District of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – A Canadian national has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to the sexual abuse of minors occurring on the Bois Forte Indian Reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on June 22, 2018, Brady John Hillis, 32, of Kenora, Ontario, knowingly engaged in sexual contact with two minor victims who were under 12 years of age.

Hillis is charged with two counts of abusive sexual contact with a child under 12 years of age and one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child under 12 years of age. Hillis made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge David T. Schultz.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad 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 – A St. Paul man was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for assaulting and attempting to rob a postal employee.

According to court documents, on June 4, 2020, James Wilbert Jackson, Jr., 23, tried to pick up a package from a post office located in Oakdale, Minnesota, but the postal employee was not authorized to give Jackson the package because his name and address did not match the recipient or sender address on the package. Jackson left the post office and returned multiple times that same day, each time trying to convince the postal employee to give him the package. Shortly before the post office closed for the day, Jackson returned and again demanded the package. When the employee walked away, Jackson leapt over the service counter, followed the employee into the back office, and punched the employee repeatedly in the head. The two struggled and fell to the ground before postal employees were able to restrain Jackson. As a result of the assault, the employee suffered scrapes, abrasions, and bruises to his head and knees, as well as a badly broken finger that required surgery to repair. A subsequent search of the package Jackson was trying to retrieve showed that it contained approximately 500 grams of marijuana.

“This defendant attacked an innocent U.S. Postal Service employee, a public servant, who was simply doing his job,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “Postal workers are frontline employees who serve the public during challenging times, particularly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and they deserve to be safe and free from violence as they carry out their duties.”

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 the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Oakdale Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander D. Chiquoine.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Red Lake man has been arrested and charged with one count of second degree murder and four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection to the shooting death of a Red Lake Tribal Police Officer, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on July 27, 2021, officers with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department (“RLTPD”) responded to a call to conduct a welfare check on David Brian Donnell, Jr., 28, at his residence in Redby, Minnesota. Five RLTPD officers responded to Donnell’s residence. Upon arrival, the officers found Donnell standing outside on the porch and attempted to have him walk towards the officers, but Donnell instead went inside the residence. Because Donnell had an active tribal warrant and had refused to comply, the officers breached the door. Gunfire erupted from inside the residence in the direction of the officers. Officer Ryan Bialke was struck by gunfire through the front door. Gunfire continued from inside the house towards the other four officers on the scene. At one point, an RLTPD officer returned fire. Officers then retreated into the woods to escape the continued gunfire. Officer Bialke succumbed to his injuries and died on the scene. Shortly thereafter, officers arrested Donnell at a nearby residence.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Melinda A. Williams 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.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Maple Grove man pleaded guilty today to fraudulently applying for $9,619,046.46 from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, of which he fraudulently obtained and misappropriated more than $1.7 million, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, Aditya Raj Sharma, 47, was the founder, CEO, and president of Crosscode Inc., a cloud-based software development company originally headquartered in Maple Grove, Minnesota. In November 2019, Sharma was removed as an officer and terminated from the company by Crosscode’s board of directors. Between May 2020 and July 2020, Sharma created three separate technology companies, Kloudgaze Inc., Neoforma LLC, and Mokume LLC.

From April 2020 through August 2020, Sharma applied for 16 loans for $9,619,046.46 through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) from ten different lenders by submitting false and fraudulent applications under the names of his various technology companies. As part of his fraud scheme, Sharma submitted fabricated supporting records, made false statements about the number of employees he had and the amount of payroll expenses he incurred, and made false statements about the relevant corporate entities and intended use of the loan proceeds.

For example, on April 26, 2020, Sharma submitted an application in the name of “Crosscode dba Kloudgaze” seeking a $562,500 PPP loan. On the application Sharma falsely stated that “Crosscode dba Kloudgaze” was in operation on February 15, 2020, even though Sharma did not create Kloudgaze until May 2020. In addition, Sharma falsely stated that he was the 100% owner and CEO of Crosscode, that Crosscode did business under the name of Kloudgaze, and that “Crosscode dba Kloudgaze” had approximately 29 employees on its payroll even though records from the State of Minnesota show Sharma paid no wages to a single Kloudgaze employee. In support of the application, Sharma included fraudulent supporting documentation, including fabricated bank account statements.

As a result of Sharma’s fraud scheme, lenders approved three of his PPP applications and deposited $1,773,600 in PPP funds into bank accounts controlled by Sharma. Rather than using the funds for permissible business expenses, Sharma used the money to pay off unrelated legal debts, fund new business ventures, transfer approximately $14,000 to a financial account in India, and pay for home improvements, including landscaping and the installation of a $64,300 backyard pool at his residence.

During the investigation, law enforcement obtained warrants to seize approximately $674,980.76 in fraudulent proceeds held in multiple bank accounts controlled by Sharma. As part of the plea agreement, these seized funds will be forfeited by Sharma to the Unites States.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Jordan L. Sing.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – An Eden Prairie woman was charged today with illegally straw purchasing 14 firearms, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, between March 23, 2021, and July 10, 2021, Tess Fair, 21, has purchased 14 separate firearms at guns stores in the Twin Cities area. Fair illegally purchased thirteen 9-millimeter semi-automatic handguns and one .22 caliber AR style pistol. Surveillance video footage from one of the gun stores shows Fair purchasing a gun at the direction of another individual who is a documented member of the Minneapolis street gang Young and Thuggin’ (YNT). Two of the guns she purchased have been recovered at crime scenes in the Twin Cities area where one or more victims were shot.

“Buying guns on behalf of someone else who is prohibited from possessing guns is a federal crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “The straw buying process sets up a dangerous pipeline that too often puts firearms in the hands of criminals. Federal law enforcement is committed to interrupting that process.”

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 Jeffrey S. Paulsen is prosecuting the case.

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.

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.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been taken into federal custody and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, in July 2021, law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant for a Minneapolis residence belonging to 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 stolen 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 affixed to Briski-Smith's chest. During the search of Briski-Smith’s residence, officers recovered a Marlin, semiautomatic, .22-caliber rifle with a modified barrel and additional rounds of ammunition. Because Briski-Smith has prior felony convictions, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

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.

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.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Hastings woman and former elected official was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for misappropriating more than $650,000 in public funds.

According to court documents, from December 2012 through October 2020, Maryann Helen Stoffel, 70, used her elected position as the Clerk of the Township of Vermillion to misappropriate more than $650,000 of Township funds. Although Stoffel had signature authority over the Township’s bank account, Township checks required at least two signatures. As part of the fraud scheme, Stoffel, at times, forged the signatures of the Township’s Treasurer and the Chairman of the Township Board on Township checks. At other times, Stoffel solicited signatures from the Township’s Treasurer and the Chairman of the Township Board on blank Township checks by falsely representing that she would use the checks to pay the Township’s bills. Instead of using the funds to pay the Township’s bills, Stoffel transferred the funds to her personal bank account for her own use and benefit. Stoffel concealed her fraud from the Township and from the State of Minnesota by excluding the unauthorized payments to herself on the Township’s annual report.

On March 16, 2021, Stoffel pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. In addition to her prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz ordered Stoffel to serve one year of supervised release and pay $652,674.66 in restitution.

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

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Svendsen.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Rochester man pleaded guilty today to arson of a Minneapolis pawn shop, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to his guilty plea, on May 28, 2020, Montez Terriel Lee, 26, along with others, broke into the Max It Pawn Shop on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. Surveillance video footage showed Lee pouring a fire accelerant around the pawn shop and lighting the accelerant on fire. The fire destroyed the building. A second video showed Lee standing in front of the burning pawn shop and Lee could be heard saying, “[expletive] this place. We’re gonna burn this [expletive] down.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Rochester Police Department, and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division.

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

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Canadian man pleaded guilty today to possessing a firearm as an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on January 10, 2021, Muzamil Aden Addow, 30, and his co-defendant Dayne Adrian Sitladeen, 29, were stopped by a Minnesota State Patrol Trooper near Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The defendants were traveling between 95-100 miles per hour in a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with Texas license plates. When the Trooper approached the vehicle, Addow provided an Ontario, Canada, driver’s license with a false name.

According to court documents, after detecting the odor of marijuana in the vehicle and receiving suspicious and inconsistent statements from Addow and Sitladeen, the Trooper searched the vehicle. As a result of the search, law enforcement officers recovered a total of 67 firearms and numerous pistol magazines, including 15 high-capacity pistol magazines, from four bags in the truck—one pistol magazine was partially loaded with live ammunition rounds.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Bates.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Brooklyn Park man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit arson of the Great Health and Nutrition store in St. Paul, announced Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on May 28, 2020, Samuel Elliot Frey, 20, and his co-conspirators, including co-defendant McKenzy Ann DeGidio Dunn, 20, and Conspirator 1 (who was 17 years old at the time of the arson), joined other individuals who had gathered near the Great Health and Nutrition store located at 1360 University Avenue West, in St. Paul. Frey and his co-conspirators arrived together to the Midway area near University Avenue and walked through multiple businesses before they arrived inside the Great Health and Nutrition retail store. While inside the store, Frey took a bottle of hand sanitizer and poured the contents onto a downed shelving unit located on the floor. Frey then lit paper on fire and placed the flaming paper where he had poured the contents of a hand sanitizer bottle. Frey applied additional hand sanitizer in an attempt to accelerate the fire.  The Great Health and Nutrition store sustained fire damage as a result of Frey’s conduct. 

According to court documents, after May 28, 2020, Frey spoke with co-defendant Dunn and with Conspirator 1 each on at least one occasion. In Frey’s respective discussions with his co-conspirators, Frey instructed them to be untruthful to law enforcement by falsely reporting that another person had supposedly started the fire at the Great Health and Nutrition store.  At the time of Frey’s instructions to his co-conspirators, Frey knew this was a lie. 

On October 26, 2020, co-conspirator Dunn pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson.  On May 10, 2021, United States District Judge Nancy E. Brasel sentenced Dunn to three years of probation and $31,578 in restitution. Frey’s sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the St. Paul Police Department, the St. Paul Fire Department, Brooklyn Park Police Department, the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division, and the FBI.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Joseph S. Teirab.

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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty today to possession of a stolen firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on August 20, 2020, officers with the Minneapolis Police Department responded to shots fired at a Taco Bell on Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis. Upon arrival, officers observed several individuals and vehicles fleeing the scene. Officers observed one of the vehicles, a white Chevy Impala driven by Wesley Rayvon Johnson, 29, speed through residential streets before entering the eastbound lanes of I-94, traveling westbound. Johnson exited onto Highway 252, again traveling in the wrong direction, before crashing into another vehicle. Johnson exited the Chevy Impala and threw a firearm into a storm drain. Officers were able to remove the grate from the storm drain and recover a Glock 23 Gen. 4, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, which had previously been reported stolen. Johnson admitted that he knew the firearm was likely stolen because he bought it on the street without filling out any paperwork. Johnson is also a convicted felon and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber M. Brennan.

MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Cloud man, and self-described member of the Boogaloo Bois, pleaded guilty yesterday to possessing two drop-in auto sears, a device that converts a semi-automatic firearm into an unlawful fully automatic firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, in November 2020, the FBI initiated an investigation into Michael Paul Dahlager, 27, a self-proclaimed member of the “Boogaloo Bois,” a loosely connected group of individuals who espouse violent anti-government sentiments. The term “Boogaloo” itself references an impending second civil war in the United States and is associated with violent uprisings against the government. In November 2020, the FBI learned through a confidential human source (“CHS”) that Dahlager was in possession of a 3D-printed “drop in auto sear” and a homemade firearm suppressor. An “auto sear” is a part designed and intended for use in converting a semi-automatic weapon to shoot automatically by a single pull of the trigger and is a machine gun under federal law.

According to court documents, on February 3, 2021, Dahlager delivered two auto sears to the CHS and he demonstrated how the devices should be inserted into a firearm. At the time of his arrest in April 2021, law enforcement recovered six additional auto sears and a silencer from Dahlager’s vehicle and home.

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

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Winter, and Trial Attorneys George Kraehe and Phil Viti of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section.

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury convicted a Minneapolis man for engaging in abusive sexual contact on an airplane, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

Following a three-day trial before Judge Nancy E. Brasel, Neeraj Chopra, 40, was convicted on one count of abusive sexual contact.

According to the evidence presented at trial, in April 2019, Chopra knowingly engaged in abusive sexual contact with a 16-year-old victim who was seated next to him aboard a Jet Blue flight from Boston to Minneapolis. During the flight, Chopra retrieved a blanket from his backpack and draped it over his lap, with a portion of the blanket also covering the victim’s right leg. Chopra put his hand under the blanket and began inappropriately touching the victim. Chopra ignored the victim’s multiple requests to stop and continued to inappropriately touch the victim.

Chopra faces up to two years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. At sentencing, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Police.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren O. Roso and Michelle E. Jones.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury convicted a California man for participating in a methamphetamine and heroin trafficking conspiracy, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

Following a three-day trial before Judge Eric C. Tostrud, Joel Llamas Garcia, 49, was convicted of a single count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on September 21, 2020, law enforcement received information that three California men, Garcia and two co-conspirators, had traveled to Minnesota for a narcotics transaction and were staying at a motel in Maplewood, Minnesota. Since arriving in Minnesota, the men had taken possession of the narcotics and arranged for another individual, who turned out to be an undercover law enforcement officer, to take possession of the narcotics for safekeeping. Later that same day, the undercover officer arrived at the motel and received from Garcia a duffel bag containing 19.46 pounds of methamphetamine that was divided into 20 small plastic containers, and six bricks of heroin that weighed a total of 13.11 pounds.

The following day, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on the motel room and the vehicle Garcia and his co-conspirators drove from California. Officers arrested Garcia and found .277 grams of methamphetamine on his person.

Garcia faces up to life in prison. At sentencing, a federal district court judge will determine the sentence accounting for the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, IRS-CI, Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol and the Ramsey County Sherriff’s Office.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys LeeAnn K. Bell and Jordan L. Sing.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Mahnomen County man was sentenced today to 138 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine.

According to court documents, in December 2019, Augustus Quintrell Light, 40, was engaged in the distribution of controlled substances. On December 7, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence in Bemidji, Minnesota, where Light was located. Law enforcement recovered more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine, a digital scale, and three rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. That same day, law enforcement searched Light’s primary residence in Naytahwaush, Minnesota. Within a locked safe inside the residence, officers found small quantities of controlled substances, $4,800 in cash, and three rounds of .45 caliber ammunition.

In March 2019, Light was pulled over in Bemidji for having an expired registration. After officers smelled marijuana from inside Light’s vehicle, they ordered him to step out. Light refused to comply and instead rolled up his windows, locked his doors, and drove away from the scene at a high rate of speed. Light led officers on a high-speed chase through Bemidji before he was stopped and arrested.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota 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 Mahnomen County Attorney’s Office, the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office, the Paul Bunyan Task Force, the Bemidji Police Department, and the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander D. Chiquoine and Ruth Shnider prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Duluth man pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection to a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to his guilty plea, from April 2020 through August 2020, Jared John Fiege, 34, devised and executed a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $250,000 in COVID-19 relief through Unemployment Insurance (UI) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. As part of the scheme, Fiege submitted fraudulent applications for UI benefits and EIDL assistance by using stolen names, birth dates, and social security numbers of at least 20 individuals. In applying for EIDL assistance and advances, Fiege also invented fictional business entities, which he linked to the identities of real persons without their knowledge or consent. Fiege possessed multiple cell phones and registered numerous email addresses which he used to impersonate others. Fiege also impersonated others by using fraudulent passports as a means of identity verification. Fiege established false bank accounts and requested bank cards to be issued by mail to other people’s addresses, which he would then steal from their mailboxes along with other mail allowing him to withdraw significant amounts of cash from those accounts.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Duluth Police Department.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Middlecamp.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Saint Paul man was sentenced yesterday to 210 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm.

According to court documents, on January 16, 2019, Saint Paul police officers responded to a shooting incident near Charles Avenue in St. Paul. Four gunshots were fired at a house, which was occupied by two adults and a two-year old child, penetrating the walls and windows. Officers were able to recover the four 9mm shell casings from the scene. The following day, law enforcement located a Buick Lucerne, registered to Curtis AJ Harrell, 30, that was at the scene of the shooting. Following a search of the vehicle and Harrell’s apartment, law enforcement recovered a loaded Glock 26 9mm firearm with a 17-round extended magazine in the center console of the vehicle and a 50-round 9mm extended drum magazine and live 9mm ammunition inside the apartment.

Investigators test fired the recovered Glock firearm and entered the resulting cartridge casing into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which linked the firearm to the discharged casings recovered from the scene of the shooting. NIBIN also linked the firearm to discharged casings from three other incidents, including two occurring within the previous month. In his plea agreement, Harrell admitted to possessing the firearm that was used to shoot at the house.

Because he has multiple prior felony convictions, Harrell is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

“This individual has a long history of carrying guns and committing violent felonies,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “Thanks to the hard work of investigators and the use of NIBIN technology, this armed career criminal is off the streets.”

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan H. Nelson prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal inmate was sentenced today to an additional 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for assaulting a federal prison guard.

According to court documents, on May 29, 2020, Charles Marquis Mitchell, 28, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Sandstone, Minnesota, obtained and ingested a synthetic drug and began shouting and acting erratically. Mitchell struck one inmate with a closed fist and shoved another inmate into a wall. Mitchell did not comply with the prison guards’ orders to lay on the ground and instead lunged towards them, striking one guard in the head and face with a closed fist.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson sentenced the defendant. The sentence was imposed to run consecutively to the sentence Mitchell is currently serving.

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

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

MINNEAPOLIS – W. Anders Folk, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota, today announced that Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Docherty has been appointed to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge. He will sit in St. Paul.

Mr. Docherty has served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota as an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 2002. In his capacity, Mr. Docherty prosecuted a wide range of cases, focusing on international and domestic terrorism, civil rights cases, and cases involving the illegal export of sensitive U.S. technology. Mr. Docherty also served as the Office’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) Coordinator. Between 2006 and 2008, Mr. Docherty left the U.S. Attorney’s Office temporarily to work as a prosecutor at the United Nations’ International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague, the Netherlands. There, he was a senior member of the prosecution team at the trial of General Dragomir Milosevic, the commander of the troops encircling Sarajevo during the last two years of the siege of that city. Milosevic was convicted, following a nine-month trial, of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Prior to joining the Office, Mr. Docherty worked at the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. before returning to Minnesota to join the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, where, under Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III, he worked in the Antitrust Division and the Criminal Division. Mr. Docherty graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota Law School. He is a current member and past President of the Warren E. Burger American Inn of Court, and a member of the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk said: “I am proud that John Docherty has been selected to serve as a Magistrate Judge for the District of Minnesota. John is an excellent AUSA who handled some of our Office’s most difficult and complex cases. I know John will bring the same sense of justice and fairness to the bench that he brought to his work as a federal prosecutor. The people of the District of Minnesota will be well-served by his ongoing commitment to justice.”

MINNEAPOLIS – A White Earth man was sentenced yesterday to 205 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for sexually abusing a minor.

According to court documents, between April 2018 and October 2018, within the exterior boundaries of the White Earth Indian Reservation, Evan James Oppegard, 33, knowingly engaged in sexual acts with a minor. Oppegard also admitted to sending sexually explicit communications to, and soliciting sexual acts with, the minor via Facebook.

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 White Earth Police Department, the Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A West Virginia man was sentenced today to 70 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for robbing a bank in Moorhead, Minnesota.

According to court documents, on May 1, 2019, Robert Vaughn Evans, 53, entered the Gate City Bank located inside a grocery store in Moorhead, Minnesota. Evans handed the bank teller a note that stated, “I have a gun.” Evans told the teller he did not want “bait” and that he was “not [expletive] around” while reaching for his back waistline, leading the teller to believe Evans possessed and was reaching for a gun. The teller retrieved $3,860 from the drawer and provided it to Evans, who put the money in his pocket and fled on foot. The robbery was captured from several angles on high-quality surveillance video.

According to court documents, Evans also admitted that on February 13, 2019, he robbed Key Bank in Niagara Falls, New York. Upon entering the bank, Evans presented a note to the bank teller which claimed he had a weapon and requested “no bait packs.” Evans was given $786 in cash before fleeing the bank.

As part of his sentence, Evans was ordered to pay $3,860 in restitution to Gate City Bank in Moorhead, Minnesota, and $786 to Key Bank in Niagara Falls, New York.

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 is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the United States Marshals Service (USMS), the Moorhead Police Department, the New York State Police, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Washington County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office, the Story City (Iowa) Police Department, the Holland (Massachusetts) Police Department, the Marietta (Ohio) Police Department, and the Morehead City (North Carolina) Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura M. Provinzino prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Waseca travel agency owner pleaded guilty today to a scheme to defraud travel agents out of more than $400,000 in commission payments, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, Matthew Harold Schumacher, 45, was owner and operator of Travel Troops, LLC, and Vacation Agent Nation, LLP, which were host travel agencies based in Waseca, Minnesota. Through his businesses, Schumacher purported to provide host travel services to independent travel agents throughout the United States in exchange for a monthly fee. Schumacher represented that his host travel business was a reliable and profitable means for his fee-paying travel agents to receive higher commission rates from travel industry suppliers, such as airlines, resorts, and cruise companies, than if the individual travel agents booked their customers’ travel arrangements. Pursuant to service agreements that Schumacher entered into with travel agents, Schumacher claimed to receive and collect on behalf of travel agents commission payments from travel industry suppliers and to distribute those commission payments to the various travel agents who booked the travel and earned the commissions.

According to court documents, Schumacher defrauded at least 36 travel agents by misappropriating for his own personal use and benefit at least approximately $484,000 in commission payments owed to them from travel suppliers. 

According to court documents, Schumacher tried to retain his travel agents’ money and to lull them into a false sense of security by, among other things, providing the travel agents with partial payments and by giving them materially false and fraudulent information. Schumacher misappropriated travel agents’ commission payments for his own personal use and benefit by, among other things, depositing at least approximately $160,000 to a personal account, funding of at least approximately $150,000 for his own travel expenses, including travel to Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska, and multiple European countries, withdrawing of at least approximately $33,000 in cash, purchasing approximately $3,117 of electronics at Best Buy, as well as making payments for personal expenses, such as retail purchases, restaurant bills, car payments, credit card bills, StubHub ticket purchases, and loan payments.

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

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

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MINNEAPOLIS – Six individuals have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, from 2016 through June 2021, Douglas Robert Finch, Danny William Gehl, Jr., David William Gehl, Frank Joseph Kittleson, Patrick Thomas Maykoski, and Daniel Richard Thomas, conspired to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. The defendants and others were part of a drug trafficking operation (DTO) that shipped marijuana from California to Minnesota. Members of the DTO routinely sent shipping crates from a warehouse in St. Paul, Minnesota, to a warehouse in North Highlands, California. The DTO members would fly from Minnesota to California to purchase the marijuana, fill the crates with marijuana, and then load them on a delivery truck for shipment back to Minnesota. Once the shipment arrived in Minnesota, the DTO members unpacked the crates, repackaged the marijuana, and placed the marijuana in large garbage bags and boxes for distribution. Members of the DTO then transported the marijuana from the Minnesota warehouse to various locations for storage and packaging pending distribution to customers.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and IRS-CID.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Hollenhorst 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 Maple Grove man was sentenced today to 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for engaging in a $2.3 million mail fraud scheme.

According to court documents, from at least 2017 through November 2020, Isaiah Leslie Goodman, 34, defrauded at least 23 of his investor clients out of approximately $2,335,797.19. Goodman was a registered investment advisor and broker who owned Becoming Financial Group, Inc., and Becoming Financial Advisory Services L.L.C. Goodman also owned and operated MoneyVerbs, a business that claimed to provide customers with financial guidance through an internet-based app. Through Becoming Financial Group, Inc., and Becoming Financial Advisory Services L.L.C., Goodman represented that he would provide his clients with financial planning and investment advice, including purporting to place his clients’ savings and retirement funds into financial accounts that Goodman claimed were safe, secure, and profitable.

According to court documents, as part of his scheme to defraud, Goodman lied to prospective and existing clients about his use of their money, the security and profitability of the financial accounts he claimed to administer on their behalf, and the status and performance of their funds. During in-person sales pitches or through email messages and phone calls, Goodman provided clients with materially false and fraudulent information, including investment proposals and bogus online account information. Goodman also misrepresented to clients that their funds would be returned to them upon request, when, in fact, Goodman either kept all of the money or provided investors with refunded payments that were late, incomplete, or both, or that were refunds actually funded by other clients’ money.

According to court documents, instead of placing his clients’ money into safe and secure investment accounts, Goodman deposited client funds into bank accounts he controlled. Goodman misappropriated his clients’ funds for his own use and benefit by, among other things, purchasing and remodeling his home in Maple Grove, using funds for the purchase and construction of a $1.69 million home in Plymouth, buying a 2019 Ford Expedition and a 2020 Ford Explorer, funneling approximately $700,000 toward his other business, MoneyVerbs, and paying for personal expenditures, including a hot tub, a cruise, fitness club memberships, jewelry, and credit card payments.

As part of his sentence, Goodman will forfeit his equity in real estate, a vehicle, and other items of personal property.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota 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 FBI and the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury convicted an Albert Lea man on charges related to sextortion and child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

Following a six-day trial before Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright, Travis Kyle Mayer, 32, was convicted on two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of committing a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender, and one count obstruction of justice.

According to the evidence presented at trial, in 2017, Mayer downloaded and received child pornography from a Russian-based child pornography distribution website. In 2018, Mayer sexually exploited a 15-year-old girl, through persuasion and coercion, into producing child pornography, which he then possessed and distributed. This entire time, Mayer was required to register as a sex offender. Between June 20, 2019, and October 11, 2019, Mayer attempted to obstruct the administration of justice by requesting a witness to testify falsely regarding the child sexual exploitation investigation.

Mayer faces up to life in prison. At sentencing, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

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

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander D. Chiquoine and Joseph H. Thompson.

MINNEAPOLIS – A California man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, in December 2019, Francisco Calderon-Panduro, 33, and others participated in a large-scale methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. On December 17, 2019, law enforcement arranged with Calderon-Panduro’s co-conspirators to conduct a controlled purchase of three pounds of methamphetamine. When Calderon-Panduro arrived at the designated location with the methamphetamine in his trunk, the undercover law enforcement officers arrested him. Calderon-Panduro admitted to law enforcement that he had additional methamphetamine at his home. During a subsequent search of Calderon-Panduro’s residence, law enforcement seized an additional 47 pounds of methamphetamine stored in various locations within the home.

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 the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Anoka-Hennepin Narcotics and Violent Offenders Task Force.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury convicted a St. Paul man for drug possession with intent to distribute after being arrested with six kilograms of cocaine in his vehicle, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

Following a four-day trial before Judge Ann D. Montgomery, John Sheldon Pickens, Jr. was convicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

According to the evidence presented at trial, during the early morning hours of November 1, 2019, officers with the St. Paul Police Department initiated a traffic stop of Pickens’s vehicle. Pickens initially pulled his vehicle over but then accelerated away and led police on a high-speed chase for several miles through the city of St. Paul. Officers were ultimately able to stop him on the Lafayette Bridge and take him into custody. Officers searched the vehicle and found six packages of cocaine that had a combined weight of approximately six kilograms.

Pickens faces a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence. At sentencing, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations, the Saint Paul Police Department, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amber M. Brennan and Joseph S. Teirab.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Rochester man was sentenced yesterday to 132 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, from May 2019 through June 2019, Jason Edward Hoffman, 34, was part of a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. As part of his role in the conspiracy, Hoffman served as a sub-distributor and provided distribution logistics for methamphetamine, that was supplied to him by co-conspirator John Willis Netherton. Hoffman also collected funds from the sale of methamphetamine, which he provided in part to Netherton.

Jason Edward Hoffman pleaded guilty on August 25, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Several co-conspirators have previously been sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy including: John Willis Netherton, who was sentenced to 260 months imprisonment followed by eight years of supervised release; Jacob Paul Williams was sentenced to 180 months imprisonment and five years of supervised release; Andrew Robert Berndt was sentenced to 102 months imprisonment and five years of supervised release; and Miguel Angel Cuevas Zamora who was sentenced to 120 years imprisonment and two years of supervised release.

Co-conspirators Joshua Alexander Sazo, Nicholas John Hanson, Deja Lee Benton, and Kayleigh Rea Todd have all pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota 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 Drug Enforcement Administration, the Rochester Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crimes Enforcement Team, the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, the South Central Drug Investigation Unit, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Red Lake man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to a sexual assault occurring on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

According to court documents, between September 26 and 27, 2020, Tony Lee Lussier, 38, of Red Lake, Minnesota, assaulted a victim with a knife. The indictment also alleges that Lussier engaged in a sexual act with the victim who at the time was physically incapable of declining participation in the act.

Lussier is charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of sexual abuse of an incapable victim. Lussier made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung. Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk of the District of Minnesota made the announcement.

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. 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. – A Canadian man pleaded guilty today to possessing a firearm as an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on January 10, 2021, Dayne Adrian Sitladeen, 29, and his co-defendant were stopped by a Minnesota State Patrol Trooper near Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The defendants were traveling between 95-100 miles per hour in a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with Texas license plates. When the Trooper approached the vehicle, Muzamil Aden Addow, the driver, provided an Ontario, Canada driver’s license with a false name.

According to court documents, after detecting the odor of marijuana in the vehicle and receiving suspicious and inconsistent statements from Sitladeen, the Trooper searched the vehicle. As a result of the search, law enforcement officers recovered a total of 67 firearms and numerous pistol magazines, including 15 high capacity pistol magazines, from four bags in the truck—one pistol magazine was partially loaded with live ammunition rounds. Law enforcement later discovered a provisional federal arrest warrant from the United States Marshals Service for Sitladeen, which was based on a 2019 Canadian arrest warrant for first degree homicide, fentanyl distribution, and possession of proceeds of crime.

“Whether it’s dozens of illegal guns in greater Minnesota or a straw purchasing ring operating in the Twin Cities, federal law enforcement is committed to reducing violent crime and stemming the flow of illegal firearms in our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minnesota State Patrol.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Bates.

MINNEAPOLIS – A recently unsealed indictment charges three individuals with securities fraud for running an illegal pump-and-dump stock manipulation scheme by hijacking dormant public shell companies. The 15-count indictment charges all three defendants with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, securities fraud and wire fraud.

According to court documents, Mark Allen Miller, 43, of Breezy Point, Minnesota, Christopher James Rajkaran, 35, of Queens, New York, and Guyana, and Saeid Jaberian, 59, of Hopkins, Minnesota, devised and carried out a scheme to surreptitiously 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.

According to court documents, the defendants acquired large amounts of stock in dormant public shell companies that traded over-the-counter at low prices, often less than $0.01 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.

Rajkaran, who was arrested on June 18, 2021, in the Eastern District of New York, made his initial appearance U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge John Cho. Miller and Jaberian will make their initial appearances in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer in St. Paul, Minnesota. Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk of the District of Minnesota made the announcement.

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.

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 jury convicted a Ponsford man on charges related to a violent assault on the White Earth Indian Reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

Following a four-day trial, Wesley Robert Warren, 22, was convicted on two of four counts, including one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

According to the evidence presented at trial, during the early morning hours of June 3, 2020, Warren 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.

Warren faces up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release on each count of conviction. At sentencing, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

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 tried by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Caleb J. Dogeagle.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Moorhead man, Phillip Jones, Jr., 33, was arrested and charged with firearms violations after a juvenile was killed by a bullet fired from a gun that Jones allegedly possessed, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on March 21, 2021, officers of the Moorhead Police Department were dispatched to a residence in Moorhead, Minnesota, for a report of a juvenile male with a gunshot wound. After attempting life saving measures, paramedics pronounced the juvenile male, age 6, deceased. Investigators learned that three other juveniles were present in the residence at the time of the incident. According to investigators, Jones had been living at the residence but was not present at the time of the incident, nor were any other adults. Investigators learned that a firearm, a Smith and Wesson SW99, .40 caliber pistol, was located in a box on top of the kitchen cabinets. The firearm was still loaded and a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson spent casing was found in the kitchen trashcan. The investigation later revealed that DNA collected from the firearm matched the DNA profile of Jones. Because Jones has a prior felony conviction in Hennepin County, he is prohibited under federal law from purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen 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 was sentenced today to 72 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for arson at a St. Paul car rental agency.

According to court documents, on May 28, 2020, an Enterprise Rent-A-Car building located in St. Paul, Minnesota, was completely destroyed due to arson. Surveillance video footage from cameras located inside and outside of the business showed Matthew Scott White, 31, entering the building and starting a fire in the back office. White fueled the fire by throwing papers and other flammable items onto the flames. As White exited the building, he told bystanders that the building was “going up” meaning, it was going to burn.

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 defendant.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI, the St. Paul Police Department, and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley M. Endicott.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Thirty-six defendants have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in operating a massive international sex trafficking organization that was responsible for coercing hundreds of Thai women to engage in commercial sex acts across the United States.

Matthew Mintz, 29, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty on April 23, 2018, to one count of conspiracy to commit harboring and one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Mintz was sentenced yesterday by Senior Judge Donovan Frank to one year and one day in prison, three years of supervised release, $100,000 in restitution, and 100 hours of community service. Sumalee Intarathong, 60, is the final defendant that was charged as part of the sex trafficking conspiracy. On February 17, 2021, Intarathong was extradited to the United States from Belgium on a 10-count superseding indictment alleging conspiracy, human trafficking violations, and visa fraud.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, this criminal organization compelled hundreds of women from Bangkok, Thailand, to engage in commercial sex acts in various cities across the United States, including Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas, Seattle and Austin. The trafficking victims were often from impoverished backgrounds and spoke little or no English. They were coerced to participate in the criminal scheme through misleading promises of a better life in the United States and the ability to provide money to their families in Thailand.

Once in the United States, the victims were sent to houses of prostitution where they were forced to have sex with strangers – every day – for up to 12 hours a day, at times having sex with 10 men a day. The victims were isolated from the outside world. They were not allowed to leave the houses of prostitution unless accompanied by a member of the criminal organization. The victims moved around the United States between houses of prostitution in multiple cities. They and their families in Thailand were threatened.

The organization also engaged in widespread visa fraud to facilitate the international transportation of the victims. Traffickers assisted the victims in obtaining fraudulent visas and travel documents by funding false bank accounts, creating fictitious backgrounds and occupations, and instructing the victims to enter into fraudulent marriages to increase the likelihood that their visa applications would be approved. Traffickers also coached the victims as to what to say during their visa interviews. While working to obtain visa documents, traffickers gathered personal information from the victims, including the location of the victims’ families in Thailand. This information was later used to threaten victims who sought to flee the organization in the United States.

The organization dealt primarily in cash and engaged in rampant and sophisticated money laundering in order to promote and conceal illegal profits. The organization used “funnel accounts” to launder and route cash from cities across the United States to the money launderers in Los Angeles. To date, investigators have been able to recover $1.5 million in cash and $15 million in money judgments secured through plea agreements. During the extensive investigation, law enforcement traced tens of millions of dollars to the organization. Indeed, at trial, there was testimony that more than $40 million was sent to Thailand by one money launderer alone.

“A total of 36 individuals who participated in this horrific commercial sex trafficking operation have now been held to account for their exploitative treatment of fellow human beings,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “Sex trafficking is a reprehensible crime and combatting it remains a priority for this office and for our law enforcement partners. Today’s penultimate sentencing not only signals the end of a years-long investigation and prosecution, but it demonstrates the dogged pursuit that we have brought to this case since day one.”

“HSI, through collaborative efforts with numerous law enforcement partners, unraveled this international ring of criminals that brutally exploited women for their own personal gain,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt, of HSI St. Paul. “Human trafficking is a deplorable crime, and this sentencing, the last of 36 defendants that have resulted in nearly $23 million in restitution ordered by the court, demonstrates a measure of justice for the victims and that HSI will continue to ensure those responsible will be brought to justice.”

“Money laundering is tax evasion in progress. The proceeds are fuel for criminals to conduct their illegal affairs and are used to manipulate and erode our financial systems,” said Special Agent In Charge Kathy Enstrom, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “We are committed to deciphering the complex international financial transactions and money laundering schemes that are the engine for human trafficking. We will find you and we will bring you to justice, just as we did with Matthew Mintz,” said Enstrom.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS (IRS-CI), the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, the St. Paul Police Department, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, the Cook County (Illinois) Sheriff’s Office, the State Department Diplomatic Security Service, and the International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center (IOC-2). Acting U.S. Attorney Folk also thanks the Thai Community Development Center for their support and advocacy on behalf of the victims of this sex trafficking organization.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melinda A. Williams and Laura Provinzino, with assistance from HSI Special Agent Tonya Price, IRS-CI Special Agent John Tschida, Senior Investigator Steven Baker of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota, man and an Aitkin, Minnesota, woman were sentenced in federal court today for producing and attempting to produce child pornography.

Matthew James Gunderson, 31, and Amanda May Walsh, 39, were sentenced by Judge Patrick J. Schiltz to 360 months and 228 months, respectively. The court also sentenced Gunderson and Walsh to 10 years each of supervised release following incarceration. They will be required to register as sex offenders upon their release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout their lives.

According to court documents, on January 22, 2019, and at other times, Walsh engaged in the sexual abuse of a minor for the purpose of producing videos and photographs of the abuse. On January 24 and January 26, 2019, and at other times, Gunderson engaged in the sexual abuse of minors for the purpose of producing videos and photographs of the abuse.

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 was the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Brainerd, Minnesota, man was sentenced in federal court today for wildlife trafficking and trespassing on Indian land after removing the head of a 700-pound black bear on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

Brett James Stimac, 41, was sentenced by Judge Susan Richard Nelson to 15 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and a $9,500 fine.

According to court documents, on the evening of September 1, 2019, Stimac, who is not an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, willfully, knowingly and without authorization or permission, entered the Red Lake Indian Reservation for the purposes of hunting a bear. The Government contends that Stimac, using a compound bow, shot and killed a large American black bear near the Reservation’s garbage dump.

According to court documents, on September 2, 2019, Stimac returned to the dump the following day and located the bloody carcass of the bear. Stimac posed for photographs with the bear’s carcass and later shared the photographs on social media. Because of the bear’s large size, Stimac was unable to move the bear from the Reservation. Instead, Stimac used a saw to remove the bear’s head for a trophy. Stimac brought the bear’s head to a taxidermist in Ironton, Minnesota, and left the remainder of the carcass to spoil.

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians does not permit non-Indians to hunt bear, one of seven clan animals of the Band, within the boundaries of the Red Lake Indian Reservation, due to the bear’s cultural and spiritual importance to the Band.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Red Lake Department of Public Safety, the Red Lake Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with assistance from the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina L. Allery and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Polachek prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Staples man was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for his role in the arsons at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct building.

According to court documents, on the night of May 28, 2020, Bryce Michael Williams, 27, went to the Third Precinct where a crowd of hundreds had gathered. At one point, the crowd began shouting, “Burn it down, burn it down.” Soon after, a fence that was designed to keep trespassers out of the Third Precinct building was torn down. Williams, along with other co-conspirators, breached the fence and entered the Third Precinct building. Surveillance video footage from the Third Precinct showed Williams standing near the entrance of the Third Precinct holding a Molotov cocktail while a co-conspirator (later identified as Davon De-Andre Turner) lit the wick. The Molotov cocktail was taken into the Third Precinct by Turner and was used to start a fire. Williams later threw a box on an existing fire located just outside the Third Precinct entrance.

“All four defendants charged in federal court have now been sentenced for their individual roles in the burning and near total destruction of the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct building,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “Mr. Williams and his co-defendants have been held accountable for their dangerous and destructive actions. I thank our federal, state, and local partners who pursued justice in these cases.”

On November 19, 2020, Williams pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson. As part of his sentencing, Williams was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and pay $12 million in restitution.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted jointly by the ATF, the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs and David P. Steinkamp.

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury today convicted a St. Paul man on charges of illegally possessing a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

Following a five-day trial, Darnell Andre Dunn, 30, was convicted on one count of felon in possession of firearm – armed career criminal.

According to the evidence presented at trial, on August 30, 2019, Dunn was involved in a drive-by shooting in St. Paul. Minutes after the shooting, St. Paul police pulled over the car in which Dunn and two others were riding. The police let Dunn and the others go after receiving incorrect information about the license plate of the drive-by shooter’s car from the 911 dispatcher. When they realized the error, Dunn and the others were gone. The following day, St. Paul police saw Dunn parked at a gas station in St. Paul. After asking Dunn about the false name he had given the night before, the officer ordered Dunn out of the car. When Dunn got up, a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson he had been sitting on fell to the floor. A ballistics analysis later showed that it was one of the guns that had been used in the drive-by shooting the night before. Because of his prior felony convictions, Dunn is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

Dunn faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years, up to life imprisonment, a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release. At sentencing, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

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

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs and Melinda A. Williams.

MINNEAPOLIS – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota is providing the public with information regarding the North Star Fugitive Task Force:

The North Star Fugitive Task Force (the “Task Force”) is a U.S. Marshals-led Task Force, established pursuant to federal law, that locates and apprehends fugitives in the District of Minnesota.

The Task Force is comprised of members of local, state and federal law enforcement who partner to arrest the state’s most violent fugitives.

The Task Force adopts warrants issued by state and local courts for pending criminal charges, probation violations, or failures to comply with court-ordered conditions.

Task force officers (TFOs) are state and local law enforcement officers who receive special deputations from the U.S. Marshals Service. While on a task force, these officers can exercise U.S. Marshals’ authorities, such as being able to cross jurisdictional lines to apprehend violent fugitives. Nationally, these critical partnerships result in the arrest of nearly 100,000 violent fugitives each year.

In October 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a Body-Worn Camera (BWC) policy to permit TFOs to utilize body-worn cameras on federal task forces. In February 2021, the U.S. Marshals Service began to phase-in this policy, which continues to be implemented in the District of Minnesota.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation into the officer involved shooting incident that occurred on June 3, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Traverse County man was sentenced today to four years of probation, local community confinement, and $416,389 in restitution, for his role in a wire fraud scheme.

According to court documents, Bryan Dallas Crandall, 37, conspired with two employees of the Cenex Harvest States (CHS) grain elevator in Herman, Minnesota to manipulate the records of corn and soybeans delivered by Crandall on multiple occasions between 2013 and 2017. At the time of the fraud, the computer system in place at the elevator in Herman allowed an elevator employee to manually adjust scale readings, in order to allow the scale operator to correct potential errors in the weighing process.

Crandall conspired with the CHS employees to have the employees falsely inflate the number of bushels that Crandall appeared to deliver by semi-truck for sale to CHS. In some cases, entries were made in the elevator computer where a truck was not even present. After receiving payment for the fraudulent deliveries, Crandall kicked-back a portion of the proceeds to his co-conspirators in the form of money, vehicles, and firearms.

Unbeknownst to the elevator employees and Crandall, the CHS database automatically recorded a notation whenever a grain load was manually altered. The scheme ended when local investigators found bank and cell phone records that reflected unusual text messages and payments between Crandall and one of the employees, and CHS located the manual alterations though an analysis of the computer records. In 2018, investigators seized and forfeited vehicles, a snowmobile, and farm equipment obtained in the scheme.

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

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Lewis prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A criminal complaint charging federal firearms violations has been filed against three individuals for their alleged roles an illegal straw purchasing scheme.

Sarah Jean Elwood, 33, Jeffrey Paul Jackson, 30, and Geryiell Lamont Walker, 21, are charged with one count each aiding and abetting false statements in connection with the purchase of firearms. Following a detention hearing on June 3, 2021, before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson, all three defendants were ordered to remain in custody.

According to the complaint, in May 2021, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) learned that at least three firearms that Elwood had recently purchased had been recovered by police during crime investigations shortly after Elwood bought them. After further investigation, law enforcement subsequently discovered that Elwood had purchased at least 56 firearms from various Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL) in the State of Minnesota between August 1, 2020, and May 28, 2021. Approximately 47 of the 56 firearms were purchased in the month of May 2021 alone.

According to the complaint, ATF agents reviewed Forms 4473 that Elwood completed and signed in connection with 22 transactions for firearm purchases. On each form, Elwood certified that she was the actual purchaser of the firearms. Based on the investigation, this was a false certification because Elwood was purchasing the firearms for, and at the direction of, another person, primarily Walker. For example, a Glock model 19, 9mm pistol that Elwood purchased on May 12, 2021, was recovered 15 days later, in possession of a suspect whom investigators believe was involved in a shooting incident that occurred on May 11, 2021. 

According to the complaint, on May 30, 2021, agents observed a Chevy Impala arrive at an FFL in Circle Pines, Minnesota. Three of the vehicle’s occupants were identified as Elwood, Jackson, and Walker. Walker and another individual entered the FFL first and returned to the vehicle about 15 minutes later.  Elwood then exited the vehicle and entered the store. Approximately 15 minutes later, Elwood exited the store with three newly purchased firearms, a 100-round magazine, and three boxes of high-caliber ammunition, for which she paid over $1,750. She was immediately detained by law enforcement. The other occupants in the vehicle, including Jackson and Walker, were also detained. Elwood later described to law enforcement her role in the scheme was to purchase the firearms while Jackson arranged the deals through Walker. After purchasing the firearms, Elwood and Jackson would sell the guns to Walker and others for about a $100 profit per firearm.

Straw purchasing typically involves a buyer who lawfully purchases firearms from an FFL and then provides them to another person who is legally prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms, therefore allowing the prohibited person to avoid the background check system.

“The Twin Cities is experiencing an unprecedented spike in gun violence. Federal law enforcement continues to be aggressive in our efforts to stem this deadly tide through investigations and prosecutions of federal gun cases, including straw purchasing schemes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

“ATF is dedicated to investigating violent gun crimes and straw purchasing schemes such as this,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Terry Henderson. “Trafficking firearms in order to put guns in the hands of criminals can have irreparable consequences for our communities and we simply cannot let these acts go unaddressed.”

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the ATF and the Blaine Police Department.

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

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

MINNEAPOLIS – Mark Sand & Gravel Co. has agreed to pay $1.75 million in damages for allegedly violating the federal False Claims Act and the Minnesota False Claims Act, by using unauthorized gravel materials in connection with several federally-funded road construction projects administered by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

According to the allegations, between 2013 and 2015, Mark Sand & Gravel Co. performed substantial work on three separate federally-funded road construction projects – for portions of Trunk Highways 34, 59/10, and 78 – in or near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. All such projects are required, by law and contract, to be performed in accordance with detailed terms and specifications using only approved materials. The government contends Mark Sand & Gravel Co. failed to follow contract specifications by using unauthorized and substandard materials, namely waste or shale rock included in the gravel mix for the projects, and making materially false claims and statements in connection with its use of those materials. The proceeds of the settlement will be divided by the federal and state governments according to the original funding of the projects.

“Failing to uphold contractual obligations by agreeing to do one thing but then doing another is not acceptable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “We will continue to use the False Claims Act and other tools at our disposal to ensure that contractors act with transparency and do the work they promised to do.”

“Performing road construction projects funded by the U. S. Department of Transportation comes with a set of detailed terms and specifications. When companies fail to follow contract specifications, use unauthorized materials, and make false statements concerning the quality of materials, the integrity of the work being performed is compromised,” said Andrea M. Kropf, Special Agent-In-Charge, Midwestern Region, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. “Today’s settlement signals our commitment to ensuring the integrity of the programs designed to maintain and improve our nation’s transportation infrastructure.”

This case was jointly investigated by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and handled by the Affirmative Civil Enforcement unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, as well as the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk today announced that four people involved in a Twin Cities-based methamphetamine trafficking ring have been sentenced to prison for their roles in the drug distribution conspiracy.

Brandon Earl Swanson, 41, of Crystal, Minnesota, was sentenced to 144 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Jared William Merta, 40, of Montrose, Minnesota, was sentenced to 170 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Wayde Salem Salwei, 46, of Minnetonka, Minnesota, was sentenced to 132 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Katherine Byrd Campbell, 33, of Rochester, Minnesota, was sentenced to time served and five years of supervised release. Co-defendants Lucas Jay Madison and Mark Oren Schorn were previously sentenced by Judge Eric C. Tostrud to 235 and 180 months in prison, respectively.

According to court documents, between March 2020 through at least April 2020, the defendants were involved in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking operation. On April 14, 2020, law enforcement stopped Madison and Campbell near Faribault, Minnesota, as they traveled back from Phoenix, Arizona. Law enforcement conducted a search of the vehicle and recovered approximately 23 pounds of methamphetamine contained within a backpack. The methamphetamine was intended for delivery to multiple co-conspirators in the Twin Cities and surrounding metropolitan area. On the same day, law enforcement conducted multiple search warrants, including Merta’s and Schorn’s apartments in Montrose, Madison’s apartment in St. Paul, and Madison’s car detailing business in Bloomington, Minnesota, where Madison, Swanson and other co-conspirators conducted their operations. As a result of these searches, law enforcement agents recovered more than $100,000 in U.S. currency, more than 780 grams of methamphetamine, three handguns, multiple digital scales, THC cartridges, multiple cell phones, and other drug paraphernalia.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the Anoka Hennepin Drug Task Force, the Cannon River Drug & Violent Offender Task Force, the Southeast Minnesota Gang and Drug Task Force, the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, the Rice County Sheriff’s Office, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota State Patrol, and the Edina Police Department.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Wayzata man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiring to commit arson of a Minneapolis bank.

According to court documents, on May 28, 2020, Marc Bell Gonzales, 30, and others intentionally set fire to the Wells Fargo Bank branch building located at 3030 Nicollet Avenue South. Specifically, Gonzales poured gasoline from a red plastic canister onto the Wells Fargo Bank property while the surrounding crowd chanted, “burn it down!” Gonzales admitted that he acted with the intent to accelerate the burning of the Wells Fargo Bank building.

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 jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Winter prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Richfield man was sentenced today to 33 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for conspiring to commit arson of the Target Corporation’s headquarters building.

According to court documents, on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, Minneapolis experienced arson, rioting, and looting in response to false rumors regarding police involvement in the death of a murder suspect. After law enforcement released video footage demonstrating that the rumor was clearly false, Shador Tommie Cortez Jackson, 24, gathered with other rioters downtown. Jackson joined a crowd outside Target Corporation’s corporate headquarters building located at 1000 Nicollet Mall (“Target Headquarters”). Jackson used a construction sign to break through the glass doors into the building. After breaching the doors and entering the building, Jackson intentionally set a fire on a counter inside the mailroom. Jackson also attempted to light a second fire in the mailroom on top of cardboard boxes using a lighter and a bottle of ignitable liquid.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chelsea A. Walcker, Alexander D. Chiquoine, and Joseph S. Teirab prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Red Lake man made his initial appearance in federal court today on charges of aggravated sexual abuse occurring on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.

According to court documents, on July 3, 2020, Descart Austin Begay, Jr., 37, knowingly engaged in a sexual act with an individual by using force, threatening, and placing the individual in fear.

Begay, who was arrested yesterday, is charged with one count of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of sexual abuse. Begay made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Becky Thorson. Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk of the District of Minnesota made the announcement.

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. 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. – A Monticello man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiring to commit arson at a Minneapolis bank.

According to court documents, Alexander Steven Heil, 22, admitted that on May 28, 2020, he and other individuals intentionally aided in the arson of the Wells Fargo Bank building located in south Minneapolis. Heil added fuel to an existing fire by throwing items into the flames with the intent to accelerate the burning of the building.

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 the result of an investigation conducted jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Winter prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury convicted an Itasca County man today on charges of assaulting an individual with his vehicle, resulting in serious bodily injury, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

Kevin Roger Doerr, 35, was convicted on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

“Today, a jury held Mr. Doerr accountable for assaulting an individual and terrorizing a small, quiet community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “I commend the work of the prosecution team and our investigative partners who pursued justice in this case.” 

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on April 7, 2020, Doerr was driving erratically through Elbow Lake Village on the White Earth Indian Reservation. Neighbors called 911 to report that a silver Chevrolet Monte Carlo, driven by Doerr, was trying to run people over and chasing people through the neighborhood. When law enforcement arrived, they found a chaotic scene with neighbors outside and two badly injured victims whom Doerr had hit with his vehicle. Law enforcement took Doerr into custody and the victims were airlifted to the hospital.

A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina L. Allery and Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad tried the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A New York man was arrested today in Minneapolis on criminal charges related to his alleged possession of cocaine on a flight from New York to San Francisco, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on May 16, 2021, Jet Blue Airlines flight 915 was en route from New York to San Francisco when it diverted to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport because a man, later identified as Mark Anthony Scerbo, 42, was acting erratically and causing a commotion.  Witnesses reported Scerbo walking up and down the aisle with a butter knife in his fist, snorting white powder, and had a bag containing a white powdery substance on his tray, which a flight attendant retrieved and later delivered to police. After landing, MSP Airport Police detained Scerbo and took custody of the bag of white powdery substance, which field tested positive for cocaine and weighed 24.5 grams.

Scerbo is charged with one count of possession of cocaine. If convicted, Scerbo faces a maximum of three years in prison and a minimum fine of $5,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda E. Dugi 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.