District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Toyosi Alatishe, a/k/a Felix Victor Johnson, age 49, of Columbia, Maryland, today to 11 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for a conspiracy to commit credit/debit card fraud, wire fraud, and for aggravated identity theft, in connection with two separate schemes to obtain fraudulent tax refunds.  Judge Blake entered an order requiring Alatishe to pay restitution in the amount of $2,287,959.67.  A federal jury convicted Alatishe on all 16 counts on January 24, 2019.

The sentence 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; Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Craig, Jr. of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Postal Inspector in Charge Peter R. Rendina of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Chief Lisa Myers of the Howard County Police Department.

“This criminal stole the personal information of law-abiding citizens, including the disabled residents of the group homes where he worked, to file bogus tax returns claiming fraudulent ‘refunds,’ and stole over $2.2 million from the IRS,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Those who prepare and file fraudulent returns cheat all honest taxpayers.  We are committed to investigating, stopping, and prosecuting these crimes.”

According to the evidence presented at Alatishe’s six-day trial, in the first scheme, which occurred from 2012 to 2013, Alatishe misused his position as a caretaker for residents of a group home for individuals suffering from severe mental and physical disabilities, by using their personal information to file fraudulent tax returns with the IRS and the State of Maryland.  Alatishe also obtained access to the personal identifying information of other mentally disabled Maryland victims, who lived at group homes run by a company where Alatishe’s ex-wife worked.  After filing the fraudulent tax returns through an online tax filing company, Alatishe had the tax refunds deposited into bank accounts he controlled, including an account opened using a fraudulent Nigerian passport in the name of Felix Victor Johnson.

The evidence proved that, in 2013, Alatishe also filed fraudulent tax returns using the names and social security numbers of eight other victim taxpayers from across the United States without their authority.  The fraudulent tax returns contained false information concerning the taxpayers, including their marital status, spouses, dependents, employers, wages, withholdings, tax due and owing, and refund amounts.  This resulted in Alatishe receiving fraudulently obtained tax refunds of more than $30,000 in March and April 2013, which the IRS direct deposited into the Felix Victor Johnson bank account. 

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

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

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

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the IRS-CI, DCIS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Howard County Police Department for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber and Dana J. Brusca, who prosecuted the case.

 

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Joshua Isaiah Potter, age 22, of District Heights, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his participation in a series of commercial robberies in which the robbers brandished a gun. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Acting Chief Russell E. Hamill of the Montgomery County Police Department; Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

“Joshua Potter knowingly chose to be a part of this conspiracy to commit dangerous armed robberies,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “All members of a conspiracy can be held responsible for the actions of all of the conspirators.  Potter will now spend 10 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.  Put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.” 

According to his guilty plea, between December 27, 2016 and January 7, 2017, Potter and his co-defendants, Deniro Wesley Southern-Robinson and Deandre Denzil Proctor, conspired with others to commit a series of robberies of businesses.  In each robbery, Southern-Robinson and/or Proctor entered the locations, brandished a gun, and robbed the employees of the proceeds of the business, while Potter served as a lookout during the robberies and drove the getaway vehicle.

Specifically, on December 27, 2016, Potter drove co-defendant Deandre Proctor and another conspirator to a convenience store, where Proctor and the co-conspirator entered and robbed the store, stealing approximately $130.  Potter served as the lookout and getaway driver.  In less than two hours in the early morning of December 29, 2016, the conspirators robbed three businesses in Myersville, Frederick, and Bethesda, Maryland.  In each robbery, Southern-Robinson brandished a silver revolver and Proctor brandished a BB gun.  Both men covered their faces with bandanas or masks.  In the first robbery, they confronted an employee and demanded to know where the safe was.  The victim informed them that there was no safe and began pushing one of the robbers before noticing that both appeared to be brandishing firearms.  Southern-Robinson and Proctor emptied the cash registers into their pockets and a duffel bag, stealing approximately $517.  As they fled, they threatened to kill the employee if he/she called the police.  In the other two robberies, Southern-Robinson and Proctor confronted employees and demanded they open the cash registers, stealing $232 and $350, respectively.  Potter was the lookout and getaway driver for each robbery.

 On January 7, 2017, Potter drove the robbers to a business in Myersville, Maryland.  Southern-Robinson and Proctor entered the business, again brandishing a silver revolver and BB gun, respectively, and wearing masks to cover their faces.  The robbers confronted two store employees, with Proctor pointing the BB gun at the chest of one of the victim store employees, and asked for the safe.  The victim led them to where the safe was located and Southern-Robinson removed cash from the safe and put it in a duffel bag.  Southern-Robinson and Proctor stole approximately $773.  Potter served as the getaway driver after the robbery was completed.

Several minutes later, law enforcement officers saw Potter’s vehicle traveling from the direction of the business and initiated a traffic stop.  Proctor, the front seat passenger, was wearing the same distinctive shoes he had worn in the December 29th robberies.  Law enforcement arrested the defendants and obtained a search warrant for the vehicle.  Law enforcement seized the silver revolver, a .22-caliber handgun loaded with four rounds of ammunition, from the right rear passenger door, where Southern-Robinson had been seated.  From the front passenger floor, where Proctor was sitting, law enforcement recovered black clothing that matched the clothing worn during the robberies, a black BB gun, and the duffel bag that had been used in the robberies.  Law enforcement also recovered $789 from the pouch on the back of the front passenger seat, where Southern-Robinson has been seated, and three cell phones, among other items.  Additional search warrants were executed at the residences of Southern-Robinson and Proctor that recovered additional cash and other clothing worn during the December 29th robberies.

Deniro Southern-Robinson, age 21, of Largo, Maryland, pleaded guilty to his role in the robberies and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.  Deandre Denzil Proctor, age 22, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, has also pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6, 2019 at 9:00 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 FBI Cross-Border Task Force, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth G. Wright, who is prosecuting the case.

 

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Fatai Gafari, a/k/a Freak Dawg, age 28, of Temple Hills, Maryland, today to 151 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute phencyclidine (“PCP”), and 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, “Fatai Gafari brought danger to our community through the deadly combination of guns and drugs.  Now he faces more than 12 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.  Please, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.”

According to Gafari’s plea agreement, from July 2017 and continuing through December 2017, Gafari and co-defendants Marquez Gary Freeman, Jordan Lee Phillips, Javon Antonio Reid, Terrell Andre Shields, and Timmy Rae Shields, conspired to distribute PCP.  In general, Gafari and Timmy Shields—who operated at the direction and under the supervision of Gafari—worked together to supply Phillips, Reid, Freeman, and Terrell Shields with PCP.  Gafari often directed Timmy Shields to deliver PCP to and collect money from customers of both Gafari and Shields.  During the course of the conspiracy, Gafari distributed at least 273 fluid ounces of PCP, which equals approximately 5.7 kilograms of PCP.

In July 2017, Gafari supplied 16 ounces of PCP to Phillips, who in turn sold it to a cooperating source. On September 26, 2017, Gafari directed Timmy Shields to drive Gafari’s vehicle to Phillips’s residence in order to distribute six ounces of PCP to Phillips, which Phillips later sold to a cooperating source.

On November 20, 2017, Gafari sold PCP “dippers”, which are cigarettes dipped in PCP and then smoked, to users on Parkway Terrace in Suitland, Maryland.  Law enforcement officers stopped Gafari in his vehicle as he left the area.  When he was stopped, Gafari removed a glass bottle from his clothing and threw it on the ground. That bottle—which did not break—was recovered and contained a half-ounce of PCP.

Between November 30 and December 6, 2017, Gafari and Reid sold a cooperating source more than 43 ounces of PCP.  Gafari and Timmy Shields travelled to Cleveland, Ohio to purchase PCP that Gafari, Timmy Shields, and Terrell Shields intended to sell, including 32 ounces of PCP that was sold to the cooperating source on December 6, 2017.

On December 12, 2017, while executing a search warrant on Gafari’s residence in Maryland, federal agents recovered 207 ounces of PCP, drug paraphernalia, and a loaded firearm. Gafari admitted that he possessed the firearm to protect his PCP supply.  Gafari had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Co-defendants Marquez Gary Freeman, a/k/a Cheese, age 22; Jordan Lee Phillips, a/k/a J Rock, age 27; Javon Antonio Reid, a/k/a Gucci, age 28; Terrell Andre Shields, a/k/a Hell Rell and Rell, age 31; and Timmy Rae Shields, a/k/a Tim Dawg, age 27, all of Suitland, Maryland, have previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the PCP distribution conspiracy.  Terrell Shields was sentenced to five years in federal prison, Phillips was sentenced to two years in federal prison, and Freeman was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison.  Judge Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Timmy Rae Shields on May 10, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. and Javon Reid is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.

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 Gregory D. Bernstein, Jennifer R. Sykes, and Thomas M. Sullivan, who are prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Federal prosecutors in Maryland have filed a federal criminal complaint charging Gregory Ray Blosser, age 37, of Tampa, Florida, on a federal wire fraud charge in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud clients of The Surrogacy Group (TSG), which he operated.  Blosser was arrested on April 29th in Florida.  The criminal complaint was unsealed at his initial appearance.

The federal criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

“The allegations in this case are especially egregious because they involve someone taking advantage of individuals who are trying to become parents,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Criminals who line their pockets through such heartless deceit will be held accountable.”

According to the criminal complaint, TSG offers and sells surrogacy-related services to individuals who desire to have children using a pregnancy surrogate.  TSG has been operated by Blosser since 2012 and has offices in Annapolis, Maryland and Tampa, Florida.

The criminal complaint alleges that Blosser solicits and accepts funds from clients seeking to have a child using a surrogate, promising to use those funds to support the surrogate during a pregnancy, but Blosser fails to do so.

As detailed in the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, at Blosser’s direction, at least seven victims paid fees to establish an escrow account to be controlled by Blosser, with the funds to be used to find a suitable surrogate, and to support the surrogate during a pregnancy.  The victims lived in Maryland, Australia, North Carolina, Germany, and Virginia.  In each case, after the victims deposited funds into the escrow account, Blosser either did not locate a suitable surrogate, or did not pay the surrogate the agreed-upon fees.  The victims were not able to obtain refunds, despite numerous attempts by phone and e-mail.  Victims whose surrogates were not paid by Blosser had to pay the surrogates directly, even though they had provided funds to Blosser for that purpose.

Blosser is also facing related civil suits filed by the States of Maryland and Florida.

If you believe you may have been a victim, or have information concerning these charges, please complete a brief questionnaire at www.fbi.gov/tsg or you can email surrogategroup@fbi.gov.  Your responses are voluntary.  You may be contacted by the FBI.

If convicted, Blosser faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for wire fraud.  Blosser had an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Miami, Florida, on April 30 and was ordered to be detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Friday, May 3, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.  He is expected to have an initial appearance in Maryland later this month.

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 FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo J. Wise, who is prosecuting the case.

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Total of 19 Hillside Gang Members and Associates Have Pleaded Guilty 

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Delonte Conley, age 27, of Baltimore to 150 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise related to his activities as a member of the Hillside gang that operated in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Baltimore. 

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.

“Delonte Conley chose to join an organized criminal enterprise that preyed on the Cherry Hill neighborhood by dealing drugs and committing violent gun crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  Now he will spend over 12 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.  Put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.” 

“Identifying, investigating, and incarcerating the armed gunmen that menace Baltimore’s communities is ATF’s primary focus,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “ATF is determined to collaborate with our law enforcement partners in our fight to ensure Baltimore neighborhoods can be free of violence.”    

According to his plea agreement, Conley was a member and associate 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.  Between December 13, 2014 and November 12, 2015, Conley was captured on video in both of the cut houses, preparing controlled substances for distribution.  In an effort to distinguish their narcotics, members used colored topped vials or colored the drugs with food coloring.  Conley admitted that he distributed drugs as a member of the Hillside Enterprise, and on behalf of the gang.  Throughout Conley’s involvement in Hillside, he was aware that Hillside distributed between one and three kilograms of heroin, and between five and 15 kilograms of cocaine, as well as crack cocaine.

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.  Conley knew that these acts of violence, including the homicides, were committed by Hillside members and associates.  Conley further admitted that he personally participated in an armed robbery where shots were fired during the robbery, but no one was hit, as well as an assault on another Hillside member as punishment for improperly handling drug proceeds.    

Eighteen other Hillside gang members have pleaded guilty to their participation in the racketeering conspiracy.  Of those, eight have been sentenced to between 10 and 30 years in federal prison. 

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

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 are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

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Defendants Committed Gun Violence in Northwest Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Including with Assault Rifle

Baltimore, Maryland – Late on April 30, 2019, a federal jury convicted the following four defendants for racketeering and drug trafficking conspiracies, as well as firearms and other related charges connected to their participation in the gang activities of Murdaland Mafia Piru (MMP), a subset of the Bloods gang:

            Dante Bailey, a/k/a “Gutta,” “Almighty,” and “Wolf,” age 40, of Windsor Mill, Maryland;             Jamal Lockley, a/k/a “T-Roy” and “Droid,” age 40, of Baltimore;             Corloyd Anderson, a/k/a “Bo,” age 36, of Owings Mills, Maryland; and
            Shakeen Davis, a/k/a “Creams,” age 24, of Baltimore.

The jury convicted co-defendant Randy Banks, a/k/a “Dirt,” age 41, of Baltimore, of the drug trafficking conspiracy.  He was found not guilty of the racketeering conspiracy.           

The guilty verdicts were 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; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

“These gang members brought terror and death to Baltimore and Baltimore County neighborhoods with guns and drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Now they face up to life in federal prison, where there are no suspended sentences and 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.”

“The gun violence resulting from these gang turf wars and rivalries is tearing this city apart,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “We remain committed in our mission to identify, investigate, and incarcerate anyone using firearms to commit these violent crimes.”

According to the evidence presented at the six-week trial, MMP, also known as the “Mob” or “Mobsters,” is a violent subset of the Bloods gang that operates in Maryland and elsewhere.  MMP was modeled after the Italian Mafia, and was organized hierarchically, with Dante Bailey as “the Don” at the top and various “Bosses,” “Underbosses,” “Capos,” “Lieutenants,” and “Mobsters” underneath.  For many years, MMP controlled the drug trade in large swaths of Northwest Baltimore City and neighboring Baltimore County.  The gang’s drug shop in the 5200 block of Windsor Mill Road was particularly lucrative due to its close proximity to Interstate 70, and it frequently attracted drug customers driving from Western Maryland and neighboring states.  MMP’s members enriched themselves through drug trafficking and other criminal activities, and used violence and threats of violence to intimidate or retaliate against witnesses, protect the gang’s territories, enforce debts, and eliminate rivals.

According to trial testimony, one of the founding principles of the gang was a rule against cooperation with law enforcement.  Violations of this rule were punishable by death.  MMP members enhanced their status within the gang by carrying out acts of violence against rivals.  For instance, members could earn a lightning bolt tattoo for “killing for the Mob.”  Several MMP members, including Dante Bailey, have lightning bolt tattoos on their faces or bodies.  MMP members used social media websites to assert the gang’s claim to particular drug territories, intimidate rival gangs and drug traffickers, enhance MMP’s status, and enhance members’ status within the gang.  MMP members and associates posted photographs and rap videos to these social media websites in which they flaunted firearms and threatened to kill those who stood in the way of the gang. The evidence proved that members and associates of MMP participated in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activities, including murder, extortion, witness tampering and retaliation, and drug distribution. 

For example, on February 12, 2015, Dante Bailey murdered James Edwards for showing disloyalty to the gang.  Bailey shot Edwards to death in the 300 block of Collins Avenue, using the same gun he had used to shoot at rivals in the 5200 block of Windsor Mill Road three nights earlier.  On May 30, 2015, Shakeen Davis attempted to murder two rivals in the 5200 block of Windsor Mill Road, firing multiple rounds at them with an assault rifle in broad daylight at a busy intersection.  In September 2017, while in pretrial custody, the gang’s leader, Dante Bailey, caused a letter to be mailed to a co-conspirator that directed the murder of a co-defendant who was cooperating with law enforcement.  ATF Special Agents recovered the hit letter from the co-conspirator’s residence, as well as a recently purchased firearm.   

The evidence proved that Randy Banks was part of the drug conspiracy, which began in at least 2011 and distributed narcotics, including heroin, crack cocaine, and powder cocaine. 

Bailey faces a mandatory life sentence for murder in aid of racketeering.  Lockley, Anderson, and Davis each face a maximum of life in prison for the racketeering and drug conspiracies.  Lockley faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison for the drug conspiracy.  Anderson faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon.  Davis faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for the drug conspiracy.  Banks faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the drug conspiracy.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has not yet scheduled sentencing for the defendants.

Twenty co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracies.  The final defendant, Sydni Frazier, was part of this trial, but had a mistrial declared after his attorney could not continue due to health reasons.  His new trial date has not yet been scheduled.  He is the final defendant of the 26 indicted in the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  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 praised the ATF, the Baltimore City and Baltimore County Police Departments, and the Baltimore City and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Offices for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Christina Hoffman and Lauren E. Perry, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Michael Dunaway, age 59, of Hamilton, Virginia, today to 18 months in federal prison, after Dunaway pleaded guilty to sending messages threatening acts of violence to employees of an online gaming company based in Lutherville, Maryland. 

The guilty plea and sentence were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, an online gaming company based in Lutherville, Maryland launched a combat strategy game entitled “DomiNations.”  DomiNations is a massive multiplayer online game in which players build a base nation containing different types of buildings and resources and build and train an army to defend the nation and attack other nations to collect resources.  Players can enhance their playing experience by purchasing certain resources.

In early April 2018, Dunaway contacted the online gaming company through the DomiNations game’s help and service application to address issues he had experienced while playing the game.  Starting on April 17, 2018, however, Dunaway changed his behavior from complaining about the game to threatening acts of violence against employees at the company.  Between April 17 and July 26, 2018, Dunaway sent at least 14 messages threatening to kill company employees or kill others.  The threatening communications resulted in a substantial disruption of the company’s business functions and services.

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

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Michael Peterson, age 48, of Alpharetta, Georgia, on April 26, 2019, to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after Peterson pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud four employers, including an employer in Maryland, of a total of almost $5 million.  Judge Blake entered an order requiring Peterson to pay restitution of approximately $3.9 million.

The guilty plea and sentence were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office. 

According to Peterson’s plea agreement, from March 2014 through March 2018, Peterson defrauded several employers by obtaining pay for non-existent contracts that he falsely claimed to have obtained or was in the process of obtaining from various entities.  While employed at each of the companies he defrauded, Peterson occupied a position of trust as an executive salesperson within the company.

Specifically, Peterson created fake e-mail accounts and identities, which he falsely represented to his employers were officials at companies with which he claimed to have obtained contracts.  Peterson created and signed false documents, sent e-mails to himself and co-workers purportedly from those officials, in an effort to conceal his fraud.  All the while, Peterson admitted that he collected salaries ranging from $115,000 to $150,000 per year, commissions, loans, travel reimbursements, and other benefits from his employers.  Eventually, each of Peterson’s employers became suspicious, uncovered the fraud, and then terminated Peterson’s employment.

For example, from February 2015 to October 2016, Peterson worked remotely from his residence in Georgia, first as Vice President for Business Development and then as Vice President of Sales at Company B, headquartered in Glenwood, Maryland.  Company B provided health care services for various entities.  From March 2015 until September 2016, Peterson deceived Company B employees into believing that they were conducting business with employees from Mitas Tires North America, Inc, or persons authorized to represent Mitas in connection with a multi-million dollar contract.  Company B undertook various steps to implement the alleged contract with Mitas, including hiring an additional 11 employees to work on matters related to the contract.  Over the course of the next year, Peterson continued to deceive Company B employees into believing that the Mitas contract was progressing towards implementation, including by having co-conspirators pose as officials at Mitas.  Between April and July 2016, Peterson’s supervisor tried repeatedly by telephone and e-mail to arrange an in-person meeting with alleged Mitas employees, but each time the meeting was postponed or cancelled at the last minute.  Eventually, the supervisor became so suspicious that he drove to the location in New Jersey that he understood to be the Mitas headquarters, but there was no Mitas facility at that location.  Company B undertook an internal investigation into Peterson’s conduct, including the Mitas contract and two other contracts Peterson had obtained.  Company B determined that neither Mitas nor the other two companies had ever contracted with, or had any association with Company B, and that Peterson had presented fraudulent contracts.  Company B terminated Peterson’s employment in October 2016.                 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Jonathan Williams, age 48, of Boston, Massachusetts, a former Maryland insurance agent and financial planner with New York Life, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud, in connection with a scheme to defraud clients of more than $2.8 million. 

The guilty plea 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 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.

Williams faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for wire fraud.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for August 7, 2019 at 9:30 a.m.

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 are prosecuting the case.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake today sentenced Terrell Sivells, a/k/a Rell, age 27, of Baltimore, to life in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for conspiring to participate in a violent racketeering enterprise known as Trained To Go (TTG).  The racketeering conspiracy included eight murders—one committed by Sivells—as well as drug trafficking.  Sivells and his co-defendants were also convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, marijuana, and cocaine.  A federal jury convicted Sivells and seven co-defendants on October 31, 2018. 

The sentencing 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; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Moore 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.

“Terrell Sivells and his brother, Montana Barronette, led one of the most violent gangs operating in Baltimore City.  Sivells personally participated in at least one murder and was a leader in the gang’s drug dealing,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “He and his fellow gang members terrorized the Sandtown neighborhood in order to profit from the drug trade.  As a result of today’s sentence, justice has been served.  Federal, state and local law enforcement will continue to work together to remove armed, violent criminals from our neighborhoods and bring them to justice in the federal system, which has no parole—ever.”

According to the evidence presented at their 24-day trial, Sivells and his co-defendants are all members 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 Terrell Sivells and Montana Barronette served as the leadership for TTG.  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.  

Specifically, the evidence proved that between May 20, 2010 and January 9, 2017, Sivells, his co-defendants, and other members of TTG committed acts of violence, including eight murders, shootings, armed robbery, and witness intimidation.  Sivells was convicted of personally participating in at least one murder.  The violent acts were intended to further the gang’s activities, protect the gang’s drug territory, and maintain and increase a member’s position within the organization.  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.

Montana Barronette, a/k/a Tana, and Tanner, age 23, of Baltimore, was sentenced to life in prison on February 15, 2019. Co-defendant Brandon Wilson, a/k/a Ali, age 24, also of Baltimore, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on March 1, 2019.  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.

The remaining defendants convicted at the trial are all from Baltimore, and face a maximum sentence of life in prison on the racketeering and drug conspiracies.  They include: Taurus Tillman, a/k/a Tash, age 29, of Baltimore; Dennis Pulley, a/k/a Denmo, age 31; and Timothy Floyd, a/k/a Tim Rod, age 28.  The defendants remain detained.

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, is a fugitive.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Baltimore Safe Streets 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 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.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s 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 Daniel C. Gardner, Christopher J. Romano, 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.

 

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Oscar Ernesto Delgado-Perez, a/k/a “Complicado” and “Indio,” age 26, of Gaithersburg, Maryland today to 35 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13. 

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; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Acting Chief Russell E. Hamill, III 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 Braveboy; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

“We will not tolerate the violence perpetrated by MS-13 in Maryland,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Today’s sentence sends a strong message to MS-13 gang members that federal, state, and local law enforcement will continue to work together to find and bring to justice MS-13 members who commit these heinous crimes.”

“The most foundational tenets of MS-13 rest on unadulterated evil,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant, HSI Baltimore. “Our investigators will not stand for this or any other transnational criminal organization living and operating here without detection and, ultimately, consequence.”

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 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.  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”).  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, beginning before June 2016, Delgado-Perez was a member of the Sailors clique of MS-13.  Delgado-Perez admitted that he conspired with other MS-13 members and associates to participate in numerous acts in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy, including extortion and murder. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, in 2016 in the area of Gaithersburg, Maryland, Delgado-Perez, distributed illegal drugs for the gang, including marijuana and cocaine.

According to his plea agreement, on June 15 and June 16, 2016, Delgado-Perez, along with other MS-13 members and associates, planned and conspired to murder an individual, whom they believed to be a member of the rival 18th Street gang.  On June 16, 2016, as part of the plan to murder the victim, a female MS-13 co-conspirator lured the victim to a wooded area within the Malcolm King Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  While the victim was with the female co-conspirator in the park, Delgado-Perez and another co-conspirator attacked the victim, stabbing the victim multiple times with knives, with the intention of killing him.  Two other MS-13 co-conspirators also took part in the attack, and stabbed the victim, who died as a result of the attack. According to the autopsy report, the injuries to the victim included approximately 153 sharp force injuries consisting of stab wounds, puncture wounds and cutting wounds.

Co-defendants Jose Augustin Salmeron-Larios, a/k/a “Joseph Morales-Martinez,” “Angel Salvador Gutierrez,” “Yankee,” and “Kean,” age 26, of Severn, Maryland; Juan Carlos Espinal-Rapalo, a/k/a “Chiki,” age 21; Daniel Adonai Ramos-Romero, a/k/a “Romero Taylor Binga,” “Taylor Romero,” and “Binga,” age 22; and all of Gaithersburg, Maryland, have pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and other charges related to their MS-13 gang activity.  They remain detained as they await sentencing.  

Co-defendants Noe Coreas-Mejia, a/k/a “Tsunami,” age 22, of Hyattsville, Maryland and Kevin Henriquez-Chavez, a/k/a “Loco” and “Crazy,” age 24, of Washington Grove, Maryland, also pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and were sentenced to 33 years and 30 years in federal prison, respectively.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  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 Gaithersburg Police Department, 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, Ray D. McKenzie, Catherine K. Dick, and Burden H. Walker who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – United States District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced former Philadelphia Police officer Eric Troy Snell, age 34, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, today to nine years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.  On November 1, 2018, after three days of trial, Snell admitted that he conspired with former Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) Detective Jemell Rayam and others to sell heroin and cocaine seized by GTTF members. 

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

“The community needs to know that when we have evidence of wrongdoing, we will follow that evidence and prosecute you--whether you wear a badge or not,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Prosecuting law enforcement officers is painful, but necessary if we are to restore the public’s trust in our justice system.  No one is above the law.”

According to court documents and statements at his plea hearing today, Snell is a former Baltimore Police Department (BPD) Officer, who received his training at the Baltimore Police Academy with Jemell Rayam, a former Detective with the BPD Gun Trace Task Force.  Snell left the BPD in March 2008, and became an officer in the Philadelphia Police Department on September 29, 2014.

Snell admitted that from at least October 2016 through June 26, 2017, he conspired with Rayam and others to sell heroin and cocaine seized by members of the BPD in Maryland.   On October 3, 2016, GTTF Sergeant Wayne Jenkins, Rayam, and other detectives, engaged in a high-speed police chase of G.H.  G.H. threw nine ounces of cocaine out of the window of his vehicle before crashing near Mondawmin Mall in Baltimore.  The BPD officers retrieved the cocaine and Jenkins told Rayam to sell most of the cocaine and give Jenkins the proceeds of the sale, which Rayam agreed to do. 

On October 18, 2016, after learning about the cocaine from Rayam, Snell asked Rayam to give him the cocaine that was stolen from G.H. and not submitted as evidence to BPD.  Rayam agreed and on October 20, 2016, traveled to Philadelphia to meet Snell at his residence.  Ryam provided the cocaine to Snell, who made arrangements to meet with Snell’s brother, who would sell the cocaine for Snell and Rayam.  Later that day. Snell, Rayam, and Snell’s brother met and discussed: the sale of the cocaine; the price the cocaine should be sold for; the amount of money that Snell’s brother would pay Snell after the sale of the cocaine; and the amount of money that Snell would pay Rayam after the sale of the cocaine.  On October 23, 2018, Rayam and Snell agreed that Rayam would provide Snell with heroin for Snell to sell and distribute.

Snell admitted that he communicated with Rayam on October 27, 2016, to advised that Snell had received “2K” ($2,000) from the sale of illegal drugs and subsequently deposited $1,000 into Rayam’s bank account.  Snell met Rayam several other times to coordinate the drug trafficking and exchange drugs and cash.  Snell admitted that he paid Rayam on subsequent occasions for drug proceeds, including making a $2,500 deposit into Rayam’s bank account.

Following Rayam’s arrest on June 26, 2017, Snell spoke with Rayam on the recorded phone system in place at the jail where Rayam was detained.  Snell instructed Rayam to “say less” on the recorded jail phones so that law enforcement would not detect their illegal drug trafficking.

On November 14, 2017, Snell was arrested and transported to Baltimore for his initial appearance.  During the transport, Snell admitted that he lied to FBI agents when he told them that the payments he made to Rayam were for the repayment of a gambling debt, when in fact, the payments were for drugs he received from Rayam. 

During a search of Snell’s residence on November 14, 2017, law enforcement recovered a box in which Snell stored items containing cocaine residue, next to a package of razor blades that were used to cut and process narcotics for distribution, as well as .40-caliber and 9 mm handgun ammunition.  From the master bedroom, law enforcement recovered Snell’s Philadelphia Police Department service weapon, a 9 mm handgun, as well as a 40-caliber handgun, and two unregistered short-barrel assault rifles.

Snell admits that the amount of narcotics reasonably foreseeable to him in furtherance of the conspiracy is the equivalent of at least 100 kilograms of marijuana.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek E. Hines and Leo J. Wise, who prosecuted these Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force cases.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Harry E. Rivers, a/k/a “Hakeem” and “Pots,” age 29, of Delaware, today to 12 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a child.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Matthew Donnelly of the Elkton Police Department.

“When an adult profits from sex with a child, that is human trafficking, period,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Adults, like Harry Rivers, who encourage or profit from sexual exploitation of children face lengthy terms in federal prison, where there are no suspended sentences and no parole.” 

According to his plea agreement, Rivers conspired with co-defendants Steven M. Williams and Jessica L. Schaefer to traffic a 15-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts.  According to Rivers’ Williams’ and Schaefer’s plea agreements, Schaefer and the victim, Girl 1, engaged in commercial sex acts with men in Delaware.  Girl 1 was 15 years old and a resident of Pennsylvania, but lived with her father in Delaware.  Schaefer posted ads of herself for commercial sex purposes.  Williams responded to one of the ads and determined that Schaefer and Girl 1 would work for him.  Williams provided Schaefer and Girl 1 with crack cocaine and they were eventually in debt to Williams.  Girl 1 and Schaefer then engaged in commercial sex acts to pay off their debt to Williams.  Girl 1 and Schaefer gave any proceeds earned from performing commercial sex acts to Williams.  To facilitate the commercial sex acts, Williams rented hotel rooms in his name or the names of men paying for the commercial sex acts, and Rivers provided narcotics to the females and their customers, and helped to arrange “dates” for the females.

In July 2017, Williams drove Girl 1 from Delaware to Elkton, Maryland, separating her from Schaefer.  Girl 1 woke up in a motel in Elkton with another sex worker, AH.  At Williams’ direction, AH posted an ad featuring a picture of Girl 1 on a website used to advertise and solicit for commercial sex, including the sexual exploitation of minors.  While in Maryland, Girl 1 performed commercial sex acts and gave the monies she earned to Williams.  Williams physically abused Girl 1 when he thought she was not giving him all the money she earned, and also displayed his firearm to her in a threatening manner.

On July 13, 2017, Girl 1 attempted to leave and hid in AH’s hotel room.  Williams, Rivers, and Schaefer traveled from Newark, Delaware to Elkton, to take Girl 1 back to Delaware, to ensure that she did not leave Williams’ employ.  Williams and Rivers each had a firearm which they used to threaten AH, demanding that she produce Girl 1.  Schaefer had a taser, which she ignited, barged into AH’s room, and took Girl 1 from the room against her will.  Rivers, Williams, and Schaefer drove Girl 1 back to Delaware so that she could continue to engage in commercial sex acts. 

On July 14, 2017, AH reported the abduction of Girl 1 to law enforcement.  Girl 1 was located and rescued in Newark, Delaware the next day, and the defendants were arrested.

Steven M. Williams, a/k/a “Brother Ray”, a/k/a “Ray,” age 39, formerly of Delaware, previously pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a child by force, fraud, and coercion, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 17, 2019.  Jessica L. Schaefer, a/k/a “Tutti,” age 24, of Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a child and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6, 2019.  Williams and Schaefer face a maximum sentenced of life in prison.

As part of their plea agreements, the defendants will be required to register as sex offenders in the places where they reside, where they are employees, and where they are students, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

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

U.S. Attorney Robert Hur commended the FBI, the Elkton Police Department, the Newark (Delaware) Police Department, the Wilmington (Delaware) Police Department, the Cecil County Department of Social Services, the Cecil County State's Attorney's Office, and the Delaware Department of Justice for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia C. McLane and Zachary A. Myers, who are prosecuting the case.

  # # #

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Jonathan Thompson, age 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 16 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for carjacking and for brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.  The sentence was imposed on April 25, 2019.

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.

“Jonathan Thompson used a gun to commit a carjacking and now faces the reality of 16 years spent in a federal prison with no suspended sentences and no parole - ever,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Local, state, and federal law enforcement will not tolerate this type of gun crime that terrorizes our streets.  We are committed to identifying and prosecuting armed criminals to make our communities safer.  To those who would do as this defendant did, I say, please put down the gun.  You will save a life—maybe even your own.”

According to Thompson’s guilty plea, the victim was sitting in her vehicle at the intersection of Ednor and Lakeside Avenues in Baltimore.  Thompson approached the vehicle and ordered the victim out of the vehicle at gunpoint.  Thompson then got into the driver’s side of the vehicle and co-defendant Dominique Chase got into the passenger side of the vehicle and Thompson drove away.  Several minutes later Thompson and Chase switched seats, and Chase continued driving away from the location.

The victim called 911, then spoke with Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers.  BPD officers located the vehicle later that day.  Chase surrendered to police, but Thompson ran away and hid a loaded firearm as he ran.  Several minutes later, officers located Thompson hiding behind a garbage can and arrested him.  The officers also recovered the firearm that Thompson had hidden.

At the time that Thompson committed this carjacking, he was on probation from a state sentence for robbery with a deadly weapon.  Thompson was released from prison at the end of October 2017.  As a condition of his probation, Thompson was wearing a GPS ankle monitor at that time, which electronically tracked Thompson’s location and corroborated Thompson’s movements during the carjacking.

Dominique Chase, age 25, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to carjacking, and faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison.  Both defendants remain detained.

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 Matthew DellaBetta and Anatoly Smolkin, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Allen Johnson, age 38, of Baltimore City, Maryland, to 11 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute narcotics and for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  The gun discharged while Baltimore City Police Officers were placing Johnson into custody.  Johnson was also prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous felony convictions.   The sentence was imposed on April 25, 2019.

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 City Police Department.

“This officer, like all law enforcement officers, put his life on the line in order to make our community safer,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur. “All too often, guns and drugs go hand in hand—and both are killers.  We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to get both off of our streets and to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods.”

According to Johnson’s plea agreement, on November 29, 2017, Baltimore City Police officers were on patrol in the Cherry Hill/Brooklyn neighborhoods when they received information that an armed man was in the 800 block of Bridgeview Avenue and had the firearm hidden in his waistband.  Police officers responded to the 800 block of Bridgeview Avenue and observed a man matching the description they had been provided, who was later identified as Johnson.  As the officers approached Johnson they asked Johnson to show his hands.  One of the officers asked Johnson if he possessed a firearm, and Johnson turned away and reached for his waistband.  Johnson attempted to flee, and the officer grabbed Johnson from behind.  With the officer’s arms wrapped around him, Johnson continued to reach for his waistband.  As the officer struggled with Johnson, the firearm discharged, shooting the officer in the wrist.  An officer deployed his Taser and subdued Johnson, who was handcuffed and placed under arrest. 

A search of Johnson after his arrest recovered 19 vials of cocaine and $80 in cash.  Johnson admitted that he intended to distribute the cocaine.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Baltimore City Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant United States Attorneys John W. Sippel, Jr., Patricia C. McLane, and Lindsey McCulley, who prosecuted this case.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – Mehul Khatiwala, age 37, of Voorhees, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and to three counts of bank fraud, in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain loans from Cecil Bank to purchase hotels and a multifamily residential property, resulting in losses of more than $3.5 million. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Robert Manchak of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Office of Inspector General; Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC); Special Inspector General Christy Goldsmith Romero of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP); and Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware of the Small Business Administration - Office of Inspector General.

“Mehul Khatiwala and his co-conspirators submitted false statements and fraudulent documentation in order to obtain more than $15 million in loans from Cecil Bank, much of which was guaranteed by the SBA.” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “The defendants used deceit to steal millions of dollars from the victims, which ended up including not only the bank but the American taxpayers.  Federal law enforcement are committed to prosecuting and deterring this type of costly fraud.”

According to his plea agreement, from February 2011 through January 2014, Khatiwala and two co-conspirators executed a scheme to defraud Cecil Bank, the Small Business Administration (SBA), and other financial institutions by misrepresenting material facts in order to obtain financing for the purchase of two hotels and a multifamily residential property.  The defendant defaulted on the loans, causing losses to Cecil Bank and the SBA of more than $3.5 million.  According to the indictment and information presented at today’s plea hearing, on December 23, 2008, Cecil Bank’s holding company, Cecil Bankcorp, Inc., received an $11.5 million bailout from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

Specifically, beginning in approximately April 2011, Khatiwala and Conspirator A made plans to apply for a $5 million loan at Cecil Bank to purchase the Memphis Airport Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as a $1.6 million loan to renovate that hotel.  In order to obtain a loan, Khatiwala concealed Conspirator A’s 80% ownership of the borrowing entity because Conspirator A had already reached his legal lending limit at Cecil Bank.  In May 2011, Cecil Bank’s Board of Directors approved the $5 million loan, with the condition that it be guaranteed by the SBA.  The SBA required Khatiwala, as the purported 100% owner of the borrowing entity, to show that he had equity in the borrowing entity, or cash on hand of approximately $1.8 million.  Conspirator B, who was an employee at another bank, falsely verified that Khatiwala had over $2 million on deposit at the co-conspirator’s bank.  Khatiwala admitted that he signed and submitted this statement, which he knew to be false.  The SBA approved its 75% guarantee of the $5 million loan funded by Cecil Bank.  The loan went into default in January 2015.

Khatiwala and others owned the Best Western Hotel in York, Pennsylvania.  In 2007, they refinanced a loan for this property in the amount of $6.635 million.  In early 2010, Khatiwala and his co-owners became delinquent on the loan and began discussions with the loan servicing company.  In August 2011, Khatiwala reached an agreement with the loan servicer to accept a discounted payoff of $3.625 million on the unpaid principal balance of approximately $6.6 million.  Khatiwala submitted fraudulent documentation and a fraudulent settlement statement to the loan servicer showing that the funds were being provided by a private lender.  In fact, Khatiwala had arranged for the sale of the hotel to related parties for the sum of $4.3 million.  As early as April 2011, prior to the time the defendant made the misrepresentations to the loan servicer to negotiate the payoff, he began implementing the second step of his short-sale fraud scheme by arranging the sale of the hotel to Person B and one of Khatiwala’s employees.  Khatiwala fraudulently obtained a $3.225 million loan from Cecil Bank, which was guaranteed by the SBA. During the loan application review and underwriting process performed by Cecil Bank and the SBA, Khatiwala submitted false documents as to the ownership of the selling and purchasing entities, as well as false financial statements for the purchasers.  Khatiwala knew that the funds paid at closing would come from Khatiwala’s own personal bank account and other businesses, not from the purchasers, as was falsely represented to the bank and the SBA, in order to obtain approval of the loan.  As a result of this short-sale fraud, the original holder of the note on the Best Western Hotel lost $675,000, which instead went to Khatiwala.

Finally, Khatiwala admitted that beginning in February 2011, he negotiated the purchase of a multifamily residential property in Perryville, Maryland.  In order to obtain the loan, he established a company to serve as the borrowing and purchasing entity, representing to Cecil Bank that Persons A and B, a husband and wife, were the 100% owners of the company, and Khatiwala was the manager.  In fact, Conspirator A owned 50% of the company and agreed to serve as guarantor on the loan.  The bank approved a $7,122,500 loan for the purchase of the property with Persons A and B as the 100% owners of the purchasing entity.  On about March 28, 2011, several days before settlement, Khatiwala e-mailed to Conspirator A an Amended and Restated Operating Agreement reflecting Conspirator A’s 50% interest in the property and his agreement to indemnify Persons A and B for any loss, cost, liability or expense arising in connection with any enforcement of Cecil Bank’s rights under the loan guarantee agreement.  Khatiwala, Conspirator A, and Persons A and B signed the Amended Agreement; however, that material fact and document were never disclosed to Cecil Bank before or after the settlement, thus concealing Conspirator A’s ownership interest in the property.  As early as February 2012, the loan payments of approximately $29,000 per month became delinquent and the loan went into default.  Cecil Bank ultimately sold the note to a private lender for $3.252 million in lieu of foreclosure, incurring a loss of $3,583.170.

Khatiwala faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison on each of the four counts.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for September 10, 2019, at 2:30 p.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FHFA, the FDIC, SIGTARP, and the SBA-OIG, for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Martin J. Clarke and Harry M. Gruber, who are prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Xiaoying Xu, age 34, a Chinese citizen, and Yiwen Zhu, age 34, a Chinese citizen and legal permanent resident of the United States, both residing in Covina, California, on a federal conspiracy charge, mail fraud, and trafficking in counterfeit goods.  The indictment was returned on April 23, 2019, and the defendants were arrested today.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Postal Inspector in Charge Peter R. Rendina of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; and Casey Durst, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Baltimore Field Office.

“These defendants allegedly imported counterfeit goods from China and sold them as legitimate merchandise using the registered trademarks of legitimate companies.” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Those who traffick in counterfeit goods are committing a crime which results in American jobs lost, American business profits stolen, and American consumers tricked into receiving substandard products.”

According to the 13-count indictment, from about August 2016 until approximately April 2019, Xu and Zhu conspired with others to defraud e-commerce customers by importing and selling counterfeit consumer goods, specifically Pandora jewelry and Ray-Ban sunglasses.  The indictment alleges that the defendants used their residence and offices in El Monte and Alhambra, California, as destination points for shipments of counterfeit goods shipped from Hong Kong and China.  Xu and Zhu allegedly repackaged the counterfeit goods, then mailed them to unsuspecting customers throughout the United States who believed they had purchased authentic goods. 

The defendants allegedly used fraudulent accounts set up with e-commerce marketplace companies to sell the counterfeit goods, misrepresenting to customers that they were authentic.  Xu and Zhu obtained funds from the victims of the counterfeit scheme through fraudulently acquired customer accounts opened in the names of other people at a global online payment company.  The online payment company sent the victims’ money to Xu and Zhu by electronic transfer to bank accounts or by check, which the defendants then cashed at ATMs.  The indictment alleges that the defendants then transferred the proceeds of the scheme from their bank accounts to other bank accounts opened in the names of other Chinese nationals.  

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and traffick in counterfeit goods; a maximum of 20 years in prison for each of six counts of mail fraud; and a maximum of 10 years in prison for each of six counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods.  The defendants are expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California.  No court appearance has been scheduled yet in 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 FBI, HSI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in Maryland and in Los Angeles, California; Seattle, Washington; and Tampa, Florida for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Martin J. Clarke and Peter J. Martinez, who are prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland –Jason Kiser, age 40, of Taneytown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to the federal charges of illegal possession of firearms and witness retaliation.  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 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; 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 Folger’s 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.

Kiser and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Kiser will be sentenced to between eight and 10 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow has scheduled sentencing for August 7, 2019, at 11:00 a.m.  Kiser remains detained.

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 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, who is prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland –U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Steven Cole, age 31, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to nine years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  

The sentencing 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.

According to his guilty plea, on December 5, 2017, Cole was selling narcotics in the 2400 block of Winchester Street in Baltimore, less than a block from an elementary school and across the street from a baseball field adjacent to the school.  Cole carried a revolver-style handgun to facilitate his drug trafficking.  Officers observed Cole engaged in what they believed to be a drug transaction.  When Cole saw the officers, he fled into the stairwell of a nearby apartment complex.  Officers gave chase, with one officer proceeding up the north stairwell and the other officer taking the south stairwell.

The officer in the south stairwell located Cole’s glasses and on the third floor found Cole, a few feet away from the black jacket he had previously been wearing.  Cole had placed it on the ground next to a bag of garbage.  Cole was arrested and the jacket was secured.  Within the jacket was a black fanny pack that contained a .32-caliber revolver, loaded with five rounds of ammunition.  Law enforcement searched Cole after his arrest and recovered oxycodone pills, as well as $443 in cash, which was proceeds from his drug sales.

A federal search warrant was subsequently obtained for Cole social media accounts.  Law enforcement discovered photos of Cole wearing the jacket recovered in the apartment complex; pictures of Cole handling large amounts of cash; a picture of OxyContin pills; pictures of two handguns; and various gang-related posts.

Cole was prohibited from possessing guns and ammunition as a result of several felony conviction, including two previous convictions for possession with intent to distribute drugs.

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 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 –U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced two Brazilian citizens residing in Florida to 40 months each in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on wire fraud charges in connection with a scheme to use counterfeit debit and credit cards to purchase merchandise at various retail stores in Maryland and other states.  Lucas Pimenta Diogo Das Gracas, age 23, was sentenced on April 11, 2019, and his co-conspirator, Diogo Miranda Araujo, age 23, was sentenced on April 1, 2019.  Judge Bennett ordered the defendants to pay restitution totaling $41,116. Das Gracas was ordered to pay $34,540 and Araujo was ordered to pay $6,576. 

The defendants previously pleaded guilty to the wire fraud conspiracy.  Araujo also pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft for his role in the scheme in Maryland.  Das Gracas also pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeit access devices and aggravated identity theft in connection with a separate case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. 

The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Sung Yi of the U.S. Secret Service, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Raimund Seifart of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service – Washington Field Office; Colonel Lance Royce of the Naval Support Activity Police Department; and Colonel Woodrow Jones, Chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.

According to Araujo’s plea agreement, in November 2017, while he was on pretrial release for related Illinois state charges, Araujo traveled from Florida to Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, where he used large number of cloned payment cards as well as fake Brazilian identification cards in fraudulent retail transactions in Maryland and the surrounding area.  On November 19, Araujo was arrested by a Maryland Transportation Authority Police (“MTAP”) officer who conducted a traffic stop of Araujo’s vehicle and learned that Araujo was driving on a suspended license.  A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of approximately 164 counterfeit payment cards, four fake Brazilian identification cards displaying the same photo of Araujo but listing four different names, multiple receipts, and several recently purchased items of merchandise, including two laptop computers, six GPS devices, and sports equipment. Merchandise recovered from the vehicle had an approximate total value of $4,355. Most of the counterfeit payment cards displayed names listed among Araujo’s four fake identification cards and were encoded with compromised foreign credit and debit card accounts.

Also in November 2017, Das Gracas, co-conspirator Victor Andrade Carneiro Brito, and another co-conspirator possessed at least 189 counterfeit payments cards, which they used, along with false identification documents, to rent a vehicle and make fraudulent retail purchases in Maryland and surrounding states.  Das Gracas and Brito were arrested in Maryland on November 29, 2017, after they and another co-conspirator made numerous purchases of computers and other merchandise using the counterfeit payment cards.  Law enforcement stopped the vehicle that Das Gracas was driving.  As Das Gracas got out of the vehicle, law enforcement officers observed numerous credit cards inside an open white box on the center console of the vehicle.  All 166 cards found in the vehicle were scanned and found to be counterfeit.  Most of the cards were encoded with foreign credit and debit card accounts.

Araujo further admitted that from May through July 2017, he traveled from Florida to Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Illinois making fraudulent purchases at retailers using counterfeit payment cards.  Specifically, co-conspirators in Florida sent Araujo cloned payment cards, which Araujo would pick up at commercial mail service locations and use at retailers in the area.  On July 29, 2017, after making a number of fraudulent purchases at an Illinois department store, Araujo was arrested.  Illinois law enforcement recovered approximately 197 cloned payment cards and approximately 157 items of merchandise, including cellular phones, small electronics, and other items valued at approximately $48,089.  A search of the laptop computer found in Araujo’s luggage revealed an open document listing approximately 432 credit and debit card account numbers with associated data, and an open American Express webpage. Most of the listed credit and debit card accounts were held by financial institutions located in various foreign countries. 

In connection with the Mississippi case, Das Gracas further admitted that between October 4 and October 14, 2017, Das Gracas and other co-conspirators possessed and installed “shimmer” devices on automated teller machines at financial institutions in Gulfport, Ocean Springs, Biloxi, Long Beach and D’Iberville, Mississippi.  A shimmer device is equipment designed and used to record data surreptitiously from the chip of a credit, debit, or bank card.  On October 18, Das Gracas and other conspirators traveled to ATMs in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to conduct fraudulent cash withdrawals, using the account numbers and personal identification numbers obtained through the use of the previously installed shimmer devices.  A total of approximately 82 payment cards were compromised and information associated with 35 of those cards was subsequently used, resulting in losses of approximately $19,235, as well as an additional $11,358 in losses to the financial institutions to repair and replace ATM card readers damaged by Das Gracas and co-conspirators when installing shimmer devices.

Victor Andrade Carneiro Brito pleaded guilty to possession and use of counterfeit access devices and aggravated identity theft in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and was sentenced to two years in federal prison.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the U.S. Secret Service Baltimore and Chicago Field Offices, the NCIS, Navy Police, Maryland Transportation Authority Police, and the St. Charles, Illinois Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Maddox, who prosecuted the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland –U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Douglas Sparrow, age 35, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 100 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a stolen 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.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to get guns out of the hands of drug dealers and off of our streets, in order to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods.  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, on March 1, 2018, law enforcement executed a search of Sparrow’s residence in Baltimore and recovered a stolen semi-automatic pistol and ammunition in the couch, as well as marijuana that Sparrow planned to distribute.  Sparrow possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking and knew that the firearm was stolen.  Sparrow also had at least two prior felony convictions and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms 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 Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Moore, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted 20 defendants on federal racketeering and related charges at the Maryland Correctional Institute Jessup (MCIJ), including correctional officers, employees, contractors, inmates, and outside “facilitators,” for allegedly paying bribes to correctional officers and other staff members to smuggle contraband, including narcotics, unauthorized flash drives, tobacco, and cell phones into the prison.  The indictment was returned on March 28, 2019, and made public today upon the arrest of the defendants.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Acting Secretary J. Michael Zeigler, of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

“Our public officials—including correctional officers and prison staff—must conduct their duties with integrity and professionalism,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “The indictment alleges that prison officials took bribes to smuggle contraband for inmates, and assaulted inmates.  Corrupt correctional officers and staff endanger the lives of their co-workers and of the inmates entrusted to their care and supervision, and undermine everyone’s faith in the administration of justice.”

“One of the FBI’s top priorities continues to focus on the detection of corruption,” said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Nadeau.  “Today’s arrests are the result of the seriousness the FBI takes regarding unlawful actions conducted by public servants who use their position to enrich themselves.”

“Today’s action brings the number of officers, inmates and citizen accomplices indicted for Maryland prison corruption to close to 200 since Gov. Hogan made it a priority when taking office in 2015,” said Acting Secretary Michael Ziegler of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. “And we are far from finished in arresting those who cannot live up to their oath to protect the public, our staff and those in our custody.”

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

The 11-count indictment alleges that from in or about 2014, until the present, the COs, employees and contractors conspired with the inmates and outside facilitators to smuggle contraband into MCIJ, including narcotics, cell phones, unauthorized flash drives, and tobacco.  According to the indictment, inmates and facilitators paid COs, employees, and contractors for smuggled contraband in cash, money orders, Green Dot cards, and using PayPal and other electronic forms of payment.  Inmates were able to use contraband cell phones to pay COs, employees, and contractors directly using PayPal from within MCIJ.  Inmates also received payments from other inmates for contraband through PayPal and Green Dot, often with the assistance of facilitators. 

Specifically, the indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to smuggle and traffic in narcotics within MCIJ, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, MDMA (commonly referred to as “molly” or ecstasy), buprenorphine (commonly referred to as “Suboxone,” a prescription opioid used to treat heroin addiction), marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids (otherwise known as “K2”), and other contraband, including cell phones, unauthorized flash drives, and tobacco, in order to expand their criminal operations.  The profits made by the inmates by selling contraband in the prison far exceeded the profits that could be made by selling similar items on the street.  For example, defendant inmates could purchase Suboxone strips for $10 each and sell them inside MCIJ for $50 each, a profit of more than 1,000 percent.  

According to the indictment, although COs and other MCIJ employees were required to pass through security screening at the entrance to MCIJ, the COs, employees, and contractors were able to hide contraband on their persons.  Further, the COs, employees, and contractors took breaks during their shifts and returned to their cars to retrieve contraband.  Once the COs had the smuggled contraband inside the facility, they delivered it to inmates in their cells; at the medical facility; in the kitchens during routine deliveries; in private offices where inmates and staff interacted; and at pre-arranged “stash” locations, like the library, among other locations. The indictment alleges that defendant inmates who had jobs that allowed them to move throughout the housing unit and elsewhere in the prison, commonly referred to as “working men,” took orders for contraband from inmates, provided orders to corrupt COs, employees, and contractors, and delivered contraband to inmates.  

The indictment alleges that defendant COs had sexual relationships with inmates and exchanged sex for contraband.  In addition, these sexual relationships allegedly facilitated smuggling and trafficking relationships between COs and inmates.

Finally, the indictment alleges that between 2005 and 2017, CO Owen Nesmith deprived three inmates of their civil rights by sexually assaulting the inmates.  In two cases, the indictment alleges that Nesmith threatened the inmates.  Specifically, the indictment alleges that Nesmith threatened that Inmate 1 would be subjected to death and serious bodily injury, and threatened to ensure that Inmate 3 would not receive parole because he would falsely allege that Inmate 3 had assaulted Nesmith.  When questioned by law enforcement, the indictment alleges that Nesmith falsely stated that he had never brought drugs into the prison, sold drugs, or had any inappropriate relationships or sexual contact with any inmates while he was at MCIJ.

If convicted, nineteen defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for racketeering.  Nine defendants face up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute drugs; and three defendants up to 20 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.  In addition, Nesmith faces a maximum of life in prison for deprivation of rights under color of law for threatening death or serious bodily injury, and one year in prison for the other two counts; and a maximum of five years in prison for making false statements.

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren E. Perry and Sean R. Delaney, who are prosecuting this case.

 

MCIJ Indictment Defendants

Correctional Officers/Employees:          Owen Nesmith, Correctional Officer Lieutenant, age 50, of Baltimore;          Patricia McDaniel, Correctional Dietary Officer, age 26, of Baltimore;       Janel Griffin, Correctional Officer, age 40, of Baltimore;       Robert Doggett, Case Manager Employee, age 53, of Baltimore;       Ricky McNeely, Contract Exterminator, age 39 of Baltimore; and
      Joseph Nwancha, Contract Nurse, age 39, of Baltimore.

Inmates:       Corey Alston, a/k/a C, age 29;       Jerrard Bazemore, a/k/a Tic, age 34;       Irving Hernandez, a/k/a Irvin, age 25;       Todd Holloway, a/k/a J, age 34;       Schvel Mack, a/k/a Weezy, and L Weezy, age 29;       Larnell Megginson, a/k/a Julio, age 38; and
      Tavon Price, a/k/a Tay, age 35.

Facilitators:       Aldon Alston, age 55, of Baltimore;       Ashley Alston, age 28, of Baltimore;       Tyirisha Johnson, age 23, of Baltimore;       Jamia Lawson, a/k/a Mia, age 27, of Baltimore;       Jerrell McNeill, a/k/a Rell, age 35, of Baltimore;       India Parker, age 33, of Parkville, Maryland; and
      Lekeah Pendleton, a/k/a Keah, age 40, of Catonsville, Maryland.

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A Laurel, Maryland, man was sentenced to nine years in prison today, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release for distribution of child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur of the District of Maryland.

Charles Bertsch, 60, a former security guard at a local university, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography before U.S. District Court Judge Paul W. Grimm on July 23, 2018.

According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, FBI Task force agents in Maryland began an investigation into Bertsch after various law enforcement agencies downloaded child pornography via a peer-to-peer network from IP addresses, which led back to the defendant.  In an interview with law enforcement, Bertsch acknowledged that by connecting his computer and downloading such images, he was simultaneously enabling others to download child pornography from his hard drive.  A forensic examination of Bertsch’s electronic devices, seized pursuant to a search warrant, revealed over 99,000 image files and over 2,000 video files of child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office with assistance from the Baltimore County Police Department, Washington County Sheriff's Office and Worcester County Sheriff's Office.  This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Baldwin of the District of Maryland.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc<http://www.justice.gov/psc.

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm today sentenced Charles Bertsch, age 60, of Laurel, Maryland, to nine years in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for distribution of child pornography.  Judge Grimm also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Bertsch must register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; Washington County Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore; and Worcester County Sheriff Matthew Crisafulli.

According to Bertsch’s plea agreement, FBI Task Force agents in Maryland began an investigation into Bertsch after various law enforcement agencies downloaded child pornography via a file-sharing network from IP addresses that led back to Bertsch.  In a subsequent interview with law enforcement, Bertsch acknowledged that by connecting his computer and downloading such images, he was simultaneously enabling others to download child pornography from his hard drive. A forensic examination of Bertsch’s electronic devices, seized pursuant to a search warrant, revealed more than 99,000 image files and more than 2,000 video files of child pornography.

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, the Baltimore County Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff's Office, and the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur and Mr. Benczkowski thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Baldwin and Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), who prosecuted the federal case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – Cardiac Associates, P.C. has agreed to pay $399,230.35 to settle claims that they submitted false claims to the United States for services not rendered.  Cardiac Associates, P.C. is a medical practice with offices located in Rockville, Olney, Laurel and Germantown, Maryland.

The settlement agreement was announced today by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the settlement agreement, the United States contends that from January 1, 2012 through December 21, 2016, Cardiac Associates billed for two similar procedures on the same date for the same patient, when only one of the procedures was actually performed.

Specifically, Cardiac Associates, P.C. administered tests to patients to assess the venous sufficiency in the lower extremities.  As part of this process, they performed a venous Doppler duplex examination to determine if there were blood flow issues, including deep vein thromboses, in the patient’s legs.  They billed Medicare under CPT 93970 for this work.

Billing records showed that Cardiac Associates, P.C. billed for an additional test using CPT 93965, which references an older, different technology, one that has generally been replaced by the CPT 93970 technology.  The United States contends that billing both CPT codes 93965 and 93970 was improper and led to the submission of false claims to the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only.  The settlement is not an admission of liability by Cardiac Associates, P.C., nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded. 

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur thanked Assistant United States Attorney Allen Loucks and Investigator Steve Capobianco, who handled the case.

# # #

 

Defendants Allegedly Knew the Drugs They Sold Were Causing Overdoses

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging 22 defendants with participating in a drug conspiracy that allegedly distributed heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine in Maryland and surrounding states, resulting in multiple overdoses, including five overdose deaths.  According to the superseding indictment, the defendants possessed firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking and purchased guns from customers in exchange for drugs.  The superseding indictment was returned late on April 10, 2019, and unsealed yesterday.

The superseding indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore 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; Acting Chief Russell E. Hamill, III of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

“A supply chain that distributed opioids--including deadly fentanyl—throughout Maryland and in Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, has been dismantled, and those charged with trafficking these poisons are now in federal custody,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Drugs—especially opioids—are killing thousands of Marylanders a year.  Federal, state, and local law enforcement are working together to reduce overdose deaths from fentanyl and from all opioids.  Drug traffickers are on notice that dealing in fentanyl increases their odds of federal prosecution and federal time.”

"The FBI worked side-by-side with the Montgomery County and Rockville City Police Department and other federal, state and local partners to ensure we stopped these individuals from further distributing heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine in the region," said FBI Baltimore Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore. "These dangerous drugs have a devastating effect on our communities and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to make Maryland a safer place."

According to the 23-count indictment, from 2016 to April 3, 2019, the defendants were members and associates of the Butler Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) and distributed heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.  The indictment alleges that the members of the conspiracy conducted sales on a daily basis, operating in rotating shifts to ensure continuous availability.  Members of the conspiracy allegedly used residences in and around Baltimore to process, cut, repackage, and prepare heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base for distribution, and rotated the residences to minimize detection by law enforcement.  The indictment alleges that in order to maximize their profits, the conspirators cut the heroin and crack cocaine with other substances, such as fentanyl and diphenhydramine (often found in sleeping pills).

As detailed in the superseding indictment, the defendants were aware that the drugs they distributed were causing overdoses.  According to the superseding indictment, at least five overdose deaths are attributed to the distribution of drugs by members of the conspiracy, including the father of one of the conspirators.

According to the superseding indictment, members of the conspiracy possessed firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking activities, sometimes purchasing firearms from drug customers and paying the customers with drugs in exchange for the firearms.  In addition, the conspirators allegedly took steps to avoid detection by law enforcement, including: conducting counter-surveillance; rotating the use of vehicles and residences used to store narcotics; changing locations in Baltimore to conduct drug transactions; frequently changing cell phones; and using encrypted phone applications to prevent interception of drug-trafficking communications by law enforcement. 

The following defendants are charged in the superseding indictment unsealed today:

Michael Bailey, age 30, of Winchester, Maryland; Donte Bennett, a/k/a Tay, age 27, of Baltimore, Maryland; Darlene Best, age 56, of Baltimore; Gregory Butler, a/k/a Sags and Little Dick, age 28, of Baltimore; Juawan Davis, a/k/a Fat Daddy, age 24, of Baltimore; Timothy Downing, age 35, of Mount Airy, Maryland; Edward Buddy Hall, a/k/a Gwar, age 54, of Baltimore; Syed Hussain, age 25, of Virginia; Ryan Johnson, age 26, of Montgomery County, Maryland; Cindy Legard, age 31, of Bunker Hill, West Virginia; Kareem Mack, a/k/a K Mack, age 29, of Baltimore; Terrance Medley, a/k/a Mazzi, age 35, of Baltimore; Russell Oliver, age 43, of Bunker Hill, West Virginia; Davon Owens, a/k/a Gusto, age 31, of Baltimore; Desmond Ringgold, a/k/a Worm and Fool, age 28, of Baltimore; James Henry Roberts, a/k/a Bub, age 29, of Baltimore; Tirrel Saunders, a/k/a Pretty, age 32, of Baltimore; Gary Smith, age 20, of Virginia; Ann Waugh-Hixon, age 48, of Berkeley County; Laura Warner, age 36, of Berkeley County; Emanuel Watkins, age 62, of Baltimore; and
John Wolfrey, age 39, of Berkeley County, West Virginia.

Ten defendants face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, ten defendants face a maximum of life in prison, and two defendants face a maximum of 20 years in prison on the drug conspiracy charge.  Legard, Hussain, Smith, Mack, Davis, Wolfrey, Bailey, Johnson, Warner, Waugh-Hixon, Owens, and Roberts also face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for possessing with intent to distribute heroin, crack cocaine, or fentanyl.  Davis, Owens, Hall, Butler, Roberts, and Medley also face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, and a maximum sentence of life in prison for possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.  Finally, Owens, Hall, Butler, Roberts, and Medley face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person.

Twenty-one defendants have been arrested.  Eighteen of those defendants are detained, and two defendants have been released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.  Emanuel Watkins is still being sought.                                               

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, the DEA, the Montgomery County and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the City of Rockville Police Department; the Baltimore County, Howard County, and Montgomery County Police Departments; the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; the Maryland State Police; the West Virginia State Police; the Virginia State Police; the Warren County (VA) Sheriff’s Department; the Winchester (VA) and Front Royal (VA) Police Departments; and the Frederick County and Howard County State’s Attorney’s Offices.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew DellaBetta and Michael Goldsticker, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Lauren Montillo, age 47, of Towson, Maryland, to eight years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and for tax evasion.   Judge Bennett also ordered Montillo to pay restitution of $4,060,284.79 to the victims of the scheme, and $276,240 to the Internal Revenue Service. 

Montillo admitted that from 2010 through 2015, she and her co-conspirators sought at least $8.7 million in advance fees from foreign and United States victims, purporting to offer access to exotic bank financial instruments.  Victims paid $4,342,540 in advance fees into Hong Kong bank accounts or attorney escrow accounts and received nothing in return.  For tax years 2012 through 2014, Montillo reported no income other than $100, evading a substantial amount of income taxes.  

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

According to her plea agreement and other court documents, Montillo and her co-conspirators created shell companies, with associated websites, email addresses, and bank accounts, which they used to perpetrate the fraud.   Specifically, in February 2010, Montillo opened an account with GoDaddy, which provides web-hosting services.  From 2010 to 2015, Montillo and other co-conspirators used GoDaddy to host websites for shell companies such as MLL Holdings, The Bussola Group, Worldwide Escrow Holdings, Ltd., International Insurance of Nebraska, Atlas Investment Bancorp, Entirety Capital, GPF Global, and Atlas-Gayle Trust.  Each of these shell companies had associated email addresses, which Montillo and her co-conspirators opened and used.

Also in 2010, Montillo's father incorporated "Worldwide Escrow Holdings Limited" ("Worldwide Escrow") in Hong Kong and opened a bank account for Worldwide Escrow at the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank (HSBC), Hong Kong with Montillo as a signatory.  Montillo’s father resigned from the company in April 2011.  In March 2011, Montillo and a co-conspirator opened two more bank accounts in Hong Kong, the MLL Holdings and the Skywall bank accounts, also at HSBC.  Montillo and her co-conspirators had on-line access to the Hong Kong bank accounts so that they could conduct banking transactions over the internet.  In 2012, Montillo’s father also opened an escrow account in the name of his mother-in-law, a licensed attorney in Maryland who had stopped practicing law in approximately 2007.  She was not aware that the escrow account had been opened in her name.  The conspirators directed victims to wire-transfer their advance fees into the HSBC, Hong Kong bank accounts or the attorney escrow account.

Montillo’s co-conspirator, Eric Becker, was her former fiancé.  Becker developed, and Montillo edited, websites for the various phony businesses, which purported to offer access to financial instruments, such as standby letters of credit, bank guarantees, bonds, or private placement trading platforms.  Montillo and her co-conspirators had no access to any financial instruments.  For example, Montillo and several co-conspirators obtained advance fee payments from a victim that would purportedly gain access to a private placement trading platform.  The co-conspirators persuaded the victim, through several broker intermediaries, to send $1.7 million to a BB&T bank account in Florida.  BB&T returned the funds to the victim.  The victim, a Mexican national, was told that the funds were returned because the window had closed on the investment opportunity.  Co-conspirators, including Montillo, then informed the victim, through his broker, that they could offer him a private placement trading platform in which he would receive profits and a charitable organization would use its portion of the profits to invest in its projects.  The conspirators directed the victim to send his money to the Worldwide Escrow account at HSBC, Hong Kong.  On May 8, 2012, the victim used his own and his family's funds to send $3,099,990 to the Worldwide Escrow Holdings account.  The conspirators, including Montillo, moved more than $2 million of the funds to a bank account opened at Choice Bank in Belize.

To conceal the fraud and to reassure the victim and his brokers, co-conspirators including Montillo, created an insurance policy for a non-existent insurance company called International Insurance of Nebraska, which was back-stopped with a website hosted through Montillo's GoDaddy account.  The insurance policy purported to show that the victim's investment funds would not be at risk because they were fully insured.  In addition, co-conspirators, including Montillo, used her GoDaddy account to host the website “wweholdingsltd.com” to add an air of legitimacy to Worldwide Escrow.  Both the insurance company and the private placement trading platform were bogus.

Over the next several years, Montillo and her co-conspirators continued with the advance fee scheme.  The scheme had both foreign and U.S. victims.  To protect her identity, Montillo frequently used the name “Kati Conti” in the frauds and used a “burner phone” so that after the scam was concluded, she could “go dark” and stop communicating with the victims.   In all, the scheme sought at least $8.7 million from victims, and actually obtained $4,342,540. 

For tax years 2012 through 2014, Montillo filed personal tax returns showing either no income or just $100 in income, and thus no income tax was owed.  Montillo admitted that she was the signatory on bank accounts in the names of limited liability corporations into which victims' funds were wire transferred from Hong Kong, Choice Bank in Belize, the attorney escrow account, and other accounts controlled by co-conspirators.  Montillo used the victim funds transferred to the limited liability accounts for living expenses.  Montillo had no accounts in her own name.  Montillo admitted that by failing to report her income for 2012 through 2014 to the Internal Revenue Service, she evaded a substantial amount of income taxes.

Three defendants were charged and sentenced in a related case in the Western District of Texas—James Edward Cox was sentenced to 78 months in prison and was ordered to pay $4,249,478 in restitution; and Kelly Ray Coronado and Gordon Richard Moscowitz were each sentenced to 46 months in prison sentence and were also ordered to pay restitution.  Becker was indicted with Montillo but has since died.  Montillo’s father died in 2016.          

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and IRS-CI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joyce K. McDonald and Sean Delaney, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – Thai national Apichart Srivaranon, 34 years old, was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison for a conspiracy to export arms and munitions, and for unlawfully exporting arms and munitions, specifically for exporting firearms parts from the United States to Thailand.  U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel imposed the sentence on April 11, 2019, and also ordered Srivaranon to forfeit $10,000.  Today, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton for the District of Columbia sentenced Srivaranon to the same sentence for conspiracy to defraud the United States and to export defense articles from the United States to Thailand.  The sentences will be served concurrently.  Upon his release from prison, Srivaranon will be deported from the United States and returned to Thailand.

The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.

Srivaranon pleaded guilty to charges in both Maryland and the District of Columbia in January and March 2019, respectively, as required by his plea agreement in each District.

Srivaranon admitted that between 2012 and 2014, he conspired with individuals in the United States and Thailand to obtain firearms parts in the United States that were listed on the United States Munitions List (USML) and then exported, and attempted to export, the firearm parts to Thailand without having first obtained the required license or written authorization from the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, an office in the United States Department of State.

As detailed in his plea agreements, during the conspiracy, Srivaranon and his co-conspirators ordered firearms parts on the USML from U.S.-based firearms parts retailers and caused those firearms parts to ship to addresses in the United States where co-conspirators lived, visited, or conducted business. At the direction of Srivaranon and others, co-conspirators would then repackage the USML firearms parts in the United States; falsely label United States Postal Services (“USPS”) Form 2976 and Customs Declarations CN 22 (sender’s declarations forms) by using fake names for return addresses; falsely declare the contents of the packages and understate their value; and then ship the USML firearms parts to Thailand via the USPS and private shipping companies.  This was done to conceal the prohibited exports from detection by the U.S. government.

In his guilty plea to the District of Columbia charges, Srivaranon admitted that to facilitate the scheme, he and others deposited funds into co-conspirators’ bank accounts in Thailand.  The funds were deposited in Thai Baht currency.  The co-conspirators would then withdraw U.S. dollars from automatic teller machines (ATMs) in the United States, as payment for their participation in the scheme. 

Srivaranon was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 22, 2018, after flying there from Thailand to attend a trade show unrelated to the charges in the case.  He has been in custody since his arrest.

United States Attorneys Robert K. Hur and Jessie K. Liu commended HSI Baltimore for its work in this investigation.  They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Hayes and Bryan Foreman, who handled the prosecution in the District of Maryland, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick Yette and Trial Attorney Rebecca A. Caruso of the Money Laundering & Asset Recovery Section (formerly a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney with the District of Columbia), who handled the case in the District of Columbia.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – On Thursday, April 11, 2019, six Baltimore men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise related to their activities as members of the violent Hillside gang that operated in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.  As part of their plea agreements, the defendants admitted to participating in murders; attempted murders, robberies; and the distribution of narcotics.  The following defendants pleaded guilty:

            Keenan Lawson, a/k/a BlackFace, age 27;             Michael Evans, a/k/a Pee Wee, age 25;             Kevin Horsey, a/k/a What What, age 26;             Stevie Lawson, a/k/a GB, age 28;             Terrell Luster, a/k/a Relly, age 31; and
            Caesar Rice, a/k/a Stinky, age 27.     

Thirteen other Hillside gang members have previously pleaded guilty to their participation in the racketeering conspiracy.  Of those, eight have been sentenced to between 10 and 30 years in federal prison. 

The guilty pleas were 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.

“These 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 target those responsible for the most violence in Baltimore City,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “These defendants admitted that they were part of an organized criminal enterprise with leaders and members who dealt drugs and committed violent crimes using guns. Now they face lengthy sentences 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.”

“Identifying, investigating, and incarcerating the armed gunmen that menace Baltimore’s communities is ATF’s primary focus,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “ATF is determined to collaborate with our law enforcement partners in our plight to ensure Baltimore neighborhoods can be free of violence.” 

According to their plea agreements, the defendants were members and associates of the Hillside Enterprise, which they 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.  All six defendants admitted that they distributed drugs as a member of Hillside, and on behalf of the gang.  Stevie Lawson is also captured on video in the stash houses on at least 16 occasions between November 2014 and June 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 committed by Terrell Luster and Keenan Lawson.  For example, Luster, Horsey, Rice, Keenan Lawson and Evans all admitted that they participated in, or were present at shootings, generally of individuals whom they and their fellow Hillside members believed to be rival gang members.    

As part of their plea agreements, all of the defendants have agreed with the government to recommend a sentence to the Court, with the recommendations ranging from 12 years to 23 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III has scheduled sentencing for Evans, Luster, Rice, and Horsey on July 12, 2019, and scheduled sentencing for Keenan and Stevie Lawson on July 19, 2019.

According to the ATF, a reward of $10,000 each is available for information leading to the arrest of the final two defendants in this case, fugitives Travis Eugene Alewine, a/k/a Sticks, age 27; and Deaven Raeshawn Cherry, a/k/a Gotti, age 32, both of Baltimore, who are charged federally with drug and racketeering conspiracies, including murders.  They are actively being sought by ATF Baltimore Special Agents and the U.S. Marshals Service. They should be considered armed and dangerous. Law enforcement believes they are 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 are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced Alonia Anderson Perkins, age 42, of Tampa, Florida, to four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and for aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain and charge the costs of upgraded Apple iPhones against true AT&T customers.  Judge Xinis also ordered Perkins to pay restitution of $6,500.

Co-defendant Toni Ann Bobet, age 30, of New York, New York, pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme on April 11, 2019, just a few days before she was scheduled to go to trial.

The sentence and guilty plea were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Matthew S. Miller of the United States Secret Service - Washington Field Office; and Acting Chief Russell E. Hamill, III of the Montgomery County Police Department.

According to their plea agreements, Perkins, Bobet, and co-defendant Celeste Nyleen Carmona, age 23, of New York, New York, conspired to obtain, charge, and finance the costs of upgraded Apple iPhones against true AT&T customers’ accounts.  The defendants admitted that they used stolen account information, telephone upgrade eligibility, and personal identifying information of actual AT&T Mobility customers to obtain the iPhones, which Bobet then provided to her co-conspirators in New York City.

Specifically, in July 2015 and April 2016, respectively, Bobet recruited Carmona and Perkins into the scheme.  In May 2016, Bobet drove Perkins and Carmona from New York City to Apple Stores located in Maryland and elsewhere to obtain Apple iPhones for resale.  For example, on May 16, 2016, Bobet provided Perkins and Carmona with fraudulent identification cards that contained the stolen personal information of victim AT&T customers, but bore the photographs of Perkins and Carmona, as well as counterfeit credit and debit cards in the victim customers’ names.  Bobet obtained the stolen identity information from her co-conspirators in New York City.  Bobet drove Perkins and Carmona to the Apple Store located at The Mall in Columbia, Maryland.  Perkins and Carmona entered the Apple stores while Bobet remained in the car.  Perkins and Carmona each posing as a victim customer, purchased an Apple iPhone on the victim customers’ accounts.  Bobet then drove Perkins and Carmona to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.  Carmona, posing as a victim customer purchased two more iPhones on the account of that customer.  Perkins attempted to purchase an iPhone on the account of a fourth victim customer, but that customer’s account reflected a past due balance of $100, and Perkins was unable to upgrade any lines on that victim’s account until the balance was paid.  Perkins abandoned the transaction and left the store, while Carmona completed her transaction. 

Police responded to the Westfield Mall and located Bobet’s vehicle in the parking lot.   Bobet attempted to leave, but law enforcement stopped the vehicle.  Bobet, Perkins, and Carmona were taken into custody and transported to police headquarters.  A search of Bobet recovered two cellular phones which contained AT&T account information and personal identifying information of at least 20 individuals.  Bobet’s vehicle was seized and a search warrant for the vehicle was obtained.  Law enforcement recovered a laptop, a tablet, counterfeit identification cards, credit and debit cards, and a black duffle bag containing the four fraudulently obtained Apple iPhones. 

AT&T records also showed that during the timeframe of the conspiracy, the name of Alonia Perkins was fraudulently added to four AT&T accounts in Florida and that three of these victims’ accounts had their billing addresses changed to Perkins’ address in Florida.  The records also showed that Perkins later financed at least six Apple iPhones against the four victim customers’ accounts.  AT&T records further showed that the name Nyleen C. Carmona, or derivatives of that name, were added to 24 victims’ accounts, and Carmona later financed at least 46 Apple iPhones against the victims’ accounts.

Bobet and Carmona admitted that during the time of their participation in the conspiracy at least $95,001 and $40,001 in losses, respectively, were foreseeable to them.

Bobet and Carmona face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud conspiracy, and a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft.  Judge Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Bobet on July 11, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. and for Carmona on December 10, 2019 at 11:30 a.m.                

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the U.S. Secret Service and the Montgomery County Police Department’s Economic Crimes Task Force and Electronic Crimes Unit for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer R. Sykes, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis today sentenced Noe Coreas-Mejia, a/k/a “Tsunami,” age 22, of Hyattsville, Maryland, today to 33 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13. 

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; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Acting Chief Russell E. Hamill, III 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 Braveboy; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

“We will not tolerate the violence perpetrated by MS-13 in Maryland,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Today’s sentence sends a strong message to MS-13 gang members that federal, state, and local law enforcement will continue to work together to find and bring to justice MS-13 members who commit these heinous crimes.”

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 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.  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”).  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, beginning in 2015, Coreas-Mejia was a member of the Parkview clique.  Coreas-Mejia admitted that he conspired with other MS-13 members and associates to participate in numerous acts in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy, including extortion and murder. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, in 2015, Coreas-Mejia and other members and associates of MS-13 extorted persons conducting business in the Langley Park area of Prince George’s County, by demanding cash payments, known as “rent.”  

According to his plea agreement, in November 2015, Coreas-Mejia and other MS-13 members and associates held a disciplinary procedure for an MS-13 member, called a “court.”  During the “court,” the individual was beaten for approximately 13 seconds.  The victim reported the assault to law enforcement, which resulted in criminal charges being filed against Coreas-Mejia and other MS-13 members and associates. In retaliation, Coreas-Mejia planned to murder the victim, and directed two MS-13 members from the Parkview clique to assist.

Coreas-Mejia admitted that on December 16, 2015, he and other MS-13 members and associates lured the victim to a secluded area beneath the 495 overpass in the Silver Spring area of Montgomery County, purportedly for Coreas-Mejia to speak with the victim concerning the victim’s reporting of the “court” proceeding to law enforcement.  A co-conspirator met the victim and walked with him to the secluded location, where Coreas-Mejia and the second co-conspirator were waiting.  Coreas-Mejia and his two co-conspirators attacked the victim, stabbing him multiple times and hitting him with large stones.  The victim attempted to get away and ran into a stream.  Coreas-Mejia and at least one co-conspirator continued to hit the victim with stones until the victim collapsed unconscious in the stream.  Coreas-Mejia and his co-conspirators left the victim submerged in the stream, where the victim died.   

Law enforcement found the victim’s body, still submerged in the stream, on December 22, 2015.  According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was drowning, multiple blunt-force injuries, and multiple sharp-force injuries.

Co-defendants Jose Augustin Salmeron-Larios, a/k/a “Joseph Morales-Martinez,” “Angel Salvador Gutierrez,” “Yankee,” and “Kean,” age 26, of Severn, Maryland; Juan Carlos Espinal-Rapalo, a/k/a “Chiki,” age 21; Daniel Adonai Ramos-Romero, a/k/a “Romero Taylor Binga,” “Taylor Romero,” and “Binga,” age 22; and Oscar Delgado-Perez, a/k/a “Complicado” and “Indio,” age 26, all of Gaithersburg, Maryland, have pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and other charges related to their MS-13 gang activity.  They remain detained as they await sentencing.  

Co-defendant Kevin Henriquez-Chavez, a/k/a “Loco” and “Crazy,” age 24, of Washington Grove, Maryland, also pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

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

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, Ray D. McKenzie, Catherine K. Dick, and Burden H. Walker who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Arthur Raymond Prince, age 20, of Laurel Maryland, to 15 years and a month in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for robbery of controlled substances, and for carrying and brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with the armed robbery or attempted armed robbery of five pharmacies.  The sentence was imposed on April 9, 2019.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Acting Annapolis Police Chief Paul Herman; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; Acting Chief Russell E. Hamill, III of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Lisa Myers of the Howard County Police Department; and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess.

“Prince and his co-defendant used guns to threaten pharmacy employees and steal tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of opioids and other prescription drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Today’s sentence sends a strong message that if you use a gun to commit a federal crime, you will serve federal time, where there is no parole—ever.”

According their plea agreements, between May 5, and November 29, 2017, Prince and his co-conspirator, Jawanza Carter, participated in five armed robberies of pharmacies.  In each robbery, Carter pointed a gun at the clerk, and Prince and Carter demanded opioid narcotics such as Oxycodone, OxyContin, Percocet, and Codeine.  In most of the robberies, Prince and Carter also stole money from the cash register and/or robbed the clerk.

Specifically, Prince and Carter admitted that they robbed: the Howard Pharmacy in Columbia, Maryland on May 5, 2017; the Lorven Pharmacy in Laurel, Maryland on June 19, 2017; the Pasadena Pharmacy in Pasadena, Maryland on August 25, 2017; and the Annapolis Professional Pharmacy in Annapolis, Maryland on November 29, 2017.  Prince and Carter also attempted to rob the Pace Wellness Pharmacy in Pasadena on August 25, 2017, but were not able to steal narcotics when the clerk didn’t know where the drugs were located.  Instead, Prince and Carter stole $180 from the cash register and robbed the clerk of her purse, which contained $50 and credit cards, among other things.

In each robbery, cell-site records showed that Prince’s phone was in the immediate area of the pharmacy at the time of the robbery.  In addition, law enforcement recovered Carter’s fingerprints on one of the getaway vehicles used by the robbers.  Text messages between Carter and Prince concerning the robberies were also found on both Carter and Prince’s phones.  Photos recovered from Prince’s phone include images of Prince handling large amounts of cash, as well as photos and videos of Prince handling firearms.   

Prince was arrested after the robbery on November 29, 2017, in Odenton, Maryland, not far from where law enforcement located the stolen narcotics.  Carter was arrested later at the home of his girlfriend in Laurel, Maryland.

After his arrest and while he was detained, Prince attempted to obstruct justice.  After learning that his girlfriend was scheduled to testify before a federal grand jury, Prince coached her regarding her testimony, telling her in a recorded jail call, “you don’t know nothing, nobody, OK? Get that through your fxxxing skull.  Get that through your melon, OK?  Nada.”

Co-conspirator Jawanza Kevin Carter, of Laurel Maryland, pleaded guilty to robbery involving controlled substances, and to brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with the armed robberies of the five pharmacies.  Carter faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for robbery involving controlled substances; and a mandatory minimum of seven years and up to life in prison for brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled Carter’s sentencing for August 21, 2019, at 2:30 p.m.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  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, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Annapolis Police Department, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Howard County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Brandon K. Moore, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – United States District Judge George L. Russell III sentenced Matthew Barrow, age 45, of Toledo, Ohio, today to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on bribery charges related to contracting at the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), in Harford County, Maryland.  Co-defendants John Kays, age 45, of Pinehurst, North Carolina (formerly of Bel Air, Maryland), and his wife, Danielle Kays, age 44, are currently serving federal prison sentences of six years and 18 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the scheme.  The court previously issued an order that the defendants forfeit $1,487,135.52, as well as vehicles and a boat.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Craig, Jr. of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Special Agent in Charge L. Scott Moreland, Mid-Atlantic Fraud Field Office, Major Procurement Fraud Unit, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

According to court documents, John Kays, Danielle Kays, and Barrow all graduated together from the United States Military Academy at West Point.  In 2008, John Kays and Danielle Kays held leadership positions as civilian employees in the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), representing the Army in multi-year contracts.  CECOM was headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground.  Barrow worked for a glass manufacturer in Toledo, OH.  Barrow formed a company called MJ-6, to which John Kays admitted that he steered CECOM subcontracts in exchange for money. 

According to Barrow’s plea agreement, in March 2006, the U.S. Army Contracting Command at APG awarded a 10-year, $19.2 billion contract to seven prime contractors to provide technology services to support the integrated engineering, business operations, and logistics needs for the Army. Former Army officials John and Danielle Kays each had leadership positions related to this contract. From September 2006 through April 2011, a series of task orders for services pursuant to the contract were placed.

According to the plea agreements, from August 2008 to June 2014, John Kays agreed to take official actions favorable to Barrow and MJ-6 in return for Barrow paying them a total of approximately $800,000.  Danielle Kays has admitted using her official position to benefit Barrow and MJ-6 during the period from 2011to 2014.  Specifically, the Kayses used their official positions to add MJ-6 as a subcontractor acceptable to the Army, steer potential employees for government contractors to work for MJ-6, approve MJ-6 employees to work on various Task Orders, and approve the pay rates, status reports, and travel reimbursements for MJ-6 employees.  Total contracts steered to MJ-6 by the Kayses exceeded $21 million.

In order to conceal his corrupt relationship with the Kayses, Barrow caused the glass company he worked for to enter into contracts and make payments to Transportation Logistics Services, LLC, a company incorporated by John Kays, until the glass company fired Barrow.  Barrow then made payments to the Kayses in cash, which Barrow withdrew from his personal accounts and from MJ-6 accounts.  To conceal the scheme, John and Danielle Kays made false statements on the government ethics forms that they were required to file by failing to disclose the cash payments received from Barrow.  The Kayses used the cash for their personal benefit, including payments for home renovations, two new automobiles, a powerboat, jewelry, a pool party at their country club, and credit card bills.

Barrow later agreed to pay the Kayses the proceeds of the scheme from MJ-6 disguised as employment salary. 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DCIS, Army Criminal Investigation Command, and FBI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joyce K. McDonald and Harry M. Gruber, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Chanel Holland, age 36, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, today to a year and a day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for obstructing an official proceeding.  The charges were a result of an investigation showing that Holland provided information regarding law enforcement activity, including sealed indictments and investigative information, to the target of a drug trafficking investigation.  At the time, Holland was employed as the Human Resource Administrator in the Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Department. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess; and Maryland State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt.

“Chanel Holland betrayed the trust of the citizens of Maryland and of the law enforcement officers who fight every day to keep our streets safe from drug dealers and other criminals who endanger our communities,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “In doing so, she not only broke the law, but also put lives at risk.  This federal prosecution and sentence to federal prison time holds her accountable for those actions.”

According to Holland’s plea agreement, as a result of an investigation into a violent drug trafficking organization, on June 8, 2018, sealed indictments were returned for 10 individuals, including Traymont Wiley (a/k/a “Whamp”), who was believed to be the leader of the organization. The organization operated in Anne Arundel County and elsewhere, and was believed to be associated with several murders in Anne Arundel County.  Sealed arrest warrants and search warrants for several locations were also authorized.   

On Monday, June 11, 2018, law enforcement intercepted a conversation between Traymont Wiley and another individual on the wiretap that was authorized as part of the investigation.  Wiley stated that he had been told that he was going to be arrested on drug and gang-related charges.  Wiley’s call led to a flurry of conversations monitored on the intercepted lines between targets of the investigation.  During the conversations, it was revealed that the person who provided Wiley the information about the sealed criminal charges was a woman named “Chanel.”  The conversations revealed that the targets were reading portions of the sealed indictment out loud, including the names of other co-defendants named in the sealed indictment.  Wiley also read his charges, using the exact legal wording of the crimes as stated in the sealed indictment.  Further, on June 12, 2018, an attorney hired by one of the co-defendants made a motion to the court citing the specific court case number on the sealed indictment and requesting the court to unseal and quash a pending sealed arrest warrant. All of this occurred before the indictment and arrest warrants were unsealed, and prior to the execution of the sealed search warrants.

A subsequent audit of Maryland Judiciary Secure Case Search revealed that Holland’s Secure Case Search account was the only account to conduct a search of all four names heard during the interception of the target lines. Secure Case Search is not available to the public and is restricted to law enforcement and other related entities.  Holland’s duties as Human Resource Administrator did not include running searches for individuals through Secure Case Search.  Holland’s cell phone records revealed that she had 96 contacts (message and voice) with Wiley on June 11, 2018.  Surveillance video at the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court showed that on Monday, June 11, 2018, Holland had entered and exited the administration offices where her Secure Case Search account was accessed from her assigned computer.

On June 20, 2018, a search warrant was executed at Holland’s residence and her phone was recovered.  A search of the phone messages revealed that Holland had been providing information to Wiley and others for several months, beginning as early as April 2018.  On June 11, 2018, Holland sent a photograph of the sealed indictment to Wiley’s phone and stated, “Here’s a list of your charges.”  Holland then had a series of phone calls with Wiley’s phone in which she provided additional information about the sealed warrants and the nature of the charges.  Holland attempted to find out if a cooperating source had provided information to law enforcement which led to the charges against Wiley and the other co-conspirators, and she conveyed information about suspected cooperating sources to Wiley and others, including photos of those individuals and information about the status of their court cases.

Holland admitted that she did not want Wiley and his co-conspirators to get any additional charges, so she alerted them about the outstanding warrants and indictment.  Holland further admitted that she knew her actions were likely to affect the federal grand jury proceeding.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI Baltimore, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Maryland State Police, and the FBI for their work in the investigation, and thanked the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Office of the State Prosecutor for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek E. Hines, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Khalil Ahmad, age 51, of Hanover, Maryland, today to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for stalking his estranged wife.  Ahmad solicited another individual to have his wife killed after he violated protective orders she had obtained against him, but instead, ultimately paid that individual to set her up to appear to be a terrorist and have her arrested.  Ahmad paid the same individual to burn down the restaurant Ahmad owned in order for him to collect the insurance. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.

According to his plea agreement, Ahmad and the victim were married in July 2015.  Before and after their marriage, the victim lived in Howard County, Maryland, and Ahmad lived separately in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  During their marriage, Ahmad threatened to kill the victim by shooting her.  In April 2018, the victim informed Ahmad that she wanted a divorce.

On April 24, 2018, Ahmad drove to the victim’s residence, and in the presence of the victim and her children, poured gasoline over his body, produced a lighter, and threatened to light himself on fire if the victim did not take him back. 

The next day, the victim obtained a temporary protective order in Howard County against Ahmad, which was served on April 25, 2018, and was effective through May 8, 2018.  Ahmad violated the order by contacting the victim by mobile phone on April 29, and May 27, 2018, in Howard County.  Ahmad also violated the order on April 30, 2018, by contacting the victim by mobile phone and by following the victim’s vehicle as she drove in Prince George’s County.  Criminal summonses were issued in Howard County and in Prince George’s County for violating a protective order. 

To further harass the victim and put her in fear of her life, Ahmad contacted the victim’s relatives, members of her religious community, and her ex-husband, and advised them that the victim was not a good person and that she was having a romantic relationship with another man; threatened to have the victim’s brother killed in Pakistan; and threatened to have the victim killed if she returned to Pakistan, causing the victim to be afraid to visit her family in Pakistan.

On May 8, 2018, the victim obtained a Final Protective Order from the Circuit Court for Howard County that remains in effect through May 7, 2019.  The order directed Ahmad not to: abuse or threaten to abuse the victim; contact, attempt to contact, or harass the victim in person, in writing, or by any other means; or enter the residence of the victim.  In addition, the order required Ahmad to stay away from the victim’s place of employment.

Ahmad admitted that beginning in May 2018, he solicited an individual (CW) to harass the victim. CW and Ahmad met several times, during which Ahmad expressed a desire to have his wife murdered.  Ahmad subsequently decided to have the victim framed so that she would be arrested as a terrorist because she is from a Middle Eastern country.  The plan was to place a ballistic vest, firearm, bottles of alcohol, and extremist jihad writings in her possession, without her knowledge, and then notify law enforcement to have her arrested.  

On May 10, 2018, following several discussions with Ahmad, CW reported Ahmad’s plan to law enforcement.  Thereafter, at the direction of and/or in the presence of law enforcement, CW’s calls and meetings with Ahmad were recorded.  Ahmad gave CW a total of $5,000 in cash over two separate meetings, as a down payment to have the victim set up to appear to be a terrorist.  Ahmad also provided CW with a photo of the victim, her address, phone numbers, and the last two digits of her Maryland license plate number.  Ahmad made numerous statements to CW that he wanted the victim arrested prior to his June 21 court date in Prince George’s County for violating the protective order.  If the victim were arrested, she could not testify, which would result in the court cases being dismissed. 

The recorded calls and meetings reflect that Ahmad also wanted CW to commit an arson at Ahmad’s business (Allah Rakha Restaurant) so that Ahmad could collect the insurance payout from the fire.  Ahmad advised CW that he recently had raised the amount of insurance on the restaurant by approximately $200,000.  During one of their meetings, CW and Ahmad walked into the kitchen area of the restaurant to view the hot water heater and gas line, and discussed how CW would set the business on fire to make it look like an accident. 

On June 5, 2018, investigators staged a scene involving what appeared to be Anne Arundel County Police Department (AAPD) uniformed police officers and detectives searching the victim’s vehicle on the side of a road.  Photographs were taken of the victim’s vehicle and provided to CW who then went to meet with Ahmad.  CW showed Ahmad the staged photographs and told Ahmad that it was done.  Ahmad told CW that he would pay $2,000 that day, but would pay the remaining $7,000 once Ahmad could verify that the victim had actually been arrested.  Ahmad then drove to a bank, withdrew $2,000 in cash, and handed the money to CW. 

Later that same day, AAPD and FBI investigators went to Ahmad’s residence to conduct a ruse, informing Ahmad that his wife had been arrested and asking Ahmad if investigators could talk to him about his wife.  Ahmad told investigators that his wife had filed a protective order against him and retrieved the file he had in his home.  Ahmad said that he had overheard his wife on the phone at night taking classes about terrorism over the phone and that his wife had attended a terrorist training camp.  Ahmad agreed to meet with investigators at AAPD to talk more about his wife, her activities, and her possible associates.  At the meeting at AAPD, an FBI Urdu-speaking linguist was present for the interview.  Ahmad was provided his Miranda warnings and the FBI linguist translated for Ahmad.  Ahmad spoke to investigators at length about his wife.  Investigators then confronted Ahmad with recorded video of one of his meetings with CW, during which the two discussed the plot to kill his wife, the plan to set her up to look like a terrorist, and the scheme to burn down his restaurant.  Ahmad stated that he wanted CW to make things hard for his wife and to engage in a romantic relationship with her.  Ahmad falsely told investigators that the plot to kill his wife, to set her up to look like a terrorist, and the plan to burn down his restaurant were all CW’s ideas.  

As a result of Ahmad’s conviction on the federal stalking charge, the Anne Arundel County, Howard County, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Offices have dismissed their cases against Ahmad.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Howard County Police Department, Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess, Howard County State’s Attorney Rich Gibson, and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy for their assistance in this prosecution.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Sandra Wilkinson, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Eight Co-Defendants Previously Pleaded Guilty and Were Sentenced to Between 10 and 30 Years In Federal Prison 

Baltimore, Maryland – On Friday, April 5, 2019, Christopher Dukes, age 27; and Marcus Johnson, age 28, both of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise related to their activities as members of the Hillside gang that operated in the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.  As part of Dukes’ plea agreement, he admitted to participating in two murders; two attempted murders, including of a law enforcement officer; and the distribution of narcotics. 

Ten other Hillside gang members have previously pleaded guilty to their participation in the racketeering conspiracy.  Of those, eight have been sentenced to between 10 and 30 years in federal prison.  Seven defendants are scheduled to go to trial on May 6, 2019.  Two defendants remain at large and are being sought by law enforcement.

The guilty pleas were 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.

“The most important thing that law enforcement officers can do to stop violence is to make clear that killers will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “The Hillside gang is responsible for murders and other acts of violence throughout their community.  All of the members of the conspiracy were aware of the violent acts committed by this gang.  Christopher Dukes personally participated in two murders and two attempted murders.  He and his co-defendants will now serve years in federal prison, where there is no parole--ever.”

“The gun violence resulting from these gang turf wars and rivalries is tearing this city apart,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “We remain committed in our mission to identify, investigate, and incarcerate anyone using firearms to commit these violent crimes.”         

According to their plea agreements, Dukes and Johnson were members and associates of the Hillside Enterprise, which they 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.  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.  Dukes admitted that he sold drugs as a member of Hillside, including on school grounds in 2012, and was captured on video in a Hillside cut house preparing drugs for sale in 2014.  Johnson also admitted that he regularly distributed drugs on behalf of the gang.

Members of the Hillside Enterprise routinely carried firearms and committed acts of violence in furtherance of the organization’s activities, including 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.  For example, Johnson admitted that on January 13, 2012, in the 400 block of Roundview Road in Baltimore, he participated in an assault of an individual who sold narcotics on behalf of Hillside.

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.  Dukes and Johnson knew that these acts of violence, including the homicides, were committed by Hillside members and associates.   

Specifically, Dukes admitted that on August 1, 2011, he attempted to hit a law enforcement officer with his car in the 2900 block of Waterview Avenue.  Further, in a case of mistaken identity, on August 6, 2012, Duke and three other Hillside members shot two individuals, killing one of them, in the 2700 block of Giles Road, in the Up Da Hill section of Cherry Hill.  The intended target of Dukes and his fellow Hillside members was a member of the Up Da Hill gang.  Dukes and two other Hillside members also participated in the murder of an individual on September 8, 2012, in the 2600 block of Kent Street in Baltimore, in a dispute over drugs and money.  Dukes admitted that on October 18, 2012, he and at least one Hillside co-conspirator shot an individual during an attempted robbery, using the same gun that was used in the murder on September 8, 2012.  On March 12, 2015, Dukes and another Hillside member possessed with intent to distribute two baggies of cocaine, and had a 9mm semi-automatic handgun that had been used by another Hillside member to shoot a rival Up Da Hill member on November 2, 2013.

Johnson was arrested for possessing a firearm on August 15, 2009, and posted videos on social media in which he identified himself as a Hillside member, and raps about other Hillside members and their activities, including dealing narcotics.

Dukes and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Dukes will be sentenced to 23 years in federal prison.  Johnson and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts his plea, Johnson will be sentenced to between 12 and 17 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for Dukes and Johnson on June 17, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., respectively.

According to the ATF, a reward of $10,000 each is available for information leading to the arrest of the two fugitive defendants in this case, Travis Eugene Alewine, a/k/a Sticks, age 27; and Deaven Raeshawn Cherry, a/k/a Gotti, age 32, both of Baltimore, who are charged federally with drug and racketeering conspiracies, including murders.  They are actively being sought by ATF Baltimore Special Agents and the U.S. Marshals Service. They should be considered armed and dangerous. Law enforcement believes they are 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 are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

 

Greenbelt, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has charged Rondell Henry, age 28, of Germantown, Maryland, by criminal complaint with interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.  Today, the government filed a motion arguing for Henry to be detained pending trial as a flight risk and a danger to the community.  Specifically, the government’s detention memo alleges that Henry, who claimed to be inspired by the ISIS terrorist organization, stole a U-Haul van with the intention of using it as a weapon against pedestrians on sidewalks within the National Harbor complex along the Potomac River in Maryland.  A detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 2019, at 12:45 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas M. DiGirolamo.

The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Acting Chief Russell E. Hamill, III 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, “We continue to gather evidence, as well as review evidence already obtained as part of this ongoing investigation.”

According to the criminal complaint and other court documents, on March 26, 2019, the Alexandria Police Department was contacted concerning a leased U-Haul vehicle that had been stolen from a parking garage at a mall in Alexandria, Virginia.  The driver, who had rented the U-Haul vehicle had noticed a man driving a blue BMW follow the U-Haul off Interstate 395 and onto mall property, then follow the U-Haul into the parking garage and park a few spaces away.  When police responded to the garage, they found the BMW near where the U-Haul had been stolen.  A check of the BMW’s registration records revealed that the BMW was registered to Rondell Henry.

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.

According to the detention memo, for two years, Henry has harbored “hatred” for those who do not practice the Muslim faith.  Allegedly inspired by videos he watched of foreign terrorists, Henry decided to conduct a vehicular attack, similar to the 2016 truck attack in Nice, France, for which ISIS claimed responsibility.  After stealing the van, Henry drove around, arriving at Dulles International Airport in Virginia at approximately 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27, 2019.  The government’s motion for detention alleges that Henry exited his U-Haul and entered the terminal, trying to find a way through security, allegedly to harm “disbelievers” in a way designed for maximum publicity.  After more than two hours of failing to breach Dulles’s security perimeter, Henry allegedly returned to the U-Haul.

According to the motion for detention, Henry then drove the U-Haul from Virginia to the National Harbor in Maryland, arriving around 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27.  The motion for detention alleges that Henry parked the U-Haul and walked around a popular part of National Harbor.  According to the motion for detention, Henry finally broke into a boat to hide overnight.

By the following morning, Thursday, March 28, police officers had discovered the location of the stolen U-Haul.  When Henry leapt over the security fence from the boat dock, observant Prince George’s County Police officers arrested him.

If convicted, Henry faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. 

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 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.  Mr. Hur thanked his office’s national security prosecutors, who are handling the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Cheikh Ahmet Tidiane Cisse, age 43, of Baltimore, Maryland, on federal charges in connection with a scheme in which Cisse allegedly filed fraudulent claims for Social Security benefits using fictitious identities and the identities of actual individuals, and attempted to collected over $236,000.  The indictment was returned on April 3, 2019. 

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division.

Cisse was employed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) as a Claims Specialist.  The 14-count indictment alleges that between July 2018 and March 2019, Cisse used his position at SSA to create fictitious identities within the SSA’s social security number database in order to file fictitious claims for benefits.  The indictment alleges that Cisse used both fictitious identities and the identities of actual individuals to file the fraudulent claims and stole or attempted to steal over $236,000 from SSA.

The indictment alleges that Cisse would input false information into SSA systems indicating that he had witnessed original documents, such as birth certificates, and marriage and divorce decrees, when in fact he had not.  In one instance, when SSA withheld payment due to suspected fraud, the indictment alleges that Cisse contacted SSA’s payment center and falsely relayed that the purported beneficiary had called inquiring about the whereabouts of the payment, which caused the payment center to release the funds.  Cisse allegedly directed payments on the fraudulent claims into accounts he controlled, then spent the funds through cash withdrawals and retail purchases.

According to the indictment, Cisse caused SSA to pay approximately $87,000 in fraudulent claims through direct deposit, issue approximately $46,000 in checks that were never negotiated, and authorize approximately $103,000 in claims that SSA halted before payments were issued.

If convicted, Cisse faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each of nine counts of wire fraud; a maximum of 10 years in prison for Social Security fraud and for theft of government property; and a mandatory two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for each of three counts of aggravated identity theft.  Cisse was arrested on a related criminal complaint on March 20, 2019, and was released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.  No court appearance has been scheduled yet on the indictment.

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 SSA Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Davio, who is prosecuting the case.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – Jawanza Kevin Carter, age 22, of Laurel Maryland, pleaded guilty on April 3, 2019, to robbery involving controlled substances, and to carrying and brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with the armed robbery or attempted armed robbery of five pharmacies and the theft of tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of opioids.  

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Acting Chief Paul Herman of the Annapolis Police Department; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; Acting Chief Russell E. Hamill, III of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Lisa D. Myers of the Howard County Police Department; and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess.

According to Carter’s plea agreement, between May 5 and November 29, 2017, Carter and his co-conspirator Arthur Prince participated in five armed robberies of pharmacies.  In each robbery, Carter pointed a gun at the clerk, and Carter and Prince demanded opioid narcotics such as Oxycodone, OxyContin, Percocet, and Codeine.  In most of the robberies, Carter and Prince also stole money from the cash register and/or robbed the clerk.

Specifically, Carter admitted that he robbed: the Howard Pharmacy in Columbia, Maryland on May 5, 2017; the Lorven Pharmacy in Laurel Maryland on June 19, 2017; the Pasadena Pharmacy in Pasadena, Maryland on August 25, 2017; and the Annapolis Professional Pharmacy in Annapolis, Maryland on November 29, 2017.  Carter and Prince also attempted to rob the Pace Wellness Pharmacy in Pasadena on August 25, 2017, but were not able to steal narcotics when the clerk didn’t know where the drugs were located.  Instead, Carter and Prince stole $180 from the cash register and robbed the clerk of her purse, which contained $50 in cash and credit cards, among other things.

In each robbery, cell-site records showed that Carter’s phone was in the immediate area of the pharmacy at the time of the robbery, and his DNA was found on a reusable shopping bag left by the robbers at the Howard Pharmacy and on a mask Carter wore during the Annapolis Professional Pharmacy that law enforcement later recovered.  In addition, law enforcement recovered Carter’s fingerprints on one of the getaway vehicles used by the robbers, and text messages between Carter and Prince concerning one of the robberies.  Photos from Carter’s Snapchat account also appear to reflect large purchases in the days and weeks after some of the robberies, including luxury items from Gucci, a gold watch, and designer tennis shoes. 

Prince was arrested after the robbery on November 29, 2017, in Odenton, Maryland, not far from where law enforcement located the stolen narcotics.  Carter was arrested at the home of his girlfriend in Laurel, Maryland.  Searches executed at locations associated with Carter recovered three boxes of .40-caliber ammunition, a gun cleaning kit and related items, and an empty handgun carrying case with a clip in it.

After his arrest and while he was detained, Carter attempted to obstruct justice.  In recorded jail calls, Carter instructed his girlfriend to get rid of a bag used in connection with one of the robberies, which she did.  On December 4, 2017, Carter coached his girlfriend on what to say to law enforcement about two vehicles used in the robberies that were titled and registered to her.  Carter told his girlfriend to tell law enforcement that one of the cars is a “family and friends car,” and that she drove the other vehicle.

Carter faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for robbery involving controlled substances; and a mandatory minimum of seven years and up to life in prison for brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for August 21, 2019, at 2:30 p.m.

Co-conspirator Arthur Raymond Prince, age 20, of Laurel Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting robbery involving controlled substances, and aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with the armed robberies of five pharmacies.  Prince also faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for aiding and abetting robbery involving controlled substances; and a mandatory minimum of seven years and up to life in prison for aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  Judge Bredar has scheduled Prince’s sentencing for April 9, 2019, at 10 a.m.

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Annapolis Police Department, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Howard County Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley and Brandon K. Moore, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – Daniel Flores-Ventura, a/k/a Necio, age 26, of Aspen Hill, Maryland, pleaded guilty on April 2, 2019, to conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, including participating in a murder.  Co-defendants Vilas Sail Argueta-Bermudez, a/k/a Happy, Little Happy, and Enchilada, age 32; Michael Campos-Lemus, a/k/a Humilde, age 25, both of Aspen Hill; and Wilians Ernesto Lovos-Ayala, a/k/a Tigre, age 26, of Woodbridge, Virginia, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Edward Hargis of the Frederick Police Department; and Chief Barry M. Barnard of Prince William County, Virginia Police.

“The convictions of these four defendants, and our ongoing work with our law enforcement partners to bring other gang members to justice, demonstrate our unflagging commitment to remove MS-13 and its associated violence from our communities,” said United States Attorney Hur.  “We simply will not tolerate the wanton violence that MS-13 promotes.”

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 Molinos Locos Salvatruchas (“Molinos”), Uniones Locos Salvatruchas (“Uniones”), 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”). 

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 their plea agreements, from about 2015 Flores-Ventura, Lovos-Ayala, and Campos-Lemus were all members and associates of the Uniones clique of MS-13.  Co-defendant Argueta-Bermudez was a member and associate of the Molinos clique of MS-13.  The defendants admitted to participating in numerous acts in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy, including drug sales and murder. 

As detailed in their plea agreements, the defendants admitted that beginning in June or July 2015, Flores-Ventura, Argueta-Bermudez, Campos-Lemus, and Lovos-Ayala conspired to murder Victim-1, whom they believed to be a member of the rival 18th Street gang.  On July 16, 2015, the conspirators lured Victim-1 from Maryland to Virginia, on the pretext that Victim-1 was going to participate in a “court,” a disciplinary beating to be administered to another individual. 

Flores-Ventura admitted that he drove Victim-1 from Silver Spring, Maryland, to Woodbridge, Virginia, in order to kill Victim-1.  Argueta-Bermudez and Campos-Lemus also drove to Woodbridge, Virginia, to participate in the murder.  Lovos-Ayala and the other MS-13 members and associates met in a wooded location in Woodbridge, where Flores-Ventura struck Victim-1 on the head.  Lovos-Ayala, Argueta-Bermudez, Campos-Lemus, and other members and associates of MS-13 then struck and stabbed Victim-1 with machetes and knives until Victim-1 was dead.

The defendants admitted that the murder of Victim-1 served to maintain or increase the status of MS-13 within the community and to maintain or increase the status of the defendants and other MS-13 members who participated in the murder.

The defendants all face a maximum sentence of life in prison.  Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for Campos-Lemus on July 24, 2019; for Argueta-Bermudez on August 19, 2019; for Lovos-Ayala on August 20, 2019, and for Flores-Ventura on August 27, 2019, all at 10:00 a.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI Baltimore, the FBI, the Frederick Police Department, and the Prince William County 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 thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Kenneth Clark, Catherine K. Dick, and Matthew DellaBetta who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – Coron Demon Johnson, a/k/a Savage, age 24, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty on April 2, 2019, to distribution of heroin.  As part of his plea agreement, Johnson admitted that death resulted from use of the heroin that he distributed. 

The guilty plea 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.

According to his plea agreement, on August 11, 2017, Johnson sold heroin to an individual in Annapolis, Maryland.  The customer returned to her home in Bowie, Maryland, and went to her bedroom.  The next day, the individual was found in her bedroom, unresponsive.  The victim was 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 and the victim’s cell phone, which were located next to her body.  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 locations.  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 a 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 told 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.

Johnson and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Johnson will be sentenced to between eight and 15 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2019. 

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 are prosecuting the case.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Demetrios Stavrakis, a/k/a Jimmy, age 53, of Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland, for an arson conspiracy to allegedly damage his business by setting it on fire in order to obtain insurance proceeds.  The indictment was returned on March 28, 2019 and unsealed today.  Stavrakis was arrested and had his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.  Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner ordered Stavrakis to be released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services pending trial.

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; Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian Geraci; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

The four-count indictment alleges that beginning in July 2015, Stavrakis engaged in a conspiracy to set fire to commercial property he owned in the 200 block of Haven Street in Baltimore, in order to collect insurance proceeds on the property.  According to the indictment, on July 28, 2015, just before 6 p.m., Stavrakis used adhesive tape to defeat one of the security features on the front door of the building so that the person or persons setting the fire could enter the building.

According to the indictment, very early the next morning, someone disarmed the alarms inside the building by entering the four-digit codes for the alarms.  Between 12:25 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., the office area of the warehouse was set on fire by using Methyl Ethyl Ketone, a flammable liquid used as a cleaning agent.  The fire destroyed the office area and damaged a portion of the ceiling directly above the area.  Later on July 29, 2015, Stavrakis contacted a public adjuster firm that his company had previously retained to notify them of the fire and to request their assistance in filing claims with the insurance company. 

From July 29, 2015 through August 5, 2016, the adjusters, acting on behalf of Stavrakis and his companies, submitted false insurance claims totaling over $21 million.  The insurance company paid a total of approximately $15,081,435.  Of that amount, the indictment alleges that approximately $8,762,037 was used to purchase new machinery, purchase parts inventory, restore the building, and for other business expenses.  In addition, insurance proceeds were allegedly transferred or used for other expenses, including, $600,000 which was transferred to an account in the name of Stavrakis’s wife, after which additional monthly payments of approximately $6,000 followed; approximately $98,499.20 used to purchase a 2016 Mercedes-Benz GL 550, titled and registered to Stavrakis; and approximately $25,500 used to purchase a 2016 Harley-Davidson Street Glide motorcycle.

If convicted, Stavrakis faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for the arson conspiracy and for malicious destruction of property by fire; a mandatory 10 years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for use of fire to commit a federal felony; and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for wire fraud.  

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 Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who is prosecuting the case.

 # # #

 

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Jonathan Mark Oldale, age 55, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, today to 20 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, on charges of production and possession of child pornography, arising from Oldale secretly filming children using hidden cameras in the bathrooms of his home.  As a result of his conviction, Oldale 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).  In addition, Oldale must pay a $400,000 money judgment in lieu of forfeiture of Oldale’s interest in his residence, which Oldale used to facilitate his crimes.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

“Jonathan Oldale invited children into his home in order to surreptitiously photograph them while they were changing clothes or using the bathroom, and attempted to do the same thing in public facilities that catered to children,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “This sentence sends a clear message that we will bring to justice those who would victimize innocent children.”

According to Oldale’s plea agreement, on May 5, 2017, the Montgomery County Police Department received a complaint from an employee at a children’s gymnastics facility in Silver Spring that Oldale had placed a backpack containing a camera disguised to look like an automobile key fob in a bathroom at the facility.  The employee also told officers about a prior incident in which Oldale had left a backpack in the same bathroom.  A search of Oldale’s residence on May 9, 2017, recovered electronic media, including three laptop computers.  A subsequent forensic review of the computers revealed that two of the computers had installations of browsers used to access the “dark web,” and some of the files accessed had titles consistent with child pornography. The dark web is the part of the World Wide Web that requires specific software, configurations, or authorization to access, allowing users and website operators to remain anonymous.  One of the laptops had previously connected to a dark web site used to exchange child pornography.  The third computer contained image and video files of children with exposed genitalia, including in public bathrooms.

On July 5, 2017, Montgomery County Police officers executed a second search warrant at Oldale’s residence and seized among other items, three “spy cameras,” five  MicroSD cards (small memory cards used in cameras and phones to store information), and five USB drives.  All of the removable media contained videos created using surreptitious “spy” cameras that had been placed by Oldale in bathrooms in his residence.  Another MicroSD card contained the titles of encrypted files that had been erased from the card, and the titles were indicative of child pornography.

Videos recorded in the bathrooms show that the cameras were placed at waist height or lower, for example under the sink and in a basket in the shower, and that multiple cameras were placed in a bathroom.  The videos show that Oldale would enter the bathroom to adjust the cameras just before children entered the bathrooms and just after the children left.  Between May and July 2017, Oldale recorded more than 1,000 videos using the hidden cameras in his bathrooms.  The videos depict minor children changing into and out of bathing suits, taking showers, and using the toilet.

Children were invited to “splash parties” at Oldale’s residence in June and July 2017, including by e-mailed invitations sent to their parents.  Children would become covered with grass while playing on an inflatable structure in the back yard.  Oldale encouraged the children to change clothes or take showers before they went home.  Of the approximately 79 children who appear in the videos taken in the bathroom, approximately 52 are depicted nude at some point in the videos.

Forensic analysis of the USB drives revealed that Oldale stored videos in a nested file folder structure.  Subfolders were named for the month and within those folders were additional subfolders with event names, like party or camp.  On two of the USB drives there were subfolders that included lists of children’s names followed by a description of the swimsuit worn by the child.  In all, there were nine subfolders with names indicative of events and containing videos of children in the bathrooms at Oldale’s residence.

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, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph R. Baldwin and Timothy F. Hagan, Jr., who are prosecuting the federal case.

# # #

 

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Nkeng Amin, a/k/a “Rapone,” a/k/a “Arnold,” age 31, of Beltsville, Maryland, today to 87 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a large-scale business e-mail compromise scheme during which Amin and his co-conspirators obtained over $4.2 million from at least 13 individual and business victims.  Judge Grimm also ordered Amin to forfeit and to pay restitution in the amount of $1,021,474.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of Homeland Security Investigations; and Special Agent in Charge Matthew S. Miller of the United States Secret Service, Washington Field Office.

According to his plea agreement, and to evidence presented at today’s sentencing hearing, between February 2016 and July 2017, Amin and his co-conspirators gained access to e-mail accounts associated with the victims.  Then, posing as an entity with whom the victims were associated, they sent false wiring instructions to the victims, who wired millions of dollars into “drop accounts” set up by Amin and his co-defendants, in the names of fictitious businesses they registered.  Drop accounts were bank accounts opened or controlled by Amin and his co-conspirators that were used to receive fraudulently obtained money from victims.  Amin and others then disbursed the money in the drop accounts that were received from the victims by, among other things: electronically transferring money to other accounts; transferring funds to other accounts at the same bank; withdrawing cash; obtaining cashier’s checks; and writing checks to other individuals or entities.

Amin worked hand-in-hand with co-conspirator Aldrin Fomukong to perpetrate the fraud in Maryland.  Amin also independently corresponded with the leaders of the fraud scheme overseas and recruited and managed his own co-conspirators, including co-defendant Yanick Eyong, to open bank accounts to receive victim funds and withdraw the victim funds from the fictitious bank accounts before the fraud was detected.

Over the course of the conspiracy, Amin, Fomukong, and their co-conspirators obtained over $4.2 million and attempted to steal over $10.9 million from at least 13 victims. 

The following co-conspirators all pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme.

• Aldrin Fon Fomukong, a/k/a “Albanky,” a/k/a “A.L.,” age 24, of Greenbelt, Maryland;
• Carlson Cho, a/k/a “Uncle Tiga2,” age 23, of Braintree, Massachusetts;
• Izou Ere Digifa, a/k/a “Lzuo Digifa,” a/k/a “Mimi VA,” age 22, of Lynchburg, Virginia;
• Yanick Eyong, age 26, of Bowie, Maryland; and
• Ishmail Ganda, a/k/a “Banker TD,” age 31, of College Park, Maryland. 

Fomukong and Digifa remain detained pending sentencing.  Judge Grimm sentenced Eyong to 57 months in prison; sentenced Cho to 48 months in prison; and sentenced Ganda to 90 days in prison, to be served during his first 18 months of supervised release.  

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Secret Service for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O’Connell Hayes, who prosecute the case.

# # #

 

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Menard Hazelwood, age 29, and Donte Smith, age 34, both of Baltimore, to 13 years in federal prison and 12 years in federal prison, respectively, each followed by three years of supervised release, for assaulting a federal officer and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, in connection with the May 26, 2017, assault on two undercover Special Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The sentence were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the ATF Baltimore Field Division.

“These brave agents, like all law enforcement officers, put their lives on the line every day to identify and disrupt the drug dealers that bring violence to our streets.  We are grateful that they were able to return home safely,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “These defendants thought they were robbing drug customers, which happens all often in Baltimore.  Hopefully the sentences imposed today send a message to those who would commit violence that gun crime will lead to federal time, which has no parole – ever.” 

“We are glad to see justice served today and are grateful that our dedicated Special Agents were unharmed,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “ATF’s top priority in Baltimore is to identify and target the criminal organizations responsible for gun violence.  Special Agents risk their personal safety each time they work undercover during an investigation, yet they do this because they know the importance of their mission to protect the community from these violent criminals.”

According to Smith and Hazelwood’s plea agreements, on May 26, 2017, during an ATF undercover operation, Smith and Hazelwood attempted to rob two ATF undercover Special Agents (UCs), who were working with a confidential informant (CI) to purchase $2,000 worth of heroin from a known heroin dealer.  The UCs and the CI had picked up the heroin dealer, with one UC driving and the other UC in the front passenger seat, then drove to a location in West Baltimore to meet with the dealer’s supplier.  The dealer got out of the car and told the CI and the UCs to wait; Smith and Hazelwood immediately walked up to the vehicle.  Smith asked the UCs for a light and Hazelwood took advantage of the distraction and pointed a gun at the UC in the passenger seat.  Smith then pointed a silver revolver at the other UC.  Smith and Hazelwood demanded money.  The UCs told Smith and Hazelwood, who continued to hold them at gunpoint, that there was cash in the vehicle.  The UCs then gave the distress signal to the covert ATF team that was monitoring the operation.  As the covert team arrived on the scene, the agents ordered Smith and Hazelwood to put their hands up.  Smith fled, and the responding ATF Special Agents fired their service weapons, striking Smith.  Hazelwood also broke away and ran to a nearby car, but was not able to get into the car.  Special Agents arrested him at the scene.

Agents recovered the .44-caliber revolver brandished by Smith during the robbery, but did not recover the gun used by Hazelwood.  Smith and Hazelwood admitted that they each participated in the robbery, but did not know that the undercover Special Agents were federal agents at the time of the robbery.

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.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s 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 commended the ATF for its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia C. McLane, who prosecuted the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Stephen McGrath, age 44, of Rockville, Maryland, today to 22 years in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release, for federal charges of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity in order to produce child pornography, and possession of child pornography.  Upon his release from prison, McGrath 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; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to McGrath’s plea agreement, between June 16 and October 9, 2017, McGrath used Internet-based chat applications “MeetMe” and “KIK” to communicate with six minor female victims, ranging in age from 12 to 16 years old.  In his communications with the victims, McGrath, posing as a female modeling agent, confirmed the ages of the victims and requested photographs, including nude and sexually explicit images, which the victims then sent to McGrath as part of their “modeling evaluation.”  McGrath also admitted that he distributed sexually explicit images of Victim 6, a 14-year-old girl, to two of her male friends, whose account information he had requested from Victim 6.

Subscriber information for the accounts used to communicate with Victim 1 showed that the user connected to each account through the same IP address, which was assigned to McGrath in Rockville.  Law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at McGrath’s residence on October 13, 2017, and seized his cellular phone.  The phone had an application for password-protected digital storage.  McGrath supplied the password, which revealed folders within the application labeled with female names and containing pictures and videos constituting more than 600 images of child pornography, including images of the victims described above.  The KIK application was also found on the phone as well as numerous chat conversations with minor females.

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 the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation and thanked the Montgomery County Police Department for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted the federal case.

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A Riverdale, Maryland man was sentenced to 312 months in 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 and attempted murder.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur for the District of Maryland, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO)’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force, Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) 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, Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department, Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department, Chief Amal Awad of the Hyattsville Police Department, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy made the announcement.

Kevin Soriana-Hernandez, aka “Brocha,” 19, of Riverdale, Maryland, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis.  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 and Prince George’s 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.

“MS-13’s stock-in-trade is violence and intimidation, as shown by the brutal and premeditated murder that Kevin Soriana-Hernandez and his fellow MS-13 members committed in Riverdale on Sept. 16, 2017,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski.  “The Department of Justice will not rest in our mission to dismantle MS-13 and put an end to the gang’s evil efforts to terrorize our streets.”

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

As detailed in his plea agreement, Soriana-Hernandez admitted that since at least September 2017, he was a member and associate of the Sailors clique of MS-13, in Riverdale, Maryland.  Beginning in approximately August 2017, members of the Sailors clique, including Soriana-Hernandez, engaged in an ongoing and escalating altercation with a group of individuals also residing in Riverdale, whom they believed to be members of a rival gang.  The two groups threatened each other with physical violence, brandished firearms, and shot at each other. 

Soriana-Hernandez also admitted that on Sept. 16, 2017, he and other MS-13 members and associates planned and conspired to murder individuals in the rival group.  Specifically, Soriana-Hernandez admitted that on Sept. 16, 2017, he and four co-conspirators drove to the area in Riverdale where two of the suspected gang rivals were located, and parked on a hill overlooking the area.  Soriana-Hernandez and two co-conspirators covered their faces and proceeded down the hill toward the location.  At the time, one victim was seated in a car and the other was near the car.  Soriana-Hernandez fired multiple shots at the car and at both victims, but did not strike either victim.  One co-conspirator fired a single shot at the victim who was sitting in the car, after which the firearm jammed.  Another co-conspirator then approached the vehicle and stabbed that victim multiple times.  The victim later died.  According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the victim died from a single gunshot wound and 13 stab wounds.

Five of Soriana-Hernandez’s co-defendants remain charged in the eighth superseding indictment with various racketeering violations, including conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, drug trafficking conspiracy and extortion conspiracy.  The trial of the remaining defendants is scheduled to begin on Jan. 6, 2020.  Those defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The investigation was conducted  by the FBI Washington Field Office, HSI Baltimore, the DEA Washington Field Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Hyattsville Police Department, the Prince George’s State’s Attorney’s Office and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.  The WFO’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force is composed of FBI agents along with detectives from the Capital Region engaged in identifying, disrupting and dismantling the most prolific gangs in the region to include MS-13.  Trial Attorneys Francesca Liquori and Julie Finocchiaro of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau and Catherine K. Dick of the District of Maryland are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Kevin Soriana-Hernandez, a/k/a “Brocha,” age 19, of Riverdale, Maryland, today to 26 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 and attempted murder.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur for the District of Maryland, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force, Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) 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, Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department, Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department, Chief Amal Awad of the Hyattsville Police Department, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

“This sentence sends a 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 other gang members to justice, demonstrates our unflagging commitment to eliminate MS-13 and its campaign of wanton violence.”

“MS-13’s stock-in-trade is violence and intimidation, as shown by the brutal and premeditated murder that Kevin Soriana-Hernandez and his fellow MS-13 members committed in Riverdale on Sept. 16, 2017,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski.  “The Department of Justice will not rest in our mission to dismantle MS-13 and put an end to the gang’s evil efforts to terrorize our streets.”

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 and Prince George’s 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. 

As detailed in his plea agreement, Soriana-Hernandez admitted that since at least September 2017, he was a member and associate of the Sailors clique of MS-13, in Riverdale, Maryland.  Beginning in approximately August 2017, members of the Sailors clique, including Soriana-Hernandez, engaged in an ongoing and escalating altercation with a group of individuals also residing in Riverdale, whom they believed to be members of a rival gang.  The two groups threatened each other with physical violence, brandished firearms, and shot at each other.  

Soriana-Hernandez also admitted that on September 16, 2017, he and other MS-13 members and associates planned and conspired to murder individuals in the rival group.  Specifically, Soriana-Hernandez admitted that on September 16, 2017, he and four co-conspirators drove to the area in Riverdale where two of the suspected gang rivals were located, and parked on a hill overlooking the area.  Soriana-Hernandez and two co-conspirators covered their faces and proceeded down the hill toward the location.  At the time, one victim was seated in a car and the other was near the car.  Soriana-Hernandez fired multiple shots at the car and at both victims, but did not strike either victim.  One co-conspirator fired a single shot at the victim who was sitting in the car, after which the firearm jammed.  Another co-conspirator then approached the vehicle and stabbed that victim multiple times. The victim later died.  According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the victim died from a single gunshot wound and 13 stab wounds.

Five of Soriana-Hernandez’s co-defendants remain charged in the eighth superseding indictment with various racketeering violations, including conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, drug trafficking conspiracy, and extortion conspiracy.  The trial of the remaining defendants is scheduled to begin on January 6, 2020.  Those defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur and Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski commended the FBI Washington Field Office’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force, HSI Baltimore, the DEA Washington Field Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Hyattsville 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.  The WFO’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force is composed of FBI Agents along with Detectives from the Capital Region engaged in identifying, disrupting and dismantling the most prolific gangs in the region to include MS-13. 

Mr. Hur and Mr. Benczkowski thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau and Catherine K. Dick and Trial Attorneys Francesca Liquori and Julie Finocchiaro of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Trevon Beasley, a/k/a Tre, age 25, of Baltimore, to life in federal prison and on March 28, 2019, sentenced Darrin Mosley, a/k/a Legs and Scoop, age 25, also of Baltimore, to 30 years in federal prison, each followed by five years of supervised release.  Beasley was convicted after a 12-day jury trial on federal racketeering charges, including murders he committed, related to his membership in the Old York Money Gang (OYMG); a federal drug distribution conspiracy; conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and a drug trafficking crime; and eight counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and/or heroin. 

Just prior to trial, Mosley pleaded guilty to the racketeering and drug conspiracies, and to conspiracy to use and carry a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and a drug trafficking crime.  While Mosley did not admit to any violent acts committed by himself or other gang members, the sentencing Court held that the evidence – including evidence presented by the government at Beasley’s trial, court documents, and other evidence – proved that as part of his gang activities, Mosley participated in and knew about murders committed by OYMG gang members. 

The sentences were 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.

“OYMG gang members and other violent drug dealers must know that gun crime will lead to federal time, which has no parole – ever,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “I hope the community will take some comfort from the fact that we are holding accountable the criminals who turned their Northeast Baltimore neighborhood into a war zone.”

“This gang used firearms to defend and expand their drug territory, committing numerous violent crimes in pursuit of that goal,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “Fear of being caught in the crossfire of a gang turf war is a terrible reality that affects too many in Baltimore. ATF is determined to identify, investigate, and incarcerate this city’s most vicious criminals so that neighborhoods can be free of violence.”

According to the evidence presented at Beasley’s trial, Mosley’s plea agreement, and other court documents, from January 2013 to April 2017, Beasley and Mosley were members of the OYMG, a violent drug trafficking organization operating in the Waverly neighborhood in the northeastern district of Baltimore.  OYMG was 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.  OYMG sustained itself in part through drug sales, including crack cocaine, as well as through murder for hire and other violent crimes.      

The evidence elicited at trial showed that Trevon Beasley occupied a leadership role in the gang, which obtained its revenue from murder for hire and drug distribution.  Mosley admitted that he distributed marijuana, crack cocaine and heroin and was heard on recorded jail calls discussing the distribution and supply of crack cocaine, prescription pills, and marijuana.  Witnesses at trial testified that OYMG accepted money for contract killings as part of its business, and that Beasley specifically accepted and executed the contract murder of Tyrone Servance on November 15, 2016.  Further, witnesses testified that Mosley drove Beasley to and from the murder.  Recorded jail calls between Beasley and Mosley discuss the fallout from that contract killing.  Witnesses testified that after the homicide, associates of the victim engaged in a war with OYMG over the next weeks.  This culminated in two additional attempted murder of two other people on December 1, 2016, within weeks of the Servance murder.  Beasley and Mosley believed that one of the December 1 victims had been hired to avenge the death of Mr. Servance.  The other December 1 victim was simply an innocent person who happened to be in the first victim’s company.  Those murders were planned and carried out by Beasley and Mosely.  In Mosley’s own words, on his own social media, Beasley was Mosley’s own “shooter,” and Mosley was proud to pronounce Beasley as such.  Other OYMG members regularly carried firearms to defend the gang’s territory and violently expelled OYMG rivals or antagonists.

Nine other defendants charged in the case previously pleaded guilty to racketeering and/or drug conspiracy charges and eight have been sentenced. 

The final defendant to be sentenced, Terrell Plummer, a/k/a Rell, age 30, of Baltimore, is scheduled for sentencing on May 10, 2019.  At his guilty plea on November 2, 2018, Plummer admitted that he shot and killed three-year-old McKenzie Elliott during a shoot-out, as she stood on the front porch of her home. 

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 U.S. 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 commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Metcalf and Michael C. Hanlon, who are prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced former Baltimore Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa, age 54, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 10 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for three counts of failing to file individual federal tax returns.  Judge Blake also ordered DeSousa to perform 100 hours of community service, and ordered him to pay restitution in the full amount of the government’s loss, which is $67,587.72.  Counting payments already made, the amount still owed is $60,645.11.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.

“As a law enforcement officer, Darryl DeSousa knew that he had a duty to file tax returns.  His failure to file was a crime – not an oversight,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Corrupt public employees rip off the taxpayers and undermine everyone’s faith in government.”

“This investigation confirms the principle that no one is above the law,” said Acting FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jennifer L. Moore. “The FBI will continue to work tirelessly to make sure those in a position of power uphold the law and are held to the highest standards.”

“IRS-CI works hard to ensure faith in our tax laws,” said Kelly Jackson, IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge.  “The prosecution of those who willfully violate their known duty of filing and paying their fair share is a vital element of the IRS’ enforcement strategy.”

According to his plea agreement, De Sousa was employed by the Baltimore Police Department beginning in 1998.  De Sousa announced his resignation from BPD on May 15, 2018.  On June 10, 1999, De Sousa submitted an Employee’s Withholding Exemption Certificate (W-4) to the City of Baltimore falsely claiming nine allowances for both federal and state tax purposes.  By virtue of this claim, De Sousa substantially reduced the amount of taxes withheld from his salary each year.  When he filed his federal and state income taxes for calendar years 2008 through 2012, he falsely claimed deductions to which he was not entitled, including for unreimbursed employee expenses when he had no such expenses, mortgage interest deductions and deductions for local property taxes when he did not have a mortgage or own any real property, and business losses when he did not operate any businesses.  By virtue of these improper deductions, De Sousa fraudulently reduced the amount of taxes he owed to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the State of Maryland.   

De Sousa admitted that for calendar years 2011 and 2012, he did not file tax returns at all and did not do so until 2014.  When he did file returns for those years he falsely claimed unreimbursed employee expenses and donations to charity.  De Sousa also failed to pay penalties and interest on those late-filed returns despite having been told to do so by the IRS.  In addition, as of May 5, 2018, De Sousa had not filed taxes for 2013, 2014, or 2015, despite knowing that he had a legal obligation to do so.  By virtue of the nine allowances he falsely claimed, De Sousa also owed additional money to the United States and the State of Maryland in each of those years, as he also knew.

As a result of De Sousa’s actions, the total combined tax due to the United States and to the State of Maryland is $67,587.72.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and IRS-CI for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Wise, Derek E. Hines, and Sean R. Delaney, who prosecuted the case.

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