District of Maine

BANGOR, Maine: A Corinth man pleaded guilty in federal court today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, the FBI and the Denton, Texas Police Department were tasked with finding Francis Cahill, aka Bruce Cossett, 73, and learned that he may have moved to Maine. The Maine State Police was asked to help in determining his location. Cahill was subsequently located at his residence in Corinth and arrested by the Maine State Police. During a subsequent interview with law enforcement, Cahill admitted that he possessed two firearms in his residence. A subsequent search of Cahill’s residence uncovered a .22 caliber rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun. Cahill is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 1978 conviction in Texas for murder.

Cahill faces up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. However, if the Court determines that Cahill is an armed career criminal, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. He also faces up to three years of supervised release. Cahill will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI; the Denton, Texas Police Department; the Maine State Police; and the ATF investigated the case. The Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the case.

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BANGOR, Maine:  An Aroostook County man was sentenced in federal court today for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Zane Willhide, 25, to ten years in prison and five years of supervised release.

According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico. Willhide and his co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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WASHINGTON – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced the appointment of 12 U.S. Attorneys to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC). Created in 1973, the AGAC advises the Attorney General on matters of policy, procedure, and management impacting the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys and elevates the voices of U.S. Attorneys in Department policies. The first meeting of the AGAC will take place later this spring.

The appointees include U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York; U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung for the Western District of Pennsylvania; U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee for the District of Maine; U.S. Attorney Trini Ross for the Western District of New York; U.S. Attorney Sandra Hairston for the Middle District of North Carolina; U.S. Attorney Brandon Brown for the Western District of Louisiana; U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan; U.S. Attorney Gregory Harris for the Central District of Illinois; U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger for the District of Minnesota; U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona; U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado; and U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves for the District of Columbia. An appointee from a district within the jurisdiction of the Eleventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals will be announced at a later date, once the Senate has confirmed nominees.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams will serve as the Chair of the AGAC, and U.S. Attorney Cindy Chung will serve as the Vice Chair.

“These United States Attorneys will represent the views of dedicated federal prosecutors across the country and provide advice and insight into essential matters facing the Department,” said Attorney General Garland. “I look forward to working alongside them in carrying out the Department’s core priorities of upholding the rule of law, keeping our country safe, and protecting civil rights.”

"I am honored to have been chosen to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys,” Darcie McElwee, U.S. Attorney, District of Maine, said. “The work of the AGAC is vital to furthering our priorities of addressing hate crimes, stopping the flow of illegal drugs into our communities, preventing human trafficking and exploitation, and combatting corporate and other white-collar crime. This is a valuable opportunity to ensure that issues facing Mainers every day are heard at the highest level, and I look forward to working with the Attorney General and the committee to help make our country – and Maine – safer.”

A brief bio on each appointee is below:

Damian Williams (Chair)

The Senate confirmed Damian Williams’ appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in October 2021. Williams began his legal career as a law clerk to then-Judge Merrick Garland when he served in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 2007 to 2008. Williams then served as a law clerk for Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court from 2008 to 2009. From 2009 to 2012, he was a litigation associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. From 2012 to 2021, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. In the role, he served as a chief of the securities and commodities fraud task force from 2018 to 2021. He received his Bachelor of Arts in economics from Harvard University in 2002, a Master of Philosophy in international relations from Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge in 2003, and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2007, where he was also an editor of the Yale Law Journal.

Cindy K. Chung (Vice Chair)

The Senate confirmed Cindy K. Chung’s appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania in November 2021. In 2002 and 2003, Chung served as a law clerk for Judge Myron H. Thompson in the Middle District of Alabama. She then joined the New York County District Attorney’s Office in 2003, serving as an assistant district attorney until 2007 and as investigation counsel in the Official Corruption Unit from 2007 to 2009. From 2009 to 2014, Chung served as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. She later joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, serving as deputy chief of the major crimes division. From 2014 to 2021, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Chung earned a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in 1997 and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2002.

Darcie McElwee

The Senate confirmed Darcie McElwee’s appointment as U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine in October 2021. McElwee began her legal career as an assistant district attorney for the Penobscot and Piscataquis counties in Maine from 1998 to 2002. Between 2005 and 2008, McElwee was an adjunct professor of advanced trial advocacy at the University of Maine School of Law. From 2002 to 2021, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine. Since 2005, she has been the coordinator of Project Safe Neighborhoods. McElwee received her Bachelor of Arts from Bowdoin College in 1995 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Maine School of Law in 1998.

Trini Ross

The Senate confirmed Trini Ross’s appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York in September 2021. Ross began her career as an appellate attorney for the New York Supreme Court. She was an associate at Hiscock & Barclay LLC before joining the Office of Professional Responsibility as assistant counsel. From 1995 to 2018, Ross served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York. She has also been an adjunct professor of law at Buffalo Law School. She has also served as director of the investigations for the National Science Foundation Office of Inspector General since 2018. Ross earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Fredonia in 1988, a Master of Arts from Rutgers University in 1990, and a Juris Doctor from the University at Buffalo Law School in 1992.

Sandra Hairston

The Senate confirmed Sandra Hairston as U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina in November 2021. Hairston previously served as an assistant district attorney in Columbus County, North Carolina, from 1987 to 1989 and as a special assistant district attorney in Guilford County, North Carolina from 1989 to 1990. From 1994 to 1996, she served as Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina before returning to the Middle District of North Carolina in 1996. She joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina in 1990 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Hairston previously held the position of First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina from 2014 to 2021. From March 1, 2021, until her Senate confirmation, she served as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. Hairston received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1981 and her Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1987.

Brandon Brown

The Senate confirmed Brandon Brown as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana in December 2021. From 2007 to 2012, Brown served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Ouachita Parish District Attorney’s Office. He was also an associate at Hammonds, Sills, Adkins & Guice LLP in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Since 2012, he has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana. Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2002 and a Master of Business Administration in 2004 from Louisiana Tech University, followed by a Juris Doctor in 2007 from the Southern University Law Center.

Dawn Ison

The Senate confirmed Dawn Ison as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan in December 2021. In 1989 and 1990, Ison was a prehearing attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals. In 2002, Ison began serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. She also served as chief of the Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit. Ison earned a Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College and a Juris Doctor from the Wayne State University Law School.

Gregory Harris

The Senate confirmed Gregory Harris as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois in December 2021. Harris began his career as a lawyer for the Office of the State Appellate Defender in 1976 where he represented indigent criminal defendants on appeal. From 1979 to 1980, he served as legal counsel for the Illinois Governor’s Office of Manpower and Human Development and later as a staff attorney for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Development. From 1980 to 1988, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois. From 1988 to 2001, he was a lawyer for Giffin, Winning, Cohen & Bodewes in Springfield, Illinois. He later rejoined the Central District of Illinois in 2001, where he served as chief of the Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney. Harris was born in Washington, D.C. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University in 1971 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law in 1976.

Andrew Luger

The Senate confirmed Andrew Luger as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota in March 2022. He previously served in that role during the Obama administration and briefly during the Trump administration from 2014 to 2017. Prior to his appointment, Luger was a partner in the Minneapolis office of Jones Day from 2017 – 2022. Luger has also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, from 1989 to 1992, and for the District of Minnesota from 1992 to 1995, where he prosecuted a wide variety of narcotics and violent crimes, as well as complex white-collar frauds. In 1995, Luger joined the law firm of Greene Espel in Minneapolis, where he was a partner until 2014. Luger earned a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

Gary Restaino

The Senate confirmed Gary Restaino as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona in November 2021. From 1991 to 1993, Restaino served in Paraguay with the Peace Corps. From 1996 to 1999, he provided legal services to seasonal farm workers as a lawyer with Community Legal Services. From 1999 to 2003, he served as a civil rights lawyer in the Arizona Attorney General's Office. He then served as a trial attorney in the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. Restaino joined the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona in 2003. He was nominated to serve as U.S. Attorney in October 2021. Restaino earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Haverford College in 1990 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1996.

Cole Finegan

The Senate confirmed Cole Finegan as U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado in November 2021. From 1991 to 1993, Finegan served both as Chief Legal Counsel and Director of Policy and Initiatives for Colorado Governor Roy Romer. From 1993 to 2003, Finegan was a partner for Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s Denver office. Finegan joined Hogan Lovells (then Hogan & Hartson) in 2007 as a partner. Finegan acted as an adviser to Governor Hickenlooper and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet. Finegan attended the University of Notre Dame from 1974 to 1978, earning a degree in English. Finegan earned a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 1986.

Matthew Graves

The Senate confirmed Matthew Graves as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in October 2021. After graduating law school, Graves began his legal career as a law clerk for Judge Richard W. Roberts of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. From 2002 to 2007, he was an associate at WilmerHale. From 2007 to 2016, Graves worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia, where he served in the office’s fraud and public corruption section, ultimately serving as the acting chief of the section. Since 2016, he has been a partner at DLA Piper. Graves earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington and Lee University in 1998 and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2001.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Guatemalan national was sentenced today in federal court for entering the United States after a prior removal, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Nelson Obed Mendez-Gomez, 31, to a time-served sentence of three and half months. Mendez-Gomez pleaded guilty on February 9, 2022.

According to court records, in December 2021, Mendez-Gomez was a passenger in a truck driving in Rangeley. The vehicle refused to yield despite being followed by a U.S. Border Patrol Agent who was driving in a law enforcement vehicle with emergency lights and sirens. Once the truck stopped, Mendez-Gomez was removed along with the other vehicle occupants. A subsequent records check revealed that he had previously been deported from the United States on January 1, 2013, and July 12, 2017.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine:  An Auburn man was sentenced today in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced John Edwards, 50, to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Edwards’ criminal history includes a 2015 Ohio conviction for felony domestic violence; it is against federal law for a felon to possess a firearm.

According to court records, on November 14, 2020, an Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to the area of Sullivan Road in Greene for a report of a male walking outside a residence shooting a firearm. Upon arrival in the area, the deputy observed Edwards holding a shotgun and firing it. After multiple commands, Edwards dropped the weapon and put his hands above his head. The deputy also observed that Edwards was intoxicated.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

The prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.

 

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BANGOR, Maine: A Kingfield man pleaded guilty in federal court today to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, between May 2009 and April 2010, Richard Hinkley, 57, saved sexually explicit images from video chats with a person he knew to be a minor. In May 2020, a search warrant was executed at Hinkley’s home. The search revealed these and other images of child pornography on Hinkley’s electronic devices, some depicting children under 12 years of age.

Hinkley faces between 15 and 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child and up to 20 years for possession of child pornography. He also faces a $250,000 fine on each count and from five years to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the FBI investigated the case.

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

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography, file a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.cybertipline.com or 1-800-843-5678. Your report will be forwarded to a law enforcement agency for investigation and action. If you have an emergency that requires an immediate law enforcement response, please call 911 or contact your local police or sheriff’s department.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Presque Isle woman was sentenced today in federal court for passing counterfeit money, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Jessica Jones, 31, to two months in prison and two years of supervised release. Jones pleaded guilty on August 25, 2021.

According to court records, on July 23, 2018, Jones used counterfeit $20 bills at a Domino’s Pizza and a McDonald’s in Presque Isle. Jones later stated that she had received the counterfeit money from an individual who was trading counterfeit bills for drugs.

The Presque Isle Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case.

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BANGOR, Maine: A former Franklin County assistant district attorney pleaded guilty in federal court today to the charge of Tampering with Documents, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, in July 2020, while Kayla Alves, 36, was employed as an assistant district attorney in the Farmington office of the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office, she deleted text message conversations between her and former Franklin County Deputy Sheriff Bradley Scovil. The deleted messages showed that Scovil had repeatedly asked Alves to use her professional position to find out if he was under investigation by law enforcement.

As alleged in United States v. Sirois et al., 21-CR-0175, currently pending before U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker, Scovil was a ranking member of the Sirois Organization and a key participant in a conspiracy involving the illicit cultivation of marijuana, attendant financial crimes and public corruption offenses.

Alves, who ultimately did tip Scovil off to the existence of the federal probe that resulted in the Sirois indictment, admitted to deleting text messages to keep evidence of her own misconduct hidden from law enforcement.

Alves faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She also faces up to three years of supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This was a joint investigation of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division, Portland Resident Office; the FBI’s Boston Division; and the Boston Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigation with the cooperation and support of local and state law enforcement partners.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man pleaded guilty in federal court today to drug trafficking and firearm charges, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, on January 31, 2020, Hunter York, 23, distributed a mixture of cocaine and fentanyl to a Saco resident. The resident overdosed on the drugs obtained from York and died. On February 5, 2020, Portland police conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle York was driving. A search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of MDMA, fentanyl and a firearm. A search of York’s Portland apartment resulted in the recovery of over 800 additional grams of fentanyl and two firearms.  

York faces a 15-year mandatory minimum prison sentence and maximum prison term of life. He also faces a $10,000,000 fine and a supervised release term of up to life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This was a joint investigation involving the Portland, Biddeford, and Saco Police Departments; the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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BANGOR, Maine:  An Aroostook County man was sentenced in federal court today for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Jeff Curtis, 40, to five years in prison and three years of supervised release.

According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico. Curtis and his co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine. 

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies. 

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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BANGOR, Maine: An Oakland man was sentenced today in federal court for destruction of letter boxes, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Jonathan Charles Michaud, 43, to five years of probation. Michaud pled guilty on May 24, 2021.

According to court records, in October 2018, law enforcement officers were called to an Oakland neighborhood where a fire had been set in a residential mailbox. Messages had been handwritten on bills addressed to different residences, and one of these handwritten messages contained the telephone number of Michaud’s mother, with whom he resided. Investigators learned that several other mailboxes in the neighborhood had also been vandalized. In addition, a handwritten note was found in one mailbox stating, “Jonathan Charles is dead at my home, will find me dead in my room, bye mom and dad.” A state search warrant was obtained for Michaud’s residence, and investigators found evidence linking him to the vandalized mailboxes, including fingerprint and handwriting matches.    

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Maine Office of State Fire Marshal; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby presided over his final proceeding this afternoon in the U.S. District Court in Portland. Following the proceeding, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee issued the following statement on Judge Hornby taking inactive senior status:

“Having served in the state and federal courts of Maine for now forty years, Judge Hornby possesses superior intellect, compassion, and fairness. He always treated the litigants and lawyers who appeared before him with patient consideration and respect. As a long-time leader among federal judges across the nation, he made us proud to call him ours. Judge Hornby’s extraordinary contributions have left a remarkable impression on the practice of law in Maine. My colleagues and I at the United States Attorney’s Office, as well as the many who served in the Office before us, are grateful for his service and example.”

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Rodney Crowley, 33, to four years in prison and five years of supervised release. Crowley pleaded guilty on August 31, 2021.

According to court records, in August 2019, investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed search warrants for Crowley’s residence and person. HSI had obtained information from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) regarding child pornography activity involving users of an internet messaging application. In an interview with investigators, Crowley admitted being a member of chat groups in which child pornography images were exchanged. Investigators later found several images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on a memory card in Crowley’s cell phone.

HSI and the RCMP investigated the case.

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

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt, or production of child pornography, file a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.cybertipline.com or 1-800-843-5678. Your report will be forwarded to a law enforcement agency for investigation and action. If you have an emergency that requires an immediate law enforcement response, please call 911 or contact your local police or sheriff’s department.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Florida man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for soliciting child pornography, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Cameron Eagle, 35, of Stuart, Florida, to five years in prison and five years of supervised release. Eagle pleaded guilty in September 2021.

According to court records, on May 9, 2020, while in Florida, Eagle used Cash App, a direct peer-to-peer payment system for mobile devices, to pay a female child in Maine to engage in sexually explicit conduct while he watched via livestream over the chat website Omegle. The child, who resided in Cumberland County, was 14 years old at the time. Financial records reflect that Eagle made several payments to the child on that date, and that he made other similar payments in small denominations to other Cash App accounts on the same day, as well as on other dates in May and June 2020.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the Martin County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, with assistance from the Fort Pierce office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

The 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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PORTLAND, Maine: An Old Orchard Beach man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for distributing fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Corydon Mills, 33, to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release. Mills pleaded guilty in August 2021.

According to court records, on January 23, 2017, Mills distributed fentanyl at a residence in Old Orchard Beach. Two people used this fentanyl and died as a result.

The Old Orchard Beach Police Department and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case.

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BANGOR, Maine: A former Portland resident pleaded guilty in federal court today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, on August 28, 2021, the Brewer Police Department was called to the Brewer Walmart parking lot due to a disturbance. Patrick Mullen, 52, was located in his truck in the parking lot. Law enforcement ran his information and determined that Mullen had three outstanding warrants. In addition, he was observed in his truck holding a firearm. After an hours-long standoff, Mullen was arrested. Mullen is prohibited from possessing firearms as a result of a 2017 conviction in the Washington County Unified Court for Domestic Violence Criminal Threatening (With a Dangerous Weapon).

Mullen faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He also faces up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Brewer Police Department, the Holden Police Department, the Bangor Police Department, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the Maine State Police, and the ATF investigated the case.  The Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the case.

The prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Guatemalan man pleaded guilty in federal court today to entering the United States after a prior removal, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, in December 2021, Nelson Obed Mendez-Gomez, 31, was a passenger in a truck driving in Rangeley. The vehicle refused to yield despite being followed by a U.S. Border Patrol Agent who was driving in a law enforcement vehicle with emergency lights and sirens. Once the truck stopped, Mendez-Gomez was removed along with the other vehicle occupants. A subsequent records check revealed that he had previously been deported from the United States on January 1, 2013, and July 12, 2017.

Mendez-Gomez faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He also faces not more than one year of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

 

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BANGOR, Maine: A Bangor woman was sentenced today in federal court for maintaining a drug-involved premises and distributing fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Brenda J. Shaboski, 65, of Bangor, to a term of 12 months and one day of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. Shaboski pleaded guilty on July 19, 2021. 

According to court records, Shaboski owned 1702 Union Street in Bangor, a residence referred to locally as “the farm.” From June through December 2020, the location was used by Shaboski and others to buy, sell, and use heroin, fentanyl and cocaine base. Individuals renting from Shaboski or staying at her house sold and used drugs, and the vehicle and visitor traffic to the location was primarily drug related. The residence was used by drug distributers as a location to “cook” powder cocaine into crack. In March 2021, Shaboski also arranged fentanyl sales from her home. 

In imposing the sentence, Judge Woodcock told the defendant, “There is no way to overstate the impact of these poisonous and addictive substances on this country and on Maine in particular.” The Court noted that Shaboski “had encouraged what amounts to a virus in the body politic of this community” with the “staggering amount of illegal drugs” involved at her home.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case. The Financial Litigation Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office will receive $23,372 in sale proceeds resulting from the forfeiture of Shaboski’s residence.   

 

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PORTLAND, Maine -- U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland released the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department's National Strategy is expansive in scope.  It aims to enhance the department's capacity to prevent human trafficking; to prosecute human trafficking cases; and to support and protect human trafficking victims and survivors.

“Human trafficking is an insidious crime,” said Attorney General Garland. “Traffickers exploit and endanger some of the most vulnerable members of our society and cause their victims unimaginable harm. The Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking will bring the full force of the Department to this fight.”

The District of Maine was one of six districts designated in 2016 through a competitive, nationwide selection process as a Phase II Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam), through the interagency ACTeam Initiative of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Labor. ACTeams focus on developing high-impact human trafficking investigations and prosecutions involving forced labor, international sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion through interagency collaboration among federal prosecutors and federal investigative agencies.

“Anyone can become a victim of sex and labor trafficking, but some of Maine’s most vulnerable people are especially susceptible. This includes children and marginalized youth; people with unstable housing; survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse; those with a history of substance use disorder; people facing poverty; and refugee and migrant workers,” said U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee. “Even during a pandemic, the internet and social media have given traffickers a platform to recruit victims.”

“Preventing and combatting human trafficking is a top priority for our office, and we are committed to working with our local, state, and federal partners in order to protect victims and prosecute those who exploit our most vulnerable neighbors,” McElwee said.

Among other things, the Justice Department’s multi-year strategy to combat all forms of human trafficking will:

• Strengthen engagement, coordination and joint efforts to combat human trafficking by prosecutors in all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and by federal law enforcement agents nationwide.
• Establish federally funded, locally led anti-human trafficking task forces that support sustained state law enforcement leadership and comprehensive victim assistance.
• Step up departmental efforts to end forced labor by increasing attention, resources and coordination in labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions.
• Enhance initiatives to reduce vulnerability of American Indians and Alaska Natives to violent crime, including human trafficking, and to locate missing children.
• Develop and implement new victim screening protocols to identify potential human trafficking victims during law enforcement operations and encourage victims to share important information.
• Increase capacity to provide victim-centered assistance to trafficking survivors, including by supporting efforts to deliver financial restoration to victims.
• Expand dissemination of federal human trafficking training, guidance and expertise.
• Advance innovative demand-reduction strategies.

The department’s strategy will be implemented under the direction of the National Human Trafficking Coordinator designated by the Attorney General in accordance with the Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017.

If you believe that you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, please contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at   1-888-373-7888, or Text 233733.

To read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking click here.

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BANGOR, Maine: An Indian national man pleaded guilty in federal court today to three counts of manslaughter, two counts of operating under the influence (OUI), and one count of unsafe operation of a motor vehicle. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee.

According to court records, in the early morning hours of August 31, 2019, Praneeth Manubolu, 30, then living in New Jersey on a student visa, was the driver in a motor vehicle crash on the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park that injured him and killed his three passengers. Subsequent investigation revealed that Manubolu had been drinking earlier in the evening. His blood alcohol content was determined to be .095% approximately 90 minutes after the crash with the legal limit being .08%. The investigation also revealed that Manubolu’s car was traveling 76 mph approximately three seconds before impact. The speed limit on the section of Park Loop Road where the crash occurred was 25 mph. 

On each manslaughter count, Manubolu faces not more than eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He also faces up to three years of supervised release. On each of the two OUI counts and the unsafe operation count, Manubolu faces up to six months in prison and a $250,000 fine. He also faces up to one year of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The National Park Service and the Bar Harbor Police Department investigated the case with the assistance of Maine State Police and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Bucksport man was sentenced today in federal court for possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced William Meier, 57, to 11 years and three months imprisonment to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $86,500 in restitution. Meier pleaded guilty on March 1, 2021.

According to court records, Meier possessed electronic devices containing child exploitation material. The electronics, including a cell phone and a computer with associated drives, were seized from his home on June 13, 2020. Some of the material Meier possessed depicted children under the age of 12.    

In imposing the sentence, Judge Woodcock told the defendant, “This is not only a crime against individual children. This is a crime against childhood itself and the innocence of childhood.”

Homeland Security Investigations, the Bucksport Police Department, and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigated the case.

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

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt, or production of child pornography, file a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.cybertipline.com or 1-800-843-5678. Your report will be forwarded to a law enforcement agency for investigation and action. If you have an emergency that requires an immediate law enforcement response, please call 911 or contact your local police or sheriff’s department.

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PORTLAND, Maine—A Portland man was sentenced today in federal court for possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Andrew Hazelton, 29, to five years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Hazelton pleaded guilty on July 22, 2021.

According to court records, in October 2019, Hazelton chatted online with a 10-year-old girl. During the chat—after learning that the girl was 10—he said he wanted to see her “sexy body,” and asked her to send him pictures of her in her panties and without a shirt. He also said he wished he could have sex with her.

FBI investigators later learned of the chat, and in April 2021 executed search warrants for Hazelton’s Portland residence and for his person. Agents encountered Hazelton just outside the residence. He had a smartphone in his pants pocket that he provided to investigators. An analysis of the phone revealed a folder containing dozens of video files depicting minors, some of them prepubescent, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

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

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt, or production of child pornography, file a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.cybertipline.com or 1-800-843-5678. Your report will be forwarded to a law enforcement agency for investigation and action. If you have an emergency that requires an immediate law enforcement response, please call 911 or contact your local police or sheriff’s department.

PORTLAND, Maine: Five fishermen from Maine and one fisherman from New Hampshire, along with a corporation, were charged with conspiracy, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice in connection with a multi-year scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring and falsify fishing records, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

Glenn Robbins, 75, of Eliot; Ethan Chase, 44, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Neil Herrick, 46, of Rockland; Andrew Banow, 35, of Rockport; Stephen Little, 56, of Warren; Jason Parent, 49, of Owls Head; and Western Sea, Inc., were named in a 35-count indictment returned today.

According to the indictment, between June 2016 and September 2019, the owner, captains, and crew aboard the F/V Western Sea sold more than 2.6 million pounds of Atlantic herring that was not reported to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA relies upon accurate reports to set policies designed to ensure a sustainable fishery. The indictment alleges that members of the crew were paid directly by fish dealers and lobster vessel operators for the unreported herring.

“The type of unscrupulous and unlawful fishing alleged in the Indictment returned by the grand jury directly affects the economic benefit of law-abiding fishermen and fishing communities,” said Director James Landon, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement. “We will continue to help bring to justice those who are proven to have violated U.S. fishing laws and regulations, to help ensure the sustainability of our living marine resources while also maximizing economic benefit.”

NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement and the Maine Marine Patrol investigated the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

 

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BANGOR, Maine:  A Guilford man pleaded guilty in federal court today to possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, between about October 6, 2020, and about April 1, 2021, Scott Tarr, 56, possessed child pornography on his cellphone which he had used to download the material from the internet. Some of the images depicted children under the age of 12.

Tarr faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

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

To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt, or production of child pornography, file a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.cybertipline.com or 1-800-843-5678. Your report will be forwarded to a law enforcement agency for investigation and action. If you have an emergency that requires an immediate law enforcement response, please call 911 or contact your local police or sheriff’s department.

 

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Note: The defendants in this case, Faysal Kalayaf Manahe, Yaser Aali, Ammar Alkinani, and Quasim Saesah, were acquitted by a jury of the charges alleged in the indictment described in the press release below.

A federal grand jury in Portland, Maine, returned an indictment charging four managers of home health care agencies with participating in a conspiracy to suppress the wages and restrict the job mobility of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the one-count felony indictment filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, four Portland residents: Faysal Kalayaf Manahe; Yaser Aali; Ammar Alkinani; and Quasim Saesah — all owners and/or managers of home health care agencies — conspired to eliminate competition for the services of Personal Support Specialist (PSS) workers by agreeing to fix the rates paid to these workers and by agreeing not to hire each other’s workers. This indictment is the first in this ongoing investigation into wage fixing and worker allocation schemes in the PSS industry.

“PSS workers and other essential workers risked their health caring for others at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The indictment in this case alleges that the employers of these workers colluded to deprive them of opportunities to earn better wages. The Antitrust Division and our partners will investigate and prosecute this conduct to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Early in the pandemic, Maine made additional resources available to ensure that seniors continued to receive in-home care and that essential workers would be able to afford personal protective equipment,” said U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee for the District of Maine. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is proud to partner with the Antitrust Division to protect essential workers from the type of conduct alleged in the indictment returned by the grand jury.”

“People in Maine have suffered real hardships because of the pandemic, especially frontline health care workers, and we will fully investigate allegations of exploitation,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta of the FBI Boston Division.

The maximum penalty for conspiracy to restrain trade under the Sherman Antitrust Act is 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of $1 million for individuals. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The charges are the result of an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into wage fixing and worker allocation in the home health care industry, conducted by the Antitrust Division’s New York Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, and the FBI’s Boston Division, Portland Resident Agency. Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit http://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.

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

BANGOR, Maine: A Northeast Harbor man was sentenced today in federal court for failing to register as a sex offender, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Jack Palmer, 71, to 12 months and one day in prison and 10 years of supervised release. Palmer was convicted on August 2, 2021, following a bench trial.

Trial evidence revealed that in 2016, Palmer was convicted in federal court of possessing child pornography. As a result of that conviction, he was required to register as a sex offender in the state of Maine and to update that registration within three days of changing residences. In November 2020, Palmer moved from Portland to Northeast Harbor and failed to notify the Maine Sex Offender Registry. He lived at this residence until his arrest in April 2021.

The U.S. Marshals Service and the Bar Harbor/Mount Desert Island Police Department investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine—A Lewiston man was sentenced today in federal court for making false statements during the purchase of firearms, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Jake Scherer, 24, to three months of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. Scherer pleaded guilty on August 3, 2021.

According to court records, on April 30, 2020, Scherer purchased handguns from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Levant. When completing the sale, Scherer completed a Firearms Transaction Record form in which he falsely reported that he was the actual purchaser of the firearms. On May 22, 2020, Scherer purchased firearms from a licensed dealer in Houlton, and again falsely stated he was the actual purchaser. Scherer was purchasing the firearms for someone else on both occasions.

Straw purchasing typically involves a buyer who can lawfully purchase firearms but who then provides them to another person who is legally prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms, therefore allowing the prohibited person to illegally obtain firearms and avoid the national background check system.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.  

The prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.

BANGOR, Maine:  A Bangor man was sentenced today in federal court for distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Christian Barreto, 35, of Bangor to five years imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. Barreto pleaded guilty on June 8, 2021.

According to court records, on July 14, 2020, Barreto distributed over 187 grams of cocaine to a law enforcement informant. On July 28, 2020, agents executed a search warrant at his residence in Holden where they found an additional 166 grams of the cocaine, $1,635 in cash, several cellular telephones and a handgun. The investigation revealed that over the course of two-and-a-half years, Barreto sold nearly 14 pounds of cocaine in Penobscot County.

The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Holden Police Department and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office.

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PORTLAND, Maine:  A Michigan man pleaded guilty in federal court today to sexual abuse of a minor, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, in August 2009, Matthew Boyd, 32, was an active-duty sailor stationed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.  During this time, Boyd engaged in a sexual act with a minor who had attained the age 12 but who had not attained the age of 16.

Boyd faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He also faces up to three years of supervised release.  He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigated the case.

 

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BANGOR, Maine:  An Aroostook County man was sentenced in federal court today for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Andrew Torres, 26, to six years in prison and three years of supervised release.

According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico. Torres and his co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine. 

In imposing the sentence, Judge Walker observed that “peddling in this poison has brought a great deal of dysfunction and chaos and, too often, death to communities all over our state, and maybe most especially northern Maine.”

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies. 

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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PORTLAND, Maine:  An Arizona man pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to commit wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, in 2017 and 2018, Arthur Merson, 67, of Scottsdale, Arizona, participated in a scheme to defraud involving investments in Standby Letters of Credit (SBLCs). Investors were promised that they could receive a portion of the value of an SBLC, worth millions of dollars, for a much smaller initial investment. Investors were promised returns equal to many times the amounts of their initial investments in a matter of weeks. They were also promised that their money would remain in the attorney trust account of a co-conspirator—who at the time was a licensed attorney in Florida—until confirmation was received that the SBLC had been issued.

In his role as an intermediary between investors and the principal members of the conspiracy, Merson falsely represented to investors that the investment was not risky and that he had been involved in similar successful deals in the past. In fact, he had not been involved in prior successful transactions of this sort, nor had he made any significant amount of money from them.

After co-conspirators fraudulently transferred investor funds, Merson relayed a variety of excuses from other members of the conspiracy for why the transactions had not occurred. He also falsely represented that he was an independent consultant who was only going to receive a small finder’s fee, and claimed not to know the details of the transaction or the payouts the clients could expect. In fact, he had a significant independent financial interest in the investment transaction that he failed to disclose, and affirmatively misled investors about, as he responded to investor inquiries.

Merson faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He also faces up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The FBI investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine:  A Texas man was sentenced in federal court today for conspiring to commit wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Russell Hearld, 46, of Sugar Land, Texas, to 29 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Final determination of the restitution owed to victims was extended until April. Hearld pleaded guilty on May 24, 2021.

According to court records, in 2017 and 2018, Hearld participated in a scheme to defraud involving investments in Standby Letters of Credit (SBLCs). Investors were promised that they could receive a portion of the value of an SBLC, worth millions of dollars, for a much smaller initial investment. Investors were promised returns equal to many times the amounts of their initial investments in a matter of weeks. They were also promised that their money would remain in the attorney trust account of a co-conspirator—who at the time was a licensed attorney in Florida—until confirmation was received that the SBLC had been issued.

Contrary to these representations, Hearld routinely directed the co-conspirator attorney to withdraw investor funds as soon as they were deposited into the attorney’s trust account. For example, in March 2017, an investor wired $500,000 from his bank account in Maine to the attorney’s trust account in Florida. On the previous day, Hearld had sent the attorney an email, directing the attorney to disburse the investor’s funds. At Hearld’s direction, the attorney wired $200,000 to Hearld’s bank account; $150,000 to the account of the attorney’s law firm; $100,000 to the account of another co-conspirator; and $40,000 to the attorney’s personal account.

While discussing the reasons for his sentence, Judge Woodcock noted that Hearld took the victims’ money for “completely selfish reasons.” He also noted that Hearld owed over $13,000 in past due child support, and said it was “just disgraceful” that Hearld had failed to meet his support obligations despite personally receiving over $2 million in the fraud scheme.

The FBI investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine:  An Arizona man pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to commit wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, in 2017 and 2018, Arthur Merson, 67, of Scottsdale, Arizona, participated in a scheme to defraud involving investments in Standby Letters of Credit (SBLCs). Investors were promised that they could receive a portion of the value of an SBLC, worth millions of dollars, for a much smaller initial investment. Investors were promised returns equal to many times the amounts of their initial investments in a matter of weeks. They were also promised that their money would remain in the attorney trust account of a co-conspirator—who at the time was a licensed attorney in Florida—until confirmation was received that the SBLC had been issued.

In his role as an intermediary between investors and the principal members of the conspiracy, Merson falsely represented to investors that the investment was not risky and that he had been involved in similar successful deals in the past. In fact, he had not been involved in prior successful transactions of this sort, nor had he made any significant amount of money from them.

After co-conspirators fraudulently transferred investor funds, Merson relayed a variety of excuses from other members of the conspiracy for why the transactions had not occurred. He also falsely represented that he was an independent consultant who was only going to receive a small finder’s fee, and claimed not to know the details of the transaction or the payouts the clients could expect. In fact, he had a significant independent financial interest in the investment transaction that he failed to disclose, and affirmatively misled investors about, as he responded to investor inquiries.

Merson faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He also faces up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The FBI investigated the case.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Wiscasset woman was sentenced today in federal court for making false statements during the purchase a firearm, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Laura Love, 44, to three years of probation. Love pleaded guilty on September 1, 2021.

According to court records, in April 2019, Love, formerly of the Augusta area, purchased a 9 mm pistol from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Windsor. When completing the sale, Love filled out a Firearms Transaction Record in which she falsely reported that she was the actual purchaser of the firearm. She was actually purchasing the firearm for someone else. It is a federal felony to knowingly make a false statement in connection with the purchase of a firearm from a federally licensed dealer.

This Augusta Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

The prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Sidney man was sentenced today in federal court for making false statements with respect to work on a federally approved highway project, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Jim Wentworth, 51, to one year of probation and $35,000 fine. Wentworth pleaded guilty on June 11, 2021.

According to court records, in June 2019, Wentworth was working as the project manager for a general contractor on a bridge contract in Gardiner. The project was funded in part with federal highway funds approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation. In the course of negotiating a contract modification, Wentworth submitted documents falsely inflating the costs paid to a subcontractor. Based on these false submissions, the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) overpaid the general contract over $91,000. Once the extent of the fraud was discovered, the general contractor compensated MDOT for the full overpayment.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Woodcock noted that fraud concerning public funds added to the seriousness of the offense. He also noted that Wentworth faces additional administrative sanctions from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, which may include a period of supervision, a suspension, or debarment from working on federally funded highway projects.

The U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine: A Massachusetts man was sentenced today in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Terrence Ware, Jr., 28, of Springfield, Massachusetts, to a time served sentence of 15 months imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. Ware pleaded guilty on May 19, 2021.

According to court records, Ware was convicted in 2019 of felony domestic violence offenses in Massachusetts. These convictions prohibited Ware from possessing firearms under federal law. On three separate occasions in June 2020, Ware possessed and shot firearms at gun range in Holden, Maine.

“The presence of a firearm in domestic violence situations significantly increases the risk of lethality,” said U.S. Attorney McElwee. “Prosecution of domestic abusers who illegally possess firearms is a priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ATF in Maine.”

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Springvale man was sentenced in federal court today for fentanyl trafficking, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby sentenced Richard Martin, 41, to 12 years in prison and four years of supervised release. Martin pleaded guilty in July 2021.

According to court records, in May 2020, Martin was engaged in fentanyl trafficking. On May 25, he was robbed of a substantial quantity of fentanyl that he intended to distribute to others. Following the robbery, Martin sent numerous Facebook messages acknowledging the robbery and threatening violence to the suspected perpetrators. Law enforcement recovered a portion of the stolen fentanyl on May 31, 2020.

The FBI and the Rumford and Buxton police departments investigated the case with assistance from the York and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Offices, the Maine State Police, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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BANGOR, Maine: A Jonesport man pleaded guilty in federal court today to wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, from April through October 2020, Donald McMahon, 34, embezzled approximately $95,000 from a bank account owned by an estate being probated in Washington County. McMahon carried out the scheme by obtaining unauthorized access to the estate account. He then made hundreds of transfers from the estate’s bank account using PayPal, an online money transfer system, in order to convert the funds to his own use.  

McMahon faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A former Florida resident was sentenced in federal court today for bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Joshua Strickland, aka “Ash Strickland,” 36, to five years and 10 months in prison and two years of supervised release. Strickland was also ordered to pay $13,994 in restitution. Strickland pleaded guilty on July 27, 2021.

According to court records, on January 3, 2019, Strickland entered the Bank of America branch in Portland and approached one of the tellers. Strickland handed her a note that stated, “This is a robbery. I have a gun. If I feel like you are trying anything I will start shooting people.” Strickland demanded that the teller provide $5,000. Strickland subsequently fled to Las Vegas, Nevada, prior to being arrested.

The FBI and the Portland and South Portland police departments investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Boothbay man was sentenced today in federal court for distributing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Joseph Pinkham, 35, to 15 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. Pinkham pleaded guilty on June 23, 2021.

According to court records, in October 2019, Pinkham sent several text messages to an individual in Texas containing images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The individual in Texas reported the conduct to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators identified the sender as Pinkham and obtained a search warrant for his residence in Boothbay. In an interview with investigators, Pinkham acknowledged sending sexually explicit images of minors to the individual in Texas.

Pinkham was subject to an enhanced sentence because he had been previously convicted of child pornography offenses.

“As the defendant in this case himself noted at sentencing, the distribution of images of child sexual abuse revictimizes those children who are depicted in the images,” said U.S. Attorney McElwee. “Individuals who commit these offenses, particularly those like Mr. Pinkham who commit them after being convicted for similar conduct, face significant punishment under federal law.”

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Dallas (Texas) Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

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

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PORTLAND, Maine:  A Yarmouth man was sentenced today in federal court for conspiracy to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Isaiah Mokeme, aka “O,” 25, to ten years in prison and four years of supervised release. Mokeme pleaded guilty in March 2021.

According to court records, in January 2019, Mokeme and others agreed to ship cocaine from California to southern Maine for further distribution. On January 10, 2019, Mokeme shipped an overnight package from Los Angeles to Westbrook, Maine. The package was intercepted and found to contain three kilograms of cocaine. Law enforcement then recovered a receipt indicating a similar package was shipped on January 9, 2019.  

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Marshals Service, and the Portland and Los Angeles police departments investigated the case. 

             

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PORTLAND, Maine: A South Carolina man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for interstate stalking, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Dustin Beach, 27, to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release. Beach pleaded guilty in June 2021.

According to court records, during the days leading up to July 25, 2019, Beach drove a female victim from South Carolina to Maine. During the drive to Maine, Beach threatened the victim and physically assaulted her with his hands and other objects, including a hammer and a metal chain. These assaults resulted in bodily injury to the victim and caused her substantial emotional distress.

In pronouncing sentence, Judge Singal described Beach’s conduct as “sadistic” and found him to be “a danger to society.” 

“I want to commend the strong and collaborative law enforcement response to this vicious crime,” said U.S. Attorney McElwee. “I hope the example of this prosecution and the significant sentence imposed by the Court sends a clear message that such violence will not be tolerated in the District of Maine.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lewiston Police Department investigated the case.

 

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BANGOR, Maine: A former Texas man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for failing to register as a sex offender, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced Antonio Cardenas aka “Tony Vosburg,” 35, to 15 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Cardenas pleaded guilty in June 2021.

According to court records, in 2007, Cardenas was convicted in Texas of aggravated assault of a child under 14 years of age. This felony conviction made Cardenas a lifetime sex offender registrant in Texas. In early August 2020, he moved from Texas and began living in Mars Hill and Caribou, Maine. He did not notify the Texas Sex Offender Registry that he was moving. Further, prior to his arrest on February 10, 2021, he made no attempt to register on the Maine Sex Offender Registry.

The United States Marshals Service investigated the case.

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BANGOR, Maine: An Old Town man pleaded guilty in federal court today to making false statements to the government, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, in January 2016, Jeffrey Street, 51, met with special agents from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. General Services Administration. Prior to the commencement of the interview, Street was instructed to be truthful. He received warnings that false statements to federal agents could be prosecuted as violations of federal law. During the interview, he falsely stated that his company never paid employees overtime wages in cash at regular time rates. He also falsely stated that overtime hours worked by his employees were paid by a payroll check. At the time he made these statements, he knew he paid employees regular time rates in cash for overtime hours.

Street faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Offices of Inspector General from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. General Services Administration investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: The Department of Justice today announced nearly $126 million in funding to advance school safety under the STOP School Violence Act. The Maine Department of Education, Maine School Administrative District 30, covering the Town of Lee in rural Penobscot County, and the City of Bangor are among the grant recipients. 

The grants, awarded by the Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), will help institute safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools, support school violence prevention efforts, provide training to school personnel and students, and implement evidence-based threat assessments.

“The Justice Department has no greater responsibility than protecting Americans from harm,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Schools must be safe places to learn, and today’s investment of more than $125 million under the STOP School Violence Act will help ensure that they are.”

The Students, Teachers and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 (the “STOP School Violence Act”) gives the Justice Department the authority to provide awards directly to states, units of local government, Indian tribes, and public agencies (such as school districts and law enforcement agencies) to improve security at schools and on school grounds through evidence-based school safety programs. It also provides grants to ensure a positive school climate by helping students and teachers recognize, respond quickly to, and help prevent acts of violence.

The 78 BJA annual awards, totaling almost $74 million, are intended to support training and education for school personnel and students on preventing violence against others and themselves, including anti-bullying training and specialized training for school officials to respond to mental health crises. Funds also help develop and implement multidisciplinary threat assessment or intervention teams and design technology solutions such as anonymous reporting systems, hotlines and websites.

The COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) provides up to 75% of the funding for school safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools. The 153 SVPP awards, totaling almost $52 million, are statutorily obligated to be used for coordination with law enforcement; training for local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence; locks, lighting and other deterrent measures; technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency; and other measures that provide a significant improvement in security. 

The Maine Department of Education received a BJA award of $1,991,780. These funds will be utilized to enhance the development and implementation of Behavioral Threat Assessment teams in school districts across Maine.  MSAD 30 received a BJA award of $266,963 and an additional SVPP award of $171,815. These funds will be used to deliver two evidence-based anti-violence training programs – the Sandy Hook Promise “Know the Signs” program and Youth Mental Health First Aid – to staff, administrators, and students. The City of Bangor received a BJA award of $30,749 to enhance the effectiveness of Behavioral Intervention Teams.

“Promoting the development and implementation of strategies to ensure safe and positive learning environments for Maine students is a priority for this office,” said U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee. “I congratulate the Department of Education, MSAD 30, and the City of Bangor and look forward to supporting this critical work.”

“The Maine Department of Education is committed to protecting the safety of Maine students both inside and outside of school through restorative and proactive practices,” said Jonathan J. Shapiro, Director, Maine School Safety Center. “With this BJA grant, we will continue our highly sought-after Behavioral Threat Assessment Training Program, which trains staff to prevent school violence and identify supports needed to keep students positively engaged with their school community. We will also be able to expand additional programs that are dedicated to suicide awareness and prevention, and services for at-risk students. We thank all our partners at the local, county, state, and federal level for their ongoing support and partnership in our efforts to keep Maine students safe.”   

• The full list of SVPP awards: https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2021AwardDocs/svpp/Award_List.pdf 
• A list of BJA awards: https://www.ojp.gov/funding/fy21-ojp-grant-awards

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Department of Justice agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to agency for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 135,000 officers. 

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

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PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced today that the District of Maine collected $4,301,145.59 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2021. Of this amount, $2,656,134.87 was collected in criminal actions and $1,645,010.72 was collected in civil actions. 

Additionally, the District of Maine worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $37,336.07 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $12,336.07 was collected in criminal actions and $25,000.00 was collected in civil actions.         

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $4,040,485 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2021. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

 

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BANGOR, Maine: An Old Town man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing an unregistered firearm, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Stephen Warren, 38, to four years and two months in prison and two years of supervised release. Warren pleaded guilty in July 2021.

According to court records, on September 8, 2020, Warren was stopped by an Old Town police officer. Warren was issued a summons for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and served with a protection order. Warren was told not to operate his car due to his suspended license. He ignored this order, however, and drove away from the area. Following a brief pursuit, Warren was stopped and arrested.

A subsequent inventory search of Warren’s car revealed a short-barreled shotgun without a serial number. The shotgun was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR). Federal law prohibits the possession of an unregistered weapon made from a shotgun if the modified weapon has a barrel less than 18 inches in length or an overall length of less than 26 inches.

“These firearms are more dangerous because they are easily concealed and devastating when used at close range,” said U.S. Attorney McElwee. “As a result, anyone who seeks to possess one of these weapons must comply with the registration requirements of the National Firearms Act.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Old Town Police Department investigated the case as part of the Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) initiative.

PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability. 

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PORTLAND, Maine—A Portland man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Abdikareem Hassan, 33, to four years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on July 30, 2021.

According to court records, on July 5, 2020, Hassan fired approximately five shots at the Portland Police Department Headquarters from a black Hyundai Tucson. Hassan was arrested during the early morning hours of July 6, 2020. Law enforcement recovered a gun with Hassan’s DNA on it near the scene of the shooting and bullet casings on the windshield of the Hyundai. Hassan is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction.

In pronouncing sentence, Chief Judge Levy stated that Hassan’s conduct posed a “grave danger to the community” and reflected “complete disregard for the welfare of other people.”

“Violence directed at anyone, including law enforcement officers, cannot be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney McElwee. “It is only because of sheer luck that no one was killed or gravely injured as a result of Hassan’s actions. We at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in partnership with our state, local and tribal partners, are committed to taking all possible steps to address violent crime in Maine.”

The FBI and the Portland Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

BANGOR, Maine: A Greenbush man was sentenced in federal court today for being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced David Phillips, 30, to ten months in prison and one year of supervised release.  Phillips pleaded guilty in July 2021.

According to court records, on multiple dates at the end of January 2021, Phillips was seen on video purchasing ammunition at a gun and ammunition store in Maine.  These purchases were confirmed on Phillips’ debit card.  This ammunition was not manufactured in the state of Maine.  Phillips was prohibited from possessing ammunition under federal law because of a 2016 felony conviction in the Bridgeport, Connecticut Superior Court for violating a protective order.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office; the Maine State Police; and the Bangor Police Department investigated the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.

PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories.  PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources.  Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability. 

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Bath man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for wire fraud, money laundering, transferring property to prevent seizure, and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.   

U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby sentenced David Altenburg, 46, to ten years in prison followed by 18 months of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $2,807,080 in restitution to victims of the offenses. He pleaded guilty on June 24, 2021.

According to court records, between February 2019 and September 2020, Altenburg used his access to his employer’s financial accounts to conduct approximately 106 wire transfers and other withdrawals. To execute his scheme, he fraudulently used the name and email address of a firm director to purportedly authorize certain transfers. In total, he diverted more than $2.7 million to accounts under his control. He used the diverted monies to fund travel; pay down his mortgage; and purchase luxury vehicles, jewelry, clothing, and other items. After learning he was under investigation, he transferred title of his residence to a trust managed by his wife in an effort to prevent its seizure.

Prior to entering his guilty plea, Altenburg opened an online bank account. Despite agreeing to surrender all proceeds of his criminal conduct, he funded this account through the sale of criminally derived property. He then spent money on visits to resorts in Maine and New Hampshire and other non-essential items. This conduct resulted in his loss of credit for accepting responsibility for the offenses.

The FBI investigated this case with assistance from the Bath Police Department.

 

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