District of Maine

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and six other federal law enforcement agencies announced the completion of the third annual Money Mule Initiative, a coordinated operation to disrupt the networks through which transnational fraudsters move the proceeds of their crimes. Money mules are individuals who assist fraudsters by receiving money from victims of fraud and forwarding it to the fraud organizers, many of whom are located abroad. Some money mules know they are assisting fraudsters, but others are unaware that their actions enable fraudsters’ efforts to swindle money from consumers, businesses, and government unemployment funds. Europol announced a simultaneous effort, the European Money Mule Action (EMMA) today.

Over the last two months, U.S. law enforcement agencies took action against over 2,300 money mules, far surpassing last year’s effort, which acted against over 600 money mules. This year, actions occurred in every state in the country. The initiative announced today targeted money mules involved in a wide range of schemes including lottery fraud, romance scams, government imposter fraud, technical support fraud, business email compromise or CEO fraud, and unemployment insurance fraud. Many of these schemes target elderly or vulnerable members of society. “Money mules fuel fraud against some of America’s most vulnerable populations. Without the help of these money mules, many foreign fraud enterprises find it difficult to profit off of U.S. victims,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “As this initiative demonstrates, the Department of Justice is committed to disrupting money mule networks, taking actions against more money mules this year than ever before, in an effort to cut off the flow of funds from American consumers and businesses to transnational criminal organizations.” Eight federal law enforcement agencies participated in this year’s effort.

Led by the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the participating agencies include the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, U.S. Secret Service, and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Some highlights from this year’s efforts are:

• Actions were taken to halt the conduct of approximately 2,300 money mules, spanning 92 federal districts.
• Law enforcement served approximately 2,000 money mules with letters warning the money mules that they were facilitating fraud and could face civil or criminal consequences for continuing their actions. Agents conducted over 450 interviews.
• On approximately 30 instances, agents seized assets or facilitated the return of victim funds. Among the asset seizures was a 2019 Lamborghini, which was seized as part of an investigation into a business email compromise scheme.
• The U.S. Postal Inspection Service filed 14 administrative actions requiring money mules to cease facilitating fraud.
• U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Consumer Protection Branch filed 17 civil injunctive actions seeking court orders requiring money mules to stop facilitating fraudulent activity. Districts filing those actions include the Western District of Washington, District of South Carolina, Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Central District of California, Northern District of New York, and District of Colorado.

Additionally, more than 35 individuals were criminally charged or arrested for their roles in receiving victim payments and forwarding the fraud proceeds to accomplices or laundering fraud proceeds. Cases include:

• -The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California indicted three individuals for collecting parcels containing victim proceeds in a government imposter scheme.
• -The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland indicted three individuals for opening bank accounts using falsified documents for the purposes of facilitating a business email compromise scam.
• The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas indicted an individual for facilitating a lottery fraud scheme. The indictment also seeks to forfeit over $1.2 million.
• The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio indicted two money mules who facilitated a grandparents scam.
• -The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia charged a money mule who laundered gift cards purchased by fraud victims.

Additional criminal charges were brought by U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Southern District of Florida, Western District of Pennsylvania, Western District of North Carolina, Southern District of Texas, the Southern District of Mississippi, and the District of New Jersey.

The above charges are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
“The success of the Money Mule Initiative is the culmination of the hard work by and coordination between the FBI and our federal, state, local, and international partners,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This campaign has resulted in hundreds of criminal arrests worldwide and justice for countless victims. Today’s announcement should send a clear message to those engaged in this type of criminal activity: they are not outside the reach of law enforcement, and the FBI and its partners will relentlessly pursue them in order to protect the American people.”

“The Postal Inspection Service has zero tolerance for fraudsters who use the U.S. Mail to transport funds from scammed victims,” said Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale. “Postal Inspectors use cutting-edge technology to build strong cases and campaigns like those announced today, which make significant progress towards disrupting money mule networks. Postal Inspectors and our law enforcement partners will be relentless in the pursuit of criminal organizations that perpetrate these schemes.”

The agencies participating in the Money Mule Initiative and community partners are undertaking an outreach campaign to increase awareness of how fraudsters use and recruit money mules. U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, through their Elder Justice Coordinators, will be reaching out to their communities to educate the public about money mules. AmeriCorp Seniors (formerly Senior Corps) will be working to increase awareness of how money mules facilitate fraud and how consumers can avoid unwittingly assisting fraud schemes.

Additionally, the American Bankers Association will be engaging with its members on money mules and the role of financial institutions in addressing the problem. The Department of Justice will also be distributing resources for state and local law enforcement on identifying, disrupting, investigating, and prosecuting money mules.
To find public education materials, as well as information about how fraudsters use and recruit money mules, please visit www.justice.gov.

Since President Trump signed the bipartisan Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (EAPPA) into law, the Department of Justice has participated in hundreds of enforcement actions in criminal and civil cases that targeted or disproportionately affected seniors. In January 2020, the department designated “Preventing and Disrupting Transnational Elder Fraud” as an Agency Priority Goal, one of its top four priorities. In March 2020, the department announced the largest elder fraud enforcement action in American history, charging more than 400 defendants in a nationwide elder fraud sweep. The department has also conducted hundreds of trainings and outreach sessions across the country since the passage of the Act.

The department’s extensive efforts to combat elder fraud seek to halt the billions of dollars seniors lose each year to fraud schemes, including those perpetrated by transnational criminal organizations. The best method for prevention, however, is sharing information about the various types of elder fraud schemes with relatives, friends, neighbors, and other seniors who can use that information to protect themselves. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish and other languages are available. The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. 

BANGOR, Maine:  An Aroostook County man was sentenced today in federal court in Bangor for conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Andrew Maynard, 30, to 92 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Maynard pleaded guilty in March 2020.

According to court records, between January 2017 and August 2018, a drug trafficking organization distributed large quantities of methamphetamine in northern Maine. The organization obtained the drugs from out-of-state sources in Colorado and Arizona. The organization sent thousands of dollars in U.S. currency to those sources in order to supply its drug trafficking enterprise. Maynard aided the organization by distributing methamphetamine and collecting proceeds from the sale of the drug.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case. 

PORTLAND, Maine:  A Gorham man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Portland to receiving and possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, in May 2018, investigators with the Gorham Police Department executed a search warrant at the home of Carl Loomis, 64. Loomis admitted to investigators that he had child pornography images on his phone and that he had sent images to others using chat sites. A later review of Loomis’s iPhone revealed that in February 2018, he had received child pornography images on the chat application Kik. His iPhone and a thumb drive found in his home contained large numbers of images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Loomis faces no less than five years and up to 20 years in prison on the receipt charge, and up to 20 years in prison on the possession charge. He faces a fine of up to $250,000 on each charge. He also faces a term of supervised release following his release from prison of no less than 5 years and up to life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The Gorham Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine:  A Freeport man was sentenced today in federal court for accessing the internet with intent to view child pornography, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante sentenced George Royle V, 46, to 32 months imprisonment and five years of supervised release. Royle was convicted in January 2020 following a three-day jury trial.

According to evidence presented at trial, in July 2015, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at Royle’s Portland home. Agents seized a laptop computer under the warrant. A forensic analysis of the laptop showed that Royle had been accessing internet websites containing child pornography images with the intent to view them. He also had been using peer-to-peer file-sharing software to seek out child pornography.

HSI and the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine:  A Connecticut man was sentenced in federal court today in Portland for being a felon in possession of firearms, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Jeremy Rogers, 26, to six years in prison and three years of supervised release. Rogers pleaded guilty on February 20, 2020.

According to court records, in the summer of 2019, Rogers moved to Maine. After living briefly in Lewiston, he moved in with a family in Rockport that owned numerous firearms. On August 18, 2019, he took a Stag Arms multi-caliber rifle and a Glock 9 mm pistol, loaded ammunition into each, and fired them on the property outside of the Rockport residence. Rogers was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his 2016 Connecticut convictions for Criminal Possession of a Firearm and Risk of Injury to a Child.

The FBI, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Rockport, Rockland and Thomaston police departments investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine:  A Winthrop man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Bangor for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Jonathan Bowers, 32, to 15 years in prison and two years of supervised release. Bowers pleaded guilty on September 14, 2017.

According to court records, on April 9, 2016, while at a car repair shop in Chelsea, Maine, Bowers carried a 9 mm pistol in a holster on his hip. Surveillance footage captured him in possession of the pistol. Law enforcement officers later recovered the pistol and the holster. Bowers was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his four felony convictions for burglary and three felony convictions for theft. Due to his burglary convictions, he was subject to a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act.

In his allocution, Bowers told the court, “Had I known what I was actually facing by possessing a gun I would have distanced myself as far as possible from them.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about PSN, please visit http://www.justice.gov.

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PORTLAND, Maine:  A Lewiston man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Portland for distributing cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced James Robertson, 31, to eight years in prison and three years of supervised release. Judge Singal sentenced Robertson to a consecutive two year prison term because he also had violated his conditions of supervised release stemming from a 2016 federal drug trafficking conviction. Robertson pleaded guilty on October 2, 2019.

According to court records, on January 29, 2019, Robertson distributed cocaine base to a confidential informant in Lewiston. At the time of the offense, Robertson was on federal supervised release following his 2016 drug trafficking conviction. In imposing sentence, Judge Singal noted Robertson’s substantial criminal history, which placed him in the highest criminal history category under the federal sentencing guidelines.

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

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BANGOR, Maine:  An Iraqi national was sentenced today in federal court in Bangor for willfully failing to comply with the terms of release under supervision, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John Nivison sentenced Mustafa Hatem Abdulkadhim Al-Shuwaili, 28, to 12 months in federal prison. He pleaded guilty on December 17, 2019.

According to court records, Al-Shuwaili entered the U.S. in 2012. An immigration judge ordered him removed to Iraq in December 2015. In October 2018, pending his removal from the U.S., he signed an Order of Supervision with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The order prohibited him from committing any crimes while on release, among other conditions. On June 11, 2019, he was convicted in Penobscot County of felony Domestic Violence Assault, with Priors. 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated the case.

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PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank and Maine Attorney General Aaron M. Frey are warning consumers about scammers recruiting “money mules.”

According to the FBI, a money mule is someone who transfers illegally acquired money at the direction of another. Criminals recruit consumers to receive money and then physically or electronically move it through their own bank accounts, or to assist with moving money in other ways. Some of the schemes include instructions to wire the money into a third-party bank account, “cash out” the money via several cashier’s checks, convert the money into a virtual currency or prepaid debit card, send the money via a money service business, or conduct a combination of these actions. The basic purpose of the scheme is to add layers to a money trail from a victim to a criminal actor.

Criminals frequently recruit “money mules” through online job or dating websites, social networking sites, online classifieds, email spam and dark web forums. A frequent tactic involves befriending people online, often even establishing online romances, with the parties never meeting one another in person. 

Oftentimes, the potential “money mule” is told the person they are “helping” is unable for some reason to access a bank account. Mainers should always be extremely suspicious of these types of stories, particularly from someone they don’t know.

The “money mule” scam has escalated in Maine since the beginning of the pandemic. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, more than 300 Maine residents have become “money mules” during the pandemic.

U.S. Attorney Frank said, “It’s critical for Mainers to be wary of any unsolicited offer of friendship or money, either online or on the phone. If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend you’ve never met, or have tried to help someone who says they are a service member trapped overseas, you could be helping a criminal launder money and not even know it.”

Maine Attorney General Frey said, “When in doubt, we urge Mainers to take steps to determine if a message they have received is legitimate. We are frequently contacted by individuals who suspect they may have been victimized by someone seeking to take advantage of them, and we are here to help.”

Attorney General Frey noted that the Office of the Attorney General has a Consumer Protection Division, which can be reached at (800) 436-2131 or at Consumer.Mediation@maine.gov. 

If you think that you have been victimized by a money mule scam, please call your local police or the U.S. Attorney’s Office immediately.

More information on these fraudulent schemes is available on the following websites:

• FBI Money Mule Public Service Announcement: http://www.ic3.gov/media/2009/090203.aspx

• United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team: https://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/money_mules.pdf

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PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank and Maine Attorney General Aaron M. Frey are warning consumers about scammers recruiting “money mules.”

According to the FBI, a money mule is someone who transfers illegally acquired money at the direction of another. Criminals recruit consumers to receive money and then physically or electronically move it through their own bank accounts, or to assist with moving money in other ways. Some of the schemes include instructions to wire the money into a third-party bank account, “cash out” the money via several cashier’s checks, convert the money into a virtual currency or prepaid debit card, send the money via a money service business, or conduct a combination of these actions. The basic purpose of the scheme is to add layers to a money trail from a victim to a criminal actor.

Criminals frequently recruit “money mules” through online job or dating websites, social networking sites, online classifieds, email spam and dark web forums. A frequent tactic involves befriending people online, often even establishing online romances, with the parties never meeting one another in person. 

Oftentimes, the potential “money mule” is told the person they are “helping” is unable for some reason to access a bank account. Mainers should always be extremely suspicious of these types of stories, particularly from someone they don’t know.

The “money mule” scam has escalated in Maine since the beginning of the pandemic. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, more than 300 Maine residents have become “money mules” during the pandemic.

U.S. Attorney Frank said, “It’s critical for Mainers to be wary of any unsolicited offer of friendship or money, either online or on the phone. If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend you’ve never met, or have tried to help someone who says they are a service member trapped overseas, you could be helping a criminal launder money and not even know it.”

Maine Attorney General Frey said, “When in doubt, we urge Mainers to take steps to determine if a message they have received is legitimate. We are frequently contacted by individuals who suspect they may have been victimized by someone seeking to take advantage of them, and we are here to help.”

Attorney General Frey noted that the Office of the Attorney General has a Consumer Protection Division, which can be reached at (800) 436-2131 or at Consumer.Mediation@maine.gov. 

If you think that you have been victimized by a money mule scam, please call your local police or the U.S. Attorney’s Office immediately.

More information on these fraudulent schemes is available on the following websites:

• FBI Money Mule Public Service Announcement: http://www.ic3.gov/media/2009/090203.aspx
• United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team: https://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/money_mules.pdf

PORTLAND, Maine: A Congolese man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Portland to conspiring to commit mail fraud, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court documents, from March 2015 to November 2016, Mukonkole Huge Kifwa, 35, participated in a conspiracy to obtain money through a fraudulent credit card scheme using an international mail carrier. Kifwa and his co-conspirators obtained unauthorized access to bank accounts belonging to unwitting individuals in the United Kingdom, with cash advances using fraudulent credit cards.

Kifwa faces up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.

The Scarborough Police Department; the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the City of London (U.K.) Police Department investigated the case.

BANGOR, Maine:  A Brewer man was sentenced today in federal court in Bangor for being a felon in possession of two firearms, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Jamey Brigley, 33, to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. Brigley pleaded guilty on March 5, 2020.

According to court records, on May 17, 2019, Brewer police officers found Brigley in possession of brass knuckles. He later physically resisted and struggled with an officer, and two additional officers had to assist in securing him. When officers searched his backpack following his arrest, they found two pistols, one of which had an obliterated, unreadable serial number. Brigley admitted that he knew he could not legally buy or own a firearm. He was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions, including convictions for Unlawful Possession of Oxycodone and Unlawful Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs in 2015.

The Brewer Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about PSN, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psn.

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BANGOR, Maine:  A Bucksport woman was sentenced in federal court in Bangor on November 2 for aiding and abetting a mail fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Heidi Pugliese, 54, to five years of probation. She was also ordered to pay restitution to victims defrauded in the scheme.

Pugliese pleaded guilty in August 2019 to aiding and abetting Douglas Gordon in carrying out his Maine-based scheme to sell counterfeit DVDs online. An investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) revealed that Gordon, the former owner of a chain of video rental stores in eastern Maine, operated three websites from which he made hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales of more than 48,000 counterfeit copies of copyright-protected movies. Pugliese assisted the scheme over a 21‑month period from 2013 to 2015, during which time it brought in approximately $140,000.

Gordon was convicted of mail fraud and copyright infringement charges in October 2019 after a seven-day jury trial in which Pugliese testified for the government.

HSI investigated the case, with assistance from the Maine Attorney General’s Office, the Brewer Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Better Business Bureau.

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PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Portland for possession of a firearm by a felon, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Gage Henry, 21, to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Henry pleaded guilty to the charge on January 28, 2020.

On June 20, 2019, law enforcement officers, possessing a state arrest warrant for Henry, located him in a Lewiston motel room in possession of a loaded .45 caliber pistol. Investigators later recovered his DNA from the surface of the pistol. At the time he possessed the pistol, he was on Maine state probation for a prior violent crime.

Records from the Androscoggin County Superior Court reflect that on October 23, 2017, Henry was convicted of Aggravated Assault, a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year, and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law.

When pronouncing sentence, Judge Singal stated, “I’m mostly concerned with violence here,” and, “What we’ve had here is an escalation of violence … that could lead to severe consequences for society.”

The Lewiston and Auburn Police Departments, the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

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

 

BANGOR, Maine: A Waterville woman pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Bangor to wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court records, from December 2014 through October 2019, Beth Bing, 49, made unauthorized use of her employer’s corporate credit cards, and used fraudulent interstate communications via telephone and email in furtherance of the scheme.

Bing faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. 

The FBI and the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank joined the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in announcing the results from the 19th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, which occurred on October 26, 2020.

Over the course of four hours, DEA New England and its partners collected 115,944.24 pounds—or over 57 tons—of expired, unused, unwanted prescription drugs, electronic vaping devices and cartridges at 586 collection sites throughout New England. This is in comparison to the first National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in September 2010, when the division collected 25,810 pounds of unwanted drugs.

Maine had the second highest total in all of New England, with 40,100 pounds of prescription drugs and vaping devices collected.

“Thanks to the public over 57 tons of unwanted, expired, unused, prescription drugs, electronic vaping devices and cartridges have now been taken out of harm’s way across New England,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. These events are only made possible through the hard work of our law enforcement, coalitions and community partners and DEA thanks each and every one of them for their efforts in making this initiative a huge success.”

The following is a breakdown of collected weights in pounds for the six New England states:          

Massachusetts

40,284.81

Maine

40,100.00

New Hampshire

16,840.00

Connecticut

8,002.50

Rhode Island

6,218.70

Vermont

4,498.23

Total

115,944.24

BANGOR, Maine:  A Pennsylvania man was sentenced in federal court in Bangor today for attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Aaron Dyer, 35, to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.  The defendant pleaded guilty on December 11, 2019.

According to court records, Dyer, using the multimedia messaging application Snapchat, sent images of his genitalia to the internet connected device of a 10-year-old girl living in Maine.  Dyer requested in a message accompanying the images that the girl send back nude images of herself.  The defendant admitted that he was aware that the intended recipient of his Snapchat message was 10 years old.  The images were intercepted by the girl’s mother before they were viewed by the girl. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine State Police investigated the case.  This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by 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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BANGOR, Maine:  A Rochester, New York man was sentenced in federal court in Bangor for conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine base (commonly known as “crack”), distributing heroin and crack, and conspiring to violate federal firearms laws, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Deondray Warren, a/k/a “Mane,” a/k/a “Main,” a/k/a “Maine,” a/k/a “Manny,” 35, to 10 years and 11 months in prison and three years of supervised release for the drug trafficking offenses. Warren also received a concurrent sentence of five years in prison and three years of supervised release on the firearm conspiracy charge. 

According to court records, between November 2016 and September 2017, Warren conspired with others from Rochester and Maine to distribute heroin and crack. Warren worked with others to sell drugs in central Maine that had been transported from Rochester. In addition, some of the people to whom Warren and other conspirators sold drugs also conspired with him to illegally obtain 12 firearms from Augusta-area firearms dealers. Warren and others recruited straw purchasers, gave them instructions on which firearms to purchase, and then paid them in cash or drugs to make the purchases using money that he provided. The firearms were then transported to Rochester. Warren used one of the firearms during a domestic violence incident involving his wife in Rochester when he fired several rounds at her.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case. The case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s program to combat the opioid epidemic.

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A Gorham man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Portland for participating in a wire fraud conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Michael Barden, 67, to probation for five years. In addition, Judge Torresen held Barden liable for restitution in an amount to be determined at a future proceeding. Barden pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with a wire fraud conspiracy on January 31, 2020.

According to information revealed in court, Barden met an individual online and began a virtual romance. Barden never met this individual in person. Beginning in August, this person used credit card accounts illegally obtained to make online purchases from retailers in Maine and elsewhere. Barden would pick up or accept delivery of the merchandise and then sell it through online marketplace websites. He would keep a small share of the proceeds and wire the rest of the proceeds overseas. In addition, he assisted this person in fraudulently purchasing a motor vehicle online by posing as the buyer and using the buyer’s identification to complete the purchase. It is estimated the conspiracy stole between $40,000 and $95,000.

“The defendant in this case was drawn into criminal activity through what he thought was an online relationship,” U.S. Attorney Frank said. “Maine residents need to be wary of any online solicitations for friendships or romances from people they do not know. Scammers overseas are using Mainers to assist in criminal activity that can lead to federal felony convictions for all involved.”

This prosecution was the result of a collaborative investigation conducted by the U.S. Secret Service and the Maine State Police.

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BANGOR, Maine:  A Burlington, Maine woman was sentenced in federal court in Bangor today for mailing a threatening communication to Sen. Susan Collins, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Suzanne Muscara, 38, to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On November 4, 2019, following a one-day trial, a jury convicted Muscara of mailing a threatening communication.

According to evidence presented at trial, Muscara mailed a letter containing a white powder to Collins’ Bangor address in October 2018. The letter also contained a handwritten note indicating that the powder was anthrax. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service intercepted the letter at a mail sorting facility in Hampden, Maine. The FBI tested the white powder and found that it did not contain toxic substances. The FBI also matched a fingerprint found on the envelope with one of Muscara’s prints. When interviewed, Muscara made clear that she sent the note because she was upset with Collins because of one of her votes.

“American politics is premised on free speech and vigorous debate,” U.S. Attorney, District of Maine, Halsey Frank said. “True threats are not protected speech. They are a crime. Anthrax is a deadly substance that has been used to kill and terrorize. There is nothing funny about it, and the jury in this case rejected the defendant’s claim that her letter was intended as a joke. My thanks to the federal, state and local investigators who worked together as a team to identify this defendant and bring her to justice.”

The FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Maine Office of State Fire Marshal, the Maine State Police and the Old Town Police Department investigated the case.

 

PORTLAND, Maine: A Sanford man was sentenced in federal court in Portland for transferring obscene material to a minor, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Dylan Neill, 39, to 41 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Neill pleaded guilty in November 2019.

According to court records, in October 2018, Neill used a social media application to send a series of videos and images to a minor under 16 years old. Several of the videos depicted Neill repeatedly penetrating the anus of an adult female with his fingers.

The Sanford Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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.justice.gov/psc.

The Justice Department today announced the sentencing of Maurice Diggins, 36, of Biddeford, Maine, in federal court for his role in a series of racially motivated assaults against black men in Maine.

Diggins was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On March 10, 2020, following a three-day trial, a jury convicted Diggins of conspiring to commit hate crimes and of actually committing hate crimes.  

“The defendant committed a series of unprovoked violent attacks on innocent men because of those men’s race,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division. “Today’s sentence, and the jury’s previous verdict in this case, demonstrate that the legal system will not tolerate such acts of racist violence. The Department of Justice will continue to prosecute race-based violations of our federal civil rights laws.”  

“In addition to doing grievous harm to individuals, hate crimes engender fear in communities,” said U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank of the District of Maine. “Violence has no place in Maine, and that is especially true of violence that is motivated by hate. Maine citizens, regardless of skin color, ethnicity, or sexual orientation have a right to live their lives free of harassment, much less physical violence. Today’s sentencing should make clear that we have no tolerance for hate crimes. I would like to thank the victims for their courage to confront their assailant, and our law enforcement officers at both the state and federal level who helped prosecute this important case.”

 “Mr. Diggins’ actions were cowardly and racially motivated. It is our hope that today’s sentence will  help his victims and their families with the healing process while also making it crystal clear  that we will not stand for violence, especially borne from hate,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Rest assured, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will aggressively pursue anyone who commits these violent acts to ensure the civil rights of all Americans are protected.”

According to evidence presented at trial, on April 15, 2018, defendant Diggins and his nephew, Dusty Leo (who previously pled guilty in connection with this case), committed two separate racially motivated assaults, one in Portland and one in Biddeford. In the Portland assault, which occurred just before 1:00 a.m., Diggins attacked a black Sudanese male without provocation, breaking the victim’s jaw. During that same incident, Diggins and Leo assaulted another black man who was standing nearby. Witnesses heard Diggins and Leo using racial epithets during the incidents.

In the second incident, which occurred approximately an hour later and approximately 20 miles away in Biddeford, defendant Diggins and Leo drove in Leo’s truck into the parking lot of a convenience store, where Diggins got out of the truck and approached a black man who was walking toward the store’s entrance. Diggins directed a racial slur at the man and distracted him while Leo got out of the truck and sucker-punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. The unprovoked attack broke the victim’s jaw in several places.

The Biddeford Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheila Sawyer and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Tim Visser.

PORTLAND, Maine: A Biddeford man was sentenced in federal court in Portland for his role in a series of racially motivated assaults against black men in Maine, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Maurice Diggins, 36, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. On March 10, 2020, following a three-day trial, a jury convicted Diggins of conspiring to commit hate crimes and of actually committing hate crimes.  

“The defendant committed a series of unprovoked violent attacks on innocent men because of those men’s race,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division. “Today’s sentence, and the jury’s previous verdict in this case, demonstrate that the legal system will not tolerate such acts of racist violence. The Department of Justice will continue to prosecute race-based violations of our federal civil rights laws.”  

“In addition to doing grievous harm to individuals, hate crimes engender fear in communities,” said U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank of the District of Maine. “Violence has no place in Maine, and that is especially true of violence that is motivated by hate. Maine citizens, regardless of skin color, ethnicity, or sexual orientation have a right to live their lives free of harassment, much less physical violence. Today’s sentencing should make clear that we have no tolerance for hate crimes. I would like to thank the victims for their courage to confront their assailant, and our law enforcement officers at both the state and federal level who helped prosecute this important case.”

“Mr. Diggins’ actions were cowardly and racially motivated. It is our hope that today’s sentence will  help his victims and their families with the healing process while also making it crystal clear that we will not stand for violence, especially borne from hate,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Rest assured, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will aggressively pursue anyone who commits these violent acts to ensure the civil rights of all Americans are protected.”

According to evidence presented at trial, on April 15, 2018, defendant Diggins and his nephew, Dusty Leo (who previously pleaded guilty in connection with this case), committed two separate racially motivated assaults, one in Portland and one in Biddeford. In the Portland assault, which occurred just before 1:00 a.m., Diggins attacked a black Sudanese male without provocation, breaking the victim’s jaw. During that same incident, Diggins and Leo assaulted another black man who was standing nearby. Witnesses heard Diggins and Leo using racial epithets during the incidents.

In the second incident, which occurred approximately an hour later and approximately 20 miles away in Biddeford, defendant Diggins and Leo drove in Leo’s truck into the parking lot of a convenience store, where Diggins got out of the truck and approached a black man who was walking toward the store’s entrance. Diggins directed a racial slur at the man and distracted him while Leo got out of the truck and sucker-punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. The unprovoked attack broke the victim’s jaw in several places.

The Biddeford Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheila Sawyer and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Tim Visser prosecuted the case.

BANGOR, Maine:  An Augusta man was sentenced in federal court in Bangor for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker sentenced Keith Holmes, 24, to three years imprisonment for the fentanyl charge, followed by a consecutive term of five years imprisonment for the firearms charge. Judge Walker also sentenced Holmes to three years of supervised release. Holmes pleaded guilty on January 10, 2020.

According to court records, Holmes was found in his Augusta apartment on May 14, 2019, with bags of a mixture containing fentanyl packed for individual sales, as well as cash and four firearms. Other evidence found in his apartment indicated he was causing drug proceeds to be sent to individuals in New York State. In imposing the sentence, Judge Walker described the crimes as a “morbid” business, and noted the danger such acts present to the community.

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

BANGOR, Maine: A Waterbury, Connecticut man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Bangor for possessing heroin with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Carlos Pemberton, a/k/a “Pepa,” 43, to 46 months in prison, three years of supervised release and a $5,000 fine. Pemberton pleaded guilty in January 2020.

According to court records, on March 26, 2018, officers with the Indian Township Police Department conducting a child welfare check at a residence in Indian Township discovered Pemberton in a bedroom. Pemberton was in possession of a backpack and a duffle bag that contained, among other items, heroin and drug paraphernalia. He was also in possession of $7,266.00 in cash.

The Indian Township Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.

 

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PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank announced today that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is holding its 19th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 24, 2020, at locations throughout the State of Maine. The nationwide event aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. 

Collection sites will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations in order to maintain the safety of all participants and local law enforcement.

“This is a great opportunity for Maine citizens to help ensure they are not contributing to the State’s drug addiction crisis,” U.S. Attorney Frank said. “The misuse of prescription drugs contributes greatly to the addiction problems we are seeing in this state. Disposing of them in a controlled environment is an excellent way to ensure they are not abused, so I encourage everyone to take part in Prescription Drug Take Back Day.”

“The initiative – now in its tenth year – addresses a vital public safety and public health issue,” said DEA Acting Administrator Timothy Shea. “Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Together with our partners, we are not only holding National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, but offering other ways to dispose of unwanted, unused, and expired prescription medications.”

“Our take-back events highlight the problems associated to prescription drug abuse and gives our citizens an opportunity to contribute to the solution,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle. “These efforts help remove unwanted, expired and unused prescription pills that can be abused, stolen or resold which helps our continued dedication to combat the prescription pill, fentanyl and heroin epidemic of substance abuse and addiction.”

Given the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, DEA wants to ensure that the public is aware of other ways they can dispose of unwanted prescription drugs without having to leave their homes. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have tips on how to safely dispose of drugs at home.

In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, prescription drugs can be disposed of at any of the 11,000 DEA authorized collectors at any time throughout the year. For more information, visit: https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1.

DEA also encourages the public to reach out to their local law enforcement agency to find out if they have any permanent drug disposal locations throughout their local community.

DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms. DEA will also accept vape pens or other e-cigarette devices from individual consumers, only after the batteries are removed from the devices. If the battery cannot be removed, individual consumers can check with large electronic chain stores who may accept the vape pen or e-cigarette devices for proper disposal. Liquids, including intravenous solutions, syringes and other sharps, and illegal drugs cannot be dropped off. This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

For more information on DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and to find a collection site in Maine, visit www.deatakeback.com.

Today, the Department of Justice announced a global resolution of its criminal and civil investigations into the opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma LP (Purdue), and a civil resolution of its civil investigation into individual shareholders from the Sackler family.  The resolutions with Purdue are subject to the approval of the bankruptcy court. 

“The abuse and diversion of prescription opioids has contributed to a national tragedy of addiction and deaths, in addition to those caused by illicit street opioids,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen.  “With criminal guilty pleas, a federal settlement of more than $8 billion, and the dissolution of a company and repurposing its assets entirely for the public’s benefit, the resolution in today’s announcement re-affirms that the Department of Justice will not relent in its multi-pronged efforts to combat the opioids crisis.”

“Today’s resolution is the result of years of hard work by the FBI and its partners to combat the opioid crisis in the U.S.,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office.  “Purdue, through greed and violation of the law, prioritized money over the health and well-being of patients.  The FBI remains committed to holding companies accountable for their illegal and inexcusable activity and to seeking justice, on behalf of the victims, for those who contributed to the opioid crisis.”

“The opioid epidemic remains a significant public health challenge that impacts the lives of men and women across the country,” said Gary L. Cantrell Deputy Inspector General for Investigations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General.  “Unfortunately, Purdue’s reckless actions and violation of the law senselessly risked patients’ health and well-being.  With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to combat the opioid crisis, including holding the pharmaceutical industry and its executives accountable.”

“This resolution closes a particularly sad chapter in the ongoing battle against opioid addiction,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Administrator Tim McDermott.  “Purdue Pharma actively thwarted the United States’ efforts to ensure compliance and prevent diversion.  The devastating ripple effect of Purdue’s actions left lives lost and others addicted.  DEA will continue to work tirelessly with our partners and the pharmaceutical industry to address the damage that has been done, and bring an end to this epidemic that has gripped the nation for far too long.” 

Purdue Pharma has agreed to plead guilty in federal court in New Jersey to a three-count felony information charging it with one count of dual-object conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and two counts of conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.  The criminal resolution includes the largest penalties ever levied against a pharmaceutical manufacturer, including a criminal fine of $3.544 billion and an additional $2 billion in criminal forfeiture.  For the $2 billion forfeiture, the company will pay $225 million on the effective date of the bankruptcy, and, as further explained below, the department is willing to credit the value conferred by the company to State and local governments under the department’s anti-piling on and coordination policy.  Purdue has also agreed to a civil settlement in the amount of $2.8 billion to resolve its civil liability under the False Claims Act.  Separately, the Sackler family has agreed to pay $225 million in damages to resolve its civil False Claims Act liability.

The resolutions do not include the criminal release of any individuals, including members of the Sackler family, nor are any of the company’s executives or employees receiving civil releases.

While the global resolution with the company is subject to approval by the bankruptcy court in the Southern District of New York, one important condition in the resolution is that the company would cease to operate in its current form and would instead emerge from bankruptcy as a public benefit company (PBC) owned by a trust or similar entity designed for the benefit of the American public, to function entirely in the public interest.  Indeed, not only will the PBC endeavor to deliver legitimate prescription drugs in a manner as safe as possible, but it will aim to donate, or provide steep discounts for, life-saving overdose rescue drugs and medically assisted treatment medications to communities, and the proceeds of the trust will be directed toward State and local opioid abatement programs.  Based on the value that would be conferred to State and local governments through the PBC, the department is willing to credit up to $1.775 billion against the agreed $2 billion forfeiture amount.  The department looks forward to working with the creditor groups in the bankruptcy in charting the path forward for this PBC so that its public health goals can be best accomplished.

The Criminal Pleas

As part of the plea, Purdue will admit that from May 2007 through at least March 2017, Purdue conspired to defraud the United States by impeding the lawful function of the DEA by representing to the DEA that Purdue maintained an effective anti-diversion program when, in fact, Purdue continued to market its opioid products to more than 100 health care providers whom the company had good reason to believe were diverting opioids and by reporting misleading information to the DEA to boost Purdue’s manufacturing quotas.  The misleading information comprised prescription data that included prescriptions written by doctors that Purdue had good reason to believe were engaged in diversion.  The conspiracy also involved aiding and abetting violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by facilitating the dispensing of its opioid products, including OxyContin, without a legitimate medical purpose, and thus without lawful prescriptions.

In addition, Purdue will admit to conspiring to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.  Between June 2009 and March 2017, Purdue made payments to two doctors through Purdue’s doctor speaker program to induce those doctors to write more prescriptions of Purdue’s opioid products.  Similarly, from approximately April 2016 through December 2016, Purdue made payments to Practice Fusion Inc., an electronic health records company, in exchange for referring, recommending, and arranging for the ordering of Purdue’s extended release opioid products – OxyContin, Butrans, and Hysingla.

The Civil Settlements

The department’s civil settlements resolve the United States’ claims as to both Purdue and its individual shareholders, members of the Sackler family.

The civil settlement with Purdue provides the United States with an allowed, unsubordinated, general unsecured bankruptcy claim for recovery of $2.8 billion.   This settlement resolves allegations that from 2010 to 2018, Purdue caused false claims to be submitted to federal health care programs, specifically Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and the Indian Health Service.  The government alleged that Purdue promoted its opioid drugs to health care providers it knew were prescribing opioids for uses that were unsafe, ineffective, and medically unnecessary, and that often led to abuse and diversion.  For example, Purdue learned that one doctor was known by patients as “the Candyman” and was prescribing “crazy dosing of OxyContin,” yet Purdue had sales representatives meet with the doctor more than 300 times.  It also resolves the government’s allegations that Purdue engaged in three different kickback schemes to induce prescriptions of its opioids.  First, Purdue paid certain doctors ostensibly to provide educational talks to other health care professionals and serve as consultants, but in reality to induce them to prescribe more OxyContin.  Second, Purdue paid kickbacks to Practice Fusion, as described above.  Third, Purdue entered into contracts with certain specialty pharmacies to fill prescriptions for Purdue’s opioid drugs that other pharmacies had rejected as potentially lacking medical necessity.

Under a separate civil settlement, individual members of the Sackler family will pay the United States $225 million arising from the alleged conduct of Dr. Richard Sackler, David Sackler, Mortimer D.A. Sackler, Dr. Kathe Sackler, and Jonathan Sackler (the Named Sacklers).  This settlement resolves allegations that, in 2012, the Named Sacklers knew that the legitimate market for Purdue’s opioids had contracted.  Nevertheless, they requested that Purdue executives recapture lost sales and increase Purdue’s share of the opioid market.  The Named Sacklers then approved a new marketing program beginning in 2013 called “Evolve to Excellence,” through which Purdue sales representatives intensified their marketing of OxyContin to extreme, high-volume prescribers who were already writing “25 times as many OxyContin scripts” as their peers, causing health care providers to prescribe opioids for uses that were unsafe, ineffective, and medically unnecessary, and that often led to abuse and diversion.     

The civil settlement also resolves the government’s allegations that from approximately 2008 to 2018, at the Named Sacklers’ request, Purdue transferred assets into Sackler family holding companies and trusts that were made to hinder future creditors, and/or were otherwise voidable as fraudulent transfers.

Today’s resolution does not resolve claims that states may have against Purdue or members of the Sackler family, nor does it impede the debtors’ ability to recover any fraudulent transfers.

Today’s announcement was made by Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen; Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division Jeffrey Clark; U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont Christina Nolan; and First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Rachael Honig.  The criminal investigation was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of New Jersey and Vermont, the Consumer Protection Branch of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, and the FBI’s Washington, D.C. and Newark Field Offices, with assistance by DEA.  The civil settlements were handled by the Fraud Section of the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of New Jersey and Vermont, with assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of General Counsel and Office of Counsel to the Inspector General; the Defense Health Agency; and the Office of Personnel Management.  The Purdue bankruptcy matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Corporate/Finance Section.

Except to the extent of Purdue’s admissions as part of its criminal resolution, the claims resolved by the civil settlements are allegations only.  There has been no determination of liability in the civil matters.

PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) John Osborn and Andrew McCormack will lead the efforts of his office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3 general election. AUSAs Osborn and McCormack have been appointed as the District Election Officers for the District of Maine. In that capacity they will be responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud,” U.S. Attorney Frank said. “The Department of Justice will always use whatever means are necessary to protect the integrity of the election process.”

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

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

The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSAs Osborn and McCormack will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. Osborn can be reached in Portland at 207-771-3214, and McCormack can be reached in Bangor at 207-262-4615.

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 207-774-9322.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.

Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank today announced awards of more than $1 million in Department of Justice grants to fight drug abuse and addiction in Maine. The grants were awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and are part of more than $341 million going to communities nationwide.

Cumberland County will receive $899,824 in funding, and the Maine Department of Public Safety will receive $149,915.

Illegal drugs and illicit drug use have claimed the lives of nearly 400,000 Americans since the turn of the century. Powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl are exacting an enormous toll on families and communities, and an emergence in the use of methamphetamines and other psychostimulants is drawing drug traffickers and driving up overdose rates. Three years ago, President Trump declared a Public Health Emergency and initiated a whole-of-government approach dedicated to ending this national tragedy. The Department of Justice has invested unprecedented levels of funding in combating the addiction crisis. The awards announced today build on those earlier investments.

“The addiction crisis has taken an enormous toll on America’s families and communities, eroding public health, threatening public safety and claiming tens of thousands of lives year after year,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Through comprehensive measures taken by this administration, we have been able to curtail the opioid epidemic, but new and powerful drugs are presenting exceptional challenges that we must be prepared to meet. The Justice Department’s substantial investments in enforcement, response, and treatment will help us overcome these challenges and work towards freeing Americans from abuse and addiction.”

“Maine has been particularly hard hit by the opioid crisis,” U.S. Attorney Frank said. “Last year, the state saw 380 overdose deaths—a seven percent increase over the previous year—and statistics indicate the numbers have been on the rise again during the pandemic. What the statistics don’t tell is the individual tragedies each of one these deaths represents: the loss of a Mainer’s father, mother, son, daughter, friend or neighbor. Our law enforcement partners and treatment facilities need all the resources at their disposal to fight this crisis, so I am pleased to announce this federal funding.”

“If we hope to defeat an enemy as powerful, persistent and adaptable as illicit drugs, we must be at least as determined and versatile, focusing our ingenuity and resources on curbing abuse and fighting addiction,” said OJP’s Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “These grants will enable criminal justice officials and substance abuse, mental health and other medical professionals to pool their assets and bring the full weight of our public safety and treatment systems down on this epidemic that has already caused so much harm.”

Funding is made available through OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, National Institute of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts, and jurisdictions that will receive funding, click here. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years

PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank today announced that the Department of Justice is providing Penobscot County with $750,000 in grants to support adult and juvenile justice initiatives designed to reduce crime and recidivism associated with mental illness and co-occurring disorders.

Provided through the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the funding supports efforts that establish collaborative anti-recidivism comprehensive care before, during, and after incarceration for persons with serious mental illness. The funding also supports training and technical assistance to law enforcement, other criminal justice agencies and their partner mental health and substance abuse authorities to improve outcomes for youth with mental illness or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.

“I believe this funding will be of tremendous value to law enforcement in Penobscot County, the judicial system, and those who are coping with mental illness,” U.S. Attorney Frank said. “Too often, those who could have been helped with early mental health treatment find themselves intertwined with our legal system. Hopefully, this funding will make a difference.”

“More and more people with mental illness are coming into contact with the criminal justice system, straining law enforcement resources and placing exceptional demands on our jails and prisons,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “By supporting partnerships between justice system professionals and treatment providers, we are making substantial investments in addressing the link between mental health and public safety.”

For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts and jurisdictions that will receive funding, click here. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years

PORTLAND, Maine:  Today U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank provided an update on the status of Project Guardian, a Department of Justice initiative designed to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws across the country. Project Guardian is a complement to the Department’s longstanding Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) anti-violence program, and focuses on investigating, prosecuting and preventing gun crimes.

“Reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearms laws through PSN have always been among the highest priorities for the Department, but federal law enforcement represents only about 15 percent of all law enforcement resources nationwide,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “Our ability to combat gun violence in Maine depends on our partnerships with state and local stakeholders, and Project Guardian enhances those partnerships.”

The Project Guardian initiative, launched in November 2019, promotes a multi-disciplinary approach to addressing gun violence involving those dealing with domestic violence and mental health issues. One of the initiative’s principles is regular consultation with relevant agencies and organizations to assess the feasibility of adopting disruption and early engagement programs. These programs focus on individuals prohibited from possessing firearms because of mental health issues and domestic abusers who attempt to acquire firearms.

“The strength of PSN Maine continues to be the involvement of dedicated and informed stakeholders who serve on a Task Force with representatives from throughout the State,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “This year we welcomed an additional number of dedicated professionals from a variety of agencies and organizations to serve on our Project Guardian Working Group.” The working group will assist law enforcement in pursuit of a holistic response to potential gun violence involving individuals struggling with mental illness and/or domestic violence in Maine communities.

Representative agency/organizations serving on the Working Group include: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office; Cumberland County Violence Intervention Partnership; FBI; Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services; Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence; Maine Department of Education, Maine School Safety Center; Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; Maine State Forensic Service; Maine State Police; Muskie School of Public Service; National Alliance on Mental Illness; Northern Light, Acadia Hospital Community & Pediatric Services; Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office; Penobscot & Piscataquis County District Attorney; and United States Secret Service.

As part of the Project Guardian initiative, U.S. Attorney Frank is hosting a virtual meeting of the Working Group today. The meeting will focus on the preparation of a statewide list of mental health and domestic violence-related community resources that Maine law enforcement agencies can reference.

Portland, Maine: A Rhode Island man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Portland for providing false information in connection with the acquisition of firearms from a licensed dealer, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Salvador Rodrigues, 23, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, to 23 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Rodrigues pleaded guilty on November 21, 2019.

According to court records, on five separate occasions between April 2018 and August 2018, Rodrigues purchased firearms from Kittery Trading Post. During each of the five purchases, Rodrigues presented an invalid Maine driver’s license and/or falsely claimed in writing that he had not been convicted of a felony offense. In fact, he had been convicted in Rhode Island of felony possession of a pistol without a license and a felony drug offense in May 2018.

The Pawtucket Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about PSN please visit www.justice.gov/psn.

PORTLAND, Maine: The Department of Justice announced that it has charged more than 14,200 defendants with firearms-related crimes during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, despite the challenges of COVID-19 and its impact on the criminal justice process.

These cases have been a Department priority since November 2019 when Attorney General William P. Barr announced his commitment to investigating, prosecuting and combatting gun crimes as a critical part of the Department’s anti-violent crime strategy. These firearms-related charges are the result of the critical law enforcement partnership between United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, led by Acting Director Regina Lombardo, who has made firearms-related investigations a priority.

“The number one priority of government is to keep its citizens safe,” said Attorney General Barr. “By preventing firearms from falling into the hands of individuals who are prohibited from having them, we can stop violent crime before it happens. Violating federal firearms laws is a serious crime and offenders face serious consequences. The Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who illegally buy, sell, use or possess firearms. Reducing gun violence requires a coordinated effort, and we could not have charged more than 14,000 individuals with firearms-related crimes without the hard work of the dedicated law enforcement professionals at the ATF, our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, and especially all of our state and local law enforcement partners.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine charged 25 defendants with firearms-related crimes in FY 2020, U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank announced.

“Our office has always prioritized bringing to justice those who are in illegal possession of firearms, and will continue to so,” Frank said. “The prosecutions we have pursued here in Maine underscore our commitment to keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of those who are prohibited from having them.”

Under federal law, it is illegal to possess a firearm if you fall into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon, illegal alien or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase—or even to attempt to illegally purchase—firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, is also a federal offense. The Department is committed to prosecuting these firearms offenses as well as using all modern technologies available to law enforcement such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN, to promote gun crime intelligence. Keeping illegal firearms out of the hands of violent criminals will continue to be a priority of the Department of Justice and we will use all appropriate, available means to keep the law-abiding people of this country safe from gun crime. 

For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.     

PORTLAND, Maine: Fair elections are the foundation of our democracy in the United States, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine is committed to protecting the rights of all Americans to vote. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is issuing this press release to inform voters about federal election crimes and how to avoid them, and to encourage voters to report suspected violations.

“Voting is one of the foundational rights and responsibilities of all Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank. “Elections must remain free and fair to ensure voters' voices are truly heard. As Mainers get ready to vote, they should remain vigilant and report any suspected criminal scheme targeting voters to the FBI immediately.”

Election Crimes

Election crimes threaten the legitimacy of elections and undermine public confidence in our democracy. Election crimes fall into four broad categories:

• Ballot fraud
• Civil rights violations, such as voter suppression or voter intimidation
• Campaign finance violations
• Patronage offenses

While individual states and localities have the constitutional authority and responsibility to manage elections and have their own election laws, an election crime becomes a federal crime when one or more of the following occurs:

• A ballot includes one or more federal candidates
• Election or polling place officials abuse their office
• The conduct involves false voter registration
• The crime is motivated by hostility toward minority protected classes
• The activity violates federal campaign finance law

Examples of federal election crimes include, but are not limited to:

• Giving false information when registering to vote
• Voting more than once
• Changing ballot markings or otherwise tampering with ballots
• Compensating voters
• Threatening voters with physical or financial harm
• Intentionally lying about the time, manner or place of an election to prevent qualified voters from voting
• Political fundraising by federal employees
• Campaign contributions above legal limits
• Conduit contributions
• Contributions from foreign or other prohibited sources
• Use of campaign funds for personal or unauthorized purposes

Distinguishing between legal and criminal conduct is critical for ensuring the integrity of U.S. elections. The following activities are not federal election crimes:

• Giving voters rides to the polls or time off to vote
• Offering voters a stamp to mail a ballot
• Making false claims about oneself or another candidate
• Forging or faking nominating petitions
• Campaigning too close to polling places

The Department of Justice, through the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI, plays an important role in preventing violations of Mainers’ constitutional rights, including their right to vote. Report any instances of potential election crimes to your local FBI field office as soon as possible.

Voter Suppression

Intentionally deceiving qualified voters to prevent them from voting is voter suppression—and it is a federal crime.

Do you know when, where, and how you will vote? If not, there are many reputable places you can find this information, including eac.gov, usa.gov/how-to-vote and https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/voter-info/index.html. However, not all publicly available voting information is accurate, and some is deliberately designed to deceive you to suppress turnout.

Bad actors use various methods to spread disinformation about voting, such as social media platforms, texting, or peer-to-peer messaging applications on smartphones. These bad actors may provide misleading information about the time, manner or place of voting. This can include inaccurate election dates or false claims about voting qualifications or methods, such as false information suggesting that one may vote by text, which is not allowed in any jurisdiction.

Always consider the source of voting information. Ask yourself, “Can I trust this information?” Look for official notices from election offices and verify the information you found is accurate.

Help defend the right to vote by reporting any suspected instances of voter suppression— especially those received through a private communication channel like texting—to your local FBI field office.

Recommendations for Protecting Your Vote

• Know when, where, and how you will vote.
• Seek out election information from trustworthy sources, verify who produced the content, and consider their intent.
• Report potential election crimes—such as disinformation about the manner, time or place of voting—to the FBI.
• If appropriate, make use of in-platform tools offered by social media companies for reporting suspicious posts that appear to be spreading false or inconsistent information about voting and elections.
• Research individuals and entities to whom you are making political donations. If something seems suspicious, reconsider the donation.

Scam PACs

Making political contributions can be a powerful way to exercise your First Amendment rights. But some individuals and groups soliciting contributions are bad actors trying to enrich themselves at your expense.

The billions of dollars in political spending each election cycle attracts criminals who use deception to cheat Americans out of their hard-earned money. The FBI assesses that seniors are at a high risk of being targeted.

Scam PACs are fraudulent political action committees designed to reroute political contributions for personal financial gain. This is a federal crime. Signs that a PAC is a scam include the PAC and its website disappearing, and the phone number going out of service.

If you or someone you know has been targeted by a scam PAC, contact your local FBI field office and ask to speak to an election crimes coordinator.

Victim Reporting and Additional Information

Mainers should report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to their local FBI field office. The telephone number for the FBI’s Boston field office, which covers Maine and several other states, is (857) 386-2000. For additional election-related assistance and resources, please visit the following FBI webpages:

• Election Crimes and Security
• Protected Voices

PORTLAND, Maine:  U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank today announced $639,654 in Department of Justice grants to the District of Maine to fund crime laboratories, decrease DNA backlogs, support basic and applied forensic research and help law enforcement identify missing persons. The grants, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), are part of $192 million in funding to advance forensic science nationwide.

The Maine Department of Public Safety will receive $264,698, and the Maine State Police will receive $374,956.

“Developments in forensic science have given investigators an extraordinary array of tools that can be enlisted to solve crimes and bring answers to victims and survivors, often after many years and even decades,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “These investments in crime-fighting technology, from DNA analysis to drug toxicology to forensic anthropology, will help identify and convict perpetrators, ensure justice for innocent victims and keep communities safe by deterring future criminal activity.”

“I am very pleased to share the news about this important federal funding,” U.S. Attorney Frank said. “The use of DNA for solving crimes has only been around for a few decades, but it’s already been an enormous game-changer, for police agencies here in Maine and across the nation. This ever-evolving science will be of tremendous benefit to crime investigations here in Maine, and to crime victims.”

Since 2004, OJP has received an annual appropriation for DNA and other forensic science activities. The funding, administered through OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and National Institute of Justice, supports DNA analysis, laboratory capacity enhancement and forensic science research that provides knowledge and tools to improve the quality and practice of forensic science.

More information about the programs and awards announced today is available here: OJP Awards Data webpage.

OJP, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

PORTLAND, Maine:  A Turner man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Portland for manufacturing 100 or more marijuana plants, possessing with intent to distribute marijuana, possessing an unregistered silencer and transferring property subject to forfeiture, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Andrew Waite, 32, to six years in prison and four years of supervised release. Judge Singal also ordered Waite to pay a $10,000 fine. Waite pleaded guilty on October 16, 2019.

According to court records, on February 27, 2018, law enforcement officers searched Waite’s residence and two warehouses under his control. In the warehouses, agents seized more than 500 pounds of marijuana, 104 sheets of marijuana concentrate and more than 350 marijuana plants. In his residence, agents seized approximately 100 pounds of marijuana, approximately $216,000 in United States currency, a 2010 Ferrari, firearms, ammunition and a silencer with no markings or serial number. 

On April 18, 2018, Waite transferred title of his residence to his brother in order to prevent or impair seizure of the property for criminal forfeiture. In May 2020, Judge Singal ordered that residence criminally forfeited for facilitating the drug offenses.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case.

The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.  The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate, and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state, and local law enforcement.  

PORTLAND, Maine: The Department of Justice announced that it has charged more than 500 domestic violence cases involving firearms during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. A Department priority since 2019 when Attorney General William P. Barr created the Department of Justice’s first ever-Domestic Violence Working Group, these charges are the result of the critical law enforcement partnership between United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, led by Acting Director Regina Lombardo, who has made domestic violence firearms-related investigations a priority.

“Keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous criminal offenders is one of the Department of Justice’s top priorities,” said Attorney General Barr. “This is especially important when it comes to individuals with prior domestic violence convictions. The statistics are clear that when domestic violence offenders have access to guns, their partners and their families are at much greater risk of falling victim to gun violence. In fact, in some communities across America, roughly half of the homicides are related to domestic violence. The Department of Justice is committed to keeping guns out of the hands of those who are prohibited from having them, and we will continue investigating and prosecuting all domestic violence firearms related crimes.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine has always prioritized prosecuting firearms crimes related to domestic violence, and will continue to do so,” said U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank. “October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month, and it is a good time to reaffirm our commitment to having zero tolerance for the possession of firearms by those who have committed acts of domestic violence.”  

 “According to the CDC, data suggests that about one in six homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner,” said ATF Acting Director Lombardo. “Nearly half of female homicide victims in the U.S. are killed by a current or former male intimate partner. ATF is committed to aggressively pursuing prohibited possession of firearms due to domestic violence convictions and certain protective orders. It is another way we prevent violent gun crime within our communities.”

Under federal law, individuals with domestic violence misdemeanor and felony convictions, as well as individuals subject to domestic violence protective orders, are prohibited from possessing firearms. The data shows that offenders with domestic violence in their past pose a high risk of homicide. In fact, domestic violence abusers with a gun in the home are five times more likely to kill their partners.

The Working Group, chaired by U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas, disseminates legal guidance on keeping guns out of the hands of domestic violence abusers using three federal statutes:

• 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) — possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
• 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8) — possession of a firearm by a person subject to a domestic violence protective order
• 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9) — possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence 

Based on the Working Group’s guidance, in FY 2020, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide brought 337 domestic violence-related charges under § 922(g)(1), 54 charges under § 922(g)(8), and 142 charges under § 922(g)(9).

For more information on domestic violence or to get help, visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline website or call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
 

PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank today announced the Department of Justice has awarded more than $5.5 million in federal funding for groups that are committed to ending violence against women in Maine.

The funding that was announced by the Department’s Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) will be distributed among almost a dozen groups around the state and is detailed in the table below:

Organization

Award Amount

Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault

$152,345

Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

$91,274

University of Maine System

(acting through University of Southern Maine)

$600,000

University of Maine System

(acting through University of Maine at Farmington)

$299,735

New Hope for Women

$515,000

Caring Unlimited

$898,496

Partners for Peace

$510,253

Maine Department of Health & Human Services

$388,589

State of Maine

$1,082,160

Wabanaki Women’s Coalition

$353,615

U.S. Attorney Frank earlier this week announced the award of a $770,467 grant to the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township to battle domestic violence.

“I am very pleased to learn of the announcement of this funding,” Frank said. “Although great strides have been made in raising awareness about the problem of domestic violence in Maine, much more work remains to be done. It is my hope that this federal funding will help these Maine organizations in their ongoing efforts to end violence against women here in Maine.”

“It is absolutely essential, as a society, to work together to prevent violence,” said OVW Principal Deputy Director Laura Rogers. “We are proud to do our part to support the people of Maine as we all join together to keep victims safe and hold offenders accountable for their crimes.”

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
 

PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank today announced that Brunswick-based Volunteers of America, Northern New England has received a federal grant of $749,586 to help assist offenders reenter their communities after confinement.

The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awarded grants to jurisdictions, research institutions and other organizations in support of proven science-based approaches to reintegrate offenders into communities.

In 2018, President Trump signed into law the First Step Act, including reauthorization of the Second Chance Act, the biggest piece of criminal justice reform legislation to be enacted in more than a decade.

“Former offenders are ultimately responsible for their own successes and failures, but our criminal and juvenile justice systems have an important role to play in preparing them for the obstacles that lie before them,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “I’m very pleased to make these resources available to help offenders get back on their feet and contribute to the prosperity of their communities and the betterment of our nation.”

“This grant to Volunteers of America, Northern New England will be of tremendous benefit to the organization and the communities it serves,” U.S. Attorney Frank said. “Too often, those who have been incarcerated lack the resources they need to succeed once they reenter society. It’s in everyone’s best interests to make sure these individuals have what they need to be productive members of society.”

Fiscal Year 2020 reentry and recidivism reduction grants awarded include the following:

• More than $71.4 million under BJA’s grant programs designed to help communities develop and implement comprehensive and collaborative strategies to address the challenges posed by reentry and recidivism.
• More than $11.2 million under OJJDP’s Second Chance Act suite of grant programs to support reentry services for detained juveniles and incarcerated parents with children under the age of 18.
• More than $9.3 million under NIJ’s reentry research and evaluation programs, which support rigorous research to advance understanding about reoffending and the success of reentry strategies, programs and practices. This includes evaluating innovative reentry initiatives that specifically focus on juveniles, young adults and adults with a moderate-to-high risk of reoffending.

For a complete list of individual grant programs, amounts to be awarded and the jurisdictions that will receive funding, visit: https://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/media/document/reentryfactsheet.pdf

Additional information about FY 2020 grant awards made by the Office of Justice Programs can be found online at the OJP Awards Data Webpage.

OJP, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank has announced $770,467 in Department of Justice grants to the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township to battle domestic violence.

“American Indian and Alaska Native communities experience rates of violent crime and domestic abuse that are among the highest in the nation,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “The awards announced today underscore the Department of Justice’s deep commitment to improving public safety in tribal communities throughout the United States. This administration will continue to work closely with our tribal partners to guarantee that they have the resources they need to combat violence and bring criminals to justice.”

“Unfortunately, Maine is not immune from the scourge of domestic violence, and that includes our Native American populations,” U.S. Attorney Frank said. “My hope is that this funding will go a long way toward ensuring they have the resources they need to assist victims and bring those responsible for domestic violence to justice.”

A total of more than $103 million is being awarded to tribes across the country under the Justice Department’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation. CTAS supports activities that enhance law enforcement and tribal justice practices, expand victim services and sustain crime prevention and intervention efforts. CTAS grants are administered by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) ($41.5 million), Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) ($39.1 million) and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) ($22.5 million).

An additional $113 million is being awarded to 133 applicants nationwide under the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program. This program, managed by OJP’s Office for Victims of Crime, is designed to help tribes develop, expand and improve services to victims of crime and promote other public safety initiatives.

“Public safety officials and victim service providers in Indian country face exceptional challenges, but they bring to their work an extraordinary array of skills and resources that enable them to meet and overcome any obstacle,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “The Office of Justice Programs is proud to help fulfill Attorney General Barr’s strong commitment – and the federal government’s long-standing responsibility – to our tribal partners in the matter of their citizens' safety and wellbeing.”

In addition to the CTAS and Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside awards, OVW is making additional tribal awards of more than $31 million to support a wide range of efforts to address the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking.

Additional awards to support tribal public safety efforts are being made by OJP and the COPS Office. These grants will provide community policing training and other training and technical assistance. Awards will also address the needs of tribal youth, fund tribal reentry efforts, help tribes combat substance abuse and manage sex offenders, and support tribal research. In addition, funds support efforts in 17 tribal communities to address the challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

A full listing of all the announced CTAS awards is available here.

A full listing of all Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program awards is available here.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

PORTLAND, Maine – In July 2018, the Department of Justice launched Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S), a program aimed at reducing the supply of synthetic opioids in 10 high-impact areas, including the District of Maine. Under Operation S.O.S., the United States Attorneys in 10 districts with some of the highest drug overdose death rates in the country designated a county where they would prosecute cases involving fentanyl, fentanyl analogues and other synthetic opioids, regardless of the drug quantity.

“The Justice Department’s commitment to fighting the opioids epidemic is stronger than ever, and we are using every tool in our arsenal to disrupt the supply of these drugs on our streets,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. “Operation S.O.S. has had a significant positive impact on the communities where it is being employed. The Department will continue to build on these successes and work to stop the drug traffickers who so callously wreck lives.”

“Operation S.O.S. Maine has helped the US Attorney’s Office play our role in the group effort to combat the opioid crisis that has so plagued our community by interdicting deadly synthetic opioids and prosecuting the individuals who distribute them in the State of Maine,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “Every day our federal, state and local law enforcement partners are working together to bring these dealers to justice.”

For example, in Maine, a man was arrested in July 2020 for distributing counterfeit fentanyl pills marked as Percocet, in connection with a fatal fentanyl overdose that occurred in May 2020. In February 2020, another Maine man was sentenced to five years in prison for two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, in connection with an incident where the defendant was found in possession of fentanyl less than 24 hours after he was released on a state summons for possession of fentanyl.

Overall, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine has prosecuted 75 individuals under Operation S.O.S. since the initiative began in 2018. Nationally, since 2018, Operation S.O.S. has resulted in approximately 750 defendants being charged in federal court, with 384 of those defendants charged thus far in FY 20.

The nine other participating districts and some of their successes are listed below:

• The Eastern District of California reported 60 active Operation S.O.S. investigations. Recently, the USAO charged one sentence-enhanced “death resulting” prosecution. In February 2020, another investigation resulted in the seizure of over 20,000 fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills.
• The Eastern District of Kentucky reported that an S.O.S. investigation led to a residential search warrant and seizure of more than 1,300 grams of fentanyl, more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, $15,000 cash, two firearms, and paraphernalia used to traffic narcotics including a device for pressing fentanyl into a brick-like shape.
• The District of New Hampshire reported the October 2019 arrest of a man on a warrant for distributing fentanyl. Manchester Police detectives executed a search warrant on a local drug-house, where they located approximately 850 grams of methamphetamine and 56 grams of fentanyl, several assault-style rifles, a handgun, ammunition, scales, safes, cash and cellphones.
• The Northern District of Ohio reported a 10-defendant wire case involving a drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating out of Elyria and Sandusky, Ohio. The DTO purchased kilogram quantities of cocaine and oxycodone pills. Co-conspirators would later cook the cocaine and sell it as crack to local dealers in Elyria. During the conspiracy, agents seized approximately ½ kilo of cocaine, 100 grams of crack, oxycodone pills and five firearms.
• The Southern District of Ohio reported the arrest of an individual who had previously served a nine-year state prison sentence for drug trafficking. On October 22, 2019, after law enforcement observed activity consistent with drug transactions, including the delivery of what appeared to be a kilogram of narcotics by a courier, members of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force executed a search warrant at a residence in Dayton, Ohio. They located three firearms, 1,205 grams of methamphetamine, 1,716 grams of fentanyl, 305 grams of heroin, drug processing equipment and 12 cellular telephones. One of the recovered cellular telephones contained photographs of multiple kilograms of fentanyl and communications with a narcotics supplier. Through subsequent investigation, law enforcement recovered an additional 19.5 kilograms of fentanyl/carfentanil.
• The Western District of Pennsylvania reported prosecuting 98 S.O.S. cases thus far in FY 2020. Particularly noteworthy among them is the prosecution of Lynell Guyton. A jury found Guyton guilty of conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of cyclopropyl fentanyl and other charges, including firearms and money laundering violations. Guyton, who had been receiving shipments of fentanyl analogues from China, is both a Career Offender and an Armed Career Criminal. The case gained media attention when, during the execution of a search warrant in connection with the charges, the conspirators tipped over a table, sending cyclopropyl fentanyl into the air, sickening several law enforcement officers on the scene.
• The Eastern District of Tennessee reported multiple cases arising out of a single investigation involving a drug trafficking organization responsible for trafficking heroin and fentanyl from Michigan to various communities in the Eastern District of Tennessee. 29 defendants have been indicted on various charges, including drug trafficking conspiracy, overdose death enhancements, money-laundering conspiracy and various firearms offenses. More than 5.5 kilograms of heroin and/or fentanyl and 11 firearms were seized during the investigation.
• The Northern District of West Virginia reported a July 21, 2020 44-count indictment against 12 defendants. During the nearly yearlong investigation, law enforcement officers seized more than 280 grams of cocaine base and more than 40 grams of fentanyl from one of the defendants’ residences in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Throughout the investigation, officers seized more than 280 grams of fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, and heroin; more than 350 grams of cocaine base; more than one kilogram of liquid PCP; various amounts of cocaine; five firearms; and over $28,000.
• The Southern District of West Virginia reported that after a three-day trial, a jury convicted Steven McCallister of distribution of fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Officers conducted a 50-gram purchase of heroin from McCallister, which then led to the execution of a search warrant at McCallister’s home. Officers seized over one kilogram of fentanyl and a firearm.

PORTLAND, Maine:  A federal grand jury indicted a Falmouth man for federal program fraud, wire fraud, false personation and theft of government benefits, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced today.

According to the indictment and a criminal complaint, between 2014 and 2017, Joshua Cory Frances, 43: (a) impersonated a Department of Homeland Security law enforcement official; (b) obtained by fraud, over $700,000 worth of excess equipment from the Department of Defense; (c) converted to his own use, a 44-foot sailing vessel named COURAGEOUS, and a 27‑foot Boston Whaler power boat and two Mercury Marine 150-horsepower outboard engines; (d) embezzled almost $21,000 from his employer to transport the boats and engines to Maine; (e) evaded more than $3,000 in state excise taxes on personally owned vehicles; and (f) stole $9,630 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to which he was not entitled.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Office of the Maine Attorney General; the Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles; and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services investigated the case, with assistance provided by the FBI and the Falmouth and Brunswick Police Departments.

Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.

PORTLAND, Maine: An Auburn man was sentenced today in federal court in Portland for possessing a firearm after being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby sentenced Willie Richard Minor, 59, to time served (two years, eight months and 10 days) and three years of supervised release. Minor was convicted following a two-day jury trial in February 2020.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, in June 2010, Minor was convicted of Assault in Maine Superior Court. The victim of the assault was his wife at the time. As a result of that conviction, Minor was prohibited from possessing firearms. In November 2016, Minor admitted to having a gun in an interview with the Auburn Police Department. The police subsequently recovered the gun he had described.

Minor was originally convicted and sentenced on the federal charge after a trial in December 2017. While the case was pending on appeal, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision, Rehaif v. United States, that changed what the government is required to prove in certain federal firearm possession cases. As a result, the parties agreed to have the original conviction vacated, and the case was remanded for a new trial. At the second trial, the government was required to prove not only that Minor had been convicted of assaulting his wife, but also that he knew he had been so convicted and was aware of certain details of the conviction.

The Auburn Police Department, the Mechanic Falls Police Department, the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

PORTLAND, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced today that two Maine school districts will receive a total of $703,982 from the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP). Nationally, the COPS Office SVPP awarded nearly $50 million in school safety funding. SVPP provides up to 75 percent funding for school safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools and school grounds.

Maine School Administrative District (MSAD) 30 in Lee will receive $230,985, and Regional School Unit (RSU) 14, the Windham Raymond School District, will receive $472,997.

“The complications of COVID-19 have presented numerous challenges to our school districts this year, but we cannot afford to overlook the importance of school safety,” Frank said. “For that reason, I am very pleased to learn that these two Maine school districts will receive significant funding to enhance their existing safety protocols.”

The Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 (STOP School Violence Act of 2018) gave the COPS Office 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 in the jurisdiction of the grantee through evidence-based school safety programs.  The two awards announced today can be used for coordination with law enforcement; training for local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence; metal detectors, 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.  

In addition to the school safety grants announced today, the COPS Office School Safety Working Group, which is composed of representatives from eight national law enforcement organizations, has identified 10 essential actions that can be taken by schools, school districts, and law enforcement agencies to help prevent critical incidents involving the loss of life or injuries in our nation's schools and to respond rapidly and effectively when incidents do occur. The Ten Essential Actions to Improve School Safety are applicable to school shootings as well as to other areas of school safety, including natural disasters and traumatic events such as student suicide. Adopting policies and practices based on the recommendations in this publication can help make school communities safer and save lives.

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide.  Since 1994, 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 134,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. 

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

PORTLAND, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank today announced that the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) has awarded the York County Sheriff’s Office with a grant of $111,603 for the office’s Peer Support Project.

The funding is part of $4.5 million in grants for the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Program across the nation. These program funds are used to improve the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement through training and technical assistance, demonstration projects, implementation of promising practices related to peer mentoring mental health and wellness, and suicide prevention programs.

“I am very pleased to announce the federal funding for this very important initiative,” Frank said. “Every day, our law enforcement officers are under an enormous amount of stress on the job in their heroic efforts to keep our communities safe. We simply cannot ignore the fact that these officers are human, too, and we must ensure that their mental health needs are being met.”

Good mental and psychological health is just as essential as good physical health for law enforcement officers to be effective in keeping our communities safe from crime and violence. As part of the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017, Congress authorized the COPS Office to establish peer mentoring mental health and wellness pilot programs within state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies. The 41 awards announced today meet the goals of the 2017 Act and support the Department of Justice and the Administration’s commitment to law enforcement. The full list of awards is available here:

https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2020AwardDocs/lemhwa/Award_List.pdf.  

In addition to the grants announced today, the COPS Office recently published two reports regarding officer mental health and wellness. Those reports are available here:

Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Report to Congress

Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Programs: Eleven Case Studies

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, 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 134,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. 

PORTLAND, Maine:  A Kittery man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Portland to two counts of interstate travel to violate a protection order, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

According to court documents, in April 2016, Nelson Jean Dion, 53, who resided in Maine, was arrested for felony aggravated assault involving his former live-in girlfriend, who was by then living in a domestic violence shelter in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. A few days later, Dion was released on bail and was subject to a protection order that prohibited his contact with his former girlfriend.

Between April and June 2016, Dion traveled from Maine to New Hampshire, and then from New Hampshire to Maine, to have contact with the girlfriend in violation of the protection order. On June 30, 2016, the girlfriend jumped from the Piscataqua River Bridge on Interstate 95 and died the next day.

Dion faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each charge. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.  

The Kittery, Berwick, and Eliot, Maine Police Departments; the York County District Attorney’s Office; the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Police Department; and the FBI investigated the case.

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

 

PORTLAND, Maine:  A South Berwick man was sentenced today in federal court in Portland for possession of fentanyl and cocaine with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Stephen Kissh, 54, to three years in prison and three years of supervised release. Kissh pleaded guilty on January 27, 2020.

According to court records, on January, 2, 2019, Kissh was arrested at his residence, a camper in South Berwick, Maine. South Berwick police officers responded to the residence after receiving a request to conduct a welfare check on another person at the location who was believed to be under the influence of drugs. Officers were familiar with Kissh, and were aware that he was on bail for Maine drug trafficking charges. Upon arriving at the camper, officers discovered Kissh and several other individuals inside, one of whom appeared to be under the influence of drugs but did not require medical attention. Officers searched Kissh and found him to be in possession of four plastic bags containing fentanyl and cocaine. The officers searched Kissh’s camper and recovered a safe that contained multiple plastic bags of fentanyl and cocaine.

The South Berwick Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge, a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids.

Bangor, Maine:  A Whitefield man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Bangor for being a felon in possession of a firearm, United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.

U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Samuel Caison, 36, to 105 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Caison pleaded guilty on January 7, 2020.

According to court records, on April 22, 2019, a Winthrop Police Department detective saw an individual, later identified as Caison, carrying what appeared to be a firearm wrapped up in material in Augusta.  Caison placed the firearm in the trunk of a car.  Officers with the Augusta Police Department later located Caison driving the car and pulled him over.  Officers found a .22 caliber rifle in the trunk.  Caison was prohibited from possessing the firearm due to multiple prior felony convictions, including convictions for robbery in 2005, aggravated assault and illegal possession of a firearm in 2010, and terrorizing in 2013. 

The Augusta Police Department, the Winthrop Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. For more information about PSN, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psn.

PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine is proud to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This landmark legislation was signed into law on July 26, 1990, and is the nation’s preeminent civil rights law for providing access and equal opportunity for people with disabilities. The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are committed to this work.

“Since its passage thirty years ago, the ADA has dramatically improved the lives of people with disabilities, ensuring them equal opportunity to fully participate in mainstream life without discriminatory barriers,” U.S. Attorney Frank said. “We are proud of our efforts in safeguarding the civil rights of persons with disabilities, but we recognize that our work is far from complete, and we still see unlawful barriers that prevent individuals with disabilities from fully participating in many aspects of society. As we mark the 30th anniversary of this historic civil rights law, the U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to enforcing the ADA.”

The promise of the ADA is its wide-ranging efforts to eliminate disability discrimination across the range of services, programs, and activities that most Americans take for granted, but for too long were largely inaccessible to individuals with disabilities. Whether in employment, areas of civic life, or in the day-to-day activities and access to goods and services that we all enjoy, the ADA requires that we take those steps necessary to ensure access for all.  

Over the past 30 years, our country has undertaken the hard work of changing attitudes about disability, tearing down barriers to equality, and dismantling the systems that have historically excluded people with disabilities. Today, we commemorate the many ways that the ADA has transformed our society—by replacing exclusion with access, segregation with integration, and limitations with self-determination. The ADA has advanced the promise of the American dream, ensuring that people with disabilities can write their own stories. And as a society, we are better and stronger because of the contributions that people with disabilities make.

For more information about the 30th Anniversary of the ADA, please visit www.ada.gov. To file a complaint with the Department, please visit the Civil Rights Division’s portal at https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/. For more information about the ADA, call the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY).

Portland, Maine:  U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation division (CI) today reminded taxpayers of the July 15 filing and payment deadline and warned against an increase in tax and COVID-19 scams.

Due to COVID-19, the original filing deadline and tax payment due date for 2019 was postponed from April 15 to July 15. Taxpayers filing Form 1040 series returns must file Form 4868 by July 15 to obtain the automatic extension to Oct. 15.

“Although the extension provides additional time to file the tax return, it is not an extension to pay any taxes due,” said Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of IRS CI in New England. “For people facing hardships who cannot pay in full, including those affected by COVID-19, the IRS has several options available to help. The IRS encourages taxpayers to visit IRS.gov as soon as possible to explore these options and avoid accruing interest and penalties after the July 15 deadline.”

As the filing deadline approaches, taxpayers also should beware of tax and COVID-19-related scams. “Criminals use the tax filing deadline as an opportunity to steal personal and financial information,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “Taxpayers should remain vigilant and know that the IRS will not initiate contact with them via phone, email or social media to request personal or financial information. I urge any Mainers who have been the target of these scams to contact law enforcement immediately.”

In the last few months, IRS CI has continued to see a tremendous increase in a variety of Economic Impact Payment scams and other financial schemes. CI continues to work with its law enforcement partners to put a stop to these schemes and bring criminals to justice.

Taxpayers can report COVID-19 scams to the National Center for Disaster Fraud. Taxpayers can also report fraud or theft of their Economic Impact Payments to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Unsolicited (phishing) e-mails that appear to be from the IRS should be forwarded to phishing@irs.gov.

For the most up-to-date information about the tax filing deadline and IRS impersonation scams, taxpayers can visit IRS.gov.