have exclusive control of the Union’s checkbook, but she also maintained sole custody of a laptop computer that she was issued by the Union to manage its financial records on Union-purchased accounting software.  In that software, Jones frequently recorded false information regarding the business purpose of the fraudulent Union checks she forged and negotiated, or recorded no information at all about the business purpose of such checks.  Jones also provided false information about the Union’s finances to the Executive Board and the Union membership, caused reports to be submitted to the federal government that falsely certified the amount of money she received from the Union, and lied to the Union’s independent auditor.

Jones’ fraud was discovered in July 2015, when the Union’s Vice President overheard a phone call in which Jones attempted to purchase a smartphone for a family member using the credit card she had been issued to pay for Union expenses only.  The Vice President then reported the conversation to the Union’s President.  The President later conducted a search of Jones’s office and found two uncashed Union checks made payable to Jones on which it appeared that the President’s signature had been forged.  The Union President then met with the manager of the bank where the Union’s account was held, and reviewed each of the checks to Jones that had been drawn on the Union’s account during the preceding three months.  The Union President’s signature had been forged on all of them.  When the manager provided the President with copies of the Union’s monthly credit-card account statements, the President also discovered that Jones had made a number of personal charges on her Union-issued card.

Jones was immediately removed from her position as Union Treasurer and resigned from the VA soon thereafter.  Although Jones had agreed to return her Union-issued laptop at the time she was removed as Treasurer, Jones admitted that she never returned it.

As part of her sentence, Jones is required to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss, which the parties agreed is $82,180.73.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DOL and VA-OIG for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey J. Izant and Matthew J. Maddox, who prosecuted the federal case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow today sentenced Porsche Anna Cruz, a/k/a Bridget Annette Barnes, Anna de la Cruz, and Ana Cruz, age 45, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 90 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.  

Her son and co-defendant Chardon Angel Cruz, a/k/a Webbie, age 26, also of Baltimore, was sentenced on July 19, 2019, to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, crack cocaine, and powder cocaine.

The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to their plea agreements, neighbors living near the defendants’ home in the 2400 block of Washington Boulevard complained to Baltimore Police that the Cruzes sold drugs at the residence.  Porsche Cruz admitted that from May through June 2018, she conspired with others to distribute 270 grams of fentanyl—enough to kill 135,000 people, and more than one kilogram of cocaine in Baltimore.  Chardon Cruz assisted his mother with distributing narcotics and collecting drug proceeds.

On May 25, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Cruzes’ residence and recovered a loaded shotgun, a loaded pistol, three rifles, an additional shot gun, a box of 12 gauge shotgun shells, and other loose ammunition.  On May 25 and June 12, 2018, they recovered a total of 52 plastic twist bags containing 2.16 grams of cocaine and 243 gel caps containing 23.49 grams of fentanyl at the Cruzes’ residence, pursuant to search and seizure warrants.

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 Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Samika N. Boyd, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced Jose Augustin Salmeron-Larios (a/k/a Joseph Morales-Martinez, Angel Salvador Gutierrez, Yankee, and Kean), age 26, of Severn, Maryland, to 260 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13; attempted murder in aid of racketeering; and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jesse Fong of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Acting Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha N. Braveboy; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

 “As the founder and leader of the MS-13 gang’s “Maryland Program,” Salmeron-Larios organized and coordinated violence, drug trafficking, and extortion among six MS-13 cliques operating in the Maryland area,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “His arrest and conviction helped to dismantle the gang’s effort to make MS-13 operations in Maryland more organized, efficient, and deadly.  Now Salmeron-Larios will spend more than 21 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.”

MS-13 is a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Frederick County, and throughout the United States.  Branches or “cliques” of MS-13 often work together cooperatively to engage in criminal activity and to assist one another in avoiding detection by law enforcement.  In Maryland and the surrounding area, these cliques include Parkview Locos Salvatrucha (“PVLS”), Normandie Locos Salvatrucha (“NLS” or “Normandie”), Sailors Locos Salvatrucha Westside (“SLSW” or “Sailors”), Langley Park Salvatrucha (“LPS”), Weedoms Locos Salvatrucha (“Weedoms”), and Cabanas Locos Salvatruchas (“Cabanas”).  MS-13 cliques often combine and work together as “Programs,” with the purpose of increasing the gang’s levels of organization, violence, extortion, and other criminal activity.  A person within the participating cliques is selected as the Program leader.

To protect the gang and to enhance its reputation, MS-13 members and associates are expected to use any means necessary to force respect from those who show disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence.  MS-13’s creed is based on one of its mottos, “Mata, roba, viola, controla,” which translates to, “kill, steal, rape, control.”

According to his plea agreement, from at least January 2015 through September 2016, Salmeron-Larios was a member of the PVLS clique and served as the MS-13 Maryland Program Leader.  Salmeron-Larios admitted to participating in numerous acts in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy. 

For example, in April 2015, Salmeron-Larios and other MS-13 members and associates traveled to New York, met with MS-13 members there, and discussed MS-13 business.  Salmeron-Larios admitted that on November 7, 2015, he and other MS-13 members and associates traveled to Hyattsville, Maryland, intending to murder Victim 1, who was believed to be a member of the rival 18th Street Gang.  Two MS-13 co-conspirators lured Victim 1 to a location in Hyattsville.  Salmeron-Larios and two MS-13 co-conspirators, all armed with firearms, went to the meeting location.  Salmeron-Larios and the armed MS-13 co-conspirators got out of the car while another MS-13 accomplice waited in the vehicle.  The victim arrived in a car driven by another person and one of Salmeron-Larios’s MS-13 co-conspirators fired his handgun into the vehicle, attempting to kill Victim 1, who was struck in the face by one of the gunshots.  Salmeron-Larios and his accomplices returned to their vehicle and left the area.  The guns used during this crime, including the gun possessed by Salmeron-Larios, were taken to the residence of the co-conspirator who shot Victim 1.  Victim 1 survived the shooting but lost an eye, sustained loss of hand and leg function, and was permanently disfigured as a result of the shooting.  Salmeron-Larios participated in the shooting in order to gain entrance to, maintain, and increase his position in MS-13.

Salmeron-Larios admitted that in January 2016, he traveled to Florida and obtained firearms, which were distributed to MS-13 members for use in Maryland.  In addition, during the time of the conspiracy, Salmeron-Larios possessed and distributed controlled substances, including cocaine, for the benefit of MS-13.  Finally, on June 8 and June 9, 2016, Salmeron-Larios discussed an attack upon suspected rival gang members with other MS-13 members.  During several conversations, Salmeron-Larios discussed providing a firearm to a member of the Sailors Clique to be used against rival gang members in the area of 23rd Avenue in Langley Park “by the towers.” Salmeron-Larios instructed one individual where to find the loaded gun, and instructed another MS-13 member to loan a gun to a member of the Sailors Clique.

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

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA; HSI Baltimore, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur also recognized the Montgomery County and Prince George’s County Departments of Corrections, HSI Baltimore’s Operation Community Shield Task Force, and the Maryland Department of Corrections Intelligence Unit for their assistance. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant United States Attorneys William D. Moomau, Catherine K. Dick, and Burden H. Walker, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

###

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced Gerdandino Delgado-Escobar, a/k/a “Pumba,” age 24, of Hyattsville, a member of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, to 51 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by extortion.  Judge Xinis also ordered Delgado-Escobar to pay restitution to his victims.  A federal jury has convicted Delgado-Escobar late on June 13, 2019.  Delgado-Escobar has been detained since his initial appearance on May 8, 2018.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jesse R. Fong of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Field Division; Acting Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Amal Awad of the City of Hyattsville Police Department; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

“This prosecution and sentence send a strong message to MS-13 gang members that we will not tolerate the fear and violence perpetrated by MS-13 in Maryland,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Federal, state, and local law enforcement will continue to work together to find and bring to justice MS-13 members who prey on our neighborhoods.”

MS-13 is a violent gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Anne Arundel County, and Frederick County, and throughout the United States.  Branches or “cliques” of MS-13 often work together cooperatively as “Programs,” with the purpose of increasing the gang’s levels of organization, violence, extortion, and other criminal activity, and to assist one another in avoiding detection by law enforcement. 

According to trial evidence, in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, MS-13 generated income from various sources, including the extortion of money from businesses.  Targeted businesses included drug dealers, brothels, unlicensed “stores” where food, alcoholic beverages, and cigarettes were sold, as well as legitimate businesses, including food and beverage sellers and distributors. 

The evidence presented at the four-day trial proved that Delgado-Escobar was a member and associate of the Langley Park Salvatrucha (“LPS”) clique of MS-13.  From at least March 2013, Delgado-Escobar, working with other MS-13 members and associates, extracted weekly extortion payments known as “rent” from victim business owners for operating in territory controlled by the LPS and Sailors cliques of MS-13.  According to trial testimony, the payments were generally about $40 to $50 per week for beer delivery businesses and around $115 per week for brothel owners. 

As proven during the trial, Delgado-Escobar and his co-conspirators extorted numerous business owners operating in the Langley Park area.  Delgado-Escobar conspired with other MS-13 members and associates to obtain money from the victims through the use of actual and threatened force, violence, and fear.  According to the trial evidence, in one instance a victim who delivered beer was grabbed by the neck, had a gun put to his head, and was threatened with the murder of his entire family if the victim did not pay MS-13 for operating a business in its territory. MS-13 members referred to these extortion payments as “rent.”

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur thanked the FBI Washington and Baltimore Field Offices, HSI Baltimore, the DEA Washington Field Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, the City of Hyattsville Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in this investigation.  Mr. Hur commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Catherine K. Dick and William D. Moomau, who are prosecuting this case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Delroy Williams, Jr. age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 135 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana.  Judge Hollander imposed the sentence on September 5, 2019. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.

“Drug traffickers must know that gun crime will lead to federal time, which has no parole—ever,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Delroy Williams did not heed that message and will now serve more than 11 years in federal prison.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove those who would commit violence from our community.”

According to the testimony presented at his five-day trial, from at least October 2016 through December 12, 2016, Williams distributed cocaine and marijuana in the Baltimore area.  On the evening of December 12, 2016, Williams encountered an associate at a nightclub in Baltimore County.  Believing that the associate owed him money, Williams assaulted, robbed, and shot at the individual before ramming the victim’s car and then fleeing the scene.  Realizing that the associate knew where Williams lived, Williams took his drugs from his residence and took them to his girlfriend’s home in Glen Burnie, Maryland. 

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Glen Burnie residence the next day and recovered almost five kilograms of cocaine, several pounds of marijuana, and two guns from the house.  Witnesses testified that several more pounds of marijuana, more than $213,000 in cash, scales, and pistol ammunition were recovered from Williams’s truck. 

A federal jury convicted Williams on May 20, 2019.  Williams was originally scheduled for trial in November 2018, but fled and was a fugitive until his arrest on January 11, 2019.  Williams has been detained since that time. 

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 Robert K. Hur commended the DEA, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation, and thanked the FBI, the ATF, and the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary B. Stendig and John W. Sippel, Jr. who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – Rebecca Jelfo, age 47, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a federal wire fraud charge in connection with a scheme to defraud two employers of a total of at least $855,000 by submitting fraudulent and inflated invoices.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

 According to her plea agreement, from approximately 2008 until December 2015, Jelfo was Head of Marketing and Communications for the Americas for Company A, a global airline.  Between January 4, 2016 and January 31, 2018, Jelfo was a Senior Director of Luxury Brand Marketing – Partnerships and Promotions for Company B, a global hospitality company.  As part of Jelfo’s duties at both companies, she contracted with marketing vendors and was responsible for approving certain marketing invoices.

Jelfo admitted that beginning while she was employed at Company A and continuing throughout her employment with Company B, Jelfo participated in an over-invoicing scheme designed to defraud her employers.  Specifically, Jelfo submitted or caused to be submitted, false and inflated invoices purported to be for various marketing services or products provided to her employer.  Jelfo knew that the invoices did not accurately reflect the products or services provided by the vendors, but took steps to make sure that Company A and Company B paid the invoices.  After the companies paid the invoices, Jelfo instructed the vendors to remit payments to cover her personal debts.

As detailed in her plea agreement, Jelfo instructed three separate vendors to remit payments to cover her personal expenses.  Specifically, from as early as May 21, 2015 through August 24, 2016, Vendor 1 remitted payments for Jelfo’s personal expenses totaling $263,697, including a $13,000 payment to Jelfo’s Neiman Marcus credit card account, a $28,000 payment to Jelfo’s Saks Fifth Avenue credit card account, and purchasing $15,000 in American Express gift cards, some of which Jelfo used to make purchases at a high-end furniture store in Washington, D.C. 

Similarly, while employed by Company B, Jelfo submitted false invoices purporting to come from Vendor 2.  After Company B paid the invoices to Vendor 2, Vendor 2 remitted payments totaling $106,302 to Jelfo’s personal American Express credit card account. On at least one occasion, Jelfo instructed Vendor 3 to submit an inflated invoice to Company B and provided Vendor 3 with fraudulent documentation that appeared to justify the inflated invoice.  Based on Jelfo’s request, Vendor 3 sent an invoice to Company B requesting a payment of $74,880.  After receiving the payment from Company B, Vendor 3 made a $64,851.24 payment to Jelfo’s personal credit card account, as instructed by Jelfo.

Jelfo admitted that between May 21, 2016 and January 31, 2018, she stole at least $855,587.25 from Company A and B as a result of this scheme.  As part of her plea agreement Jelfo is required to forfeit any proceeds or property obtained as a result of the scheme, and to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss, which is at least $855,587.25.

Jelfo faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud.  U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte has scheduled sentencing for Jelfo on December 10, 2019, at 9:30a.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and thanked investigators from the victim companies for their assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin B. Pulice and Gregory D. Bernstein, who are prosecuting the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Jeffrey Putney, a/k/a Jeffy, Tom, and J.P., age 43, of California, formerly of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to federal charges of maintaining a drug-involved premises and to possession with intent to distribute at least 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.  Putney has been a fugitive since the indictment was returned in December 2010.  The guilty plea was entered on September 4, 2019.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jesse Fong of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; Acting Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to Putney’s plea agreement, from 2003 until about June 2009, Putney conspired with Matt Nicka, Gretchen Peterson, Andrew Sharpeta, David D’Amico, and others to distribute marijuana. 

As part of the conspiracy, Putney and his co-conspirators obtained large quantities of marijuana grown in Canada and northern California, which they transported by plane and tractor trailer, to warehouses in Maryland and Pennsylvania.  Putney and his co-conspirators stored marijuana in warehouses, vehicles, and a storage unit, and purchased and rented residences that were used to store and distribute marijuana and to count and collect cash proceeds from the marijuana sales.  For example, Putney shared a storage locker with a co-conspirator where they stored marijuana.  Putney had a key to the locker.

As detailed in the plea agreement, three to four times a week Sharpeta, D’Amico, Nicka and, at times, Putney, counted drug proceeds which generally ranged from $20,000 to $100,000, then placed the money in different boxes and set it aside. The money was then bundled into $50,000 packs and loaded into a suitcase or duffle bags in increments ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.  The co-conspirators then locked or super-glued shut the suitcases or duffle bags and transported the cash via private airplane or tractor/trailer to pay the source of supply in California.

Putney also personally participated in several financial transactions involving the proceeds of the marijuana conspiracy and designed to conceal the nature, source, ownership, and control of those proceeds.  For example, Putney facilitated the purchase of a Lancair IV-P aircraft for $450,000 for the co-conspirators to use to transport marijuana and drug proceeds for the conspiracy.  As part of the effort to purchase this aircraft, the co-conspirators created a holding company called Air Sky Holdings and indicated that the purpose of the company was to provide air taxi services so as to disguise the true purpose of the company and the aircraft.  

On March 18, 2009, the Drug Enforcement Administration executed a raid on a stash house that Putney oversaw located at 3522 Hickory Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland and which served as one center for operations for the conspiracy.  Law enforcement seized from the residence over 100 pounds of marijuana, $20,000 in cash, 31 cellular telephones, documents regarding the purchase of the Lancair IV-P aircraft, four money counters, tally sheets with balances over $1.5 million, and false identifications.  On March 18, 2009, prior to the execution of the raid by law enforcement, law enforcement had been following Putney.  Putney related his suspicion to Sharpeta just before the police arrested Putney in a car.  At the time of his arrest, Putney was in possession of a duffle bag containing $38,000 in cash and five cell phones.

After the raid, Sharpeta and Nicka scrambled to clear out the other warehouses of marijuana and to burn the drug trafficking organization’s ledgers.  Nicka collected funds from members of the drug trafficking organization to hire defense attorneys.  Putney directed one co-conspirator to use attorney James Michael Farrell, who was subsequently indicted and convicted in a separate case for his role as consiglieri in the marijuana conspiracy.

After the execution of the warrant, and while in hiding, Putney moved from Baltimore to California, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and then returned to California.  Putney was aware that he and other members of the conspiracy had been indicted by a federal grand jury in Maryland, and that federal law enforcement was searching for him.  At one point, Putney married his girlfriend to prevent her from testifying against him in grand jury.  The two later divorced but not before his wife attempted to sell several high-end watches Putney had purchased with drug proceeds during the marijuana conspiracy in order to get money for Putney to remain on the run.

Putney was arrested in January 2019, in Nevada after a Nevada trooper pulled him over for a traffic violation.

Putney and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Putney will be sentenced to eight years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for November 8, 2019, at 9:30 a.m.

A total of 15 defendants have previously been convicted in this case and were sentenced to up to 188 months in prison. 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the DEA, IRS-CI, and the Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Baltimore County and Baltimore City Police Departments for their work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Marshals Service for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant United States Sandra Wilkinson, who is prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel today sentenced Coron Demon Johnson, a/k/a Savage, age 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of heroin.  Johnson admitted that an individual died as a result of using heroin that he distributed. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jesse R. Fong of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Chief John Nesky of the Bowie Police Department.

“Heroin dealers are selling death and despair and more people die of heroin overdoses than murder in Maryland,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Federal, state, and local law enforcement are working together to hold drug dealers responsible for the deaths they cause.  As a result, Coron Johnson will now spend 10 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.”

According to his plea agreement, on August 11, 2017, Johnson sold heroin to an individual in Annapolis, Maryland.  The individual returned to her home in Bowie, Maryland, and went to her bedroom.  The next day, the individual was found in her bedroom, unresponsive, holding her cell phone.  First responders administered CPR, but the victim was pronounced dead a few minutes later.  Law enforcement officers recovered a paper fold containing .025 grams of heroin.  The medical examiner performed an autopsy and determined that the victim’s cause of death was heroin intoxication.

Law enforcement officers took possession of the victim’s phone following the fatal overdose.  A short time later, Johnson texted the phone, asking if the victim was “coming get some this fire today.”  A law enforcement officer, posing as the victim, responded to Johnson.  Johnson, via text, arranged to meet the law enforcement officer, posing as the victim, in Bowie, in order to sell the victim $139 worth of heroin.

At the agreed-upon time, Johnson texted that he had arrived at the meeting location.  Law enforcement officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle.  Johnson was in the passenger seat and three other people were also in the vehicle, including two minor children.  Johnson had white powder residue on his pants when he got out of the vehicle.  Law enforcement recovered a paper fold with powder residue from the floorboard of the passenger side of the car where Johnson had been sitting.  Johnson was also in possession of the cell phone used to text the victim’s phone.

Johnson admitted to law enforcement that he primarily distributes heroin in the Newtowne-20 section of Annapolis.  Johnson identified a picture of the victim as the individual he thought he was meeting in Bowie, and admitted that he had sold the victim heroin in Annapolis the day before.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Bowie Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin B. Pulice and Kelly O. Hayes, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, along with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, today announced the Baltimore Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force, a new initiative designed to combat violent crime in Baltimore.  The mission of the Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle the most violent gangs and drug trafficking organizations, and their financial infrastructure, in the Baltimore metropolitan area.  While the Strike Force has been conducting investigations for more than a year now, the signing of the fiduciary agreement with the Baltimore County Government will now allow all Strike Force investigators to work in one shared location, which is a key part of the Strike Force concept that has proven successful in other cities.

The Strike Force program was announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Adam Cohen, Director of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces; Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski; Tom Carr, Executive Director of the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA; Special Agent in Charge Jesse R. Fong of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Special Agent in Charge “Jimmy” Sung H. Yi of the United States Secret Service - Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; U.S. Marshal Johnny Hughes; Postal Inspector in Charge Peter R. Rendina of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; State’s Attorney for Baltimore City Marilyn Mosby; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Secretary Robert L. Green of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Baltimore City Sheriff John W. Anderson; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones, Chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

“The Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force is a critical part of our strategy to make Baltimore safer by identifying and focusing on those groups responsible for the most violent crime in our city,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “The Strike Force model has worked elsewhere, and it will work here:  By creating blended teams of investigators from more than a dozen local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and tasking them with building investigations of the city’s most violent gangs, we will reduce violent crime together.  I’m grateful to all of the many partners who have made it possible for us to bring this model to Baltimore, including Baltimore County Executive Olszewski and the Baltimore County Council for their leadership and agreement to serve as the financial conduit for the federal funds supporting this effort.”

Baltimore and its surrounding communities suffer from criminal violence, much of it driven by gangs and violent drug-trafficking organizations.  The Strike Force was born of the desire for federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in the Baltimore area to better coordinate and combine their resources and efforts to combat that violence.  The mission of the Strike Force is to reduce violent, firearms-related, and drug-related crime in Baltimore by identifying criminal organizations and individuals most responsible for generating violence, sharing information about drug trafficking, illegal firearms, and violence, and pursuing the proceeds generated by drug trafficking organizations.

Participating agencies have agreed to assign full-time personnel to the Strike Force, which is led by the Baltimore DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge and Deputy Chiefs from the FBI, the ATF, HSI, the Baltimore Police Department and the Maryland State Police, as well as prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City.  Police officers, agents, and both federal and state prosecutors will work together in open workspace.  The physical and organizational structure will lead to collaborative, centralized intelligence sharing in real time.  The efforts of the Strike Force will complement and be a force multiplier to the ongoing efforts of the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking (HIDTA) Program.

 RECENT CASES RESULTING FROM BALTIMORE OCDETF STRIKE FORCE INVESTIGATIONS

Monument Street Drug Trafficking Organization (“DTO”) - In this case, 25 defendants were arrested and charged in a 30-count superseding indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury on June 26, 2019, and unsealed on July 19, 2019.  The superseding indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to distribute narcotics in and around the 400 block of North Montford Avenue and Jefferson Street, and around the 2400 block of East Monument Street at Port Street.  Beginning in July 2018, members of the conspiracy allegedly distributed heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine to individual drug users, and in bulk quantities to other drug traffickers, who redistributed the drugs in and around Baltimore.  Ten of the conspirators also face firearms charges—including eight defendants charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person.  During the investigation, law enforcement seized nine firearms, more than 14 kilograms of cocaine, approximately 4.5 kilograms of heroin, and 479 grams of fentanyl—enough to kill over 200,000 people.  In addition, law enforcement seized more than $472,000 in cash and jewelry and vehicles worth more than $466,000. (Adams Superseding Indictment)

Spencer DTO – A federal indictment was returned on August 21, 2019, charging six defendants in a drug distribution conspiracy allegedly operating in southwest Baltimore.  Sonny Spencer is the alleged leader of the DTO, which operates in and around the 400 block of Furrow Street, in southwest Baltimore, distributing primarily crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.  During the investigation, law enforcement conducted surveillance in the area where the DTO allegedly conducted its business and supervised numerous controlled purchases of narcotics from the alleged DTO members.  In addition, law enforcement seized crack cocaine, a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, a .40 caliber firearm, and more than 70 rounds of ammunition.

U.S. Attorney Hur thanked the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA, the DEA, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, the ATF, HSI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City, the Baltimore Police Department, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Maryland State Police, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, the Maryland National Guard, and the Baltimore County Executive and Baltimore County Council, for their commitment to the Strike Force.  Mr. Hur also commended the dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys and Assistant State’s Attorneys who are handling these prosecutions. 

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore C. Chuang today sentenced Nathaniel Michael Worthy, age 47, of Washington, D.C., to 135 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Ashan M. Benedict of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Washington Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Jesse R. Fong of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Peter Newsham of the Metropolitan Police Department; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha N. Braveboy.

According to Worthy’s plea agreement, from at least January 1, 2016 through February 9, 2019, he conspired with others, including Carjandario Danielle Yarborough, to distribute synthetic cannabinoids and other controlled substances and controlled substance analogues.  Controlled substance analogues are substances that are chemically manufactured to mimic and create a “high” similar to other drugs.  Worthy, Yarborough, and their co-conspirators obtained synthetic cannabinoids, known by various names, including “Salt” and “Black Bag,” and sold them in Maryland and other locations, including the District of Columbia and Virginia.  Worthy and his co-conspirators obtained cash from the drug sales and possessed firearms in furtherance of the conspiracy.  Worthy and his co-conspirators routinely rented hotel rooms and vehicles to distribute the synthetic cannabinoids.

On September 29 and September 30, 2016, Worthy and Yarborough rented hotel rooms in Temple Hills, Maryland, to prepare and distribute synthetic cannabinoids.  While at the hotel, Worthy and Yarborough believed that another co-conspirator, Victim 1, had stolen money from them in connection with the sale of synthetic cannabinoids.  When Worthy confronted Victim 1 about the suspected theft, Yarborough stabbed Victim 1 in the chest with a knife, killing him. 

After Victim 1 was killed, Worthy and another co-conspirator removed synthetic cannabinoids and drug proceeds from the hotel room. After the co-conspirators left the hotel room where Victim 1 had been killed, Yarborough called 911 and falsely reported that she had killed Victim 1 in self-defense.

On January 4 and February 2, 2017, Worthy and co-conspirators rented hotel rooms in Arlington, Virginia, and College Park, Maryland, respectively, and possessed synthetic cannabinoids intended for distribution, as well as items to facilitate distribution of these substances.  Specifically, on January 4, 2017, Worthy possessed a loaded 9mm pistol in furtherance of the drug conspiracy and on February 2, 2017, he possessed packaging materials and $4,752.18 in cash, which was the proceeds from the sales of the synthetic cannabinoids. 

On January 30, 2018, Worthy and Yarborough sold synthetic cannabinoids to a law enforcement officer.  On February 9, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence where Worthy and Yarborough lived.  Law enforcement recovered synthetic cannabinoids intended for distribution, a different 9mm pistol, a .25-caliber pistol, and $1,640.79 in cash, which was generated from the sale of synthetic cannabinoids.

Carjandario Danielle Yarborough, age 35, of Washington, D.C, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on July 2, 2019, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues, and for murder in furtherance of the conspiracy. 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF, the DEA, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and recognized Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore and the Arlington County Police Department for their assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau and Gregory D. Bernstein, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced Kevin Alexis Hernandez-Guevara, aka “Stop,” age 22, a citizen of El Salvador illegally residing in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, to 292 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a federal racketeering conspiracy relating to his participation in the activities of the gang known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, including murder and drug dealing.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Washington Field Office; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jesse Fong of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Field Division; Acting Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief Amal Awad of the City of Hyattsville Police Department; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha N. Braveboy; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

“MS-13 gang members, like Hernandez-Guevara, show little regard for life, using violence to hurt, to rob, and to kill.  We will continue our relentless pursuit of violent MS-13 gang members to stop this type of violence and make our neighborhoods safe,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. 

According to the plea agreement, MS-13 is a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Frederick County, and throughout the United States.  Branches or “cliques” of MS-13 often work together cooperatively to engage in criminal activity and to assist one another in avoiding detection by law enforcement.  MS-13 members and associates are required to commit acts of violence within the gang and against rival gangs.  One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible. 

Pursuant to his plea agreement, Hernandez-Guevara admitted that from at least July 2016, he was a member and associate of the Sailors Clique of MS-13.  Hernandez-Guevara admitted to participating in numerous acts in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy.

For example, according to the plea agreement, on or about July 29, 2016, Hernandez-Guevara and three other members and associates of MS-13 planned and conspired to murder an individual, who was believed to be a member of a rival gang.  On July 29, 2016, pursuant to that plan, Hernandez-Guevara and other MS-13 members and associates lured the victim to a secluded area in Hyattsville, Maryland.  One of the MS-13 members and associates shot at the victim, and missed.  Hernandez-Guevara collected the fired shell casings from the gunshots fired by Hernandez-Guevara’s co-conspirator.  Multiple MS-13 members and associates then assaulted and stabbed the victim with the intention of killing him.  The victim died as a result of injuries sustained during this attack, which included 61 sharp-force injuries.

Also, according to the plea agreement, on or about Aug. 9, 2016, in Hyattsville, Hernandez-Guevara and other MS-13 members and associates planned and attempted to rob two individuals of a pound of marijuana that they were going to sell to Hernandez-Guevara and his co-conspirators.  During the attempt, the two individuals resisted.  In the course of the struggle, the two individuals were shot, stabbed, and sustained serious, permanent, and life-threatening bodily injuries.  Hernandez-Guevara and another co-conspirator were also shot. 

Hernandez-Guevara also admitted to distributing less than one kilogram of marijuana for and on behalf of the Sailors Clique.  His activities included receiving and distributing marijuana and proceeds from the sale of marijuana. 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur and Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski commended the FBI, HSI, the DEA, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s State’s Attorney’s Office, the City of Hyattsville Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their investigation.  Mr. Hur and Mr. Benczkowski thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau, Catherine K. Dick, and Trial Attorney Julie Finocchiaro of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who prosecuted this case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – John O’Day, age 48, of Chester and Stevensville, Maryland, and Sarasota, Florida, and Denise White, a/k/a Lisa Young and Lisa White, age 32, of East Point, Georgia, have pleaded guilty to federal charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme to defraud at least 20 individuals and five financial institutions of more than $1 million by submitting fraudulent auto loan applications.  White pleaded guilty on August 28, 2019, and O’Day pleaded guilty on June 4, 2019. 

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rodney A. Davis of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; Acting Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to their plea agreements, between April 2016 and January 2018, O’Day and his co-conspirators, including White, submitted at least 30 fraudulent applications for auto loans to victim financial institutions falsely listing O’Day as the seller of various motor vehicles, which were listed as collateral.  At least 27 of the fraudulent applications, including 12 in which White was involved as a co-conspirator, were successful and resulted in the disbursement of loan checks totaling approximately $1,167,192, which O’Day deposited in his personal bank accounts in Maryland.  O’Day provided a portion of the fraud proceeds to co-conspirators, including White.  The funds were not used to purchase vehicles.  O’Day attempted to obtain additional loan checks totaling at least $246,000 through several unsuccessful auto loan applications.

Most of the applicants listed in the auto loan applications were recruited by O’Day under false promises and pretenses.  Specifically, O’Day falsely promised that he would pay off the auto loans within up to 90 days and that the borrowers would not be responsible for loan payments. O’Day made payments in smaller amounts to most of the borrowers to assist them temporarily in making periodic payments on the loans and to compensate them for their involvement in the scheme.  However, O’Day eventually stopped assisting borrowers with their payments and failed to pay off the loans as he promised.  Most of the borrowers remained liable for the loans and suffered financial hardship as a result.  At least some of the fraudulent auto loans were eventually converted to unsecured personal loans with higher interest rates as a result of the applicants’ failure to produce proof that they had purchased the vehicles.  Several of the applicants had no knowledge that O’Day and his co-conspirators had submitted applications in their names and never authorized them to do so. 

O’Day, White, and other co-conspirators used the personal identification information of at least five individuals, without their knowledge or approval, to submit fraudulent loan applications.  At least two of the applications were approved and resulted in the disbursement of loan checks totaling $98,000.

White admitted that she personally submitted some of the fraudulent auto loan applications and contacted the financial institutions under false pretenses in order to get the applications approved.  White used multiple e-mail accounts in which she received correspondence from the various financial institutions to which she submitted fraudulent loan applications.  Upon O’Day’s request, White also contacted borrowers whom O’Day had recruited in order to assuage their concerns about their involvement with the auto loans, requests made by the financial institutions for proof of ownership of the vehicles, and O’Day’s failure to pay off the loans taken out in their names, falsely identifying herself as “Lisa.”  White also fabricated documents in support of the fraudulent loan applications and O’Day’s efforts to negotiate the loan checks.

O’Day admitted that he also laundered the proceeds of the fraudulent auto loan scheme through the purchase of a home.  O’Day worked as a loan officer with a mortgage brokerage company located in Maryland between January 2014 and August 2017.  Between January and March 2017, O’Day requested that his employer issue him a company check for his closing costs in return for him transferring funds to the company.  O’Day then deposited $90,000 in fraud proceeds into a bank account he controlled, then wired $33,750 from that account to his employer’s account.  The following day, the employer wired $33,750 to another of O’Day’s accounts and O’Day purchased a cashier’s check in the amount of $30,000 drawn on that account, which he used to pay the closing costs associated with the purchase of his home.

White and O’Day each face a maximum of 30 years in federal prison for bank fraud, and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft.   U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for O’Day on November 8, 2019 and for White on November 15, 2019, both at 10:00 a.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended TIGTA, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Maddox, who is prosecuting the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore C. Chuang today sentenced Tyrone Lavon White, age 28, of Landover, Maryland, to 126 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of firearms and ammunition in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

“Drug traffickers must know that gun crime will lead to federal time, which has no parole—ever,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove those who would commit violence from our community.  Please put down the guns.  You’ll save a life, maybe even your own.”

According to his guilty plea, White was present at a residence when Prince George’s County Police Department officers executed a search warrant.  At the commencement of the search, White and the other occupants of the residence were advised of their rights. 

During the search of the residence, law enforcement located in an upstairs bedroom a black backpack that contained a loaded 9x19mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine containing 32 rounds of ammunition; a loaded 9x19mm semi-automatic pistol containing 16 rounds of ammunition; and nine bags of a substance containing marijuana.  In addition, two vials of phencyclidine (“PCP”) were recovered from the closet of the bedroom, and $2,250 in cash was found under the mattress in this bedroom.  White admitted to the officers that all of the items recovered during the search belonged to him.  Further, White admitted that he possessed the guns in furtherance of drug trafficking.

White had two previous felony drug trafficking convictions in Prince George’s County Circuit Court and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

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

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica C. Collins, who prosecuted the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced Timothy Lawrence Day, age 59, of Rockville, Maryland, to 135 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography.  Judge Xinis ordered Day to pay a $20,000 fine and a $5,000 special assessment.  Judge Xinis also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Day must continue to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Acting Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on May 2, 2017, Day purchased and downloaded a file from a specific website, knowing that the file contained visual depictions documenting the sexual abuse of minors, including prepubescent children.  Specifically, the downloaded files depicted prepubescent minor girls engaged in sexually explicit conduct with adult men. 

On November 7 and November 19, 2018, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at Day’s residence and seized multiple electronic devices, including a desktop computer and two thumb drives that Day used to facilitate the receipt and possession of child pornography.  A subsequent forensic analysis of the seized electronic devices revealed at least 55 images depicting prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including sadistic conduct.  Additional evidence obtained during the investigation revealed that Day paid for the file he downloaded in May with a credit card in his name, and received the password to unencrypt the purchased folder using his personal e-mail address.  A search warrant executed on Day’s personal e-mail address revealed that on or about December 29, 2017, Day purchased another file that contained at least seven videos, plus at least 105 images depicting prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  In all, Day received and possessed more than 600 images of child pornography.

Day was previously convicted for possession of child pornography in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2002. 

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 Robert K. Hur commended HSI-Baltimore, the Maryland State Police, and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin B. Pulice and Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted the federal case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Terrell Plummer, a/k/a Rell, age 30, of Baltimore, to 25 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a federal racketeering conspiracy related to his membership in the violent Old York Money Gang (OYMG).  The gang operated throughout the Waverly neighborhood of Baltimore and sustained itself largely through the distribution and sale of controlled substances, including crack cocaine, as well as through murder and other violent crimes.  On August 1, 2014, three-year-old McKenzie Elliott was shot to death as she stood on her front porch, when she was struck by an errant bullet during an OYMG dispute.  Plummer fired the shot that killed McKenzie Elliott.        

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “Terrell Plummer and his fellow gang members turned their Waverly neighborhood into a war zone, with innocent bystanders like little McKenzie Elliott caught in the crossfire.  Now Plummer will spend 25 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.  Put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.”  U.S. Attorney Hur added, “I am grateful for the tireless efforts of the investigators and prosecutors to bring McKenzie Elliott’s killer to justice.  While this sentence will not bring a beautiful little girl back to those who loved her, I hope her community will take some comfort from the fact that Terrell Plummer and his fellow gang members have been held accountable for their crimes.”

“Terrell Plummer will serve 25 years for the havoc he wrecked on the Waverly neighborhood, and for being responsible for taking the life of McKenzie Elliott,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “Too many innocent citizens in Baltimore live the terrible reality that they could be caught in the crossfire of a gang turf war.  ATF is relentless in our commitment to identify, investigate, and incarcerate this city’s most vicious criminals so that neighborhoods can be free of violence and children can safely stand on the front porches of their homes. We can only hope that today’s sentence brings some closure and peace to the family and community who loved McKenzie so much.”

According to his plea agreement and other court documents, from 2013 to April 2017, Plummer was a member of the OYMG, a violent drug trafficking organization operating in the Waverly neighborhood in the northern district of Baltimore.  OYMG is involved in criminal activity including murder, robbery, extortion, burglary, and narcotics trafficking in and around Baltimore.  OYMG is a neighborhood gang, limiting its membership to persons that originate from or live in the Waverly neighborhood, and generally excluding “outsiders.”  The gang extensively and frequently endorsed and promoted its existence through social media accounts and rap music videos, whereby members would display their association and advertise membership and activities of the gang. 

According to court documents, beginning in October 2016, the ATF and the Baltimore City Police Department conducted undercover purchases of crack cocaine and heroin from OYMG members, who generally sold controlled substances at or around drug shops controlled and managed by the OYMG—and in coordination with co-conspirators.  According to their plea agreements and other court documents, Plummer and other OYMG members sold heroin, powder and crack cocaine, and marijuana in their territory in Waverly and elsewhere.  OYMG members regularly carried firearms to defend the gang’s territory and violently expelled OYMG rivals or antagonists. 

As detailed in his plea agreement and court documents, in the summer of 2014, Plummer and other OYMG members became embroiled in a dispute with men from another neighborhood.  On July 30, 2014, these men entered OYMG territory to support a female friend engaged in a fight with the sister of an OYMG member.  Plummer and other OYMG members assaulted the men, one of whom was stabbed during the fracas (Victim #1).  Two days later, the men returned to the area, driven by a female in a white 1999 Mercedes SUV, to confront Plummer and OYMG members in retaliation for the assault on July 30.  OYMG members noticed the vehicle from the earlier fight and alerted one another to the presence of the vehicle.  As the vehicle circled the block for the third time, Plummer fired multiple shots at the SUV, striking one of the men (Victim #1) in the forehead.  Some of the errant bullets fired by Plummer missed their intended target and struck two additional victims.  Victim #5 was grazed in the chin and wrist.  One of the bullets fired by Plummer struck three-year-old McKenzie Elliott in the head, resulting in her death. 

All 11 defendants charged in this case were convicted and sentenced to between 40 months and life in federal prison.  Plummer is the final defendant to be sentenced.

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

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Hanlon and Michael A. Goldsticker, who prosecuted the case.  

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury today returned a superseding indictment charging Rondell Henry, age 28, of Germantown, Maryland, with federal charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (“ISIS”), and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.  ISIS is designated by the Secretary of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (“FTO”) under the Immigration and Nationality Act.  Henry has been detained since his arrest on April 3, 2019.

The superseding indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Acting Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief Michael L. Brown of the City of Alexandria (Virginia) Police Department.

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “Law enforcement is working tirelessly to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks, whether they come from within or outside the United States.  We will continue to use every lawful tool at our disposal to find and prosecute those who want to do this country harm. This indictment is the next step in holding Rondell Henry accountable for his actions.”

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers stated, “The defendant, allegedly inspired by ISIS and its violent ideology, stole a vehicle as part of his plan to kill and injure innocent pedestrians.  The National Security Division, working with our partners, remains committed to identifying and holding accountable those who would commit terrorist attacks on our soil.”

“All across the country, each and every day, the top priority of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) is to protect the American public by disrupting potential violent actors,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Boone. “Our Maryland JTTF, working in tandem with the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC), is dedicated to identifying and bringing to justice those individuals who provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations, engage in violent extremism, and threaten our national security.”

According to the superseding indictment from March 26, 2019 through March 28, 2019, Henry knowingly attempted to provide material support and resources, including services and personnel—specifically, himself—to ISIS.  Further, the indictment alleges that on March 27, 2019, Henry transported a stolen U-Haul van from Virginia to Maryland.

Previously filed court documents allege that Henry, who claimed to be inspired by ISIS, stole a U-Haul van in Alexandria, Virginia, then drove it to Maryland with the intention of using it as a weapon against pedestrians on sidewalks within the National Harbor complex along the Potomac River in Maryland.  On March 27, 2019, the stolen U-Haul was located at the National Harbor in Maryland.  Law enforcement reviewed video surveillance of the area that showed Henry parking and subsequently exiting the stolen U-Haul.  Henry was arrested the following day by Prince George’s County Police officers.

If convicted, Henry faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, and 10 years in prison for interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. 

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur and Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers commended the FBI, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the City of Alexandria Police Department for their work in the investigation, and thanked the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked his office’s national security prosecutors, who are handling the case.

# # #

A federal grand jury today returned a superseding indictment charging Rondell Henry, 28, of Germantown, Maryland, with federal charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.  ISIS is designated by the Secretary of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the Immigration and Nationality Act.  Henry has been detained since his arrest on April 3, 2019.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers stated, “The defendant, allegedly inspired by ISIS and its violent ideology, stole a vehicle as part of his plan to kill and injure innocent pedestrians.  The National Security Division, working with our partners, remains committed to identifying and holding accountable those who would commit terrorist attacks on our soil.”

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “Law enforcement is working tirelessly to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks, whether they come from within or outside the United States.  We will continue to use every lawful tool at our disposal to find and prosecute those who want to do this country harm. This indictment is the next step in holding Rondell Henry accountable for his actions.”

FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Boone stated, “All across the country, each and every day, the top priority of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) is to protect the American public by disrupting potential violent actors.  Maryland JTTF, working in tandem with the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC), is dedicated to identifying and bringing to justice those individuals who provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations, engage in violent extremism, and threaten our national security."

According to the superseding indictment from March 26, 2019 through March 28, 2019, Henry knowingly attempted to provide material support and resources, including services and personnel—specifically, himself—to ISIS.  Further, the indictment alleges that on March 27, 2019, Henry transported a stolen U-Haul van from Virginia to Maryland.

Previously filed court documents allege that Henry, who claimed to be inspired by ISIS, stole a U-Haul van in Alexandria, Virginia, then drove it to Maryland with the intention of using it as a weapon against pedestrians on sidewalks within the National Harbor complex along the Potomac River in Maryland.  On March 27, 2019, the stolen U-Haul was located at the National Harbor in Maryland.  Law enforcement reviewed video surveillance of the area that showed Henry parking and subsequently exiting the stolen U-Haul.  Henry was arrested the following day by Prince George’s County Police officers.

If convicted, Henry faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, and 10 years in prison for interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. 

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

Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers and United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the City of Alexandria Police Department for their work in the investigation. 

Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Daniel Flores-Ventura, a/k/a “Necio,” age 26, of Aspen Hill, Maryland, today to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his participation in the racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, including a murder.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Barry M. Barnard of Prince William County, Virginia Police; and Chief Edward Hargis of the Frederick Police Department.

“This sentence reaffirms the message that the violence perpetrated by MS-13 members and associates will not be tolerated,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Our ongoing work with our law enforcement partners to bring MS-13 members to justice demonstrates our unflagging commitment to eliminate MS-13 and its campaign of wanton violence.”

“Gang members and their violent crimes have no room here in Maryland,” said HSI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge John Eisert. “This significant sentencing pulls one more of these dangerous operatives off of the streets and weakens the larger illicit organization, one member at a time. I commend and thank the agents who routinely put themselves in harm’s way and continue our concerted efforts to dismantle these criminal organizations.”

According to the plea agreement, MS-13 is a gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants of immigrants from El Salvador, with members operating in the State of Maryland and throughout the United States.  Branches or “cliques” of MS-13 often work together cooperatively to engage in criminal activity and to assist one another in avoiding detection by law enforcement. MS-13 members and associates are required to commit acts of violence within the gang and against rival gangs. One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, known as “chavalas,” whenever possible. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, Flores-Ventura admitted that since at least 2015, he was a member and associate of the Uniones clique of MS-13 in Maryland, and conspired with other MS-13 members and associates, including Vilas Sail Argueta-Bermudez, Wilians Ernesto Lovos-Ayala, and Michael Campos-Lemus, who were also members of the MS-13 Uniones and Molinos cliques.  Flores-Ventura admitted that beginning in 2015 he and his co-conspirators and others engaged in racketeering activities, including murder and other violent acts and drug distribution.  

Beginning in June or July 2015, Flores-Ventura and his co-conspirators planned and conspired to murder Victim 1, whom them believed to be a member of the rival 18th Street Gang.  On July 16, 2015, Flores-Ventura and his co-conspirators lured the victim from Maryland to Virginia on the pretext that the victim was going to participate in a “court,” that is, a disciplinary beating to be administered to another individual.  Flores-Ventura drove the victim, along with other MS-13 members and associates from Silver Spring, Maryland to Woodbridge, Virginia, where they met Argueta-Bermudez, Lovos-Ayala, Campos-Lemus and other members and associates of MS-13 in a wooded area.  Flores-Ventura struck the victim on the head.  Thereafter, Argueta-Bermudez, Lovos-Ayala, Campos-Lemus, and other MS-13 members and associates struck and stabbed that victim multiple times with machetes and knives until the victim was dead.  Flores-Ventura admitted that the victim was murdered to maintain or increase the status of MS-13 in the community and maintain or increase the status of the MS-13 members who participated in the murder.

Vilas Sail Argueta-Bermudez, a/k/a “Happy,” a/k/a “Little Happy,” a/k/a “Enchilada,” age 32, of Aspen Hill, Maryland; Wilians Ernesto Lovos-Ayala, a/k/a “Tigre,” age 26, of Woodbridge, Virginia; and Michael Campos-Lemus, a/k/a “Humilde,” age 25, of Aspen Hill, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced later this year.

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur thanked HSI, the FBI, the Prince William Police Department, and the Frederick Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul B. Ebert for his office’s assistance.  Mr. Hur also commended Assistant United States Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark, Catherine K. Dick, and Matthew DellaBetta, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced Bradley Mascho, age 53, of Frederick, Maryland, to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit securities fraud and for making a false statement.  Judge Xinis also ordered Mascho to pay restitution of $4,824,131.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to his plea agreement, beginning in at least 2009, Mascho worked with Dawn J. Bennett at Bennett Group Financial Services, LLC (“BGFS”), which Bennett used to provide investment advice and financial services to clients in Maryland and elsewhere.  In 2013, Bennett formed DJB Holdings, d/b/a DJBennett.com, an Internet retail website for luxury sportswear.  At times and at Bennett’s request, Mascho acted as the Chief Financial Officer of DJB Holdings.

According his plea agreement, between December 2014 and April 2017, Bennett and Mascho solicited individuals, including BGFS clients, to invest money in DJB Holdings, offering an annual interest rate of 15% via convertible or promissory notes.  In order to entice individuals to invest, Bennett and Mascho made false and misleading statements, including: how investors’ funds were being used; the risks of investing in DJB Holdings; and concealing the true financial condition of DJB Holdings from investors.  Bennett and Mascho convinced several investors to withdraw a significant portion of their retirement accounts to invest in, and loan money to, DJB Holdings.  

Between December 2014 and July 2017, Bennett and Mascho solicited and received over $20 million from more than 40 different investors.  The evidence showed that Bennett, and to a lesser extent Mascho, misappropriated investor funds, using them to pay their personal expenses and to repay previous investors with funds received from new investors.  This is consistent with a Ponzi scheme--a fraudulent investment scheme in which the operator of the scheme solicits investors by promising high rates of return with little risk.  The scheme operator then funds payments to the earlier investors through funds obtained through new investors. Typically, the operator of the scheme will use investment funds for purposes other than what was conveyed to the investors.

Further Mashco admitted that on June 19, 2017, he lied under oath in a deposition related to an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into Bennett and DJB Holdings’ unlawful issuance of convertible notes to investors.  Mascho admitted that before the deposition, he spoke with Dawn Bennett extensively about his testimony and that his false statements to the SEC were all made under Bennett’s direction and at her insistence.

From 2014 through 2016, Mascho received compensation from BGFS and Bennett personally of approximately $209,000 to $219,000.

On July 31, 2019, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Dawn J. Bennett, age 56, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for 17 federal charges including conspiracy, securities fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and making false statements on a loan application.  Judge Xinis ordered that Bennett must pay restitution of $14,504,290 and forfeiture of $14,306,842. After deliberating for fewer than five hours, a federal jury convicted Bennett of those charges on October 17, 2018.           

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work on this investigation and thanked the SEC.  Mr. Hur praised Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin B. Pulice, Thomas P. Windom, and Gregory D. Bernstein, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III today sentenced Keenan Lawson, a/k/a BlackFace, age 27, of Baltimore, to 23 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise related to his activities as a member of the violent Hillside gang that operated in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.  Lawson admitted to participating in the murder of an innocent bystander, two attempted murders, and the distribution of narcotics. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.

“Keenan Lawson and his fellow gang members brought terror and death to Baltimore’s Cherry Hill neighborhood with guns and drugs.  Federal, state, and local law enforcement are committed to working together to bring to justice those responsible for the most violence in Baltimore City,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Lawson was personally responsible for two shootings and for the murder of an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire and now faces 23 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.  I urge anyone who’s thinking of following these defendants’ example:  Please, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.”

According to his plea agreement, Lawson was a member of the Hillside Enterprise, which he knew distributed powder and crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, and marijuana, primarily in the Cherry Hill Shopping Center, in other locations throughout Cherry Hill, and in west and southwest Baltimore City.  The members of the Hillside Enterprise used the proceeds of their narcotics sales to purchase firearms, to enrich themselves, and to further the activities of the organization, including narcotics trafficking. Hillside members used residences in and around Cherry Hill to cut and package drugs for distribution, primarily heroin, powder cocaine, and crack. These locations included a house at 453 Roundview Road and an apartment at 2300 Terra Firma Road in Cherry Hill.  Only trusted members of the Hillside Enterprise were admitted to these locations while the drugs were being prepared for sale.  In an effort to distinguish their narcotics, members used colored topped vials or colored the drugs with food coloring.  Lawson admitted that he distributed drugs as a member of Hillside, and on behalf of the gang and is also captured on video in the stash houses on at least 17 occasions between November 2014 and September 2015, preparing controlled substances for distribution.

Members of the Hillside Enterprise routinely carried firearms and committed acts of violence in furtherance of the organization’s activities, including robberies, shootings, beatings, murders, and other violence in order to intimidate others who would interfere with their narcotics trafficking.  Acts of violence were also committed to discipline members within the Hillside Enterprise for transgressions, real or perceived, against the conspiracy.  

Hillside members and associates have been in a long-running dispute with persons not part of the gang, including Up Da Hill (“UDH”), the Lakebrook Circle Boys, and others.  Members and associates of Hillside have routinely engaged in acts of violence, including murder, directed at members of these rival organizations, or persons who happen to be located on territory controlled by these rival organizations.  The defendants all knew that these acts of violence, including the homicides, were committed by Hillside members and associates, including murders and shootings.  For example, Keenan Lawson admitted that he participated in two shootings of individuals whom he and his fellow Hillside members believed to be rival gang members, as well as the murder of an innocent bystander who was shot in the cross fire.    

Nineteen Hillside gang members have pleaded guilty to their participation in the racketeering conspiracy.  Of those, 18 defendants, including Keenan Lawson, have been sentenced to between 10 and 30 years in federal prison.

According to the ATF, a reward of $10,000 is available for information leading to the arrest of the final defendant in this case, fugitive Deaven Raeshawn Cherry, a/k/a Gotti, age 32, of Baltimore, who is charged federally with drug and racketeering conspiracies, including murders.  Cherry is actively being sought by ATF Baltimore Special Agents and the U.S. Marshals Service. He should be considered armed and dangerous. Law enforcement believes that Cherry is likely still in the counties near Baltimore City, if not within the city itself. Anyone with information should contact ATF at (888) ATF-TIPS, ATFtips@atf.gov, text “ATFBAL” to 63975, or contact ATF via the mobile reportit® app.

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 Robert K. Hur commended the ATF, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia C. McLane and Michael C. Hanlon, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar today sentenced Antonio Wright, age 42, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 25 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for coercing and enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and for two counts of production of child pornography.  Chief Judge Bredar also ordered that upon his release from prison, Wright will be required to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

Wright admitted that he used an online social network to induce the victim, Jane Doe, to engage in sexually explicit conduct, and to produce images of that conduct.  According to his plea agreement, Wright has known the victim since 2009, when Jane Doe was four years old, and lived with Jane Doe’s family intermittently until the Spring of 2017.  According to evidence presented at today’s hearing, Wright began sexually abusing the victim when she was 11 years old.

Beginning in at least August 2017, Wright and the victim, who was living with a foster family in Baltimore, began communicating by text messages, audio messages, and images, using an online social network.  The messages frequently included Wright’s declarations of love for Jane Doe and Wright also told Jane Doe that they should eventually get married.  Jane Doe was approximately 13 years old at this time.  Wright instructed the victim not to tell others that she has “an older man for a boyfriend,” and that he would get in trouble if anyone found out.

On January 4, 2018, Wright spent time with Jane Doe at his residence when Baltimore City schools were closed due to snow.  That afternoon, Jane Doe’s foster mother noticed that Jane Doe did not come home when she expected her.  When she was unable to locate Jane Doe, she found the tablet that Jane Doe was using to communicate with Wright and observed the sexually explicit chats and images.  After Wright brought Jane Doe home that afternoon, her foster mother filed a report with the Maryland Department of Human Services, who referred the case to Child Protective Services for investigation.  As part of the investigation, Jane Doe’s tablet and social media accounts were searched, and sexually explicit photos, texts, messages, and voice messages were located. 

According to evidence presented at today’s hearing, Wright sexually abused the victim from the time she was 11 years old until January 4, 2018.  Wright admitted to federal investigators that he had engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the victim, that Wright had asked the victim to send him sexually explicit images of herself—which she did, and that Wright sent the victim sexually explicit images of himself.  In addition, there was evidence presented that the victim disclosed to authorities that Wright sexually molested her at his house on January 4, 2018.  Wright subsequently admitted to sexually abusing the victim on that day.

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 Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Matthew Maddox, who prosecuted the federal case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang today sentenced Yul Hildon Reddock, age 40, of Cheverly Maryland, to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to get illegal guns out of the hands of felons and off of our streets, in order to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods.  Yul Reddock used a gun, and now faces 15 years of federal time, where there is no parole—ever.  Please, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.”

According to his guilty plea, on January 31, 2018, a Prince George’s County Police Corporal was in the area of Matthew Henson Avenue and Muncy Road in Landover, Maryland when he heard four or five gunshots nearby, then saw a blue four-door sedan being followed by a black pick-up truck.  The sedan was being driven by Reddock.  As Reddock sped by the Corporal’s unmarked vehicle, which was also a black pick-up truck, the Corporal was able to see that the rear window of the sedan had been shot out.  The Corporal began to follow the sedan and shortly thereafter saw Reddock pointing a gun from the sedan in his direction and heard two additional shots. 

Back-up marked police vehicles took over the pursuit.  Reddock lost control of the sedan while attempting to exit onto Pennsylvania Avenue from southbound Interstate 495.  Reddock was arrested and law enforcement recovered from his car a .22-caliber long rifle pistol loaded with eight .22-caliber cartridges; three fired cartridge casings; and one .22-caliber cartridge found on the floor of the vehicle.  Reddock had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and 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 Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy F. Hagan, Jr. and Rajeev R. Raghavan, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – Ivan Victor Thrane, age 65, of Dickerson, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in connection with a scheme to defraud a company of more than $1.7 million. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to his plea agreement, Thrane was the owner and president of three construction companies operating in Dickerson and Beltsville, Maryland (“the Thrane companies”).  Thrane admitted that between August 2015 and January 2017, he conspired with the project manager at Victim Company 1, to defraud Victim Company 1 by submitting fraudulent payment requests for work purportedly performed by the Thrane companies.  In fact, the Thrane companies had not performed all of the work indicated on the payment requests and, in some cases, had not performed any work on projects for which Thrane was requesting payment. 

Specifically, Thrane and his co-conspirator, among other things, caused the Thrane companies to submit payment requests to Victim Company 1.  The co-conspirator prepared the payment requests, which he e-mailed to Thrane.  Thrane, or another individual at Thrane’s request, signed the payment requests on behalf of the Thrane companies.  Thrane then e-mailed the signed payment requests to the co-conspirator, who, as Victim Company 1’s project manager and project executive, approved the payment requests, causing Victim Company 1 to pay the Thrane companies.  Once payment was received from Victim Company 1, Thrane funneled a portion of those payments to his co-conspirator, typically by writing checks from his personal bank account or from the Thrane companies.

After Victim Company 1 discovered the overbilling by the Thrane companies in December 2016, Thrane and his co-conspirator attempted to conceal the scheme to defraud.  For example, on December 28, 2016, Thrane and his co-conspirator sent each other e-mails, which they had previously discussed.  Specifically, Thrane sent an e-mail to his co-conspirator and copying other employees from Victim Company 1, which read in part, “…please allow me to review our records with my accountant. My accountant is off this week. . . . Please rest assured that if there have been any overpayment to us by [Victim Company 1], we will return the overpayment immediately.”  In fact, the Thrane companies did not have an accountant.

Victim Company 1 eventually initiated civil litigation against Thrane and his co-conspirator. Thrane and the co-conspirator coordinated their defense and falsely claimed that an employee of Victim Company 1 authorized the overbilling in order to obtain funds to purchase Victim Company 1.  In fact, that employee did not even start working at Victim Company 1 until after Thrane and his co-conspirator had begun their fraud scheme and that employee did not authorize Thrane or Thrane companies to submit inflated payment requests.

From approximately September 2015 to December 2016, Victim Company 1 paid the Thrane companies approximately $3,294,675.34 as a result of payment requests submitted as part of the conspiracy and scheme to defraud.  Upon receipt of these payments from Victim Company 1, Thrane issued approximately 34 kickback payments, totaling approximately $1,740,330 in checks written to his co-conspirator.  On January 3, 2017, after discovering the fraud scheme, Victim Company 1 reversed or voided payments totaling approximately $741,525 to the Thrane companies.  Thrane admits that the actual and intended loss attributable to him as a result of the scheme is between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.

As part of his plea agreement, Thrane is required to forfeit and pay restitution in the full amount of the victim’s losses still outstanding, which is at least $988,805.

Thrane faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy.   U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm has scheduled sentencing for January 7, 2020.

In a separate indictment, Rakesh Kaushal, age 66, of Rockville, Maryland is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the scheme.  No trial date has been set and Kaushal remains 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. 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Collins and Gregory Bernstein, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – On August 20, 2019, Benjamin Fowlkes, age 35, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of a convenience store and the armed robbery of a bank.  

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, on November 26, 2018, shortly before 11 p.m., Fowlkes robbed a convenience store located in the 2700 block of West Franklin Street in Baltimore, displaying what appeared to be a silver semiautomatic handgun, but was in fact an air gun.  Fowlkes ordered the store employees to open the cash register and give him the cash, which they did.  Fowlkes then fled.

The next day, Fowlkes robbed a bank located in the 3600 block of Boston Street in Baltimore. Shortly after the bank opened, Fowlkes entered the bank and asked to open an account.  Fowlkes was directed to a customer service employee in another part of the bank.  Fowlkes pulled a yellow folder from a white mesh laundry bag, asked for a pen, and then wrote a note demanding money, which he passed to the employee. The employee advised that there was no money in the customer service area.  Fowlkes took the note back, stated that he had a gun, and drew what appeared to be a silver semiautomatic handgun—but that was in fact an air gun—from the white mesh laundry bag.  Fowlkes told the employee, who was on crutches, to get up slowly.  The victim employee complied and walked to the teller area of the bank, where two other employees were working, to get the money Fowlkes demanded.  Fowlkes followed her there.  While in the teller area, Fowlkes again displayed the silver air gun and demanded money, and also demanded one of the tellers’ car keys.  One employee handed over the keys to his car—a Hyundai Sonata—and another employee handed Fowlkes the cash from the teller drawers, which Fowlkes placed in the white mesh laundry bag.  Fowlkes then escaped in the stolen Hyundai Sonata.

Fowlkes was arrested on November 29, 2018, after a Baltimore Police Officer in the Southwestern District determined that the tags on a Hyundai Sonata driven by Fowlkes had been stolen.  When Fowlkes was pulled over, he was wearing the same zip-up hoodie worn during the robberies, and he had $2,021 in cash on him, which was stolen from the bank.  A subsequent search warrant executed at his residence resulted in law enforcement recovering the white mesh laundry bag, yellow folder, and demand note used at the bank robbery, mail addressed to the owner of the Hyundai Sonata, which Fowlkes had taken from the stolen car, and the silver air gun used in connection with both robberies.

As part of his plea agreement, Fowlkes will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is at least $7,250.

Fowlkes and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Fowlkes will be sentenced to between 120 months and 235 months in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for November 1, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. 

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – David Richison, age 64, of Frederick, Maryland, who owned and operated a payroll processing business, pleaded guilty today to federal charges of wire fraud and aiding in the filing of a false tax return, in connection with a fraud scheme in which he took funds from his clients’ tax escrow account and used them to pay his own personal expenses. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to his plea agreement, Richison owned and operated a Frederick-based payroll processing business, Period Financial, doing business as Period Payroll.  Period Payroll provided payroll processing and payroll tax payment services to businesses in Maryland and Virginia, using special software specifically designed by Richison.  In addition to printing paychecks for client employees, Period Payroll was responsible for calculating the employment taxes owed to federal and state taxing authorities by the client companies and those companies’ employees, as well as preparing and filing the client companies’ employment tax returns. 

Period Payroll clients entrusted Richison with the authority to remove funds directly from their bank accounts to pay their federal and state taxes, as well as to pay fees to Period Payroll.  Richison’s practice was to send the clients a copy of the tax return to be filed and an accounting of the funds to be removed from their accounts and subsequently paid over.  Funds removed from client accounts were placed into an escrow account, which Richison used to make electronic payments to the IRS, generating a unique number for each wire sent on behalf of a client.

Richison admitted that from at least 2012 through 2014, the tax forms prepared and filed by Richison on behalf of Period Payroll clients properly reported the amount of taxes owed, but a corresponding amount of tax deposits was not made with the IRS.  Richison began taking money from the client escrow fund to pay for his own personal and business-related expenses, such as legal fees, rather than paying those funds to the IRS, as he represented to his clients.

For example, in July 2012, Richison transferred $53,000 from the client escrow account to his personal attorney to pay legal fees.  Over the course of 2013 and 2014, the frequency with which Richison failed to pay over client funds to the IRS increased.  When clients received notices from the IRS that their employment taxes had not been paid, Richison provided false explanations for the missed payments and falsely promised to make the payments and cover the penalties and interest.  To further conceal the scheme, Richison used one client’s escrowed funds to pay another client’s debt, penalties, and interest, without informing either client that he was doing so.  In addition, Richison sent e-mails to clients falsely stating that he had made payments to the IRS on their behalf and provided as proof the wire numbers of transfers that he had made on behalf of other clients.  Between approximately February 2013 and December 2014, Richison used approximately $598,365 of client escrow funds to make payments to the IRS to cover the penalties and interest his clients had accrued in order to conceal the fraud and continue to deceive his clients into thinking that Period Payroll was solvent.

By the end of 2014, there were insufficient funds in the client escrow account to cover the mounting debts and Richison closed Period Payroll.  By that time, the difference between the amount taken from clients and reported to have been paid to the IRS per the tax returns filed on behalf of clients, and the actual payments made as required by those returns totaled at least $1,622,481.56.

As part of his plea agreement, Richison will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which is agreed to be at least $1,609,561.59.

Richison faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud and a maximum of three years in federal prison for aiding in the filing of a false tax return.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for November 26, 2019 at 9:30 a.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the IRS Criminal Investigation for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Delaney, who is prosecuting the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – Tataw Ayuk-Arrey Obenson, age 21, of Burtonsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty on August 14, 2019, to interference with interstate commerce by robbery; and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

According to his plea agreement, on April 22, 2018, Tataw Ayuk-Arrey Obenson committed the armed robbery of a delivery driver with co-conspirator Wakeene William Graham.  That evening, while at a residence in Burtonsville, Graham used an application on his cellular phone to place an order for food to be delivered to another residence within walking distance.

Shortly before the food arrived, Obenson and Graham arrived at the residence where the food was to be delivered.  Graham hid on the side of a row of townhouses, while Obenson waited at the front of the residence.  The driver arrived at 9:45 p.m. and met Obenson in front of the home.  Obenson accepted the food from the delivery driver while Graham approached his side and pointed a pistol at him. Obenson and Graham robbed the driver of his telephone and approximately $170, then ran away in different directions, discarding the victim’s telephone in woods nearby.   

On May 22, 2018, Obenson was arrested and confessed to committing the armed robbery of the driver.  Graham was arrested a few days later.  Law enforcement searched Graham and recovered a loaded, semi-automatic pistol concealed in his groin area; a bag of ammunition from Graham's right rear pants pocket; and a cellular telephone.  A search warrant was obtained for Graham's phone, which revealed a screen shot from the date of the robbery, featuring the application software and the phone number that was used to place the delivery order that led to the armed robbery, along with multiple photographs of Graham possessing the handgun.

Obenson and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Obenson will be sentenced to seven years and a day in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for November 27, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. 

Graham previously pleaded guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to 104 months in federal prison.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended ATF for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, Jr., who is prosecuting the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – Five individuals have been charged by a federal criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances, in connection with an alleged drug distribution organization operating in Prince George’s and Charles Counties in Maryland, that sold heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine.  The criminal complaint was filed on August 14, 2019, and was unsealed today upon the arrests of the defendants.  The following defendants are charged in the complaint:

Anthony Kenneth Dotson, Jr., a/k/a Streetz, Ghost, and Rico, age 33, of Clinton, Maryland; Marvin Windell Gray, a/k/a Marv, age 44, of Waldorf, Maryland; James Anthony Harvey, Jr., a/k/a Fat Bread, and Patches, age 47, of King George, Virginia; Marcellus Jerome Woodland, a/k/a Cellus, age 29, of Waldorf; and
Tiara Mackall, a/k/a Tee, age 26, of Waldorf.

In addition to today’s arrests, law enforcement executed search warrants at eight locations believed to be used by the conspirators to prepare, store, and/or sell drugs and recovered six firearms, heroin, and fentanyl.

The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jesse R. Fong of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron; Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “Drug traffickers are on notice that dealing in fentanyl increases their odds of federal prosecution. We’re also targeting drug dealers who use guns and increase the risk of gun violence in Maryland.  Working together with our local, state, and federal partners, we are determined to reduce the number of opioid overdose deaths in Maryland.”

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, law enforcement began investigating Dotson, who was allegedly supervising a drug distribution conspiracy operating primarily in Prince George’s and Charles Counties that sold heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine.  According to the affidavit, the drug trafficking organization utilizes multiple cell phones (or “burner phones”) to conduct its drug trafficking activities and employs runners who sell fentanyl and heroin on Dotson’s behalf.  The indictment alleges that Gray is a lieutenant in the organization and that Harvey, Woodland, and Mackall are runners.

The affidavit details numerous alleged drug transactions between Dotson and his suppliers, runners, and customers, using coded language, including controlled purchases of drugs made at the direction of law enforcement.  According to the affidavit, on January 7, 2018, a victim died after ingesting drugs allegedly supplied by Dotson.  The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland determined that the victim died from fentanyl intoxication.  Further, the affidavit includes conversations between Dotson and others discussing the possession and/or purchase of firearms and ammunition.  Dotson is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 40 years for the conspiracy and a maximum of 20 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.  At today’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles B. Day ordered that all the defendants, except for Mackall, be detained pending detention hearings scheduled for Monday, August 19, 2019.  Mackall was ordered to be released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Charles County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Bernstein and Erin Pulice, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury today indicted Stephen Lyle Orback, age 64, on the federal charge of making threatening communications, specifically multiple telephone calls threatening a synagogue.  

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to the indictment, between May 12 and May 13, 2019, Orback made multiple telephone calls to an employee of a synagogue in Owings Mills, Maryland, threatening to kill many members of that Jewish congregation.

If convicted, Orback faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.  No initial appearance has been scheduled.  Orback is currently detained in Colorado on unrelated state charges.

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 Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys P. Michael Cunningham and Mary W. Setzer, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – Warner Antonio Portillo, age 34, of Manassas, Virginia, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to produce and transfer identification documents without lawful authority, specifically, Maryland driver’s licenses. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.

According to his plea agreement, from at least July 2015 through March 2016, Portillo conspired with two employees of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA conspirators), who worked in the Largo, Maryland branch office, and others, to produce and transfer Maryland driver’s licenses without lawful authority.  Specifically, Portillo and others met with prospective Maryland driver’s license applicants who were willing to pay money to obtain a driver’s license illegally, typically because the applicants were aliens without legal status in the United States or were otherwise unable to obtain a lawfully issued driver’s license.  The applicants paid Portillo and his co-conspirators between $800 and $5,000 in cash for each fraudulently issued Maryland driver’s license.

Portillo admitted that he gave the MVA conspirators the names, addresses, and other information that applicants wished to appear on their Maryland driver’s licenses.  Portillo provided the applicants and the MVA conspirators with fraudulent documents necessary to obtain a Maryland driver’s license, including proof of payment of taxes, proof of Maryland residence, a valid license number from Motor Vehicle Departments in other states, and an identification document.  Portillo and others assisted the applicants to travel to the Largo branch of the MVA, and directed the applicants to one of the MVA conspirators’ workstations, where applicants obtained Maryland driver’s licenses produced by the MVA conspirators without lawful authority.

Portillo paid the MVA conspirators bribes of between approximately $500 and $1,000 in cash for each fraudulently issued Maryland driver’s license transferred to the applicants.  The conspiracy resulted in the unlawful production and transfer of at least 276 Maryland driver’s licenses.

MDOT MVA Administrator Chrissy Nizer stated, “Following the April 2016 investigation, MDOT MVA immediately cancelled all of the fraudulent licenses in question. The MVA also implemented system changes to prevent the unlawful production and transfer of licenses and retrained and reinforced these procedures among our staff.”

Portillo faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for the conspiracy.  As part of his plea agreement, Portillo will also be required to pay a money judgment of at least $276,000, which constitutes assets derived from or obtained by Portillo as a result of the conspiracy.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for December 19, 2019, at 2:00 p.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI for its work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration Investigation and Security Services for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, who is prosecuting the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm today sentenced Keino Ferrez Dorsey, a/k/a B, age 46, of Lexington Park, Maryland, to 186 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanil, resulting in the death of a victim, and possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, para-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl, and cocaine.  Dorsey had previously been convicted of a felony drug distribution offense. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jesse R. Fong of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron; and Chief Barry M. Barnard of the Prince William County (Virginia) Police Department.

“The drugs distributed by Keino Dorsey were mixed with fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, unbeknownst to the victim, who died almost immediately after ingesting the drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Dorsey will now face more than 15 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.  Drug traffickers are on notice that dealing in fentanyl increases their odds of federal prosecution.  We must do everything we can to reduce overdose deaths from fentanyl and from all opioids.”

According to Dorsey’s plea agreement, Dorsey and Victim A had known each other for approximately three years, during which Dorsey sold heroin and other drugs to Victim A.  On October 17, 2017, Dorsey and Victim A communicated via text message and phone calls.  Victim A and others traveled to Dorsey’s apartment to purchase narcotics.  At about 12:45 p.m. Victim A went inside the apartment building to conduct the narcotics transaction and the other individuals stayed inside the vehicle.  Less than five minutes later, Victim A texted one of the individuals waiting in the vehicle:  “Gimmi a min he wants me to try sumthin…”  The individuals inside the vehicle attempted to contact Victim A, but left the area to return home after several unanswered calls and text messages.

Dorsey admitted that at 1:08 p.m. he contacted 911 using Victim A’s cellular telephone to report an emergency and then hung up.  The 911 dispatcher called Victim A’s phone three times between 1:08 and 1:16 p.m., but no one answered.  The 911 dispatcher also texted Victim A’s phone during that time, but with no response.  At 2:22 p.m. Dorsey again contacted 911, this time informing the dispatcher that Victim A was unresponsive.  Emergency medical personnel responded to Dorsey’s apartment and attempted lifesaving measures, but were not successful, and Victim A was pronounced dead.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland subsequently determined that the cause of Victim A's death was heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil, cyclopropyl fentanyl, and despropionyl fentanyl intoxication.  Victim A died as a result of ingesting the narcotics Dorsey provided to Victim A.

From April through June 2018, law enforcement conducted eight controlled buys of narcotics from Dorsey, who traveled from Maryland to Virginia to conduct the transactions.  At the direction of law enforcement, purchases totaling of 111 grams of heroin and 78 grams of a mixture of heroin and other drugs, including fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and/or cocaine were made from Dorsey.

On July 13, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Dorsey’s residence and recovered narcotics containing heroin, fentanyl and cocaine; 12 boxes/bottles of cutting agents for heroin; and drug paraphernalia.  From Dorsey’s vehicle, law enforcement recovered a black vacuum sealed foil package containing heroin from inside a magnetic box in the rear floorboard.                    

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the DEA, HSI, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, and the Prince William County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer R. Sykes and Gregory Bernstein, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm today sentenced Steven Hadley Hassan, age 52, of Frederick, Maryland, to 40 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for sexually abusing minors to produce child pornography and transporting those images to the United States.  Judge Grimm also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Hassan must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).  Hassan has been detained since his arrest on June 8, 2018.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge John Eisert of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); U.S. Department of State Inspector General Steve A. Linick; and Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins.

“Steven Hassan preyed on vulnerable young girls, including foreign nationals, while representing the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “This sentence demonstrates that we will find and bring to justice those who victimize children.”

“Steven Hadley Hassan exploited his position as a U.S. government official abroad to victimize children over the course of several years in a certain perversion of public trust,” said HSI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge John Eisert. “Today’s sentencing ensures that Hassan will serve a just sentence and not again have access to additional victims.”

“I appreciate the hard work and dedication of the special agents who worked on this important case,” said Inspector General Steve Linick.

According to his guilty plea, from October 2010 and continuing until mid-2013, Hassan admitted that he sexually abused Jane Doe 1 in government housing in the Philippines and South Africa, where Hassan was stationed in connection with his work as a Foreign Service Officer for the State Department. 

During the time Hassan was stationed in the Philippines he also sexually abused two prepubescent minor sisters who resided in Manila, Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3, and produced images of the abuse.  Hassan met Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3 in 2010, when the girls were seven and 11 years old, respectively, when he offered them food from a local restaurant near where they lived.  Hassan then transported Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3 in his vehicle to a local hotel and sexually abused them.  Hassan had Jane Doe 3 take photos while Hassan sexually abused Jane Doe 2.  Hassan also brought Jane Doe 3 and two other minor girls to a local Manila hotel on at least three occasions and sexually abused them.  Hassan most recently sexually abused Jane Doe 2 in 2015 when he briefly visited the Philippines.

Sometime after November 2015, Hassan transported his camera and the Secure Digital (SD) memory card within it, which contained the photos documenting the sexual abuse of the minor girls, back to the United States.  Hassan eventually deleted the images of the child pornography he produced from the SD card.

From October 2014 through March 2018, Hassan, under a number of different usernames, used an online file-sharing network to distribute child pornography, including images documenting the sexual abuse of prepubescent minors, as well as to engage in online chats.  On January 22, 2018, an undercover investigator downloaded thousands of depictions of child pornography and child erotica from the “shared folder” of the file-sharing program that Hassan made available for download.  Search warrants were subsequently obtained for Hassan’s residence in Frederick.  Law enforcement seized a laptop computer, camera, and various digital media.

An HSI Computer Forensics Analyst forensically examined all of the digital evidence and discovered thousands of images of child pornography, including the images that depict Hassan, whose face is visible in some of the images, sexually abusing Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3.  The Analyst also recovered online chats in which Hassan repeatedly discussed his abuse of Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, Jane Doe 3, and others, and repeatedly sent the images he produced documenting the sexual abuse of Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3 to other users of the file-sharing program.  In other chats, Hassan provided tips to others about how to meet and abuse minors in the Philippines.

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 Robert K. Hur commended HSI-Baltimore and HSI-Philippines, the U.S. Department of State Office of Inspector General, and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who is prosecuting the federal case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel today sentenced Leroy Percell Burrell, age 32, of Washington, D.C., to 162 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for three armed robberies in which Burrell brandished a firearm.  Judge Hazel also entered an order requiring Burrell to pay restitution of $2,680.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department

“We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to get guns out of the hands of criminals and off of our streets, in order to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods.” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “If you use a gun, you could face federal time, where there is no parole—ever.  Please, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.”

According to his guilty plea, between July 30 and November 3, 2017, Burrell committed three armed robberies of businesses, brandishing a firearm in each of the robberies.  All of the robberies were captured on video surveillance.  Specifically, on July 30, 2017, Burrell robbed Business 1 in Greenbelt, Maryland.  Burrell entered through the front door of the store, locked the door behind him, and then confronted an employee behind the counter.  The employee opened the cash register but did not remove any cash.  Burrell forced the employee to the back of the store, displayed a handgun to the employee, and threatened to shoot if the employee did not give Burrell all the money.  In the rear room, where there was no video, Burrell forced the employee to open and give him money from the safe.  Returning to the main store, the employee emptied the cash register and gave the money to Burrell, who left through the rear door.  Burrell stole a total of $700 from the store and $80 from the employee.

On August 10, 2017, Burrell and another man robbed Business 2 in Anne Arundel County.  Burrell entered the business and immediately brandished a gun, pointing it at the head of an employee, who handed Burrell the cash from the register.  Burrell then forcefully pushed the employee toward the back of the store, still at gunpoint.  Burrell's accomplice followed him into the store, pulled down a ski mask, and locked the front door.  The accomplice also headed to the back of the store, confronting a second employee who was in the office.  Burrell and his accomplice then fled out the front door.  The robbery took approximately one minute, and Burrell and his accomplice stole an undetermined amount of money. 

On November 3, 2017, Burrell again robbed Business 1 in Greenbelt.  At the time of the robbery, two employees were working.  Video surveillance of the store captured Burrell locking the front door and removing a pistol from his pocket.  Burrell pulled back the slide of the pistol, ejecting a single round of ammunition from the firearm, then brandished the pistol, waving it and pointing it at the employees.  While one employee was held at gunpoint, the other emptied the cash register and handed cash to Burrell, who took the money and put it in his pocket.  Burrell gave handcuffs that were wrapped in a bright blue hand washcloth to the employee he was holding at gunpoint.  The employee took out the handcuffs, dropped the towel, and placed the handcuffs on himself.  Burrell motioned the two employees to the back room of the store where Burrell ordered one of the employees to open the safe, threatening the victim’s life, but the employee did not know the combination to the safe.  Burrell again left through the rear door of the store, stealing approximately $1,900. The towel and handcuffs were left at the scene and recovered as evidence. 

On November 9, 2017, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Burrell’s residence in Washington, D.C.  Officers encountered Burrell in the foyer of the apartment building and arrested him.  Law enforcement officers recovered a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol from Burrell.  From Burrell’s apartment law enforcement recovered a black jacket matching the jacket seen in the video of the August and November robberies; two blue washcloths matching the distinctive color and brand of the washcloth recovered from the scene at the November robbery; two pairs of handcuffs; a pair of distinctive red and black high-top shoes matching those seen on the video of the July and August robberies; a red jacket matching the one seen in video footage of the July robbery; and various ammunition rounds.  Burrell had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and 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 Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Metropolitan Police Department for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Justin Hopkins, age 28, of Baltimore, Maryland, to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

“Justin Hopkins illegally possessed a firearm, which he fired at the father of his girlfriend’s child—in front of the child—in order to settle a dispute” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Hopkins will now serve more than seven years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.  We must change the culture of gun violence in Baltimore.  Please, put down the gun.  You may save a life, including your own.”

According to his guilty plea, on February 22, 2018, Hopkins and his girlfriend were awaiting the arrival of her son at their residence in the 1900 block of McCulloh Street in North Baltimore.  Prior to the child arriving at the residence, Hopkins and the child’s father, D.J., who was bringing the child to the house, had engaged in verbal altercations that involved threats of physical harm.

Hopkins was waiting outside when D.J. arrived at the house with his girlfriend, K.C., and his child.  The two men immediately confronted each other.  D.J. challenged Hopkins to a fight, and after exchanging threats, Hopkins stated, “I got something for you,” and went into the house.  Within 30 seconds, Hopkins leaned out of a top floor window, pointing a gun at D.J. and K.C.  D.J. walked into the middle of the street, daring Hopkins to shoot him.  Hopkins fired multiple rounds, missing D.J.  D.J. and his girlfriend entered the car to flee and Hopkins shot again, shattering the sunroof of their vehicle.  D.J. and K.C. called the police and multiple officers responded.

D.J. and K.C. flagged down an officer in the area and pointed to Hopkins from half-a-block away.  The officer saw Hopkins running away with a silver backpack with spikes on it.  Officers followed Hopkins through a park to the 500 block of Presstman Street, where Hopkins emerged from the park and was apprehended, but without the backpack.  An officer returned to the park and recovered a silver backpack matching the description of the backpack carried by Hopkins.  Inside the backpack, officers recovered a .22-caliber short barreled rifle and spent ammunition.  The barrel and handle of the rifle had been sawed off, with a barrel length less than 16 inches.  Hopkins was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition as a result of a previous felony conviction.  When Hopkins saw the officer emerging from the park with the backpack, he fled again, but was recaptured by officers a block away.  After his arrest, Hopkins made a recorded jail call to his girlfriend and admitted shooting at the vehicle driven by D.J.

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 Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Goldsticker and David Metcalf, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Robert Crenshaw, age 31, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 17 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for carjacking. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

“Through coordinated efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, this violent carjacker has been put out of business,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Robert Crenshaw, who has three previous convictions, will now do 17 years of federal time, where there is no parole—ever.”

According to his guilty plea, on September 15, 2017, Crenshaw carjacked a victim at knifepoint in a parking lot in the 1000 block of East Lombard Street.  When the victim resisted, Crenshaw stabbed the victim several times in the abdomen, causing serious, life-threatening bodily injury.  Crenshaw then entered the victim’s vehicle, a 2017 Toyota RAV4, and drove away.  The entire incident was captured by video surveillance camera.

Crenshaw was arrested on September 16, 2017, driving a 2008 Hyundai Tucson vehicle that he had carjacked on September 11th.  Crenshaw waived his rights and confessed to the carjackings that he committed on September 11th and September 15th.

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 Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Sippel, Jr., who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Byron Keith Goines, age 25, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to the federal charge of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee’s inventory, in connection with the burglary of a Halethorpe, Maryland gun dealer on January 21, 2019.

The guilty was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, on January 21, 2019, at 1:08 a.m., Baltimore County police officers were dispatched to a licensed gun dealer, located on Hollins Ferry Road in Halethorpe, in response to a break-in.  When the officers arrived, they found a hole in the roof leading into the vault where the guns were stored.  Surveillance footage indicated that the suspect, later identified as Byron Keith Goines, had used a saw to cut a hole in the roof before dropping into the vault.  The suspect then filled a white trash bag with firearms.  After several failed attempts to remove the trash bag of guns from the vault, the suspect exited through the roof carrying several guns on his person.  When police arrived, a total of six guns had been removed from the vault, littered on the ground behind the store. 

Immediately after the theft, responding officers saw Goines fleeing in the direction of and then hiding inside a nearby warehouse; Goines’ flight was also captured on surveillance video footage.  K9 officers similarly traced a human smell from the direction of the firearms dealer to the warehouse.  Officers eventually entered the warehouse and found Goines inside.  The next day, warehouse employees found two soiled sweatshirts, a soiled pair of pants, and a crowbar in the area where Goines had been hiding. 

Although Goines had successfully disabled one of the firearms dealer’s rear cameras, the neighboring business’s cameras and the cameras inside the vault were still operable.  The footage shows that the shoes worn by the suspect were distinctive high-top Air Jordans.  Those sneakers match the sneakers worn by Goines when he was caught several hours later.  Surveillance video footage captured an individual attempting to cut the surveillance camera’s wires bearing a tattoo on his wrist.  That tattoo also matched a tattoo on Goines’ wrist.  Officers also recovered trash bags that matched those used by Goines in the robbery in the back of the vehicle used to transport Goines to the police station, as well as in the U-Haul that he used that was parked near the firearms dealer. 

Goines faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for December 11, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  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 Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Goldsticker, who is prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow today sentenced Jonathan Williams, age 48, of Boston, Massachusetts, a former Maryland insurance agent and financial planner with New York Life, to 57 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for wire fraud, in connection with a scheme to defraud clients of more than $2.8 million.  Judge Chasanow also ordered Williams to forfeit and pay restitution of $2.8 million.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Postal Inspector in Charge Peter R. Rendina of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division.

According to his plea agreement, from February 2006 through March 2015, Williams worked as a New York Life insurance agent and was licensed to sell insurance in Maryland, and registered with the Financial Industry and Regulatory Authority (FINRA).  Williams was only authorized to sell New York Life related products and provide financial planning through a New York Life affiliate.  New York Life did not sell certificates of deposit (CDs) nor was Williams authorized to sell CDs.  New York Life authorized the use of “doing business as” entities (DBAs) for marketing purposes only and approved Williams’ use of Mid-Atlantic Financial and Williams Investment Group as DBAs.  Williams was not permitted to have premiums made payable to him or his DBAs.

Williams admitted that from 2009 to 2015, Williams deceived New York Life and its customers, and fraudulently obtained more than $2.8 million.  At Williams’ direction, customers paid money to entities with bank accounts that Williams controlled, including Advanced Retirement Solutions, Jonathan Williams Financial Planning, and Mid-Atlantic Financial.  Williams used the victim funds to make cash withdrawals, to pay personal and business expenses, to pay employees, to take vacations, and other miscellaneous expenses.

For example, Williams misrepresented to one small business that he was creating a defined benefit plan for the company’s employees by purchasing life insurance, long-term policies, and other investments.  In 2015, after more than five years, the business learned that Williams never created the defined benefit plan.  In addition to the money that he took from the business, Williams caused New York Life and the small business to incur substantial costs to recreate the benefit plan and avoid arduous tax consequences stemming from Williams’ illegal conduct. 

Further, Williams admitted that he provided a fake certificate of deposit account statements to another victim, but never invested the client’s money.  That victim lost more than $350,000.  A third victim, who had spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Navy, invested $100,000 with Williams, supposedly for Williams to establish investment accounts with Fidelity.  Williams lied to the victim in e-mails, claiming that the victim’s money was invested with Fidelity.  In fact, an account was never created for the victim at Fidelity and Williams used the victim’s money for his personal enrichment. 

In March 2015, Williams provided phony bank records to New York Life after officials questioned Williams about his financial transactions with New York Life customers.  Even after he lost his license to sell insurance in May 2015, Williams continued to mislead clients, telling one client in July 2016 that he was leaving New York Life to work for another company.  New York Life subsequently terminated Williams’ employment and paid to settle with the victims of Williams’ fraud who suffered financial losses stemming from his illegal conduct.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Tamera L. Fine, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Jovon Lee, age 41, of Baltimore, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.  On May 8, 2019, a federal jury convicted Lee after a three-day trial.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore City Sheriff John W. Anderson. 

According to the evidence presented at trial, on October 3, 2018, law enforcement recorded a telephone call between Lee and a DEA confidential source posing as a Mexican cartel drug trafficker.  During the call, Lee used coded language to arrange to purchase heroin and cocaine from the confidential source, and agreed to have a face-to-face meeting with the confidential source in approximately eight days.  On October 9, 2018, the source and Lee exchanged messages and agreed to meet on October 12, 2018, at a mall in McLean, Virginia.

On October 12, Lee and the source met at the agreed-upon location.  Law enforcement investigators recorded the meeting.  During the meeting, Lee requested as many kilograms of cocaine as he could get, but stated that he would need the cocaine on consignment because he was out of money.  Lee and the source negotiated a price of $25,500 per kilogram of cocaine.  After several other calls and messages, Lee agreed to purchase three kilograms of cocaine and to receive four more kilograms on consignment.  Lee and the source agreed to meet on October 24, 2018.

On October 24, 2018, Lee and the source met at a hotel in Hanover, Maryland.  Lee was carrying a white shopping bag containing cash, which he showed to the source in the hotel lobby, in expectation of receiving seven kilograms of cocaine.  The source and Lee left the hotel and walked to an undercover vehicle.  On the back seat of the vehicle was a brown designer backpack that contained six kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of sham cocaine.  Lee inspected the cocaine in the backpack, placed the shopping bag of cash on the back seat of the vehicle, took the backpack, and walked away.  Law enforcement officers then arrested Lee.  The shopping bag was found to contain $75,000 in cash, not the $76,500 that had been negotiated.                 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the DEA, the IRS-CI, Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation and recognized the Morgan County (West Virginia) Sheriff’s Office for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys James G. Warwick and Joan C. Mathias, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland –U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Davien Major Ewing, a/k/a Fat Boy, age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin. His three co-conspirators were previously sentenced to between 18 and 174 months in federal prison.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.

“This case has taken four drug dealers off the streets of Baltimore, cut off a pipeline of heroin, fentanyl, and other drugs, and removed three guns from the hands of criminals,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Drug traffickers are on notice that dealing in fentanyl and using a gun increases their odds of federal prosecution. Working together with our local, state, and federal partners, we are determined to reduce the number of opioid overdose deaths in Maryland.”

According to his guilty plea, in June 2017, law enforcement began an investigation targeting Eric Brandon McKnight, a/k/a E, who was distributing large quantities of heroin and suppling heroin to multiple individuals in Baltimore.  During the investigation, Ewing was identified as one of the individuals who assisted McKnight.  Law enforcement overheard conversations between McKnight and Ewing discussing narcotics transactions, including the prices for street-level distribution of narcotics. 

As detailed in court documents, search warrants were executed on February 26, 2018 at locations that were identified as stash locations for the conspiracy.  Law enforcement recovered 704 grams of fentanyl, 48 grams of heroin, 24.95 grams of crack cocaine, more than 2.5 kilograms of marijuana, three firearms, drug packaging and processing materials, cutting agents, and cellular telephones.

Eric McKnight, age 35, of Baltimore pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl and to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 174 months in federal prison.  Co-defendants Jamal Dunn, a/k/a Greenie, age 32, and Michael Lambirth, a/k/a Big Mike, age 29, both of Baltimore, each pleaded guilty to the heroin distribution conspiracy and Dunn also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin.  Dunn was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison and Lambirth was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the DEA, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samika N. Boyd and Michael C. Hanlon, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

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