District of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – A Burnsville woman has pleaded guilty to her role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, Hoda Ali Abdi, 53, was the owner of Alif Halal LLC (“Alif Halal”), a grocery store located in Burnsville, which she enrolled as a food vendor in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and Sponsor A. Between January 2021 through 2023, Abdi falsely claimed to have provided approximately $3 million worth of food for children through other co-conspirator’s sites. Abdi provided these co-conspirators with fake Alif Halal invoices that purported to show that Alif Halal had provided substantial amounts of food when, in reality, Abdi provided little or no food. As part of her guilty plea, Abdi admitted that some of her co-conspirators tried to cover up the fraud by directing her to lie to investigators by asserting, falsely, that Alif Halal had provided food to the co-conspirators’ respective businesses. Abdi also claimed, falsely, to have served more than 242,000 meals to children at her Burnsville site. Ultimately, Abdi received $1,275,710 in proceeds, which includes payments from the co-conspirators who received fake Alif Halal invoices.

Abdi, who is the 18th defendant to plead guilty to charges relating to the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, appeared yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Joseph H. Thompson, Chelsea A. Walcker, and Harry M. Jacobs are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Montez Brown, aka “Tez Blood,” was sentenced to 235 months in prison for his criminal conduct, including attempted murder, narcotics trafficking, and possession of a machine gun, as a member of the Minneapolis Highs gang, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

“We are addressing gang violence for what it is: organized criminal activity,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. “Minneapolis gangs have caused a staggering amount of damage to the community through retaliatory shootings, narcotics trafficking, and other illicit activity. Individuals who choose to fuel violence and destruction on behalf of a criminal enterprise such as this will be held accountable under federal law.”

According to court documents, Brown, 32, was a well-respected member and high-level fentanyl trafficker for the Highs gang, a criminal enterprise engaged in a years-long pattern of racketeering activity, including murder, robbery, and trafficking and distribution of controlled substances. Operating on the north side of Minneapolis since 2004, the Highs congregate at businesses and residences located at or near the West Broadway Avenue and Lyndale Avenue North intersection. The Highs have a stranglehold on this area and members do not hesitate to flaunt their illegal activities openly.

Prospective Highs members prove their loyalty to the gang by “putting in work,” i.e., committing acts of violence for the benefit of the gang or offering other benefits such as introducing a source for drugs or firearms.  Members of the Highs are expected to “hunt” rival gang members: an express directive to locate and kill rivals. Highs members frequently take to social media to taunt rivals, glorify gang life, and post images of themselves with cash, drugs, and firearms.

To date, thirteen members and associates of the Highs have pleaded guilty and five have been sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge Nancy E. Brasel.

• Montez Brown, aka “Tez Blood,” 32, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty on November 6, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. He was sentenced on April 10, 2024, to 235 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

• Chase Robertson, aka “Chase Loco,” 25, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty on September 11, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. He was sentenced on February 22, 2024, to 75 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
• Douglas Mobley, aka “Nut,” 36, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty on October 11, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
• Christopher Finch, aka “Twin,” 23, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty on December 12, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
• Tony Jelks, aka “BD,” 30, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty on November 1, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. He was sentenced on April 10, 2024, to 156 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
• Randy Tate, 32, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty on December 4, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. He was sentenced on April 4, 2024, to 115 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
• Isaac Hodge, aka “Ike,” 47, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty on November 2, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
• Trevoneia Felton, aka “Tre,” 22, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty on November 9, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. He was sentenced on April 3, 2024, to 82 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
• Malcolm Samuels, aka “Reggie,” 25, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty on December 18, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
• Ronald Washington, aka Black, 37, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty on November 21, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
• Dashaun Morris, aka “Mush,” 22, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty on November 14, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
• Maron Bailey, aka “Boonie,” 26, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty on October 5, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
• Isaiah Bell, 21, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty on December 7, 2023, to one count of RICO conspiracy. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

These cases are the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF, FBI, Minneapolis Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, DEA, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Minnesota Department of Corrections with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, St. Paul Police Department, and numerous other law enforcement agencies contributed to this investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha H. Bates, Justin A. Wesley, Jordan L. Sing, and Albania Concepcion for the District of Minnesota and Trial Attorney Brian W. Lynch of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the cases.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Red Lake man has been sentenced to 46 months in prison as a habitual offender, followed by three years’ supervised release, for violently assaulting another individual, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in the late evening of April 9, 2023, Shawn Rene Lussier, 55, physically assaulted another individual in a hotel room at the Seven Clans Casino on the Red Lake Indian Reservation by repeatedly punching and kicking the individual. The assault caused serious bodily injury to the victim, including a one-inch laceration to the scalp that required stitches and left a scar, a bloody lip, and other body bruises, leaving blood stains throughout the hotel room and causing over $450.00 in property damage to the hotel room.  According to court documents, Lussier has multiple Tribal Court convictions for Criminal Domestic Violence involving domestic assaults of several victims committed on separate occasions between May 2017 and December 2021, as well as various alcohol-related offenses.

Lussier was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Michael J. Davis on one count of domestic assault by a habitual offender.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Police Department and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Lakeville man has pleaded guilty to attempting to rob a credit union at gunpoint, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on February 9, 2023, Jeron Marvin Lee Davis, 29, attempted to rob at gunpoint a credit union located in Maplewood, Minnesota. Davis waited outside in a black Chevrolet sedan until the credit union’s manager closed the credit union and walked to his vehicle in the parking lot. Davis approached the manager’s vehicle, pointed a pistol-grip assault rifle at him, and directed him to exit the vehicle. Davis forced the manager at gunpoint to re-enter the credit union and access the vault. The manager explained to Davis that vault access required two employees. Davis threatened to kill the manager but eventually accepted the explanation. Davis stole the manager’s wallet and fled the scene in the black Chevrolet sedan.

Davis pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud to one count of attempted bank robbery. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Maplewood Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan L. Sing is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Hugo man has pleaded guilty to mail fraud after embezzling more than $1.3 million from his employer, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Leon Arthur Keener, 55, was employed as a service manager at an interstate trucking company (“Company A”) from 2011 to 2022. In his role, Keener had managerial oversight for the financial operations at Company A’s Inver Grove Heights location. Beginning in 2015 through 2022, Keener knowingly devised and participated in a scheme to embezzle $1,314,633 from the Company A.

In his position, Keener was responsible for providing vehicle owners and insurance companies with estimates on repair work costs on damaged vehicles. He also provided insurance companies with supplemental repair estimates discovered during the repair process, after the original estimate had already been provided. If the insurance company denied reimbursement of some portion of the claim, Company A would write off the repair cost as a loss. As manager, Keener had the authority to write off repairs and create purchase orders in Company A’s accounts payable system. Keener used his managerial authority to embezzle funds from the company by misappropriating more than $562,000 in reimbursement checks from insurance companies to cover supplemental vehicle repair costs.

According to court documents, his scheme involved misappropriating insurance reimbursement checks for supplemental repairs by writing off the supplemental repair work as a loss, indicating in the accounts payable system that the insurance company had refused to reimburse the supplemental repair. Keener then deposited the insurance check into a personal bank account under his control. He concealed the embezzlement by directing his employees to provide him directly with any checks received from insurance companies, cutting out the administrative and accounting employees on staff at Company A.

Keener also embezzled $751,000 from the company by generating and submitting false vendor payment requests, which he diverted for his own use and benefit. Many of these bogus requests for vendor payments were for a shell company he created and controlled called “CR Services,” which he added to Company A’s accounts payable system in 2012, before the system required verified vendor identification.

All of the vendor and insurance reimbursement payments were facilitated using the mail. Keener used a bank account opened in the name of CR Services to pay personal expenses and transferred funds from the CR Services account into his personal bank account. He used the embezzled funds on gambling trips to Las Vegas, luxury cars, and a boat. 

Keener pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Ann D. Montgomery to one count of mail fraud. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Jacobs is prosecuting the case.

BEMIDJI, Minn. – A Dilworth, Minnesota man has been charged in a scheme to defraud the United States Department of Veterans Affairs by falsely claiming to have been a decorated veteran, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, from 2015 through 2020, Mikhail Robin Wicker, 37, carried out a scheme to obtain benefits provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) by fraudulently claiming himself to be a decorated veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and falsely claiming that he suffered from combat-related injuries that qualified him for disability and other financial benefits.

According to court documents, as part of the scheme, Wicker falsely claimed that he had served in the United States Marine Corps and that he had been a prisoner of war during deployment in Iraq in 2005. Wicker also claimed that he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other injuries from an improvised explosive device attack while he served in Iraq. Wicker submitted forged and falsified documents in support of his benefits application to the VA including a fraudulent DD214 Certificate of Discharge, and a false document purporting to be a Purple Heart certificate. As a result, Wicker received more than $100,000 in veterans’ benefits which he was not entitled to because he had never served in the military.

Wicker is charged with one count of wire fraud, one count of false military discharge certificate, one count of fraudulent use of military medals, and one count of theft of government funds. Wicker made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Jon T. Huseby.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Dilworth Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey E. Middlecamp and Hillary A. Taylor are prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been charged with maliciously damaging a Minneapolis hair salon by means of an explosive device, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, on November 20, 2022, at approximately 2:49 AM, an explosive device detonated at a hair salon located in Minneapolis, causing damage to the exterior and interior of the business. A Ring video camera recording from the salon showed an adult male, later identified as Michael Allen Francisco, 59, placing the explosive device on the window of the salon. Francisco fled the area in a vehicle before the device detonated.

According to court documents, on November 6, 2023, almost one year later, video footage captured Francisco vandalizing the same hair salon. Francisco threw a landscaping rock through the window of the salon, causing the window to break, before fleeing the scene. Investigators were able to collect DNA and other evidence that connected Francisco to both incidents. On March 28, 2024, officers and agents executed a search warrant at Francisco’s residence. Law enforcement recovered the jacket Francisco was wearing on November 6, 2023, during the brick incident; multiple explosive components including suspected energetic powders and fuses; a .32 caliber Iver Johnson Cadet revolver, with ammunition; and methamphetamine. Francisco has a prior felony conviction, prohibiting him from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

The indictment charges Francisco with one count of maliciously damaging a building engaged in interstate commerce by means of an explosive device. Francisco made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge David T. Schultz. He was ordered to remain in custody pending a formal detention hearing scheduled for April 8, 2024.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley M. Endicott is prosecuting the case.

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

DULUTH, Minn. – Eight members of a Chicago-based drug trafficking conspiracy have been indicted for fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution in Duluth and surrounding areas, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between December 2021 and February 2024, Carl Maurice Brown, 32, of Chicago, Robert Desean Chism, 35, of Chicago, Matthew James Erickson, aka “EZ,” 35, of Duluth, Anthony Lenard Green, 34, of Chicago, Ezell Cordero Lucas, aka “Cash,” 32, of Chicago, Arreal Dominique Timberlake, 30, of Chicago, Deandre Michael Westmoreland, 35, of Chicago, and Pharoo Nasun Witherspoon, 35, of Chicago, conspired to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout Duluth and the Twin Ports region. Lucas, who was identified by law enforcement as the leader of the conspiracy, arranged the fentanyl sales in Duluth and directed other members of the conspiracy to conduct the transactions. Throughout the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers with the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force have seized large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine from conspiracy members.

All eight defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Chism and Westmoreland made their initial appearances earlier today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Leo I. Brisbois. Brown, Erickson, Green, and Lucas previously made their initial appearances in U.S. District Court in the District of Minnesota. Witherspoon is currently serving a term of imprisonment in Cook County, Illinois. Timberlake previously made her initial appearance in the Northern District of Illinois. Timberlake’s and Witherspoon’s initial appearances in U.S. District Court in the District of Minnesota will be scheduled at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force, the Duluth Police Department, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, the Superior (WI) Police Department, the Virginia Police Department, the Hibbing Police Department, and Arrowhead Regional Corrections, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Garrett S. Fields is prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Twin Cities man has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, on October 7, 2022, Salvador Anthony Pacheco, 45, knowingly possessed a Kahr .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Because Pacheco has prior felony convictions, including assault, weapons violations, and murder, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. 

The indictment charges Pacheco with one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Pacheco made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright in U.S. District Court on March 29, 2024.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner is prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – An Indiana man has been sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegal possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on December 22, 2022, two men wearing masks entered a bank in Inver Grove Heights, zip-tied two bank employees, and stole nearly $80,000 in cash. The investigation into the bank robbery led law enforcement to execute search warrants on January 11, 2023, during which law enforcement searched Deundrick Damon McIntosh, 45, and a residence at which he had stored some of his belongings. On McIntosh’s person, law enforcement found money with serial numbers matching cash from the bank robbery. Inside the residence was McIntosh’s gun with an extended magazine, along with additional bait bills stolen from the bank.

Because McIntosh has prior felony convictions, including bank robbery and domestic assault, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

On November 13, 2023, McIntosh pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge John R. Tunheim.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Inver Grove Heights Police Department, and the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Middlecamp prosecuted the case.

ST PAUL, Minn. – A Waite Park man has pleaded guilty to a St. Cloud bank robbery, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on May 6, 2021, Ray Reco McNeary, 38, entered a Wells Fargo Bank in St. Cloud and alleged that there was fraud on his bank account. After the bank manager was unable to locate any accounts belonging to McNeary, McNeary became enraged and demanded that $60,000 in cash be taken from the vault and placed in a bank bag. The bank manager activated the silent panic alarm, notifying law enforcement of a problem at the bank.

According to court documents, upon arrival, St. Cloud police officers learned that five employees of the bank were being held hostage by McNeary. Multiple times throughout the incident, McNeary held a pair of scissors against the bank manager’s neck and back. FBI hostage negotiators spoke with McNeary repeatedly during what turned out to be an eight-hour standoff. During the course of negotiations, four of the employees were allowed to leave the bank. The standoff ended at approximately 10:24 p.m. when the bank manager fled the bank and law enforcement moved into the bank and arrested McNeary.

McNeary pleaded guilty today to one count of armed bank robbery in U.S. District Court before Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.  

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the St. Cloud Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a machine gun following a shooting incident that ended with the defendant crashing the stolen vehicle he was driving through an unoccupied restaurant, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on the afternoon of February 15, 2023, officers with the St. Paul Police Department responded to a shots-fired 911 call in the area of Luella Street North and Wilson Avenue. Witnesses reported hearing automatic gunfire coming from a black Jeep traveling westbound on Wilson Avenue that was apparently chasing another Jeep. Within a few blocks of the area, officers located a black Jeep with a rear window that appeared to have been shot up. When officers turned around in their squad car to follow the Jeep, it led officers on a high-speed chase until it eventually hit another vehicle and crashed through the Ox Cart Ale House restaurant in St. Paul, which was unoccupied at the time. Officers saw Moeshea Isiah Hart, 19, exit the Jeep and detained him. On the floor of the restaurant, near the Jeep’s driver’s side door, officers recovered a loaded Glock model 45 9mm pistol with an inserted high-capacity magazine and an attached switch, a conversion device that turns a handgun into a fully automatic machine gun. Approximately 11 9mm discharged cartridge casings were located in and around the driver’s area of the Jeep, including one outside the Jeep on the floor of the restaurant. Police later determined that the Jeep had been reported stolen from St. Paul in December 2022.

Hart pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Jerry W. Blackwell to one count of possession of a machine gun. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Paul Police Department, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 111 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon and for carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on February 13, 2023, law enforcement responded to a report of a man wearing a mask and waving a handgun in a white Kia with Colorado plates. Upon arrival law enforcement ordered the sole occupant of the car, identified as Tracrill Smith, 26, out of the Kia and placed him in handcuffs. Law enforcement searched the Kia and found a 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number and loaded with an extended magazine, 3,340 fentanyl pills and approximately 47.15 grams of fentanyl powder. Because Smith has a previous prior felony conviction, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. 
      
Smith pleaded guilty on October 19, 2023, to one count of possession of a firearm as a felon and one count of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Senior Judge Michael J. Davis. 

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Maplewood Police Department, and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary S. Riverso prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Two individuals from Detroit, Michigan, have been sentenced to prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, beginning in January 2022 through May 2023, Ladale Jajaum Solomon, 30, and Leila Darsel Ivery, 30, conspired together to distribute cocaine. On May 16, 2023, Solomon and Ivery flew on separate flights from Los Angeles, California, to Cleveland, Ohio, each with a layover at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP). Both Solomon and Ivery were transporting cocaine in their respective checked suitcases. Solomon and Ivery intended to transfer the cocaine after landing in Cleveland. During their respective layovers at MSP, law enforcement determined their suitcases were suspect.  After obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement seized a total of approximately 23 kilograms of cocaine from the two suitcases.

Ivery pleaded guilty on November 28, 2023, to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. On March 26, 2024, she was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge David S. Doty to 57 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Solomon pleaded guilty on December 5, 2023, to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge David S. Doty to 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the MSP Airport Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A member of the Minneapolis Highs gang has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon and to carrying a firearm while trafficking fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in March 2023, investigators with the Minneapolis Police Department received information that James Edward Hollman, Jr., 32, who at the time was on supervised release for a prior felon-in-possession conviction, carried a firearm while conducting narcotics transactions inside rental vehicles with out-of-state license plates. On March 15, 2023, officers went to Hollman’s apartment complex in Brooklyn Center to execute search warrants on Hollman’s person, rental vehicle, and apartment unit. When officers observed Hollman enter his rental vehicle parked at his apartment complex, they moved in and detained Hollman. Officers recovered a loaded Glock pistol with an obliterated serial number, an inserted high-capacity magazine, and an attached red laser pointer, a knotted plastic baggie containing 252 blue round “M-30” fentanyl pills, and Hollman’s driver’s license from the vehicle’s center console. Officers also recovered a loaded 50-round drum magazine from the front-passenger seat’s rear map pocket. Officers also recovered about $900 cash from Hollman’s apartment.

Hollman pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Jerry W. Blackwell to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking crime. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minneapolis Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS Criminal Investigations, Minnesota Department of Corrections, and Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Pine City man has been sentenced to 350 months in prison followed by 12 years of supervised release for producing, receiving, and distributing images of child pornography, and coercing and enticing minors to engage in illegal sexual activity, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

“For years, Caleb McLaughlin used social media to groom, sexually exploit, and abuse hundreds of minor victims. He preyed upon the most vulnerable, with some victims as young as 11 or 12 years old,” said U.S. Attorney Luger. “Protecting Minnesota children from the trauma of sexual exploitation is a critical part of our mission, and I thank all of our partners in law enforcement for their diligence on this investigation.” 

“When our children are victimized, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to hold the perpetrators accountable," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. "Today’s sentence demonstrates our commitment to seek justice for our most innocent victims.”

According to his plea agreement and court documents, beginning in or about January 2019, Caleb Vincent McLaughlin, 26, used multiple social media accounts to solicit and direct over 200 minor victims to produce and send sexually explicit images, of whom 26 minors have been identified between the ages of 11 and 16 years old in Minnesota and Wisconsin. McLaughlin used a variety of aliases and Snapchat IDs including “Jake Benson,” “Lift11” or “Tech4cm,” in his scheme, and sometimes purported to be 17 years old to prey on minor girls he met online in order to entice and coerce them to create sexually explicit images and videos. McLaughlin targeted minor victims not only to obtain child pornography, but also to coerce minor victims to meet him in person so he could commit hands-on sexual abuse. McLaughlin offered minors drugs, alcohol, vape pens, cash, and gift cards in exchange for sex acts. Then McLaughlin documented that abuse by producing child pornography videos. McLaughlin also distributed numerous videos and images of child pornography, some of which was self-produced and depicted him sexually assaulting minor victims.

On October 11, 2023, McLaughlin pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. He was sentenced today by Chief Judge Patrick J. Schlitz, who remarked that the sentence was one of the longest he had ever imposed and called McLaughlin’s behavior, “shocking, even to someone like me, a federal judge who has been sentencing [child sex offenders] for over two decades.”

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

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, with substantial assistance from the St. Paul Police Department, Pine County Sheriff's Office, and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hillary A. Taylor and Rachel L. Kraker prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury found a Shakopee man guilty of possession and distribution of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

Following a three-day trial before Judge Donovan W. Frank, Saul Rodriguez Pineda, 40, was convicted today on three counts of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

According to the evidence presented at trial, law enforcement executed a series of controlled buys of methamphetamine from Rodriguez Pineda on three separate occasions between September and October 2022. On October 12, 2022, law enforcement searched the residence where Rodriguez Pineda was staying in Shakopee, Minnesota, and found 31 pounds of methamphetamine in Rodriguez Pineda’s yard as well as a liquid methamphetamine conversion lab. Law enforcement also found numerous items related to drug trafficking inside the residence.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force, and the Shakopee Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allen A. Slaughter and Raphael B. Coburn tried the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul man has been sentenced to 108 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for the illegal possession of a firearm following a 2021 shootout near a St. Paul bar, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on the afternoon of September 18, 2021, Anthony Charles Deberry, 42, also known as “Peanut,” got into a verbal altercation with a man inside a bar in St. Paul and, as a result, was forced to leave and prohibited from re-entering the bar. Deberry remained in the vicinity of the bar. Later that evening, Deberry waited outside the bar, followed a group of men down the sidewalk after they left the bar, and brandished a 9mm handgun with an activated laser site. Shortly thereafter, gunfire broke out, including one shot fired by Deberry. Deberry suffered from multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to Regions Hospital. Surveillance video footage from the bar showed Deberry hide his firearm under a parked car after the shooting. Responding law enforcement officers recovered Deberry’s firearm as well as multiple discharged cartridge casings on the sidewalk.

Because Deberry has prior felony convictions, he is prohibited from lawfully possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

On June 20, 2023, Deberry was convicted by a federal jury on one count of possession of a firearm as a felon. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Eric C. Tostrud. In sentencing Deberry, Judge Tostrud applied a 2-level enhancement for obstruction aimed at intimidating trial witnesses.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey E. Middlecamp and Craig R. Baune prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – An Apple Valley man has been sentenced to 162 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on July 23, 2023, law enforcement attempted to arrest Timothy Allen Torell Wetzstein, 31, on outstanding warrants. Wetzstein fled from police officers but was arrested after a short foot chase. During the chase, Wetzstein threw away a Springfield Armory .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Police searched Wetzstein’s backpack and vehicle and recovered quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, more than $11,000 in cash, and three additional firearms. As part of his guilty plea, Wetzstein also admitted to possessing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and firearms on multiple other occasions between October 2020 and July 2023.

On November 9, 2023, Wetzstein pleaded guilty to one count of possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute. He was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, Ramsey Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Dakota County Drug Task Force, and Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two men have been sentenced to prison for possession of fentanyl and cocaine with intent to distribute, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to the defendants’ plea agreements and court documents, beginning at least as early as January 2023, Cortez Ananias Williams, 24, was involved in trafficking controlled substances between California and Minnesota with his co-defendant and cousin Savontray Orlando Dwayne Collins, 23. On February 13, 2024, law enforcement intercepted Collins and Williams on I-35 near the Minnesota-Iowa border with 4.4 kilograms of “M30” fentanyl pills and nearly one kilogram of cocaine.  

On June 28, 2023, Williams pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and was sentenced on December 14, 2023, in U.S. District Court by Judge Jerry W. Blackwell to 135 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

Collins pleaded guilty on October 4, 2023, to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. He was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release by Judge Blackwell.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Minnesota State Patrol, and the Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth Shnider prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man has been sentenced to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for the possession of a firearm as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on July 15, 2021, St. Paul police officers responded to a report of shots fired near Rice and Winnipeg Streets in St. Paul. That same night, law enforcement recovered surveillance video of the shooting incident and recognized Ember Shawndale White, 23, holding a firearm and running away from the incident and into a white Volkswagen Jetta. On July 23, 2021, law enforcement arrested White in the same Jetta, in possession of a Beretta APX 9x19mm pistol. Because White has multiple prior felony convictions in Ramsey, Hennepin, and Dakota Counties, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

White pleaded guilty on November 13, 2023, to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Joan N. Ericksen.  

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew S. Ebert prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Sauk Centre man has pleaded guilty to coercing minors to produce sexually explicit images, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Shawn Norbert Kulzer, 32, began chatting with a minor victim on Snapchat on or about January 2, 2023. During the course of their conversation, Kulzer learned that the minor victim was under the age of 18, yet still pressured them to send nude photographs. In his plea agreement, Kulzer also admitted that he used and enticed a second minor victim to produce and send sexually explicit images over Snapchat.    

Kulzer pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel. 

This case is the result of an investigation led by the FBI, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sauk Centre Police Department. Based on the evidence obtained in this investigation, authorities believe there may be additional victims of the alleged conduct. Anyone with information about this matter is encouraged to call the FBI Minneapolis Division at 763-569-8000.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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 in crimes involving child pornography, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Polachek is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Burnsville woman has been indicted for straw purchasing multiple firearms for a felon, two of which were used to fatally shoot two police officers and a firefighter paramedic and injure a third police officer in Burnsville on February 18th, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between September 21, 2023, and January 25, 2024, Ashley Anne Dyrdahl, 35, conspired with Shannon Cortez Gooden to place firearms in Gooden’s hands, despite the fact Gooden could not legally own or possess firearms. On February 18, 2024, Gooden used the firearms that Dyrdahl supplied to murder two police officers and a firefighter paramedic, and injure a third officer, during an armed stand-off with law enforcement officers who were responding to a call for help.

According to the indictment, in 2008, Gooden was convicted in Dakota County of second-degree assault, a felony offense. In 2016, Dyrdahl began a domestic relationship with Gooden and, as early as 2019, knew that Gooden had been convicted of a felony offense. In 2020, Dyrdahl filed a letter in support of Gooden’s petition to restore his firearm rights in which she acknowledged his conviction and crime. Despite knowing of Gooden’s felony status, between September of 2023 and January of 2024, Dyrdahl purchased five firearms from two different federal firearms licensees (FFLs) at Gooden’s direction and knowingly and intentionally transferred the firearms to Gooden.

As part of the conspiracy alleged in the indictment, Gooden sent text messages to Dyrdahl of firearms he wanted her to purchase. Dyrdahl placed the orders at FFLs and filled out ATF Forms 4473 falsely attesting that she was the actual buyer of the firearm, and falsely attesting that she was not planning to transfer the firearm to a felon. During a text exchange between Dyrdahl and Gooden discussing background checks and other questions from firearm sellers, Dyrdahl told Gooden, “We just gotta make sure we’re smart about all this ya know?”

As part of the conspiracy alleged in the indictment, on September 21, 2023, Dyrdahl bought a Glock 47 9mm semiautomatic pistol from an FFL. The same day, Dyrdahl sent Gooden a text asking him how he liked the new gun. Gooden responded with a video in which he displayed the firearm and its attachments, then loaded the firearm with an extended magazine. Dyrdahl replied to the video with a smiling heart emoji. In a text exchange on October 24, 2023, Dyrdahl and Gooden discussed purchasing another firearm. Gooden sent Dyrdahl a link to a Glock 43X 9mm semiautomatic pistol for sale, specified which Burnsville FFL she should have the firearm sent to, and said he would send her money for the firearm. Dyrdahl ordered the firearm, texted Gooden a confirmation of the purchase, and said, “Ordered,” to which Gooden replied, “Love you.” On October 30, 2023, Dyrdahl picked up the Glock 43X pistol from the FFL and transferred it to Gooden.

According to the indictment, among the firearms Dyrdahl bought and transferred to Gooden at Gooden’s direction were three semiautomatic AR-15–style firearm lower-receivers. One of these was a Franklin Armory FAI-15 .300 caliber semiautomatic firearm that was equipped with a binary trigger. A firearm with a binary trigger fires one shot when the trigger is pulled, and another when the trigger is released, effectively doubling the rate of fire. Dyrdahl also purchased a .300 caliber barrel for the lower receiver. Dyrdahl knew that Gooden was loading the semiautomatic AR-15–style firearms with .300 Blackout ammunition, which is a heavier load ammunition that has an increased potential for lethality.

According to the indictment, on February 10, 2024, Gooden went to a shooting range. While at the range, he and Dyrdahl had the following text exchange:

Gooden: I love my 300 blackout

Dyrdahl: Haha good baby

Dyrdahl: That’s your 300 blackout?

Dyrdahl: Wow

Dyrdahl: [Smiling heart emoji]

Gooden: It’s nasty bae

Dyrdahl: hell yeah …

Gooden: Thanks for making me so happy

Dyrdahl: You’re welcome baby thank you for making me so happy to [sic]

According to the indictment, on February 18, 2024, Gooden used two AR-15-style semiautomatic firearms Dyrdahl provided to him—the firearm equipped with a binary trigger and loaded with .300 Blackout ammunition, and a Palmetto State Armory model PA-15 firearm—to ambush first responders, killing two police officers and a firefighter paramedic and injuring a third police officer. During the attack, Gooden fired more than 100 rounds of ammunition from the AR-15–style firearms. After the attack, law enforcement officers found in Dyrdahl and Gooden’s bedroom a stockpile of fully loaded magazines as well as boxes with hundreds of additional rounds of ammunition.

According to the indictment, at Gooden’s direction, Dyrdahl knowingly purchased five firearms, including a Glock model 47 9mm semiautomatic pistol purchased on September 21, 2023; a Palmetto State Armory model Sabre-15 firearm lower receiver purchased on October 18, 2023; a Glock model 43X 9mm semiautomatic pistol purchased on October 30, 2023; a Franklin Armory FAI-15 firearm lower receiver purchased on January 5, 2024; and a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 firearm lower receiver purchased on January 25, 2024. Dyrdahl knowingly made false and fictitious written statements to the FFLs when purchasing the firearms by falsely indicating on ATF Forms 4473 that she was the actual buyer of the firearms.

Because Gooden had a prior felony conviction, he was prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

The indictment charges Dyrdahl with one count of conspiracy, five counts of straw purchasing, and five counts of making false statements during the purchase of a firearm. She will make her initial appearance in U.S. District Court today before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Burnsville Police Department, with assistance from the Dakota County Attorney’s Office and the Burnsville Fire Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristian Weir and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez are prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Cloud man has been sentenced to 120 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing multiple firearms as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Roberto Antwan Williams, 39, attempted to rob a man at gunpoint outside an apartment in St. Cloud on July 31, 2020. Williams was apprehended by law enforcement in a vehicle that the victim identified. Law enforcement found a firearm in the vehicle’s glovebox with Williams’ DNA on it. In a separate incident on November 13, 2020, law enforcement was notified that a five-year-old child had been shot in the head and declared dead at a St. Cloud hospital. Williams and his fiancé, the child’s mother, were at the hospital and stated they were shopping when they got a phone call that the child had been injured. Williams claimed that they immediately returned home and took the child to the hospital together. However, law enforcement obtained surveillance video from a neighboring residence that showed the fiancé taking the child to the hospital alone while Williams placed two backpacks in a garbage bin outside of the house. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for his residence and garbage bins. Inside the bins, they discovered the two backpacks which contained a semiautomatic rifle and a purple Taurus model G2C 9mm semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine. The Taurus had the deceased child’s blood on it. Law enforcement also searched Williams’ cell phone and found a picture of the purple Taurus 9mm semiautomatic pistol with the text “my new toy.”

On August 29, 2023, Williams was convicted by a federal jury on two counts of possession of firearms as a felon. Because he has multiple prior felony convictions, Williams is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. He was yesterday sentenced in U.S. District Court by U.S. District Judge Ann D. Montgomery.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the St. Cloud Police Department, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Calhoun-Lopez and Mary S. Riverso prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Brooklyn Center man has been sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a machine gun, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in April 2023, law enforcement began investigating members of the Minneapolis Lows, a street gang that engages in drug trafficking, firearm possession, and acts of violence. On June 29, 2023, law enforcement conducted a search of a residence belonging to Marquez Demar Hill-Turnipseed, 21, a member of the Lows.  As a result of the search, law enforcement recovered a loaded .45 Glock semi-automatic pistol with an attached auto-sear, also known as a switch; a conversion device that turns a handgun into a fully automatic machinegun. Law enforcement also recovered from the residence a loaded ghost gun.

On October 4, 2023, Hill-Turnipseed pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun. He was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Ann D. Montgomery.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS Criminal Investigations, Minnesota Department of Corrections, and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – An Edina financial adviser has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after misappropriating $1.6 million in client investment funds, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.  

According to court documents, Kristi Margaret Berge, 47, was the founder and CEO of Keep Safe Investments, LLC, or “KSI Financial,” a financial planning and investment services firm. Berge also co-owned and operated J&K Connect LLC, a company that invested in real estate through buying, renovating, and re-selling properties. Berge maintained offices for her companies in Edina, Minnesota. Berge is registered as an investment adviser with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and licensed as an investment adviser with the State of Minnesota.  

According to court documents, from June 2020 through February 2023, Berge fraudulently misappropriated approximately $1.6 million from some of her clients’ accounts by falsely representing to clients that she would maintain their money in safe and secure investment accounts, such as individual retirement accounts and 401(k) retirement savings plans. Instead, Berge fraudulently misappropriated the money by repeatedly withdrawing client funds in varying amounts between $5,000 and $220,000 and depositing the funds into bank accounts she controlled. Berge then used the clients’ funds to purchase multiple properties in Edina for her real estate business. Berge tried to conceal her fraud by falsely labeling her illicit withdrawals as “management” or “administrative” fees and by creating fabricated records to give the false impression that she had authorization to withdraw clients’ investment funds. 

Berge pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Harry M. Jacobs, and Craig Baune are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Bemidji man has been sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by eight years of supervised release for knowingly failing to register as sex offender as required by federal law, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in June 2009, Stephon Rene Jones, 34, was convicted of molesting a 7-year-old child in LaPorte County, Indiana. Based on this conviction, Jones is a Tier III sex offender under federal law. As a Tier III sex offender, Jones was aware that he was required to register as a sex offender for life and complete verification every three months. Additionally, Jones was required to provide registration updates within three days of a change of where he lived, worked, or attended school, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). However, starting in 2018, Jones was noncompliant and evaded his registration requirement for five years after he relocated from Indiana to Minnesota. Additionally, Jones admitted that he fraudulently used aliases and others’ names and social security numbers in order to gain employment in Minnesota in 2022 and 2023, most recently at a language immersion camp. 

Jones pleaded guilty on October 20, 2023, in U.S. District Court to one count of failure to register as a sex offender. He was sentenced on March 4, 2024, by Judge Katherine M. Menendez. Jones has a lifetime registration requirement as required under SORNA.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, and the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hillary A. Taylor prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Three additional individuals have been charged in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed fentanyl throughout the Twin Cities and surrounding areas, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between August 2022 through December 2023, Phyu Win Jame, 27, Amaya Tiffany-Nicole Mims, 23, and Da’Shawn Natori Domena, 24, and their previously charged co-defendants Cornell Montez Chandler, Jr., Robiel Lee Williams, Quijuan Hosea Bankhead, Stardasha Christina Davenport-Mounger, Fo’Tre Devine White, and Shardai Rayshell Allen, conspired to distribute fentanyl in Minnesota. Several defendants traveled to Phoenix to obtain fentanyl pills from suppliers, hid the pills inside stuffed animals, and mailed them to addresses in and around the Twin Cities. Law enforcement in Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties became aware of the trafficking and initiated a joint investigation, which resulted in the seizure of six packages containing over 30,000 grams of fentanyl pills.  
All defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. White was also charged with one count of possession of a firearm as a felon and one count of possession of a machinegun. 

Jame and Mims made their initial appearances in U.S. District Court before a magistrate judge. Domena was arrested in Indiana and will make his initial appearance before a magistrate judge in the District of Minnesota at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Dakota County Drug Task Force, the Washington County Drug Task Force, and the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner is prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Burnsville felon has been sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, in September 2022, while John Paul Majerus II, 34, was still serving a prison sentence for a prior federal controlled substance crime, law enforcement began investigating a drug trafficking operation led by Bureau of Prisons inmates. While in custody, Majerus coordinated the sale of methamphetamine to an undercover officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Majerus continued his drug trafficking activity after he was released, and conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine from a “stash house” in Southeast Minneapolis belonging to codefendant Sara Evenson, 34.  A search warrant was executed after additional controlled buys were conducted at Evenson’s apartment, and law enforcement found approximately 30 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in the wall, as well as drug paraphernalia and two firearms.

On November 8, 2023, Majerus pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.  On February 20, 2024, Evenson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.  She will be sentenced at a later date.  Majerus was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge David S. Doty.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the West Central Minnesota Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren O. Roso prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Canadian man has pleaded guilty on the first day of trial to his role in a $30 million nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Abdou Diallo, also known as Abdou-Rahmane Diallo, 36, of Montreal, Quebec, was a co-owner and operator of Readers Services, a Canadian-based company that carried out a telemarking fraud scheme. From 2011 through 2020, Diallo and other participants of the fraud scheme targeted people who had previously been victimized by fraudulent magazine companies and were currently being billed by one or more fraudulent magazine companies on an ongoing basis—and used this vulnerability to victimize them all over again through promises of being able to cancel their unwanted magazine subscriptions. Diallo pretended to be from the “magazine cancellation department” and offered to pay off the victims’ “outstanding balance” and cancel their existing magazine subscriptions in exchange for a large, lump-sum payment. In reality, the victims did not owe Diallo or his company any money and Diallo had no power or ability to cancel the victims’ existing magazine subscriptions or any outstanding balances. As a result of this “piggyback” fraud scheme, Diallo and other participants in the fraud scheme defrauded more than 20,000 victims—many of whom were elderly and vulnerable—across the United States out of approximately $30 million.

Diallo pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim to two counts of wire fraud. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 5, 2024.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Additional assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs and Garrett S. Fields are prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. –  A federal jury found a St. Paul man guilty of possessing ammunition as an armed career criminal, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on July 12, 2022, law enforcement located Markhel D’John Harris-Franklin, 28 at a supermarket and placed him under arrest. Inside his vehicle, officers found a loaded 9mm privately made handgun with an extended magazine on the floor behind the driver’s seat.

Because Harris-Franklin has multiple prior felony convictions in Ramsey, Dakota, and Anoka Counties, including aggravated robbery, theft, assault, and domestic violence, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Following a three-day trial before Judge Katherine M. Menendez in U.S. District Court, Harris-Franklin was found guilty yesterday on one count of possession of ammunition as an armed career criminal. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the St. Paul Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the United States Marshal Service. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys LeeAnn K. Bell and Emily A. Polachek tried the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Red Lake man has been sentenced to 83 months in prison followed by seven years of supervised release for sexually abusing a minor on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on August 27, 2022, Ronald Royce Pearson, 63, was visiting a residence on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. While there, Pearson engaged in a sexual act with a minor.

On September 6, 2023, Pearson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of sexual abuse of a minor. He was sentenced yesterday by Judge Nancy E. Brasel.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Red Lake Police Department, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Middlecamp prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a resolution with Speedway/7-Eleven, Inc. in response to allegations that Speedway failed to provide refueling assistance to customers with disabilities in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”) and related regulations, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

“Speedway/7-Eleven has worked cooperatively to address this issue and promptly institute company-wide changes to ensure it is providing refueling assistance to individuals with disabilities as required by the ADA,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to enforcing the ADA and ensuring that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations.”

The resolution follows a civil rights complaint filed by an individual with disabilities alleging that Speedway failed on multiple occasions to provide refueling assistance to customers with disabilities in circumstances requiring such assistance.

As a result of the resolution, Speedway/7-Eleven is required to distribute information regarding refueling assistance requirements and company policy to all Speedway locations and employees nationwide; ensure that Speedway employees are promptly trained on the policy; ensure that telephone numbers and buttons located at or near fuel pumps contain accurate contact information for use by individuals seeking refueling assistance; implement new procedures to ensure that Speedway takes specific corrective action when it receives refueling assistance complaints; and pay $26,000 to compensate the individual complainant.

Additional information about the ADA can be found at www.ada.gov, or by calling the Justice Department’s toll-free information line at (800) 514-0301 and (833) 610-1264 (TTY). More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in the District of Minnesota is not accessible to persons with disabilities may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 612-664-5600, or obtain information about how to file a complaint online by visiting www.ada.gov/file-a-complaint.

This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen E. Rau of the District of Minnesota in coordination with the Disability Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury found a Minneapolis man guilty of possessing ammunition as a felon after participating in a 2022 shooting at 38th and Chicago in South Minneapolis, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to the evidence presented at trial, in the early morning hours of August 7, 2022, Traigh Sean Tillman, 30, was involved in an altercation outside an abandoned Speedway parking lot located at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis. Surveillance video footage shows Tillman armed with a gun as he approached a parked car. Tillman opened the driver’s-side door and began to wrestle with the driver. During the scuffle, Tillman can be seen firing two shots. Tillman accidentally fired the second shot into his own leg. Tillman can then be seen on the surveillance video limping away from the vehicle. Records show he went to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where he provided false accounts of his injuries, then left the hospital against medical advice. According to the indictment, Tillman is a member of the Minneapolis Bloods street gang.

Because Tillman has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Following a two-day trial before Judge Susan Richard Nelson in U.S. District Court, Tillman was found guilty of one count of possession of ammunition as a felon. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department. the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Calhoun-Lopez and David M. Classen tried the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – An Owatonna sex offender has pleaded guilty on the first day of trial to producing sexually explicit images of a minor and sending graphic threats detailing a murder plot against his former child sexual abuse victim, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in March 2021, law enforcement in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, began investigating Michael Lee Kurkowski, 28, regarding the communication and exchange of sexually explicit images of a minor. The investigation revealed that Kurkowski traveled to Pennsylvania to locate the minor and to try to continue a “relationship” after the minor attempted to end the online communications. In April 2021, Kurkowski was charged with multiple felonies and convicted in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, of corruption of a minor related to the sexual exploitation of the minor and was sentenced to 142 days in prison followed by probation. Kurkowski’s probation conditions required him to register as a sex offender, not to contact his victim, to refrain from behavior which may present a danger to others, and not to possess any weapons.

According to court documents, in November 2021, law enforcement began investigating Kurkowski’s online communications and sexual exploitation of another minor victim. Investigators reviewed several messages from Kurkowski to the minor describing in graphic detail a plan to travel to Pennsylvania where Kurkowski would murder the parents of his former victim, rape his sister, and then kill her in front of his former victim.

According to court documents, on February 4, 2022, law enforcement learned that Kurkowski had purchased a Greyhound bus ticket and was currently en route to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the general location of Kurkowski’s former victim and his family. FBI investigators tracked Kurkowski to a bus stop in Toledo, Ohio, where authorities took him into custody. According to court documents, when he was arrested, Kurkowski had with him a bag containing 16 heavy flex cuffs, electrical tape, a taser, a knife, rubber gloves, handcuffs, and hooded facemasks.

Kurkowski pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Joan N. Ericksen to one count of threatening interstate communication and one count of production of child pornography. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Owatonna Police Department, Steele County Community Corrections, the Upper Allen Township (Pennsylvania) Police Department, the East Peoria (Illinois) Police Department, Watertown (Wisconsin) Police Department, Toledo (Ohio) Police Department, and the Cedar Falls (Iowa) Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea A. Walcker and Laura M. Provinzino are prosecuting the case.

Additionally, NCMEC’s peer support network, Team HOPE, can provide support, empowerment, and resources to families of missing or exploited children from people who have experienced a similar trauma. If you’d like to connect with someone for emotional support, email: gethelp@ncmec.org or call: 1-877-446-2632 ext. 6117.

MINNEAPOLIS – An Edina financial adviser has been charged with wire fraud after misappropriating $1.6 million in client investment funds, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.  

According to court documents, Kristi Margaret Berge, 47, was the founder and CEO of Keep Safe Investments, LLC, or “KSI Financial,” a financial planning and investment services firm. Berge also co-owned and operated J&K Connect LLC, a company that invested in real estate through buying, renovating, and re-selling properties. Berge maintained offices for her companies in Edina, Minnesota. Berge is registered as an investment adviser with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and licensed as an investment adviser with the State of Minnesota.  

According to court documents, from June 2020 through February 2023, Berge fraudulently misappropriated approximately $1.6 million from some of her clients’ accounts by falsely representing to clients that she would maintain their money in safe and secure investment accounts, such as individual retirement accounts and 401(k) retirement savings plans. Instead, Berge fraudulently misappropriated the money by repeatedly withdrawing client funds in varying amounts between $5,000 and $220,000 and depositing the funds into bank accounts she controlled. Berge then used the clients’ funds to purchase multiple properties in Edina for her real estate business. Berge tried to conceal her fraud by falsely labeling her illicit withdrawals as “management” or “administrative” fees and by creating fabricated records to give the false impression that she had authorization to withdraw clients’ investment funds. 

Berge is charged with one count of wire fraud. On March 7, 2024, Berge is scheduled to make her initial appearance in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Harry M. Jacobs are prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – An Oklahoma man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after hacking a government auction website and purchasing vehicles and jewelry for $1, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between February 25 and March 6, 2019, Evan James Coker, 41, participated in a scheme to defraud General Service Administration’s (“GSA”) auctions. The GSA conducts online auctions through which it sells excess equipment, including surplus, seized, and forfeited assets, as well as equipment that is no longer needed by government agencies. The auctions are conducted online through servers located in Eagan, Minnesota.

As part of his scheme, Coker bid in multiple auctions for vehicles and jewelry on the GSA Auctions website. When Coker won a particular auction, he was directed to the pay.gov website to remit payment in the amount of his winning bid. Instead of remitting payment in the amount of his winning bid, Coker breached the pay.gov website and falsified the true auction price to $1.

In total, Coker bid on and won 19 auction items and fraudulently paid just $1 for each item. As a result of his scheme, Coker obtained three vehicles, including a 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid, for which he bid $8,327; a Ford F550 pickup truck, for which he bid $9,000; and a Chevrolet C4500 Box Truck, for which he bid $22,700.

Coker pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Michael J. Davis to one count of wire fraud. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Matthew D. Forbes are prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 87 months in prison for his role in a series of violent carjackings and armed robberies targeting Uber and Lyft drivers and for assaulting a federal officer, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between September and October 2021, William Charles Saffold, 21, and his co-defendants Shevirio Kavirion Childs-Young, 20, Javeyon Demario Tate, 23, and Eric Harrell Knight, 20, engaged in a series of violent carjackings and armed robberies, targeting Uber and Lyft drivers. As part of the scheme, the defendants conspired with each other to lure drivers to preplanned locations under the guise of picking up or dropping off passengers. When the drivers arrived, the defendants carjacked the drivers at gunpoint. To intimidate and force compliance, they brandished firearms, beat, and pistol-whipped the drivers. They also demanded keys, wallets, and cell phones and forced the drivers at gunpoint to unlock their phones and provide passcodes. The defendants then used the passcodes to further victimize the drivers by accessing and stealing money from the drivers’ Cash App accounts or other applications.

According to court documents, on May 11, 2022, while attempting to execute an arrest warrant, an FBI agent approached Saffold, who immediately drew a pistol and pointed it at the agent before fleeing on foot.

On October 21, 2022, Saffold pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to use, carry, and brandish firearms during and in relation to crimes of violence and one count of assaulting a federal officer. Saffold was sentenced yesterday by Judge Katherine M. Menendez to 87 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. 

U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger thanked the Minneapolis Police Department and the FBI for their skilled investigative work on the case, and Uber and Lyft for their assistance throughout the investigation.

This case was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.

MINNEAPOLIS – Three individuals living on the Red Lake Indian Reservation have been convicted by a federal jury of felony child neglect, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to evidence presented at trial, between February 2022 and January 2023, Robin John Roy, 55, Nicole Robyn Roy, 29, and Harrison Edwin Dudley Sr., 36, willfully deprived the minor victims of necessary food, clothing, shelter, health care, or supervision despite their reasonable ability to make the necessary provisions, resulting in substantial harm to the minor victims’ physical, mental, and emotional health.

On February 16, 2024, following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel, all three defendants were found guilty of felony child neglect. Nicole Roy and Dudley were also found guilty of felony child endangerment. Sentencing hearings for the defendants will be scheduled at a later time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey E. Middlecamp and Rachel L. Kraker tried the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury has convicted a Minneapolis man in an insider trading conspiracy involving nonpublic negotiations for the acquisition of a medical device company valued at $1.6 billion, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Bildtsen. 

According to evidence presented at trial, beginning in January 2018 through at least August 2020, Doron “Ron” Tavlin, 68, of Minneapolis, and Afshin “Alex” Farahan, 57, of Los Angeles, engaged in an insider trading conspiracy. The conspiracy involved nonpublic information about the acquisition of Mazor Robotics, an Israeli-based company that specialized in robotics for spinal procedures, by Medtronic, Inc., an Ireland-based medical device company that primarily operated from its executive headquarters in Minneapolis. Tavlin, while working as vice president of business development at Mazor Robotics, learned material, nonpublic information about Medtronic’s potential acquisition of his company. In violation of federal law and his duty to his former employer, Mazor Robotics, Tavlin tipped this information about the acquisition to his friend, Farahan, and instructed him to keep the information secret. Farahan knew that Medtronic’s imminent acquisition of Mazor would likely result in an increase in Mazor’s stock price. Farahan used the nonpublic information to quickly buy more than $1 million of Mazor stock throughout August and September 2018. The morning after the acquisition was announced, Farahan immediately sold all the stock he had purchased over the preceding weeks, which resulted in a combined profit of over $500,000 for himself and one other individual. According to evidence presented at trial, after the acquisition occurred, Tavlin learned that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) was investigating certain trades of Mazor securities that occurred prior to the publicly announced acquisition. As part of its inquiry, FINRA asked Tavlin, and other insiders who knew about the secret acquisition negotiations, whether he knew any of the parties who traded in Mazor securities leading up to the public announcement. In January 2019, Tavlin responded to FINRA’s inquiry by falsely denying that he recognized any names on a list of persons and entities that purchased Mazor securities, which included Farahan. 

According to evidence presented at trial, the insider trading conspiracy included an agreement between Tavlin and Farahan that Farahan would pay money to Tavlin in exchange for the material, nonpublic information. For example, in October 2019, Farahan gave Tavlin a $25,000 check in exchange for the information that Tavlin had provided about Mazor Robotics leading up to the acquisition. 

On February 16, 2024, following a nine-day trial before U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank, Tavlin was found guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit insider trading and ten counts of securities fraud and aiding and abetting securities fraud. Another defendant, David Jay Gantman, 58, of Mendota Heights, was found not guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit insider trading and six counts of securities fraud.

Farahan pleaded guilty on August 4, 2022, to one count of conspiracy to engage in insider trading. Sentencing hearings for both defendants will be scheduled at a later time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Robert M. Lewis, and William C. Mattessich tried the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Three Minneapolis men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a series of violent carjackings and armed robberies targeting Uber and Lyft drivers, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

“The defendants targeted innocent people who were simply doing their jobs,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. “The crimes committed by these four men contributed to the sharp increase in violent carjackings throughout the Twin Cities in recent years and left victims with physical and emotional scars. I commend our law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts in bringing these defendants to justice.” 

“The residents of Minneapolis have dealt with violent crime for far too long,” said Minneapolis Police Chief, Brian O’Hara.  “The sentencing of these individuals sends a clear message: anyone who chooses to use violence and terror for personal gain will be held accountable. I am grateful for the leadership and partnership we have with U.S. Attorney Luger. I’m also thankful for the continued partnership with our law enforcement partners who helped ensure justice was done and accountability was achieved.”

“The FBI and our law enforcement partners are determined not to allow our community to become a breeding ground for violent, carjacking criminals,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “These sentencings send a clear message: carjacking will be met with swift and decisive action. We are committed to working tirelessly with law enforcement, community leaders, private sector partners, and residents to eradicate this heinous crime. Our community deserves safety and security, and we are prepared to take whatever steps necessary to ensure that carjackers are brought to justice.”

According to court documents, between September and October 2021, Shevirio Kavirion Childs-Young, 20, William Charles Saffold, 21, Javeyon Demario Tate, 23, and Eric Harrell Knight, 20, engaged in a series of violent carjackings and armed robberies, targeting Uber and Lyft drivers. As part of the scheme, the defendants conspired with each other to lure drivers to preplanned locations under the guise of picking up or dropping off passengers. When the drivers arrived, the defendants carjacked the drivers at gunpoint. To intimidate and force compliance, they brandished firearms, beat, and pistol-whipped the drivers. They also demanded keys, wallets, and cell phones and forced the drivers at gunpoint to unlock their phones and provide passcodes. The defendants then used the passcodes to further victimize the drivers by accessing and stealing money from the drivers’ Cash App accounts or other applications.

According to court documents, on May 11, 2022, while attempting to execute an arrest warrant, an FBI agent approached Saffold, who immediately drew a pistol and pointed it at the agent before fleeing on foot.

All four defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to use, carry, and brandish firearms during and in relation to crimes of violence. Saffold also pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer. Knight was sentenced today to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. On February 13, 2023, Tate was sentenced to 78 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. On February 12, 2024, Childs-Young was sentenced to 96 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Saffold is scheduled to be sentenced on February 20, 2024. Judge Katherine M. Menendez sentenced the defendants.  

U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger thanked the Minneapolis Police Department and the FBI for their skilled investigative work on the case, and Uber and Lyft for their assistance throughout the investigation.

This case was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Royalton man has been sentenced to 192 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for producing sexually explicit images of a minor, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, in November 2022, Andrew John Groen, 35, contacted a minor victim using the messaging application TextMe. Groen, who knew the victim was a minor, identified himself in messages as a 19-year-old man named “Tyler.” On multiple occasions, Groen coerced the minor to send sexually explicit images. Groen also sent the minor victim obscene images and links to pornography and encouraged the minor victim to have sex with an adult man identified in messages.

On August 24, 2023, Groen pleaded guilty to one count of production and attempted production of child pornography. Groen was sentenced on February 6, 2024, in U.S. District Court by Judge Jerry W. Blackwell.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Willmar Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hillary A. Taylor prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, on April 11, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant on a Minneapolis home belonging to Luis Fernando Cervantes, 37. As a result of the search, law enforcement found seven one-kilogram packages of cocaine and a firearm.

On October 18, 2023, Cervantes pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Cervantes was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Michael J. Davis.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota today announced federal criminal charges against 10 additional defendants for their alleged roles in the fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 10 defendants are charged across two separate indictments and one criminal information with charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery.

As outlined in the charging documents, the defendants participated in a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program by obtaining, misappropriating, and laundering millions of dollars in program funds that were intended as reimbursements for the cost of serving meals to children. The defendants exploited changes in the program intended to ensure underserved children received adequate nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than feed children, the defendants enriched themselves by fraudulently misappropriating millions of dollars in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.

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The following defendants are named in the two indictments:

• Ikram Yusuf Mohamed, 41, of Minneapolis, worked as a consultant for Feeding Our Future. Ikram Mohamed opened several food sites that were enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. To conceal her involvement, she put the sites and entities in the name of family members, including her husband, mother, and siblings. Ikram Mohamed also solicited and received kickbacks from individuals and companies involved in the program. Ikram Mohamed registered IM Consultation LLC with the Minnesota Secretary of State on or about March 10, 2021. She used IM Consultation to receive and launder kickback payments and fraud proceeds. Ikram Mohamed is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. 24-CR-15 (ECT/DJF)
• Shakur Abdinur Abdisalam, 45, Ikram Mohamed’s husband, created a company called Inspiring Youth & Out Reach LLC (“Inspiring Youth”), which he enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. Inspiring Youth purported to run a food site in Minneapolis. Between February and November 2021, the company claimed to have served more than 1 million meals. Based on these fraudulent claims, Inspiring Youth received more than $1.5 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Abdisalam also paid a $21,000 kickback to his wife’s entity, IM Consultation. Abdisalam is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. 24-CR-15 (ECT/DJF)
• Aisha Hassan Hussein, 27, Ikram Mohamed’s sister, was the principal of United Youth of MPLS LLC (“United Youth”). Hussein enrolled her company in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and purported to operate two sites in Minneapolis. As alleged, from December 2020 through November 2021, Hussein and her co-conspirators falsely claimed to have served more than 1.3 million meals to children at the United Youth sites, totaling approximately $2.2 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Hussein also paid a $166,000 kickback to Ikram Mohamed’s IM Consultation. Hussein is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. 24-CR-15 (ECT/DJF)
• Fadumo Mohamed Yusuf, 57, Ikram Mohamed’s mother, ran Active Mind’s Youth LLC (“Active Minds”), another company that enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. Active Minds purported to operate a food site located on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. Between February and June 2021, Active Minds fraudulently claimed to have served more than 500,000 meals and received more than $1 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Yusuf also paid a $38,500 kickback to Ikram Mohamed’s IM Consultation. Yusuf is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. 24-CR-15 (ECT/DJF)
• Sahra Sharif Osman, 41, of Savage, was the principal of Youth International Club LLC (“Youth International”). Youth International operated two Federal Child Nutrition Program sites under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. The Youth International food sites were in Hopkins and Edina, both purportedly serving meals out of community rooms in townhome complexes. Between March and November 2021, Youth International fraudulently claimed to have served nearly 700,000 meals and received more than $1.4 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme, Osman also paid a $7,500 kickback to Ikram Mohamed’s IM Consultation. Osman is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. 24-CR-15 (ECT/DJF)
• Suleman Yusuf Mohamed, 39, Ikram Mohamed’s brother, was the owner of Star Distribution LLC, which purported to be a food distribution business in Minneapolis. Star Distribution purported to be in the business of providing meals to be served at the Federal Child Nutrition Program site run by Suleman Mohamed’s family members and co-defendants. As alleged, from February 2021 through April 2022, Star Distribution received approximately $10 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds, including more than $4.9 million from Feeding Our Future, $1.6 million from United Youth of Mpls, and $1 million from Inspiring Youth & Outreach. As part of the scheme, Suleman Mohamed also paid more than $330,000 in kickbacks to Ikram Mohamed’s IM Consultation. Suleman Mohamed is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. 24-CR-15 (ECT/DJF)
• Gandi Yusuf Mohamed, 43, Ikram Mohamed’s brother, was the owner of GAK Properties LLC and GIF Properties LLC, companies used to receive and launder the proceeds of the fraud scheme. Gandi Mohamed also submitted fraudulent meal counts and claims on behalf of his family’s companies. As alleged, between March 2021 and July 2022, Gandi Mohamed fraudulently received and laundered more than $1.1 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Gandi Mohamed is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. 24-CR-15 (ECT/DJF)
• Said Ereg, 45, and was the owner and operator of Evergreen Grocery and Deli, a for-profit grocery and deli in south Minneapolis. Ereg’s wife, Najmo Ahmed, 34, worked for Evergreen Grocery and Deli. Evergreen Grocery and Deli was enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. As alleged, April 2020 and April 2021, Evergreen Grocery and Deli fraudulently claimed to have served over 1.4 million meals to children and received more than $4.2 million in payments from Feeding Our Future for purportedly serving meals. Ereg and Ahmed transferred most of the money to fund their own lifestyles, including to make purchases from Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and Canada Goose. Ereg and Ahmed also transferred more than $2.5 million to foreign accounts controlled by foreign companies. As part of the scheme, Ereg and Ahmed also paid more than $100,000 in kickbacks to Abdikerm Eidleh, a Feeding Our Future employee. Ereg and Ahmed are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. 24-CR-13 (PJS/DTS)

Criminal informations:

• Hoda Ali Abdi, 53, was the owner of Alif Halal LLC (“Alif Halal”), a grocery store located in Burnsville, which she enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and Sponsor A. As alleged, Abdi fraudulently claimed to have provided approximately $3 million worth of food for children through other co-conspirator’s sites. Abdi also claimed, falsely, to have served more than 242,000 meals to children at her Burnsville site and received approximately $243,268 in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Abdi is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. 24-CR-24 (JWB)

United States Attorney Andrew Luger thanks the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their collaboration and skilled investigative work in bringing these charges.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Minnesota Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, and Chelsea A. Walcker are prosecuting the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

These charges are merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Woodbury man has been indicted for embezzling over $140,000 from his employer, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Timothy Michael Hill, Jr., 36, was employed by The Grove, Inc., to manage a Chik-fil-A franchise restaurant at the Minneapolis airport. As manager, Hill was responsible for collecting and making daily cash deposits into a safe deposit box.

According to court documents, between September 2022 and October 2023, Hill collected the daily cash receipts from The Grove’s airport restaurants and instead of depositing it into the safe deposit box, pocketed some or all of the cash. Hill used future cash receipts to cover his theft, creating a false impression that the cash deposits were delayed rather than stolen. Hill spent the stolen cash on jewelry, online sports betting, and the adult website Only Fans. He also transferred thousands of dollars through CashApp to various individuals, including several female colleagues in exchange for personal photos and videos.

In total, Hill knowingly and willfully embezzled approximately $144,000 from The Grove over a period of 13 months.

Hill was charged with five counts of wire fraud and will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on February 14, 2024.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minneapolis Airport Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy is prosecuting the case.

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

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. –  A federal jury found a White Earth man guilty of production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to the evidence presented at trial, in December 2020, Ryan Edward Thompson, 34, a.k.a. “Ryan Edward Wayne Townsend,” knowingly used a minor in sexually explicit activity to produce pornography images. 

Using her school-issued laptop to message the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the 13-year-old victim disclosed that the defendant, whom she had recently moved in with, began sleeping in her room at night and sexually abusing her. Law enforcement responded and later discovered photographs of a sexual nature had been taken with the victim’s own cell phone. 

Following a three-day trial before Judge John R. Tunheim in U.S. District Court, Thompson was found guilty yesterday on two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Red Lake Department of Public Safety. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the White Earth Nation Indian Child Welfare Services, the Red Lake Nation Victim Services, Fosston Public Schools, Minneapolis Public Schools, and the Family Advocacy Center of Northern Minnesota.  

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

If you need suicide or mental health crisis support, or are worried about someone else, please call or text 988 or visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline chat to connect with a trained crisis specialist. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary S. Riverso and Laura M. Provinzino tried this case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Bloomington man has pleaded guilty to his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, Jesus Martinez Salazar, 32, and his co-defendant, Derrick Dammons, 45, of Minneapolis, agreed to sell 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine for $3,750 to an individual who, unbeknownst to them, was an undercover law enforcement officer. On January 10, 2023, Dammons retrieved the methamphetamine from Martinez Salazar before meeting with the undercover officer to make the transaction. Following the transaction, Dammons got into a vehicle with Martinez Salazar and divided up the cash from the sale.

Because Martinez Salazar has a prior drug conviction, he is subject to a 15-year mandatory minimum prison term.

Martinez Salazar pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Donovan W. Frank to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. On December 7, 2023, Dammons pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled at a later time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Eagan Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan L. Sing is prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 121 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,100 in restitution to the victims of three violent carjackings committed within a 24-hour period in March 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

“This individual put several lives at risk by going on an armed carjacking spree and evading law enforcement by driving 120 miles per hour through a residential neighborhood,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. “This case offers a snapshot of a disturbing trend of violent and reckless behavior. Wilson-Branch’s spree is one of the reasons our office has focused our resources on prosecuting violent carjacking cases.”

“Wilson-Branch's cowardly and reprehensible actions, aimed at terrorizing innocent victims for personal gain, have no place in a just society,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The FBI will not tolerate criminals depriving our citizens of safety within their own communities. We will continue to work with our local, state and federal partners to target, identify and bring to justice violent offenders.”

According to court documents, on March 16, 2023, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Javon Thomas Wilson-Branch, 20, along with another individual, approached two people in Minneapolis who had just parked and exited a Mercedes Benz SUV to unload groceries. Wilson-Branch pointed a Springfield Armory assault rifle at the victims and demanded they hand over everything they had. At gunpoint, the victims provided Wilson-Branch with the keys to the vehicle and other items. Wilson-Branch got into the carjacked SUV and drove away.

Approximately eight hours later, at around 4:00 a.m., Wilson-Branch and another individual carjacked a Toyota Highlander at gunpoint in Minneapolis. Wilson-Branch and others pulled the carjacked SUV up next to the Highlander, and demanded the victim’s car keys at gunpoint. An AirTag inside the carjacked vehicle tracked the vehicle to Saint Paul, where it was left and abandoned at approximately 4:30 a.m., and Saint Paul police later recovered the carjacked vehicle.

About thirty-minutes later, at approximately 5:00 a.m., Wilson-Branch and another individual drove the carjacked SUV to Saint Paul and parked behind an Audi A6. When the owner approached the Audi A6, Wilson-Branch and the other individual exited the carjacked SUV armed with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and the Springfield Armory rifle. Both men pointed the firearms at the victim and forced him to give up his keys, wallet, and phone. The victim was also forced at gunpoint to unlock his cell phone, which was later used to make unauthorized money transfers from the victim’s bank account to Wilson-Branch and others. Wilson-Branch drove away in the carjacked Audi and the other individual drove away in the carjacked Mercedes Benz SUV. Officers with the St. Paul Police Department spotted the two carjacked vehicles about 30 minutes later in the area of Maryland Avenue and Western Avenue. When officers attempted a traffic stop, both vehicles fled police at high rates of speed through residential areas and onto the highway and evaded the pursuit.

Officers with the Woodbury Police Department later located the carjacked Audi A6 in a mall parking lot and apprehended Wilson-Branch in another building after a short foot chase. Two of the firearms used in the carjackings, each fully loaded with high-capacity magazines, and a recently stolen box of ammunition, were located inside the Audi A6, along with the keys to the previously carjacked Toyota Highlander.

Wilson-Branch pleaded guilty on August 4, 2023, to two counts of aiding and abetting carjacking, and admitted to aiding and abetting a third carjacking. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge David S. Doty.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Saint Paul Police Department, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Woodbury Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – An Eden Prairie woman has been indicted for embezzling more than $1 million from her employer, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Monica Svobodny, 51, worked as the Supply Chain and Engineering Manager at Sico, Inc, a furniture and home furnishing manufacturing company located in Edina, Minnesota. Svobodny used her position to embezzle funds and convert them to her own use and benefit.

According to court documents, Svobodny regularly used company credit cards for unauthorized personal expenses such as designer clothing, spa services, and luxury hotel stays.  To cover her fraud, she left unapproved credit card expenses as “pending” for accounting purposes. On more than 300 occasions, she used company cards to transfer funds to herself via PayPal to cover personal expenses. Svobodny also edited PayPal transaction receipts and fraudulently listed some of the expenses as payments to a defunct company.

In total, Svobodny knowingly and willfully embezzled more than $1,137,000 from Sico, Inc. over a period of seven years.

Svobodny was charged with one count of wire fraud. She will make her initial appearance in U.S. District Court at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Edina Police Department and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea A. Walcker is prosecuting the case.

The charges contained in the information are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in the arson of the Target corporate headquarters in downtown Minneapolis, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, Minneapolis experienced arson, rioting, and looting following the suicide of a suspect in a homicide, and in response to false rumors surrounding the man’s death. Leroy Lemonte Perry Williams, 37, and his co-defendants went to the Target Corporation’s corporate headquarters building (“Target Corporation building”) in downtown Minneapolis where dozens of other people had gathered. Williams and others broke into the Target Corporation building and repeatedly attempted to set fire both inside and outside the building.

On October 26, 2023, Williams was convicted on one count of arson. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Judge Paul A. Magnuson.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Minneapolis Fire Department, and the Minneapolis, Bloomington, and Richfield Police Departments.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea A. Walcker and Nathan H. Nelson prosecuted the case.