District of Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Duluth man has been sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, Johnathan Eric Thompson, a.k.a. “Remy,” 34, conspired with others to obtain and distribute large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Thompson regularly traveled to Chicago to obtain methamphetamine and fentanyl to sell throughout the Duluth, Minnesota region. On October 27, 2023, Thompson sold 1,830 grams of methamphetamine to one individual, and on November 16, 2023, he sold 2,280 grams of methamphetamine to another individual. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at an apartment being used by the defendant and his co-conspirators to store and package methamphetamine and fentanyl for sale and found 858 grams of methamphetamine and 568 grams of fentanyl. Thompson was arrested on November 30, 2023. At the time of arrest, he was found in possession of 268 grams of fentanyl and 100 counterfeit fentanyl pills. Between October and November 2023, it is estimated that Thompson possessed 7,321 grams of methamphetamine and 863 grams of fentanyl.

Thompson was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. In handing down the sentence, Judge Tostrud noted the sentence was due in part to Thompson’s negative impact to the city of Duluth, and that his crimes “fed existing addictions and destroyed lives and families.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Duluth Police Department, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department, the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nichole J. Carter prosecuted the case.
 

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Mexican national has been sentenced to 300 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed methamphetamine throughout Minnesota and the surrounding region, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, Charly Cruz-Jimenez, 40, was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in 2018 after serving a 74-month sentence for a first degree controlled substance violation imposed by the Hennepin County District Court. Beginning in at least October 2021—following his deportation to Mexico—Cruz-Jimenez organized and led a drug trafficking organization that distributed mass amounts of methamphetamine in Minnesota, while remaining safely outside of the jurisdiction of the United States in Matamoros, Mexico. Specifically, drug customers inside the United States contacted the defendant by electronic messaging applications and place orders for illicit drugs. Cruz-Jimenez then used a large network of “runners” inside the United States to store the drugs, make deliveries to his customers, and funnel money back to Mexico.

According to court documents, law enforcement began investigating Cruz-Jimenez after arresting one of his customers, Nicholas Horak. Investigators learned that the defendant had sold approximately 32-34 pounds of methamphetamine to Horak between October 2021 and March 2022.  Officers obtained Cruz-Jimenez’s phone number from Horak’s phone and used his number to introduce an undercover (UC) police officer to him. Over the course of the next 16 months, the UC had repeated contact with Cruz-Jimenez and ordered drugs from him on 15 different occasions. In his communications with the UC, Cruz-Jimenez admitted that he was a member of the Sureños, a national prison gang with connections to organized crime in Mexico.  He also admitted to being a member of the Gulf Cartel (Cartel del Golfo or CDG), a major drug trafficking cartel in Mexico. Cruz-Jimenez sent the UC photographs of himself fighting a war over territory with a rival cartel (Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación or CJNG).  Included among the photographs was a photo of the defendant posing with a rifle in front of a bound and blindfolded captured member of the rival cartel.  Cruz-Jimenez stated that he and his team had captured the man, that he was the “enemy,” and he was “confessing.”  

In August 2023, Cruz-Jimenez illegally reentered the United States by crossing the Rio Grande into Texas. From Texas, the defendant continued to discuss methamphetamine deals with the UC and informed them that they would need to increase the quantity of purchases to multiple pounds in order to keep working together. Given the defendant’s return to the United States, investigators arrested him on the current indictment. Before his removal to the District of Minnesota, Cruz-Jimenez was charged and pleaded guilty to illegal reentry into the United States in the Southern District of Texas.

Cruz-Jimenez was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Eric C. Tostrud on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team (VCET), the Maplewood Police Department, the Mounds View Police Department, the New Brighton Police Department, the Roseville Police Department, the Saint Paul Police Department, and the White Bear Lake Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan H. Nelson and Bradley M. Endicott are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Brainerd man has been sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute tens of thousands of fentanyl pills, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, on August 1, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a storage unit in Brainerd that belonged to Dazaughn Ellis West, 28. Inside the unit, officers found between 13,000 and 15,000 pressed fentanyl pills, weighing approximately 2.8 pounds. Law enforcement also executed a search warrant at West’s home in Brainerd, where they found an additional 150 grams of fentanyl pills, a loaded semi-automatic pistol, a .22 caliber rifle, and distributable quantities of cocaine.

On February 6, 2025, West was sentenced in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim to 120 months’ imprisonment.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, Brainerd Police Department, and the Lakes Area Drug Investigative Division (LADID).

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Winona man has been sentenced to 324 months in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release in an online sextortion scheme that victimized more than 60 minor girls across the country and abroad, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, between April 2022 and June 2023, Valentin Silva Quintana, 31, used social media apps, including Snapchat and Instagram, to threaten, sexually manipulate, and exploit more than 60 young girls primarily between 9 and 12 years old in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Zealand and elsewhere. Quintana, who knew that most of the girls were between 9 and 12 years of age, used fake identities and lied about his age in communications with the girls, often posing as a minor girl himself. He used images and videos of youthful appearing girls to make his communications with other victims more believable.

According to court documents, Quintana used a wide range of tactics to coerce his victims, sometimes by convincing young girls that he was their friend or romantic partner, or by offering them money. But most frequently, he convinced young girls to send him a sexual photo or video or covertly recorded them engaging in sexually explicit conduct and then threatened to send the first image to their friends and family unless the girls produced ever more graphic sexual images and videos for him. He continued this type of sextortion even as his victims wept and begged him to stop.

Quintana was sentenced on February 5, 2025, in U.S. District Court before Judge Jerry W. Blackwell after previously pleading guilty to one count of production of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Winona County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael McBride prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Mexican national has pleaded guilty to illegal reentry to the United States after an aggravated felony conviction for a crime of violence, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, Jonathan Chavez-Galarza, 28,was removed from the United States on July 15, 2020, following his 2018 conviction in Hennepin County for second degree assault with a dangerous weapon. In that matter, Chavez-Galarza was convicted of stabbing a victim multiple times with a knife. The defendant was sentenced to – and served – a term of 36 months imprisonment for that offense, prior to his removal. On December 20, 2022, the defendant was removed a second time, following his conviction in the Southern District of Texas for illegal reentry. Following this last removal to Mexico, Chavez-Galarza knowingly, voluntarily, and unlawfully returned to the United States. Beginning on or around May 24, 2024, and several times afterwards, the defendant was observed near his residence in Minneapolis and around the Twin Cities Metro Area.

Chavez-Galarza pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court before Judge Donovan W. Frank on one count of illegal reentry to the United States after commission of an aggravated felony.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Green is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Four additional defendants have pleaded guilty for their roles in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

First, according to court documents, at times between October 2020 and January 2022, Abduljabar Hussein, 44, of Shakopee, Minnesota, knowingly and willfully conspired with others to participate in a fraudulent scheme to obtain and misappropriate millions in federal child nutrition funds.

According to court documents, in October 2020, Abduljabar Hussein’s wife, Mekfira Hussein, enrolled her non-profit, Shamsia Hopes, in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future, at the direction of one of its employees, Abdikerm Eidleh.  Mekfira Hussein submitted her application to Aimee Bock, Feeding Our Future’s executive director.  In December 2020 and also at the direction of Abdikerm Eidleh, Abduljabar Hussein registered his company, Oromia Feeds LLC, with the State of Minnesota. Oromia Feeds LLC also participated in the Federal Child Nutrition Program as a vendor for food to be served by Shamsia Hopes sites run by his wife. 

Together, the Husseins submitted fraudulent claims that sought reimbursement for far more meals and food than they actually prepared. Hussein and his wife submitted fraudulently inflated invoices for reimbursement—including inflated meal counts and false attendance rosters. As part of this scheme, Hussein and his wife paid at least $140,000 in kickbacks to Eidleh and least $12,000 in kickbacks to Aimee Bock, in exchange for Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship of Shamsia Hopes. In some instances, these kickback payments were disguised as “consulting fees,” when, in fact, neither Eidleh nor Aimee Bock provided any service to justify these payments.

According to his plea agreement entered today, the Husseins ultimately obtained up to $8.8 million in federal child nutrition program funds some of which they used to pay for personal expenditures unrelated to feeding children. For instance, the defendant used $173,438 of the proceeds to pay off the mortgage on his home in Shakopee, Minnesota, and also purchased a 2021 Porsche for $93,250, as well as a 2022 GMC truck for $61,722.  As part of his sentence, Hussein was ordered to forfeit those vehicles as well as a 2021 Tesla, and the fraud money he applied toward his home mortgage.

Next, according to court documents, Zamzam Jama, 50, and Mustafa Jama, 48, of Rochester, Minnesota, and Asha Jama, 42, of Lakeville, Minnesota, each pled guilty to laundering fraudulent proceeds that were paid by Feeding Our Future through the Federal Child Nutrition Program to Brava Restaurant.  In October 2020, Brava Restaurant, which was located in a retail strip mall in Rochester, Minnesota, enrolled as a distribution site in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future.

The Jamas and their conspirators coordinated the establishment of shell companies through which they received and disbursed funds from the federal child nutrition program to make expenditures that had nothing to do with feeding children. Specifically, on January 7, 2021, Salim Said, a co-owner of Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, paid to register six different shell companies with the state of Minnesota for the Jamas and others. 

In 2021, Zamzam Jama, Mustafa Jama, and Asha Jama deposited at least $491,245, $1,429,730, and $449,933, in misappropriated Federal Child Nutrition Program funds into their respective shell entities’ bank accounts.  The Jamas then used those funds for various personal expenditures that had nothing to do with feeding children.

Zamzam Jama spent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds on a home in Rosemount, Minnesota, and to purchase a 2021 Toyota RAV4 vehicle. With her guilty plea, Zamzam Jama has forfeited that vehicle, her interest in the Rosemount property, as well as $114,482 from her bank accounts in 2022 by federal investigators.

Mustafa Jama used Federal Child Nutrition Program funds to buy a home in Columbus, Ohio.  He also spent $394,000 in program money toward a home in Lakeville, Minnesota, and to purchase Mediterranean coastal property in Alanya, Turkey. With his guilty plea, Mustafa Jama has forfeited any interest in the Ohio and Lakeville properties, as well as $239,500 from his bank accounts in 2022 by federal investigators.

Asha Jama spent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds toward a home in Lakeville, Minnesota, and another in Rochester, Minnesota.  With her guilty plea, Zamzam Jama has forfeited her interest on those two properties any interest in that vehicle, the Rosemount property, as well as $149,880 seized from her bank accounts in 2022 by federal investigators.

In separate proceedings in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel, Abduljabar Hussein pleaded guilty on February 5, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Zamzam Jama pleaded guilty on February 5, 2025, to one count of money laundering; Mustafa Jama pleaded guilty on February 6, 2025, to one count of money laundering; and Asha Jama pleaded guilty on February 7, 2025, to one count of money laundering.   Sentencing hearings for all four defendants will be scheduled at a later date.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

MINNEAPOLIS – Sharon Denise Ross, 54, of Willernie, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 43 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for her role in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. Ross was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,434,360. Ross was further ordered to forfeit to the United States all property derived from fraud proceeds, including her house in Willernie.

Ross was charged in a 12-count indictment on March 7, 2023, with wire fraud and money laundering for her role in devising and carrying out a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program.  On January 10, 2024, Ross pled guilty to one count of wire fraud.

According to court documents, Ross was the executive director of House of Refuge Twin Cities, a St. Paul-based non-profit which she enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition. Ross claimed that House of Refuge operated distribution sites at a dozen locations throughout the Twin Cities that served food by a vendor called Brava Café, a restaurant in Minneapolis run by Hanna Marakegn. Between September 2021 through February 2022, Ross falsely claimed to be serving thousands of children each day at her House of Refuge sites, which included fraudulently claiming to feed children at multiple area churches.  In total, Ross fraudulently claimed to have served nearly 900,000 meals and she received approximately $2.4 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Ross distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to family members and used the rest of the money to fund her lifestyle, including to pay for vacations to Florida and Las Vegas, to purchase a suite at a Minnesota Timberwolves game, and to purchase her house in Willernie.

In handing down the sentence today, Judge Nancy E. Brasel commented that Ross “used a position of trust in the community” for her own “flagrant personal gain.” Judge Brasel further noted that Ross’s crime was all the more aggravating because she acquired large amounts of fraudulent money in an “extremely short time span” while Ross was on probation for another fraud.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Minnesota Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, and Daniel W. Bobier prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
 

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Crystal man has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of production of child pornography that victimized minor teenage girls in Minnesota and across the country, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. 

According to court documents, between April 2022 and September 13, 2023, Dapree Richard Christlieb-Peterson, 22, used internet apps, social media, and text messages to engage minors in sexually explicit conversations in order to entice and coerce them to in engage in illegal sexual encounters with him. Christlieb-Peterson specifically targeted at least five minors between the ages of 12 and 17 years old in Minnesota, Florida, and elsewhere, to create images and videos of their sexually explicit conduct. Christlieb-Peterson knew the minor girls’ ages because the minor victims either disclosed them, or they were apparent on their social media profiles. Christlieb-Peterson enticed and coerced his minor victims to engage in sexually explicit activity with him, recorded it on a cell phone, and then distributed the child pornography he created to others.  

Christlieb-Peterson pleaded guilty on February 4, 2024, in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud to five counts of production and attempted production of child pornography. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. 

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.  It 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 CEOS, Project Safe Childhood combines 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Classen and Robert M. Lewis are prosecuting the case.
 

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Blooming Prairie man has been sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, beginning in April 2022, Steven John Sokel, 61, began communicating over the internet with the mother of a pre-pubescent minor victim in Thailand. On September 1, 2022, Sokel traveled to Thailand and stayed with the victim and the mother for almost a full month. During his time abroad, Sokel produced images of the minor victim engaging in sexually explicit activity.

According to court documents, on September 29, 2022, Sokel left Thailand and had a layover in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Abu Dhabi airport has a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) preclearance facility for passengers flying to the United States. After finding items like sexual pleasure devices, handcuffs, and condoms in Sokel’s luggage, CBP officers conducted a search and found the child sexual abuse material on Sokel’s password-protected laptop.

Sokel was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge Eric T. Tostrud on one count of sexual exploitation of children.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Shakopee woman pleaded guilty for her role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, at times between October 2020 and January 2022, Mekfira Hussein knowingly and willfully conspired with others to participate in a fraudulent scheme to obtain and misappropriate millions in federal child nutrition funds. Specifically, Hussein and her husband, Abduljabar Hussein, fraudulently obtained millions of dollars in federal child nutrition program funds by falsely claiming to have served meals to thousands of children per day.

According to court documents, in October 2020, the defendant enrolled her non-profit, Shamsia Hopes, in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future, at the direction of one of its employees, Abdikerm Eidleh. The defendant submitted her application to Aimee Bock, Feeding Our Future’s executive director. In December 2020, and also at the direction of Abdikerm Eidleh, the defendant’s husband registered his company, Oromia Feeds LLC, with the State of Minnesota as a food vendor. Abduljabar Hussein’s company, Oromia Feeds, had a contract to prepare meals to be served by Shamsia Hopes sites run by Mekfira Hussein.

According to the plea agreement entered today, Hussein submitted fraudulently inflated invoices for reimbursement—including inflated meal counts and false attendance rosters. As part of their scheme, the defendant and her husband paid at least $140,000 in kickbacks to Eidleh and least $12,000 in kickbacks to Aimee Bock.  In some instances, these kickback payments were disguised as “consulting fees,” when, in fact, neither Eidleh nor Aimee Bock provided any service to justify these payments.  In other instances, Feeding Our Future billed hundreds of thousands of dollars in Federal Child Nutrition Program claims under the name of the defendant’s organization, Shamsia Hopes, without the defendant’s knowledge or authorization, and Feeding Our Future siphoned those funds to others involved in the conspiracy.

Throughout the fraudulent conspiracy, the Husseins obtained up to $8.8 million in federal child nutrition program funds some of which they used to pay for personal expenditures unrelated to feeing children. For instance, the defendant and her husband used $173,438 of their proceeds to pay off the mortgage on their home in Shakopee, Minnesota, and also purchased a 2021 Porsche for $93,250, a 2022 GMC truck for $61,722.

Hussein pleaded guilty last Friday in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Her sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Joseph H. Thompson, and Harry M. Jacobs are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Rochester woman pleaded guilty for her role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, from approximately December 2020 through January 2022, Ayan Jama, 45, knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud a federal child nutrition program designed to provide free meals to children in need. Rather than feed children, the defendants took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic—and the resulting program changes—to enrich themselves by fraudulently misappropriating millions of dollars in federal child nutrition program funds.

According to court documents, Jama was one of the principals of Brava Rochester in Rochester, Minnesota. In September 2020, Jama’s Brava Restaurant and Aimee Bock applied for enrollment in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Bock’s non-profit, Feeding Our Future. A co-conspirator enrolled Brava Restaurant in the Federal Child Nutrition Program after the co-conspirator first prepared application paperwork at the direction of Salim Said, the co-owner of Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, which was another business involved in the scheme to defraud the food program.

From late 2020 through 2021, Jama and other conspirators claimed Brava Restaurant was serving approximately 2,000 to 3,000 daily breakfasts and lunches to children, for which they fraudulently claimed and received millions of dollars in federal child nutrition program funds. To accomplish his scheme, Jama and her co-conspirators submitted fake attendance rosters purporting to list the names of children who purportedly received their food at sites. These rosters were fraudulent in that the names on them were fake or did not correctly reflect the number of children that were fed.

According to her plea agreement entered today, Jama claimed Brava Restaurant had served more than 1.7 million meals in Rochester as part of the Federal Child Nutrition Program in a little over one year, a number substantially higher than the actual number of meals served. Based on these fraudulent claims, Feeding Our Future paid out over $5.3 million in federal child nutrition program reimbursements for meals purportedly served to children by the defendant and her co-conspirators. Jama knew her receipt of such funds was fraudulent because she and other conspirators intentionally submitted inflated meal counts. Jama’s Brava Restaurant ultimately received $4.3 million directly from Feeding Our Future and over $900,000 from Safari Restaurant, co-owned by Salim Said.

As part of their scheme, Jama and her conspirators coordinated the establishment of shell companies through which they received and dispersed funds from the federal child nutrition program. Specifically, on January 7, 2021, Salim Said paid to register six different shell companies with the state of Minnesota for Jama and others. For Jama, Salim Said paid to register East Africa LLC. In 2021, Jama deposited at least $407,070 in misappropriated Federal Child Nutrition Program funds into her East Africa LLC bank accounts.

Jama used the federal child nutrition funds to pay for personal expenditures unrelated to feeding children, including $254,041 to purchase a home located in Rochester, Minnesota, $168,000 to purchase a home located in Columbus, Ohio, and $356,795 to purchase property on the Mediterranean Coast in Alanya, Turkey.

Jama pleaded guilty last Friday in U.S. District Court before Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Her sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Joseph H. Thompson, and Harry M. Jacobs are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Chaska man pleaded guilty for his role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, from approximately November 2020 through January 2022, Mohamed Muse Noor a.k.a. “Deeq Darajo,”40, knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud a federal child nutrition program designed to provide free meals to children in need. Rather than feed children, Noor and his co-defendants took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic—and the resulting program changes—to enrich themselves by fraudulently misappropriating millions of dollars in federal child nutrition program funds.

According to court documents, Noor was specifically recruited to the Feeding Our Future scheme even though he had no background or experience in buying or providing food. In December 2020, Noor submitted his application to be enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program through Feeding Our Future employee, Abdikerm Eidleh, to Aimee Bock, former Executive Director of the Feeding Our Future non-profit organization. Under Eidleh’s direction, Noor signed forms with fake meal counts and fabricated invoices falsely claiming to be feeding supper and snack to 1,500 children every day within a few weeks of being sponsored by Feeding Our Future. However, Noor did not personally serve any meals to children and never visited the sites registered in his name by Feeding Our Future.

According to the plea agreement entered today, Noor paid kickbacks to Eidleh in exchange for Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Food distribution sites associated with Noor fraudulently obtained up to $1.3 million in federal child nutrition program funds by falsely claiming to have served meals to thousands of children per day. Almost all almost of the $1.3 million was either transferred to Eidleh or was intercepted by Eidleh without Noor’s knowledge. As part of their arrangement, Noor retained approximately $52,388 in fraudulent proceeds for himself.

Noor pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Joan N. Ericksen to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Matthew S. Ebert, and Harry M. Jacobs are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A man has been sentenced to 80 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for the armed robbery of a St. Paul cell phone store, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. He was also ordered to pay $4,900 in restitution.

According to court documents, on April 5, 2024, Johnnie Ward, Jr., 31, walked into a cell phone store in St. Paul, with an accomplice who was carrying a torch lighter. While the accomplice pointed the weapon at the store clerk, Ward demanded access to the safe in the back storage room, telling his victim to “hurry up or else.” Ward and his accomplice ultimately fled the store with several cell phones.

Ward was sentenced yesterday by Judge Susan Richard Nelson in U.S. District Court on one count of Hobbs Act Robbery.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Classen prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Rochester man pleaded guilty for his role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, from approximately October 2020 through January 2022, Sharmake Jama, 37, knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud a federal child nutrition program designed to provide free meals to children in need. Rather than feed children, the defendants took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic—and the resulting program changes—to enrich themselves by fraudulently misappropriating millions of dollars in federal child nutrition program funds.

According to court documents, in September 2020, Jama and Aimee Bock applied for Jama’s Brava Restaurant to be enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Bock’s non-profit, Feeding Our Future. Jama enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program after he first prepared application paperwork at the direction of Salim Said, the co-owner of Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, which was another business involved in the scheme to defraud the food program.

From late 2020 through 2021, Jama and other conspirators claimed Brava Restaurant was serving approximately 2,000 to 3,000 daily breakfasts and lunches to children, for which they fraudulently claimed and received millions of dollars in federal child nutrition program funds. To accomplish his scheme, Jama and his co-conspirators submitted fake attendance rosters purporting to list the names of children who purportedly received their food at sites. These rosters were fraudulent in that the names on them were fake or did not correctly reflect the number of children that were fed.

According to his plea agreement entered today, Jama claimed Brava Restaurant had served more than 1.7 million meals in Rochester as part of the Federal Child Nutrition Program in a little over one year, a number substantially higher than the actual number of meals served. Based on these fraudulent claims, Feeding Our Future paid out over $5.3 million in federal child nutrition program reimbursements for meals purportedly served to children by the defendant and his co-conspirators. Jama knew his receipt of such funds was fraudulent because he and other conspirators intentionally submitted inflated meal counts. Jama’s Brava Restaurant ultimately received $4.3 million directly from Feeding Our Future and over $900,000 from Safari Restaurant, co-owned by Salim Said.

As part of their scheme, Jama and his conspirators coordinated the establishment of shell companies through which they received and dispersed funds from the federal child nutrition program. Specifically, on January 7, 2021, Salim Said paid to register six different shell companies with the state of Minnesota for Jama and others. Salim Said paid to register Mumu LLC for Jama. In 2021, Jama deposited at least $872,230—almost all of which was misappropriated Federal Child Nutrition Program funds—into his Mumu LLC bank accounts.

Jama used federal child nutrition funds to pay for personal expenditures unrelated to feeding children, including at least $88,000 for a 2021 GMC Sierra 3500 Denali 4WD Crew Cab truck and over $500,000 toward real estate in Rochester, Minnesota, and Rosemount, Minnesota.

Jama pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. His sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Joseph H. Thompson, and Harry M. Jacobs are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Nebraska man has pleaded guilty for two violent carjackings, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, on June 16, 2024, Nathan Mathias Sughroue, 31, approached his first victim and told her to get out of her black Hyundai Elantra. He then reached inside to physically remove her from the vehicle and threatened her with a knife. Shortly afterwards, a Shakopee Police Department officer spotted the black Elantra and attempted a traffic stop by activating his siren, but Sughroue evaded arrest. Sughroue then drove the stolen Elantra to a gas station in Bloomington, Minnesota, where he told his second victim to give him the keys to his Nissan Murano SUV. The second victim refused, and a fight ensued. Sughroue stabbed the second victim multiple times, left him bleeding profusely on the pavement, and drove away in the Nissan Murano.

Sughroue pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury in U.S. District Court yesterday before Judge John R. Tunheim. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Shakopee Police Department, Robbinsdale Police Department, Minneapolis Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Classen is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS –Two more defendants pleaded guilty for their roles in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, from approximately April 2020 through January 2022, Abdulkadir Nur Salah, 38, of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, and Abdi Nur Salah, 37, of St. Paul, Minnesota, knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud a federal child nutrition program designed to provide free meals to children in need. The co-conspirators obtained, misappropriated, and laundered millions of dollars in program funds that were intended as reimbursements for the cost of serving meals to children. The defendants exploited changes in the program intended to ensure underserved children received adequate nutrition during the Covid-19 pandemic. Rather than feed children, the defendants took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic—and the resulting program changes—to enrich themselves by fraudulently misappropriating millions of dollars in federal child nutrition program funds.

According to court documents, Abdulkadir Nur Salah was co-owner and operator of Safari Restaurant, a site that received more than $16 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. Abdi Nur Salah registered Stigma-Free International, a non-profit entity used to carry out the fraud scheme with sites throughout Minnesota, including in Willmar, Mankato, St. Cloud, Waite Park, and St. Paul. Abdi Salah also worked for the City of Minneapolis as a Senior Policy Aide to the Mayor. 

As part of their plea agreement entered today, each defendant agreed that a variety of assets and money were derived specifically from their fraud scheme and are thus subject to forfeiture to the United States. For Abdulkadir Salah that includes: $309,993.51 seized from Bell Bank account for Cosmopolitan Business Solutions d/b/a Safari Restaurant; $435,512.44 seized from Bell Bank account for 3017 LLC; $472,889.08 seized from Northeast Bank account for 3017 LLC; real estate property located at 2722 Park Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota. For Abdi Salah, that includes $343,418.98 seized from Star Choice Credit Union account for Stone Bridge Development, LLC; real estate properties located at 8432 Noble Avenue, North Brooklyn Park, Minnesota (known previously as Kelly’s 19th Hole) and 2529 12th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Both pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz. Their sentencing hearings will be scheduled at a later date.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Minnesota Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
 

MINNEAPOLIS – Two Brooklyn Park men have pleaded guilty in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed methamphetamine throughout central and northern Minnesota, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, on June 22, 2024, a Minnesota State Patrol trooper initiated the traffic stop of a white Ford Expedition on Highway 10 in Royalton, Minnesota. As the trooper approached the vehicle, he noticed several indications of drug trafficking activity including a single screwdriver, flashlight, black electric tape, loose panels and molding around the radio and center console, and a marijuana pipe, as well as a marijuana blunt roach and flakes all over the center console. The driver, Dillon Peter-Cody Clemens, 38, and his passenger, Jacob Seth Cobb, 30, both had revoked driver’s licenses. Clemens and Cobb claimed to be on their way to Motley, Minnesota, to purchase a motorcycle but could not provide the name or street address of the seller. The trooper deployed his K9 to search the vehicle, and the K9 alerted to the driver’s side door seam. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed what appeared to be a one-pound package of methamphetamine. Clemens and Cobb were subsequently arrested.

Clemens and Cobb were each indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Clemens pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Katherine M. Menendez to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Cobb also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine before Judge Menendez on January 21, 2025. Their sentencing hearings will be scheduled at a later date.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Syngen Kanassatega is prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Savage woman pleaded guilty for her role in the fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, Ayan Farah Abukar, 43, and her co-defendants participated in a massive scheme to defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program by obtaining, misappropriating, and laundering millions of dollars in program funds that were intended as reimbursements for the cost of serving meals to children. The defendants exploited changes in the program intended to ensure underserved children received adequate nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than feed children, the defendants enriched themselves by fraudulently misappropriating millions of dollars in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.

According to court documents, Abukarwas the founder and executive director of Action for East African People, a non-profit which she enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and Sponsor A. Between October 2020 through 2022, Abukar falsely claimed to be serving as many as 5,000 children a day at her various sites in Bloomington, Minneapolis, Savage, and St. Paul. In total, Abukar fraudulently received approximately $5.7 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme to defraud, Abukar also paid more than $330,000 in kickbacks to a Feeding Our Future employee. Abukar spent millions on real estate, including a 37-acre commercial property in Lakeville and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase an aircraft in Nairobi, Kenya.

Abukar pleaded guilty today in U.S District Court before Chief Judge Schiltz to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Minnesota Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Bloomington man has been sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $47,920,514.

“The defendant committed a brazen fraud that shamelessly stole taxpayer money intended to feed children during a global pandemic. He lined his pockets, here and abroad, with millions,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kirkpatrick. “As the Court found, he doubled down on his crimes by obstructing justice. This significant sentence should serve as a clear warning to anyone who would seek to exploit and defraud government programs. You will be held accountable.”

As proven at trial, Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff, 34, and his co-defendants devised and carried out a multi-million fraud scheme to defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program. As the chief executive officer of Afrique Hospitality Group, Shariff obtained, misappropriated, and laundered millions of dollars in program funds that were intended as reimbursements for the cost of serving meals to children. Their scheme was accomplished by exploiting changes in the nutrition program intended to ensure underserved children received adequate nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shariff and his co-defendants created and submitted fraudulent meal count sheets purporting to document the number of children and meals served at each site and false invoices purporting to document the purchase of food to be served to children at the sites. The conspirators also submitted fake attendance rosters purporting to list the names and ages of the children receiving meals at the sites each day. These rosters were fabricated and created using fake names. 

The Federal Child Nutrition Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is a federally funded program designed to provide free meals to children in need. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers the program throughout the nation by distributing federal funds to state governments. In Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) administers and oversees the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Meals funded by the Federal Child Nutrition Program are served by “sites.” Each site participating in the program must be sponsored by an authorized sponsoring organization. Sponsors must submit an application to MDE for each site. Sponsors are also responsible for monitoring each of their sites and preparing reimbursement claims for their sites. The USDA then provides MDE federal reimbursement funds on a per-meal basis. MDE provides those funds to the sponsoring agency who, in turn, pays the reimbursements to the sites under its sponsorship. The sponsoring agency retains 10 to 15 percent of the funds as an administrative fee.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the USDA waived some of the standard requirements for participation in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Among other things, the USDA allowed for-profit restaurants to participate in the program, and it allowed for off-site food distribution to children outside of educational programs.

Following a seven-week trial in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel in June 2024, Shariff was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and one count of money laundering. In handing down the sentence today, Judge Brasel commented that Shariff’s conduct showed a “staggering lack of respect for the law,” and that taxpayers were “outraged by the brazenness of the crime.”

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Minnesota Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Matthew S. Ebert, and Daniel W. Bobier prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

 

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, on June 11, 2024, an anonymous 911 caller reported that a man had threatened to shoot the caller’s boyfriend while riding the light-rail train in Minneapolis. The caller provided a physical description of the man, and said he was carrying a firearm in a blue nylon drawstring backpack. Police responded to the light-rail station at Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis where they saw a man, later identified as George Matthews IV, 34, who fit the caller’s description and was carrying a blue nylon drawstring backpack. Officers shouted at Matthews to stop, but instead, he fled the scene and abandoned the blue backpack as he ran. Inside the backpack, officers found a Kimber Micro 9mm pistol with one round of ammunition in the chamber and four rounds in the magazine. Matthews was arrested moments later while wearing a Smith & Wesson belt clip.

Because Matthews has prior felony convictions for aggravated robbery, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms.

Matthews pleaded guilty to one count of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon on September 11, 2024. He was sentenced on January 15, 2025, in U.S. District Court by Judge John R. Tunheim.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Forbes prosecuted the case.

DULUTH, Minn. – A man has been indicted for involuntary manslaughter after the death of a woman on the Bois Forte Reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, on December 17, 2024, the St. Louis County 911 Center received several calls regarding an apparently intoxicated woman walking on Tibbets Trail near the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino. Officers were dispatched to the scene and discovered an unconscious woman lying in the snow. The victim was transported from the scene and pronounced dead. Vehicle debris at the scene included pieces from a dark blue vehicle and pieces of plastic that appeared to be headlights or turn signals. Given this information and the location of the accident, law enforcement contacted the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino for any surveillance footage that may show blue vehicles departing the casino around the time of the 911 calls. Casino staff was able to identify a dark blue Dodge Durango departing the casino. Eric Scott Peterson, 50, was determined to be the registered owner of the vehicle. A search warrant was executed at his residence, where a blue Dodge Durango was found in the driveway with damage consistent with the debris collected from the accident scene.

Peterson was indicted on two counts of involuntary manslaughter. He was arraigned yesterday in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Leo I. Brisbois.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nichole J. Carter is prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL Minn. — A federal jury convicted a Ramsey County man for receipt and possession of videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of children, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Peter Michael Guevara, 56, was on “intensive supervised release” (ISR) for a previous conviction in 2014 of possession of child sexual abuse material in Sherburne County, Minnesota. Law enforcement agents received a tip the defendant was using an unauthorized smart phone. On November 12, 2020, agents conducted a surprise search of Guevara’s property, and found an Apple iPhone in the defendant’s pocket. Officers confirmed that it was an unauthorized device and arrested Guevara. Shortly afterwards, the defendant was recorded on jail calls instructing family members on how to remotely lock and erase the contents of his confiscated iPhone. A forensic examination of the iPhone later found more than 4,000 images and videos of prepubescent minors under the age of 18 engaged in illegal sexual activity. 

A federal jury found Guevara guilty yesterday after a three-day trial on one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.  

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the Minnesota Department of Corrections and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. It 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 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney LeeAnn K. Bell and DOJ Trial Attorney Emily A. Polachek prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Texas man has been indicted for escaping from federal custody, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on October 11, 2024, Ismael Benavidez, 48, was in custody of the Bureau of Prisons and lawfully confined to the Volunteers of America Residential Reentry Center in the District of Minnesota when he walked away without authorization. Benavidez was serving an initial sentence of 40 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Harbor Illegal Aliens on October 25, 2018, in the Western District of Texas.

The indictment charges Benavidez with one count of escape from custody. At his arraignment hearing today in U.S. District Court, Benavidez was ordered to be detained pending further proceedings by Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Burnsville woman has pleaded guilty to straw purchasing multiple firearms for a felon, two of which were used to fatally shoot police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, and firefighter paramedic Adam Finseth in Burnsville on February 18, 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between September of 2023 and January of 2024, the defendant purchased five different firearms from two different federal firearms licensees that the defendant knowingly transferred to her domestic partner, Shannon Cortez Gooden. Under Gooden’s direction, Dyrdahl purchased the firearms and transferred them to Gooden, despite knowing that Gooden was a felon and was therefore legally prohibited from obtaining or possessing firearms.

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

On February 18, 2024, Gooden used two firearms that Dyrdahl purchased for him to ambush police officers and firefighter paramedics who were responding to a call for help in his home. Gooden used a large-capacity magazine in the attack. The attack killed two police officers and a firefighter paramedic and injured a third police officer.

Dyrdahl pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to two counts of straw purchasing in front of U.S. District Judge Jerry W. Blackwell. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

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

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

MINNEAPOLIS – U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger officially announced his resignation as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the district, effective 11:59 p.m. on January 15, 2025.  His resignation marks the close of U.S. Attorney Luger’s second stint as the top prosecutor and federal law enforcement executive in the state of Minnesota. He was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden and sworn in on March 30, 2022, as the 37th United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota. He was previously appointed by President Barack Obama and served as Minnesota’s United States Attorney from 2014 until 2017.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said: “I have been honored to lead this office for the second time.  In March 2022, I set us on the path to address violent crime to meet the challenge our community faced.  I am so grateful to the people of this Office and our many law enforcement partners for the work we have done to bring violent criminals to justice. We have also taken aggressive action against child predators, for which I am proud.”  

Under U.S. Attorney Luger’s leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prioritized the prosecution of crimes related to gun and gang violence, narcotics trafficking, child exploitation online, human trafficking and smuggling, and financial fraud and public corruption.  Carrying out the U.S. Attorney’s violent crime initiative, the United States Attorney’s Office charged over 100 gang members, brought first ever RICO cases against Minneapolis gangs, charged 70 defendants in the Feeding Our Future scandal and charged 5 people with attempting to bribe a juror in the first Feeding Our Future trial.  The Office brought charges against a defendant for an attempted arson at a Mosque, won a conviction in the sex trafficking case against Tony Lazzaro, and indicted a woman for s straw purchasing firearms used in fatal shooting of three first responders in Burnsville, Minnesota. U.S. Attorney Luger’s direction, the Office also revamped and expanded its work in Indian Country, opened an office in Duluth with the first-ever full-time federal prosecutor outside of the Metro and expanded its civil enforcement and investigation of civil rights cases.

U.S. Attorney Luger’s vision and innovative approach to combatting violent crime in the Twin Cities and beyond recently earned him commendation from the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association and the Minneapolis Police Department. Last September, U.S. Attorney Luger received an Honorary Award of Appreciation from the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for his “innovative strategy of both targeting those who are committing firearm violence and disrupting the supply of firearms to criminals in Minnesota” and support of the overall mission of the ATF. 

U.S. Attorney Luger was also appointed by Attorney General Garland to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, and he chaired its Violent Crime Subcommittee, leading over 30 U.S. Attorney’s in developing and implementing innovative strategies to address violent crime around the nation.

Upon Mr. Luger’s resignation, Lisa D. Kirkpatrick, who currently serves as First Assistant United States Attorney, will become the Acting United States Attorney. Ms. Kirkpatrick is a veteran federal prosecutor who previously served as Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney and Appellate Chief.

“I thank President Biden for nominating me as United States Attorney, and Attorney General Garland for leading the Department and supporting the District of Minnesota during my tenure.  I was privileged to work closely with Attorney General Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.  It has been an honor to serve the American people,” U.S. Attorney Luger commented in closing. 

 

A Minnesota man was arrested last week and charged with federal hate crime offenses for assaulting a Black man outside of a bar.

According to the indictment that was unsealed yesterday, on or about Feb. 3, 2024, Justin Anthony Kudla used force or the threat of force to injure, intimidate and interfere with the victim — a Black man identified in the indictment as Victim 1 — because of Victim 1’s race, color, religion and/or national origin, and because Victim 1 was enjoying the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages and accommodations of a local bar. The indictment also charges Kudla with willfully causing bodily injury to Victim 1 because of Victim 1’s actual and perceived race.  

If convicted, Kudla faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each offense and a fine of up to $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger for the District of Minnesota and Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Minneapolis Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the Belle Plaine Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Gilead for the District of Minnesota and Trial Attorneys Katherine G. DeVar and Briana M. Clark of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota man was indicted today and charged with federal hate crime offenses for assaulting a Black man outside of a bar, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to the indictment that was unsealed this afternoon, on or about February 3, 2024, Justin Anthony Kudla, 35, used force or the threat of force to injure, intimidate, and interfere with the victim – a Black man identified in the indictment as Victim 1 – because of Victim 1’s race, color, religion and/or national origin, and because Victim 1 was enjoying the goods, services, and accommodations of a local bar. The indictment also charges Kudla with willfully causing bodily injury to Victim 1 because of Victim 1’s actual and perceived race.  

The indictment charges Kudla with one count of interference with federally protected activities and one count of hate crime. He made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court today before Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster. If convicted of the hate crime offenses, Kudla faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each offense and a fine of up to $250,000.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Minneapolis Field Office, with assistance from the Belle Plaine Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Gilead for the District of Minnesota and Trial Attorneys Katherine G. DeVar and Briana M. Clark of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – Morcon Construction Company, Inc., based in Fridley, Minnesota, has agreed to pay $5.9 million dollars to resolve allegations of False Claims Act violations. Founded in 1982, Morcon is a general contractor responsible for certain repair, maintenance, and related work at U.S. Postal Service sites throughout Minnesota and elsewhere.

The United States alleged that beginning in approximately January 1, 2016, to the present, Morcon intentionally failed to disclose the use of subcontractors to perform repairs and maintenance; falsely certified work as self-performed rather than performed by subcontractors; and falsified subcontractor invoices as part of its claims submissions.

The United States contended that Morcon’s fraudulent conduct resulted in millions of dollars of false claims paid by the United States Postal Service. “This case demonstrates the dedication of the United States Attorney’s Office along with our law enforcement partners to pursue those who undermine the integrity of the government contracting process,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

“We are gratified to have contributed to this investigation and applaud the exceptional work by the United States Attorney’s Office for protecting both U.S. Postal Service funds and the integrity of our repairs and maintenance program,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Cleevely of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “Special Agents of the USPS OIG will continue to aggressively investigate those who would engage in fraudulent activities designed to defraud the Postal Service. This settlement demonstrates that the USPS OIG will pursue contractors that overcharge the government and enrich themselves at the expense of USPS customers.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Rau and U.S. Attorney’s Office investigator Maleko Lattin-McCrary with the assistance of the USPS Office of Inspector General investigated the matter.

The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Virginia man has been sentenced to 192 months in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release for using social media to contact and coerce a minor to create sexually explicit material, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between November 2023 and February 2024, Raymond Jung Woo Choi, a.k.a Jason Lee, 42, of Centreville, Virginia, used Instagram and other social media apps to engage in sexually-focused conversations with a 13–14-year-old girl. Often using the alias “Jason Lee,” Choi knowingly enticed and coerced the minor victim to send him sexually explicit images and videos on Instagram. Choi also groomed and enticed the minor victim by providing gifts, which he sent via Amazon or mailed directly via the U.S. Postal Service.

According to court documents, on February 17, 2024, Choi flew from Virginia to Minnesota to attempt to meet the minor victim in person. Because of family and law enforcement intervention, Choi was unsuccessful in his meeting attempt and flew back to Virginia.

Choi pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography on October 2, 2024. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Donovan W. Frank.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew C. Murphy prosecuted the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A 10-count indictment charges two defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States and making false claims for over three million dollars in tax refunds, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between approximately April 2022 and May 2023, Henry Remington Herod, 42, of Minneapolis, and Matthew McDowell, 44, of Port Allen, Louisiana, conspired to defraud the United States by preparing and filing false federal income tax returns for themselves and others. The returns included false employment, income, and tax credit information they knew to be false, and which resulted in large refunds the filing taxpayers were not entitled to.

According to court documents, for tax year 2021, Herod prepared and filed false tax returns claiming refundable sick and family leave tax credits available to certain self-employed individuals unable to work due to COVID-19. For tax year 2022, Herod and McDowell prepared and filed false tax returns claiming refundable tax credits for federal taxes paid on fuel ostensibly used for off-highway business purposes. Collectively, the defendants knowingly and willfully completed and filed 115 fraudulent federal income tax returns, falsely claiming approximately $3,032,839 in tax refunds the filers were not entitled to.

Herod and McDowell are each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and Herod is charged with nine counts of making false claims. Herod made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on December 12, 2024, and McDowell made his initial appearance on December 26, 2024; both defendants were released upon conditions.

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

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

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

MINNEAPOLIS — The Justice Department announced today that it has entered into a court enforceable agreement with the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) to resolve the Department’s findings that the city and MPD engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the First, Fourth, and 14th Amendments of the Constitution as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal anti-discrimination laws. 

The consent decree, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and subject to court approval, sets forth the roadmap to reform within the city and MPD. The decree’s requirements focus on preventing excessive force; stopping racially discriminatory policing; improving officers’ interactions with youth; protecting the public’s First Amendment rights; preventing discrimination against people with behavioral health disabilities; promoting well-being of officers and employees; and enhancing officers’ supervision and accountability. The decree calls for the appointment of the Effective Law Enforcement For All team as an independent monitor to assess whether the requirements of the decree are being implemented. The independent monitor will report publicly on the city’s implementation efforts on a regular basis.  

“This agreement places the City of the Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department on a path toward achieving the significant reforms, lawful policing, and appropriate emergency response services that the residents of Minneapolis deserve,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As I said last summer when I announced the findings of this investigation – George Floyd should be alive today.  This agreement is an important step toward ensuring that meaningful, durable reform is achieved in Minneapolis.” 

“The people of Minneapolis deserve constitutional policing, bias-free public safety efforts, and effective emergency response services,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The consent decree we unveil today marks a new chapter for Minneapolis, a city still healing following the tragic death of George Floyd. Through this consent decree, the City and the Minneapolis Police Department have committed to instituting reforms that will make Minneapolis a model law enforcement agency that respects everyone’s civil and constitutional rights.  We look forward to working collaboratively with city officials, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the people of Minneapolis to usher in a new era of change and transformation.” 

“This agreement calls for focused, measurable, and detailed reforms that reflect input from the community and a shared goal of positive transformation to benefit the City, the police, and the citizens of Minneapolis,” said Civil Chief and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Voss for the District of Minnesota.

Under the consent decree, the City of Minneapolis and MPD will implement comprehensive reforms to:

•    Use de-escalation to minimize the need to use force and increase the likelihood of voluntary compliance; resolve incidents without force where possible; use force proportional to the threat; and adopt use of force policies, training, and review systems that provide sufficient guidance and develop necessary skills;

•    Enforce the law fairly and impartially, providing equal protection of the law for all people in Minneapolis and barring racial discrimination in enforcement;

•    Respect the First Amendment rights of all persons;

•    Maintain an emergency response system that respects the rights of people with behavioral health disabilities;

•    Investigate allegations of employee misconduct fully, fairly, and efficiently; predicate investigative findings on the appropriate standard of proof and document them in writing, and hold officers who commit misconduct accountable pursuant to a disciplinary system that is fair, consistent, and provides due process;

•    Approach youth in a manner that is developmentally appropriate, age-appropriate, and trauma-informed; and

•    Provide confidential mental health wellness services to all MPD officers and other groups of public safety personnel.

The Justice Department announced its findings in June 2023, following a thorough investigation into the City of Minneapolis and MPD. The Department found that it had reasonable cause to believe that MPD: uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and unreasonable use of tasers; unlawfully discriminates against Black people and Native American people in its enforcement activities; violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech; and — together with the city — discriminates against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to calls for assistance. The Department concluded that persistent deficiencies in policy, training, supervision, and accountability contribute to the unlawful conduct.

The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota conducted the investigation, with the assistance of law enforcement professionals, pursuant to the pattern or practice provision of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. Since January 2021, the Special Litigation Section has opened 12 investigations into law enforcement agencies. The section is enforcing 15 agreements with law enforcement agencies and two post-judgment orders. Additionally, on Dec. 12, 2024, the Department and Louisville, Kentucky, Metro Government filed a joint motion in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky to enter a consent decree intended to resolve the Justice Department’s findings that Louisville Metro and the Louisville Metro Police Department engage in a pattern or practice of violations of the Constitution and federal law. That motion remains pending court approval.

Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota is available at www.justice.gov/usao-mn.

Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s police reform work can be found at www.justice.gov/crt/conduct-law-enforcement-agencies.

The Justice Department will hold a virtual community meeting at 7:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the consent decree.

View the consent decree fact sheet here. 
 

The Justice Department announced today that it has entered into a court enforceable agreement with the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) to resolve the Department’s findings that the city and MPD engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the First, Fourth, and 14th Amendments of the Constitution as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal anti-discrimination laws.

The consent decree, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and subject to court approval, sets forth the roadmap to reform within the city and MPD. The decree’s requirements focus on preventing excessive force; stopping racially discriminatory policing; improving officers’ interactions with youth; protecting the public’s First Amendment rights; preventing discrimination against people with behavioral health disabilities; promoting well-being of officers and employees; and enhancing officers’ supervision and accountability. The decree calls for the appointment of the Effective Law Enforcement For All team as an independent monitor to assess whether the requirements of the decree are being implemented. The independent monitor will report publicly on the city’s implementation efforts on a regular basis.

“This agreement places the City of the Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department on a path toward achieving the significant reforms, lawful policing, and appropriate emergency response services that the residents of Minneapolis deserve,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As I said last summer when I announced the findings of this investigation — George Floyd should be alive today. This agreement is an important step toward ensuring that meaningful, durable reform is achieved in Minneapolis.”

“The people of Minneapolis deserve constitutional policing, bias-free public safety efforts, and effective emergency response services,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The consent decree we unveil today marks a new chapter for Minneapolis, a city still healing following the tragic death of George Floyd. Through this consent decree, the City and the Minneapolis Police Department have committed to instituting reforms that will make Minneapolis a model law enforcement agency that respects everyone’s civil and constitutional rights.  We look forward to working collaboratively with city officials, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the people of Minneapolis to usher in a new era of change and transformation.”

“This agreement calls for focused, measurable, and detailed reforms that reflect input from the community and a shared goal of positive transformation to benefit the City, the police, and the citizens of Minneapolis,” said Civil Chief and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Voss for the District of Minnesota.

Under the consent decree, the City of Minneapolis and MPD will implement comprehensive reforms to:

• Use de-escalation to minimize the need to use force and increase the likelihood of voluntary compliance; resolve incidents without force where possible; use force proportional to the threat; and adopt use of force policies, training, and review systems that provide sufficient guidance and develop necessary skills;
• Enforce the law fairly and impartially, providing equal protection of the law for all people in Minneapolis and barring racial discrimination in enforcement;
• Respect the First Amendment rights of all persons;
• Maintain an emergency response system that respects the rights of people with behavioral health disabilities;
• Investigate allegations of employee misconduct fully, fairly, and efficiently; predicate investigative findings on the appropriate standard of proof and document them in writing, and hold officers who commit misconduct accountable pursuant to a disciplinary system that is fair, consistent, and provides due process;
• Approach youth in a manner that is developmentally appropriate, age-appropriate, and trauma-informed; and
• Provide confidential mental health wellness services to all MPD officers and other groups of public safety personnel.

The Justice Department announced its findings in June 2023, following a thorough investigation into the City of Minneapolis and MPD. The Department found that it had reasonable cause to believe that MPD: uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and unreasonable use of tasers; unlawfully discriminates against Black people and Native American people in its enforcement activities; violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech; and — together with the city — discriminates against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to calls for assistance. The Department concluded that persistent deficiencies in policy, training, supervision, and accountability contribute to the unlawful conduct.

The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota conducted the investigation, with the assistance of law enforcement professionals, pursuant to the pattern or practice provision of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. Since January 2021, the Special Litigation Section has opened 12 investigations into law enforcement agencies. The section is enforcing 15 agreements with law enforcement agencies and two post-judgment orders. Additionally, on Dec. 12, 2024, the Department and Louisville, Kentucky, Metro Government filed a joint motion in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky to enter a consent decree intended to resolve the Justice Department’s findings that Louisville Metro and the Louisville Metro Police Department engage in a pattern or practice of violations of the Constitution and federal law. That motion remains pending court approval.

Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota is available at www.justice.gov/usao-mn.

Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s police reform work can be found at www.justice.gov/crt/conduct-law-enforcement-agencies.

The Justice Department will hold a virtual community meeting at 7:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the consent decree.

View the consent decree fact sheet here.

El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha celebrado un acuerdo ejecutable judicialmente con la ciudad de Minneapolis y el Departamento de Policía de Minneapolis (MPD, por sus siglas en inglés) para resolver las conclusiones del Departamento en cuanto a que la ciudad y el MPD participaron en un patrón o práctica de conductas que violan la Primera, Cuarta y Decimocuarta Enmiendas a la Constitución, así como la Ley de Estadounidenses con Discapacidades y otras leyes federales antidiscriminatorias.

La orden de consentimiento, presentada hoy en el Tribunal de Distrito de los EE. UU. para el Distrito de Minnesota y sujeto a la aprobación del tribunal, establece el mapa de la reforma dentro de la ciudad y del MPD.  Los requisitos de la orden se enfocan en prevenir el uso excesivo de la fuerza; detener las prácticas policiales racialmente discriminatorias; mejorar la interacción de los agentes con los jóvenes; proteger los derechos del público en virtud de la Primera Enmienda; prevenir la discriminación contra personas con discapacidades de salud del comportamiento; fomentar el bienestar de los agentes y empleados; y mejorar la supervisión y el rendimiento de cuentas de los agentes. La orden pide el nombramiento del Equipo de Aplicación Efectiva de la Ley para Todos como un observador independiente para evaluar si los requisitos de la orden están siendo implementados. El observador independiente reportará públicamente de forma regular sobre los esfuerzos de implementación de la ciudad. 

“Este acuerdo coloca a la ciudad de Minneapolis y al Departamento de Policía de Minneapolis en capacidad de realizar reformas significativas, prácticas policiales lícitas y servicios de respuesta de emergencia apropiados que se merecen los residentes de Minneapolis”, afirmó el fiscal general Merrick B. Garland. “Como dije el verano pasado cuando anuncié los resultados de esta investigación, George Floyd debería estar vivo hoy. Este acuerdo es un paso importante para garantizar una reforma significativa y duradera en Minneapolis”.

“Los ciudadanos de Minneapolis merecen prácticas policiales constitucionales, esfuerzos de seguridad púbica sin discriminación y servicios de respuesta de emergencia eficaces”, dijo la fiscal general auxiliar Kristen Clarke de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento.  La orden de consentimiento que hacemos pública hoy marca un nuevo capítulo para Minneapolis, una ciudad todavía recuperándose de la trágica muerte de George Floyd. Mediante esta orden de consentimiento, la ciudad y el Departamento de Policía de Minneapolis se han comprometido a instaurar reformas que harán de Minneapolis un modelo de agencia del orden público, que respeta los derechos civiles y constitucionales de todos. Esperamos trabajar en colaboración con los agentes de la ciudad, el Departamento de Policía de Minneapolis y los ciudadanos de Minneapolis para iniciar una nueva era de cambio y transformación”.

“Este acuerdo pide que se hagan reformas que sean enfocadas, medibles y detalladas que reflejen las sugerencias y comentarios de la comunidad y un objetivo compartido de transformación positiva en beneficio de la ciudad, la policía y los ciudadanos de Minneapolis”, afirmó la jefa de Asuntos Civiles y fiscal general auxiliar Ana Voss para el Distrito de Minnesota.

Según la orden de consentimiento, la ciudad de Minneapolis y el MPD implementarán reformas integrales para:

• Utilizar técnicas de desescalamiento a fin de minimizar la necesidad del uso de la fuerza y aumentar la probabilidad de la obediencia voluntaria; resolver los incidentes sin el uso de la fuerza cuando sea posible; utilizar fuerza proporcional a la amenaza; y adoptar políticas de uso de la fuerza, capacitación y sistemas de revisión que den la orientación suficiente y desarrollen las destrezas necesarias;
• Hacer cumplir la ley de manera equitativa e imparcial, brindando igual protección de la ley a todos en Minneapolis sin discriminación racial al momento de hacerlo;
• Respetar los derechos de todas las personas en virtud de la Primera Enmienda;
• Mantener un sistema de repuesta de emergencia que respete los derechos de las personas con discapacidades de salud del comportamiento;
• Investigar alegaciones de mala conducta de los empleados en forma completa, equitativa y eficiente; basar las conclusiones de la investigación en el estándar de prueba adecuado y documentarlas por escrito, y responsabilizar a los agentes que cometan mala conducta de acuerdo con un sistema disciplinario que sea justo, coherente y que proporcione las debidas garantías procesales;
• Aproximarse a los jóvenes de una manera apropiada a la condición de desarrollo y la edad del joven y que tenga en cuenta la posibilidad de trauma; y
• Brindar servicios confidenciales de salud mental a todos los agentes del MPD y otro personal de seguridad pública.

El Departamento de Justicia anunció sus conclusiones en junio de 2023, después de realizar una investigación exhaustiva de la ciudad de Minneapolis y del MPD. El Departamento concluyó que tiene causa razonable para creer que el MPD: utiliza fuerza excesiva (p. ej., fuerza letal injustificada y uso no razonable de pistolas paralizantes); en sus prácticas policiales discrimina en forma ilegal contra personas de raza negra y nativos americanos; viola los derechos de las personas que participan en expresión protegida; y, conjuntamente con la ciudad, discrimina contra personas con discapacidades de salud del comportamiento cuando responden a llamados de asistencia. El Departamento concluyó que las deficiencias persistentes en cuanto a las políticas, la capacitación, la supervisión y la responsabilización contribuyen a la conducta ilegal.

La Sección de Litigios Especiales de la División de Derechos Civiles y la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito de Minnesota llevaron a cabo la investigación, con la asistencia de agentes del orden público profesionales, de conformidad con las cláusulas sobre patrones o prácticas de la Ley sobre el Control de Delitos Violentos y Aplicación de la Ley de 1994. Desde enero de 2021, la Sección de Litigios Especiales ha emprendido 12 investigaciones de agencias del orden público. La Sección está haciendo cumplir 15 acuerdos con agencias del orden público y dos órdenes posteriores al fallo. Además, el 12 de diciembre de 2024, el Departamento y el Gobierno Metropolitano de Louisville, Kentucky, presentaron una moción conjunta ante el Tribunal de Distrito de los EE. UU. para el Distrito Oeste de Kentucky para implementar una orden de consentimiento cuyo propósito es resolver las conclusiones del Departamento de Justicia según las cuales el Gobierno Metropolitano de Louisville y el Departamento de Policía Metropolitano de Louisville incurren en un patrón o práctica de violaciones de la Constitución y de la ley federal. Esa moción está pendiente de aprobación por parte del tribunal.

Hay información adicional sobre la División de Derechos Civiles en www.justice.gov/crt. Hay información adicional sobre la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito de Minnesota en www.justice.gov/usao-mn.

Puede encontrarse información específica sobre el trabajo de reforma de la policía de la División de Derechos Civiles en www.justice.gov/crt/conduct-law-enforcement-agencies.

El Departamento de Justicia llevará a cabo una reunión comunitaria por internet el martes 14 de enero a las 7:00 p.m., Hora del Centro. Animamos al público a asistir y aprender más sobre la orden de consentimiento.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Burnsville man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after defrauding an electronics manufacturing business out of more than $1.2 million, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between 2019 and 2020, Thomas Thanh Pham, 53, devised a scheme to defraud a California based company of approximately $1.2 million. Pham, who was the CEO of Enterprise Products, LLC, purported to provide consulting and financial services to commercial clients involved in engineering and manufacturing. Pham held himself out as a broker with supposed business relationships with large, well-known companies. As a supposed broker, Pham claimed he could arrange service agreements between an electronic manufacturing services company based in San Jose, California, (identified as Victim A) and his ostensible business affiliates in the electronics and technology sectors.

According to court documents, starting in June 2019, Pham began a series of discussions with Victim A, in which Pham pitched that Enterprise Products could facilitate multi-million-dollar manufacturing and repair contracts between Victim A and large electronics companies. Pham supplied Victim A with bogus documents, including fabricated contracts, correspondence, and business proposals. As part of the scheme, Pham first required Victim A to pay a “deposit bond” in the amount of $1,278,000. Pham’s fraudulent tactics resulted in Victim A agreeing to enter into a contract in September 2019, through which Victim A ostensibly would receive millions of dollars in exchange for repair services. Pham unsuccessfully pitched other phony deals to Victim A that purportedly involved even larger financial contracts deals with other companies.

As part of the scheme and to give the impression that he was fulfilling the fraudulent contract, Pham caused the initial delivery to Victim A in California of approximately 20 samples of electronic devices that supposedly required repairs by Victim A. However, Pham failed to disclose to Victim A that these 20 “sample” devices were, in fact, stolen property. It was additionally part of the scheme that Pham tried to lull Victim A into a false sense of security by offering a series of excuses and promises when Victim A either inquired about its money or demanded a refund. Rather than maintain the money securely in a refundable escrow as promised, Pham fraudulently misappropriated Victim A’s funds for a series of unauthorized uses and transactions.           

On Friday, January 3, 2025, Pham pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud before Judge Joan N. Ericksen.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Rebecca E. Kline are prosecuting the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – Two men have been indicted for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on or about September 4, 2024, Bobby Lee Donnell, 46, and Jordan Lee Lussier, 29, were stopped by the Minnesota State Patrol. A state trooper checked Donnell’s and Lussier’s driver’s licenses and found both had been revoked; Lussier also had a warrant for his arrest. A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the discovery of over 50 grams of methamphetamine and over 40 grams of fentanyl.

Donnell and Lussier were each indicted on one count of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute.  An arraignment and motions hearing has been scheduled for January 24, 2025.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, and the Minnesota State Patrol.

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

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Sartell woman has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, Adelle Starin, 40, engaged in a fraud scheme through a Minnesota business she founded and operated called Baby’s on Broadway, which sold baby products and toys. As part of the scheme, Starin submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement to TRICARE, a healthcare program of the U.S. Department of Defense Military Health System. TRICARE paid out many of Starin’s fraudulent claims, but when TRICARE began rejecting those claims, Starin expanded her scheme to bring other sources of revenue into her company. She created a company called Sunshine Medical LLC and represented to two lenders—Liquid Capital Enterprises Corp. and Slope Tech. Inc.—that she needed financing to buy inventory for Baby’s on Broadway from Sunshine. In reality, and as Starin knew, Sunshine Medical had no business operations or revenue. To execute this scheme, Starin created fake Sunshine Medical invoices. She then sent those invoices to the lenders by means of wire communications in interstate commerce. Over the course of her scheme, Starin obtained over $9,000,000 in financing on the basis of her misrepresentations. 

Starin pleaded guilty on December 19, 2024, in U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud before Judge Jeffrey Bryan. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service and Defense Health Agency Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Bobier is prosecuting the case for the United States.
 

MINNEAPOLIS – Three individuals have been charged in a conspiracy to acquire scheduled controlled substances by fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Oscar Becerra-Ruiz, 21, Jasper William Johnson, 19, and Rayjaun Keon Varner, 23, knowingly conspired with each other to obtain promethazine with codeine, a controlled substance.  From approximately December 2022 and continuing through on or about August 3, 2023, the defendants used paid internet-based record searches to secure identifying information of registered physicians practicing in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Johnson then used this information to illegally access the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Registrant Information Consolidated System (RICS), a government-run database designed to track physician registration, compliance, and reporting, and to prevent the diversion of controlled substances from legitimate medical sources to the illicit black market. 

The indictment alleges that after gaining access to multiple physicians’ RICS accounts, Johnson changed the physicians’ valid contact information in the system to phone numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses he and his co-conspirators maintained and controlled.  The defendants then used the stolen and compromised information to set up physician customer accounts with several online pharmaceutical wholesalers. Using pre-paid debit cards and peer-to-peer payment accounts also registered in the physicians’ names, the defendants unlawfully placed dozens of orders with the pharmaceutical vendors for controlled substances, including promethazine with codeine, a prescription-strength cough syrup containing the opioid codeine.

To date, the investigation, which remains ongoing, has not uncovered any evidence of patients or patient information having been compromised by the defendants. 

Becerra-Ruiz, Johnson, and Varner were each charged with conspiracy to obtain controlled substances by fraud and attempt to obtain controlled substances by fraud.  Johnson was charged with an additional 11 counts of wire fraud, 3 counts of accessing a protected computer in furtherance of fraud, and 4 counts of aggravated identity theft.  The defendants will be arraigned at a later date. 

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Secret Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren O. Roso and Allen A. Slaughter are prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A 13-count indictment charges three defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering of proceeds derived from fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. 

According to court documents, between March 2018 and July 2024, Shawn Ashley Grygo, 37, of Forest Lake, Minnesota, Shantel Rene Magadanz, 34, of Stacy, Minnesota, and Heather Lynn Heim, 46, of St. Paul, Minnesota, devised and carried out a health care fraud scheme to systematically overbill for drug and alcohol treatment services. The defendants used an outpatient drug and alcohol treatment center called Evergreen Recovery, Inc. to defraud Medicaid and other health care programs by billing for treatment that was not provided, services that were not eligible for reimbursement, and billing for treatment services clients were required to attend as a mandatory condition of remaining in free housing provided as a kickback.

According to court documents, in order to maximize the amount of fraudulent Medicaid claims, the defendants used free housing in Evergreen-controlled “sober” homes as a kickback to induce clients to enroll and remain in Evergreen Recovery treatment so that the defendants could use those clients’ names and identifying information to overbill Medicaid. In order to induce Medicaid-eligible patients to enroll in the program, the defendants recruited people from homeless shelters and encampments, residential drug treatment programs, and county probation offices looking for places to put people being released from jail. As part of their conspiracy scheme, the defendants told clients at intake – and repeatedly throughout their stay – that their entitlement to free housing was contingent on their attendance at least five group counseling sessions per week and a weekly individual session with their primary counselor. If a client’s attendance fell short of the requirement, the defendants and others threatened clients with being locked out of free housing and having their belongings put on the curb, all in order to compel utilization of services.  

According to court documents, the conspiracy scheme also involved fraudulent practices designed to facilitate overbilling for group counseling, one-on-one counseling, and treatment coordination services. 

As part of their scheme, the defendants created and caused to be created electronic health record chart entries weeks or months after the purported date of services. On at least one occasion, the defendants and others stayed at the office all night before a visit by licensing regulators in order to create hundreds of untimely chart entries. The defendants also hired Peer Coaches and directed them to log their time and activities in a manner that misrepresented the circumstances under which they were interacting with clients in order to facilitate systematic overbilling. 

Grygo, Magadanz, and Heim are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud  and nine counts of wire fraud. Grygo is also being charged with three counts of money laundering. Grygo is expected to make her initial appearance on Monday, December 23, 2024. Magadanz and Heim made their initial appearances on December 19, 2024, and were released on conditions, including a condition prohibiting contact with former clients and employees of Evergreen Recovery and its related entities.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General. The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to thank the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) at the Attorney General’s office for their assistance in this matter.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Middlecamp is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of U.S. Postal Service employees on two separate occasions, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on November 18, 2023, Rubin David Adams, 26, assisted another person who approached a letter carrier in Edina, pointed a handgun at them, and demanded the “mailbox key,” which the victim did not have. Instead, the victim handed over two sets of USPS vehicle keys. The following day, Adams himself approached another USPS letter carrier in Brooklyn Center. Adams pointed a handgun at the victim’s head, demanded and then stole two USPS mailbox keys. Mailbox keys are valuable to criminals who use them to steal mail, cash, checks, and other financial instruments. Mailbox keys are the property of the USPS, and it is a federal offense for an unauthorized person to possess one.

Adams pleaded guilty today to two counts of armed robbery of a mail carrier in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, Hennepin County Violent Offenders Task Force, Edina Police Department, the Brooklyn Center Police Department, the St. Louis Park Police Department, and the Minnesota Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Hastings man has been charged with multiple counts related to the production and possession of child sexual abuse material, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on May 19, 2022, Hunter James Geidl, 27, knowingly possessed a video file of a minor victim engaging in sexually explicit activities. From approximately July 29, 2022, until March 22, 2024, Geidl employed and used minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing sexually explicit video images.

Investigators believe there may be other victims relevant to this investigation. If your minor dependent(s) have been in contact with Hunter James Geidl, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.

The indictment charges Geidl with three counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Geidl made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on December 13, 2024. He was ordered to remain in custody pending further proceedings at his detention hearing today by Magistrate Judge David T. Schultz.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI with assistance from the Hastings Police Department. It 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.

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

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Stillwater man has been indicted and charged with possession of unregistered firearms and possession of explosives, firearms, and ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on November 2, 2024, Wayne Robert Lund, 46, illegally possessed eight destructive devices not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. He was also found in possession of explosives and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Because Lund has prior felony convictions in Ramsey and Anoka Counties, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms, explosives, or ammunition at any time.

The indictment charges Lund with one count of possession of unregistered firearms, one count of possessing explosives as a felon, one count of possessing firearms as a felon, and one count of possession of ammunition as a felon. He made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on December 11, 2024, before Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster. He was ordered to remain in custody pending further proceedings at his detention hearing today by Magistrate Judge David T. Schultz.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Oak Park Heights Police Department, the Stillwater Police Department, the Saint Paul Police Department, the Saint Croix County (Wisconsin) Sheriff’s Department, and with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.

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

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

MINNEAPOLIS – An Inver Grove Heights man has been charged with multiple counts related to the production of child sexual abuse material and for coercing minors to engage in unlawful sexual conduct, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, Samuel Eric Snell, 45, a.k.a. “Storm Blackwood” and “Candy Man Sam MN,” was a member of an online community on the gaming platform Discord that sold “services” to adult customers. Specifically, minor girls, referred to as “kittens,” would sell online companionship to adults, referred to as “masters,” in exchange for monetary payments, usually made through CashApp or as in-kind gifts.  These Discord channel names included “Fun Time Kitty Klub,” “Pretty Kitty Hangout,” “Safe Kitten Konnection,” and “Kitten Server Name.” Direct messages obtained from Snell’s Discord account show he actively solicited illicit images from his chat partners—many of whom self-identified as minors and indicated that they were grappling with gender identity, sexuality, and mental health concerns.

In general, Snell followed the same script when soliciting images from these minors, beginning with a request for photos of the minors’ inner thigh and then progressing to their pubic region. In several instances, Snell solicited and received sexually-explicit images of minor victims in an intent to groom them to eventually produce child sexual abuse material. Snell also sent his minor victims electronic sex toys that he controlled remotely, and then solicited and received depictions of them using the devices. On at least two occasions, Snell took a minor to a hotel, paid them $100 to engage in sexual intercourse, and provided emergency contraception afterwards.

Investigators believe there may be other victims relevant to this investigation. If your minor dependent(s) have been in contact with Samuel Eric Snell, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.

The indictment charges Snell with six counts of production of child pornography and two counts of coercing a minor to engage in prostitution. Snell made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court yesterday before Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster. A detention hearing has been scheduled for December 17, 2024.

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

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, with assistance from the Inver Grove Heights Police and Woodbury Police Departments.

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

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man has been charged with four crimes related to two separate armed robberies, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on June 7, 2024, Korey Maurese Hale, 25, brandished a Mossberg 715T .22 caliber rifle while robbing a drug store. The next day, on June 8, 2024, Hale brandished the same firearm while robbing a bank.

For his conduct, Hale is charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of armed bank robbery, and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a bank robbery. He made his initial appearance on December 3, 2024, in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster.

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

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Forbes is prosecuting the case.

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – An Edina financial adviser has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,104,395, in a wire fraud scheme where millions in client investment funds were misappropriated, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.  

According to court documents, Kristi Margaret Berge, 48, was the founder and CEO of Keep Safe Investments, LLC, or “KSI Financial,” a financial planning and investment services firm. Berge also co-owned and operated J&K Connect LLC, a company that invested in real estate through buying, renovating, and re-selling properties. Berge maintained offices for her companies in Edina, Minnesota. Berge is registered as an investment adviser with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and licensed as an investment adviser with the State of Minnesota.  

According to court documents, from June 2020 through February 2023, Berge fraudulently misappropriated approximately $2.1 million from some of her clients’ accounts by falsely representing to clients that she would maintain their money in safe and secure investment accounts, such as individual retirement accounts and 401(k) retirement savings plans. Instead, Berge fraudulently misappropriated the money by repeatedly withdrawing client funds in varying amounts between $5,000 and $220,000 and depositing the funds into bank accounts she controlled. Berge then used the clients’ funds to purchase multiple properties in Edina for her real estate business. Berge tried to conceal her fraud by falsely labeling her illicit withdrawals as “management” or “administrative” fees and by creating fabricated records to give the false impression that she had authorization to withdraw clients’ investment funds.

Berge pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud earlier this year, and was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Eric C. Tostrud.

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

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

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 288 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution for kidnapping, bank fraud, and identity theft after robbing two women at gunpoint and stealing from another, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to evidence presented at trial, on September 13, 2022, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Raphael Raymond Nunn, 58, approached a woman in Arden Hills who had just parked her vehicle. Nunn, who was wearing a mask, gloves, and carrying a handgun, forced the victim at gunpoint to drive him to an ATM in Minneapolis and withdraw cash for his own benefit. Nunn then ordered the victim to drive to Matthews Park, where he then ordered her to give him her keys so he could get away.

According to court documents, Nunn was later captured on surveillance videos from surrounding businesses and seen exiting the victim’s vehicle, removing his hood and mask, and entering a nearby corner grocery store. Four days later, Nunn returned to the store driving a vehicle registered in his name which led to the discovery of his address, where he was ultimately arrested on September 22, 2022

A search of his residence recovered evidence from the kidnapping and revealed Nunn had stolen from a second victim and robbed a third at gunpoint before fraudulently using the victims’ stolen credit cards to obtain money from their bank accounts. 

On May 23, 2024, Nunn was convicted by a federal jury on one count of kidnapping, two counts of bank fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft following a four-day trial. He was sentenced last week in U.S. District Court by Judge Eric C. Tostrud. In handing down the sentence, Judge Tostrud commented that Nunn was “incorrigible,” and issued an upwards variance in his sentence noting that Nunn “posed an escalating danger to the public.”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Oak Park Police Department, the City of Hudson Police Department, and the FBI. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Albania Concepcion and Lauren O. Roso prosecuted the case.

MINNEAPOLIS – A Glenwood man has been indicted on multiple counts related to the production and receipt of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between approximately January 21, 2020, until June 3, 2024, Patrick Wayne Baker, 51, surreptitiously recorded six minors for the purpose of creating sexually explicit images.

The indictment charges Baker with two counts of production of child pornography and three counts of receipt of child pornography. Baker made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung on November 26, 2024.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Pope County Sheriff’s Office, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney William C. Mattessich is prosecuting the case.

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

MINNEAPOLIS – A Ramsey County man has pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm and carjacking, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on June 30, 2022, Ricardo Rydell Walker, Jr., 21, took a black 2021 Toyota Highlander by force and with threat of violence and bodily harm. Walker and others approached Victim A as they were walking from the vehicle to their apartment building, and tripped Victim A as they tried to escape. Walker then hit Victim A on the left side of the head with a handgun.

Six days later, on July 6, 2022, Walker was arrested in Maplewood, MN, in a stolen car, while in possession of a Springfield Hellcat 9mm. 

Walker pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to one count of carjacking. He also admitted to aiding and abetting the 2021 carjackings of a black 2019 Volkswagen Atlas and a gray 2015 Mazda 3, and the carjacking of a gray Nissan Rogue on June 24, 2024. In each case, Walker and others used the threat of violence and intimidated the victims with firearms. 

Walker also pled guilty to one count of receipt of a firearm while under indictment for a felony. He was arraigned today in U.S. District Court by Judge Katherine M. Menendez. 

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

Assistant U.S. Attorneys William C. Mattessich and Mary Riverso are prosecuting the case.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – An Indiana man has pleaded guilty in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed fentanyl throughout the Twin Cities and surrounding areas, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between August 2022 through December 2023, Da’Shawn Natori Domena, 25, conspired with his co-defendants to distribute fentanyl in Minnesota. The co-conspirators frequently traveled to Phoenix to obtain fentanyl pills from suppliers, hid the pills inside stuffed animals, and mailed them to addresses in and around the Twin Cities. Law enforcement in Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties became aware of the trafficking and initiated a joint investigation, which resulted in the seizure of six packages containing over 30,000 grams of fentanyl pills.

Domena pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court before Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

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

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

A federal jury in the District of Minnesota convicted two men today for their roles in a human smuggling venture that resulted in the deaths of a family of four Indian nationals, including two children.

According to evidence presented at trial, between Dec. 12, 2021, and Jan. 19, 2022, Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, also known as Dirty Harry and Harry Patel, and Steve Anthony Shand, 50, conspired to smuggle dozens of migrants across the border of Canada and into the United States. Patel and Shand were part of a large-scale human-smuggling operation that brought Indian nationals to Canada on student visas and then smuggled them into the United States. The defendants’ roles in the smuggling operation included the coordination and transportation of people from Manitoba, Canada, into the United States. Specifically, Patel worked with co-conspirators in Canada to organize the logistics of smuggling trips, while Shand was instructed when and where to pick up migrants just south of the Canadian border in the United States. He then drove them to Chicago. They were paid for their roles in the conspiracy and disregarded the risks posed by the cold weather at the northern border. 

According to evidence presented at trial, on Jan. 19, 2022, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents responded to a request for assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) based out of Pembina, North Dakota. USBP initiated a traffic stop on a white-colored, 15-passenger van that Shand was driving. The stop occurred less than one mile south of the U.S.-Canadian border in a rural area between the U.S. ports of entry located at Lancaster, Minnesota, and Pembina. A short while later, law enforcement encountered five Indian nationals approximately a quarter mile south of the Canadian border walking in the direction of where Shand had just been arrested. They explained that they had walked across the border expecting to be picked up by someone. The group estimated they had been walking around for over seven hours.

One of the members of the group was in possession of a backpack that did not belong to him. He told officers that he was carrying the backpack for a family of four Indian nationals that had walked with his group but had become separated during the night. Temperatures that night had plummeted to 36 degrees below zero. The backpack contained children’s clothes, a diaper, toys, and some children’s medication.

That family was found dead a short time later. As proven at trial, later the same day, USBP received a report from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that four bodies — two adults and two young children — were found frozen just inside the Canadian side of the international border. As proven at trial, Patel and Shand were paid to smuggle the family into the United States.

Following a five-day trial, the jury found Patel and Shand each guilty of four counts of human smuggling.  The defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the first and second counts and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the third and fourth counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger for the District of Minnesota; Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt of the HSI St. Paul Field Office; and Chief Patrol Agent Scott D. Garrett of the USBP Grand Forks Sector made the announcement.

HSI and USBP conducted the investigation. The RCMP and Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.

Trial Attorney Ryan Lipes of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael McBride for the District of Minnesota are prosecuting the case.