District of Maryland

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Jeffrey Rodriguez, aka Jefry Francisco Portillo Corvera, or “Hyper,” 22, a citizen of El Salvador illegally residing in Hyattsville, Maryland, today to 90 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for his participation in the racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13.

The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Hoernke of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Field Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Field Office, Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department, Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department, Interim Chief Amal Awad of the Hyattsville Police Department, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks, and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

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

As detailed in his plea agreement, Rodriguez admitted that from about August 2016, he was a member and associate of the Sailors clique of MS-13.  Rodriguez admitted that on August 9, 2016, he and other MS-13 members and associates planned and conspired to rob two individuals of a pound of marijuana, the sale of which would be used to benefit the Sailors clique.

Specifically, Rodriguez admitted that on August 9, 2016, Rodriguez and an MS-13 co-conspirator entered a vehicle occupied by the two victims under the guise that they were going to purchase a pound of marijuana from the victims.  Rodriguez and his co-conspirator were armed with a firearm and a knife.  Upon attempting to rob the victims, and displaying the firearm, Rodriguez and his co-conspirator became engaged in a violent struggle with the victims, who sustained serious injuries, including gunshot and stab wounds.  Rodriguez and his co-conspirator also sustained gunshot wounds.  After being shot, Rodriguez and his co-conspirator ran from the victims’ vehicle, got into another vehicle in which another MS-13 member was waiting and drove to a local hospital, where Rodriguez was admitted for treatment.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur and Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski praised HSI Baltimore, FBI Washington Field Office, 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 for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur and Mr. Benczkowski thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau, Catherine K. Dick, and Daniel C. Gardner, and Trial Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting this case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Jeffrey Rodriguez, a/k/a Jefry Francisco Portillo Corvera, or “Hyper,” age 22, a citizen of El Salvador residing in Hyattsville, Maryland, today to 90 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for his participation in the racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13.  Rodriguez is expected to be deported following completion of his federal prison sentence.

The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Hoernke of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Field Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Field Office, Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department, Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department, Interim Chief Amal Awad of the City of Hyattsville Police Department, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks, and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

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

As detailed in his plea agreement, Rodriguez admitted that from about August 2016, he was a member and associate of the Sailors clique of MS-13.  Rodriguez admitted that on August 9, 2016, he and other MS-13 members and associates planned and conspired to rob two individuals of a pound of marijuana, the sale of which would be used to benefit the Sailors clique.

Specifically, Rodriguez admitted that on August 9, 2016, Rodriguez and an MS-13 co-conspirator entered a vehicle occupied by the two victims under the guise that they were going to purchase a pound of marijuana from the victims.  Rodriguez and his co-conspirator were armed with a firearm and a knife.  Upon attempting to rob the victims, and displaying the firearm, Rodriguez and his co-conspirator became engaged in a violent struggle with the victims, who sustained serious injuries, including gunshot and stab wounds.  Rodriguez and his co-conspirator also sustained gunshot wounds.  After being shot, Rodriguez and his co-conspirator ran from the victims’ vehicle, got into another vehicle in which another MS-13 member was waiting and drove to a local hospital, where Rodriguez was admitted for treatment.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur and Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski praised HSI Baltimore, FBI Washington Field Office, DEA Washington Field Office, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the City of  Hyattsville Police Department, the Prince George’s State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur and Mr. Benczkowski thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau, Catherine K. Dick, and Daniel C. Gardner, and Trial Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting this case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Asher Sharvit, age 29, formerly of New York, New York, and Oren Sharvit, age 28, formerly of Dover, Delaware, pleaded guilty yesterday to recruiting and hiring aliens for their Maryland business for purposes of profit.  U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Asher Sharvit to 36 months and Oren Sharvit to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the offense.

Rona Zhfani, who was indicted with them, has pleaded not guilty.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Edwin Guard of U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Washington Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Robin Blake of Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Washington, D.C. Regional Office.

According to the defendants’ plea agreements, Asher Sharvit, Oren Sharvit, and Rona Zhfani operated multiple businesses in Maryland and elsewhere, including Unlimited Treasures. Inc. Unlimited 13 Corp., Deja Vu Cosmetics, and BH Distribution Group LLC (collectively ''Unlimited'').  Deja Vu sold wholesale cosmetics with an emphasis on products originating from the Dead Sea region of Israel. Unlimited purchased product for resale from Deja Vu. The Defendants' Companies often used the trade names Deja Vu and BioXage when opening stores and selling products.

They knowingly agreed to recruit, hire, employ, house, and transport aliens who did not have lawful authority to work in the United States.

The defendants understood that the United States required foreign citizens desiring to work in the United States to obtain specific authorization and provide truthful information in support of their requests.  Nevertheless, they intentionally hired aliens lacking lawful authority and assisted some of them in obtaining visitor visas and visitor visa extensions.

Pursuant to their plea agreements, the defendants admitted that the conspiracy lasted from approximately 2008 to 2017, and was motivated by commercial gain, i.e. maximizing the revenue and profit of Unlimited.  The co-conspirators recruited aliens overseas to travel to the United States on visitor visas to work, caused the employees to work in the United States without lawful authority, and encouraged and assisted some of the aliens in making materially false statements in visa applications, visa extensions and other documents required by the immigration laws.  The co-conspirators paid the aliens on a commission basis, with no deductions for taxes, social security and other required employee deductions. 

The defendants admitted that the conspiracy involved the unlawful employment of more than 100 aliens who lacked the authority to work in the United States and involved the transportation or harboring of a minor.  Asher Sharvit further admitted that he obstructed justice in February 2017 by participating in the destruction of Unlimited documents.  In an effort to destroy evidence of the conspiracy, Asher Sharvit sent messages with another Unlimited employee and co-conspirator, resulting in the destruction of more than 25 boxes of materials at a commercial shredding location. 

The court has set a trial date for Rona Zhfani in March 2019.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DSS, HSI, and DOL-OIG for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry Gruber, and Michael Cunningham, who are prosecuting the federal case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Byung Il Bang, a/k/a Peter Bang, age 59, of Germantown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and making false statements on his tax returns, in connection with a scheme in which he embezzled more than $6.7 million from the Montgomery County government and failed to report the money as income on his tax returns.

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

According to his plea agreement, from 2010 through July 2016, Bang was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Department of Economic Development for Montgomery County, Maryland (MC-DED).  In 2016, the MC-DED was privatized and Bang’s position was moved to the Montgomery County Department of Finance, where he was employed until May 2017. 

The MC-DED established business incubator and/or innovation centers throughout the County with different areas of focus, such as computer technology, biological technology, and small minority - and women-owned businesses, to help small businesses by giving them below-market rent, placing them in an environment with other small businesses, and providing education on how to run a business.  As MC-DED COO, Bang oversaw budgets for these incubators and was authorized to request disbursement of County funds to the incubators.  Bang’s position also enabled him to authorize and direct the disbursement of money from County partners, including the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO), and the Maryland Conference & Visitors Bureau, without any significant oversight or approval.

In 2010, Montgomery County and the Chungcheongbuk-Do province of South Korea entered into an agreement to develop an incubator fund.  On July 20, 2010, Bang caused a company called Chungbuk Incubator Fund LLC to be incorporated in the State of Maryland and opened four bank accounts in the name of the company, listing his home address as the address of the LLC.  Bang used this entity and the bank accounts to facilitate his fraud.

Bang admitted that between 2010 and 2016, he fraudulently authorized the disbursement of $6,705,669.37 from the Montgomery County government to the bank accounts of the fraudulent entities that Bang created and controlled.  Specifically, between 2010 and 2016, Bang caused the Montgomery County Department of Finance to issue checks and direct deposits totaling $5,447,964; caused MEDCO to send a total of $1,213,987.63 to bank accounts controlled by Bang; and caused the Maryland Conference & Visitors Bureau to send a total of $43,717.74 to the Chungbuk LLC accounts.  Bang did not report the money he embezzled as income on his individual tax returns.  His failure to report those funds as income resulted in $2,335,913 in taxes due and owing to the IRS.

Bang also admitted that he lied on his County financial disclosure statements for the years 2012 through 2016, by failing to disclose his interest in the Chungbuk entities, including: property holdings; his relationship with an income source; and the type and amount of income he received. 

As part of his plea agreement, Bang is required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, and to plead guilty in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, to the state charges of theft scheme over $100,000, and misconduct in office.

Bang faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud, and three years in prison for making false statements on his tax returns.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for February 22, 2019 at 1:00 p.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the IRS-CI and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Sullivan and Erin B. Pulice who are prosecuting the case.

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Greenbelt, Maryland – Jonathan Mark Oldale, age 55, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to federal charges of production and possession of child pornography, arising from Oldale secretly filming children using hidden cameras in the bathrooms of his home.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson 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.

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 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 a cell phone, three “spy cameras,” six MicroSD cards (small memory cards used in cameras and phones to store information), and six USB drives.  All of the removable media, except one MicroSD card, contained videos created using surreptitious “spy” camera that had been placed by Oldale in bathrooms in his residence.

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 84 children who appear in the videos taken in the bathroom, approximately 60 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 subfolder 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.

As part of his plea agreement, Oldale must register as a sex offender in the place 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 has agreed to the entry of a $400,000 money judgment in lieu of forfeiture of Oldale’s interest in his residence, which Oldale used to facilitate his crimes.

Oldale and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Oldale will be sentenced to between 15 and 25 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for April 1, 2019 at 10 a.m. 

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, 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.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Tony Washington, age 33, of Baltimore, today to 14 years in prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, for combining, conspiring, confederating, and agreeing to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.   

In July 2018, Washington was convicted on the sole charge of possession with intent to distribute heroin after a two-week trial.

Between July 2015 and April 2016, the defendant, and co-defendants, Jamal Carter, DeAndre Smith, Dymir Rhodes, and others managed a drug trafficking operation in and around an apartment complex in Baltimore known as “Pedestal Gardens.” Washington acted as a distributor for the organization and routinely distributed “packs” of heroin to customers. Typically, each “pack” contained approximately 50 gel capsules of the drug, or approximately 5 grams. Washington was one of thirteen defendants indicted in the case. Twelve of the defendants, including DeAndre Smith, pled guilty prior to trial.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.

During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers obtained authorization to intercept communications over Carter’s cellular telephone, in which Washington communicated with other members of the conspiracy to coordinate the distribution of drugs.   

In addition to distributing heroin, Washington and other members of the conspiracy stored and possessed firearms.  Pedestal Gardens is located in close proximity to Mashburn Elementary School.  During surveillance of the drug shop, law enforcement officers observed school children walking to school past Pedestal Gardens where Washington and other members of the conspiracy distributed heroin.

During a pre-trial motion’s hearing, Washington testified under oath concerning his waiver of his Miranda rights.  In sentencing Washington, the Court concluded that Washington testified falsely and considered those false statements in determining Washington’s sentence.

Co-Defendants:

Deandre Smith, age 28, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy. Sentenced to 25 years in federal prison;

Garrion McCellan, age 30, pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy and using a firearm to murder two individuals in furtherance of the conspiracy. Sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.

Jamal Carter, age 24, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy. Sentenced to 11 years in federal prison;

Dymir Rhodes, age 32, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy.  Sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, 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 and Christopher J. Romano who are prosecuted this case.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Arthur Raymond Prince, age 19, of Laurel Maryland, pleaded guilty today 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. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Annapolis Police Chief Scott Baker; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Gary Gardner of the Howard County Police Department; and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams.

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

Specifically, Prince 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.  Prince also attempted to rob the Pace Wellness Pharmacy in Pasadena on August 25, 2017, but was not able to steal narcotics when the clerk didn’t know where the drug were located.  Instead, Prince and his co-conspirator 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, and his fingerprints were found on a stolen vehicle used as a getaway car after the Pasadena robberies.  In addition, law enforcement recovered photos and images of Prince handling weapons; photos of Prince, who is unemployed, holding large amounts of money; and text messages between Prince and his co-conspirator. 

Prince was arrested after the robbery on November 29, 2017, in Odenton, Maryland, not far from where law enforcement located the stolen narcotics.  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.”

Prince 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.  Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for April 9, 2018 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.  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 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.

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Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Brandon Bazemore, a/k/a Man Man, age 25, of Baltimore, today to 25 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to participate in a violent racketeering enterprise known as Trained To Go (TTG), including committing three murders, an attempted murder, and drug trafficking, and for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, marijuana, and cocaine. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle 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.

“Brandon Bazemore was a member of one of the most violent gangs operating in Baltimore City,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Today’s sentence removes an armed, violent criminal from our neighborhoods and brings him to justice in the federal system, which has no parole—ever.”

According to his plea agreement, since 2010, Bazemore has been a member of Trained To Go (TTG), a criminal organization which operated in the Sandtown neighborhood of West Baltimore.  TTG members engaged in drug distribution and acts of violence including murder, armed robbery, and witness intimidation.  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, Bazemore admitted that he routinely sold “packs” of heroin at the direction of TTG leaders.  Typically, a “pack” contained between 25 and 50 capsules of heroin, or approximately 2.5 to 5 grams of heroin.  Bazemore also admitted that he participated in a murder on behalf of TTG or at the direction of TTG’s leadership.  In July 2015, a member of another gang solicited members of TTG to murder LR, a member of the Black Guerilla Family gang, in exchange for $10,000.  On July 7, 2015, Bazemore and other TTG members retrieved gloves, masks, and firearms and traveled by van to the 900 block of West Fayette Street where LR was located.  Bazemore and the TTG members exited the van and fired dozens of rounds at LR, then returned to the van and fled.  When police arrived, they discovered LR and two other victims, JP and GT, all suffering from gunshot wounds.  LR was pronounced dead at the scene.  JP and GT were transported to Shock Trauma, where they were also pronounced dead.  Officers recovered 23 9mm casings, 29 .40-caliber casings, and one .45-caliber casing from the crime scene.  A fourth victim was also shot, but survived.

Eight of Bazemore’s TTG co-defendants, including Montana Barronette, were recently convicted after a 24-day trial. All face a maximum sentence of life in prison for racketeering and drug conspiracies.  Co-defendants Hisaun Chatman, age 31, and James Woodfolk, age 20, both of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy and were each sentenced to five years in prison, to be served concurrent to the state sentence each is currently serving. 

Co-defendant Roger Taylor, of Baltimore, is still a fugitive, and the charges against him are pending.  Anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Roger Taylor is asked to contact the FBI-Baltimore Field office at (410) 265-8080.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force, which includes FBI special agents and task force officers from the Baltimore, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County Police Departments.  FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force is responsible for identifying and targeting the most violent gangs in the Baltimore metropolitan area, to address gang violence and the associated homicides in Baltimore.  The vision of the program is to use federal racketeering statutes to disrupt and dismantle significant violent criminal threats and criminal enterprises affecting the safety and well-being of our citizens and our communities.      

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  PSN was reinvigorated 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 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 and Christopher J. Romano, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Hanley of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced former correctional officer Jessica Vennie, age 28, of Crowley, Texas, today to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after she was convicted at trial for racketeering at the Eastern Correctional Institution (ECI) in Westover, Maryland, as well as her role in drug and money laundering conspiracies.  The scheme involved paying bribes to correctional officers to smuggle contraband, including narcotics, tobacco, and cell phones, into the prison. 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Secretary Stephen T. Moyer of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).

“Corrupt correctional officers rip off the taxpayers, endanger their colleagues and inmates, and undermine citizens’ faith in the justice system,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “The sentence imposed today confirms that, working with our state and federal partners, we will root out corruption and bring those responsible to justice.”

According to the information presented at the nine-day trial, Vennie was a correctional officer at ECI, the largest state prison in Maryland, operating since 1987, in Somerset County, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  ECI is a medium-security prison for men built as two identical compounds (East and West) on 620 acres, and housing more than 3,300 inmates.  Vennie was assigned to the East Compound.

The evidence at trial showed that from about 2015, until October 5, 2016, Vennie and other correctional officers (COs) smuggled contraband into ECI, including narcotics, cell phones, pornographic DVDs, and tobacco.  Vennie used her sister and others to help her execute the scheme, including packaging contraband for smuggling in feminine hygiene products, and maintaining a Pay Pal account to receive bribe payments.  Vennie used a cellular phone to communicate with inmates about what they wanted to have smuggled in and to arrange meetings with the inmates’ facilitators to receive contraband and payment for smuggling it into ECI.  Law enforcement intercepted text messages between Vennie and inmates and facilitators where Vennie stated what contraband she would smuggle in, how the contraband should be packaged, the amount of the bribe she demanded in return, and when she would meet with facilitators.  The “going rate” for a CO to smuggle contraband into ECI was $500 per package, although some COs charged more and others less.  Inmates were able to use contraband cell phones to pay COs directly using PayPal from within ECI. 

The evidence showed that Vennie smuggled narcotics into ECI, including Suboxone and synthetic cannabinoids (otherwise known as “K2”), which was distributed by inmates.  Once Vennie and the other COs had the smuggled contraband inside the facility, they delivered it to: inmates in their cells; clerks’ offices, which were private offices within each housing unit where an inmate clerk worked; the officers’ dining room where officers could interact with inmate servers and kitchen workers; and pre-arranged “stash” locations like staff bathrooms, storage closets, laundry rooms, and other places where contraband could be hidden and then later retrieved by inmates.   An inmate testified at trial that Vennie would leave packages of contraband for him in the bathroom of the Officer’s Dining Room, or ODR. 

According to trial testimony, another inmate told Vennie that a package she brought in “wasn’t right,” meaning that it did not contain the quantity or quality of contraband that they had agreed upon.  The witnesses testified that Vennie told the inmate that he had to “deal with it on his end.”  Ultimately, the inmate who had picked up the package from the ODR bathroom was violently assaulted, at the direction of the inmate for whom Vennie had smuggled in the contraband. 

As a result of this prosecution, 77 of the 80 defendants were convicted, including 16 of the 18 correctional officers charged.  All the defendants who have been sentenced to date have been ordered to serve a term of imprisonment, ranging from a year and a day in prison to 72 months in prison.

The United States Attorney expressed appreciation to Secretary Moyer, whose staff initiated the ECI investigation and who has made the full resources of the DPSCS available to assist in the three-year investigation. 

United States Attorney Hur commended the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Wise, Robert R. Harding, and Daniel C. Gardner, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced El Salvadoran national Kevin Fernandez-Serrano, age 23, of Langley Park, Maryland, to 68 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for leading a conspiracy to rob taxi cab drivers.  At his sentencing hearing on November 8, 2018, Fernandez-Serrano admitted that he is a member of the MS-13 gang.

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); Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, Fernandez-Serrano and his co-conspirators planned to, and did rob, drivers for taxi dispatch services operating in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.  Fernandez-Serrano directed the co-conspirators to commit the robberies; he provided weapons, including knives and a gun, for use during the robberies; he acted as the getaway driver after the robberies; and he collected and distributed proceeds from the robberies, including using the proceeds to benefit MS-13.

Specifically, on February 10, 2017, Fernandez-Serrano drove three co-conspirators to a donut shop in Wheaton, Maryland, for the purpose of robbing a taxi cab driver.  Fernandez-Serrano provided the co-conspirators with knives to use during the robbery. One of the co-conspirators called a company to request a taxi.  The taxi arrived a short time later and the three co-conspirators got into the vehicle and directed the driver to a dead-end street near a park, where they robbed the driver, pressing the knives to the victim’s stomach and neck.  The conspirators stole $350 in cash, the victim’s cellular phone, gold chain, watch, and credit card.  The conspirators fled through the park, then entered the getaway car driven by Fernandez-Serrano.  Fernandez-Serrano collected the cash and stolen items, kept some for himself, and distributed items, including the victim’s phone and watch, to his co-conspirators. Fernandez-Serrano and the co-conspirators used the victim’s credit card to make a purchase at a convenience store in Silver Spring, Maryland.

On February 17, 2017, Fernandez-Serrano drove two co-conspirators in a stolen vehicle to a dead-end street in Hyattsville, where he called a different company to request a cab.  When the cab driver arrived, Fernandez-Serrano pulled his car into the road, blocking the taxi driver from leaving, and the co-conspirators approached and entered the taxi.  One held a gun to the victim’s head and the other held a knife to the victim’s ribs, demanding that the victim give them everything he had.  The co-conspirators stole $75 in cash, the victim’s cellular phone, and other personal items.  The co-conspirators demanded the passcode for the phone and threatened to shoot the victim if the driver lied about the passcode.   The co-conspirators got out of the car, threw the car keys to the side of the road, entered the stolen vehicle being driven by Fernandez-Serrano, and they all drove away.

Fernandez-Serrano was later arrested.  He fled when officers attempted to apprehend him, dropping two cellular phones, including the one he used to call the taxi company on February 17th. 

Co-defendants Frank Anthony Diaz-Navarro, age 22, and Carlos Alfredo Garay-Ramirez, age 19, both of Silver Spring, Maryland, and Jose Ernesto Saravia-Cubias, age 24, of Greenbelt, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the robbery conspiracy.  Diaz-Navarro was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison.  Saravia-Cubias and Garay-Ramirez are scheduled to be sentencing on November 15 and November 16, 2018, respectively.  The defendants are all El Salvadoran nationals and are expected to be deported after serving their federal sentences.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  PSN was reinvigorated 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 HSI, and the Montgomery and Prince George’s County Police Departments for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, Jr., who is prosecuting the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – Kevin Alexis Hernandez-Guevara, aka “Stop,” age 22, a citizen of El Salvador illegally residing in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge relating to his participation in a racketeering enterprise in furtherance of the activities of the gang known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Hoernke of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Field Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore Field Office; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Interim Chief Amal Awad of the Hyattsville Police Department; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks; and Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

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

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

For example, according to the plea agreement, on or about July 29, 2016, Hernandez-Guevara and three other members and associates of MS-13 planned and conspired to murder Victim 2, who was believed to be a member of a rival gang.  On July 29, 2016, pursuant to that plan, Hernandez-Guevara and other MS-13 members and associates lured Victim 2 to a secluded area in Hyattsville, Prince George’s County, Maryland.  One of the MS-13 members and associates shot at Victim 2, and missed.  Hernandez-Guevara collected the fired shell casings from the gunshots fired by Hernandez-Guevara’s co-conspirator.  Multiple MS-13 members and associates then assaulted and stabbed Victim 2 with the intention of killing him.  Victim 2 died as a result of injuries sustained during this attack, which included 61 sharp force injuries.

Also, according to the plea agreement, on or about Aug. 9, 2016, in Hyattsville, Hernandez-Guevara and other MS-13 members and associates planned and attempted to rob Victim 3 and Victim 4 of a pound of marijuana that Victim 3 and Victim 4 were going to sell to Hernandez-Guevara and his co-conspirators.  During the attempt, Victim 3 and Victim 4 resisted.  In the course of the struggle, Victim 3 and Victim 4 were shot, stabbed, and sustained serious, permanent, and life-threatening bodily injuries.  Hernandez-Guevara and another co-conspirator were also shot. 

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

Hernandez-Guevara faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for Hernandez-Guevara on February 15, 2019.

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

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – Glenn Ranger, age 56, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to two counts of production of child pornography in connection with his sexual abuse of a young boy.  

The guilty plea 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); Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Chief David A. Spencer of the Easton Police Department; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams.

According to his guilty plea, from no later than 2004, Ranger knowingly persuaded, enticed, and coerced a prepubescent male to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce videos and images of that conduct.  Specifically, Ranger sexually abused John Doe, an approximately 10-year-old boy, in order to record the abuse.  The boy was unaware that Ranger was recording the abuse.

In July 2014, Ranger leased a storage unit in Pasadena, Maryland, but failed to pay the rent for the unit.  The contents of the unit were purchased at auction by a resident of Easton, Maryland, in March 2018.  After observing the nature of the contents, the individual turned them over to law enforcement.  The contents of Ranger’s storage unit included computers and other digital devices, VHS tapes, framed photographs, and binders containing printed and organized images of child pornography erotica.  The framed photographs included five images of child pornography, including images of John Doe produced by Ranger.  The digital devices were forensically examined and were found to contain over 200 images of child pornography and more than 10,000 child exploitive/age difficult images.  Two of the VHS tapes contained videos of Ranger sexually abusing John Doe on three separate occasions, and also show Ranger taking sexually explicit photographs of John Doe.  The digital camera used to take the photographs and the storage card were also located among the items from Ranger’s storage unit.  The files indicate the photos were produced on April 1, 2005, when John Doe was 10 years old.

Ranger was arrested on April 4, 2018.  Ranger’s mobile phone was forensically examined after his arrest and revealed that Ranger had visited the social media profile of John Doe, and had made over 46,000 searches using terms such as “nude teen boys,” “nude teenager girl,” “nude teenager boy,” “pure nudist,” and “familys nude.”

Ranger faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison, followed by up to lifetime of supervised release, for each of the two counts of production of child pornography.  The government is recommending a 50 year sentence.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for January 24, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.  Ranger remains detained.

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI-Baltimore, the Maryland State Police, the Easton Police Department, the Baltimore 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. Attorney Paul E. Budlow, who is prosecuting the federal case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Nevone McCrimmon, age 47, of Edgewood, Maryland; William Elijah, age 51; and Terrance Mobley, age 50, both of Baltimore, Maryland, on the federal charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.  The indictment was returned on October 24, 2018, and unsealed on October 30, 2018.  McCrimmon was arrested today and is scheduled to have his initial appearance at 3:45 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Baltimore City Sheriff John Anderson; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.

“Fentanyl is one of the most lethal threats facing Maryland right now.  As little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be a lethal dose, and the 20 kilograms of fentanyl seized in this case to date is enough to kill 10 million people—more than one and a half times the population of Maryland,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “We are working with our partners to attack the sources of supply, as well as the street dealers who are committing the most violence in our neighborhoods.”

According to the indictment and other court documents, the defendants are allegedly high-ranking members of a Baltimore-based drug trafficking organization that imports and distributes heroin, fentanyl, and other drugs in the Baltimore metropolitan area.  The defendants allegedly obtained drugs from a Miami-based drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa and Tijuana Mexican drug cartels.  The Department of Justice has declared the Sinaloa drug cartel as one of its top five priority transnational organized crime targets.  The cartel uses drug trafficking and other criminal activities to obtain power, influence, and money, while protecting its activities through a pattern of violence and corruption.  To combat this threat, the Department of Justice has formed a Transnational Organized Crime Task Force to coordinate and optimize the Department’s efforts to dismantle this group and other priority targets..

Beginning in the Fall of 2017, the defendants regularly met with a courier from Miami to deliver large sums of cash.  In exchange for the money, the Miami-based drug trafficking organization would arrange for kilogram-quantities of narcotics to be delivered to the defendants.  According to court documents, the narcotics would be delivered by the cartel to a contact in Ventura County, California, and then shipped to Maryland for delivery to the defendants.

To date, law enforcement has seized 20 kilograms of fentanyl and over $500,000 in U.S. currency. 

If convicted, the defendants each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.  Defendants Elijah and Mobley previously had their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Baltimore and are detained pending trial. 

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

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore County Police Department; and HSI-Baltimore for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys John W. Sippel, Jr. and Lauren E. Perry, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – Maryland Treatment Centers has agreed to pay the United States $500,000 to settle allegations under the False Claims Act that it submitted false claims to the United States for mental health and substance abuse services that were undocumented or not provided.  Maryland Treatment Centers, including its affiliate Mountain Manor Treatment Centers, offers mental health and substance abuse services to children and adults in outpatient and inpatient locations in Maryland, including Baltimore and Rockville.        

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

Maryland Treatment Centers presents claims to and is paid by health insurance plans, including Medicaid.  According to the settlement agreement, from January 1, 2009 through October 31, 2013, Maryland Treatment Centers knowingly failed to comply with the Code of Maryland Regulations (“COMAR”).  Specifically, Maryland Treatment Centers submitted claims for substance abuse and/or mental health services for which Maryland Treatment Centers failed to document in any way the services allegedly provided; failed to document properly the services allegedly provided to recipients by writing daily progress notes and placing them in the recipients’ charts; failed to document that recipients attended, participated and/or received the services allegedly rendered; and documented procedures on patient progress notes that were inconsistent with procedures for which Maryland Treatment Centers claimed Medicaid reimbursement, and which Medicaid paid. 

The claim resolved by this settlement is an allegation.  The settlement is not an admission of liability by Maryland Treatment Centers, nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded. 

Also as part of the settlement, Maryland Treatment Centers has agreed to enter into an expansive, three-year Integrity Agreement with the HHS Office of Inspector General that provides for procedures and reviews to be put in place to avoid and promptly detect conduct similar to that which gave rise to the settlement. 

The civil settlement resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and obtain a portion of the government's recovery.  The civil lawsuit was filed in the District of Maryland and is captioned United States ex rel. Blackwell v. Maryland Treatment Centers, et al., ELH-13-3550.  As part of today’s resolution, Ms. Blackwell will receive $75,000 from the settlement.

The civil settlement was reached by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the Office of the Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for the State of Maryland.  The Integrity Agreement was negotiated by the Office of the Counsel to the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.      

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the HHS Office of Inspector General and the Maryland Attorney General’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur also thanked Assistant United States Attorney Roann Nichols, who handled this case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal jury today convicted James Ronnell Davis, a/k/a Twin, Slim and Slick, age 41, of Springfield, Virginia, for a cocaine distribution conspiracy, two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Scott Hoernke of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Field Office; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and St. Mary’s County Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron.

According to the evidence presented at Davis’s ten-day trial, from 2009 through at least 2017, Davis conspired with Adrian Carlos Washington, a/k/a AD; Jamila Kibibi Hargrove, a/k/a Ms. Bossy; Lonnell Staton, a/k/a Papi Chulo, and others to distribute hundreds of kilograms of cocaine.  Specifically, the evidence showed that Davis ran the drug conspiracy from his solely owned business, Shades, Suds and Sounds LLC (SS&S), initially located in Temple Hills, Maryland, which relocated to Capitol Heights, Maryland.  SS&S provided services including car detailing, window tinting services, and audio/alarm installations, among other things, as well as purchasing vehicles from auto auctions for resale.

The evidence showed that during the course of the conspiracy, Davis used SS&S as a front to distribute cocaine, receiving deliveries of kilograms of cocaine at the business from his source of supply, and providing that cocaine to customers at SS&S and elsewhere.  Davis and his co-defendants used disposable, prepaid cellular telephones, commonly referred to as “burner phones,” and frequently switched phones in an effort to thwart law enforcement.  During the investigation, law enforcement intercepted and monitored telephone calls and text messages to and from phones used by Davis and his co-conspirators. 

Search warrants executed at Davis’s business and residence and those of his co-conspirators resulted in the seizure of numerous cellular telephones, over $200,000 in cash, and 40 kilograms of cocaine, as well as packaging material, digital scales, and other drug paraphernalia.

Co-defendants Adrian Carlos Washington, a/k/a AD, age 43, of Oxon Hill, Maryland; Jamila Kibibi Hargrove, a/k/a Ms. Bossy, age 42, of Washington, D.C.; and Lonnell Staton, a/k/a Papi Chulo, age 38, of Washington, D.C., previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy.  Washington is scheduled to be sentenced on November 29, 2018, at 3:00 p.m.; and Hargrove and Staton are scheduled to be sentenced on January 7, 2019, at 10:00 a.m.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  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 FBI, the DEA, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicolas A. Mitchell and Catherine K. Dick, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – Ricky Evans, a/k/a Dorsey, and Shawn Thomas, a/k/a Bucky, both age 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty on November 5, 2018, to the federal charge of participating in a racketeering conspiracy, as leaders in the Black Guerilla Family (BGF) gang.

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; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.

According to their plea agreements, from prior to 2010 through February 22, 2018, Evans and Thomas were employed by and associated with the BGF gang. BGF is a nationwide gang operating in prisons and in cities throughout the United States, including in Baltimore. BGF is involved in criminal activity including murder, robbery, extortion, drug trafficking, obstruction of justice, and witness intimidation.

BGF organizes its members into “regimes” or “bubbles” corresponding to particular regions or neighborhoods in Baltimore City and other Maryland communities. Each bubble reports to a bush member or bushman, who controls larger swaths of territory on behalf of BGF. Bush members are elder statesman of BGF and maintain inter-bubble discipline and settle disputes among the various bubbles operating in the territory the bush member controls.

Evans and Thomas admitted that they were high-ranking members of BGF, controlling regimes in East Baltimore and the 2700 block of Greenmount Avenue, respectively. During the course of the conspiracy, Evans and Thomas obtained narcotics, including crack cocaine, which they distributed through BGF-controlled open-air drug shops in their territories.

As detailed in Evans’ plea agreement, Evans operated a murder-for-hire scheme during the time of the conspiracy, accepting payments to have violence committed against individuals, then taking other BGF members to commit those acts. In 2010, Evans authorized BGF members to kidnap, extort and/or rob Marcal Walton. During the kidnapping, BGF members shot and killed Walton as he tried to flee from his kidnappers. In that same year, Evans authorized the murder of Darel Alston, a BGF member, for his alleged cooperation with law enforcement regarding the botched kidnapping of Marcal Walton. Evans further admitted that during the period of the conspiracy, he was an employee of Safe Streets, a Baltimore-based anti-violence initiative. Evans worked at the Safe Streets office in the 2300 block of Monument Street in East Baltimore, and used that Safe Streets office to hold BGF meetings, to store and distribute drugs, and to store, and allow to be stored firearms used in other crimes. Evans admitted that he also possessed firearms for his protection and the protection of the enterprise, including a stolen and loaded .223-caliber Bushmaster model which he possessed on March 16, 2016.

As detailed in Thomas’ plea agreement, Thomas collected gang dues for BGF. On December 9, 2016, Thomas ordered another BGF member to murder Keith Ramsey, a Bloods gang member, as part of an ongoing dispute between the two gangs.

Evans and Thomas each face a maximum of life in prison for the racketeering conspiracy. Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for February 5, 2019 at 10 a.m. for Evans and February 22, 2019 for Thomas.

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, FBI, 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 James T. Wallner and Clinton J. Fuchs, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

Baltimore, Maryland – United States Attorney Robert K. Hur announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Leo J. Wise has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for Maryland in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for tomorrow’s November 6, 2018, general elections.  AUSA Wise is responsible for overseeing the federal response to any complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with state authorities, the FBI, and Justice Department Headquarters.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud.  The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”

“As part of the Justice Department’s nationwide election day program, every U.S. Attorney appoints an election officer to review specific allegations of election fraud and voting rights violations, consult with state and federal authorities where appropriate, and pursue any evidence that warrants prosecution,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate.  It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”       

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur.  The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day.

Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them.  For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law.  Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.

The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy.  We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.  In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 6, 2016, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Hur stated that AUSA/DEO Wise will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.  He can be reached by the public at 410-209-4800.

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day.  The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 410-265-8080.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by e-mail to voting.section@usdoj.gov or by complaint form at https://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.

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Baltimore, Maryland – Terrell Plummer, a/k/a Rell, age 29, and Tyrone Jamison, a/k/a Ty, age 25, both of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to a federal racketeering conspiracy related to their membership in the Old York Money Gang (OYMG), a violent gang that sustained itself largely through the distribution and sale of controlled substances, including crack cocaine, as well as through murder and other violent crimes.  The gang operated throughout the Waverly neighborhood of Baltimore.  On August 1, 2014, three-year-old McKenzie Elliott was shot to death as she stood on her front porch, when she was struck by an errant bullet during an OYMG dispute.  Today, Plummer admitted that he killed McKenzie Elliott, and Jamison admitted that he supplied the gun used in the shooting.           

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; and Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department.

“Disputes between gang rivals lead to many shootings and murders in Baltimore City, including innocent bystanders who are caught in the crossfire—like little McKenzie Elliott,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “I am grateful for the tireless efforts of the investigators and prosecutors to bring McKenzie Elliott’s killer to justice.  While this guilty plea will not bring a beautiful little girl back to those who loved her, I hope her community will take some comfort from the fact that we will hold accountable the criminals who turned their neighborhood into a war zone.”

“The pursuit of justice for McKenzie Elliott has taken time, but today the person responsible for taking her life admitted to his crime. We can only hope that this brings some peace and answers to the family and community who loved McKenzie so much,” said ATF 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 and children can safely stand on the front porches of their homes.”

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

According to court documents, beginning in October 2016, the ATF and the Baltimore City Police Department conducted undercover purchases of crack cocaine and heroin from OYMG members, who generally sold controlled substances at or around drug shops controlled and managed by the OYMG—and in coordination with co-conspirators.  According to their plea agreements and other court documents, Jamison, Plummer and other OYMG members sold heroin, powder and crack cocaine, and marijuana in their territory in Waverly and elsewhere.  OYMG members regularly carried firearms to defend the gang’s territory and violently expelled OYMG rivals or antagonists.  Jamison admitted that he possessed firearms in furtherance of the enterprise, and supplied, maintained, and stored firearms used by OYMG in furtherance of violent crimes.  Jamison also admitted that from April 26, 2017 to May 8, 2017, he tampered with evidence by conspiring with a co-conspirator to remove, conceal, and destroy firearms stored in a vehicle.  This was corroborated by recorded prison calls in which Jamison instructed a co-conspirator to obtain the key to the vehicle to retrieve unspecified items therein.   

As detailed in their plea agreements and court documents, in the summer of 2014, Plummer and other OYMG members became embroiled in a dispute with men from another neighborhood.  On July 30, 2014, these men entered OYMG territory to support a female friend engaged in a fight with the sister of an OYMG member.  Plummer and other OYMG members assaulted the men, one of whom was stabbed during the fracas (Victim #1).  Two days later, the men returned to the area, driven by a female in a white 1999 Mercedes SUV, to confront Plummer and OYMG members in retaliation for the assault on July 30.  OYMG members noticed the vehicle from the earlier fight and alerted one another to the presence of the vehicle.  As the vehicle circled the block for the third time, Plummer fired multiple shots at the SUV, striking one of the men (Victim #1) in the forehead.  Some of the errant bullets fired by Plummer missed their intended target and struck two additional victims.  Victim #5 was grazed in the chin and wrist.  One bullet struck three-year-old McKenzie Elliott in the head, resulting in her death.  Plummer admitted that he was responsible for McKenzie Elliott’s death, although he did not intend to kill her.  Jamison admitted that he supplied the gun used that Plummer used to shoot in the confrontation and in the killing of three-year-old McKenzie Elliott. 

Plummer and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Plummer will be sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.  Jamison and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Jamison will be sentenced to 150 months in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for Plummer on February 1, 2019, at 12:30 p.m. and for Jamison on February 9, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Two other defendants charged in the case are scheduled to go to trial on November 5, 2018.

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 and 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.  

# # #

 “We are facing significant challenges here in Baltimore with drug dealing and violence in our streets, but as we saw this week, with the convictions of eight members of the Barronette drug crew who were responsible for nine murders, and the guilty pleas of the corrupt police officer who worked with GTTF, and the gang member who killed three-year-old McKenzie Elliott, we can make progress.  Working together as a community, with our law enforcement partners and with the many courageous law-abiding citizens of Baltimore, we must continue our efforts to stop those who bring violence and drugs to our communities.”

BACKGROUND

The Maryland U.S. Attorney’s office and our law enforcement partners have obtained positive results this week in our efforts to reduce violent crime in Baltimore through the convictions and guilty pleas of 10 violent gang members and one corrupt police officer. 

On November 2, 2018, we brought to justice the killer of three-year-old McKenzie Elliott, who was shot to death as she stood on her front porch, when she was struck by an errant bullet during a gang dispute.  Terrell Plummer admitted that he killed McKenzie Elliott, and Tyrone Jamison admitted that he supplied the gun used in the shooting.  Both men were members of the Old York Money Gang, a violent gang that operated in the Waverly neighborhood and sustained itself largely through the distribution and sale of drugs, as well as through murder and other violent crimes.  

On November 1, 2018, former Philadelphia Police officer Eric Snell, pleaded guilty to a drug distribution conspiracy, after three days of trial.  Snell admitted to selling drugs seized by members of the disgraced Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF).

On October 31, 2018, after 24 days of trial, a federal jury convicted eight members of Trained To Go (TTG), a violent criminal organization which 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.  Their leader, Montana Barronette, was found personally responsible for seven murders, and in all, the jury found the defendants responsible for a total of nine murders in Baltimore.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland –Former Philadelphia Police officer Eric Troy Snell, age 34, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.  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.  Snell pleaded guilty on the fourth day of his trial, which began on October 29, 2018.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson 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.”

“Law enforcement officers are given incredible power to enforce the law and ensure justice. Thwarting abuse of this authority is necessary to protect the rights of our citizens and uphold confidence in law enforcement. Anyone who takes advantage of their position for personal gain or in persistence of criminal misconduct must and will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. 

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.

Snell faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  United States District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for January 30, 2019, at 2:15 p.m.

Jemell Lamar Rayam, age 38, of Owings Mills, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy including multiple robberies, and overtime fraud, and is awaiting sentencing.

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.

# # #

WASHINGTON – Two Maryland law enforcement teams were among 280 Department of Justice employees and others recognized by Attorney General Jeff Sessions for their distinguished public service at the 66th Annual Attorney General’s Awards Ceremony held on October 24, 2018.  This annual ceremony recognizes employees and other individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievements, leadership, and service to the Department of Justice and the American people. 

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department commended the members of their own offices, and all the other award recipients for their dedication and hard work that have made our communities safer.

“Service in the Department of Justice is more than a normal job; it is a calling to the highest standards of professionalism,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “That is true for all of the 115,000 Department of Justice employees.  But it is especially true for these award winners. And so I want to thank them and their families for their exemplary service to this Department and to the American people. They have made this Department proud.”

The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service was presented to the team from the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI Baltimore Field Office, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their investigation and prosecution of corrupt police officers who were members of the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force, who planted evidence, robbed citizens, protected drug dealers, sold drugs, and falsified police department records. 

The William French Smith Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cooperative Law Enforcement was presented to a team from the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) for the collaboration of the Prince George’s Gun Intelligence Unit working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to form a task force that trained PGPD officers on firearms tracing and the use of National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) intelligence, and implemented a screening process for conducting follow-up investigations on every firearm recovered in Prince George’s County, in an effort to reduce violent crime.

This year’s program honors individuals across the Department and our federal, state, local, and tribal partners for their selfless efforts, protecting our national security and our civil rights, addressing rising violent crime in our communities, and pusuing gangs and those trafficking in dangerous narcotics and human beings.  The awards also honor the work of civil and environmental litigation, which enforces the rule of law and upholds our Constitution.  They also recognize employees whose ideas and efforts save taxpayer dollars and help our government operate more effectively and efficiently, among other contributions to public safety and good governance. 

The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service was presented to the following recipients for Dedicated Service to Investigate Corrupt Behavior Within the Baltimore Police Department:

            FBI Supervisory Special Agent Gregg C. Domroe;             FBI Supervisory Special Agent Matthew T. Walsh;             FBI Special Agent Kevin J. Bodmer;             FBI Special Agent Heather H. Grow;             FBI Special Agent Juan Carlos Guerra;             FBI Special Agent Erika Jensen;             FBI Intelligence Analyst Laura L. Schreiber;             FBI Staff Operations Specialist Amanda Kae Sackett;             Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo J. Wise;             Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek E. Hines;             Corporal David A. McDougall, Jr. of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office;             Sergeant John V. Sieracki III of the Baltimore Police Department;             Detective Matthew T. Smith of the Baltimore Police Department;             Detective Jared E. Stern of the Baltimore Police Department; and
            Detective Scott D. Kilpatrick of the Baltimore County Police Department.

The William French Smith Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cooperative Law Enforcement was presented to the following members of the Prince George’s County Police Department, who are also ATF Task Force Officers:

            Sergeant Shane M. Goudreau;             Sergeant Jakob E. Wolford;             Detective Ché L. Atkinson;             Detective Chase M. Carter;             Detective Ryan J. Cox;             Detective Nicole M. McGowen;             Detective Christopher V. Schultz;             Detective Andre MJ Thompson;             Detective Wayne R. Tracey; and
            Detective Gregory M. Travis.

 

Baltimore, Maryland –A federal jury today convicted eight Baltimore men for conspiring to participate in a violent racketeering enterprise known as Trained To Go (TTG), including nine murders, drug trafficking, and witness intimidation, as well as on conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, marijuana, and cocaine.  Several of the defendants were also convicted of related drug and firearms charges.   

The defendants convicted today are:  

Montana Barronette, a/k/a Tana, and Tanner, age 23; Terrell Sivells, a/k/a Rell, age 27; John Harrison, a/k/a Binkie, age 28; Taurus Tillman, a/k/a Tash, age 29; Linton Broughton, a/k/a Marty, age 25; Dennis Pulley, a/k/a Denmo, age 31; Brandon Wilson, a/k/a Ali, age 24; and
Timothy Floyd, a/k/a Tim Rod, age 28.

The convictions were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle 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.

“Federal, state and local law enforcement joined together to target the leaders and key members of one of the most violent gangs operating in Baltimore City,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Today’s convictions prove our continuing commitment to removing armed, violent criminals from our neighborhoods and bringing them to justice in the federal system, which has no parole—ever.”

“For six years, Trained To Go terrorized the Sandtown neighborhood, committing murders, robberies, and other violence as they sold their poison on the streets of Baltimore,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski.  “Today’s convictions ensure that Montana Barronette and the other seven defendants in this vicious gang now will be held accountable for their horrible crimes.” 

“This investigation represents the epitome of law enforcement agencies working together to target and dismantle violent street gangs that threaten the safety and stability of our neighborhoods,” said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson.  “The citizens of Baltimore City and Maryland have the FBI’s commitment that we will work with our local, state and federal partners to attack these dealers and remove violent criminals from their neighborhoods.”

According to the evidence presented at their 24-day trial, the defendants are all members of Trained To Go (TTG), a criminal organization which 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.  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.  As part of the conspiracy, each defendant agreed that a conspirator would commit at least two acts of racketeering activity for TTG.

Specifically, the evidence proved that between May 20, 2010 and May 25, 2016, the defendants and other members of TTG committed acts of violence, including nine murders, shootings, armed robbery, and witness intimidation.  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.

The defendants all face a maximum sentence of life in prison on the racketeering and drug conspiracies.  Pulley and Wilson each also face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for being felons in possession of a firearm; and a mandatory minimum of five years, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, and up to life in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Tillman and Sivells also face up to 20 years in prison for distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has not yet scheduled sentencing.  The defendants remain detained.

Three other TTG members, all of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty.  Brandon Bazemore, a/k/a Man Man, age 25, pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy, including three murders and an attempted murder, as well as to the drug conspiracy.  Bazemore and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea, Bazemore will be sentenced to 25 years in federal prison at his sentencing on November 13, 2018.  Co-defendants Hisaun Chatman, age 31, and James Woodfolk, age 20, pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy and were each sentenced to five years in prison, to be served concurrent to the state sentence each is currently serving. 

Co-defendant Roger Taylor, of Baltimore, is still a fugitive, and the charges against him are pending.  Anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Roger Taylor is asked to contact the FBI-Baltimore Field office at (410) 265-8080.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force, which includes FBI special agents and task force officers from the Baltimore, Baltimore County, and Anne Arundel County Police Departments.  FBI Baltimore Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force is responsible for identifying and targeting the most violent gangs in the Baltimore metropolitan area, to address gang violence and the associated homicides in Baltimore.  The vision of the program is to use federal racketeering statutes to disrupt and dismantle significant violent criminal threats and criminal enterprises affecting the safety and well-being of our citizens and our communities.      

This case 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 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 also recognized U.S. Marshal Johnny Hughes and the U.S. Marshal’s Office for their exemplary work during the trial.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel C. Gardner and Christopher J. Romano, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Hanley of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging Jason Kiser, age 40, of Taneytown, Maryland, with illegal possession of firearms, witness retaliation, use of fire in the commission of a felony, and malicious destruction of a vehicle by fire.  The superseding indictment was returned late on October 24, 2018.

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; Carroll County Sheriff James T. DeWees; and Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci.

            “Witness intimidation will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Attempts to intimidate or retaliate against federal witnesses will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

            The four-count superseding indictment adds three counts related to Kiser’s alleged witness retaliation against an individual who provided information to law enforcement concerning the possible commission of a federal crime.  The indictment alleges that on July 17, 2018, Kiser set the victim’s vehicle on fire, destroying the vehicle.  The original indictment charged Kiser with illegal possession of firearms by a convicted felon and that charge is also included in the superseding indictment.

If convicted, Kiser faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms; a maximum of 20 years in prison for witness retaliation; a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, consecutive to any other sentenced imposed and up to life in prison for use of fire in the commission of a felony; and a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for malicious destruction of a vehicle by fire.  Kiser is expected to have an initial appearance on the superseding indictment on November 2, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.  Kiser remains detained

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

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, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark V. Gurzo, who is prosecuting the case.

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Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Jacob Bowling, a/k/a “Jakey,” age 32, of Baltimore, Maryland today to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for racketeering and drug conspiracies related to his participation in the gang activities of the Murdaland Mafia Piru (MMP), a subset of the Bloods gang. 

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; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle 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.

“Federal, state, and local law enforcement worked together to identify and dismantle this criminal organization that dealt drugs and despair in Northwest Baltimore and Baltimore County,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “We are committed to removing armed, violent criminals from our neighborhoods and bringing them to justice in the federal system, which has no parole—ever.”

“Investigating, arresting, and incarcerating criminals who use guns and violence to intimidate communities and commit violent crime is ATF’s focus here in Baltimore, a mission that our state and local law enforcement partners feel equally as strongly about,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada. “Anyone carrying guns on the streets of Baltimore to expand and defend drug territory should look to Jacob Bowling’s sentence as a lesson.”

According to Bowling’s plea agreement and court documents, 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 “the Don,” at the top and various “Bosses,” “Underbosses,” “Capos,” “Lieutenants,” and “Mobsters” underneath.  For many years, MMP has controlled the drug trade in large swaths of Northwest Baltimore City and neighboring Baltimore County, including Forest Park, Windsor Mill, Gwynn Oak, Howard Park, Woodlawn, and Walbrook Junction.  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 by using violence and threats of violence to intimidate or retaliate against witnesses, protect the gang’s territories, enforce debts, and eliminate rivals.

Bowling was a member of MMP and participated in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activities, including drug distribution.

Specifically, on May 9, 2016, Bowling and other MMP members attended the funeral of a murdered MMP member and draped a red banner emblazoned with the letters “MMP” over his casket.  Between June and August 2016, Bowling distributed a total of 106 grams of crack cocaine to confidential informants who were wearing audio-visual recording devices.  In August 2016, law enforcement obtained a wiretap for Bowling’s cell phone and overheard him discussing drug and gang business with other MMP members.  During another call, an individual told Bowling that he had found Bowling’s gun in the couch and removed it to a cabinet.  Bowling told the person to be careful because the firearm was loaded “with one in the nose.”  In another call, Bowling received a call from a MMP member who was in prison, telling him that another incarcerated MMP member wanted an individual to “get sanctioned” because he had not put money on the incarcerated MMP member’s account, as promised.  Bowling replied, “Alright, say no more.  I’m gonna take care of that.”

On September 27, 2016, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Bowling’s residence and recovered a 9mm caliber magazine, small ziplock baggies, a digital scale and razor blade, and photographs of Bowling with other MMP members.

Finally, Bowling conspired with other MMP members to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin and 280 grams of crack cocaine.

In addition to Bowling, eighteen of twenty-six defendants have pleaded guilty in the case.  Trial for the remaining defendants is scheduled for March 18, 2019.

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 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 the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging 11 Baltimore men in a heroin trafficking conspiracy that operated in the Gilmor Homes area of Baltimore.  Several of the defendants are also charged with conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and related gun and drug counts.  The superseding indictment was returned on October 16, 2018, and was unsealed late yesterday.

The defendants charged in the superseding indictment unsealed today are:

Rodney Blue, age 28; Tyrek Butler, age 26; Duane Day, age 26; Dakwan Gray, age 20; Juan Hill, age 25; Diamonte Jackson, age 25; Davon Johnson, age 30; Allen Jones, a/k/a Wax, age 23; William Stewart, a/k/a Pimp, age 31; Anthony Washington, age 28; and
Andrew Webb, a/k/a Geetchi, age 32.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; Baltimore City Sheriff John W. Anderson; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

“Heroin dealers sell death and despair. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and disrupt drug trafficking organizations, especially those who use guns,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Before picking up a gun, drug dealers should understand that there are no suspended sentences or parole in the federal system, and that they will serve their federal sentences in prisons far from home.  Federal time is different.  Please put down the gun.”

According to the superseding indictment and other court documents, the indictment is a result of the investigation of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that allegedly distributes large amounts of heroin in and around the Gilmor Homes public housing development in Baltimore.  Court documents allege that the group generally operates drug “shops” that sell drugs from 7:00 a.m. to as late as 2:00 a.m., in the areas of Stricker, School, and Presstmen Streets.  Members of the DTO are alleged to have participated in street-level drug sales, supervised drug sales, and collected drug proceeds, and to have used firearms in the course of their drug trafficking.

Each of the defendants faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute heroin.  Butler, Day, Jones, and Webb also face a maximum of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Day and Butler each face a maximum of life in prison for possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a previously convicted felon.  Blue, Hill, Gray, Washington, Jackson, Johnson, and Webb also face a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.  

The defendants are expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.  Blue, Gray, and Stewart had initial appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson and were ordered to be detained pending trial.

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

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 DEA, HSI-Baltimore, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew DellaBetta and Christopher Rigali, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – On October 22, 2018, Gary Gaines-Hidalgo, age 26, of Baja California, Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. 

The guilty plea 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; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.

According to Gaines’s plea agreement, HSI and the Baltimore County Police Department were investigating a drug trafficking organization in Baltimore County. Gaines was identified as a member of the organization, along with Tony Lee Bauer and four others.  In December 2017, Gaines arranged to purchase kilograms of cocaine for $26,500/kilogram from a confidential source (CS), who was working with law enforcement.  Thereafter, Gaines arranged to resell the cocaine to several associates for $28,000/kilogram.  Gaines arranged to have 10 kilograms of cocaine delivered to him in Baltimore.

As detailed in his plea, on January 26, 2018, Gaines and a co-conspirator entered the United States from Mexico, then traveled to Baltimore.  Gaines and his co-conspirator agreed to sell three kilograms of cocaine to their associates, with additional sales of kilograms of cocaine to follow the initial purchase.  Gaines agreed to meet the CS in the parking lot of a Baltimore hotel, and told the associates to whom he was selling three kilograms of cocaine to also meet him there. 

Three cars arrived at the agreed-upon location, one driven by the CS and two other vehicles being operated by Gaines’ associates.  Gaines was in the rear passenger seat of a car being driven by Bauer.  The CS opened the trunk of his car, which contained two kilogram-shaped packages, one of powder cocaine and one kilogram of “sham,” or fake narcotics.  Gaines placed his hand in the bag containing the packages and members of HSI and the MSP Tactical Team approached.  The vehicles being driven by Gaines’ associates attempted to drive away, but were stopped.  In the first car, which is the car Gaines had been riding in, a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol was recovered from the center console and a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol was recovered from the rear passenger-side floor of the vehicle.  On the rear seat was a vinyl bank bag containing bank-banded cash and a white bag also containing cash.  A search of Bauer also recovered banded up amounts of cash.  In all, law enforcement recovered $129,583 in cash from the defendants, their vehicles, and their residences.

As part of his plea agreement, Gaines must forfeit the two loaded firearms, the cash recovered after the arrests of Gaines and his co-defendants, and four vehicles, including a Range Rover, a Mercedes Benz, a Cadillac Escalade, and a Cadillac CTS.

Gaines faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for January 2, 2019 at 12:00 p.m.

Tony Lee Bauer, age 36, of Baltimore, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Judge Russell has scheduled sentencing on January 2, 2019, at 11:00 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.  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 HSI Baltimore, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Romano and Derek E. Hines, who are prosecuting the case.

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Tyrone Jason Murphy, age 27, of Washington, D.C., to 11 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on federal charges of robbery, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.  The federal charges arose from a series of 10 armed robberies of 7-Eleven convenience stores.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; and Interim Chief Amal Awad of the Hyattsville Police Department.

According Murphy’s plea agreement, from May 17, 2017 through June 16, 2017, Murphy conspired with Kione Anthony Banks, Leighton Cordell Williams, Banks’ brother, Khiry Delonte Banks, and others, to commit 10 armed robberies of 7-Eleven convenience stores.  The defendants wore clothing to partially conceal their faces.  Murphy drove the robbers to the store in each robbery. During seven of the robberies, Murphy brandished a firearm and ordered the store employees to open their cash registers at gunpoint.  In the three other robberies, one or more of Murphy’s co-defendants brandished a firearm.

Specifically, Murphy admitted committing the following armed robberies:

• Robberies in Gaithersburg and Derwood, Maryland, on May 17, 2017, with Kione Banks and Williams;
• A robbery in Hyattsville, Maryland, on June 11, 2017, with a co-conspirator;
• A robbery in Gambrills, Maryland, on June 13, with Khiry Banks and Williams; and
• Two robberies on June 14, 2017, first in Kettering, Maryland, with Khiry Banks and Williams, then in Rockville, Maryland with Khiry Banks.
• Also, on June 16, 2017, Murphy committed three additional robberies in Glen Burnie, Millersville, and Morningside, Maryland, with all three of his co-defendants.
   

In all of the June robberies, Murphy brandished a firearm.  After the robbery in Morningside, Murphy drove his co-defendants onto Suitland Parkway and Prince George’s County Police officers executed a traffic stop on the vehicle.  A subsequent search of the vehicle recovered two firearms, cash, and cigarettes stolen during the robberies.  Members of this group robbed a total of ten 7-Elevens throughout Maryland.

Khiry Banks, age 29, and Williams, age 32, both of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to the same federal charges of robbery, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence in relation to their participation in the 7-Eleven robberies. Each faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for robbery and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, and up to life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for using, carrying and brandishing a firearm.  Judge Chuang has scheduled sentencing for Khiry Banks on November 5, 2018.  No date has been set yet for Williams.  Kione Anthony Banks, age 21, also of Washington, D.C., also pleaded guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to nine years in federal prison on October 10, 2018. 

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 FBI Cross Border Task Force; the Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County Police Departments; and the City of Hyattsville Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, who is prosecuting the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Lamar Tiquon Greene, age 39, of Easton, Maryland, today to seven months in federal prison, followed by seven months of home detention as part of three years of supervised release, for interstate transportation of stolen chicken parts.  On October 16, 2018, Judge Bennett sentenced co-defendants Clifton A. Seeney, age 58, of Millsboro, Delaware, and Dondrey Tamount Copper, age 43, of Easton, for the same charge.  Seeney was sentenced to four months in federal prison followed by four months of home detention as part of three years of supervised release; and Copper was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison, followed by six months of home detention as part of three years of supervised release.  Judge Bennett also ordered that all three of the defendants must pay restitution totaling $248,721.

The sentences were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.  

According to their plea agreements, Seeney was a commercial truck driver who worked for a company that was contracted to transport pallets of frozen, processed chicken parts from a company in Maryland.  The company in Maryland owned and operated poultry processing facilities, hatcheries, and feed mills in various locations on the East Coast.  Greene and Copper worked at the company’s plant in Cordova, Maryland.

The chicken processing plant had a product inventory management system that used, among other things, bar code scanning to track the movement of its product inventory from the time chickens came into the facility with feathers on until they left as ready-to-cook chicken parts.  From April 2015 to December 9, 2015, Seeney, Greene, and Copper exploited the system by stealing pallets of frozen chicken parts and selling them in the New York City area. 

Specifically, as detailed in their plea agreements, Seeney would text Copper information concerning Seeney’s truck load assignment. Greene and Copper would scan the bar codes on pallets of cargo that were destined for wholesale customers back into the production inventory, then surreptitiously remove them without further scanning, and load the pallets onto a truck driven by Seeney that was already loaded with inventory destined for legitimate customers.  Copper would inform Seeney of the number and location of the stolen pallets on Seeney’s truckload.  Seeney would the deliver the stolen chicken parts to “black market” customers during the same trips he delivered pallets of chicken products to legitimate customers.

On December 9, 2015, another employee at the chicken processing plant alerted his supervisor that pallets of chicken parts had been loaded onto a trailer without properly being scanned out of inventory.  Seeney was the operator of the truck hauling this trailer.  The employee also spoke with Copper and Greene, who provided false accounts about the product on the trailer.  The owner of the trucking company attempted to reach Seeney to tell him to return to the plant, and another driver spoke with Seeney and advised him of the owner’s order to return.  Seeney ignored the order, denied anything was wrong with his load, and continued to New York City, where he delivered the product to the legitimate customers.  GPS tracking revealed that in addition, Seeney traveled to another location where he off-loaded stolen chicken products and received cash in return.  Seeney later posted photos to his social media account, taken while in the cab of the truck, flashing a wad of cash he received from the buyer of the stolen product.

Subsequent investigation revealed text messages between Copper and Seeney referencing the availability of stolen chicken products for delivery to black market customers.  The insurance carrier for the chicken processing company estimated the value of the stolen chicken products at approximately $248,000.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised the FBI and Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham, who prosecuted the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – Donte Smith, age 33, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to assault of a federal officer and brandishing a firearm in the course of 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).

In a separate case, U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Sean Lloyd, age 26, of Baltimore, to seven years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a loaded firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The guilty plea and sentence were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the ATF Baltimore Field Division; and Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle.

“These cases highlight the connection between drug trafficking and gun violence.  Both defendants’ gun crimes arose from drug trafficking—one to rob drug customers, and the other to protect his drug dealing.  Unfortunately, in Baltimore drug dealers bring violence into their communities every day.  With our law enforcement partners, we are targeting drug dealers to get drugs and guns off our streets,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “The undercover ATF agents, like all the law enforcement officers that work to identify and disrupt drug dealers, put their lives on the line every day.  We are grateful for their service and sacrifice.”

“We are thankful every day that our dedicated Special Agents were unharmed in this attempted robbery,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Cekada. “ATF focuses our efforts in Baltimore on drug trafficking crews that use firearms to maintain and expand their turf.  Special Agents risk their personal safety each time they infiltrate a criminal organization, yet they do this because they know the importance of their mission to protect the community from these violent criminals.”

DONTE SMITH PLEA       

According to Smith’s plea agreement, on May 26, 2017, during an ATF undercover operation, Smith and his co-defendant, Menard 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.

Smith and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreements, Smith will be sentenced to between seven and 15 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for March 29, 2018 at 11:00 a.m.  Menard Hazelwood, age 29, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to the same charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 29, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.

SEAN LLOYD SENTENCING

According to Lloyd’s plea agreement, on January 9, 2018, Lloyd was seen on Baltimore Police Department (BPD) surveillance cameras engaging in a hand-to-hand drug sale in the 2500 block of East Biddle Street in Baltimore.  Shortly thereafter, BPD officers stopped Lloyd inside a nearby liquor store.  Officers recovered a plastic bag containing three gel capsules of heroin; seven plastic containers of crack cocaine; and a loaded gun from Lloyd.  As detailed in his plea, Lloyd had the gun for protection while he was dealing drugs.

These cases are 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 both investigations and the Baltimore Police Department for its work in the Lloyd case.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia C. McLane, who is prosecuting the Smith case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew DellaBetta, who prosecuted the Lloyd case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Crystal Mebane McGinty, age 58, of Silver Spring, Maryland, with mail fraud, theft of government property, and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a scheme to obtain over $517,000 of her deceased mother’s social security and City of New York teachers’ retirement benefits.  The indictment was returned on July 31, 2018, and unsealed today.  McGinty previously had an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt and was released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.

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 (SSA) - Office of Inspector General, Philadelphia Field Division.

“Criminals who lie, cheat, and steal to obtain benefits to which they are not entitled defraud not only the Social Security Administration, but all law-abiding citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Federal prosecution of these cases serves to punish the lawbreakers and to deter others who may be tempted to do the same.”

According to the three-count indictment and other court documents, McGinty’s mother was a Maryland resident who began receiving monthly retirement benefits from the Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of New York (TRSCNY) in 1972, and began receiving Social Security Retirement Insurance Benefits (RIB) in 1989.  According to her death certificate, McGinty’s mother died of natural causes in 2005, and McGinty, a practicing physician, was listed as the informant on the death certificate.

The indictment alleges that from June 2005 through June 2018, McGinty did not notify TRSCNY or SSA that her mother had died.   In addition, the indictment alleges that McGinty deposited her mother’s TRSCNY checks, which were mailed to McGinty’s home, into a bank account that McGinty maintained in her name, her mother’s name, and the name of her mother’s deceased husband.  The checks bore her mother’s signature, which McGinty knew was forged.  McGinty’s mother’s SSA RIB payments were also deposited into that bank account.  Further, McGinty allegedly signed and submitted several proof-of-life forms to TRSCNY, including some in which she identified herself as her deceased mother’s physician, in order to continue to receive her mother’s retirement benefits.  McGinty also allegedly called TRSCNY posing as her deceased mother and providing her deceased mother’s identifying information, in an effort to get pension benefits reinstated.

According to the indictment, McGinty routinely withdrew her deceased mother’s TRSCNY and SSA retirement benefits from the bank shortly after they were deposited, by direct debit, cash withdrawals, debit card transactions, checks, and transfers to family members.  McGinty allegedly used the funds to pay utility bills, mortgage fees, credit cards, and other expenditures.  According to court documents, the expenditures also included fees associated with renewing McGinty’s Health Professional License, tuition at a private high school in Washington, D.C., international and domestic travel, and a cruise vacation.

If convicted, McGinty faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for mail fraud; a maximum of 10 years in prison for theft of government property; and a mandatory two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft. 

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 its work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Davio, who is prosecuting the case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – The final defendant in the federal indictments charging 14 Florida residents with a bank fraud conspiracy involving over $1 million in losses pleaded guilty today.  Kevin Williams, age 43, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pleaded guilty to federal charges of bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.  Williams was a member of the nationwide group of fraudsters known to law enforcement as the “Felony Lane Gang,” whose members traveled from Florida to Maryland and other states, broke into vehicles parked at recreation areas, sports fields, gyms, fitness centers, and other locations, and stole wallets, purses and other items left in the vehicles. Williams and his co-defendants used the victims’ stolen checks, credit cards and identifications to conduct fraudulent financial transactions. 

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Daniel Kurz of the United States Secret Service - Baltimore Field Office; Chief Darryl McSwain of the Maryland National Capital Park Police, Montgomery County Division; Chief Stanley Johnson of the Maryland National Capital Park Police, Prince George’s County Division; Chief Gary Gardner of the Howard County Police Department; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.

According to his guilty plea and other court documents, from September 2012 through July 2015, Williams is part of an organized group out of Florida who travel around the United States committing check fraud.  Traveling groups generally consisted of two to four managers and one to six “strikers” (sometimes called “faces”) or persons who passed the fraudulent and stolen checks. Williams and his co-conspirators recruited prostitutes, drug addicts and other vulnerable individuals as faces to travel with them to conduct financial transactions using the stolen checks, driver’s licenses and other materials, and paid them with drugs, food, and small amounts of cash amounting to a fraction of the total value of the checks they cashed.  They traveled in rental cars and stayed in hotels, sometimes paying for the rental cars and hotel rooms using victims’ identities and credit cards. 

The managers, including Williams, went to locations where individuals often leave their belongings in their car—such as gyms, parks, and athletic fields—and broke into vehicles and stole wallets and purses for the identifications, credit cards, and check books—collectively called “paper.”   Other items were usually discarded.  The “paper” was provided to the strikers, along with glasses and wigs to allow them to resemble the individuals pictured in the stolen forms of identification.  These co-conspirators, generally in teams of a driver and a passenger posing as the victim, traveled to banks to cash the checks stolen from victims.  The managers were either in another car parked nearby so they could watch the transaction and look out for police, or they were crouched down behind the front seat.

As detailed in his plea agreement, Williams managed a crew and often coordinated crews who were in the same area at the same time.  He both obtained the “paper” that was later distributed to strikers so that fraudulent checks could be cashed, and traded “paper” between crews as they came and went in a particular area.   Williams assisted co-conspirators in cashing checks using the names and identifying information of the victims at banks in Maryland, including in Columbia, Millersville, and Edgewater.

According to their indictments and other court documents, the conspirators traveled throughout Maryland and other states conducting these thefts and financial transactions in one location for several days or weeks until the banks or law enforcement began thwarting their activities.  Then they returned to Florida or moved on to another location, burying or hiding for future use the checks, credit cards, identification cards and other items they had stolen from vehicles, but had not yet used.  A few weeks or months later, after scrutiny of their activities had faded, the defendants would return to Maryland, retrieve the hidden items, and use them to continue their financial fraud scheme.

As part of his plea agreement, Williams will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss, which the government contends is no greater than $550,000.  The full amount of the loss will be determined at sentencing.

Williams faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for bank fraud conspiracy and a mandatory two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft.  U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for January15, 2019, at 10:00 a.m.

The following 13 defendants have all pleaded guilty in a related case and nine were sentenced to between time served and 54 months in federal prison:

Theodore L. Pittman, a/k/a Teddy, Tony, and Bear, age 32, of Lauderhill, Florida; Courtney B. Walker, a/k/a Wayne Leo Walker, age 28, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; James J. Blakey, a/k/a Jamal, age 29, of Ft. Lauderdale; Vincent Lee Sands, a/k/a Young SP, and Chad, age 26, of Lauderhill; Tara Kathleen Whyte, age 29, of Hollywood, Florida, and Gambrills, Maryland; Tracy Lee Whyte, a/k/a Nikki, age 34, also of Hollywood and Gambrills; Heather Brooke Roberts, age 45, of Perry, Ohio; Michael J. Walker, age 44, of Pompano Beach, Florida, and Perry, Ohio; Shannon Elise Isley, age 29, of Sunrise, Florida; Lauren Anne Bole, age 28, of Miramar, Florida; Felicia Kaye Waybright, a/k/a Felicia Kaye Phillips, age 25, of Daytona Beach, Florida; Ronald Jason Rhoda, a/k/a Jason Rhoda, age 43, of Hollywood, Florida; and
Amie Nicole Carter, age 32, of Casselberry, Florida.

Heather Roberts and Michael Walker are scheduled to be sentence on November 2, 2018 at 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., respectively.  Sentencing has not yet been scheduled for Pittman and Rhoda.          

The Maryland Identity Theft Working Group has been working since 2006 to foster cooperation among local, state, federal, and institutional fraud investigators and to promote effective prosecution of identity theft schemes by both state and federal prosecutors. This case, as well as other cases brought by members of the Working Group, demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement agencies to work with financial institutions and businesses to address identity fraud, identify those who compromise personal identity information, and protect citizens from identity theft.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the U.S. Secret Service, Maryland National Capital Park Police - Montgomery and Prince George’s County Divisions, and the Howard County, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County Police Departments for their work in the Maryland portion of this multi-state, multi-agency investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tamera L. Fine and Ayn B. Ducao, who are prosecuting the case.

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – After deliberating for fewer than five hours, a federal jury today convicted Dawn J. Bennett, age 56, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, on all 17 federal charges including conspiracy, securities fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and making false statements on a loan application.  Bennett remains detained pending sentencing.  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has not yet scheduled a date for sentencing.

The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

“Dawn Bennett’s greed knew no bounds as she knowingly defrauded elderly retirees of their life’s savings,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “This conviction—and the years in federal prison that she is facing—holds her accountable for her actions.”

According to the information presented at her nine-day trial, Bennett is the owner and operator of DJB Holdings, LLC, d/b/a DJBennett.com, an Internet retail website for luxury sportswear. 

According to the evidence presented at trial, between December 2014 and April 2017, Bennett solicited individuals to invest money in her Internet clothing business, offering an annual interest rate of 15% via convertible or promissory notes.  In order to entice individuals to invest, Bennett made false and misleading statements, including: the risks of investing in DJB Holdings; how investors’ funds would be used; and that the loans were liquid and guaranteed by DJB Holdings’ inventory and assets, and by Bennett herself.  Witnesses testified that Bennett concealed the true financial condition of her companies from investors.  Bennett convinced several investors to withdraw a significant portion of their retirement accounts to invest in, and loan money to, her companies.  The evidence showed that Bennett misappropriated investor funds, using them to fund a lavish lifestyle, pay her personal legal expenses, and repay previous investors with funds she received from new investors.  This is consistent with a Ponzi scheme--a fraudulent investment scheme where the operator of the scheme solicits investors by promising high rates of return with little risk.  The scheme operator then funds payments to the earlier investors through funds obtained through new investors. Typically, the operator of the scheme will use investment funds for purposes other than what was conveyed to the investors.

According to testimony at trial, over the course of the scheme, Bennett obtained more than $20 million from 46 investors, many of them elderly clients who knew of Bennett from a radio show she hosted.  Some of those funds were used to pay earlier investors and the rest was used for her personal benefit, including: a luxury suite at a football stadium; to pay a website operator to arrange for priests in India to perform religious ceremonies to ward off federal investigators; to purchase astrological gems; and for cosmetic medical procedures.

Evidence at trial showed that in May 2015, DJB Holdings, LLC also obtained a $750,000 line of credit, with Bennett as guarantor.  According to witness testimony, in support of this line of credit, Bennett made false statements to the bank, including that she had a brokerage account with a net portfolio value of over $4 million. In reality, Bennett’s net portfolio value for that same account was only $35.  The loan proceeds were to be used solely for business operations, but Bennett used the funds to pay off investors and to pay her personal expenses.  In February 2016, the lender declared the loan in default.  Bennett told the lender that she was unaware of the default because she had been in China for the preceding eight months.  According to trial evidence, there was not any international travel for Bennett during the time in which she claimed to be in China, and her personal American Express card showed numerous transactions during that time in the Chevy Chase, Maryland and Washington, D.C. area.

On August 25, 2017, the SEC filed a related action against Dawn J. Bennett and DJB Holdings, LLC d/b/a/ DJBennett and DJBennett.com alleging violations of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. 

Bennett faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy and for each of nine counts of wire fraud; a maximum of five years in prison for securities fraud conspiracy; a maximum of 20 years in prison for each of four counts of securities fraud; and a maximum of 30 years in prison each for bank fraud and for false statements on a loan application.

On June 18, 2018, Bennett’s co-defendant, Bradley Mascho, age 52, of Frederick, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and to making a false statement.  Mascho faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.  As part of his plea agreement, Mascho is required to pay restitution in the full amount of the victim’s losses, which is at least $5,720,457, minus amounts repaid with money not derived from his criminal conduct, but in no event less than $3,650,238.  No date has been set for Mascho’s sentencing.

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

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – Chanel Holland, age 36, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to obstructing an official proceeding arising from Holland providing 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 guilty plea 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; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams; and Maryland State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt.

“Law enforcement officers fight every day to keep our streets safe from drug dealers and other criminals who endanger our communities.  Chanel Holland betrayed the trust of those officers and the citizens of Maryland,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “In doing so, she not only broke the law, but also put lives at risk.  This prosecution 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, a conversation between Traymont Wiley and another individual was intercepted 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 female named “Chanel.”  During the conversations, 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. 

Holland faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for March 26, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.

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 is prosecuting the case.

Baltimore, Maryland – Menard Hazelwood, age 29, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to assault of a federal officer and brandishing a firearm in the course of 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 guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the ATF Baltimore Field Division.

“This case demonstrates how drug trafficking can lead to violence.  The defendants thought they were robbing drug customers.  Unfortunately, this occurs all too often in Baltimore.  These 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,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “We are grateful for their service and sacrifice.”

“ATF focuses our efforts in Baltimore on drug trafficking crews that use firearms to maintain and expand their turf.  ATF agents risk their personal safety each time they infiltrate a criminal organization, yet they do this because they know the importance of their mission to protect the community from these violent criminals,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Cekada. “We are grateful every day that our dedicated Special Agents were unharmed and have been able to fully resume their duties as law enforcement officers.”

According to his plea agreement, on May 26, 2017, during an ATF undercover operation, Hazelwood and a co-defendant attempted to rob two ATF undercover Special Agents (UCs).  A confidential informant (CI) made arrangements to purchase $2,000 worth of heroin.  The UCs had driven the CI to pick up the heroin dealer, with one UC driving and the other UC in the front passenger seat.  They picked up the dealer and drove to a location in West Baltimore to meet with the dealer’s supplier.  When they arrived at the location, the dealer got out of the car and told the CI and the UCs to wait.  Hazelwood and his co-defendant immediately walked up to the vehicle.  The co-defendant asked the UCs for a light.  Hazelwood took advantage of the distraction and pointed a gun at the UC in the passenger seat, while the co-defendant pointed a silver revolver at the other UC.  Hazelwood and his co-defendant demanded money.  The UCs told Hazelwood and his co-defendant, 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 saw Hazelwood and his co-defendant pointing handguns at the UCs in the vehicle, and ordered them to put their hands up.  Hazelwood’s co-defendant fled, and the responding ATF Special Agents fired their service weapons, striking the co-defendant.  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 Hazelwood’s co-defendant during the robbery, but did not recover the gun used by Hazelwood.  Hazelwood admitted that he participated in the robbery, but that he did not know that the undercover Special Agents were federal agents at the time of the robbery.

Hazelwood, and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Hazelwood will be sentenced to between seven and 15 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for March 29, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. 

Hazelwood’s co-defendant, Donte Smith, age 33, of Baltimore, is scheduled for a rearraignment on Friday, October 19, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  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 is prosecuting the case.

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Karon Elijah Peoples, age 24, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a heroin distribution conspiracy.  Peoples admitted that during his participation in the conspiracy, he was responsible for distributing, or facilitating the distribution of, between nine and 10 kilograms of heroin.  In addition, Peoples admitted that nine fatal overdose victims and 18 overdose survivors had contacted Peoples’ phones prior to their overdose—either by phone call or text message—in order to arrange for the purchase of heroin.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler and the other members of the Harford County Narcotics Task Force--Harford County State’s Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly, Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police, Chief Henry Trabert of the Aberdeen Police Department, Chief Charles Moore of the Bel Air Police Department, and Chief Teresa Walter of the Havre de Grace Police Department; and Director Tom Carr of the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

“Heroin dealers like Karon Peoples sell death and despair.  Heroin is one of the leading causes of death in Maryland—and many victims are teenagers,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “We will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to attack this problem from all sides to reduce overdose deaths.  Federal defendants, like Karon Peoples, face stiff federal sentences, and there is no parole in the federal system.”

According to Peoples’ plea agreement, during the fall of 2017, law enforcement began conducting an investigation of Peoples after learning that he was supplying significant quantities of heroin to customers throughout Maryland who traveled to Baltimore City to obtain the heroin.  As part of the investigation, law enforcement conducted controlled purchases and undercover purchases of heroin from Peoples.

On December 7, 2017, search warrants were executed at Peoples’ residence, at a stash location on West Lexington Street in Baltimore, and on his vehicle.  Law enforcement recovered 900 grams of heroin; $405,156 in cash stored in a blue checkered Louis Vuitton bag; a Rolex watch; a money counter; and digital scales and other drug paraphernalia from the stash location.  Law enforcement also recovered 68 grams of heroin from the vehicle.

On December 7, 2017, and on January 9, 2018, when Peoples was arrested as the result of a federal arrest warrant, law enforcement seized a total of 49 cellular phones from Peoples and the search locations.  A court-authorized search of the phones revealed hundreds of text messages between Peoples, his co-conspirator, and his customers arranging for the acquisition, purchase, and sale of heroin.  The text messages also established that Peoples was part of the conspiracy from no later than May 2015 until his arrest in January 2018.

The Harford County Narcotics Task Force and DEA coordinated with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies through the assistance of the HIDTA Investigative Support Center to collect information about customers of Peoples who were heroin overdose victims.  After running searches for the 49 cellular telephones possessed by Peoples, law enforcement found links between cases involving a total of 27 overdose victims—nine who died as a result of the overdose and 18 who survived.  The victims, who resided in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, had contacted Peoples’ drug phones prior to their overdoses in order to arrange for the purchase of heroin.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA, the Harford County Narcotics Task Force, comprised of members of the Harford County Sheriff's Office, Maryland State Police, Aberdeen Police Department, Bel Air Police Department, Havre de Grace Police Department and the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek E. Hines, who prosecuted the case.

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced John Michael Fowler, age 28, of Randallstown, Maryland, today to 40 years in federal prison for four counts of  sexually abusing a minor in order to produce visual images of the abuse, and one count of possession of child pornography, followed by 30 years of supervised release.   Judge Bennett also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Fowler must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.

“John Fowler is a sexual predator who committed horrific acts against innocent children,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “This sentence demonstrates our commitment to protect our children and to hold accountable those who endanger them.  As there is no parole for federal sentences, we have removed the threat of Mr. Fowler from our community.”

According to his indictment and other court documents, Fowler sexually abused two young girls and took videos and photos documenting the abuse.  Specifically, in 2013 and 2014 Fowler sexually abused a girl who was six years old when the abuse began.  Fowler photographed the abuse and those sexually explicit images were found during a search of his Randallstown home on February 16, 2017.  Fowler admitted that he also abused an eight-year-old girl, whom Fowler thought was sleeping, using his mobile phone to produce sexually explicit images of the girl.

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 Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for their work in the investigation and prosecution.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Budlow, who is prosecuting the case.

Baltimore, Maryland – Five admitted members and confederates of the Old York Money Gang (OYMG), a gang that sustained itself in part through the distribution and sale of controlled substances, including crack cocaine, as well as through murder and other violent crimes, have pleaded guilty to federal drug or racketeering charges related to their membership in the gang.  The gang operated throughout the Waverly Way neighborhood of Baltimore.  The federal indictment charges murders, including the murder of McKenzie Elliott, a three-year-old girl who was shot to death on August 1, 2014, as acts of violence committed by members of the OYMG.

The following defendants, all of Baltimore, have entered guilty pleas:

Emmanuel Rose, age 27, pleaded guilty on October 1, 2018; Davonte Rich, a/k/a Chopper, age 24, pleaded guilty on October 2, 2018; Keith Wilson, age 25, pleaded guilty on October 3, 2018; Jason Snowden, age 22, pleaded guilty on October 10, 2018; and
Calvin Watson, a/k/a Monster, age 27, pleaded guilty on October 12, 2018.

Rich and Snowden each pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy in connection with their membership in the OYMG.  Watson, Rose, and Wilson each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute between 280 and 840 grams of crack cocaine.         

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; and Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department.

“Disputes between rival drug gangs lead to so many tragic shootings and murders in Baltimore City,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Often the victims are innocent bystanders, like little McKenzie Elliott.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to root out and to hold accountable the criminals who turn our neighborhoods into war zones, and to stop the senseless violence.”

“The pain and violence this gang has inflicted on Baltimore cannot be overstated,” said ATF Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Cekada. “They pushed drugs into neighborhoods knowing that addiction ruins lives, and they used firearms to intimidate and inflict violence to protect and expand their territory, showing no concern for innocent bystanders like McKenzie Elliott. ATF will continue to work relentlessly in our efforts to make Baltimore’s communities safer by taking criminals like members of the Old York Money Gang off the street.”

According to their plea agreements and other court documents, from January 2014 to April 2017, Rich, Snowden, Watson, Rose, and Wilson were all members and associates of the OYMG, a violent drug trafficking organization operating in the Waverly Way neighborhood in the northeastern district of Baltimore.  OYMG is involved in criminal activity including murder, robbery, extortion, burglary, and narcotics trafficking in and around Baltimore.  OYMG is a neighborhood gang, limiting its membership to persons that originate from or live in the Waverly Way 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. 

Beginning in October 2016, the ATF and the Baltimore City Police Department conducted undercover purchases of cocaine base and heroin from OYMG members, including Watson and Rose.  All of the defendants generally sold controlled substances at or around drug shops controlled and managed by the OYMG—and in coordination with coconspirators.  According to their plea agreements and other court documents, OYMG members sold heroin, powder and crack cocaine, and marijuana in their territory in Waverly Way and elsewhere. Wilson was principally involved in the sale of prescription pills and marijuana and Rich principally distributed marijuana for the gang, in addition to his other gang activities.

According to Rich’s plea agreement, OYMG members regularly carried firearms to defend the gang’s territory and violently expelled OYMG rivals or antagonists.  Throughout its existence, a primary source of revenue for the gang was the trafficking of narcotics and marijuana.  The gang used violence to protect and further these criminal activities.  For example, as detailed in Snowden’s plea, on February 5, 2016, Baltimore Police officers recovered a firearm and marijuana packaged for distribution from a car in which Snowden was riding.  On October 2, 2017, two perpetrators robbed the owners of a restaurant directly across the street from an OYMG drug shop, stealing nearly $30,000.  One of the assailants struck a female victim during the robbery, fracturing her eye socket.  The victims knew Snowden and identified him as one of the robbers.

As detailed in Rich’s plea agreement, from July 30 to August 1, 2014, Rich and other OYMG members violently attacked three victims who had entered OYMG territory to support a female friend engaged in a fight with the sister of an OYMG member.  During this attack, one of the victims (Victim #1) was stabbed.  Two days later, the victims returned to the same OYMG drug shop, at which point an OYMG member fired multiple gunshots at the vehicle carrying the victims.  One bullet struck Victim #1 in the head, while an errant bullet killed three-year-old McKenzie Elliott. 

In addition, Tyron Brown, age 28, and Davin Lawson, age 27, both of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to participating in a drug distribution conspiracy, on August 15 and January 23, 2018, respectively.  Lawson was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison on April 27, 2018.

U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for Calvin Watson on December 19, 2018.  Watson and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea, Watson will be sentenced to 90 months in federal prison.  Judge Russell has scheduled sentencing for Wilson, Brown, Snowden, Rose, and Rich for early 2019.

The four remaining defendants charged in the case are scheduled to go to trial on November 5, 2018.

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 and 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.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Martin Hall, age 56, of Reisterstown, Maryland, today to 25 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for traveling from the United States to the Philippines to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, and for producing child pornography with the intent to transport it to the United States.  Judge Hollander also ordered that Hall must pay $125,000 in restitution to the victims, and upon his release from prison, Hall must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “As this case demonstrates, children are cruelly and sexually abused to produce child pornography.  Martin Hall traveled to the Philippines to abuse minors, filmed the abuse, and brought those images back to the U.S.  We prosecute these crimes without the children having to testify because we have photo and video evidence of the crimes.  This sentence, which includes restitution to the victims, sends a strong message that we will bring these criminals to justice to try to save even more children from becoming victims, and to help child victims recover.” 

“Time and again we see these egregious offenders believe that they may hide their crimes across international borders or in the depths of cyberspace. Time and again, our investigators disprove such a notion, find these offenders and bring them before our justice system to face the consequences,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant. “While we cannot undo the harm and trauma Martin Hall has inflicted, I am pleased with today’s announcement knowing that the just burden of his crimes will weigh heavily on him.”

According to his plea agreement, Hall traveled to the Philippines for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual activity with minor girls.  Hall’s conduct included engaging in sexual acts with minors, producing images of the minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and transporting the images back to Maryland.  Hall began traveling to the Philippines in 2006 to engage in sexual conduct with, a sixteen-year-old girl.  During Hall’s travels to the Philippines, he admitted that he also produced images of two other girls, Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, engaged in sexually explicit conduct, beginning when each girl was as young as 12 years old. 

Specifically, as detailed in his plea agreement, from April through August 2016, Hall traveled to the Philippines to have sex with Jane Doe 1, who was then 14 years old, and produced images documenting his sexual abuse of the girl.  Hall transported these images back to the United States.  Additionally, Hall used sophisticated computer programs to download and store thousands of images and videos of child pornography on various digital devices in his residence, including the images of Jane Doe 1.  Hall used encryption software on all of his digital devices to prevent others from accessing his files. 

After observing Hall request child pornography using a file-sharing program, investigators from the Baltimore County Police Department obtain a search warrant and searched Hall’s residence on September 7, 2016.  Investigators seized Hall’s computer equipment and digital camera.  At the time of the execution of the warrant, Hall’s laptop and external hard drive were turned on and in an unencrypted state.  During an on-scene forensic examination of the laptop and connected external hard drive, investigators discovered approximately 8,000 images relating to child exploitation.  The device became encrypted during the forensic examination, but not before investigators had copied more than 4,600 image files, most of which are child pornography.  The copied images included the series of sexually explicit images of Jane Doe 1 captured by Hall between April and August 2016. 

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 and Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski commended the FBI, HSI-Baltimore, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur and Mr. Benczkowski thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow and Trial Attorney Kaylynn Shoop of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, who prosecuted the federal case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland – David Robinson, age 49, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a drug conspiracy involving the distribution of oxycodone and alprazolam.  Robinson, a licensed pharmacist who owned and operated the Frankford Family Pharmacy, admitted that he dispensed oxycodone and alprazolam outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle of the Baltimore Police Department.

“Pharmacists who divert pharmaceutical drugs for illegal purposes betray the trust placed in them and further the tragic cycle of addiction and the epidemic of opioid overdose deaths,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Abuse of pharmaceutical drugs is one of our most significant drug enforcement challenges.” 

According to Robinson’s plea agreement, a confidential source advised law enforcement that the pharmacist at Frankford Family Pharmacy knowingly filled fraudulent prescriptions for alprazolam and oxycodone at the pharmacy.  During the DEA’s investigation, between January and July 2016, the confidential source made a number of controlled purchases from Robinson at the pharmacy, using blank prescriptions provided to the source by DEA.  Robinson knew that the prescriptions were fraudulent because he told the source what name to use on the prescription and what quantity of oxycodone tablets to write on the prescriptions.  Robinson also told the source to include non-controlled medications on the same prescriptions in order to evade law enforcement.  Between April 2015 and June 2017, Robinson fraudulently distributed approximately 12,330 units of alprazolam, with a street value of $2 per milligram, and 10,000 milligrams of oxycodone, with a street value of $1 per milligram.

DEA investigators also learned that during Robinson’s tenure as a pharmacist working the night shift at a pharmacy in Waldorf, Maryland, Robinson also filled fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone.  Robinson admitted that he wrote prescriptions using the names of prominent athletes provided to him as the purported patients.  Between September and December 2015, Robinson admitted that he dispensed at least 85,500 milligrams of oxycodone outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.

Search warrants were obtained for Robinson’s residence, for the Frankford Family Pharmacy, for his vehicle, and for a safe deposit box rented by Robinson.  Law enforcement recovered $159,862 in cash from Robinson’s home; $46,927 in a briefcase, blank prescriptions, a prescription pad, and a loaded 9mm pistol from Robinson’s car; and $60,486 in cash, an AR-15 rifle with a magazine, several boxes of ammunition for the rifle, and records, invoices, and receipts from the pharmacy.  In addition, law enforcement recovered $25,041 in cash, $4,500 in gold coins, and $1,010 in silver coins from a safe deposit box.

Robinson and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Robinson will be sentenced to 51 months in prison.  U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for February 25, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. 

In a separate case, licensed pharmacist Richard Daniel Hiller, age 64, of Owings Mills, Maryland, pleaded guilty on August 24, 2018, to distributing oxycodone in exchange for sexual favors.  In that case, Hiller admitted that between January 2014 and February 2017, he filled fraudulent prescriptions, distributing approximately 20,500 15 milligram oxycodone pills.  Hiller faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison at his sentencing on November 15, 2018, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander.

The Robinson 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 DEA and Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark and Samika N. Boyd, who are prosecuting the case.

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Levy Steven Moore, age 48, of Pollocksville, North Carolina, on the federal charge of murder resulting from using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  The indictment was returned on August 27, 2018, and unsealed at Moore’s initial appearance today.

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

According to the indictment, on October 25, 2002, Moore and at least one other accomplice planned to rob the victim employee of the cash belonging to the business.  The victim employee made a cash deposit of business funds and obtained money to be used in the operation of the business at a bank in Capitol Heights, Maryland.  The indictment alleges that as the victim was returning to the car with a money bag containing the business’ funds, Moore robbed the victim of the money and shot the victim, who collapsed to the ground.  The indictment alleges that Moore then got into the getaway vehicle driven by his accomplice.  According to the indictment, while fleeing the scene the robbers struck the victim’s vehicle, ran over the victim, and left the victim lying in the bank parking lot.

If convicted, Moore faces a maximum sentence of death.  The Attorney General will determine whether or not to seek the death penalty.  Moore had his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles B. Day today.  Moore will complete his state sentence in North Carolina on unrelated charges, before returning to 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, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys William D. Moomau and Gregory Bernstein, who are prosecuting the case.

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel sentenced Kodi Lamont Johnson, age 36, of Landover, Maryland, to 162 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for two armed robberies, an armed bank robbery, using and brandishing a gun in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of stolen firearms.

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

According to his plea agreement and information presented at today’s sentencing hearing, sometime after 11:15 a.m. on November 3, 2017, Johnson broke into a residence in Accokeek, Maryland, and stole a 45-caliber revolver, two 20-gauge shotguns, and a black baseball hat.  He then set the house on fire before fleeing in the homeowner’s red pick-up truck.  Between approximately 2:19 p.m. and 2:36 p.m. Johnson robbed, at gun point, a market, a tavern and a credit union, all in Accokeek, Maryland.  In each instance, Johnson left the scene in the pick-up truck he’d stolen earlier in the day. 

Specifically, Johnson displayed a handgun and demanded money and cigarettes from two victims at the market, stealing $500 from the store register and 15 packs of cigarettes.  At 2:22 p.m., Johnson robbed the tavern, displaying a gun and demanding money from the seven victims in the tavern and from the cash register.  The victims relinquished $80 in cash and Johnson stole approximately $200 from the cash register.  At 2:36 p.m. Johnson robbed a credit union, displaying a handgun and demanding money from a customer and a teller.  The customer relinquished approximately $2,800 and Johnson stole another $2,970 from the teller.

Later that afternoon, Johnson was arrested in the parking lot of a convenience store.  At the time of the arrest, Johnson was in possession of $5,317 in a cash bag marked with the name of the credit union and the stolen 45-caliber revolver.  A later search of the stolen pick-up truck recovered a number of items stolen from the Accokeek residence, including two 20-gauge shotgun and the black baseball hat.

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 FBI and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth S. Boison and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O’Malley, who prosecuted the case.

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Kione Anthony Banks, age 21, of Washington, D.C., to nine years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on federal charges of robbery, and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.  The federal charges arose from a series of armed robberies of 7-Eleven convenience stores.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; and Interim Chief Amal Awad of the Hyattsville Police Department.

According Banks’ plea agreement, from May 17, 2017 through June 16, 2017, Banks conspired with Tyrone Jason Murphy, Leighton Cordell Williams, and Banks’ brother, Khiry Delonte Banks to commit five armed robberies of 7-Eleven convenience stores.  The defendants wore clothing to partially conceal their faces. In four of the robberies Kione Banks brandished a firearm during the robbery and ordered the store employees to open their cash registers at gunpoint.  In the fifth robbery, Murphy and Williams brandished firearms.

Specifically, Banks admitted committing robberies in Gaithersburg and Derwood, Maryland, on May 17, 2017, with Murphy and Williams.  Banks committed three additional robberies on June 16, 2017, in Glen Burnie, Millersville, and Morningside, Maryland, with all three of his co-defendants.  In the June 16th robberies, Murphy drove his co-defendants in a vehicle registered in the name of an associate.  After the robbery in Morningside, Murphy drove onto Suitland Parkway and Prince George’s County Police officers executed a traffic stop on the vehicle.  A subsequent search of the vehicle recovered two firearms, cash, and cigarettes stolen during the robberies.

Khiry Banks, age 29; Murphy, age 27; and Williams, age 32, all of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to the same federal charges in relation to their participation in the 7-Eleven robberies. A total of ten 7-Elevens throughout Maryland were robbed by members of this group.

Khiry Banks, Murphy, and Williams each face a maximum of 20 years in prison for robbery and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years, and up to life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for using, carrying and brandishing a firearm.   Judge Chuang has scheduled sentencing for Murphy on October 23, 2018 at 9:30 a.m.  No sentencing date has been set for Khiry Banks or Williams.

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 FBI Cross Border Task Force, the Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County Police Departments, and the City of Hyattsville Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy F. Hagan, who is prosecuting the case.

Baltimore and Greenbelt, Maryland – In U.S. District Court in Maryland today, two defendants—one a previously deported alien—were sentenced to federal prison for distribution and possession of child pornography, respectively.  Two other defendants—one a previously convicted sex offender—each pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. 

The sentences and 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); Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans; Baltimore Field Office; Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.

            BALTIMORE

U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Jeffrey Roger Forwood, age 49, of Bel Air, Maryland, to six years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for distribution of child pornography.  Forwood admitted to using a file-sharing program to distribute 38 videos depicting minors, including prepubescent minors, engaged in sexually explicit conduct to an undercover law enforcement officer.  On October 25, 2017, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Forwood’s residence.  Forwood admitted to searching for, downloading, and watching child pornography using anonymizing software, and a file-sharing program.  Forwood further admitted that he used wiping software to delete child pornography from his home computer in order to avoid detection by law enforcement.  A forensic examination of Forwood’s computer revealed more than 200 images of child pornography, a log showing downloads of child pornography videos, three separate wiping programs, and other files indicating the existence of the file-sharing program and anonymizing web browser.  United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI-Baltimore, and the Maryland State Police, for their work in this investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who prosecuted the case.

Gary Keith Pinkowski, Jr., age 33, of Catonsville, Maryland, who has prior sex offense convictions in Maryland and Delaware, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, which he obtained using public computers at a library.  On October 22, 2017, Pinkowski attempted to produce two images of child pornography.  A six-year-old boy and his father had been swimming at a recreational facility and went into the locker room to shower.  Pinkowski admitted that he reached under a partition between shower stalls and took a photo of the boy, who was showering in that stall.  The boy reported this to his father, who notified the facility.  Although he had not seen the person in the stall next to the boy, the father noticed a pair of black and green plaid swim trunks hanging over the shower stall.  Pinkowski had already left the facility on his bicycle, but staff members recognized the description of the swim trunks as belonging to Pinkowski and provided his description and contact information to Baltimore County Police officers.  Officers found Pinkowski near the men’s shelter where he lived and recovered a digital camera containing an SD memory card, a second SD memory card, and multiple USB drives.  One of the SD cards contained the photos of the boy, who was showering in his swim trunks, as well as child pornography.  Pinkowski admitted that he used one of the USB drives to access child pornography using the public computers at a library.  The USB drive contained a file that ran software that permits anonymous communication on the web.  Since the library computer would not permit downloads, Pinkowski used his digital camera to take videos or pictures of the computer screen.   Pinkowski and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Pinkowski will be sentenced to 24 years in federal prison.  Judge Russell scheduled sentencing for Pinkowski on February 15, 2019, at 9:30 a.m.  United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, HSI-Baltimore, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in this investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey J. Izant and Sandra Wilkinson, who are prosecuting the case.

            GREENBELT

U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced Jimmy Orlando Varela-Reyes, age 25, an illegal alien residing in Aspen Hill, Maryland, to two years in prison, followed by six years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography.  Varela-Reyes is a Honduran national who was previously deported on July 9, 2012 and illegally re-entered the United States prior to July 2017. As part of his plea agreement, Varela-Reyes also acknowledged that he is in the United States illegally and that he will be deported upon the completion of his sentence.  According to his plea agreement, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a cybertip from Facebook in July 2017 that Varela-Reyes’ Facebook account had been used to entice a female to produce and send sexually explicit images via private message.  Investigation showed that Varela-Reyes enticed and coerced a 13-year-old girl to send him the sexually explicit images.  After obtaining search warrants, law enforcement determined the location of Varela’s cellular telephone to be a particular apartment in Aspen Hill, Maryland.  A federal search warrant was executed at the apartment and Varela-Reyes was present.  His cellular telephone was seized and a preview of the phone revealed the photographs provided in the Facebook cybertip.  United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended HSI-Baltimore for its work in this investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted the case.

Frank Crawford III, age 32, formerly of Virginia, pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography in which he enticed a minor victim to send him sexually explicit photos of herself.  Specifically, on May 4, 2017, Crawford communicated with a minor female who resided in Maryland, and persuaded the victim to send him sexually explicit images of herself.  Crawford admitted that he and the victim used an interactive live chat service to engage in sexually explicit conduct.  Crawford admitted that he knew the victim was a minor.  Crawford and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea, Crawford will be sentenced to between eight and 15 years in federal prison.  U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang scheduled sentencing for Crawford on February 4, 2019, at 2:00 p.m.  United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office for their work in this investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who is prosecuting the case.

As a result of their convictions, all four of these defendants will be required to register as a sex offenders in the places where they reside, where they are employed, and where they are students, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

These cases were all 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.   

Baltimore, Maryland – Over the past three days, three separate defendants have pleaded guilty to federal charges relating to the distribution of fentanyl.  First, Leslie Patillo, Jr. age 36, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to the federal charge of possession with intent to distribute 40 or more grams of fentanyl.  Second, on October 3, 2018, Kamalah Nicole Cordell, age 31, also of Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to the federal charge of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.  Third, on October 2, 2018, Robert Luke Simpson, age 24, of Gambrills, Maryland, pleaded guilty to the federal charge of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.  As little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be a lethal dose.  Each of these three defendants distributed at least 32 grams of fentanyl, or enough to kill 16,000 people.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; the Washington County Narcotics Task Force, led by Washington County Sheriff Douglas Mullendore; Washington County State’s Attorney Charles P. Strong, Jr.; 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 Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare.

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

Kamalah Nicole Cordell

According to her plea agreement, from at least 2017 through January 2018, Cordell conspired with others, including Antoine Henderson, to distribute fentanyl and other drugs in the area of Washington County, Maryland.  In August and September 2017, investigators conducted at least six controlled purchases of either fentanyl or crack cocaine from Cordell and/or Henderson.  According to their plea agreements, the controlled purchases were supposed to be heroin, but lab results showed that the substances provided by Cordell and/or Henderson were in fact fentanyl, not heroin.  On January 17, 2018, search warrants were executed at two locations and three vehicles associated with Cordell and Henderson.  At the stash house, located on Atlantic Drive in Hagerstown, agents recovered 80.22 grams of fentanyl, located in the bottom compartment of a Coca-Cola vending machine in the garage.  Cordell and Henderson own and operate a vending machine company.  The agents also recovered 9 mm ammunition, a drug press, digital scales, cellular phones, and other drug paraphernalia. At Cordell and Henderson’s primary residence, located on Lantern Lane in Hagerstown, the agents recovered additional cellular phones, a currency counter, jewelry, and a garage opener that opened the garage at the stash house.  Cordell admitted that her participation in the conspiracy involved at least 32 grams but less than 40 grams of fentanyl.

Leslie Patillo, Jr.

Patillo was part of the same drug organization and admitted that he distributed fentanyl and other drugs in the Washington County, Maryland area.  According to his plea agreement, on April 10, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Patillo’s residence and recovered 99.44 grams of a combination of fentanyl and heroin, as well as drug paraphernalia.  In addition, a knotted baggie was found on Patillo’s person that contained .82 grams of a combination of heroin and fentanyl.  Investigators also recovered $26,680 in cash from the home, believed to be the proceeds of Patillo’s drug distribution.  A storage unit in Patillo’s name was also searched and three guns, each packaged with a loaded magazine, were seized from the unit.  One of the magazines, packaged with a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, was loaded with six rounds of hollow-point ammunition.

Robert Luke Simpson

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Simpson’s residence and found 6,200 fentanyl pills weighing approximately 369 grams, in a hidden compartment in a wall-mounted shelf and on a desk.  Officers also found $8,578 in cash, as well as cell phones, computers, iPads, and Bitcoin cryptocurrency mining equipment.  Simpson admitted that he purchased 10,000 fentanyl pills from a dark web marketplace for approximately $10,000 worth of Bitcoin cryptocurrency.  Simpson sold the fentanyl pills for $5 to $10 each to customers in Maryland.  Simpson admitted that he sold between 400 grams and 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl.

Antoine Jamel Henderson, age 35, of Hagerstown, Maryland previously pleaded guilty.  Henderson and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Henderson will be sentenced to between 10 and 15 years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett has scheduled sentencing for both Cordell and Patillo on January 3, 2019 at 11 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.  Henderson is scheduled to be sentenced on January 10, 2019, at 3:00 p.m.

U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for Simpson on March 2, 2019, at 3:00 p.m.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA; the Washington County Narcotics Task Force, led by Washington County Sheriff Douglas Mullendore; and Washington County State’s Attorney Charles P. Strong, Jr. for their work in the Cordell and Patillo investigation.  U.S. Attorney Hur commended HSI Baltimore, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for the work in the Simpson investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joan C. Mathias and Michael C. Hanlon, who are prosecuting the Cordell and Patillo Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas A. Mitchell, who is prosecuting the Simpson case.

# # #

Baltimore, Maryland –Ryan Farace, age 34, of Reisterstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to drug distribution and money laundering conspiracies.  The charges arose from a scheme to manufacture and distribute alprazolam tablets, which are typically sold under the brand name “Xanax,” through sales on the dark web in exchange for Bitcoin.  Farace and his co-conspirator, Robert Swain, laundered the drug proceeds through financial transactions designed to conceal the source and ownership of the illegal funds.  Robert Swain, age 34, of Freeland, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to the money laundering conspiracy.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington; Acting Special Agent in Charge Cardell T. Morant of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Postal Inspector in Charge Peter R. Rendina of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – Criminal Investigation; Maryland U.S. Marshal Johnny Hughes; and Chief Terrence B. Sheridan of the Baltimore County Police Department.

“Federal law enforcement and our international partners are working together to find and prosecute those who use the dark web to sell drugs and launder the proceeds of their drug dealing,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “This case is an excellent example of what can be accomplished through that cooperation.”

“The dark web is the new frontier for drug dealing,” stated Don Hibbert, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Drug Enforcement Administration Baltimore District Office.  “DEA will find and arrest drug traffickers wherever they are, whether it be in the coca fields of Colombia, the alleys of Baltimore, or in the dark corners of the internet.”

According to their plea agreements, from November 2013 through June 2017, Farace purchased narcotics manufacturing equipment, including pill presses and counterfeit “Xanax” pill molds, which he used to press loose alprazolam powder into tablet or pill form, to resemble genuine Xanax pills.  Farace solicited orders for the alprazolam pills on dark web marketplaces and sold alprazolam pills directly to buyers in exchange for Bitcoin. 

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.  Dark web marketplaces typically use Bitcoin or other digital currency as the means of payment for their transactions.

Bitcoin is a form of digital currency that does not exist in any physical form.  It is not issued or controlled by any government, bank, or company, but is generated and controlled automatically through computer software operating on a decentralized peer-to-peer network.  Bitcoin can be exchanged for conventional currency, with the exchange rate determined on the open market.

Farace admitted that he communicated with his customers through encrypted electronic messages and shipped the completed pill orders through the U.S. mail.  Farace admitted that the postage for these packages was usually paid using pre-paid debit cards that Farace obtained in the names of, and with the personal identifying information of, other people.  Law enforcement also recovered fake driver’s licenses in the names of those individuals but with Farace’s photograph when they executed a federal search warrant at Farace’s home on January 16, 2018.   Based on data recovered from dark web marketplaces seized by law enforcement, between December 2013 and March 2017, Farace distributed more than 920,000 alprazolam pills.

From at least July 2015 until February 2017, Farace and Swain conspired with others to launder the proceeds of the illegal drug sales by conducting financial transactions designed to conceal and disguise the nature, source, ownership and control of the illegal drug proceeds.   Specifically, Farace used pseudonyms to contact a co-conspirator through dark web marketplaces and encrypted messages in order to exchange Bitcoin he received from his drug trafficking for cash.  The co-conspirator would then mail or ship packages of U.S. currency equivalent to the value of the Bitcoin received, less a fee, to mailing addresses provided by Farace.  To conceal the fact that he was receiving cash, Farace, and later Swain, opened post office boxes at U.S. Post Offices and private rental mailboxes in fake names.  Swain knew that Farace was receiving cash and drugs at these mailboxes and that the cash was the proceeds of Farace’s drug trafficking.  During the course of the conspiracy, Farace received cash totaling more than $5 million, through the mails, which he had exchanged for Bitcoin earned from drug trafficking.  In addition, Farace and Swain drove to New Jersey so that Swain could collect $200,000 in cash that Farace had exchanged for Bitcoin.  During the in-person meeting on February 16, 2017, Swain provided a fictitious name to the individual he met and falsely stated that the Bitcoin and cash were his own.  Farace and Swain later tried unsuccessfully to exchange Bitcoin for $400,000 in cash with the same individual. 

As part of his plea agreement, Farace must forfeit assets traceable to the conspiracies, which Farace agrees is at least $5,665,000, as well as 4,000 Bitcoin.  Farace must also forfeit his residence, cash, digital currency, bank accounts, vehicles, electronics, jewelry, and other items seized by law enforcement during the execution of search warrants on January 16, 2018, at locations associated with the conspiracies.  Swain must also forfeit at least $30,000, including digital currency and cash held in his name 

Farace faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute alprazolam.  Farace and Swain face a maximum of 20 years in prison for money laundering conspiracy.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing hearing for Farace and Swain on November 30, 2018, and January 25, 2019, respectively.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA, HSI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the IRS-Criminal Investigation; the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dana J. Brusca and Zachary B. Stendig, who are prosecuting this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.

# # #

WASHINGTON – Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident, including $333,333 to the Maryland State Department of Education under the STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and $200,000 to the Governor’s Office of Crime Control Prevention under the STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program in the District of Maryland.

These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks. The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services was awarded $666,982 under the National Criminal History Improvement Program.

“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”

“We must do everything we can to keep our children safe in school,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “These funds are an investment in programs that prevent violence by providing training and support our state partners, crisis intervention teams, and first responders.”

The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.

• BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
• The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
• The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.

The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.

The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program.  These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system.  This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.  

The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.  

For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program

# # #

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Roy David Evans, Jr., age 34, of Essex, Maryland, today to 17 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor to produce child pornography, possession of child pornography, and receipt of child pornography.   Judge Xinis also ordered that upon his release from prison, Evans is 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 Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department.

“Roy Evans took advantage of anonymous Internet messaging services to encourage minors to send him sexually explicit images of themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “This lengthy sentence should send a powerful message that sexual exploitation of children to produce child pornography will not be tolerated in Maryland.”

“With ever increasing access to communication platforms, we must continue to stay a step ahead of those who exploit technology to facilitate the worst crimes in modern society,” said Cardell T. Morant, Acting Special Agent in Charge, HSI Baltimore.  “Today’s announcement serves as a significant marker in our fight against these heinous criminals, and I proudly commend the investigators bringing such criminals to justice.”

According to Evans’ plea agreement and evidence presented at today’s sentencing hearing, Evans posted advertisements on Craigslist for “young models” and encouraged girls to contact him via e-mail or via Kik, a social messaging application where users can text, livestream, and send digital images and videos to one another.  Evans admitted that he enticed and coerced three minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce images of that conduct.  Evans received sexually explicit images and videos of the victims via Kik.    Evans sent at least three of those images and videos to himself through the Internet.  Evans further admitted that he traveled to Montgomery County, Maryland in order to engage in sexual conduct with a 14-year-old victim.  Evans admitted that he solicited at least two other minors to create and send sexually explicit images and videos of themselves after they had responded to his advertisements. 

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 Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly O'Connell Hayes and Timothy Hagan, who prosecuted the federal case.

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Luis Miguel Mendez-Rivera, a/k/a El Flaco, age 34, of the Bronx, New York, today to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin.

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; Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief Henry P. Stawinski III of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, from December 2017 through March 6, 2018, Mendez-Rivera conspired with others to distribute between three and 10 kilograms of heroin.  In December 2017, a man residing in the Dominican Republic directed Mendez-Rivera to contact a confidential source who was working with law enforcement to provide the source with narcotics.  Mendez-Rivera had numerous telephone conversations with the source and agreed to provide the source with a kilogram of heroin on consignment.  During the calls, Mendez-Rivera advised the source that his co-conspirator, Milciades D. Pena-Zapata, would deliver the heroin to the source and complete the transaction. 

On February 22, 2018, Mendez-Rivera sent his co-conspirator and drug courier, Pena-Zapata, from New York to Maryland to deliver heroin to the source.  Pena-Zapata met the source at a previously agreed upon location and they completed the drug transaction in the source’s car.  The source and Mendez-Rivera arranged a second transaction for three kilograms of heroin in exchange for $100,000 and three handguns.  On March 6, 2018, Pena-Zapata again traveled from New York to Maryland to meet the source.  Pena-Zapata got into the source’s car and they drove to a more secluded location where Pena-Zapata removed a large quantity of heroin from his backpack and placed it in the trunk of the source’s car.  Pena-Zapata inspected the contents of the suitcase containing three handguns and approximately $100,000.  Pena-Zapata was arrested a short time later.

Laboratory analysis confirmed that a total of 3,998.54 grams of heroin was delivered to Maryland by Pena-Zapata on behalf of Mendez-Rivera.

Pena-Zapata, age 35, of Lawrence, Alabama, pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and was sentenced to five years in prison.                  

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur praised HSI Baltimore, the Montgomery County Police Department and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation, and thanked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division for its assistance.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin B. Pulice and Ray D. McKenzie, who prosecuted the case.

Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has indicted Kenneth Patrick Gaughan, age 40, of Washington, D.C., on mail fraud charges arising from a scheme to embezzle funds from the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington (ADW), where he was employed as Assistant Superintendent.  The indictment was returned on September 24, 2018, and unsealed today upon Gaughan’s arrest.

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

According to the three-count indictment, Gaughan was employed as the Assistant Superintendent of ADW, headquartered in Hyattsville, Maryland.  In that role, Gaughan was responsible for recruiting and acting as the point of contact for contractors who provided various services to ADW.  These included contractors that could help ADW implement anti-bullying, crisis intervention, and professional development programs at the approximately 95 Catholic schools overseen by ADW, located in Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s Counties in Maryland, and Washington, D.C.  Gaughan also obtained invoices for services from contractors and provided those invoices, along with requests for payment and supporting documentation, to his superiors for approval.

The indictment alleges that beginning in at least June 2010 and continuing through April 2018, Gaughan caused ADW to pay invoices manufactured by Gaughan purportedly for anti-bullying and crisis intervention programs, as well as for software used to send mass text messages to ADW’s students and families.  To execute the scheme, Gaughan allegedly incorporated two companies using names that were almost identical to those of real companies and opened bank accounts in the names of those companies.  Gaugahan also opened a bank account in the name of a third company, which was an unlicensed entity in Washington, D.C.

According to the indictment, Gaughan then transmitted fraudulent invoices and persuaded ADW to issue checks for services that Gaughan knew the companies did not provide.  Gaughan allegedly opened virtual and private mailboxes in order to receive the checks that ADW issued to pay for the fraudulent invoices that Gaughan manufactured and transmitted to ADW officials.  The indictment alleges that Gaughan deposited the checks issued by ADW into the bank accounts he controlled, and converted the money to his personal use.  The indictment details three invoices paid from September 2016 through April 2018 totaling almost $45,000.

If convicted, Gaughan faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each of three counts of mail fraud.  An initial appearance was held for Gaughan today in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Sullivan.  Gaughan was released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services.

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

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

Baltimore, Maryland - Dontray Johnson, a/k/a “Gambino,” “Bino,” and “Tray,” age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland pleaded guilty today to racketeering and drug conspiracies related to their participation in the gang activities of the Murdaland Mafia Piru (MMP), a subset of the Bloods gang.  As part of his gang activities, Johnson admitted committing two murders, and to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. 

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; Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle 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.

“Federal authorities worked with the Baltimore City and Baltimore County Police Departments and State’s Attorney’s Offices to dismantle a criminal organization that dealt drugs and despair in Northwest Baltimore and Baltimore County,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “We are committed to using this sort of coordinated effort to bring to justice the violent gang members that terrorize our communities.”

“The Murdaland Mafia Piru and Dontray Johnson showed no concern for the Baltimore communities they flooded with murder, violence, and drugs. They irreparably damaged the families of their victims and the neighborhoods in which they operated,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Cekada. “Today’s plea shows the importance of investigating and prosecuting these violent groups who willfully destroy communities.”

According to Johnson’s plea agreement and court documents, 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 “the Don,” at the top and various “Bosses,” “Underbosses,” “Capos,” “Lieutenants,” and “Mobsters” underneath.  For many years, MMP has controlled the drug trade in large swaths of Northwest Baltimore City and neighboring Baltimore County, including Forest Park, Windsor Mill, Gwynn Oak, Howard Park, Woodlawn, and Walbrook Junction.  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 using violence and threats of violence to intimidate or retaliate against witnesses, protect the gang’s territories, enforce debts, and eliminate rivals.

Johnson admits that he was a member of MMP and participated in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activities, including murder, extortion, robbery, witness tampering and retaliation, money laundering, and drug distribution.

Specifically, Johnson admits that on November 22, 2012, he murdered MMP member Antoine Ellis, a/k/a Poopy, in the 200 block of North Forest Park Avenue, because he had shown disloyalty to MMP.  Earlier that day, Johnson had posted a comment to his Facebook account saying “198 n risen,” a reference to that year’s murder tally in Baltimore City.  On September 29, 2015, Johnson murdered MMP member Brian Johnson, a/k/a Nutty B, because he refused to pay gang dues that Johnson was collecting for an MMP member.

As detailed in his plea agreement, on November 1, 2013, Johnson was featured in two rap videos that were posted to a social media website.  The first video, “Boy You Lying,” was posted to enhance the gang’s status, intimidate rivals, and discourage anyone from selling drugs in MMP territory without paying its members.  The second video, “Str8 Mobbin,” was posted to assert the gang’s dominance over its drug territories.  It features Johnson with other MMP members, as well as footage of various MMP drug locations.  Johnson brandishes a firearm in the video.

On July 31, 2015, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Johnson’s residence in Owings Mills and recovered 28 grams of heroin, 70 rounds of .22-caliber ammunition, a bulletproof vest, $1,480 in cash, and an “owe sheet” with a tally of drug debts owed by MMP members and associates.

Finally, Johnson admits that he conspired with other MMP members to distribute at least one kilogram of heroin and 280 grams of crack cocaine, and that he knew that during the conspiracy between one and three kilograms of heroin and between 280 and 840 grams of crack cocaine would be distributed.

In addition to Johnson, fourteen of twenty-six defendants have pleaded guilty in the case.  Trial is tentatively scheduled for November 5, 2018 through February 1, 2019.

Johnson and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Johnson will be sentenced to 30 years in prison.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for Johnson on November 16, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  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 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 the case.