District of Minnesota

United States Attorney General William P. Barr announced the appointment of the following nine U.S. Attorneys to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC): Erica H. MacDonald, District of Minnesota; David Anderson, Northern District of California; Scott Brady, Western District of Pennsylvania; Maria Chapa Lopez, Middle District of Florida; Halsey Frank, District of Maine; Christina Nolan, District of Vermont; Zach Terwilliger, Eastern District of Virginia; Tom Kirsch, Northern District of Indiana; and Nicholas Trutanich, District of Nevada.

“I am pleased to appoint these nine outstanding U.S. Attorneys to this key advisory committee. I am confident that they will serve with distinction,” Attorney General William P. Barr said. “The U.S. Attorneys who comprise the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee play a critical role in carrying out the Department of Justice’s important work, including its efforts to reduce violent crime, combat the opioid crisis, protect the most vulnerable, and enforce the rule of law.”

U.S. Attorney MacDonald said, “I am honored to have been chosen to serve on this important Committee, which helps guide programs and policies for the Department of Justice. The work of the AGAC is vital to furthering our priorities of reducing violent crime, confronting our drug epidemics, and protecting public safety for all Minnesotans and Americans. I want to thank the Attorney General for this opportunity and responsibility to serve the Department and the Attorney General in this capacity.”

The Attorney General also thanked the following U.S. Attorneys who have completed their terms and are rotating off the committee: Louis Franklin, Middle District of Alabama; Robert Higdon, Eastern District of North Carolina; John Huber, District of Utah; Rob Hur, District of Maryland; Jeff Jensen, Eastern District of Missouri; Andrew Lelling, District of Massachusetts; Joshua Minkler, Southern District of Indiana; Richard Moore, Southern District of Alabama; Bryan Schroder, District of Alaska; and David Weiss, District of Delaware.  

Chaired by U.S Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jessie K. Liu, the AGAC represents the voice of the U.S. Attorneys and provides advice and counsel to the Attorney General on policy, management, and operational issues impacting U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

Attorney General Barr also announced that U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox, a current member, will replace U.S. Attorney John Huber as the Vice Chair of the AGAC.

The bios of all U.S. Attorneys are available here.

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

 

 

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the guilty plea of LORENZO EUGENE HEARD JR., 38, to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. HEARD entered his guilty plea on September 19, 2019, before Judge David S. Doty, in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, on May 1, 2018, while driving in Rochester, HEARD crashed his vehicle and fled the scene, leaving a loaded Cobra semiautomatic .380 caliber pistol in the vehicle. HEARD has been previously convicted of multiple violent offenses, including armed robbery, assault and drug charges, which prohibit him, under federal law, from owning or possessing a firearm.

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

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement to combat violent crime.

Assistant United States Attorney Bradley M. Endicott is prosecuting the case. 

Defendant Information:

LORENZO EUGENE HEARD JR., 38

Rochester, Minn.

Convicted:

• Felon in Possession of a Firearm, 1 count

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

 

 

 

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of BARTON GEORGE SCOTT, 36, a registered sex offender, to 25 years in prison for producing child pornography. SCOTT, who pleaded guilty on February 6, 2019, was sentenced today before Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

United States Attorney Erica MacDonald said, “Mr. Scott is a convicted sex offender and a sextortionist. He terrorized his victims by hacking into their Snapchat accounts to access highly sensitive and private pictures. He then taunted his victims and threatened to disseminate their private pictures if they didn’t comply with his demands. Today’s sentence sends a clear message that sextortion is a serious crime that will be met with serious consequences.” 

“A case like this really underscores the FBI’s proactive approach to identifying people who exploit children with pornography,” said Jill Sanborn, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Division. “Our agents are vigilant and continue their active role to ensure that children are protected and that sexual predators are removed from children’s lives.”

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, between April 30 and August 8, 2017, SCOTT gained unauthorized access to the Snapchat accounts of dozens of victims, including minors between 14-16 years of age. In several cases, SCOTT used threats and extortionate tactics in an attempt to obtain sexually explicit images and videos from the victims.

Based on the evidence obtained in this case, authorities believe there may be additional victims of this alleged conduct. Anyone with information about this matter is encouraged to call the FBI at (763) 569-8000. Callers may remain anonymous.

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

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the New Richmond Police Department, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office, the Stillwater Police Department, the Spring Green Police Department, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine T. Buzicky prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

BARTON GEORGE SCOTT, 36

City of residence unknown

Convicted:

• Production of child pornography, 1 count
• Penalties for registered sex offenders, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 300 months in prison
• Lifetime of supervised release

 

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of BRYAN BOARDMAN, a/k/a “Boon,” 25, to 78 months in prison for his role in a heroin distribution conspiracy that resulted in the shooting deaths of two individuals. BOARDMAN, who pleaded guilty on April 23, 2019, was sentenced before Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright in U.S. District Court in Saint Paul, Minnesota. BOARDMAN’s co-defendants FRANKLIN JACKSON, 23, was sentenced on September 11, 2019, to 21 months in prison, and KRISTOPHER SULLIVAN, 24, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 9, 2019.

“Today’s sentence underscores our message that drug trafficking and gun violence will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. “Combatting violent crime in our Native American communities remains a top priority for my office. We are committed to working with our tribal law enforcement partners to improve public safety in Indian Country.” 

“This defendant and his co-conspirators are in prison thanks to the good work of the Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force,” said Jill Sanborn, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis field office. “This task force in northern Minnesota targets, disrupts and dismantles violent crime of all kinds including the sale and distribution of heroin. The FBI and its task force partners will continue to work these cases with urgency,” she said.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, between October 1, 2018, and October 21, 2018, BOARDMAN, JACKSON, and SULLIVAN conspired with each other to distribute heroin on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. In the early morning hours of October 21, 2018, BOARDMAN, JACKSON, and SULLIVAN met in a trailer home on the Red Lake Indian Reservation belonging to JACKSON’s girlfriend. The three defendants made preparations to sell heroin later that day, including contacting potential customers to let them know that heroin was available for sale at the trailer home. The defendants’ drug trafficking activities were interrupted at approximately 6:30 a.m. that morning when three armed, masked men broke into the trailer home in an apparent armed robbery. BOARDMAN drew a 9 millimeter pistol and fired eight shots, killing two of the intruders. The third intruder was wounded in the leg by the gunfire and fled from the scene.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey S. Paulsen and Julie E. Allyn are prosecuting the case.

 

Defendant Information:

BRYAN BOARDMAN, a/k/a “Boon,” 25

Minneapolis, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to distribute heroin, 1 count
• Using and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 78 months in prison
• Five years of supervised release

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced the conviction of JAMES FLAHERTY HILL, a/k/a “Whitey,” 36, for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. HILL was found guilty following a seven-day trial before Senior Judge Donovan W. Frank in U.S. District Court in Saint Paul, Minnesota. HILL’s co-defendants JAMES LEE JOHNSON, JUSTIN MICHAEL DRECHSEL, JERE DG ERICKSON, ANTHONY JAMES LANSING, CHELSEY ELIZABETH NELSON, and NICHOLE ROSE WOODWORTH each pleaded guilty to count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.  

According to the defendants’ guilty pleas and as proven at trial, HILL’s co-defendant, JOHNSON, led a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine throughout the state of Minnesota. From November 2016 through August 2018, investigators with the Anoka-Hennepin Narcotics and Violent Crimes Task Force conducted an extensive investigation of the DTO. On November 14, 2016, law enforcement observed a DTO co-conspirator travel to HILL’s Coon Rapids residence, then travel to a truck stop, and then return to HILL’s residence. When the co-conspirator again left HILL’s residence, Blaine police officers initiated a traffic stop and found, inside the vehicle, several packages wrapped in plastic containing approximately 35 pounds of methamphetamine. Later that day, agents observed HILL attempting to remove items of contraband from his from his home, some of which were later seized from a co-conspirator’s vehicle, including multiple pounds of marijuana, one pound of methamphetamine, one pound of cocaine, four handguns and a rifle. By that night, law enforcement executed a search warrant at HILL’s residence and recovered various items consistent with a drug distribution operation, including scales, multiple burner phones, and multiple additional firearms.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Anoka-Hennepin Narcotics and Violent Crimes Task Force, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Blaine Police Department, and the Midwest Regional Forensic Laboratory.

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

 

Defendant Information:

JAMES FLAHERTY HILL, a/k/a “Whitey,” 36

Coon Rapids, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, 1 count
• Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, 1 count

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the guilty plea of PETER MARTIN, 35, for conspiring to distribute approximately 191 pounds of methamphetamine. MARTIN and co-conspirators FERNANDO RAMOS-MEZA, 34, JAVIER LOPEZ-LOPEZ, 47, and JUAN DANIEL VALDEZ-MENDOZA, 24, were indicted on November 7, 2018. MARTIN pleaded guilty today before Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 14, 2020.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, on September 11, 2018, law enforcement officers with the Cannon River Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force executed a search warrant at RAMOS-MEZA’s residence in north Minneapolis. During the search of the residence, officers located several items of contraband, including a 12-gauge sawed-off pump shotgun, and approximately 191 pounds of methamphetamine (with packaging).

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Cannon River Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney David P. Steinkamp is prosecuting the case. 

Defendant Information:

PETER MARTIN, 35

Minneapolis, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, 1 count

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced the sentencing of NICHOLAS SCOTT CAMPBELL, 37, to 28 years in prison for producing child pornography involving two minors. CAMPBELL, who pleaded guilty on April 8, 2019, to one count of production of child pornography, was sentenced today before Judge Susan Richard Nelson in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“The sexual exploitation of children is a despicable and vile crime. This defendant, who preyed on and exploited vulnerable children for years, will now be held accountable for his actions, locked away in prison for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald.

"It is unthinkable, but every single year thousands of children become victims of crimes like this," said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge, Jill Sanborn. "The FBI's Violent Crimes Against Children program takes these crimes seriously and commits significant resources to provide rapid, proactive and comprehensive response to get defendants like this off the streets and into prison for a very long time."

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, in February 2017, the FBI began investigating CAMPBELL because he was using a peer-to-peer file-sharing platform to distribute child pornography. Following the execution of a federal search warrant at CAMPBELL’s residence, agents seized a large volume of electronic evidence. Upon review of the evidence by the FBI and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), agents determined that CAMPBELL had produced sexually explicit images and videos of two minors. As part of his guilty plea, CAMPBELL admitted to creating the images and videos, and to engaging in a pattern of prohibited sexual conduct with the minors.

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 FBI.

Assistant United States Attorney Katharine T. Buzicky prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:                                                                                                                     

NICHOLAS SCOTT CAMPBELL, 37

Otsego, Minn.

Convicted:

• Production of child pornography, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 336 months in prison
• 25 years of supervised release

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced that $750,000 in grant funds have been awarded to the City of Saint Paul to expand its use of the Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) in partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Saint Paul Field Division. Specifically, the grant provides funding for a crime analyst, a National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) technician, a CGIC prosecutor, and training.

The Local Law Enforcement Crime Gun Intelligence Center Integration Initiative, administered by the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, in partnership with the ATF, is a competitive grant program that provides funding to state, local, and tribal government entities that are experiencing precipitous increases in gun-related violent crime. Saint Paul is one of eight local law enforcement jurisdictions across the country to receive this funding.

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald said, “These funds will allow for greater partnership between the Saint Paul Police Department and the ATF by expanding the Crime Gun Intelligence Center, focused solely on reducing gun-related violent crime. Keeping Minnesotans safe from violence is my top priority and partnerships such as this are key to identifying and prosecuting individuals who bring gun violence to our communities.”

Saint Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell said, The Saint Paul Police Department is doing everything in its power to reduce gun violence in the city of Saint Paul. This grant money will allow us additional resources to enhance our partnership with the ATF and stop the violent criminals.”

“Given the recent increase in violence in the City of St. Paul, this grant couldn’t have come at a better time,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge William “Terry” Henderson, of the Saint Paul Field Division. “This funding will help to increase the crime-gun intelligence capacity for the city and its police officers. Crime-gun intelligence allows for improved, coordinated efforts amongst law enforcement working within the city to identify, investigate, and prosecute violent offenders. Congratulations to the City of St. Paul and the police department on this monumental opportunity. ATF is committed to continuing our great partnership with the St. Paul Police Department to rid the city of violent crime.”

For more information on the Local Law Enforcement Crime Gun Intelligence Center Integration Initiative, please visit https://www.bja.gov/funding/CGIC19.pdf

As the only crime gun ballistic network in the United States, NIBIN compares images of cartridge casings recovered at crime scenes and firearms recovered by law enforcement to connect shooting incidents and identify shooters. More information on NIBIN is available at https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/fact-sheet/fact-sheet-national-integrated-ballistic-information-network.

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of MICHAEL IMAN WHITE, 20, to 120 months in prison for the robbery and attempted robbery of multiple Walgreens pharmacies. WHITE and his codefendant JAVONN T. LEWIS, 24, were charged in a superseding indictment on November 20, 2019. WHITE, who pleaded guilty on March 7, 2019, was sentenced today before Senior Judge Donovan W. Frank in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota. LEWIS, who pleaded guilty on May 22, 2019, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3, 2019.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, during a four-month period, between April and July of 2018, WHITE used force, violence, and fear of injury to rob or attempt to rob five Walgreens Pharmacies in St. Paul and Edina, Minnesota. WHITE terrorized numerous store employees by pointing actual or replica firearms at them and sometimes restraining them with zip ties. In total, WHITE and his accomplices stole more than $75,000 worth of narcotics and other controlled substances.

The Hobbs Act, passed by Congress in 1946, allows federal prosecutors to prosecute individuals who commit armed robberies of businesses engaged in interstate commerce. If convicted, WHITE faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Edina Police Department, the Saint Paul Police Department, and the Bloomington Police Department. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, an initiative that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen is prosecuting the case.

 

Defendant Information:

MICHAEL IMAN WHITE, 20

Muncie, Ind.

Convicted:

• Interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), 1 count

Sentenced:

• 120 months in prison
• Three years of supervised release
• $84,740 in restitution

 

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced a 15-count federal indictment charging ERIC ANTOINE BLACK, a/k/a “J,” 36, and OTIS JASON WEAVER, a/k/a “O,” 39, in a heroin distribution conspiracy. BLACK was also charged with possession of cocaine and firearms violations. BLACK and WEAVER will be arraigned on these charges before a Magistrate Judge in U.S. District Court at a later date.

According to the allegations in the indictment, between March 20, 2019, through May 30, 2019, BLACK and WEAVER conspired with each other and others to distribute more than a kilogram of heroin. According to the indictment, BLACK and WEAVER distributed heroin on several occasions between those dates.  BLACK was also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The indictment further alleges that on May 30, 2019, BLACK illegally possessed a firearm, namely, a Glock model 27 .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Because he has prior felony convictions in Cook County, Illinois and LaPorte County, Indiana, BLACK is prohibited under federal law from possessing any type of firearm or ammunition at any time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Duluth Police Department. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement to combat violent crime.

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

 

Defendant Information:

ERIC ANTOINE BLACK, a/k/a “J,” 36

Duluth, Minn.

Charges:

• Conspiracy to distribute heroin, 1 count
• Distribution of heroin, 9 counts
• Possession with intent to distribute heroin, 1 count
• Possession with intent to distribute cocaine, 1 count
• Felon in possession of a firearm, 1 count
• Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, 1 count

 

OTIS JASON WEAVER, a/k/a “O,” 39

Duluth, Minn.

Charges:

• Conspiracy to distribute heroin, 1 count
• Distribution of heroin, 9 counts
• Possession with intent to distribute heroin, 1 count

 

 

 

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The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced the sentencing of MISHAUN ARYN NEADEAU, 30, to 46 months in prison for assault resulting in serious bodily injury. NEADEAU, who pleaded guilty on May 28, 2019, was sentenced before Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson in U.S. District Court in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, on November 11, 2018, NEADEAU called her boyfriend into the home in which they were staying and shot him twice with a handgun, once in his arm and once in his back. After law enforcement was notified of the assault, officers with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department found NEADEAU walking alone on a road carrying a plastic bag containing a scale and 27 grams of methamphetamine. NEADEAU was arrested and taken to the Red Lake Jail where she wrote two letters, one to the victim and the other to a relative of the victim. In those letters, which were intercepted by Red Lake Jail staff, NEADEAU asked that the victim sign an affidavit advocating that the Red Lake Tribal Court charges against NEADEAU be dropped. NEADEAU expressed her concern that otherwise, the “FEDS” might take on her case.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander D. Chiquoine and Deidre Y. Aanstad prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

MISHAUN ARYN NEADEAU, 30

Red Lake, Minn.

Convicted:

• Assault resulting in serious bodily injury, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 46 months in prison
• Three years of supervised release

 

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced the sentencing of ZACHARY JAMES WITRY, 29, to 472 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for production of child pornography. WITRY, who pleaded guilty on April 17, 2019, was sentenced yesterday before Judge Nancy E. Brasel in United States District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota. When announcing the sentence, Judge Brasel commented that Mr. Witry’s goal was to meet teenage girls and to rape them. She further expressed concern with his escalating criminal conduct, his inability to comply with previous court supervision for similar child exploitation offenses, and the manipulative tactics that he used to get what he wanted from the minor victims.

United States Attorney Erica MacDonald stated, “The defendant, a registered sex offender, has a history of preying on young victims. I thank the Court for recognizing his extreme danger to our children and sentencing him accordingly.”

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed with the court, WITRY used various social media platforms such as SnapChat and MeetMe to created fake accounts and profiles, including posing as a 15-year-old boy, to make contact with teenage girls ranging from 13 to 17 years old. WITRY engaged in extensive grooming of his victims and solicited multiple sexually explicit videos and photographs from minor girls. In a two month period in March and April 2017, WITRY made contact with over 210 minor girls with the goal of obtaining sexually explicit images. WITRY met three of the minors in person and sexually assaulted each of them. WITRY exchanged approximately 1,665 text messages with one of the minors and, prior to soliciting sexually explicit photographs from her, WITRY told the minor that he loved her, wanted to marry her, and have children with her.

WITRY has two previous state court convictions for solicitation of a child, one in Sherburne County in 2012, and one in Wright County in 2015.

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 Shakopee Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela M. Munoz-Kaphing and Alexander D. Chiquoine prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

ZACHARY JAMES WITRY, 29

Buffalo, Minn.

Convicted:

• Child pornography, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 472 months in prison
• Lifetime of supervised release

 

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of DENNIS EDWARD BRESNAHAN, 56, a former United States Probation Officer, to 30 months in prison for making false statements to the FBI regarding his sexual exploitation of probationers. The sentence reflects a significant upward departure from the advisory sentencing guideline range of zero to six months in prison. BRESNAHAN, who pleaded guilty on March 1, 2019, was sentenced today before Judge Robert W. Pratt in U.S. District Court in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Before handing down the sentence, Judge Pratt remarked that this case “exemplifies public corruption and disrespect for the law,” and defined BRESNAHAN’s inappropriate sexual conduct as “loathsome and appalling.”

United States Attorney Erica MacDonald stated, “Mr. Bresnahan abused the trust of the Court, the probation office, and the community when he sought to gratify his own sexual desires at the expense of the probationers under his supervision. His deplorable actions brought harm not only to his victims, but also violated the public’s trust and undermined the integrity of the judicial system.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Allyn said, "The defendant’s despicable conduct would never have come to light but for the women who courageously spoke out about what they endured. Today the Court sent a strong message that those who would abuse their protected position of power will still be held accountable under the law."

This case demonstrates a reprehensible misuse of public trust that could have been hard to detect without the assistance of the victims,” said Jill Sanborn, Special Agent in Charge of the Minneapolis Division of the FBI. “This is an example of why public corruption is a top criminal priority for the FBI as it erodes public confidence and undermines the strength of our democracy. We are grateful to the victims for bravely coming forward to help us in this investigation,” she said.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, for more than twenty-five years, and until August 22, 2016, BRESNAHAN was employed as a United States Probation Officer for the District of Minnesota. In his role, BRESNAHAN was responsible for supervising and maintaining communication with defendants on federal pretrial and supervised release. BRESNAHAN also had access to medical records, financial records, email accounts, home addresses, and other personal information belonging to individuals under his supervision. Beginning in early 2015, BRESNAHAN began engaging in sexually inappropriate conduct with an individual (identified as “Witness A”) under his supervision, including repeated phone and email discussions of a sexual nature.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, on August 22, 2016, FBI agents interviewed BRESNAHAN regarding both his sexually inappropriate conduct in his role as a United States Probation Officer and his relationship with Witness A. BRESNAHAN admitted to engaging in sexually inappropriate behavior and to receiving one topless photograph from Witness A. When FBI agents asked BRESNAHAN whether he had asked for additional sexual photographs from Witness A, BRESNAHAN lied and said that he had not. FBI agents then asked BRESNAHAN if he had engaged in any similar inappropriate sexual conduct with other probationers, including asking for sexual photographs, to which BRESNAHAN again lied and claimed that he had not. However, upon further investigation, it was revealed that BRESNAHAN had in fact asked for sexual photographs from other probationers, specifically an individual identified as Witness B. Witness B was under BRESNAHAN’S supervision from July 2013 until approximately February 2014. During that time, BRESNAHAN engaged in multiple email exchanges of a sexual nature with Witness B, including extremely explicit conversations about specific sex acts and asking for sexual photographs. Subsequent investigation by the FBI revealed additional individuals previously supervised by BRESNAHAN, since approximately 1994, with whom he was sexually inappropriate.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie E. Allyn and Allen A. Slaughter prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

DENNIS EDWARD BRESNAHAN, 56

Forest Lake, Minn.

Convicted:

• Making false statements or representations to an agency of the United States, 2 counts

Sentenced:

• 30 months in prison
• Two years of supervised release

 

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald, Assistant Director John Brown of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division and Special Agent in Charge Jill Sanborn of the FBI Minneapolis Division today announced the guilty plea of Negar Ghodskani, 40, for her participation in a conspiracy to  illegally export controlled technology from the United States to Iran. Ghodskani, who was indicted on Dec. 8, 2015, arrested in Australia in 2017, and made her first appearance in District Court on July 22, 2019, entered her guilty plea today before Judge Joan N. Ericksen in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea, from 2008 until late 2011, Ghodskani was a Tehran-based employee of Fanavar Moj Khavar (Fana Moj), a company located in Tehran, Iran. In 2009, Ghodskani, along with co-defendant Alireza Jalali and others, established Green Wave Telecommunication, Sdn Bhn, (Green Wave), a company located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that operated as a front for Fana Moj. As part of the conspiracy, Ghodskani falsely represented herself as an employee of Green Wave to U.S. companies in order to acquire export-controlled technology from the United States. To accomplish these acquisitions, Ghodskani, Jalali and others concealed the ultimate destination and end users of the exported technology.

As part of the conspiracy, Ghodskani contacted producers and distributors of the sought-after technology, solicited purchase agreements, and negotiated the purchase and delivery of the goods with the U.S. seller. When received by Green Wave in Malaysia, the goods were repackaged and unlawfully exported from Malaysia to Fana Moj in Tehran, Iran. In 2017, Fana Moj was designated by the United States Department of the Treasury as a Specially Designated National for providing financial, material, technological or other support for, or goods or services in support of, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).  Co-defendant Jalali pled guilty in November 2017 and was sentenced in March 2018.  

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats and Trial Attorney David Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the guilty plea of NEGAR GHODSKANI, 40, for her participation in a conspiracy to illegally export controlled technology from the United States to Iran. GHODSKANI, who was indicted on December 8, 2015, arrested in Australia in 2017, and made her first appearance in District Court on July 22, 2019, entered her guilty plea today before Judge Joan N. Ericksen in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea, from 2008 until late 2011, GHODSKANI was a Tehran-based employee of Fanavar Moj Khavar (Fana Moj), a company located in Tehran, Iran. In 2009, GHODSKANI, along with co-defendant ALIREZA JALALI and others, established Green Wave Telecommunication, Sdn Bhn, (Green Wave), a company located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that operated as a front for Fana Moj. As part of the conspiracy, GHODSKANI falsely represented herself as an employee of Green Wave to U.S. companies in order to acquire export-controlled technology from the United States. To accomplish these acquisitions, GHODSKANI, JALALI and others concealed the ultimate destination and end users of the exported technology.

As part of the conspiracy, GHODSKANI contacted producers and distributors of the sought-after technology, solicited purchase agreements, and negotiated the purchase and delivery of the goods with the U.S. seller. When received by Green Wave in Malaysia, the goods were repackaged and unlawfully exported from Malaysia to Fana Moj in Tehran, Iran. In 2017, Fana Moj was designated by the United States Department of the Treasury as a Specially Designated National for providing financial, material, technological or other support for, or goods or services in support of, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Co-defendant JALALI pled guilty in November 2017 and was sentenced in March 2018.  

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats and Trial Attorney David Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

 

Defendant Information:

NEGAR GHODSKANI, 40

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to defraud the united states, 1 count

 

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

 

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced the sentencing of ELIZABETH ANN BERGER, 58, to one year and one day in prison for stealing thousands of dollars in Social Security benefits from vulnerable adults. BERGER, who pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds on April 1, 2019, was sentenced yesterday by Chief Judge John R. Tunheim in U.S. District Court in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, from March 2013 through April 2015, BERGER was acting as the President and CEO of Prairie Payee Services, Inc., an organizational representative payee for vulnerable adults who were Social Security beneficiaries. Between March 2013 and September 2014, BERGER stole $49,651.78 in Social Security benefits administered by Prairie Payee Services, Inc. and fees collected from the Social Security Administration.

This case was the result of an investigation by the Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Middlecamp prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

ELIZABETH ANN BERGER, 58

Worthington, Minn.

Convicted:

• Theft of government funds, 1 count

Sentenced:

• One year and one day in prison
• Two years of supervised release
• $49,651.78 in restitution

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced the sentencing of ANDRE MATHIS, JR., a/k/a Isaac Brown, 33, AMOS KIPROP KOECH, 44, for sex trafficking a 15-year-old minor. MATHIS, who pleaded guilty on January 10, 2019, was sentenced to 292 months in prison. KOECH, who was convicted by a federal jury on January 22, 2019, was sentenced to 130 months in prison. Both defendants were sentenced yesterday before Senior Judge Donovan W. Frank in U.S. District Court in Duluth, Minnesota.

“The significant prison sentences handed down are a just punishment for the heinous crimes these individuals committed against a vulnerable young girl,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. “This is a sad, but very real, example of how child sex trafficking can occur in any city or community. My office, the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners are committed to rooting out this type of predatory conduct.”

According to evidence presented at trial and admissions made as part of MATHIS’s guilty plea, from June 17 through July 7, 2017, MATHIS recruited and solicited a 15-year-old minor to engage in commercial sex. MATHIS physically and sexually abused the minor, he provided her with street drugs and alcohol, told her how she could make money in exchange for sex, and promised her clothes and a better life. MATHIS took sexually suggestive photographs of the minor, which he used to attract prospective commercial sex buyers. MATHIS also monitored the minor’s communication with her parents and instructed her to tell them that everything was fine.

According to evidence presented at trial and admissions made as part of MATHIS’s guilty plea, MATHIS sold the minor to KOECH on one or more occasions. As part of the conspiracy to traffic the minor, MATHIS and KOECH negotiated with each other regarding the amount MATHIS would charge for a commercial sex act with the minor. The trafficking ended when law enforcement found the minor hidden in a bedroom closet while MATHIS was also present in the apartment.

MATHIS was also charged in St. Louis County with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, which he pleaded guilty to as part of the global plea agreement filed with the U.S. District Court.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura M. Provinzino prosecuted the case with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Holets.

 

Defendant Information:

ANDRE MATHIS, JR., a/k/a Isaac Brown, 33

Duluth, Minn.

Convicted:

• Sex trafficking of a minor, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 292 months in prison
• 20 years of supervised release
• Restitution ordered – amount to be determined at a later date

 

AMOS KIPROP KOECH, 44

Duluth, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor, 1 count
• Sex trafficking of a minor, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 130 months in prison
• 10 years of supervised release
• Restitution ordered – amount to be determined at a later date

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced a federal indictment charging STEVEN ALLEN LINDQUIST, 30, and TIFFANY MARIE GAUTHIER, 24, with distribution and possession of methamphetamine. LINDQUIST was arraigned yesterday before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson and ordered detained pending trial.

According to the indictment, from November 2018 through May 29, 2019, LINDQUIST and GAUTHIER conspired with each other and others to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. LINDQUIST also possessed hydrocodone, oxycodone, alprazolam, clonazepam, MDMA, and marijuana, which are all controlled substances under federal law. Law enforcement in Goodhue County seized from the defendants $17,920 in cash and approximately 55 pounds of methamphetamine from a vehicle linked to LINDQUIST.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the DEA, the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office, the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, and other members of the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team (VCET).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Hollenhorst is prosecuting the case.

 

Defendant Information:

STEVEN ALLEN LINDQUIST, 30

Rochester, Minn.

Charges:

• Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, 1 count
• Possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, 1 count
• Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, 2 counts

 

TIFFANY MARIE GAUTHIER, 24

Rochester, Minn.

Charges:

• Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, 1 count
• Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, 1 count

 

 

 

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The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of IGOR VOROTINOV, 55, to 41 months in prison for faking his death in order to collect a $2 million life insurance payment. VOROTINOV, who pleaded guilty on May 3, 2019, was sentenced today before Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, in March 2010, IGOR VOROTINOV obtained a $2 million life insurance policy on his own life from Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company (Mutual of Omaha), and designated his wife, IRINA VOROTINOV, as the primary beneficiary.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, on October 1, 2011, the Moldovan police discovered the corpse of an adult male by the side of a road near the Moldovan village of Cojusna. Based upon the dead body and the defendant’s identification documents in its clothing, the Moldovan police and a Moldovan morgue official purported to determine that Igor Vorotinov had died of a heart attack on October 1, 2011. After his purported death, VOROTINOV began using the name “Nikoly Patoka” and lived in Transnistria, a small Russian-controlled region of Moldova, from approximately 2012 until approximately November 2018.

On November 7, 2011, IRINA VOROTINOV submitted a claim for death benefits against the Mutual of Omaha life insurance policy, claiming that VOROTINOV had died in the Republic of Moldova on October 1, 2011. VOROTINOV was aware of his former wife’s filing of the fraudulent death claim, and therefore continued living and doing business as “Nikoly Patoka.” On March 23, 2012, Mutual of Omaha mailed a check payable to IRINA VOROTINOV in the amount of $2,048,414.09 to her home in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

According to documents filed in court, IRINA recruited a third party to open an account at a local branch of U.S. Bank and to deposit the insurance check into the account. She then caused the third party to transfer $1.5 million to another account at U.S. Bank in the name of her son, ALKON VOROTINOV. Between March 29, 2012 and January 2015, more than $1.5 million of the life insurance proceeds were transferred to accounts located in Switzerland and Moldova.

According to documents filed in court, on November 27, 2013, ALKON VOROTINOV was stopped by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Detroit, Michigan upon returning from a trip to Moldova. A computer seized by CBP agents contained digital photographs of IGOR VOROTINOV taken on April 19, 2013 and on May 12, 2013, in which IGOR is alive.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs handled the extradition in this matter.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. MacLaughlin and Matthew Ebert prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

IGOR VOROTINOV, 55

No known address

Convicted:

• Mail Fraud, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 41 months in prison
• Three years of supervised release
• $2,048,414.09 in restitution to Mutual of Omaha

 

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced that SHARI ANN NATYSIN, a/k/a Shari Ann Johnson, 33, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and ordered to pay full restitution for embezzling more than $630,000 from her former employer. NATYSIN, who pleaded guilty on February 28, 2019, to wire fraud, tax evasion, and making and subscribing a false tax return, was sentenced earlier today before Senior Judge David S. Doty in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to admissions made as part of her guilty plea and documents filed in court, NATYSIN was employed as the bookkeeper and office manager for a privately owned industrial concrete flooring business located in Anoka, Minnesota. Between January 2015 and December 2017, NATYSIN used her position and access to employee payroll data to defraud the company out of more than $630,000 and to defraud the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (“MNDEED”). As part of the scheme, NATYSIN manipulated the company’s payroll data in order to transfer more than $630,000 in company funds to her own personal bank accounts through more than 100 separate fraudulent transactions. NATYSIN used the funds to pay for personal expenses, including approximately $28,000 in restitution payments to Sherburne County District Court, a $10,000 payment to her mother, Carnival cruise tickets, and tickets to concerts and sporting events.

According to admissions made as part of her guilty plea and documents filed in court, in September 2017, the company discovered NATYSIN’s fraud and terminated her employment. From the time she was fired until December 2017, NATYSIN made fraudulent unemployment claims to MNDEED by making false statements about the reason for her termination. When the company filed an appeal of NATYSIN’s receipt of unemployment benefits, NATYSIN used the company’s login information to access their MNDEED account to withdraw the appeal. As a result of NATYSIN’s fraudulent claims, MNDEED issued approximately $7,500 in unemployment benefits to which NATYSIN was not entitled. Additionally, NATYSIN admitting to filing and attempting to file false tax returns for tax years 2015 and 2016, in an attempt to receive tax refunds and defeat more than $100,000 in federal income tax.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS.

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

 

Defendant Information:

SHARI ANN NATYSIN, 33

Elk River, Minn.

Convicted:

• Wire fraud, 9 counts
• Tax evasion, 2 counts
• Making and subscribing a false tax return, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 46 months in prison
• Three years of supervised release
• $668,551.25 in restitution

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced a federal indictment against FAYSAL SAYID, 40, and MUHUMED ALI, 36, charging them with multiple counts of income tax evasion and with conspiracy to defraud the United States.  SAYID and ALI are currently scheduled to make their initial appearances on August 9, 2019, before Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

According to the indictment, SAYID and ALI co-owned and operated Meisa Group, LLC, which provided adult day care services to individuals enrolled in the Minnesota Medicaid program. Between 2012 and 2014, SAYID and ALI each received more than $1 million from Meisa’s operating accounts and used much of the funds to pay for their own living expenses, including clothing, travel, entertainment, and automobiles. According to the indictment, SAYID and ALI created falsified financial records including profit and loss statements, fabricated invoices, and failed to report or pay individual income taxes on the income.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS, and the Civil division of the IRS.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kokkinen is prosecuting the case.

 

Defendant Information:

FAYSAL SAYID, 40

Minneapolis, Minn.

Charges:

• Conspiracy to defraud the united states, 1 count
• Income tax evasion, 3 counts

 

MUHUMED ALI, 36

Minneapolis, Minn.

Charges:

• Conspiracy to defraud the united states, 1 count
• Income tax evasion, 2 counts

 

 

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The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of DANIEL L. KLUENDER, 41, to a year and a day in prison and ordered to pay $880,143.01, for illegally selling hundreds of thousands of dollars in property that was pledged as collateral for a USDA-backed farm loan. KLUENDER, who pleaded guilty on March 7, 2019, was sentenced yesterday before Chief Judge John R. Tunheim in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, in May 2013, KLUENDER took out a loan in the amount of $1,302,000 from Farmers State Bank, which operates in the vicinity of Albert Lea, Minnesota. This loan was guaranteed by the Farm Service Agency (“FSA”) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”). Under the terms of the loan, KLUENDER was required to pledge specific items as collateral, including, among other things, crops, livestock, farm equipment, and vehicles. KLUENDER agreed that any and all proceeds from the sale of these items were obligated to be applied to his loan payments. Between 2013 and 2017, in violation of the terms of the loan, KLUENDER began selling pledged collateral without authorization or permission from the FSA. Moreover, KLUENDER retained the proceeds and diverted the funds for his personal use. In the course of committing this offense, KLUENDER also filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy during which he testified falsely about his ownership of pledged property.

According to documents filed in court, in July 2015, Farmers State Bank began efforts to repossess collateral from KLUENDER to collect on the loan. In response to the repossession efforts, KLUENDER resorted to physical violence against a bank employee, engaged in vandalism of pledged collateral, and continued to illegally convert pledged collateral.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katharine T. Buzicky and Matthew S. Ebert.

 

Defendant Information:

DANIEL L. KLUENDER, 41

Walters, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conversion of property mortgaged or pledged to farm credit agencies, 1 count

Sentenced:

• One year and one day in prison
• Two years of supervised release
• $314,003.18 in restitution to Farmers State Bank
• $566,139.83 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency

 

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the conviction of RANDAL SCOT BRINKMAN, 60, on six counts of tax evasion. BRINKMAN, who was indicted on September 24, 2018, was found guilty following a four-day trial before Judge Joan N. Ericksen in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As proven at trial, BRINKMAN owned and operated a Roseville-based construction company. From 2002 through 2018, BRINKMAN took steps to hide his income and to actively evade the assessment of taxes, including using sham businesses, closing his personal bank accounts, using money orders and cash to pay for daily expenses, and creating a fake religious organization in order to hide his income and assets. Following a 2007 IRS audit, BRINKMAN filed personal income tax returns for the calendar years 2002 through 2007, admitting that he owed more than $145,000 in federal income taxes for those years. Nevertheless, despite filing the returns, BRINKMAN didn’t pay any of the taxes he admitted he owed to the IRS. BRINKMAN also failed to file tax returns or pay any of his federal incomes taxes from 2012 through 2018.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS and the Minnesota Department of Revenue.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson and Alexander D. Chiquione.

 

Defendant Information:

RANDAL SCOT BRINKMAN, 60

Medina, Minn.

Convicted:

• Tax evasion, 6 counts

 

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the guilty plea of DYLAN MATTHEW DELING, a/k/a “Jason Keens,” a/k/a “Dylan Nash,” 20, to one count of production of child pornography and one count of extortion. DELING entered his guilty plea today before Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“Young people are faced with online threats and abuse unlike ever before. Sadly, law enforcement is seeing an increase in these types of cases– the sly tactics, the coercion, the threats, are all tools employed by online predators such as Mr. Deling,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. “Our stance is aggressive when it comes to the investigation and prosecution of these cases and we will remain proactive in our efforts to build awareness around the issue of sextortion.”

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, between October 2017 and August 2, 2018, DELING used multiple social media and chat platforms, including Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Kik, and Skype, as well as text messages to carry out his sextortion scheme. Sextortion is the act of extorting sexually explicit images and videos from a victim by threatening to reveal a victim’s sexually explicit chats, images, or videos, or through threats of harm to the victim or the victim’s loved ones. In the course of his scheme, DELING sextorted more than 40 minor girls whom he knew to be or believed were between 11 and 17 years old.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, DELING, using multiple usernames and accounts, employed several different techniques to attempt to and to obtain child pornography from minor girls. One technique DELING used was offering compliments and expressions of affection to the minor girls to persuade them into creating sexually explicit images of themselves. In many instances, DELING threatened to and actually did disseminate sexually explicit images of the girls to their friends and family if the girls refused to provide him with sexually explicit images. In other instances, DELING threatened to send his associates to rape, kidnap, injure, or kill the girls or their loved ones. To underscore his threats, DELING sent screenshots of maps of the girls’ residences, family members’ contact information, and other identifying information to the girls, as well as posting the information online. In at least one instance, DELING obtained sexually explicit images through a friend of one of the girls.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, in coordination with multiple state and local law enforcement agencies inside and outside of Minnesota.

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

 

Defendant Information:

DYLAN MATTHEW DELING, a/k/a “Jason Keens,” a/k/a “Dylan Nash,” 20

Fairmont, Minn.

Convicted:

• Production of child pornography, 1 count
• Interstate communication with intent to extort, 1 count

 

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced the sentencing of SHAWN KELLY THOMASON, 39, to 45 months in prison for engaging in repeated interstate stalking. THOMASON, who pleaded guilty on March 20, 2019, was sentenced before Judge Eric C. Tostrud in U.S. District Court in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, THOMASON devised a plan to digitally stalk, harm, and abduct his ex-girlfriend. THOMASON handwrote lists that he titled “Tactics” and “Preparations,” which included items such as gloves, cable ties, cuffs, stun guns, pistol, and knife. At least four times between October 30 and December 7, 2018, THOMASON drove from his home in Hazel Park, Michigan, to the home where the victim was living in Mankato, Minnesota. During each of these visits THOMASON stalked the victim. THOMASON attached GPS trackers to the victim’s vehicle, recorded her daily travel to and from her home, and surveilled her at her place of employment. THOMASON’s conduct was discovered on December 6, 2018, when he made contact with the victim in Mankato and was arrested the following day.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Mankato Department of Public Safety, and the St. Peter Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Polachek and Katharine T. Buzicky prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

SHAWN KELLY THOMASON, 39

Hazel Park, Mich.

Convicted:

• Interstate stalking, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 45 months in prison
• Three years of supervised release
• Restitution amount to be determined

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of BARRY RON SKOG, 68, to 30 months in prison for perpetrating a counterfeit coin fraud scheme. SKOG, who pleaded guilty on February 21, 2019, was sentenced earlier today before Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“The Minnesota Department of Commerce is proud of our role in uncovering this counterfeit coin fraud scheme,” said Matt Vatter, Minnesota Department of Commerce Assistant Commissioner of Enforcement. “Every day, our investigators in the Commerce Fraud Bureau are working to protect Minnesotans against these types of schemes and fraudulent activities and ensure a business climate where legitimate businesses can serve the needs of our citizens.”

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, SKOG owned and operated a business which engaged in advertising and selling numismatic coins. Through his business, SKOG posted advertisements for coins in a publication called Numismatic News. When potential buyers responded to the ads, SKOG would mail them lists of available coins for purchase, many of which were counterfeit. In his communications with the victims, SKOG would often represent himself as an employee named “Ron Peterson,” when, in fact, there were no other owners or employees of the company other than SKOG. In total, SKOG stole more than $57,000 from his identified victims. SKOG also intended to create additional loss by advertising for sale 275 additional counterfeit coins at an advertised sale value of approximately $235,000.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau and the Burnsville Police Department.

Based on the evidence obtained in this case, authorities believe there may be additional victims who have not yet been identified. Anyone with information about this matter is encouraged to call the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau at 651-539-1617. Callers may remain anonymous.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Manda M. Sertich prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

BARRY RON SKOG, 68

Burnsville, Minn.

Convicted:

• Sale of counterfeit coins, 1 count
• Mail fraud, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 30 months in prison

 

 

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A Florida attorney was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for his role in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme to obtain payments from extortion victims to settle sham copyright infringement lawsuits by lying to state and federal courts throughout the country, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald of the District of Minnesota.

John L. Steele, 48, who pleaded guilty on March 6, 2017, was sentenced today before U.S. District Judge Joan N. Ericksen of the District of Minnesota who also ordered Steele to pay restitution in the amount of $1,541,527.37.

According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, between 2011 and 2014, Steele and his co-defendant Paul R. Hansmeier, both practicing lawyers, executed a scheme to obtain millions of dollars by threatening copyright lawsuits against individuals who allegedly downloaded pornographic movies from file-sharing websites.  Steele admitted in court during his plea that he and Hansmeier created a series of sham entities, which they surreptitiously controlled, to obtain copyrights to pornographic movies – some of which they filmed themselves – and then uploaded those movies to file-sharing websites like “The Pirate Bay” in order to lure people to download the movies.  Steele and Hansmeier then filed bogus copyright infringement lawsuits that concealed both their role in distributing the movies, and their personal stake in the outcome of the litigation.  After filing the lawsuits, the defendants gained authority from the courts to subpoena internet service providers for identification information of the subscriber who controlled the IP address used to download the movie.  With that information, the defendants used extortionate tactics such as letters and phone calls to threaten victims with enormous financial penalties and public embarrassment unless they agreed to pay a $3,000 settlement fee.

According to the indictment, the plea agreement and other court documents, in November 2011, in order to distance themselves from the specious lawsuits and any potential fallout, Steele and Hansmeier created and used Prenda Law, among other law firms, to pursue their fraudulent lawsuits.  Steele acknowledged at his plea hearing that he and Hansmeier exerted de facto control over Prenda Law throughout the scheme, but recruited a now-deceased Illinois attorney to pretend to own and control the law firm.

In October 2012, the defendants changed their tactics and began filing lawsuits falsely alleging that computer systems belonging to their sham clients had been hacked.  To facilitate their phony “hacking” lawsuits, the defendants recruited individuals who had been caught downloading pornography from a file-sharing website, to act as ruse “defendants.”  These ruse defendants agreed to be sued and permit Steele and Hansmeier to conduct early discovery against their supposed “co-conspirators” in exchange for Steele and Hansmeier waiving their settlement fees.  During his plea hearing, Steele admitted that the allegations of “hacking” in these complaints were made up.

In total, Steele and Hansmeier obtained approximately $3 million from the fraudulent copyright lawsuits.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigations.

Senior Counsel Brian Levine of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin F. Langner and David J. MacLaughlin of the District of Minnesota prosecuted the case.

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of JOHN L. STEELE, 48, to 60 months in prison for his role in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme to obtain payments from extortion victims to settle sham copyright infringement lawsuits by lying to state and federal courts throughout the country. STEELE, who pleaded guilty on March 6, 2017, was sentenced earlier today before Judge Joan N. Ericksen in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, between 2011 and 2014, STEELE and his co-defendant PAUL R. HANSMEIER, both practicing lawyers, executed a scheme to obtain millions of dollars by threatening copyright lawsuits against individuals who allegedly downloaded pornographic movies from file-sharing websites. STEELE admitted in court during his plea that he and HANSMEIER created a series of sham entities, which they surreptitiously controlled, to obtain copyrights to pornographic movies – some of which they filmed themselves – and then uploaded those movies to file-sharing websites like “The Pirate Bay” in order to lure people to download the movies. STEELE and HANSMEIER then filed bogus copyright infringement lawsuits that concealed both their role in distributing the movies, and their personal stake in the outcome of the litigation. After filing the lawsuits, the defendants gained authority from the courts to subpoena internet service providers (“ISPs”) for identification information of the subscriber who controlled the IP address used to download the movie. With that information, the defendants used extortionate tactics such as letters and phone calls to threaten victims with enormous financial penalties and public embarrassment unless they agreed to pay a $3,000 settlement fee.

According to the indictment, the plea agreement, and other court documents, in November 2011, in order to distance themselves from the specious lawsuits and any potential fallout, STEELE and HANSMEIER created and used Prenda Law, among other law firms, to pursue their fraudulent lawsuits. STEELE acknowledged at his plea hearing that he and HANSMEIER exerted de facto control over Prenda Law throughout the scheme, but recruited a now-deceased Illinois attorney to pretend to own and control the law firm.

In October 2012, the defendants changed their tactics and began filing lawsuits falsely alleging that computer systems belonging to their sham clients had been hacked. To facilitate their phony “hacking” lawsuits, the defendants recruited individuals who had been caught downloading pornography from a file-sharing website, to act as ruse “defendants.” These ruse defendants agreed to be sued and permit STEELE and HANSMEIER to conduct early discovery against their supposed “co-conspirators” in exchange for STEELE and HANSMEIER waiving their settlement fees. During his plea hearing, STEELE admitted that the allegations of “hacking” in these complaints were made up.

In total, STEELE and HANSMEIER obtained approximately $3 million from the fraudulent copyright lawsuits.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin F. Langner and David J. MacLaughlin of the District of Minnesota, and Senior Counsel Brian Levine of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

JOHN L. STEELE, 48

Unknown, Fla.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, 1 count
• Conspiracy to commit money laundering, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 60 months in prison
• Two years of supervised release
• Restitution in the amount of $1,541,527.37

 

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of DONTAY LAVARICE REESE, 38, to 324 months in prison for a violent kidnapping. REESE, who pleaded guilty on February 13, 2019, was sentenced today before Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the sentencing hearing Judge Schiltz commented that the defendant is extremely dangerous and the public needs to be protected from him. Judge Schiltz further remarked that Mr. Reese is an extraordinarily cruel and selfish person, with one of worst records [the Judge] had ever seen among federal detainees at the Sherburne County Jail.

A second indictment against REESE was unsealed on June 26, 2019, charging him with assaulting a federal law enforcement officer while in custody on the kidnapping charge at the Sherburne County Jail. [1]

“The strength and resilience of this victim has helped ensure the defendant is held accountable for his heinous crimes, and that our community is safe from a violent offender with a long criminal record,” said United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald. “We are grateful for her courage. We are also thankful to the family who witnessed the defendant’s brutality and called the police. ”

"Mr. Reese will be spending a significant amount of time in prison thanks in large measure to the remarkable courage of the victim in this case," said Jill Sanborn, Special Agent in Charge of the Minneapolis Division of the FBI. "Today, we thank our law enforcement partners for their excellent work and focus our support on the victim for showing immeasurable strength throughout this most difficult time."

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, in the early morning hours of August 6, 2017, REESE met the victim, T.M., in downtown Minneapolis. REESE offered T.M. a ride home; however, instead of driving her home, he drove her around the Twin Cities metro area against her will, and eventually drove her out of Minnesota and into Wisconsin. The defendant told the victim that he was going to take her “several states away” and use her to make money as a prostitute. The victim attempted to escape multiple times - each time she was captured and violently restrained and assaulted by REESE. A family witnessed one of the escape attempts in Foster, Wisconsin and called 911.

After the 911 call, the Wisconsin State Patrol began looking for the victim and the defendant.  The victim was eventually able to free herself from the defendant, and found the Wisconsin State Patrol as she ran out of a wooded area off of Interstate 94 in Jackson County, Wisconsin. The victim’s wrists were bound and she was screaming for help. REESE came out of the same wooded area shortly after, fully naked and attempted to cross the interstate on foot. He was taken into custody.

These cases are the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, Wisconsin State Patrol, Jackson County (Wisconsin) Sheriff’s Department, Eau Claire County (Wisconsin) Sheriff’s Department, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office. 

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorney Angela Munoz-Kaphing.

Defendant Information:

DONTAY LAVARICE REESE, 38

Burnsville, Minnesota

Convicted:

• Kidnapping, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 324 months in prison
• 5 years of Supervised Release
• Restitution pending

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[1] The charges contained in the second indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of MARCUS ALEXANDER HINKLE, 22, to 240 months in prison for producing child pornography using Instagram and X-Box. HINKLE, who pleaded guilty on September 19, 2018, to two counts of was sentenced before Judge Susan Richard Nelson in U.S. District Court in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

U.S. Attorney MacDonald said, “Sextortion crimes such as this are prevalent and often victimize the most vulnerable in our society, children. This office will continue to use all available resources to prosecute and prevent these devastating crimes.”

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, from May 2017 through July 2017, HINKLE used several Instagram accounts he created under various names, including “Nation_Of_Nerve,” “Nation_Of_Nerve_VIP,” and “Globalspamnation,” to contact and communicate with minor males. HINKLE also used an X-box to communicate with the minors and to obtain sexually explicit images. HINKLE falsely represented to the minors that he was fifteen years old.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, in May of 2017, HINKLE contacted Minor #1 via Instagram and, through the course of their on-line conversations, HINKLE pressured Minor #1 to send sexually explicit images and videos. Between late June and early July of 2017, HINKLE used Minor #1 to be “introduced” to Minor #2 and, after approximately one week of communicating on-line, HINKLE asked Minor #2 to send to him sexually explicit images and videos via Instagram. HINKLE continued to pressure Minor #2 for more sexually explicit images and videos and threatened to post sexually explicit pictures of Minor #2 in a group chat if he did not comply. HINKLE did in fact send out a group chat message that contained sexually explicit pictures of Minor #2. Hinkle admitted to engaging in the same conduct with other minors.  More than a dozen minors were victimized by HINKLE.

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.

If you know of any child who may have been a victim of exploitation, please call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or visit NCMEC’s web site at www.missingkids.com.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carol M. Kayser.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Eagan Police Department, and the Warren (Michigan) Police Department.

 

Defendant Information:

MARCUS ALEXANDER HINKLE, 22

Burnsville, Minn.

Convicted:

• Production of child pornography, 2 counts

Sentenced:

• 240 months  in prison
• Lifetime of supervised release

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of JEROME ROBERT HENNESSEY, 56, to 96 months in prison for mail fraud and income tax evasion. HENNESSEY, who pleaded guilty on February 14, 2019, was sentenced earlier today before Chief Judge John R. Tunheim in U.S. District Court in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

“As a manager, Mr. Hennessey held a position of trust over the Co-op’s members and their financial interests. Unfortunately, he chose to violate that trust by committing an egregious fraud, stealing from his own colleagues, friends, and neighbors,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. “This case has had a significant impact on the Ashby community and its industry. Today’s sentencing is a just outcome and a demonstration of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s commitment to protecting Minnesotans from all types of crime – including financial crimes.”

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, from 1988 until September 2018, HENNESSEY was an employee of the Ashby Farmers’ Cooperative Elevator Company (“the Co-op”). Beginning in 2003, HENNESSEY began using his position as the general manager to steal millions of dollars from the Co-op. HENNESSEY wrote hundreds of checks to himself and to third parties for, among other things, renovations and improvements to his residence and a cabin, the purchase of real estate, furniture, jewelry, all-terrain vehicles, outstanding credit card balances, property taxes, expensive hunting trips, taxidermy services, and the shipping costs for animals he had killed during the hunting trips.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, HENNESSEY attempted to disguise the payments by writing descriptions on the carbon copies of the checks falsely indicating that the checks were for the purchase of corn and soybeans or other legitimate expenses. HENNESSEY then provided the carbon copies to the Co-op’s bookkeeper, thus ensuring that the Co-op’s accounting records would give the false impression that the funds had been used for legitimate purposes. In order to make sure that the Co-op had sufficient funds to cover its legitimate expenses and to cover the millions of dollars that HENNESSEY stole, HENNESSEY obtained a line of credit for more than $7 million. In total, HENNESSEY stole approximately $5,338,922.21.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kokkinen prosecuted the case.

Defendant Information:

JEROME ROBERT HENNESSEY, 56

Dalton, Minnesota

Convicted:

• Mail fraud, 1 count
• Income tax evasion, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 96 months in prison
• Three years of supervised release
• $5,338,922.21 in restitution to Ashby Farmers’ Cooperative Elevator Company

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced that GONZALO JIMINEZ-PAZ, JR., 22, and REY DAVID LUNA-SANTILLANES, 22, have pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. JIMINEZ-PAZ and LUNA-SANTILLANES were arrested and charged on March 25, 2019. They entered their guilty pleas before Senior Judge David S. Doty in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to the defendants’ guilty pleas and documents filed in court, beginning in January 2019, JIMINEZ-PAZ and LUNA-SANTILLANES entered into an agreement with each other and other individuals to distribute methamphetamine. On March 23, 2019, law enforcement officers with the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team (VCET) executed a search warrant at a residence in the downtown area of Minneapolis. During execution of the search warrant, officers recovered approximately 64 pounds of suspected methamphetamine, a large sum of U.S. currency, three pounds of suspected heroin, a bag containing unidentified blue pills and two loaded handguns. The methamphetamine was found inside two suitcases in a bedroom closet, the heroin was hidden inside of a shoebox, and a large amount of cash was located in a kitchen cupboard.

If convicted, JIMINEZ-PAZ and LUNA-SANTILLANES face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the St. Paul Police Department, the Ramsey County VCET, the DEA, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorney LeeAnn K. Bell is prosecuting the case.

 

Defendant Information:

GONZALO JIMINEZ-PAZ, JR., 22

Minneapolis, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, 1 count

 

REY DAVID LUNA-SANTILLANES, 22

Minneapolis, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, 1 count

 

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the guilty pleas of LENNIE DWAYNE BROOKS, 33, and RANDY LORENZO BROOKS, 24, to three counts each of interference with commerce by robbery, known as the Hobbs Act. The defendants entered their guilty pleas today before Senior Judge David S. Doty in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On May 14, 2019, co-defendants AUTUMN MARIE NICHOLS, 20, and ESPERANZA CARDENAS, 29, each pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery.

United States Attorney Erica MacDonald stated, “These criminals admitted to a string of violent home invasions that ended in the tragic and senseless loss of life. Small business owners should never have to fear for their lives or the safety of their property, especially in their own homes. I commend the collaborative efforts of the many law enforcement agencies involved in this case that led to today’s guilty pleas. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to clearing the streets of violent criminals and ensuring the safety of all Minnesotans.”

“We’re satisfied to see these men take responsibility for their actions,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard of the ATF St. Paul Field Division. “The fear they instilled in the lives of small business owners was ruthless, excessive and intolerable. Hopefully, this guilty plea and future sentencing can bring closure to the families and communities affected. I’m proud of the exceptional work put into this investigation, successfully ending the Brooks brothers’ hostile home invasion streak. The strong partnerships with local law enforcement contributed greatly to this accomplishment and we are grateful for their efforts.”

According to the defendants’ guilty pleas and documents filed in court, LENNIE and RANDY BROOKS, on three separate occasions that are chargeable under the Hobbs Act, committed violent home invasion robberies and, in one incident, caused the death of a robbery victim. On October 6, 2018, LENNIE and RANDY BROOKS broke into a private residence located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota while NICHOLS waited in the getaway car. RANDY BROOKS held two victims at gunpoint while LENNIE BROOKS searched the house for money and valuables. During that time, one of the victims went into cardiac arrest, however neither defendant called for medical help nor was the second victim allowed to call for help. The defendants stole approximately $50,000 in cash, which was the business proceeds of the Shuang Hur Asian Markets located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The defendants admitted that the victim who went into cardiac arrest died as a direct result of the home invasion.

On September 23, 2018, LENNIE and RANDY BROOKS broke into a private residence located in Ellendale, Minnesota while CARDENAS waited in the getaway car. RANDY BROOKS held two victims at gunpoint while LENNIE BROOKS searched the house for money and valuables. The defendants stole approximately $40,000 in cash, which was the business proceeds of the Holland Auction Company located in Ellendale, Minnesota.

On August 16, 2018, LENNIE and RANDY BROOKS broke into a private residence located in Waite Park, Minnesota. RANDY BROOKS held two victims at gunpoint while LENNIE BROOKS searched the house for money and valuables. The defendants stole approximately $180,000 in jewelry and gemstones, which belonged to Trisko Jewelry located in Waite Park, Minnesota.

The Hobbs Act, passed by Congress in 1946, prohibits actual or attempted robbery affecting interstate or foreign commerce “in any way or degree.”

This case is the result of a multi-jurisdictional investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), Eden Prairie Police Department, Steele County Sheriff’s Office, Woodbury Police Department, Cottage Grove Police Department, St. Paul Police Department, Minneapolis Police Department, Winona Police Department, Wabasha Police Department, Prior Lake Police Department, Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team, St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office, Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Olmstead County Sheriff’s Office, Winona County Sheriff’s Office, Waite Park Police Department, Owatonna Police Department, Nisswa Police Department, Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office, Red Wing Police Department, Mason City Police Department, Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office, and the Albert Lea Police Department. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), an initiative that brings together federal, state and local law enforcement to combat violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen is prosecuting the case.

 

Defendant Information:

LENNIE DWAYNE BROOKS, 33

Zumbro Falls, Minn.

Convicted:

• Interference with Commerce by Robbery, 3 counts

 

RANDY LORENZO BROOKS, 24

Wabasha, Minn.

Convicted:

• Interference with Commerce by Robbery, 3 counts

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced the conviction of MARIO MARTELL SPENCER, 34, AHMED OSMAN FARAH, 32, for the armed robbery of a Minneapolis convenience store. Following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright, the jury found SPENCER and FARAH guilty on all counts.

“Mr. Spencer and Mr. Farah carried out the armed robbery of a small business located in a residential neighborhood,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. “This guilty verdict is a just result and a demonstration of our commitment to keeping our neighborhoods and communities safe from violent criminals.”

As proven at trial, on March 23, 2018, around 8:30 p.m., SPENCER and FARAH entered Penn-Wood Market, located on Glenwood Avenue in Minneapolis, wearing masks and gloves. SPENCER held two employees at gunpoint while FARAH took money from the cash registers and stole one employee’s cell phone. The two defendants fled the scene in a vehicle. A witness called 911 as the robbery was in progress and, shortly after, responding officers were able to locate the defendants’ unoccupied vehicle, which had crashed into a garage. Law enforcement set up a perimeter around the area of the crash site and, following a foot chase, were able to apprehend and arrest FARAH. With the assistance of a K9, law enforcement officers initiated a systematic search inside the perimeter and eventually found SPENCER hiding on top of the roof of a garage.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement to combat violent crime.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan H. Nelson and Justin A. Wesley tried the case.

 

Defendant Information:

MARIO MARTELL SPENCER, 34

St. Paul, Minn.

Convicted:

• Interference with commerce by robbery, 1 count
• Using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, 1 count

 

AHMED OSMAN FARAH, 32

Maplewood, Minn.

Convicted:

• Interference with commerce by robbery, 1 count
• Using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, 1 count

 

 

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of STEVEN RICHARD WISETH, 36, a Thief River Falls chiropractor, to 27 months in prison for wire fraud. WISETH, who pleaded guilty on January 17, 2019, was sentenced today before Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addressing WISETH’s fraud scheme and other similar schemes that have occurred within the chiropractic profession, Judge Schiltz stated, “There seems to be a lot of rot in that profession and deterrence seems to be much needed,” and further stated that WISETH’s fraud was a “part of his routine business practice.”

According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, from approximately March 2013 through April 2015, WISETH, a Doctor of Chiropractic and owner of Health Quest Family Chiropractic (“Health Quest”) in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, orchestrated a scheme to defraud health insurers by submitting and causing the submission of false and fraudulent claims for chiropractic services.

WISETH’S scheme was dependent on maximizing patient volume at Health Quest, and he held promotional events where he gave away free food and drink, prizes, and gift certificates to induce current and prospective patients to visit Health Quest. After the promotional events, WISETH billed insurance companies for the provision of chiropractic services to substantial numbers of individuals who attended the events, including billing for services that were not provided. In some cases, WISETH used the personal and insurance information of attendees to bill the individuals’ insurance companies for services that were not provided, unbeknownst to the attendee. For example, on February 13, 2014, WISETH held a promotional event at Health Quest that he referred to as “ValenSpine’s Day.” WISETH submitted bills to insurance companies representing that he had treated approximately 219 patients on that day, purporting to have provided approximately 641 services.

WISETH also admitted to submitting false bills for services by misrepresenting the services that were actually provided to patients. For example, WISETH routinely submitted false bills for treatment with a “wobble chair,” which is a device intended to develop core strength. WISETH represented to insurers that the services were performed for at least eight minutes under the direct supervision of a healthcare professional when, in fact, WISETH merely stocked his clinics’ waiting rooms with wobble chairs so that patients would sit in them while waiting for their appointments.

Over the course of the two-year scheme, WISETH billed the insurance companies more than $3.1 million dollars, including bills for hundreds of treatments that were not provided or were overbilled, and the insurance companies paid WISETH and Health Quest more than $1.1 million.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber M. Brennan prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

STEVEN RICHARD WISETH, 36

Thief River Falls, Minn.

Convicted:

• Wire fraud, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 27 months in prison
• One year of supervised release
• $337,195.11 in restitution

 

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of PAUL R. HANSMEIER, 37, to 168 months in prison for orchestrating a multi-million dollar fraud scheme to obtain payments from extortion victims to settle sham copyright infringement lawsuits by lying to state and federal courts throughout the country. HANSMEIER, who pleaded guilty on August 17, 2018, was sentenced today before Judge Joan N. Ericksen in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. HANSMEIER’S co-defendant JOHN L. STEELE also pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme. STEELE is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2019.

United States Attorney Erica MacDonald said, “Paul Hansmeier abandoned his sworn oath to uphold the law and chose instead to use coercion and lies to exploit victims and deceive judges. The sentence he received today is a just consequence for his actions.”

“Today's sentence for Paul Hansmeier is the just result for an attorney who abused his license to practice law and disgraced himself and the bar in so many ways,” said Jill Sanborn, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Minneapolis Division. “Hansmeier’s role in this salacious fraud scheme exploited victims by misusing his position of trust as an officer of the court. The FBI is grateful for the victims who came forward in this case because their information was critical to our work.”

“Today justice has been served with the fourteen-year sentencing of Mr. Hansmeier,” stated Tara Sullivan, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office. “Mr. Hansmeier greatly misused his position as an attorney by preying upon unsuspecting individuals for nothing but pure power and greed. IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to have worked alongside with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI to dismantle this money laundering enterprise created by Hansmeier and his partner.”

According to his guilty plea and documents filed in court, between 2011 and 2014, HANSMEIER and STEELE, both practicing lawyers, executed a scheme to obtain millions of dollars by threatening copyright lawsuits against individuals who allegedly downloaded pornographic movies from file-sharing websites. HANSMEIER admitted in court during his plea that he and STEELE created a series of sham entities, which he and STEELE surreptitiously controlled, to obtain copyrights to pornographic movies – some of which they filmed themselves – and then uploaded those movies to file-sharing websites like “The Pirate Bay” in order to lure people to download the movies. The defendants then filed bogus copyright infringement lawsuits that concealed both their role in distributing the movies, and their personal stake in the outcome of the litigation. After filing the lawsuits, HANSMEIER and STEELE gained authority from the courts to subpoena internet service providers (“ISPs”) for identification information of the subscriber who controlled the IP address used to download the movie. With that information, the defendants used extortionate tactics such as letters and phone calls to threaten victims with enormous financial penalties and public embarrassment unless they agreed to pay a $3,000 settlement fee.

According to the Indictment, the plea agreement, and other court documents, in November 2011, in order to distance themselves from the specious lawsuits and any potential fallout, HANSMEIER and STEELE created and used Prenda Law, among other law firms, to pursue their fraudulent lawsuits. HANSMEIER acknowledged at his plea hearing that he and STEELE exerted de facto control over Prenda Law throughout the scheme, but recruited a now-deceased Illinois attorney to pretend to own and control the law firm.

In October 2012, the defendants changed their tactics and began filing lawsuits falsely alleging that computer systems belonging to their sham clients had been hacked. To facilitate their phony “hacking” lawsuits, HANSMEIER and STEELE recruited individuals who had been caught downloading pornography from a file-sharing website, to act as ruse “defendants.” These ruse defendants agreed to be sued and permit HANSMEIER and STEELE to conduct early discovery against their supposed “co-conspirators” in exchange for HANSMEIER and STEELE waiving their settlement fees. During his plea hearing, HANSMEIER admitted that the allegations of “hacking” in these complaints were made up.

In total, HANSMEIER and STEELE obtained approximately $3 million from the fraudulent copyright lawsuits.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin F. Langner and David J. MacLaughlin of the District of Minnesota, and Senior Trial Counsel Brian Levine of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, prosecuted the case.

Defendant Information:

PAUL R. HANSMEIER, 37

Woodbury, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, 1 count
• Conspiracy to commit money laundering, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 168 months in prison
• Two years of supervised release
• Restitution in the amount of $1,541,527.37

 

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United States Attorney Erica MacDonald today announced that COBORN’S, INCORPORATED d/b/a COBORN’S PHARMACY has agreed to pay $225,000 in civil penalties for allegedly failing to comply with recordkeeping and other requirements of the Controlled Substances Act, which enabled a Coborn’s Pharmacy employee to engage in a years-long pattern of diverting opioids for personal use.

According to the allegations, between 2011 and 2015, COBORN’S PHARMACY did not adequately monitor its employee’s conduct, and failed to keep complete and accurate records regarding the receipt and dispensing of Schedule II controlled substances, including but not limited to oxycodone and hydrocodone. These alleged violations enabled the pharmacist in charge of one of COBORN’S PHARMACY’s retail stores to fabricate nine patient accounts and create numerous false prescriptions that were recorded on COBORN’S PHARMACY’s computerized prescription management system. At the time, COBORN’S PHARMACY’S system did not consistently identify and process cash prescriptions, failing to prevent the diversion that occurred.

Congress enacted the Controlled Substances Act’s recordkeeping and prescribing requirements to prevent the diversion of controlled substances for illegal purposes. As a result of COBORN’S PHARMACY’s alleged actions, hundreds of doses of controlled substances went unaccounted for and were diverted for illicit purposes, namely personal use by the pharmacist in charge.

Upon learning of its employee’s pattern of theft, COBORN’S PHARMACY reported the misconduct to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), leading to a federal investigation that resulted in the pharmacist in charge pleading guilty to Obtaining Controlled Substances by Fraud in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 843(a)(3) and (d)(1). COBORN’S PHARMACY has since enhanced its recordkeeping and compliance program, including making needed improvements to its computerized prescription management system, in response to concerns raised by DEA in the course of an audit revealing shortages and overages of various controlled substances and problematic recordkeeping procedures.  This settlement addresses the independent obligation of COBORN’S PHARMACY to ensure it has systems in place adequate to prevent theft and fraudulent prescriptions from occurring in the future, as required by 21 U.S.C. §§ 827, 829, 942, and associated regulations.

“Prescription drug diversion can lead to devastating consequences for individuals, families and communities,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. “Pharmacies must uphold their obligation to ensure that these dangerous drugs are tracked and safeguarded in compliance with the Controlled Substances Act’s strict requirements.”

“Pharmacies are responsible for helping ensure that medications are not diverted,” Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Division Diversion Program Manager William Stockmann said. “In addition to policing employees and customers, pharmacies are required to inventory their controlled substances, verify the dispensing of controlled substances and monitor daily record-keeping requirements. When one or more of these responsibilities break down, diversion occurs and medication has the potential to fall into the wrong hands. As seen with this pharmacist, opioid addiction and abuse can affect anyone, no matter the profession. Addiction does not discriminate.”

This case was investigated by the Diversion Group of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Minneapolis-St. Paul District Office and handled by the Affirmative Civil Enforcement unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.

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

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the guilty plea of KRISTOPHER SULLIVAN, a/k/a “Blood Money,” 24, for his role in a heroin distribution conspiracy that resulted in the shooting deaths of two individuals. SULLIVAN entered his guilty plea before Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota. SULLIVAN’s co-defendants BRYAN BOARDMAN, a/k/a “Boon,” 25, and FRANKLIN JACKSON, a/k/a “Frankie,” 23, previously pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to distribute heroin.

According to the defendants’ guilty pleas and documents filed in court, between October 1, 2018, and October 21, 2018, SULLIVAN conspired with BOARDMAN and JACKSON to distribute heroin on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. In the early morning hours of October 21, 2018, SULLIVAN, BOARDMAN, and JACKSON met in a trailer home on the Red Lake Indian Reservation belonging to JACKSON’s girlfriend. The three defendants made preparations to sell heroin later that day, including contacting potential customers to let them know that heroin was available for sale at the trailer home. The defendants’ drug trafficking activities were interrupted at approximately 6:30 a.m. that morning when three armed, masked men broke into the trailer home in an apparent armed robbery. BOARDMAN drew a 9 millimeter pistol and fired eight shots, killing two of the intruders. The third intruder was wounded in the leg by the gunfire and fled from the scene.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey S. Paulsen and Julie E. Allyn are prosecuting the case.

 

Defendant Information:

KRISTOPHER SULLIVAN, a/k/a “Blood Money,” 24

Minneapolis, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to distribute heroin, 1 count

 

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of PHILLIP MARK REINHART, 38, to 40 years in prison for production and attempted production of child pornography. REINHART, who pleaded guilty on January 17, 2019, was sentenced before Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, between May 2017 and March 2018, REINHART created and attempted to create sexually explicit images of two minors who were seven and nine years old at the time of the offense. REINHARD then distributed those images, along with other images and videos of child pornography, via Kik Messenger.

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

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Nicollet County Sheriff's Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Manda M. Sertich prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

PHILLIP MARK REINHART, 38

Courtland, Minn.

Convicted:

• Production of child pornography, 1 count
• Attempted production of child pornography, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 480 months in prison
• 20 years of supervised release

 

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced a federal indictment charging COURTNEY JOHN BARRETT, JR., 30, and ROBERT LEE JOURDAIN, SR., 25, with robbery. BARRETT and JOURDAIN were arrested this morning and will make an initial appearance later today before Magistrate Judge Jon T. Huseby in U.S. District Court in Bemidji, Minnesota.

According to the allegations in the indictment and documents filed in court, on May 1, 2019, BARRETT and JOURDAIN entered the Snack Shack on the Red Lake Indian Reservation armed with a metal pipe and a firearm. BARRETT held the metal pipe to an employee’s head while JOURDAIN brandished the firearm and stole money from the cash register and an employee’s purse.

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

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina L. Allery is prosecuting the case.

 

Defendant Information:

COURTNEY JOHN BARRETT, JR., 30

Red Lake, Minn.

Charges:

• Robbery, 1 count

 

ROBERT LEE JOURDAIN, SR., 25

Red Lake, Minn.

Charges:

• Robbery, 1 count

 

 

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The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced a federal indictment against NATHAN DANIEL BROOKS, 37, charging him with three counts of possessing contraband in prison. BROOKS made his initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge Leo I. Brisbois in U.S. District Court in Duluth, Minnesota.

According to the indictment, BROOKS was an inmate of the Duluth Federal Prison Camp on March 24, 2019, when he possessed, obtained, and attempted to obtain several items of illegal contraband, including cannabis and cannabis-infused items, cell phones, tobacco, cigarettes, rolling papers, mp3 players, and other electronic devices.

If convicted, BROOKS faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

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

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

 

Defendant Information:

NATHAN DANIEL BROOKS, 37

Duluth Federal Prison Camp

Charges:

• Possessing contraband in prison, 3 counts

 

 

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The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald announced the sentencing of MICHAEL WAYNE WHITEFEATHER, 18, to 264 months in prison for murder in the second degree. WHITEFEATHER, who pleaded guilty on December 17, 2018, was sentenced today by Judge Susan Richard Nelson in U.S. District Court in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

United States Attorney Erica MacDonald said, “This tragic and senseless act of violence resulted in the death of an innocent young man. We are working in collaboration with our federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners to do all we can to protect our communities from violent crimes such as this.”

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, during the early morning hours of April 28, 2018, WHITEFEATHER and several other members of the Back of Town (“BOT”) gang were driving around looking for rival gang members on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. They encountered the victim and another male walking in a parking lot between the Red Lake Skate Park and the Red Lake Middle and High Schools. WHITEFEATHER and the other BOT gang members mistakenly thought the victim was a rival gang member. WHITEFEATHER exited the vehicle, retrieved a shotgun, and chased after the victim on foot. When WHITEFEATHER caught up to the victim, he assaulted him and shot him in the face, resulting in the victim’s death.  

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Department of Public Safety, the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, the Bemidji Police Department, the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office, and United States Customs and Border Protection. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, an initiative that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad.

 

Defendant Information:

MICHAEL WAYNE WHITEFEATHER, 18

Red Lake, Minn. 

Convicted:

• Murder in the second degree, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 264 months in prison
• Five years of supervised release

 

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of TONY LENDELL REED, 33, of Memphis, Tennessee, to 240 months in prison for robbery. On February 1, 2019, a federal jury convicted REED of six counts of interference with commerce by robbery, known as the Hobbs Act. The Hobbs Act prohibits actual or attempted robbery affecting interstate or foreign commerce “in any way or degree.” REED was sentenced today before Judge Joan N. Ericksen in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

United States Attorney Erica MacDonald stated, “Today’s sentence is an appropriate and just response to Mr. Reed’s callous criminal acts. This sentence is also a testament to the commitment my office, and our local law enforcement partners, have to keeping the public safe from those who bring fear and violence to our community.”

Co-defendants ORLANDO LORENZO HARRIS, 35, DERF REGLAN RAHINE REED, 46, and TYRELL DANDRE CAMPBELL, 24, each entered guilty pleas in connection with the Hobbs Act robberies. HARRIS was sentenced on April 8, 2019, to 38 months in prison. DERF REED was sentenced on May 17, 2019, to 43 months in prison. CAMPBELL will be sentenced at a later date.

As proven at trial and in documents filed in court, between June 12 and November 29, 2017, on six separate occasions, REED and his co-defendants robbed auto parts stores located throughout the Twin Cities metro area. During each of the robberies, the defendants displayed what appeared to the victims to be a gun, threatened the victims, and demanded money. REED and his co-defendants also restrained the employees of the stores they robbed, using zip ties to bind the victims’ wrists and ankles.  

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Division, Chicago Division, and Memphis Division of the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Crystal Police Department, the Columbia Heights Police Department, the White Bear Lake Police Department, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, and the Holly Springs, Mississippi Police Department. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, an initiative that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Assistant United States Attorneys LeeAnn K. Bell and Ruth S. Shnider prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

TONY LENDELL REED, 33

Memphis, Tennessee

Convicted:

• Interference with Commerce by Robbery (Hobbs Act), 6 counts

Sentenced:

• 240 months in prison
• Three years of supervised release

 

ORLANDO LORENZO HARRIS, 35

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Convicted:

• Interference with Commerce by Robbery (Hobbs Act), 2 counts

Sentenced:

• 38 months in prison
• Three years of supervised release

 

DERF REGLAN RAHINE REED, 46

Chicago, Illinois

Convicted:

• Interference with Commerce by Robbery (Hobbs Act), 1 count

Sentenced:

• 43 months in prison
• Two years of supervised release

 

TYRELL DANDRE CAMPBELL, 24

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Convicted:

• Interference with Commerce by Robbery (Hobbs Act), 1 count

 

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced a federal indictment charging PHELIXIS FITZGERALD MAR ROBINSON, a/k/a “Storm,” 44, with possession and distribution of heroin and firearms violations. ROBINSON was arrested and made an initial appearance today before Magistrate Judge Steven E. Rau in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

According to the allegations in the indictment, in March 2019, ROBINSON distributed heroin and knowingly possessed, with the intent to distribute, more than one kilogram of heroin. ROBINSON was also in possession of six firearms, including a Glock model 22 .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Taurus model Protector .38 caliber revolver, a Beretta model 96 .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Glock model 30 .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Bersa model Thunder .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and a SCCY model CPX-2 9mm semi-automatic pistol. The firearms and more than $545,000 in cash were seized by law enforcement from two separate storage lockers belonging to ROBINSON. Because he is a felon, ROBINSON is prohibited under federal law from possessing any type of firearm at any time.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Anoka-Hennepin Narcotics and Violent Crime Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, an initiative that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Calhoun-Lopez is prosecuting the case.

 

Defendant Information:

PHELIXIS FITZGERALD MAR ROBINSON, a/k/a “Storm,” 44

St. Paul, Minn.

Charges:

• Possession with intent to distribute heroin, 1 count
• Distribution of heroin, 1 count
• Felon in possession of firearms, 1 count

 

 

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The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of DAKOTA JAMES LAFAVE, aka “Biggs,” 30, to 366 months in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, witness retaliation, and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.  LAFAVE, who pleaded guilty on January 22, 2019, was sentenced before Chief Judge John R. Tunheim in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, since 2006, LAFAVE has been a member of the Native Mob gang, a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engage in acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, assault, robbery, and threats of violence in order to preserve and protect power, territory, reputation, and profits of the enterprise. Members and associates of the Native Mob meet regularly to discuss, among other things, acts of violence and crimes committed against rival gang members, gang rules and by-laws, law enforcement interactions, and to share with one another the identities of individuals who might be cooperating with law enforcement and propose actions to be taken against those individuals.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, on October 27, 2017, LAFAVE shot a former Native Mob gang member in the back. LAFAVE admitted that his motive for the shooting was two-fold: first, it was an act of retaliation against that individual for testifying against Native Mob gang members in a federal racketeering conspiracy trial in 2013; and second, an unprovoked attack such as this would maintain or increase LAFAVE’s position within the Native Mob.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew R. Winter and Bradley Endicott prosecuted the case.

Defendant Information:

DAKOTA JAMES LAFAVE, aka “Biggs,” 30

Fond du Lac, Minn.

Convicted:

• Assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, 1 count
• Witness retaliation (bodily injury), 1 count
• Discharge of a firearm during and in relation to crimes of violence, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 366 months in prison
• 3 years Supervised Release

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of ANGELICA PINO PERALTA, 37, to 24 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin. PERALTA, who pleaded guilty on January 22, 2019, was sentenced on May 17, 2019, before Chief Judge John R. Tunheim in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed with the court, on October 10, 2018, police searched PERALTA’s apartment in Burnsville, and seized over eight pounds (3,662.73 grams) of heroin. PERALTA admitted that she intended to distribute a portion of the heroin. PERALTA is a Mexican national and is potentially subject to deportation upon completion of her sentence.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Hollenhorst prosecuted the case.

Defendant Information:

ANGELICA PINO PERALTA, 37

Burnsville, Minn.

Convicted:

• Possession with intent to distribute, 1 count

 

Sentenced:

• 24 months in prison
• 3 years supervised release

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the conviction of MARTAVIS SHAWN DEMAR JAMES, 38, for the robbery and attempted robbery of 10 Twin Cities businesses. Following a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson, the jury found JAMES guilty on all counts.

United States Attorney Erica MacDonald said, “Over the course of several weeks, Mr. James carried out a brazen crime wave across the Twin Cities, targeting businesses in densely populated areas and robbing employees at gunpoint. Under the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, I have dedicated significant resources to pursuing violent criminals and combating gun-related violent crime such as this. When it comes to protecting our communities, we will not relent.”

As proven at trial, between March and June of 2018, JAMES robbed or attempted to rob at least 10 businesses located across the Twin Cities metro area, including locations in Anoka, Hennepin, and Ramsey Counties. The robberies mostly involved CVS Pharmacy stores across the Twin Cities metropolitan area, as well as a Dollar Tree Store in Coon Rapids and a Blaine BigLots store. In each successful robbery instance, JAMES wore a black hooded coat, a black mask and black gloves. He would point a firearm at the store employee(s), demand access to the business safe, order the employee(s) to put the cash into a duffel bag, and order them to the ground before fleeing.

As proven at trial, after gathering information on the robberies, law enforcement identified JAMES and began conducting surveillance on him. On June 1, 2018, law enforcement agents followed JAMES as he drove to a CVS store in Eden Prairie. Law enforcement agents and officers, as well as CVS security personnel, were able to lock the front doors of the CVS store prior to JAMES’ arrival, preventing him from gaining entry when he ultimately approached. When JAMES returned to his vehicle he was apprehended law enforcement.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from multiple local agencies and departments that initially investigated the robberies that occurred in their jurisdictions. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement to combat violent crime.

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

 

Defendant Information:

MARTAVIS SHAWN DEMAR JAMES, 38

Champlin, Minn.

Convicted:

• Hobbs Act Robbery, 8 counts
• Attempted Hobbs Act Robbery, 2 counts

 

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of STEVEN MITCHELL GANT, 38, to 90 months in prison for conspiring to distribute heroin on the White Earth Indian Reservation. GANT, who pleaded guilty on January 16, 2019, was sentenced today before Senior Judge Michael J. Davis in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed with the court, from October 2017 through February 20, 2018, GANT conspired with another individual to distribute heroin on the White Earth Indian Reservation and the surrounding communities. The heroin was obtained from a source in Texas and then transported to Minnesota, where GANT acquired it. GANT admitted to traveling to the White Earth Indian Reservation to sell heroin approximately 25 times.

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

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

 

Defendant Information:

STEVEN MITCHELL GANT, 38

Minneapolis, Minn.

Convicted:

• Conspiracy to distribute heroin, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 90 months in prison
• Five years of supervised release

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of CHRISTOPHER DOUGLAS WOOD, 43, to eight months of confinement after firing three shotgun rounds at the Federal Reserve Bank building in downtown Minneapolis. WOOD, who pleaded guilty on December 17, 2018, was sentenced before Chief Judge John R. Tunheim in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, on the night of July 21, 2018, during the Aquatennial Fireworks display, WOOD fired three shotgun “slugs” at the Federal Reserve Bank (“FRB”) that caused more than $40,000 in property damage to the windows and the façade of the FRB. One of the slugs penetrated the triple-pane security windows and was later located in the ceiling of a seventh floor office of the FRB.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, WOOD fired the shots from a United States Postal Service (“USPS”) facility located directly across from the FRB. At the time of the shooting, WOOD was an employee of the USPS and had access to the facility and the secure parking structure from which he fired the shots. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement conducted a search of WOOD’s residence and recovered a loaded 12-gauge shotgun, a .22 semiautomatic handgun with a loaded magazine, a Snake Slayer pistol, ammunition, and documents critical of the FRB.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Minneapolis Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats prosecuted the case.

 

Defendant Information:

CHRISTOPHER DOUGLAS WOOD, 43

St. Paul, Minn.

Convicted:

• Possession of a firearm in a federal facility, 1 count

Sentenced:

• 8 months confinement

 

 

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United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Minneapolis Division Jill Sanborn, and Bloomington Police Chief Jeff Potts will convene a community meeting on May 14, 2019, to talk about the issue of sextortion and the alarming increase that law enforcement is seeing in these types of cases. Sextortion is a type of online sexual exploitation where victims are coerced into providing sexually explicit images or videos often in compliance with a threat being made against them or their loved ones. Join us for a panel discussion highlighting the issue of sextortion, trends in victimization, recent cases, prevention tips, and what to do if you or a loved one becomes a target. Parents, teachers, students, law enforcement, and community leaders are encouraged to attend.

This event is free and open to the public. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Bloomington Center for the Arts in Bloomington, Minnesota. For more information, please visit /media/1001006/dl?inline

NOTE: This event is open press. All media must RSVP to usamn.outreach@usdoj.gov and present valid media credentials at the event.

 

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