District of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man was sentenced to 160 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between June 2019 and October 2020, Xavier Jerome Buckhanan, 47, conspired with others to traffic methamphetamine and other drugs from Las Vegas to communities in and surrounding the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation. Through the course of the investigation, law enforcement identified multiple packages containing drugs that were sent via the U.S. Postal Service from Las Vegas to a recipient in Eden Valley, Minnesota. On October 19, 2020, law enforcement conducted a controlled delivery of three packages that contained multiple bundles of methamphetamine. Officers arrested Buckhanan when he arrived to retrieve the packages.

Buckhanan was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Michael J. Davis. On December 14, 2021, Buckhanan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department, Meeker County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Caleb J. Dogeagle and Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad prosecuted the case.

 

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The Justice Department announced today that former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, 46, was sentenced to serve 252 months in prison with credit for time served for depriving George Floyd Jr. and a then-14-year-old child of their constitutional rights.

On Dec. 15, 2021, Chauvin pleaded guilty in federal court to violating a federal criminal civil rights statute on two separate occasions. First, Chauvin pleaded guilty to willfully depriving Mr. Floyd of his constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer, resulting in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death. In the plea documents, Chauvin agreed that the sentencing for this crime should be based on the sentence for second-degree murder because he acted willfully and in callous and wanton disregard of the consequences to Mr. Floyd’s life. 

Chauvin also pleaded guilty to willfully depriving a then-14-year-old child of his constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer, resulting in the child’s bodily injury.

“In no uncertain terms, George Floyd should be alive today,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Defendant Chauvin’s use of excessive force and his failure to provide medical care resulted in Mr. Floyd’s senseless murder. Chauvin’s unlawful actions in a separate incident also resulted in injury to a 14-year-old child. This sentence should send a strong message that the Justice Department stands ready to prosecute law enforcement officers who use deadly force without basis. While no amount of prison time can reverse the tragic consequences of Derek Chauvin’s violent actions, we hope that this sentence provides some small measure of justice for the families and communities impacted.”

“Derek Chauvin abandoned his sworn oath to uphold the sanctity of life when he callously took George Floyd’s life and when he violently assaulted a 14-year-old child,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger for the District of Minnesota. “Chauvin’s actions constituted a grave abuse of police authority and a clear violation of these individuals’ civil rights. To the victims, their families, and to the broader community: although the harm that Chauvin caused will never be erased, today’s sentence of more than 20 years in prison represents a measure of justice and accountability.”

In the plea agreement, Chauvin admitted that on May 25, 2020, he willfully violated Mr. Floyd’s constitutional right to be free from an officer’s use of unreasonable force. Specifically, Chauvin admitted that he held his left knee across Mr. Floyd’s neck, back and shoulder and his right knee on Mr. Floyd’s back and arm. The plea agreement stated that Mr. Floyd remained restrained, prone and handcuffed on the ground for approximately 10 minutes. Chauvin further admitted that he continued to use force even though he was aware that Mr. Floyd had stopped resisting, talking and moving, and even though he was aware that Mr. Floyd had lost consciousness and a pulse. Chauvin admitted that Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) policy and training requires officers to stop using force when a subject is not resisting and to move an arrestee from the prone position into a side recovery or seated position because the prone position may make it more difficult to breathe. Chauvin admitted that his willful use of unreasonable force resulted in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death because his actions impaired Mr. Floyd’s ability to obtain and maintain sufficient oxygen to sustain Mr. Floyd’s life. 

In the plea agreement, Chauvin also admitted that he willfully violated Mr. Floyd’s constitutional right not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law, which includes an arrestee’s right to be free from a police officer’s deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs. Specifically, Chauvin admitted that he failed to render medical aid to Mr. Floyd, although he saw that Mr. Floyd was lying on the ground, in serious medical need, and although he was aware that MPD policy required him to provide emergency medical aid, including CPR, to an arrestee who needs it. Chauvin admitted that his failure to render medical aid resulted in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death. 

Additionally, according to the plea agreement, Chauvin admitted that on Sept. 4, 2017, he willfully violated the then-14-year-old child’s constitutional right to be free from an officer’s use of unreasonable force. Specifically, Chauvin admitted that he held the child by the throat and struck the child multiple times in the head with a flashlight, resulting in the child’s bodily injury. In the plea agreement, Chauvin also admitted that he held his knee on the child’s neck, shoulders and upper back for between 15 and 16 minutes, even though the child was face-down on the floor, handcuffed and not resisting. Chauvin admitted that these actions resulted in the child’s bodily injury. 

On Feb. 24, 2022, following a more than month-long trial, a federal jury convicted three other officers — former Minneapolis Police Officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Kiernan Lane — of violating the same criminal civil rights statute. The jury found that Thao and Kueng both willfully deprived Mr. Floyd of his constitutional rights when they failed to intervene in Chauvin’s excessive force. The jury also found that Thao, Kueng and Lane willfully deprived Mr. Floyd of his right to be free from a police officer’s deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs, by seeing Mr. Floyd in clear need of medical care and willfully failing to aid him. The jury found that Thao, Kueng and Lane’s offenses resulted in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death. Thao, Kueng and Lane will be sentenced separately at a future hearing.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. It was prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Samantha Trepel and Trial Attorney Tara Allison of the Civil Rights Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha Bates, LeeAnn Bell, Evan Gilead, Manda Sertich and Allen Slaughter for the District of Minnesota.  

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Justice Department announced today that former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, 46, was sentenced today to serve 252 months in prison, with credit for time served, for depriving George Floyd, Jr. and a then-14-year-old child of their constitutional rights.

On Dec. 15, 2021, Chauvin pleaded guilty in federal court to two violations of a federal criminal civil rights statute. First, Chauvin pleaded guilty to willfully depriving George Floyd of his constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer, resulting in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death. In the plea documents, Chauvin agreed that the sentencing for this crime should be based on the sentence for second-degree murder because he acted willfully and in callous and wanton disregard of the consequences to Mr. Floyd’s life.

Chauvin also pleaded guilty to willfully depriving the then-14-year-old child of his constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer, resulting in the child’s bodily injury.

“In no uncertain terms, George Floyd should be alive today,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Defendant Chauvin’s use of excessive force and his failure to provide medical care resulted in Mr. Floyd’s senseless murder. Chauvin’s unlawful actions in a separate incident also resulted in injury to a 14-year-old child. This sentence should send a strong message that the Justice Department stands ready to prosecute law enforcement officers who use deadly force without basis. While no amount of prison time can reverse the tragic consequences of Derek Chauvin’s violent actions, we hope that this sentence provides some small measure of justice for the families and communities impacted.”

“Derek Chauvin abandoned his sworn oath to uphold the sanctity of life when he callously took George Floyd’s life and when he violently assaulted a 14-year-old child. Chauvin’s actions constituted a grave abuse of police authority and a clear violation of these individuals’ civil rights,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. “To the victims, their families, and to the broader community: although the harm that Chauvin caused will never be erased, today’s sentence of more than 20 years in prison represents a measure of justice and accountability.”

In the plea agreement, Chauvin admitted that on May 25, 2020, he willfully violated Mr. Floyd’s constitutional right to be free from an officer’s use of unreasonable force.  Specifically, Chauvin admitted that he held his left knee across Mr. Floyd’s neck, back, and shoulder and his right knee on Mr. Floyd’s back and arm. The plea agreement stated that Mr. Floyd remained restrained prone and handcuffed on the ground for approximately 10 minutes. Chauvin further admitted that he continued to use force even though he was aware that Mr. Floyd had stopped resisting, talking, and moving, and even though he was aware that Mr. Floyd had lost consciousness and a pulse. Chauvin admitted that Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) policy and training requires officers to stop using force when a subject is not resisting and to move an arrestee from the prone position into a side recovery or seated position because the prone position may make it more difficult to breathe.  Chauvin admitted that his willful use of unreasonable force resulted in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death because his actions impaired Mr. Floyd’s ability to obtain and maintain sufficient oxygen to sustain Mr. Floyd’s life.

In the plea agreement, Chauvin also admitted that he willfully violated Mr. Floyd’s constitutional right not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law, which includes an arrestee’s right to be free from a police officer’s deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs. Specifically, Chauvin admitted that he failed to render medical aid to Mr. Floyd, although he saw that Mr. Floyd was lying on the ground, in serious medical need, and although he was aware that MPD policy required him to provide emergency medical aid, including CPR, to an arrestee who needs it. Chauvin admitted that his failure to render medical aid resulted in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death.

Additionally, according to the plea agreement, Chauvin admitted that on Sept. 4, 2017, he willfully violated the then-14-year-old child’s constitutional right to be free from an officer’s use of unreasonable force. Specifically, Chauvin admitted that he held the child by the throat and struck the child multiple times in the head with a flashlight, resulting in the child’s bodily injury.  In the plea agreement, Chauvin also admitted that he held his knee on the child’s neck, shoulders, and upper back for between 15 and 16 minutes, even though the child was face-down on the floor, handcuffed, and not resisting. Chauvin admitted that these actions resulted in the child’s bodily injury.

On Feb. 24, 2022, following a more than month-long trial, a federal jury convicted three other officers—former Minneapolis Police Officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Kiernan Lane—of violating the same criminal civil rights statute. The jury found that Thao and Kueng both willfully deprived George Floyd of his constitutional rights when they failed to intervene in Chauvin’s excessive force. The jury also found that Thao, Kueng, and Lane willfully deprived Mr. Floyd of his right to be free from a police officer’s deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs, by seeing Mr. Floyd in clear need of medical care and willfully failing to aid him. The jury found that Thao, Kueng, and Lane’s offenses resulted in Mr. Floyd’s bodily injury and death. Thao, Kueng, and Lane will be sentenced separately at a future hearing.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. It was prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Samantha Trepel and Trial Attorney Tara Allison of the Civil Rights Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha Bates, LeeAnn Bell, Evan Gilead, Manda Sertich and Allen Slaughter of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota. 

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two women have been charged with engaging in fraud schemes to steal millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, beginning in June 2020, Tequisha Solomon, 39, of Las Vegas, and Takara Hughes, 35, of Maplewood, defrauded California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) and Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and other state agencies, by submitting fraudulent claims and applications for unemployment benefits that were authorized to provide relief to the American workforce due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, while Solomon and Hughes resided in Nevada or Minnesota, they falsely claimed that they resided in Los Angeles or San Diego and worked as hairstylists in California. As a result, California’s EDD paid Solomon at least $37,000 and Hughes at least $46,000 in unemployment benefits.

According to court documents, Solomon and Hughes also fraudulently applied for Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) small business loans, falsely claiming that they owned cleaning service businesses. As part of their fraud scheme, Solomon and Hughes submitted numerous fraudulent claims on behalf of other people and charged a fee for submitting those claims. In total, as a direct result of the material falsehoods and omissions, Solomon caused the United States and multiple state agencies to pay out at least $4.1 million in fraudulent unemployment benefits and EIDL and PPP small business loan proceeds. Hughes is responsible for at least $1.2 million in fraudulent benefits and loan proceeds.

Solomon is charged with six counts of wire fraud. In a separate indictment, Hughes is charged with five counts of wire fraud. The defendants are scheduled to make their initial appearances in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung on July 15, 2022.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the St. Paul Police Department and the California Employment Development Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew S. Ebert is prosecuting the cases.

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 Minneapolis man has been charged in a federal criminal complaint for the armed carjacking of a woman outside her place of work in northeast Minneapolis, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on June 9, 2022, Shamir Nathann Black, 18, approached a woman outside of her place of work and demanded her car keys. Black proceeded to push the victim to the ground and hit her on the head with a firearm. A bystander attempted to assist the victim but was also assaulted by Black. Black pointed his firearm at the bystander and pulled the trigger, but the gun did not discharge a bullet. Black and an accomplice got into the victim’s vehicle, but surrounding witnesses pulled Black from the driver’s seat and put him on the ground. Black and his accomplice fled the scene on foot.

After arriving at the scene, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department located a Shadow Systems 9mm semiautomatic pistol wrapped in a gray sweatshirt. The firearm had been reported stolen in Prior Lake in April 2022. Investigators reviewed a social media video that showed Black waving around a handgun that matched the firearm recovered at the crime scene. Further investigation revealed that a Volkswagen Jetta had been taken in a Prior Lake home burglary on the same night the firearm was stolen. Law enforcement later recovered the stolen Jetta from Black’s Minneapolis residence. On June 24, 2022, Black was taken into custody.

Black is charged with one count of carjacking. He made his initial appearance yesterday in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson and was ordered temporarily detained pending a formal detention hearing on June 30, 2022.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Roso is prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – Jose Angel Chapa-Aguilera has been charged in a federal indictment with drug trafficking and firearms violations in connection to the December 2021 kidnapping and torture of a man, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to state and federal court documents, Chapa-Aguilera, 24, of Lino Lakes, was in possession of quantities of methamphetamine and unlawfully possessed 9mm semi-automatic handguns on two different occasions.

In April 2021 Chapa-Aguilera used a false name during a traffic stop in Nobles County which later resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine and a firearm from the vehicle he was driving near Worthington, Minnesota.

On December 20, 2021, at a Brooklyn Park residence, Chapa-Aguilera allegedly confronted a man about a drug debt. During the confrontation, Chapa-Aguilera pulled out a handgun and pointed it at a victim’s head. Chapa-Aguilera then ordered the victim to the ground and tied his hands behind his back and proceeded to beat and torture the victim for hours before barricading the victim in a crawlspace under the house. The victim was eventually able to escape once Chapa-Aguilera left the house. The victim suffered extensive injuries, including numerous burns, broken ribs, a large laceration above his eye, and required a blood transfusion. Law enforcement seized methamphetamine from Chapa-Aguilera’s residence during a search warrant executed shortly thereafter. Law enforcement eventually captured Chapa-Aguilera on January 7, 2022, and found him in possession of a firearm.

Chapa-Aguilera has also been charged in Hennepin County District Court with first-degree assault and kidnapping in connection with the December 2021 incident.

The federal indictment against Chapa-Aguilera charges him with two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of brandishing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, and two counts of illegally possessing firearms as a felon. Because Chapa-Aguilera has a prior felony conviction in Anoka County for second degree assault he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Chapa-Aguilera made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson. He will remain in federal custody pending further court proceedings.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force (VOTF), and the Brooklyn Park Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter 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 – A Coon Rapids man has pleaded guilty to a sextortion scheme that targeted minors through social media and an online gaming forum, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Glen Robert Anderson, 24, previously worked as a middle school paraprofessional in special education. Anderson used multiple internet applications and social media accounts for email, file sharing, and chatting with minors, including Snapchat and Grindr. Anderson also owned and administered an online gaming forum. To participate in the forum, users were required to submit an application, which included the age of the user. As Anderson knew, many of the users were minors. Between April 1, 2016, through August 20, 2021, Anderson used his position as the forum administrator to groom minors to produce child pornography and engage in sexual activity with him, including by providing minors with in-game perks, privileges, and other gifts. For example, Anderson coerced a 13-year-old victim to engage in sexually explicit acts for the purpose of producing images and videos. Anderson later threatened to release those sexually explicit images if the victim did not respond to Anderson’s demands.

Anderson pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz to two counts of production of child pornography, one count of enticement of a minor, and one count of interstate communications with intent to extort. Anderson was ordered to remain in detention pending his sentencing hearing on October 25, 2022.

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

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office, the Erie County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Waterloo Regional Police Service in Ontario, Canada.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E. Dugi is prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal inmate was sentenced to an additional 349 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release for continuing to facilitate a methamphetamine trafficking operation from federal prison, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, in early 2017, Marco Antonio Avila, 37, was charged and convicted in federal court for his leadership role in an ongoing and extensive drug trafficking organization operating in and around Rochester. While awaiting sentencing in 2017, Avila continued his methamphetamine trafficking operations through jail calls and in-person visits, was prosecuted again, and plead guilty to a second federal drug trafficking offense on May 30, 2017. On May 21, 2018, Avila was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 26 years in Bureau of Prisons (BOP) custody. 

According to court documents, from December 2019 through at least February 2020, Avila continued his operations by recruiting and directing at least one co-conspirator to purchase large quantities of methamphetamine from a Mexico-based drug supplier to distribute to customers throughout southern Minnesota. Recorded BOP phone calls revealed Avila’s interactions with his co-conspirator, including inquiring about the status of distribution efforts and instructions to pay Avila commissions for his work as a middleman. On February 23, 2020, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at one of the co-conspirator’s storage lockers in Woodbury. Inside the storage locker, agents found thirty separate one-pound packages of methamphetamine stored inside a Corvette. 

Avila was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Donovan W. Frank. On March 25, 2022, Avila pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Prisons, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Rochester Police Department.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Chinese national has pleaded guilty to identity theft and cyberstalking involving a Minnesota college student, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between January 2020 and November 2021, Ki Cheung Yau, 27, created multiple online accounts on various websites, including social media platforms, dating websites, and pornography websites, using the name, photos, and personally identifying information of the victim. Yau used these accounts to communicate with strangers on the internet while posing as the victim. Yau falsely portrayed the victim on social media, dating, and sexually-focused websites as a young woman soliciting submissive or violent sexual relationships, including a desire to engage in racially-oriented submissive sexual conduct.

Yau then communicated with strangers online and tried to help them locate the victim and follow through on his invitations for dominating and violent sexual encounters. According to court documents, on two separate occasions in January 2021, a man went to the victim’s residence and asked for the victim by name, presumably because he believed he was meeting the victim for a sexual encounter. Also, Yau’s cyberstalking resulted in strangers directly messaging the victim in response to explicit accounts and posts made by Yau posing as the victim. Further, the victim’s family and friends’ names, photos, and contact information were also included in Yau’s stalking scheme. The victim was forced to move to a new residence and change her phone number.

Yau pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to one count of cyberstalking and one count of identity theft. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

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

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Hillary A. Taylor is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – An inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution (“FCI”) in Sandstone has been indicted for attempting to obtain contraband in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on two separate dates in February and March 2022, Nickolas William Mihelic, 39, an inmate at FCI Sandstone, unlawfully attempted to obtain methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Mihelic is charged with two counts of attempting to obtain contraband in prison. If convicted, he faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Mihelic will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court before a Magistrate Judge at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Federal Bureau of Prisons and the FBI.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Hillary A. Taylor 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 – A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty, during his criminal trial, to attempted distribution of a drug analogue, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and illegally possessing firearms as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in March 2021, the Minnesota Department of Corrections (“DOC”) initiated an internal investigation into the introduction of narcotics into multiple DOC facilities, including Stillwater, Oak Park Heights, Faribault, and Rush City prisons. Investigators identified Walter Davis, a/k/a “Disney,” 40, as the source. On April 12, 2021, Davis attempted to mail six letters to DOC inmates that contained news articles printed on high-quality Strathmore cotton paper soaked in MDMB-4en-PINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid substance which produces hallucinogenic effects when consumed. Investigators intercepted and seized the letters. Investigators obtained search warrants for two residential locations Davis frequented. Following a search of the first location, Davis’s primary residence in Eagan, investigators recovered two baggies of fentanyl, $3,000 in cash, digital scales, and a loaded Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver. A search of the second location, an apartment in Maplewood, yielded over 400 grams of fentanyl, digital scales, a spray bottle containing MDMB-4en-PINACA, a package of Strathmore cotton paper, and a loaded Rossi .357 caliber Magnum revolver.

On June 15, 2022, Davis went to trial before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright. On June 17, 2022, three days into the trial, Davis pleaded guilty to all counts, including one count of attempted distribution of a controlled substance analogue, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and two counts of possessing a firearm as a felon. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.  

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison K. Ethen, Lauren O. Roso, and Ruth S. Shnider are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to making threats against Hennepin County employees and illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on June 24, 2021, the Hennepin County District Court issued an arrest warrant for Peter Robert Berry, 60, after he failed to appear in court for a hearing. Berry called an employee of Hennepin County Community Corrections to ask questions about his court appearance. During the call Berry became angry and began yelling and threatened to “shoot up the place.” That same day, Berry left a voice message for a Hennepin County Probation Officer in which Berry demanded a call back before he starts “killing everybody.” On June 25, 2021, Berry called a Hennepin County Service Center employee who informed him of the active warrant for his arrest due to his failure to appear in court. Upon learning about the warrant, Berry stated that he was going to “come down and kill everybody, all the judges, clerks, and deputies.” On June 29, 2021, Berry left a voice message for a Hennepin County Public Defender in which Berry expressed his dissatisfaction with the representation he received in his criminal case and threatened that people were going to die and stated that he knew where the public defender lived.

According to court documents, on July 10, 2020, and on April 7, 2021, Berry unlawfully possessed three firearms, including a Beretta .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Smith and Wesson 9 mm pistol, and a Diamondback DB15 rifle. Because Berry has prior felony convictions in Hennepin, Dakota, and Ramsey Counties, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Berry pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of interstate transmission of a threat. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison K. Ethen is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Kenyon woman was sentenced to 111 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $1,058,777.18 in restitution for embezzling more than $881,000 from the owners of several Denny’s restaurant franchises around the Twin Cities and from a family-owned construction company in Rochester, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in 2014, Kimberly Sue Peterson-Janovec, 59, became the Director of Operations for MI5, Inc., a Denny’s franchisee that owned and operated eight Denny’s franchises in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In this role, Peterson-Janovec had extensive managerial oversight for all eight restaurants, including payroll, cash deposits, vendor and contractor billing, marketing, and coordinating reimbursements from Denny’s Corporate.

According to court documents, from April 2014 through July 2019, Peterson-Janovec used her position to embezzle funds from MI5 and Denny’s Corporate by generating and submitting false requests for vendor payments and then diverting those payments for her own use and benefit. Peterson-Janovec also manipulated the company’s payroll system to issue herself unauthorized compensation using the names of employees who no longer worked for the company. As part of the scheme, Peterson-Janovec falsified records, created fake email accounts, and generated fake email traffic in which she impersonated employees of various purported vendors. In total, Peterson-Janovec received approximately $336,000 in bogus vendor payments and approximately $20,000 in fraudulently issued payroll submissions using the identities of other people.  In addition, at sentencing, the Court held Peterson-Janovec responsible for stealing an additional $181,000 in cash deposits from MI5.

According to court documents, in July 2019, MI5, Inc., discovered aspects of Peterson-Janovec’s fraud and terminated her employment. After her termination, in early 2020, Peterson-Janovec lied about her work experience to get another bookkeeping job with a family-owned construction company in Rochester, identified as Company 3. Peterson-Janovec started as its bookkeeper, earned Company 3’s trust, and eventually was promoted to its general manager. Peterson-Janovec used her position to devise and execute a similar fraud scheme on Company 3. She used her access to Company 3’s QuickBooks to issue herself numerous payments, and she did so in a manner that made the payments appear as if they were going to Company 3 vendors. This netted Peterson-Janovec another $350,000 in as little at 18 months.

In total, Peterson-Janovec stole more than $881,000 from her employers, which she used to finance her lifestyle and hobbies, including a substantial down payment on her personal residence. Peterson-Janovec also committed tax crimes during every year of her fraud scheme, which led to over $160,000 in unpaid taxes.

Peterson-Janovec was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Chief Judge John R. Tunheim. In handing down the sentence, Judge Tunheim described Peterson-Janovec’s conduct as “brazen” and motivated by “greed,” and highlighted the need to protect the public from further criminal activity carried out by the defendant.

On February 22, 2022, Peterson-Janovec was convicted by a federal jury on 24 counts of fraud, aggravated identity theft, and tax crimes. Notably, Peterson-Janovec has a prior federal fraud conviction from 1998, when she embezzled more than $950,000 from another former employer.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Burnsville Police Department, and the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan L. Sing and Kimberly A. Svendsen prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Twin Cities house-flipper has pleaded guilty to defrauding real estate investors out of more than $3 million, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, from 2018 through December 2020, Suzanne Griffiths, 46, currently residing in Arizona, executed a scheme to defraud individuals by soliciting investments in her Minnesota-based house-flipping businesses. Griffiths was active in the house-flipping community and frequently attended seminars of a national real estate investment coaching program. Through these seminars, Griffiths networked with other individuals and pitched her own house-flipping businesses: Level 5 Properties, LLC; 45 North Investment Properties, LLC; and Our Town Properties. Griffiths frequently contacted seminar attendees about potential investment opportunities in properties owned by her companies. Griffiths promised investors various manners of repayment in return for investments. Griffiths frequently made material misrepresentations about the status of real estate projects, failed to take promised action, falsified documents, and misappropriated investments for her own use.

According to court documents, in November 2018, Griffiths solicited a $100,000 investment from an investor to finance the renovation of a property. Griffiths promised the investor that they would hold second position on the mortgage and falsely assured the investor that the necessary mortgage documents had been filed with the appropriate county. In reality, Griffiths never filed the documents and, as a result, the investor lost their entire investment.

According to court documents, in July 2020, Griffiths solicited a $70,000 investment from another investor. Months later, to facilitate the solicitation of a second investment for renovations of a property, Griffiths provided the investor with information, printed on title company letterhead, demonstrating the potential of the requested investment. The investor later contacted the title company and learned that Griffiths had altered the information provided by the title company to intentionally omit numerous preexisting encumbrances on the property. The investor lost their entire $70,000 from the first investment.

In total, Griffiths intentionally misappropriated at least $3,197,109.47 of investor funds.

Griffiths pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Joan N. Ericksen to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of an investigation led by IRS – Criminal Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul man was sentenced to 81 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft in connection to a more than $840,000 covid-relief fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Kyle William Brenizer, 33, was the owner and manager of True-Cut Construction LLC (“True-Cut”), a contracting and construction company located in Brooklyn Park. In August 2018, True-Cut and Brenizer were ordered by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry to cease and desist from doing business. In December 2019, True-Cut’s contractor license expired and was never renewed.

According to court documents, on May 1, 2020, Brenizer submitted a false and misleading Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application in the name of True-Cut seeking approximately $841,000, but the application was denied. On May 12, 2020, Brenizer again submitted a false and misleading PPP application in the name of True-Cut seeking approximately $841,000 in PPP funds. This time, in order to conceal his role in submitting a fraudulent application, Brenizer submitted the application under the name of another individual whom Brenizer falsely claimed was the 90 percent owner of True-Cut. Brenizer further falsely stated that True-Cut’s average monthly payroll was $336,400 for approximately 30 employees. In support of both loan applications, Brenizer caused to be submitted to the lender fraudulent supporting documentation, such as falsified bank statements and IRS documents.  In addition, Brenizer falsely certified that he was not subject to any pending criminal charges even though he was named in multiple felony charges pending in the State of Minnesota, including check forgery, identify theft, and theft by swindle. Due to these various misrepresentations and omissions, on May 13, 2020, Brenizer’s second application was approved, and he received $841,000 in PPP funds.

According to court documents, instead of using the PPP funds for authorized business expenses, such as payroll, Brenizer transferred approximately $650,000 to a bank account unrelated to True-Cut and made a $29,000 payment to purchase a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, among other impermissible expenditures and transactions.

Brenizer was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud. On January 31, 2022, Brenizer pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.

The PPP allows qualifying small-businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent. PPP loan proceeds must be used by businesses on payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal on the PPP loan to be forgiven if the business spends the loan proceeds on these expense items within a designated period of time after receiving the proceeds and uses at least a certain percentage of the PPP loan proceeds on payroll expenses.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by IRS – Criminal Investigations, the FBI, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General, and the Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Allison K. Ethen prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – An Oakdale man has pleaded guilty for his role in a multi-million dollar insurance fraud scheme. Okwuchukwu Emmanuel Jidoefor, 38, along with multiple co-conspirators, participated in a scheme to defraud automobile insurance companies by recruiting patients, staging accidents, and receiving illegal kickbacks, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

Jidoefor’s role was a “runner,” someone who solicited individuals who had been in car accidents to attend treatments at co‑conspirator clinics, including Healthcare Chiropractic, Meyer Injury Center, and Morrow Accident Rehabilitation Center.

Jidoefor pleaded guilty on June 14, 2022, before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis to one count of mail fraud. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 27, 2022.

This case was a part of a larger investigation that ultimately resulted in charges against 26 individuals across seven separate metro-area chiropractic practices. Including this latest conviction, 24 of those individuals have either pleaded guilty or been found guilty following a trial.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea A. Walcker and David J. MacLaughlin are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury convicted a St. Paul man of methamphetamine distribution and firearms violations, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

Following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel, William Howard Proto, Jr., 44, was convicted on two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. During the trial, Proto pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

As proven at trial, on June 29, 2021, officers with the Bloomington Police Department arrested Proto after he was in the driver’s seat of a stolen Cadillac Escalade. Officers searched the vehicle and found nine pounds of methamphetamine, 200 grams of cocaine, digital scales, more than $50,000 in cash, and a loaded firearm. Following his arrest, Proto was indicted in U.S. District Court on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm as a felon. On August 19, 2021, pursuant to a federal warrant, agents located Proto at a hotel in Woodbury. Proto was taken into custody in the hotel parking lot. At the time of the arrest, Proto had a handgun in his pocket and, in a black duffle bag, more than five pounds of methamphetamine and an assault-style rifle with no serial number.

Because Proto has multiple prior felony convictions in Dakota and Ramsey Counties, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bloomington Police Department.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew S. Dunne and Joseph S. Teirab.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Stillwater corrections officer and an inmate have been indicted for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution organization within the Minnesota Correctional Facility (MCF)-Stillwater, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Faith Rose Gratz, 24, a MCF – Stillwater corrections officer, and Axel Rene Kramer, 34, an inmate who is currently serving a 288-month sentence for second degree murder, conspired with each other to distribute methamphetamine within MCF – Stillwater, Minnesota’s largest high security prison facility. As part of the conspiracy, Kramer obtained wholesale quantities of prepackaged methamphetamine from sources of supply outside the prison. After Kramer and another co-conspirator inmate worked with the drug suppliers to arrange meet up times and locations, Gratz would pick up the drug packages. Gratz used her position as a prison guard to smuggle the drugs into the secure facility and then provide the drugs to Kramer while she was on duty guarding him. Gratz did this on approximately six different occasions. Gratz also smuggled into the prison multiple cell phones that she provided to Kramer. Kramer used the cell phones to communicate with people inside and outside the prison and to facilitate his drug distribution network from within the prison.

According to court documents, Gratz and Kramer exchanged hundreds of text messages with each other. The messages included communications about the drug distribution conspiracy as well as discussions about their romantic relationship. Gratz also warned Kramer about upcoming searches of inmates’ cells so that Kramer could hide his phone and drugs to avoid detection.

On April 8, 2022, after recovering Kramer’s cell phone, law enforcement officers confronted Gratz about the drug distribution operation. Officers searched Gratz’s car and recovered a half pound of methamphetamine.

Gratz and Kramer are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Gratz is also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The defendants will make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court before a Magistrate Judge at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bayport Police Department, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Jacobs 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 Minneapolis man was sentenced to 272 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, law enforcement received information from a confidential informant that Gregory Lynn McCoy, 60, was in possession of a handgun and illegal narcotics. On October 22, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of McCoy’s residence and nearby vehicle. McCoy was inside the residence at the time. Upon his arrest, McCoy tossed multiple bags of illegal narcotics into a nearby closet. Officers found 20 bags of illegal narcotics and a box of .45 caliber ammunition hidden inside his residence. Officers also found a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol with a loaded magazine and two additional magazines in the center console of McCoy’s Dodge Durango. The vehicle was registered to McCoy and McCoy’s DNA was found on one of the three magazines.

On November 1, 2021, McCoy was convicted at trial of possessing a firearm as a felon. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel. McCoy was sentenced to 262 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon and to an additional 10 months in prison for having committed the crime while on supervised release. Due to his multiple prior felony convictions, McCoy qualified for an increased penalty under the Armed Career Criminal Act.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. MacLaughlin and Joseph S. Teirab prosecuted the case.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Red Lake man was sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for shooting two individuals on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on May 5, 2021, Brennon Allen James Sayers, 21, was arguing loudly with his girlfriend in a vehicle outside a residence in the Ponemah area of the Red Lake Indian Reservation. Victim J.L.Z., who lived across the street, came out of his residence and began telling Sayers to stop arguing and fighting with his girlfriend. Victim C.T.G., who was walking down the road, encountered the interaction between Sayers and J.L.Z. As the confrontation between Sayers and J.L.Z. escalated to yelling and assaultive threats, Sayers pulled a firearm from his waistband and began shooting at both J.L.Z. and C.T.G. as they ran back towards J.L.Z.’s house. Both J.L.Z. and C.T.G. were struck by gunfire. After the shooting, Sayers fled the area and was located several hours later at his mother’s residence on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Sayers was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court before Chief Judge John R. Tunheim. On January 20, 2022, Sayers pleaded guilty to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Dodge County man was sentenced to 147 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy and firearms violations, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between May 2020 and January 2021, Matthew James Lyman, 48, received from his Mexico-based supplier multiple shipments of methamphetamine. Lyman coordinated and facilitated a methamphetamine distribution operation in Southern Minnesota, including collecting and sending drug proceeds back to his supplier in Mexico. During the course of the investigation, on January 17, 2021, law enforcement observed two money couriers leaving Lyman’s home. They were found to be in possession of approximately $119,000 in cash, an ounce of methamphetamine, and a loaded handgun. Later that same day, Lyman was stopped for a traffic violation and arrested for driving while intoxicated. During a search of Lyman’s vehicle, law enforcement recovered two firearms, three bricks of methamphetamine, and 3,500 M30 pills that contained fentanyl. Following his arrest, law enforcement recorded one of Lyman’s jail calls in which he directed an individual to recover more of his methamphetamine from an apartment in Rochester. Law enforcement searched the apartment and recovered approximately nine additional pounds of methamphetamine.

Lyman was sentenced on June 8, 2022, in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Donovan W. Frank. On July 30, 2021, Lyman pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm during, in relation to, and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This case was the result of investigations conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Rochester Police Department, the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, and the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A former Minneapolis police officer was sentenced to 38 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for stealing controlled substances in the course of his duties and violating citizens’ civil rights through unconstitutional searches and seizures, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

From September 2017 through October 2019, Ty Raymond Jindra, 29, a former police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department (“MPD”), abused his position in order to obtain controlled substances including tramadol, methamphetamine, and fentanyl marked as oxycodone by deceiving his partners and others present at scenes, as well as the MPD.

As part of his scheme, Jindra diverted controlled substances he lawfully recovered for his own purposes using various means. Jindra diverted controlled substances by failing to inform his partner or others on scene that he confiscated controlled substances, failing to place the controlled substances into evidence at the MPD, and failing to report the recovery or diversion of the controlled substances. On some occasions, Jindra would contrive opportunities to interact with or search an individual, vehicle, or residence so that he could surreptitiously recover controlled substances and divert them to his own use. At times, Jindra conducted searches beyond the scope warranted under the circumstances in an attempt to recover controlled substances for himself.

On November 2, 2021, following a 10-day trial, Jindra was convicted of three counts of acquiring a controlled substance by deception and two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. Jindra was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, with substantial assistance from the Minneapolis Police Department.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle E. Jones and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber M. Brennan.

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MINNEAPOLIS – Two Minneapolis men have been charged in a 20-count indictment for their roles in a series of violent carjackings and armed robberies targeting Uber and Lyft drivers, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

“Last month, along with federal and local law enforcement partners, I announced a new strategy to address the rising violent crime in our communities. Today’s indictment represents an important step forward in that strategy. As alleged, these two defendants led a carjacking ring that engaged in a series of violent, premeditated acts against Uber and Lyft drivers,” said U.S. Attorney Luger.

According to court documents, between September and October 2021, Shevirio Kavirion Childs-Young, 18, and William Charles Saffold, 20, along with others, engaged in a series of violent carjackings and armed robberies, targeting Uber and Lyft drivers. As part of the scheme, members of the conspiracy lured victim-drivers to particular locations under the guise of picking up or dropping off passengers. When the victim-drivers arrived, members of the conspiracy brandished firearms and demanded the cell phones and wallets of the victim-drivers. Members of the conspiracy forced the victim-drivers at gunpoint to unlock their cell phones and provide passcodes. The conspiracy members then transferred money, via Cash App or other applications, from the accounts of the victim-drivers to the accounts of members of the conspiracy. Members of the conspiracy then carjacked the victim-drivers at gunpoint. To intimidate and force compliance, members of the conspiracy struck, pistol whipped, and threatened to kill the victim-drivers. 

Childs-Young and Saffold are charged with conspiracy, brandishing firearms during and in relation to a crime of violence, aiding and abetting carjacking, and aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act).

Saffold made his initial appearances earlier today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge John Docherty. He was ordered to remain in custody pending further proceedings. Childs-Young is in state custody and is expected to appear in U.S. District Court at a later date.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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

U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez are 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.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Hibbing man was sentenced to 66 months in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for sexually assaulting a minor, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on June 22, 2019, on the Bois Forte Indian Reservation, Devon Michael Johnson, 26, sexually assaulted a minor after getting her intoxicated.

Johnson was sentenced on June 6, 2022, in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Donovan W. Frank. On March 31, 2021, Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a minor.

This case was the result of investigations conducted by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura M. Provinzino and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina Allery prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A White Earth man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a minor child on the White Earth reservation, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on June 8, 2020, Edward Duane Fairbanks, 30, was caring for a minor child. During the early afternoon hours, Fairbanks intentionally shoved the child into a table, causing a serious head injury. The child was taken to the hospital where doctors diagnosed a large skull fracture and a subdural hematoma. The child had to undergo a craniectomy to relieve pressure on the brain.

Fairbanks pleaded guilty yesterday before Chief U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 30, 2022.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the White Earth Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad is prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to victimizing more than 500 minor girls across the country in an extensive online sextortion scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, for approximately five years, Yue Vang, 31, created and used multiple Internet applications and social media services, including Kik, Snapchat, and Skype, to communicate with hundreds of minor girls throughout the United States and elsewhere. Vang created fake female personae to prey on vulnerable minor girls he met online in order to entice and coerce them to create sexually explicit images and videos to send to him. Vang also threatened to disseminate sexually explicit images of the minor victims to their family members, friends, and classmates, unless they created and sent him additional images and videos of themselves nude or engaging in sexually explicit conduct. For example, in June 2016, Vang contacted a 15-year-old girl and threatened to distribute sexually explicit pictures of her to her classmates and parents to “ruin her life” unless she complied with Vang’s demands to send additional sexually explicit images and videos.

Vang pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud to two counts of production of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of interstate communications with intent to extort. Vang was ordered to remain in detention pending his sentencing hearing, which will be scheduled at a later date.

To date, at least 500 minor females have been identified, although law enforcement is attempting to confirm the identity of many other victims. Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Vang’s offenses or who has information about this matter is encouraged to visit www.fbi.gov/resources/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-victims-in-yue-vang-investigation or www.Justice.gov/usao-mn/child-sextortion-victim-information.

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

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Minneapolis Field Office and multiple FBI Field Offices, the St. Paul Police Department, the Minnesota ICAC Task Force, the Chandler (Arizona) Police Department, the Delhi Township (Ohio) Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea A. Walcker and Miranda E. Dugi are prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Rochester man was sentenced today to 180 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, from June 2019 through August 2019, Nicholas John Hanson, 38, was part of a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. As part of the conspiracy, Hanson coordinated and facilitated the delivery of methamphetamine on behalf of the conspiracy leader, John Willis Netherton, also known as “Big John,” and “Wicked One.” 

Hanson, who pleaded guilty on August 17, 2020, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson. Hanson was the last conspiracy member to be sentenced by the Court. Judge Nelson previously sentenced several other conspiracy members:

• On August 25, 2020, Jacob Paul Williams was sentenced to 180 months imprisonment and five years of supervised release.
• On August 28, 2020, Miguel Angel Cuevas Zamora was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment and two years of supervised release.
• On May 11, 2021, conspiracy leader Netherton was sentenced to 260 months imprisonment and five years of supervised release.
• On June 22, 2021, Jason Edward Hoffman was sentenced to 132 months imprisonment and five years of supervised release.
• On June 7, 2021, Andrew Robert Berndt was sentenced to 102 months imprisonment and five years of supervised release.
• On July 19, 2021, Deja Lee Benton was sentenced to 84 months imprisonment and five years of supervised release.
• On August 18, 2021, Joshua Alexander Sazo was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment and two years of supervised release.
• On June 1, 2022, Kayleigh Rea Todd was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment and five years of supervised release.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Rochester Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crimes Enforcement Team, the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, the South Central Drug Investigation Unit, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Red Lake man was sentenced to 235 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for sexually abusing a child over the course of several years, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between August 2014 and August 2020, Kory Paul Lussier, 25, knowingly and repeatedly engaged in sexual contact with a minor female who was between seven and thirteen years old at the time.

Lussier was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson. On October 21, 2021, Lussier pleaded guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact with a child.

This case was the result of investigations conducted by the Red Lake Department of Public Safety and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander D. Chiquoine prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Dodge County man was sentenced to 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for impersonating a federal officer and illegally possessing firearms as a felon, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on August 17, 2021, the FBI received a tip that Reyel Devon Simmons, 53, was pretending to be a federal agent with the United States Department of Homeland Security. As part of his impersonation scheme, Simmons established a TikTok profile, using the false name “Rey Reeves,” and regularly held himself out as a federal agent on social media. Simmons, who had nearly 10,000 followers on TikTok, used a profile photo that showed him wearing law enforcement gear and made several posts displaying law enforcement equipment, badges, and firearms, and referring explicitly and implicitly to himself as a federal agent. At no time has Simmons ever been employed by the United States Department of Homeland Security.  Similarly, Simmons has never been a sworn law enforcement officer with any federal, state, or local agency, nor has he ever had the authority to act on behalf of any federal agency or department.

According to court documents, Simmons regularly carried a backpack, which he described as his “go bag.” The bag bore the departmental emblem of the Department of Homeland Security and contained a Glock handgun, fake Department of Homeland Security badge, and other items related to Simmons’s supposed service in law enforcement and the military. Law enforcement seized from Simmons’s residence eight firearms, including handguns and rifles, some of which were discovered in a “safe room” or bunker that could be accessed only through a hidden doorway located in a storage area of the basement. In addition, Simmons admitted to possessing unregistered silencers/suppressors, detonating cord containing the explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), a blasting cap, thousands of rounds of ammunition, body armor with law enforcement emblems affixed to it, and other law enforcement style badges, clothing, bags, and identification documents.

Because Simmons has a prior felony conviction in Colorado, he is prohibited under federal law, from possessing firearms, ammunition, or explosives at any time.

Simmons was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud. On January 21, 2022, Simmons pleaded guilty to one count of impersonating an officer of the United States and one count of possessing firearms as a felon.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, ATF, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, Owatonna Police Department, Kasson Police Department, and the Bloomington Police Department Bomb Squad, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander D. Chiquoine prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Benjamin Ryan Teeter, 24, of Hampstead, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 48 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to provide material support and resources to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, for use against Israeli and U.S. military personnel overseas, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in late May of 2020, the FBI initiated an investigation into Teeter and co-defendant Michael Robert Solomon, 32, two members of the “Boogaloo Bois,” and a sub-group called the “Boojahideen.” The Boogaloo Bois are a group of individuals who espouse violent anti-government sentiments.

According to court documents, on June 10, 2020, Teeter and Solomon met with a confidential human source (“CHS”), whom the defendants believed to be a member of Hamas. During this meeting, Teeter and Solomon proposed assisting Hamas as a means of furthering the goals of the Boogaloo Bois. Throughout the course of the conspiracy, Teeter used encrypted messaging applications to communicate with Solomon and the CHS about various aspects of the conspiracy.

On June 18, 2020, the defendant met with the CHS to discuss the goals of the Boogaloo Bois and identified a courthouse in northern Minnesota that he and Solomon believed was a suitable target for destruction.

On June 28, 2020, Teeter, Solomon, and the CHS, met an undercover employee of the FBI (“UCE”) that Teeter believed was a member of Hamas. During this meeting, Teeter and Solomon proposed manufacturing suppressors, untraceable firearms, and fully automatic firearms for Hamas.

On July 6, 2020, Teeter and Solomon purchased a drill press for the purpose of manufacturing suppressors for Hamas. Teeter admits that he and Solomon had planned to use the drill press to also manufacture suppressors for members of the Boogaloo Bois. Solomon and Teeter brought the drill press to Solomon’s home and later used the drill press to manufacture five suppressors.

On July 30, 2020, Teeter and Solomon delivered the five suppressors to the CHS and UCE believing those devices would be used by the militant wing of Hamas. During that meeting, Teeter and Solomon agreed to manufacture additional suppressors for Hamas believing that the next batch of suppressors would be used against Israeli and U.S. military personnel overseas.

Teeter admitted that he and Solomon again met the UCE on August 29, 2020. During this meeting, the defendants gave the UCE a 3-D printed “auto sear” believing that the auto sear would be used by Hamas to convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic rifles. At this time, Teeter and Solomon agreed to obtain, and did obtain, another order of auto sears for the CHS and the UCE.

Teeter was sentenced earlier today before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis. In sentencing the defendant, the Court recognized the extensive assistance to multiple investigations that Teeter provided to the FBI following his arrest. On December 16, 2020, Teeter pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Winter and Trial Attorney Jessica Fender of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – The last of three defendants has been sentenced in connection with a multi-year tax evasion scheme in which the operators of two St. Paul employment agencies conspired to evade more than $1 million in federal employment taxes, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz sentenced Julian Xiong, 59, of Brooklyn Park, to a year of probation with six months in home detention and $409,340 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

On May 24, 2022, Chong Xiong, 60, of Minneapolis, was sentenced to two years in prison followed by a year of supervised release and ordered $877,820 in restitution to the IRS. On June 17, 2021, Andrew Xiong, 59, of Ramsey, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison followed by a year of supervised release and restitution of $686,079 to the IRS. Andrew Xiong and Julian Xiong had previously pleaded guilty to tax evasion and Chong Xiong pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States.

According to court documents, between 2012 and 2017, Chong Xiong operated a temporary staffing agency in St. Paul with his brothers Julian Xiong and Andrew Xiong. The Xiong brothers’ agency operated under the names Twinstar Solutions, Hope Solutions, and Step Staffing. The defendants contracted with local companies to supply workers. The agreement provided that the defendants’ business was the employer of the workers and responsible for compliance with tax laws relating to withholding, reporting, and payment of payroll taxes. Like all employers, the Xiong brothers’ staffing agency was required to withhold federal income taxes, social security, and Medicare taxes from workers’ pay and report the amounts and pay the withholdings over to the IRS. Instead of accurately withholding and paying over the correct taxes to the government, the defendants paid some of their employees in cash and kept the tax withholdings for themselves. They also submitted false payroll reports to the IRS, while paying only a fraction of the true employment taxes owed.

Chong Xiong and Julian Xiong committed the evasion while running the business under the Twinstar name until 2013 when Julian Xiong opened an employment agency in Roseville to serve one of Twinstar’s clients and continued a similar fraud. The original company was then renamed Hope Solutions and operated by Andrew Xiong and Chong Xiong. In 2016, Andrew Xiong left the conspiracy, and Chong Xiong renamed the business Step Staffing until the business closed a few months later.

In addition to falsely reporting and underpaying payroll taxes, the defendants caused the business to file false annual corporate tax returns and use multiple bank accounts to hide the scheme. The defendants essentially split the profits from the tax fraud by keeping cash for themselves. Chong Xiong admitted to purchasing a Mercedes-Benz with more than $28,000 in $100 bills.

In sentencing him to the lengthiest term, Judge Schiltz noted that Chong Xiong was the last to accept responsibility and plead guilty and was responsible for the greatest tax loss and was the longest participant and supervisor of the scheme.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert M. Lewis prosecuted the cases.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul man was sentenced to 156 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for methamphetamine trafficking and firearms violations, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in May 2020, law enforcement began investigating Chue Xiong, 39, and his co-defendant Matthew Hines, 37, of Brooklyn Center. As part of a drug trafficking conspiracy, Xiong and Hines coordinated and facilitated the distribution of methamphetamine, as well as collected drug proceeds to send back to their supplier. On May 11, 2020, law enforcement observed Xiong leave Hines’s residence with a brown bag in his hand. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Xiong’s vehicle and found approximately 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine inside the brown bag, 614 grams of methamphetamine in the driver’s side door pocket, and a 9mm handgun underneath the floor mat on the driver’s side. Xiong was also wearing a holster.

On November 19, 2020, law enforcement agents arrested Xiong outside his apartment building pursuant to a warrant. During a subsequent search of Xiong’s apartment, agents recovered an AR 223 caliber rifle, nine loaded 223 magazines, two loaded Glock model 19 semiautomatic handguns, $7,691.00 in cash, and 643.9 grams of methamphetamine.

Xiong was sentenced on May 26, 2022, in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Donovan W. Frank. On March 30, 2021, Xiong pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Hines pleaded guilty on May 6, 2021, and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15, 2022.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Coon Rapids man has been charged in a sextortion scheme that targeted minors through social media and an online gaming forum, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.  

According to court documents, Glen Robert Anderson, 24, previously worked as a middle school paraprofessional in special education. Anderson used multiple internet applications and social media accounts for email, file sharing, and chatting with minors, including Snapchat and Grindr. Anderson also owned and administered an online gaming forum. To participate in the forum, users were required to submit an application, which included the age of the user. As Anderson knew, many of the users were minors. Between April 1, 2016, through August 20, 2021, Anderson used his position as the forum administrator to groom minors to produce child pornography and engage in sexual activity with him, including by providing minors with in-game perks, privileges, and other gifts. For example, Anderson coerced a 13-year-old victim to engage in sexually explicit acts for the purpose of producing images and videos. Anderson later threatened to release those sexually explicit images if the victim did not respond to Anderson’s demands.

Anderson is charged with two counts of production of child pornography, one count of enticement of a minor, and one count of interstate communications with intent to extort. If convicted, Anderson faces a minimum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison. He will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court before Judge Patrick J. Schiltz at a later date.

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

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office, the Erie County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Waterloo Regional Police Service in Ontario, Canada.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E. Dugi 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 St. Paul man has pleaded guilty for his role in a firearms straw purchasing conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between May 11, 2021, and October 17, 2021, Gabriel Lee Young-Duncan, 27, participated in a conspiracy to illegally purchase multiple firearms, one of which was used in the Seventh Street Truck Park Bar shooting on October 10, 2021. Young-Duncan and his co-conspirator agreed to work together to illegally acquire firearms by making false statements to Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) throughout the Twin Cities. Specifically, the co-conspirator would purchase the firearms, stating on the ATF Form 4473 that the co-conspirator was the actual buyer, and then transfer the firearms to Young-Duncan, who would keep the firearms, or further transfer them to third parties.

According to court documents, Young-Duncan and his co-conspirator worked together to illegally obtain at least 25 firearms, including four Glock 9mm semiautomatic pistols and two Mossberg 9mm semiautomatic pistols.

Young-Duncan pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of conspiracy to make false a statement in the purchase of a firearm, before U.S. District Court Judge Kate M. Menendez. No sentencing date has been set.

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 Thomas Calhoun-Lopez is prosecuting the case.

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DULUTH, Minn. – A Duluth man was sentenced to 95 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Jesse William Peterson, 40, possessed a .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver with an obliterated serial number. On October 25, 2020, officers with the Duluth Police Department attempted to arrest Peterson at a residence on an outstanding warrant. Peterson refused to exit the residence and comply with officers’ attempts to arrest him. Peterson shot the firearm at the direction of officers. After a two-hour stand-off, Peterson was taken into custody. Officers found the loaded .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver in the bathroom where Peterson was located during the stand-off. A subsequent analysis revealed Peterson’s DNA on the firearm. Directly adjacent to the firearm, officers found 13.76 grams of methamphetamine, 11.13 grams of cocaine, 38 doses of LSD, $5,826 in cash, and 11 live rounds of .38-caliber ammunition. Because Peterson has prior felony convictions in St. Louis County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Peterson was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel. Peterson pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a firearm on August 24, 2021.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Duluth Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph S. Teirab prosecuted the case.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Brooklyn Park man has been indicted for possessing a firearm as a felon and possessing an auto sear, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on March 15, 2022, officers with the Robbinsdale Police Department initiated a traffic stop of a black Chevrolet Suburban. The driver, later identified as Markyse Maurice Wells, 24, ran from the officers after being asked to step out of the vehicle. After a foot chase and a search of the area, officers found Wells hiding in the bathroom of a nearby gas station and was taken into custody. Inside the center console of Wells’s vehicle, officers found a Glock model 27 pistol with an extended magazine and an auto sear, commonly referred to as a “switch.” An auto sear is a device used to convert a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm and is considered a machinegun under federal law.

Wells is charged with illegal possession of a machinegun and possession of a firearm as a felon. Because he has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, Wells is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez 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 – A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to his role in two armed robberies of Twin Cities businesses, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on June 16, 2020, Devon Dwayne Reginald Glover, 22, and his co-defendant Marshawn Michael Davison, 21, committed an armed robbery at a restaurant in Bloomington. During the course of the robbery, Glover shot the restaurant owner with a pistol. Both Glover and Davison took cash from the register.

According to court documents, on June 23, 2020, Glover committed a second armed robbery at a liquor store in St. Paul. During the course of the robbery, Glover pointed a gun at an employee and stole cash from the register.

On May 25, 2022, Glover pleaded guilty to one count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one crime of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Glover is scheduled to be sentenced on September 22, 2022. Davison pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and was sentenced yesterday before Chief Judge John R. Tunheim to 72 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man has been charged in an extensive online sextortion scheme that victimized more than 500 minor girls across the country, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, for approximately five years, Yue Vang, 31, created and used multiple Internet applications and social media services, including Kik, Snapchat, and Skype, to communicate with hundreds of minor girls throughout the United States and elsewhere. Vang created fake female personae to prey on vulnerable minor girls he met online in order to entice and coerce them to create sexually explicit images and videos to send to him. Vang also threatened to disseminate sexually explicit images of the minor victims to their family members, friends, and classmates, unless they created and sent him additional images and videos of themselves nude or engaging in sexually explicit conduct. For example, in June 2016, Vang contacted a 15-year-old girl and threatened to distribute sexually explicit pictures of her to her classmates and parents to “ruin her life” unless she complied with Vang’s demands to send additional sexually explicit images and videos.

To date, at least 500 minor females have been identified, although law enforcement is attempting to confirm the identity of many other victims. Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Vang’s offenses or who has information about this matter is encouraged to visit www.fbi.gov/resources/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-victims-in-yue-vang-investigation or www.Justice.gov/usao-mn/child-sextortion-victim-information.

Vang is charged with two counts of production of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of interstate communications with intent to extort. If convicted, Vang faces a minimum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison. He will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud at a later date.

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

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Minneapolis Field Office and multiple FBI Field Offices, the St. Paul Police Department, the Minnesota ICAC Task Force, the Chandler (Arizona) Police Department, the Delhi Township (Ohio) Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea A. Walcker and Miranda E. Dugi are 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.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting a violent carjacking, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on June 15, 2021, Marion Quintel Ware, 19, used a firearm to carjack a victim. Ware’s accomplice struck the victim in the head with a heavy metallic object, splitting the victim’s forehead open. The victim escaped from his vehicle and Ware and his accomplice drove off with the victim’s wallet and cell phone still in the vehicle. Two weeks later, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department observed Ware driving the stolen vehicle. When officers tried to conduct a traffic stop, Ware fled from them, crashed the vehicle into a median, and then continued to flee on foot. Officers apprehended Ware after a brief foot chase. Officers also recovered a loaded Polymer80 semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine, which Ware admitted to tossing while running away from the officers.

Ware pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Ann D. Montgomery to one count of aiding and abetting carjacking. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Jacobs.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Superior, Wisconsin, man has been indicted for producing images depicting his sexual abuse of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, in May 2008, George Francis Deppa, 48, coerced a 15-year-old minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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.

Deppa is charged with three counts of production of child pornography. Deppa will make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court before a Magistrate Judge at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Duluth Police Department, with assistance from the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office and the Douglas County (Wisconsin) Attorney’s Office. Deppa faces additional state felony charges involving sexual assaults against minors in St. Louis County and Douglas County. 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 (218) 722-3341.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Middlecamp 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 – A Red Lake man was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for selling fentanyl on the Red Lake Reservation, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on April 30, 2021, law enforcement observed Leroy Varney, 53, make an immediate roundtrip from Bemidji to Pequot Lakes for a drug pick up. Upon returning to Bemidji, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Varney’s vehicle. Law enforcement recovered from the vehicle a large bag weighing 100 grams containing a white powdery substance, which was divided into four smaller bags. Subsequent laboratory testing confirmed the substance was fentanyl. Varney admitted that he intended to sell the fentanyl in Bemidji to people coming from the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Varney was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis. On December 16, 2021, Varney pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Red Lake Police Department.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Angelica D. Ramirez and Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad prosecuted the case.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on June 10, 2021, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department observed several individuals engaging in what appeared to be hand-to-hand drug deals. When officers approached the group, Albert Walter Bratton, 26, attempted to flee on foot, but officers were able to apprehend him. After Bratton was taken into custody, officers recovered a Glock model 43, 9 mm semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine, which Bratton had removed from his waistband. Officers later recovered two baggies that Bratton possessed containing a total of approximately 10 grams of crack cocaine, divided into several smaller baggies for distribution.

Bratton pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz to one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of an investigation led by the Minneapolis Police Department, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Secret Service.

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

MINNEAPOLIS — In honor of National Police Week, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement. This year, the week is observed Wednesday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

“This week, we gather to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country,” said Attorney General Garland. “We remember the courage with which they worked and lived. And we recommit ourselves to the mission to which they dedicated their lives. On behalf of a grateful Justice Department and a grateful nation, I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the entire law enforcement community.”

“Each year, during National Police Week we commemorate the courageous law enforcement officers who have devoted their lives to public service. Sadly, it also marks a time to honor and pay tribute to the men and women whose names were engraved in 2022 on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial,” said U.S. Attorney Luger.

This year, the names of four Minnesota law enforcement officers will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C. They include Ryan Andrew Bialke, Red Lake Department of Public Safety; Charlie Louis Banks Jr., Deerwood Police Department; Sarah Ann Grell, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; and Ronald William Smith, New York Mills Police Department.

In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices.  Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. Based on data submitted to and analyzed by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), 472 law enforcement officers died nationwide in the line of duty in 2021. Of that number, 319 succumbed to COVID-19.

Additionally, according to 2021 statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, 73 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 were killed as a result of felonious acts, whereas 56 died in accidents. Deaths resulting from felonious acts increased in 2021, rising more than 58 percent from the previous year. In 2021, unprovoked attacks[1] were the cause of 24 deaths significantly outpacing all other line of duty deaths resulting from felony acts and reaching the highest annual total in over 30 years of reporting. Additional LEOKA statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website for the LEOKA program.

The names of the 619 fallen officers added this year to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial will be read on Friday, May 13, 2022, during a Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C., starting at 8:00 PM EDT. Those who wish to view the vigil live online, can watch on the NLEOMF YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube.com/TheNLEOMF. The schedule of National Police Week events is available on NLEOMF’s website.

 

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[1] An unprovoked attack is defined as an attack on an officer not prompted by official contact at the time of the incident between the officer and the offender. Source:  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program.

Minneapolis, Minn. – A St. Paul man was sentenced to 110 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a robbery spree of St. Paul businesses, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on June 14, 2021, Warren Dean, 27, entered a Speedway gas station, flashed a realistic looking replica gun at the employees, and ordered them to give him money from the cash register. Dean ordered the employees to lay on the ground and fled the scene with approximately $292 in cash.

In addition to the Speedway robbery, Dean admitted to robbing or attempting to rob another six St. Paul businesses between June 14 and 16, 2021. After his last robbery on June 16, St. Paul police attempted to apprehend Dean, but he fled from officers and led them on a 30-mile car chase that ended in north Minneapolis after Dean crashed into multiple parked cars. After his vehicle stopped, Dean refused to surrender and a four-hour standoff ensued before officers were able to take Dean into custody without incident.

Dean was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis. On October 13, 2021, Dean pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the FBI, the St. Paul Police Department, and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Jacobs prosecuted the case.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury convicted a Minneapolis man of lying to a grand jury, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

Following a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel, Muse Mohamud Mohamed, 30, was convicted yesterday on two counts of false declarations before a grand jury.  A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

Mohamed was served with a subpoena to provide testimony before a grand jury seated in the District of Minnesota regarding the use of the agent delivery process during Minnesota’s August 11, 2020, primary election. The City of Minneapolis’ election records document that Mohamed delivered ballots as an agent for three voters during that election. The voters, however, testified that they do not know Mohamed and did not ask him to pick up and deliver absentee ballots for them.

As proven at trial, on October 14, 2021, Mohamed provided testimony to the grand jury that he received the absentee ballots from the voters themselves. When Mohamed was confronted with the fact that the voters each gave statements that they do not know him and that they did not ask him or anyone for agent delivery of their ballots for the August 2020 election, Mohamed testified that he received the ballots from the voters.

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

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly A. Svendsen, Angela M. Munoz, and Allison K. Ethen.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Wright County man was sentenced to 125 months in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, ordered to pay $65,000 in restitution, $17,000 to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography fund, and $5,000 to the Domestic Trafficking Victims’ fund, for possession of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Alexander John Odegaard, 34, was found in possession of at least 34,723 images and 555 videos depicting child pornography during the execution of an FBI search warrant at his house in September 2021. Among these were depictions of the sexual abuse of prepubescent minors, including depictions of children being physically restrained, whipped, and threatened with fire. Odegaard was on supervision for child pornography possession in Wright County at the time of the offense.

On January 19, 2022, Odegaard plead guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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 by the FBI.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E. Dugi

MINNEAPOLIS – A Wright County man was sentenced to 125 months in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, ordered to pay $65,000 in restitution, $17,000 to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography fund, and $5,000 to the Domestic Trafficking Victims’ fund, for possession of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Alexander John Odegaard, 34, was found in possession of at least 34,723 images and 555 videos depicting child pornography during the execution of an FBI search warrant at his house in September 2021. Among these were depictions of the sexual abuse of prepubescent minors, including depictions of children being physically restrained, whipped, and threatened with fire. Odegaard was on supervision for child pornography possession in Wright County at the time of the offense.

On January 19, 2022, Odegaard plead guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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 by the FBI.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E. Dugi.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man has been indicted for firearms violations and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on February 16, 2022, Jyron Mendale Young, 37, was in possession of a Taurus model PT738 .380 caliber semiautomatic pistol, as well as separate rounds of Blazer 9mm Luger ammunition, and Winchester .380 caliber ammunition. Young was also found in possession of controlled substances, namely fentanyl and methamphetamine. Because Young has multiple prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.   

Young is charged with possession of a firearm as a felon, possession of ammunition as a felon, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Young was previously charged by complaint and remains in detention pending further court proceedings. 

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Bloomington Police Department, the Richfield Police Department, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez 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.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Ham Lake man has been sentenced to 114 months in prison for illegally possessing multiple firearms and possessing cocaine with intent to distribute it, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on September 13, 2019, officers with the St. Paul Police Department executed a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Steven Michael Lincoln, age 35. After observing a large bag of marijuana on the front passenger seat, officers asked Lincoln to exit the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and recovered a small baggie containing cocaine, a loaded Ruger .380-caliber pistol, a loaded Kimber .45-caliber pistol, multiple sandwich bags of prepackaged marijuana, a digital scale, $986 in cash, 10 vials containing varying amounts of cocaine, and two additional baggies of cocaine each containing about 3.5 grams.

According to court documents, on January 4, 2020, officers with the St. Paul Police Department observed Lincoln asleep in the driver’s seat of a pickup truck parked in an alleyway. After asking Lincoln to exit the vehicle, officers located under the driver’s seat a loaded Brugger and Thomet, TP9 9mm firearm, with a sling, an attached vertical foregrip, a red-dot attached laser sight, an inserted 30-round magazine, and one round in the chamber. A further search of the vehicle revealed a bulletproof vest, three Glock 9mm magazines, two loaded TP9 high-capacity magazines, 18 rounds of loose 9mm ammunition, and a .40-caliber barrel for a Glock 23.

Because he has prior felony convictions in Ramsey County, Lincoln is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

On November 9, 2021, Lincoln pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of an unregistered firearm. Lincoln was sentenced earlier today by U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was the result of investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the St. Paul Police Department, and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Bejar and Chelsea A. Walcker prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two men have been charged in a federal criminal complaint for their roles in the armed carjacking of a woman in a mall parking lot, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on February 16, 2022, Leon Kismit Bell, 48, and Jack Mitchell Piche, 22, were walking around the parking lot of the Rosedale Center Mall. The two men followed a vehicle, waiting for the driver, a 67-year-old woman, to park. Surveillance video from the mall’s parking lot shows Bell and Piche approach the woman as she was standing outside of her vehicle. Bell flashed a gun in his waistband and demanded her keys. The woman gave Bell her purse, which contained her wallet and keys, and ran from the vehicle. Bell initially ran after the woman, but then returned to the vehicle, got in the driver’s seat, and drove to pick up Piche, who was several rows away in the parking lot. The two men then fled the parking lot.

According to court documents, officers with the Roseville Police Department were able to track the vehicle heading south on I-35W. The vehicle was driving erratically and due to safety concerns, officers stopped their pursuit. Further investigation led law enforcement to a location in south Minneapolis where Piche was taken into custody. The stolen vehicle was found a few blocks away from where Piche was arrested. On May 3, 2022, law enforcement located and arrested Bell.

Bell is charged with one count of carjacking. Piche is charged with one count of aiding and abetting carjacking. On April 29, 2022, Piche appeared in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung and was ordered to remain in detention pending further proceedings. Bell made his initial appearance yesterday in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty. Bell was ordered temporarily detained pending a formal detention hearing on May 6, 2022.

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

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

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