District of Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Brooklyn Park man was sentenced today to 96 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegal possession of a firearm.

According to court records, on March 6, 2020, Tyaireon Martez West-Porter, 24, was found to be in possession of a .40 caliber Glock 22 Gen 4 semi-automatic pistol. Because West-Porter has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Acting United States Attorney Charles Kovats made the announcement after West-Porter was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Richard Nelson.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin A. Wesley prosecuted the case.

 

 

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MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty to illegal possession of an unregistered firearm announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, in July 2021, law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant for a Minneapolis residence associated with Nicholas Robert Briski-Smith, 25, who had “probable cause pickup” warrants for two recent alleged felony assaults, one of which involved a shooting, and multiple outstanding warrants. While conducting surveillance in preparation for the execution of the search warrant, officers observed Briski-Smith exit his residence and drive away in a vehicle. Officers followed Briski-Smith to a nearby corner store where they took him into custody. Following the arrest, officers recovered a loaded Stevens Arms 12-gauge short-barreled shotgun that was concealed and affixed to Briski-Smith's chest. The short-barreled shotgun was modified with a cut stock and barrel, both covered with electrical tape.  During the search of Briski-Smith’s residence, officers located a Marlin, semiautomatic, .22-caliber rifle, an empty magazine for a semiautomatic firearm, a .45-caliber muzzle loader, and 17 rounds of various ammunition. 

Briski-Smith pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel to one count of unlawfully possessing an unregistered firearm. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

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

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

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MINNEAPOLIS – Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats today announced the recipients of the third annual U.S. Attorney’s Office “Excellence in the Pursuit of Justice” Awards. Law enforcement officials from five agencies are being honored for their outstanding work and exceptional contributions in the pursuit of truth and justice.

“I am honored to present the “Excellence in the Pursuit of Justice” awards in recognition of the exceptional work, courage, and character demonstrated by these professionals. As we continue to navigate through unprecedented challenges of this past year, these partners remain unwavering in their dedication to the pursuit of justice,” said Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats. “On behalf of the entire office, I extend my sincere gratitude and commendation on a job well done.”

The honorees at today’s virtual ceremony are members of the following agencies:

• U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of the Inspector General
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – St. Paul Field Division
• Chisago County Sheriff’s Office
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations

MINNEAPOLIS – A Bois Forte man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for violently assaulting a man on the Bois Forte Reservation.

According to court documents, on May 31, 2020, Marshall Wayne Boshey, 20, assaulted a man outside of the defendant’s residence by repeatedly hitting him with a baseball bat on the top of his head and across his upper body. Boshey also cut the man with a small pocket knife. The victim was hospitalized for his injuries and required 11 staples to his scalp, 20 sutures on his left ear, 3 sutures on his left elbow, and 6 sutures on his left hand.

On July 9, 2021, Boshey pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea A. Walcker and Deidre Y. Aanstad.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Pequot Lakes felon has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing firearms, ammunition, and over 400 grams of methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, in the spring of 2019, the FBI learned that Nicholas Ronald Wynn, 35, was purchasing large quantities of firearms parts and accessories, body armor and other tactical gear, and chemicals and lab equipment used to manufacture narcotics, explosives, and firearms. On May 9, 2019, a team of law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Wynn’s residence and discovered numerous parts and tools designed for building semiautomatic rifles and handguns; firearms accessories, multiple high-capacity magazines; several boxes of ammunition; and tactical gear, including a bullet-proof vest, ballistic plates, a bullet-proof helmet, and a bullet-proof facemask. The agents also located large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine, packaging materials for selling drugs, recipes and chemicals for manufacturing methamphetamine, and more than 400 grams of methamphetamine. Wynn admitted at the sentencing hearing that he possessed the methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it.

According to court documents, after agents took Wynn into custody, he admitted that he had multiple firearms and ammunition stored in an off-site storage unit in Brainerd. Agents obtained a warrant for the storage facility and recovered five firearms, including semiautomatic handguns and an assault rifle, and multiple boxes and magazines of ammunition. Agents also searched Wynn’s rental property in Brainerd, which was occupied by renters. The renters advised the agents that they had been renting the house for approximately 10 months but did not have access to the garage. The renters indicated that Wynn accessed the garage multiple times a week, typically in the middle of the night, and had observed Wynn loading and unloading boxes to and from his truck into the garage. Agents executed a search warrant on the garage and recovered two segments of PVC pipe, capped on both ends in the manner used to make pipe bombs.

Because Wynn has multiple prior felony convictions in Crow Wing County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Wynn, who was scheduled to go to trial on December 1, 2021, pleaded guilty earlier today before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon, one count of possessing ammunition as a felon, and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the FBI and the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Rank and Emily A. Polachek are prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man was sentenced today to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon.

According to court documents, on March 2, 2021, Minneapolis police officers, who had a warrant for Theoplus Richmond, 34, conducted a traffic stop on Richmond’s vehicle. Officers recovered from the vehicle a loaded Glock model 19, pistol from a bag in the trunk of the vehicle. The firearm had been converted from a semiautomatic pistol into a fully automatic firearm with a device commonly referred to as a “glock switch,” or an “auto-sear.”

On July 20, 2021, Richmond pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Because he has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County and Washington County (Mississippi), Richmond is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced the defendant.

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 (ATF) and the Minneapolis Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha H. Bates and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man was sentenced today to 42 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possessing ammunition as a felon during a shooting at a Minneapolis gas station.

According to court documents, on August 5, 2019, Minneapolis police officers responded to a shots-fired call at a gas station near Lowry Avenue and Logan Avenue North in Minneapolis. Upon arrival, officers found 11 discharged cartridge casings on the street in front of the gas station. Video surveillance footage showed Cortez Lamon Shipp, 40, interacting with codefendant Johnnie Lamar Haynes, 33, outside the gas station following a prior confrontation Haynes had with two other men. Minutes later, the two other men involved in the confrontation circled the block in their vehicle and returned to the gas station. The footage showed Shipp pass an object to Haynes just before Haynes began shooting at the vehicle as it drove off. A nearby business was in the line of Haynes’s gunfire and was struck by multiple rounds. Surveillance video footage from the business captured the bullets entering the building, causing employees to duck and take shelter.

On January 8, 2020, Shipp pleaded guilty to one count of possessing ammunition as a felon. Because he has prior felony convictions in Hennepin County, Shipp is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. On August 3, 2021, a federal jury convicted Haynes of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon. Haynes is scheduled to be sentenced on January 28, 2022.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright sentenced the defendant.

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 (ATF) and the Minneapolis Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Becker man was sentenced to pay $1,403,578.40 in restitution, serve three years’ probation, and 150 hours of community service for converting collateral that secured loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to court documents, in 2017 and 2018, Robert Waldon John Anderson, 67, used false and fraudulent statements to obtain five Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) loans through a federal farm loan program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As part of the loan terms, Anderson pledged to maintain bushels of corn as collateral, agreeing not to move or dispose of them without prior approval of the CCC.

According to court documents, in late 2018, the FSA conducted a spot check and discovered that the bins of corn Anderson pledged as collateral for three of the loans were almost empty. Anderson had sold the corn under a family member’s name to avoid detection by the CCC. The FSA also learned that Anderson orchestrated two fraudulent loans in the names of family members for which collateral grain never actually existed. In total, Anderson defrauded the USDA of $1,425,718.36.

On May 6, 2021, Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of conversion of CCC security.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Hudleston.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Texas doctor was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay $857,127.24 in restitution for failing to pay income taxes for 10 years.

According to court documents, Mark B. Reimer, 69, is a physician who operated his own medical practice in Texas from 2003 through 2007 and then, from 2007 through 2015, worked as a physician for a private employer in Minnesota. From 2003 through 2012, Reimer earned an annual salary of more than $440,000. Reimer and his wife, Ana C. Reimer, 69, filed joint tax returns admitting that he had earned more than $4.3 million during that 10-year period, and that he owed more than $1.2 million in federal income taxes. In addition, Reimer owed a $20,000 personal penalty because he had failed to pay employment taxes arising out of his Texas medical practice between 2005 and 2007.

According to court documents, despite having the ability to pay them in full, Mark and Ana Reimer willfully evaded the payment of their tax liabilities. The defendants withdrew more than $337,000 in cash from bank accounts they controlled for the express purpose of preventing the IRS from collecting it. Instead of paying their tax liabilities, Mark and Ana Reimer transferred more than $353,000 to their four adult children and spent more than $251,000 on airline, furniture, and other retail purchases. In 2013 and again in 2015, the defendants jointly filed for bankruptcy for the sole purpose of evading the IRS. During the bankruptcy proceedings, the defendants falsely testified under oath that they had made no monetary transfers or gifts to their children prior to filing for bankruptcy, when, in fact, they had.

On January 13, 2021, the defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion. Mark Reimer was sentenced to 24 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. Ana Reimer was sentenced to 24 months of probation. The defendants were jointly ordered to pay $857,127.24 in restitution.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. MacLaughlin.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Chisago County man was sentenced today to 175 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon and for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, on July 12, 2020, Derrick Russell Hoff, 36, was involved in a road rage incident. Hoff, who was driving a pickup truck, ran another vehicle off the road, fired multiple shots at the two occupants, and rammed the vehicle on the side of the road before abandoning his pickup truck on a nearby residential driveway. Chisago County Sheriff’s deputies recovered from Hoff’s abandoned pickup truck spent shell casings and live ammunition, a loaded 9mm magazine, four plastic gallon-size bags containing over 167 grams of actual methamphetamine in crystal shard form, digital scales, baggies, and other drug-sale paraphernalia. Near the truck, buried by some trees, deputies later found a 9mm semiautomatic firearm, loaded with 11 rounds matching those found inside Hoff’s truck.

On June 17, 2021, Hoff pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Because he has prior felony convictions in Anoka, Chisago, and Isanti Counties, Hoff is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar.

MINNEAPOLIS – An Eden Prairie man has been arrested and charged for fraudulently applying for more than $2.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, Harold Bennie Kaeding, 72, applied for at least $2,182,625 in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program between April and December 2020. Kaeding used the name of close family members to submit the loan applications in the name of four Minnesota entities, Harbor Holdings Corporation; Harbor Corp; AutoPay Inc.; and Voyager Shipping Company. These entities filed no tax returns and did not report the payment of wages to a single employee for calendar years 2019 and 2020. Kaeding submitted false and fraudulent applications to various lenders that included fabricated supporting records, false statements about the number of employees and the amount of payroll expenses, and false statements about the intended use of the loan proceeds. As a result of his material falsehoods and omissions, Kaeding received approximately $658,490 in fraud proceeds, which he transferred to bank accounts that he controlled and for his personal use, including home mortgage payments and wire transfers to family and friends. Kaeding then fled to Colombia in an apparent attempt to evade prosecution.

Kaeding is charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Kaeding was deported from Colombia on November 12, 2021, and ultimately arrested on November 14, 2021 in Miami, Florida. He made his initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge Alicia Otazo-Reyes in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida.

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

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

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal criminal complaint has been filed against a Chinese national living in Los Angeles for harassing and cyberstalking a Minnesota college student, announced Acting United States Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, since January 4, 2020, continuing through the present, 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, posing as the victim, used the accounts to communicate with others, seek sexual relationships, and advertise invitations for 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. In February 2021, the victim discovered that multiple social media profiles had been created using her name and her likeness, including accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and other dating, and sexually-focused websites. As a result of Yau’s stalking and harassment, the victim has received numerous contacts from men she does not know and has been forced to move to a new residence and change her phone number.

Yau has been charged by complaint in the District of Minnesota with one count of cyberstalking. Yau made his initial appearance yesterday afternoon before Magistrate Judge Gail J. Standish in the Central District of California, who ordered that Yau be detained and removed to Minnesota, where he will make his initial appearance at a later date.

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.

A criminal complaint 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 Minneapolis man pleaded guilty to multiple armed robberies, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

According to court documents, on February 4, 2018, Richard Alonzo Woods, 38, and two accomplices entered Project SoZo, an apparel store in Minneapolis, wielding guns and threatening customers and employees. Woods and his accomplices stole jewelry, money, and cell phones from the customers, and approximately $600 in cash from the register and other store merchandise, including $1,900 Nike Air Jordan shoes.

According to court documents, on February 22, 2018, Woods and two accomplices entered Lake Area Bank in White Bear Lake brandishing guns and demanding money from the tellers. Surveillance video footage from the bank showed Woods jump over a counter and take cash from the teller’s drawer. Woods and his accomplices stole approximately $9,816 in cash from the bank.

According to court documents, on May 4, 2018, Woods and an accomplice entered Bremer Bank in Brooklyn Center brandishing guns and demanding money from the tellers. A third accomplice was waiting in a getaway car. Woods and his accomplices stole approximately $88,618 in cash from the bank.

Woods pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), two counts of armed bank robbery, two counts of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

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 investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service, the Minneapolis Police Department, the White Bear Lake Police Department, and the Brooklyn Center Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha H. Bates and former Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Ham Lake man pleaded guilty to illegally possessing multiple firearms and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.

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, 34. 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 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.

Lincoln pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to possessing a firearm as a felon, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of an unregistered firearm. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.

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 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 are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Charles J. Kovats has been named as the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota following the departure of former Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk. Mr. Kovats previously served as the office’s Criminal Division Chief since 2018.

Acting United States Attorney Kovats has served the citizens of the District of Minnesota as a prosecutor since 2010 when he joined the United States Attorney’s Office as the National Security Section Chief. In 2012, Mr. Kovats was selected by former Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta to serve on the Defense Legal Policy Board in Washington, D.C., which was tasked with reviewing the application of military justice in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to moving to the District of Minnesota, Mr. Kovats served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California from 2005 until 2010.

A veteran, Mr. Kovats served for seven years in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Mr. Kovats received his B.A. from Santa Clara University in 1992 and, in 1996, earned his law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Former Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk stepped down to take a position with the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, in Washington D.C.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Louis County man was sentenced today to 192 months in prison followed by twenty years of supervised release for distribution of child pornography.

According to court documents, Michael Patrick Bushey, 32, admitted to the September 20, 2015 distribution of child sexual abuse images. Bushey further admitted that more than 3,900 images and at least 16 videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including images of prepubescent minors under the age of 12, were discovered in the cell phone and accounts he possessed.]

Bushey has previous State of Minnesota child pornography convictions and was on probation for those convictions when he committed the distribution offense.  He served 33 months for violation of probation on those convictions before being taken into federal custody.  Bushey pleaded guilty on June 14, 2021, to one count of distribution of child pornography.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced the defendant.

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 via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Manda M. Sertich.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Red Lake man pleaded guilty today to assault resulting in substantial bodily injury, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, Chad Joseph Sumner, Sr., 42, admitted to assaulting victim “Jane Doe,” at her home on June 30, 2019. As a result of the assault, Jane Doe had a laceration above her right eye and blood on her shirt.

Sumner pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud to one count of assault resulting in substantial bodily injury. A sentencing date has not been set.

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

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

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Minneapolis, Minn. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment against a Maplewood man for illegally possessing a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on October 12, 2021, Metro Transit Police Officers were dispatched to a report of a vehicle stuck on the light rail tracks in St. Paul. At the scene they found Deandre Lenier Neal-Hill, 34, unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a maroon Chevrolet Malibu. The vehicle, with the engine still reviving, had a flat tire and was stuck in the tracks.  Officers extracted an unresponsive Neal-Hill from the vehicle and began preforming life-saving measures until the paramedics arrived and took him to a hospital.

According to court documents, as officers extracted Neal-Hill from the vehicle, officers observed a black handgun on the floorboard on the driver’s side of the vehicle, which was later determined to be an FNH USA model 503 9mm semiautomatic pistol. The pistol had a round chambered, and carried a loaded magazine.

Because Neal-Hill has prior felony convictions, including convictions of drive-by shooting, assault, and drug sale, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

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 ATF, the St. Paul Police Department, and the Metro Transit Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez are prosecuting the case.

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

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – Three men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution ring in greater Minnesota.

According to court documents, From May 2020 through September 2020, Aaron Michael Stenquist, 50, of Isanti, Gerald Allen Jensen, 58, of Brook Park, and Juan Jose Paniagua, 25, of West Covina, California, and others conspired together to sell methamphetamine in the Twin Cities as well as Pine and Kanabec Counties.

Over the summer of 2020, members of the East Central Drug and Violent Offenders Task Force (ECDVOTF) began developing information that Jensen was selling large amounts of methamphetamine out of his Brook Park residence. On July 29, 2020, Stenquist was stopped by a Minnesota State Trooper near East Bethel. During a subsequent search of Stenquist’s vehicle, the Trooper found approximately 355 grams of methamphetamine, which he had purchased from Jensen. On September 16, 2020, ECDVOTF agents searched Jensen’s home and seized approximately 3.5 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside PVC pipes. On September 18, 2020, Paniagua along with alleged co-conspirator Miguel Eduardo Del Real, 26, arranged for a methamphetamine delivery from the Twin Cities to Jensen at the Grand Casino in Hinkley. The attempted delivery was brought by co-defendant Ivan Lopez, 26, and was intercepted by ECDVOTF agents. The agents arrested Lopez at the scene. Paniagua and Del Real fled the scene. After a 90-minute manhunt involving police canine and thermal imaging, law enforcement found Paniagua and arrested him. Agents separately recovered approximately seven kilograms of methamphetamine in vacuum sealed bags from within the trunk of Lopez’s vehicle.

Defendants Lopez, Stenquist, Jensen, and Paniagua each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Stenquist was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in prison, Jensen was sentenced on July 14, 2021, to 112 months in prison, and Paniagua was sentenced on October 8, 2021, to 80 months in prison. Lopez is awaiting sentencing. On November 2, 2021, alleged co-conspirator Del Real was arrested in San Diego, California, pursuant to a federal warrant.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced the defendants.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the East Central Drug and Violent Offender Task Force, the Kanabec County Sheriff’s Office, the Pine County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Paul Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal criminal complaint has been filed against a Mexican national after TSA agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport found firearms and methamphetamine in his luggage, announced Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on October 29, 2021, Kevin Alan Aguilar-Moreno, 20, attempted to board a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix, checking two suitcases prior to boarding. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening determined that Aguilar-Moreno’s luggage contained approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine; a FN, Model 509 9x19 pistol; a Rock Island Armory, 1911 A1-FS pistol; an AR-15 type firearm with no serial number; and 241 rounds of .223 ammunition, of which 39 were armor piercing ammunition. Law enforcement determined that the AR-15 type firearm is a privately made firearm (PMF). These firearms are commonly known as “ghost guns” because they do not have serial numbers, which makes them difficult for law enforcement to trace.

Aguilar-Moreno is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing firearms while illegally present in the United States. Aguilar-Moreno made his initial appearance earlier today before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson in U.S. District Court.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, Transportation Security Administration, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Dunne is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint 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 former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty of stealing controlled substances and violating individuals’ civil rights through unconstitutional searches and seizures, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

Following a nine-day trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank, Ty Raymond Jindra, 29, was convicted of three counts of acquiring a controlled substance by deception and two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law.

“Ty Jindra failed to uphold his oath as a peace officer, he failed the community he was sworn to serve, and he failed his fellow officers” said Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk. “This office and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate corruption and blatant abuse of authority. I am grateful to the Minneapolis Police Department for rooting out Jindra’s wrongdoing and notifying the FBI.”

“The cornerstone of the public’s trust in law enforcement relies on the expectation that each person who takes the oath to protect and serve the public will do so with integrity. Today, former Officer Jindra was convicted of violating that trust,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Paul. “I’m proud of our entire investigative team of agents and analysts that worked collaboratively with the Minneapolis Police Department after it brought forth concerns regarding the former officer’s conduct. They exemplify our commitment to ensure all public servants are worthy of the public’s trust and confidence.”

As proven at trial, from September 2017 through October 2019, Jindra, a former police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department (“MPD”), abused his position in order to obtain controlled substances including methamphetamine, oxycodone, fentanyl, tramadol, and other drugs by deception and by conducting unconstitutional searches and seizures.

As part of his scheme, Jindra diverted controlled substances for his own purposes by various means in the course of his duties as a MPD officer. Jindra diverted controlled substances by not reporting, logging, placing into evidence, or informing his partner or other officers on scene about the controlled substances that he had confiscated. On some occasions, Jindra would find ways to interact with or search an individual, vehicle, or residence so that he could surreptitiously recover controlled substances without his partner’s knowledge. At times, Jindra conducted searches beyond the scope warranted under the circumstances in attempt to recover controlled substances.

Jindra faces a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison on each count of acquiring a controlled substance and a maximum of one year in prison on each civil rights count. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

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. Attorneys Amber M. Brennan and Michelle E. Jones.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Detroit Lakes man pleaded guilty to armed robbery of a convenience store on the White Earth Indian Reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on November 11, 2020, Levi Brandin Jerome, 33, entered a convenience store located on the White Earth Indian Reservation carrying an American Tactical Imports, Omni Hybrid, multi-caliber rifle. Jerome pointed the rifle at the store clerk and demanded she open the cash register. Jerome stole approximately $2,250 in cash from the register and from a drawer next to the register before fleeing the store.

Jerome pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel to one count of robbery. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the White Earth Police Department, the Becker County Sheriff’s Office, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, and the Devils Lake (North Dakota) Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander D. Chiquoine is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man was sentenced today to 180 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for his role in a multi-drug trafficking conspiracy.

According to court documents, Buster Travoire Gaston, 45, participated in a drug distribution conspiracy. On June 12, 2019, Gaston and his co-conspirator were traveling back to Minnesota driving a rental car that was loaded with drugs. A Minnesota State Trooper stopped them and searched the vehicle. The search yielded four kilograms of methamphetamine, one kilogram of heroin, one kilogram of cocaine, four boxes of marijuana edibles, three vacuum-sealed bags of THC wax containers, three bags of marijuana bud, and nine mason jars containing a liquid PCP mixture.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter and Lauren O. Roso.

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury convicted a Minneapolis man for possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

Following a four-day trial before Judge Nancy E. Brasel, Gregory Lynn McCoy, 60, was convicted on one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Due to his multiple prior felony convictions, McCoy qualifies for an increased penalty under the Armed Career Criminal Act. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years in federal prison.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on October 23, 2019, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on McCoy’s Dodge Durango and found an MC 1911 .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol in the center console. The vehicle was registered to McCoy and McCoy’s DNA was found on one of the three magazines found adjacent to the gun. Law enforcement also found a box of MagTech .45 caliber ammunition in McCoy’s residence. Because McCoy has multiple prior felony convictions, 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. MacLaughlin and Joseph S. Teirab.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on February 5, 2019, officers with the St. Paul Police Department observed Michael Antonio Miller, 38, and his girlfriend leave a residence and drive away together in a vehicle. At the time, there was an active Domestic Abuse No Contact Order in place between Miller and his girlfriend. The officers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. As officers approached the driver’s side of the vehicle where the girlfriend was seated, she opened the center console and moved some papers out of the way to reveal a loaded Smith and Wesson, .40 caliber pistol. In an interview following his arrest, Miller admitted that the firearm was his. Because of his prior felony convictions in Ramsey and Hennepin Counties, Miller is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition at any time.

Miller pleaded guilty yesterday before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. A sentencing hearing has been set for December 14, 2021.

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 investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha H. Bates and Ruth S. Shnider are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – RehabAuthority, LLC, a physical therapy company with operations in Minnesota, has agreed to pay $4 million to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims for payment for outpatient physical therapy services in violation of the False Claims Act.

The settlement resolves allegations that, from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2018, RehabAuthority clinics submitted or caused to be submitted false claims for payment to the government for outpatient physical therapy. The clinics, located in Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho, and Wyoming, improperly billed Medicare Part B, Minnesota Medicaid, TRICARE, and the Veterans Health Administration for one-on-one outpatient physical therapy, including therapeutic exercises, manual therapy, ultrasounds, therapeutic activities, and gait training. The resolution centered on allegations that the company billed the government for direct, one-one-one care with physical therapists, but did not provide it when it overbooked government beneficiaries for certain outpatient physical therapy services.

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act against RehabAuthority. Under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States and the State of Minnesota ex rel. Cami Lane v. RehabAuthority, LLC, et al., No. 17-cv-5103 (DWF/ECW). 

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Defense Health Agency, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk of the District of Minnesota made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Bildtsen handled the matter.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Golden Valley man has been arrested and charged with receiving and distributing child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, in January 2021, John Scott Enderlein, 59, knowingly downloaded and distributed multiple video files depicting graphic child sexual abuse. Prior to these alleged offenses, in December 1995, Enderlein was convicted in Hennepin County of second degree criminal sexual conduct and was required to register as a sex offender.

Enderlein, who was arrested this morning by the FBI, made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson. Enderlein is charged with five counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.

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 via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Maria Candelaria Zambrano Zavala, 27, and Humberto Rangel-Torres, 51, were sentenced to 144 months and 72 months in prison, respectively, for sex trafficking a minor out of a Bloomington hotel.

According to court documents, beginning in March 2019 through May 2019, Zambrano Zavala began transporting and providing a minor for commercial sex to Rangel-Torres, who was at the time a construction worker residing at a hotel in Bloomington. On multiple occasions, Rangel-Torres arranged for commercial sex acts through Zambrano Zavala and paid Zambrano Zavala or the minor in cash for each commercial sex act.

“These defendants knowingly engaged in the sexual exploitation of a child for their own selfish gains,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Anders Folk. “Criminals who victimize and abuse children in this way will be investigated, prosecuted, and imprisoned.”

In April 2021, Zambrano Zavala pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor, and Rangel-Torres pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. In addition to the prison time, U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud also sentenced Zambrano Zavala to 10 years of supervised release and Rangel-Torres to five years of supervised release.

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. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by HSI and the Bloomington Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Manda M. Sertich and Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment against a St. Paul man for receiving and possessing child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on January 4, 2020, Drayton Dean Wilson, 28, downloaded an image containing depictions of child sexual abuse. On June 1, 2020, and October 15, 2020, Wilson was found in possession of multiple digital files containing depictions of child sexual abuse. On February 2, 2010, prior to these allegations, Wilson was convicted in Cass County of second degree criminal sexual conduct and was required to register as a sex offender.

Wilson is charged with one count of receipt of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography.

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 via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead is prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – The Justice Department today announced that it has obtained a consent decree with Reese Pfeiffer and several other defendants to resolve allegations that Pfeiffer violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by subjecting 23 women to severe and repeated sexual harassment and retaliation at residential properties defendants own or manage in and around Minneapolis.

Under the consent decree, the defendants must pay a total of $736,000 in compensation to 23 victims of the alleged sexual harassment and retaliation, and a $14,000 civil penalty to the United States. Additionally, the consent decree permanently bars Reese Pfeiffer from property management and requires the retention of an independent property manager approved by the Department of Justice at specified Twin Cities properties. The defendants must also undergo education and training on the FHA, with specific emphasis on discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual harassment.

The defendants are property managers/owners Reese Pfeiffer, Jeanne Pfeiffer, Michael Fruen and Jeremy Martineau and business entities Fruen & Pfeiffer LLP (F&P) and M. Fruen Properties (MFP).

The consent decree, entered today by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, resolves a lawsuit that the department filed in Sept. 2020, as well as a related private lawsuit brought by Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid on behalf of three women who were subjected to Pfeiffer’s alleged sexual harassment.

“All people deserve to feel safe in their homes,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Sexual harassment in housing deprives individuals of that security. The Justice Department will not tolerate landlords who abuse their power by sexually harassing their tenants and will continue to work resolutely to hold such persons accountable and obtain relief for their victims.”

“The sexual harassment and discrimination of female tenants is unacceptable and a violation of federal law,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota. “This resolution helps restore the public safety of these female tenants. No one should be subjected to an environment of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, especially in their own homes.”

The United States’ lawsuit alleged that Reese Pfeiffer, property manager for numerous rental properties in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs, subjected multiple female tenants and prospective tenants to sexual harassment. The complaint alleged that Reese Pfeiffer commented on female tenants’ looks and body parts, engaged in unwelcome touching, asked personal questions about their relationship status, made unwelcome sexual advances, discussed sexual topics without consent, entered their homes under the pretense of collecting rent to solicit sexual favors, and offered them rental benefits, such as excusing late or unpaid rent, in exchange for sexual favors. The complaint further alleged that Reese Pfeiffer’s co-defendants are vicariously liable for Pfeiffer’s discriminatory conduct because he acted as their agent when he sexually harassed tenants at properties in which they had an ownership interest.

This case is handled by the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota with the assistance of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General.

The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country. The goal of the initiative is to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers, or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the Initiative in October 2017, the Department of Justice has filed 23 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $4.8 million for victims of such harassment.

If you think you are a victim of sexual harassment by a landlord, or other forms of housing discrimination, you may contact the Justice Department by submitting a report online or contact the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota at (612) 664-5600.

Reports also may be made by contacting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Red Lake man pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child over the course of several years, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

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 pleaded guilty yesterday before Senior U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson to one count of abusive sexual contact with a child. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is 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 is prosecuting the case.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul man was sentenced today to 110 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possessing firearms as a felon and for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, on March 22, 2021, officers with the Eagan Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop and arrest Joshua Cameron Hanes, 32, on an outstanding felony warrant. Hanes, driving a rented Jeep Compass, tried to flee from officers and smashed into one of the squad cars. After several minutes of disregarding officers’ verbal commands, Hanes eventually exited his vehicle and was taken into custody.  

According to court documents, officers searched the Jeep Compass and recovered two bags of methamphetamine weighing a total of 198 grams, and a loaded Springfield Armory, 9mm semiautomatic handgun that had been reported stolen in Hudson, Wisconsin. As part of his plea, Hanes also admitted to possessing a 9mm semiautomatic pistol with a high-capacity magazine. On September 14, 2021, Hanes pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

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

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced the defendant.

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

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty today to impersonating a federal officer, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on July 24, 2017, Bernard Holmes, 66, pretended to be a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Holmes spoofed his telephone number to make it appear that he was calling his victim from the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office. Holmes provided the victim with his purported name, “FBI Special Agent John Tidwell,” and alleged FBI badge number. Holmes falsely stated that he was investigating terrorism-related conduct involving the victim's household, including terrorism evidence that supposedly originated from a computer and IP address at the victim's house. In his fake capacity, Holmes asked questions of the victim in furtherance of the supposed terrorism investigation. 

Holmes pleaded guilty today to one count of impersonating a federal officer before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

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

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

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal criminal complaint has been filed against Jerome Fletcher Horton, 25, for illegally purchasing multiple firearms, one of which was used in a recent St. Paul shooting, announced Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk.

On October 10, 2021, gunfire erupted inside the Seventh Street Truck Park bar in St. Paul. Amid the gunfire, 14 people were injured and 27-year-old Marquisha Wiley was killed.

According to court documents, investigators with the St. Paul Police Department identified one of the suspects in the shooting. Surveillance video footage showed the suspect leave the bar holding a firearm and get into the back of a vehicle. Investigators later recovered from the vehicle a Mossberg model MC2C 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Investigators also recovered numerous 9mm discharged cartridge casings inside of the bar, which were consistent with the caliber of the firearm recovered from the vehicle.

According to court documents, a trace of the firearm revealed that it was purchased by Horton on July 31, 2021, from a Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL) in Blaine. When Horton purchased the firearm, he stated on ATF Form 4473 that he was the actual buyer of the firearm. A review of sales reports submitted by various FFLs in and around the Twin Cities metropolitan area revealed that Horton had purchased 33 firearms from June 15, 2021, through October 17, 2021. On October 19, 2021, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Horton’s residence and found no firearms, despite his multiple purchases.

“As recent tragedies have shown, illegal guns on the street make our communities less safe for everyone,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “Stopping straw purchasers from putting guns in the hands of violent felons is a priority for my office and for the Department of Justice.”

Horton has been charged with making false statements during the purchase of a firearm. He made his initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer in U.S. District Court.

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 and the St. Paul Police Department.

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

A criminal complaint 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 Carver County man pleaded guilty to child pornography and extortion charges related to a years-long sextortion scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, Mitchell James Ottinger, 25, a former substitute teacher and paraprofessional, engaged in a scheme to obtain sexually explicit images and videos of minors and adults by using false online personas. Ottinger threatened to disseminate the images and videos of his victims in order to extort more images and videos. Over the course of several years Ottinger victimized more than 10 minors, some of whom he knew from the school district where he worked.

Law enforcement was alerted to the sextortion when one of the victims contacted the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center and reported the threats. Based on the evidence obtained in this investigation, authorities believe there may be additional victims of the alleged conduct. Anyone with information about this matter is encouraged to call the FBI Minneapolis Division at 763-569-8000.

Ottinger pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright to two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and one count of interstate communication with intent to extort. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the FBI and the Carver County Sheriff’s Office.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Ponemah man pleaded guilty today to second degree murder after violently assaulting a woman on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, in 2019, William Jones, IV, 24, and the victim were involved in a romantic relationship and lived together at the victim’s house in Ponemah. During the evening of November 6, 2019, Jones repeatedly assaulted the victim in their residence, hitting her on the shoulders, arms, and torso, and throwing her against a wall. After the assault the victim fell to the floor and struck her head. Jones did not contact emergency personnel or attempt to render aid. The victim remained in the house unconscious for almost two days, where Jones chose not to contact emergency personnel or otherwise render any aid to the victim.

According to court documents, on November 8, 2019, Jones’s mother contacted emergency personnel after arriving at the house and observing the victim’s condition. The victim was transported to Sanford Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota, where medical personnel determined that the victim suffered a traumatic brain injury, which caused the victim to remain in a persistent vegetative state with no hope for recovery. As a result of her injuries, the victim died on November 22, 2019.

“This defendant not only perpetrated an extremely violent assault on his victim, he showed complete disregard for human life when he failed to seek medical aid,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting those who commit horrific acts of domestic violence such as this, which disproportionately plague Native American women.”

Jones pleaded guilty to one count of second degree murder before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan B. Gilead and Deidre Y. Aanstad are prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – An Arizona man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for aiding and abetting possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, in February of 2021, Randall Alex Ayon, 29, was one of three occupants staying at a hotel room in South St. Paul. While executing a search warrant for the room, law enforcement discovered two separate bags above the rented room’s bathroom ceiling tiles. Inside the two bags were several clear plastic baggies that contained approximately 14 pounds of methamphetamine. Law enforcement also seized a wire transfer receipt and seven cell phones from the hotel room. On June 24, 2021, Ayon pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced the defendant. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Dakota County Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, and the Utah State Highway Patrol.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter, Jr.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man was sentenced today to 168 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distributing pound quantities of high-purity methamphetamine.

According to court documents, between April and July 2019, Justin Steven Schmitz, 39, a member of the Minneapolis Chapter of the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club, sold multiple pounds of high-purity methamphetamine to an undercover officer for approximately $6,000 per pound. After pleading guilty on August 14, 2020, to one count of methamphetamine distribution, Schmitz absconded from a treatment center and fled to California, where he remained a fugitive for nearly three months before being apprehended and brought back to Minnesota.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Minneapolis Police Department, the St. Paul Police Department, the Dakota County Drug Task Force, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Rochester Police Department, the Olmstead County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha H. Bates and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Louis County woman was sentenced today to eight months in prison followed by one year of supervised release and full restitution for embezzling more than $300,000 in Tribal funds.

“Ms. Boutto took advantage of the managerial position she had been trusted with and selfishly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “This brazen theft of Tribal funds deeply impacted the Tribe’s ability to provide services to its own members. Today’s sentence signals the seriousness of Ms. Boutto’s crimes.”

“Far too often crimes are committed against tribes in Indian Country and the punishment is a slap on the wrist,” said Bois Forte Tribal Chairwoman Cathy Chavers. “We applaud Judge Tostrud for realizing the seriousness of the crime committed. Boutto serving time in federal prison reinforces the fact that crimes like these won’t be tolerated.”  Chavers went on to say, “we are relieved to put an end to this matter and are now able to breathe a bit easier seeing justice done. Now our community can begin the process of healing and ensuring this never happens again.”

According to court documents, in 2008, Jennifer Lynn Boutto, 33, began working as a reservationist at the Fortune Bay Resort Casino, which is owned and operated by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. Boutto later received a promotion to Front Desk Supervisor, a position that allowed her to issue cash refunds without direct supervision. Between January 2013 and October 2019, Boutto used her position at Fortune Bay to steal money by issuing false cash refunds against the invoices of previous Fortune Bay customers. Boutto would then access the Fortune Bay vault and retrieve the falsely refunded amount. In total, Boutto executed the scheme 2,994 times and stole $315,739.87.

On March 9, 2021, Boutto pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and theft of Tribal funds.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced the defendant.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with significant assistance from the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan L. Sing.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Burnsville man pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, in the summer of 2020, law enforcement determined that Eric Michael Dungy, 50, was selling methamphetamine out of hotel rooms in the Twin Cities metro area. On September 30, 2020, law enforcement encountered Dungy in the Element Hotel parking lot in Bloomington. Agents arrested Dungy and found heroin and $16,621 in cash on his person. Agents conducted a search of Dungy’s vehicle and recovered 364 grams of methamphetamine, three methamphetamine pipes, needles, gallon Ziploc bags with methamphetamine residue on them, an electronic money counter, and a Kel-Tec 9mm handgun. On October 3, 2020, law enforcement searched Dungy’s unoccupied hotel room and found 5.5 pounds of methamphetamine and other personal effects belonging to Dungy.

After obtaining release on bail from the Hennepin County Jail in November 2020, Dungy was again investigated for methamphetamine distribution and by December 14, 2020, he agreed to sell three pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover officer for $15,000. On the same day, law enforcement searched two adjacent rooms he rented at the Country Inn & Suites in Bloomington, and recovered approximately 6.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 13.5 grams of heroin, three digital scales, multiple small Ziplock bags, eleven phones, and $12,286 in cash.

Dungy pleaded guilty today to two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the St. Paul Police Department.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – Two men have entered guilty pleas to securities fraud charges in connection to their illegal pump-and-dump stock manipulation scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

 

According to their guilty pleas, Mark Allen Miller, 44, of Breezy Point, and Christopher James Rajkaran, 36, of Queens, New York, and Guyana, participated in a scheme to hijack and assume control over dormant public shell companies. The defendants used their control over the companies to fraudulently manipulate and pump up the price of the companies' stock so that they could profit from the sale of stock to unwitting investors.

The defendants carried out their scheme by obtaining hundreds of thousands or even millions of shares of stock in dormant public shell companies that traded over-the-counter at low prices, often for less than a fraction of a penny per share. The defendants then assumed control over the shell companies by creating fake and filing fake resignation letters and board resolutions purporting to announce the resignation of the existing management team and the appointment of one or more conspirators as new officers and directors of the companies. The conspirators used their control over the hijacked shell companies to issue fraudulent press releases and filings designed to fraudulently inflate and “pump up” the price of the hijacked companies’ stock. The defendants then sold or “dumped” their stock at the fraudulently inflated prices.

The defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud before Senior Judge David S. Doty in U.S. District Court. Miller entered his guilty plea earlier today and Rajkaran entered his guilty plea on October 7, 2021. Co-conspirator Saeid Jaberian, 59, of Hopkins, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud charges.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to thank the Securities and Exchange Commission for its assistance on this matter.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson and Miranda E. Dugi are prosecuting the case.

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. – A Ponsford man was sentenced today to 100 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for violently assaulting a man on the White Earth Indian Reservation.

According to court documents, during the early morning hours of June 3, 2020, Wesley Robert Warren, 23, and another man got into an argument with the victim. The argument escalated into a physical altercation and Warren and the other man knocked out the victim. Once the fight was over and the victim was laying face down on the ground, Warren continued the assault by picking up a 42-pound cinderblock and dropping it on the back of the victim’s head. As a result of the assault the victim was hospitalized for several weeks due to brain trauma and was later transferred to a long-term care facility.

On June 17, 2021, following a four-day jury trial, Warren was found guilty of one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced the defendant.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Becker County Sheriff’s Office, the White Earth Police Department, and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Caleb J. Dogeagle.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty today to illegally possessing firearms as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, in March 2021, Minneapolis Police officers received information that Brandon Marcel Thomas, 33, was engaged in drug and firearms trafficking. Officers executed a search warrant at a storage locker in Minneapolis that had been leased by Thomas since approximately October 2020. Officers recovered from the storage locker seven firearms, including a Radical Firearms, .300 caliber, semi-automatic rifle; a Smith and Wesson, .357 caliber, pistol; a Taurus, 9mm caliber, pistol; a Glock, .40 caliber, pistol; a Smith and Wesson, .380 caliber, pistol; a Glock .45 caliber, pistol; and a Glock, .22 caliber, pistol.

Because Thomas has prior felony convictions, including a 2009 federal carjacking conviction in the District of Minnesota, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Thomas entered his guilty plea today before Senior U.S. District Judge David S. Doty in U.S. District Court. A sentencing date has not been set.

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 investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Minneapolis Police Department.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against a Dodge County man for impersonating a federal officer, felon in possession of firearms, felon in possession of explosives, possession of unregistered firearms, and possession of an unauthorized badge, announced Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on August 17, 2021, the FBI received a tip that Reyel Devon Simmons, 52, of Dodge Center, was impersonating a federal agent with the United States Department of Homeland Security. The investigation revealed that Simmons used 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. Simmons is not, and has never been, employed by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

According to court documents, during the September 20, 2021 arrest of Simmons, law enforcement discovered a “go bag” that 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’ supposed service in law enforcement and the military. Law enforcement also executed a search warrant at Simmons’ residence. Law enforcement seized seven firearms from the property, where most were discovered in a “safe room” or bunker that could be accessed only through a hidden doorway located in the storage area of the basement. Law enforcement also found silencers/suppressors, a suspected detonating cord, and a suspected blasting cap in the secret space. Law enforcement determined that the silencer/suppressors were not registered with the National Firearms Registry and Transfer Record (NFRTR). Law enforcement later assessed the suspected detonating cord and concluded that it contained pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), an explosive. Additionally, law enforcement found thousands of rounds of ammunition, body armor with law enforcement emblems affixed to it, and other law enforcement style badges 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.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander D. Chiquoine 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 St. Paul man pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery in relation to a robbery spree of St. Paul businesses, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

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.

As part of his guilty plea to the Speedway robbery, Dean also 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 entered his guilty plea yesterday before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis. A sentencing date has not been set.

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 is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal grand jury returned an indictment against a Minneapolis man for making threats against Hennepin County employees and illegally possessing firearms as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

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 is charged with two counts of possessing firearms as a felon and three counts of interstate transmission of threats.

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 FBI, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Minneapolis Police Department.

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

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

DULUTH, Minn. – A Duluth man pleaded guilty today to tax evasion for failing to report his business revenue and income to the IRS, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, between June 2019 and April 2020, Shimon Shaked, 57, owned and operated several t-shirt and souvenir shops in Duluth’s Canal Park tourist zone, including I Love Duluth, I Love Duluth 2, Up North-The Good Life, and the Lake Life (the “Duluth Stores”). Shaked operated the Duluth Stores under a holding company called ALMS18, LLC, which he formed in 2012. Although Shaked owned, operated, and controlled ALMS18, LLC, he listed his teenage daughter as the nominal owner in order to hide and evade taxes on income he received from the company. In 2017, Shaked opened I Love Marquette, another souvenir store located in Marquette, Michigan, operated under the company SkyMqt, LLC.

According to his guilty plea, Shaked evaded the assessment of taxes on the income he earned through his Duluth and Michigan stores by failing to report the full revenue and income to the IRS. Specifically, Shaked reported the credit card sales for his stores, but failed to report or pay taxes on most of the cash sales. To further conceal his income, Shaked used the cash from the unreported cash sales to pay for personal expenses and to pay some of his employees' overtime wages in cash. In doing so, Shaked failed to account for and pay over to the IRS some or all of the required federal payroll taxes due and owing for those employees. In total, Shaked evaded paying approximately $620,362 in taxes.

Shaked entered his guilty plea earlier today before Chief U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for February 15, 2022.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson and Angela M. Munoz are prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution ring in greater Minnesota.

According to court documents, Jonathan Stuart Listrom, 35, of Circle Pines, conspired with his co-defendant Steven Leroy Johnson, 53, of Glenwood, to sell methamphetamine in the Alexandria area. On August 25, 2019, law enforcement arrested Johnson in Alexandria on an outstanding warrant and found 240 grams of methamphetamine in his vehicle. On August 27, 2019, law enforcement arrested Listrom in Alexandria with 886 grams of 99 percent pure methamphetamine that he intended to distribute to Johnson. On January 23, 2020, Listrom was arrested again with approximately 70 grams of methamphetamine.

Listrom pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced on October 6, 2021 to 192 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced today to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright sentenced the defendants.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the West Central Minnesota Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, the Alexandria Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Hollenhorst.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Michigan man was sentenced today to 84 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon after he and two others were involved in a deadly shootout in downtown Minneapolis.

According to court documents, in September 2019, Marvin Lavell-Caine Lomax, 25, of Detroit, Michigan, and his associate engaged in a shootout during the early evening commute hours at the Hawthorne Bus Terminal in downtown Minneapolis. Surveillance video showed bystanders fleeing the area as Lomax and his associate exchanged gunfire with a third person. The third person was shot multiple times and later died as a result of his injuries. Lomax and his associate fled the area, threw their guns into a trash bin, and boarded a commuter bus back to Detroit.

Hours after the shooting, the firearms, a loaded .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and a loaded .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol, were found in the trash bin by Minneapolis police officers. Both firearms had previously been reported stolen. Ballistics analysis linked the discarded shell casings found at the scene to the two recovered firearms. Additionally, Lomax’s DNA matched the DNA found on one of the .45-caliber shell casings recovered at the scene. Investigators searched Lomax’s social media accounts and found a video of him talking and laughing with his associate about the shooting incident.

In December 2019, Lomax was indicted by a federal grand jury and on June 3, 2021, Lomax pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz sentenced the defendant.

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 an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Three Minneapolis men have been sentenced to prison for violently robbing a south Minneapolis jewelry store.

According to court documents, on May 16, 2019, Demilo Demontez Martin, 30, Dierre Jameson Martin, 32, and Corey Roscell Chester, 29, robbed the Joyeria Ecuador jewelry store on Lake Street in Minneapolis. Dierre Martin smashed the jewelry cases and stole jewelry while Chester and Demilo Martin restrained and assaulted the store owner. The defendants stole between $50,000 and $60,000 worth of jewelry.

The defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act). Demilo Martin was sentenced to 100 months in prison, Dierre Martin was sentenced to 80 months in prison, and Chester was sentenced to 100 months in prison. All three defendants were also ordered to pay $46,755.63 in restitution to the victim.

The Hobbs Act, passed by Congress in 1946, allows federal prosecutors to prosecute individuals who commit armed robberies of businesses engaged in interstate commerce.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced the defendant.

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 an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.