Southern District of Mississippi

Jackson, Miss. - Each year in April, the Department of Justice and United States Attorneys’ offices observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week nationwide by taking time to honor victims of crime and those who advocate on their behalf. In addition, the Justice Department and U.S. Attorneys’ offices organize events to honor the victims and advocates, as well as bring awareness to services available to victims of crime. This year’s observance is taking place April 7-13, with the theme: Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future.

“Victims of crime deserve justice. This Department works every day to help them recover and to find, prosecute, and convict those who have done them harm,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “During this National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we pause to remember the millions of Americans who have been victims of crime and we thank public servants who have served them in especially heroic ways. This week the men and women of the Department recommit ourselves once again to ensuring that crime victims continue to have a voice in our legal system, to securing justice for them, and to preventing other Americans from suffering what they have endured."

“We must never forget one of the primary reasons we do this job – to seek justice for victims and their families.  This week, we are honoring not only heroic victims who have stood up against those whom have harmed them, but also victim advocates and law enforcement professionals who make sure that our laws are enforced and our victims are protected.  Our goal is to keep victims, their advocates, and law enforcement professionals at the forefront of our minds as we do the work of seeking justice for all,” said U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst.

U.S. Attorney Hurst presented the following awards during yesterday’s Crime Victims Service Awards Ceremony:

Victim Assistance Award – Federal Law Enforcement: 

Molly Blythe, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation

This award recognizes a federal law enforcement agent who consistently displays top-quality investigative skills and sensitivity to the rights and needs of victims.  Special Agent Blythe has demonstrated unwavering persistence and dependability during all phases of investigation and prosecution of cases involving victims of crime.  Agent Blyth recently investigated a local human trafficker and provided untiring support to a victim in that case, resulting in the conviction and 32 year sentence of the defendant for this insidious crime.

Victim Assistance Award – State Law Enforcement:   

Dan Ratliff, Mississippi Gaming Commission and FBI Task Force Officer

This award recognizes a member of state or local law enforcement that exhibits professionalism and superior service and sensitivity to victims.  Task Force Officer Ratliff has been steadfast in his efforts to restore the sense of security and trust to victims, while vigorously pursuing justice. Officer Ratliff demonstrated unwavering persistence in the investigation of a local carjacking case that occurred within the City of Jackson and his continual support of the victim in that case.

Victim Assistance Award – Local Law Enforcement:

Kevin Payne, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

Mr. Payne has been designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in this office prosecuting criminal cases that occur on the tribal lands of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.  Mr. Payne consistently demonstrates steadfast persistence and dependability during the prosecution of cases involving victims of crime.

Victim Bravery Award: 

“Tori”

Tori was a victim of human trafficking. This award recognizes a crime victim who has shown extraordinary strength and courage.  Through her brave actions, Tori helped to achieve justice in the trial of her oppressor, and she continues to help other victims of human trafficking.

Crime Victim Assistance and Service Legacy Award: 

Michelle Rhodes, Rankin County Youth Court

This award recognizes Mrs. Rhodes for her courageous efforts resulting in the rescue of a human trafficking victim.  She is a dedicated crime victims’ advocate who works to help victims overcome obstacles and improve their lives.  Mrs. Rhodes recently assisted in the prosecution of a local human trafficker.

Crime Victim Steadfast Award: 

Tammy Thomas, mother of murder victim

This award recognizes Mrs. Thomas for her determination to bring justice to the defendant that took the life of her daughter.  Mrs. Thomas is commended for her persistence, determination, and tireless pursuit of justice.  

 

Jackson, Miss. – Alfred Henderson, 28, of Brookhaven, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette III to 60 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Henderson was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.

On October 23, 2017, a confidential informant successfully purchased a .44 Caliber rifle from Henderson, a previously convicted felon, on parole. Henderson was previously convicted in Lincoln County for sale of controlled substances, burglary of a dwelling, and conspiracy to commit burglary. He was indicted on July 25, 2018, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pled guilty before Judge Bramlette on January 9, 2019.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Candace Gregory Mayberry.

Jackson, Miss. – Stefan Brown, 21, of Jackson, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette to 108 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for robbing a local business and brandishing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze.

On January 31, 2017, officers with the Jackson Police Department responded to an armed robbery at the International House of Pancakes ("IHOP") on Greenway Drive in Jackson. The victims reported, and surveillance video confirmed, that Brown entered the IHOP brandishing a firearm and demanding all of the money in their cash registers. The victims answered Brown’s demands and ran to hide in the restaurant freezer. Brown exited the business with $631.

Brown was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 21, 2018 and pled guilty on January 9, 2019.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Candace Mayberry.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing our offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

As "Tax Day," April 15th, approaches, U.S. Attorneys Mike Hurst and Chad Lamar of the Southern and Northern Districts of Mississippi, respectively, remind taxpayers to beware of unscrupulous tax return preparers.

"Every year, some Mississippians are victimized by dishonest individuals looking to make a quick buck by defrauding our tax system. We are committed to bringing these underhanded return preparers to justice. If you suspect tax fraud, contact our offices or your local IRS office. By being vigilant and working together, we can hold these tax fraudsters and cheats accountable," said U.S. Attorney Hurst.

"I certainly echo the words of my colleague. We, as citizens of the United States, have a legal obligation to timely pay our federal and state taxes and to timely file our tax returns. Those who choose to evade those responsibilities, or take advantage of our citizens who are trying to comply with their legal tax filing obligations, will be met with severe penalties, including prosecution." said U.S. Attorney Lamar.

While most tax return preparers are professional and honest, some prepare returns with false information in order to improperly boost a taxpayer’s refund, to reduce their liability, or to increase business and preparation fees. Under the law, taxpayers are responsible for what is reported on their returns. When the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") uncovers the falsehoods, the taxpayer can face penalties and interest and, if circumstances warrant, criminal prosecution.

The U.S. Attorneys issued the following tips to those who are selecting a tax return preparer:

• Be wary of tax return preparers who claim they can obtain larger refunds than others can.

• Avoid tax return preparers who base their fees on a percentage of the refund or who offer to deposit all or part of your refund into their financial accounts.

• Ensure you use a preparer with a preparer tax identification number ("PTIN"). Paid tax return preparers must have a PTIN to prepare all or substantially all of a tax return.

• Use a reputable tax professional, who enters their PTIN on your tax return, signs the tax return, and provides you a copy of the return (as required).

• Consider whether the individual or firm will be around for months or years after filing the return to answer questions about the preparation of the tax return.

• Never sign a blank tax form.

• Check the person’s credentials. Only attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents can represent taxpayers before the IRS in all matters, including audits, collections, and appeals.

The U.S. Department of Justice applies both civil and criminal tools at its disposal to shut down illegal tax return preparation activity. Taxpayers should always remain wary of tax return preparers who claim they can obtain larger refunds than others or engage in other unscrupulous practices. Every year, the Justice Department’s Tax Division, in collaboration with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, files civil actions seeking court orders to shut down tax return preparers who allegedly prepared false tax returns, and to punish dishonest tax return preparers for their fraudulent activities. When the evidence supports criminal enforcement action, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices will pursue criminal prosecutions of tax return preparers.

The IRS has some additional information on its website about selecting a return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers and a list of tips for choosing a tax preparer.

 

Gulfport, Miss. – Marco De La Cruz-Martinez, 22, of Mexico, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to unlawful reentry by an alien after removal, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, Special Agent in Charge Jere T. Miles with U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, and Gregory K. Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector.  

De La Cruz-Martinez will be sentenced by Judge Ozerden, on July 8, 2019.  He faces a potential maximum penalty of two years in prison followed by one year of supervised release, and a maximum $250,000 fine.  He also faces being removed from the United States following the completion of any prison sentence.

On January 28, 2019, an interdiction agent with the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team conducted a traffic stop on a GMC Yukon XL with South Carolina license plates on I-10 eastbound in Jackson County.  The agent observed eight occupants of the vehicle, including De La Cruz-Martinez.  Border Patrol Agents arrived on the scene shortly thereafter, and interviewed the occupants of the vehicle as to their citizenships, determining that none had proper documents and all were illegally present in the United States.   The occupants (2 drivers and 6 passengers) were arrested and transported to the Border Patrol Station in Gulfport. 

Further investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Border Patrol determined that the 6 passengers were being smuggled within the United States and that De La Cruz-Martinez had previously had been ordered removed from the United States. 

 U.S. Attorney Hurst praised the cooperation exhibited by the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Border Patrol, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team, and the City of Gautier Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for the case.

Hattiesburg, Miss. – John Baxter, 36, of Hayward, California, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to serve 360 months in federal prison, followed by 7 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Baxter was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

During the course of an investigation by the DEA, agents learned Baxter was the methamphetamine source of supply for Dexter Jones and his brother, Darrion Jones. Beginning as early as 2015, Baxter was responsible for supplying the Jones brothers with over 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine "ice." On at least four occasions, Baxter utilized a courier to transport methamphetamine from California to Mississippi. Baxter was subsequently indicted for his role in the conspiracy along with the Jones brothers.

On February 21, 2019, Baxter pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The Jones brothers also pled guilty for their roles and were sentenced by Judge Starrett on September 6, 2018. Dexter Jones was sentenced to serve life in federal prison, while Darrion Jones was sentenced to serve 300 months in federal prison.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Lamar County Sheriff’s Department, Jones County Sheriff’s Department, and Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shundral H. Cole.

Jackson, Miss – Harold Course, 46, of Jackson, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Christopher Freeze, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On October 19, 2018, officers with the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force arrived at a halfway house in Jackson to serve an arrest warrant on an individual when they observed a man asleep in the driver’s seat of a pickup truck.  Agents identified the man as Harold Course.  Course was not the subject of the arrest warrant, but agents observed, in plain view, a shotgun between Course and the truck’s center console.  Agents determined Course was wanted by Brookhaven Police for robbery and was a convicted felon.  Course had been previously convicted in Hinds County, Mississippi, of attempted business burglary on March 6, 2015.

On February 20, 2019, Course was charged in a federal indictment with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.   He will be sentenced on July 15, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. by Judge Reeves, and faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bert Carraway.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness.  EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together."  PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

Gulfport, Miss – Following a conviction at trial on October 31, 2018, Frederick Arayatanon, 35, of Westminister, California was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to serve life in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

During the course of a drug investigation that began in 2017, DEA agents discovered that Arayatanon was shipping large quantities of methamphetamine from California to Tuyen Ngoc Le in Biloxi, Mississippi. Once Le received the methamphetamine shipments, she would give them to Demetrius Mason for distribution in the Ocean Springs area.

Le pled guilty for her role in the drug conspiracy and was sentenced by Judge Guirola to serve 262 months in federal prison. Mason pled guilty for his role and was sentenced by Judge Guirola on May 31, 2018 to serve 292 months. Both Le and Mason testified as witnesses for the United States during Arayatanon’s trial.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Shundral H. Cole and Kathlyn Van Buskirk.

Jackson, Miss. – Christopher Younger, 38, of Jackson, was sentenced yesterday, by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate, to 120 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana K. Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Younger was previously convicted of multiple felonies, including house burglary, embezzlement, and auto burglary. On January 31, 2018, Younger was found in possession of a firearm when members of the U.S. Marshals’ Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force went to arrest him for violating his parole from the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Judge Wingate highlighted Younger’s extensive criminal history as part of the explanation for his decision to sentence the defendant to the statutory maximum, citing the fact that Younger had been convicted of multiple offenses across multiple states. Additionally, the court ruled that the sentence will run consecutive to any outstanding state sentence that Younger is currently serving.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lynn Murray and Andrew W. Eichner.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S.

Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

 

Jackson, Miss. – Donte Porter, 33, of Jackson, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On March 20, 2018, the Clinton Police Department received a call regarding a black male brandishing a firearm and acting suspicious at the Auto Zone in Clinton. The man left the scene in a black Nissan Maxima before officers arrived. The officers found a vehicle matching the description and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver, later identified as Donte Porter, drove off headed towards Jackson. The officers chased Porter into Jackson, where the vehicle finally came to a stop. A search of the vehicle revealed a handgun in the center console. Porter has a 2008 conviction for house burglary in Hinds County.

Porter will be sentenced by Judge Wingate on July 2, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, followed by a three year term of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Clinton Police Department, and the Jackson Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Wansley.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

Jackson, Miss. – Adrian Charleston, 24, of Jackson, entered a guilty plea on Friday, April 5, 2019 before Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana K. Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Charleston was previously convicted of manslaughter in Hinds County in 2013 and was sentenced to serve twenty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections with fifteen of those years suspended. On June 30, 2018, Charleston possessed a firearm and tried to hide the evidence by discarding the firearm in a dumpster before being caught by law enforcement.

Charleston will be sentenced by Chief Judge Jordan on July 19, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jackson Police Department investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.

Jackson, Miss. – Roger Stokes, 36, of Walnut Grove, entered a guilty plea today, before Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan, to escaping from federal custody, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and U.S. Marshal Mark B. Shepherd of the United States Marshals Service.

Stokes was previously convicted in the Southern District of Mississippi of felonious illegal transport of an alien, and was sentenced to two years in custody and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Louis Guirola.   Following a revocation of his original supervised release and the imposition of an additional two years in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Stokes was transferred to the Bannum Place Residential Reentry Center in Jackson to serve the remainder of his time with an anticipated release date of March 18, 2019.  On January 11, 2019, after being confronted by facility personnel with a positive drug test, Stokes left the facility without permission and was caught by law enforcement in Attala County ten days later.

Stokes will be sentenced by Chief Judge Jordan on July 19, 2019 at 9:15 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The United States Marshals Service investigated the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.

 

Jackson, Miss. – Christopher Devone Jones, 25, of Vicksburg, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to 44 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Jones was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.

On April 8, 2018, officers with the Vicksburg Police Department searched Jones’ bedroom as part of an investigation into a drive-by shooting. Jones confessed to being in possession of two pistols after the firearms were found under a dresser drawer in his bedroom. Jones has a prior conviction in Warren County for accessory after the fact to second degree murder in 2014.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles W. Kirkham.

 

Hattiesburg, Miss. – Travis Wright, 53, of Wayne County, pled guilty Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of  Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives,

On March 3, 2018, a Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper observed a 2000 Dodge Dakota pickup truck with a Missouri license plate traveling south on Mississippi Highway 145 at a high rate of speed.  The Trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the driver of the truck, later identified as Travis Wright, ignored the Trooper’s attempt to stop him.  Instead, he accelerated to speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.  At one point during his attempt to evade law enforcement, Wright drove his truck northbound in the southbound lane against oncoming traffic.  Wright eventually exited the highway and continued driving in a reckless manner until he ran into a barbed wire fence.  Wright exited the truck, went to the rear of the vehicle, and began trying to remove a loaded .12 Gauge shotgun and a rifle.  The Trooper commanded Wright to stop and show his hands.  Wright ignored these commands and began to flee into the woods.  The Trooper deployed his taser and was able to apprehend Wright after a short struggle.  Officers later discovered that Wright has numerous prior convictions, including several convictions for burglary in Missouri.  Wright was subsequently charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

Wright will be sentenced by Judge Starrett on July 23, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.  He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Carter.

 

 

Gulfport, Miss. – Damion Xavier Giglio, 34, of Saucier, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. to being a user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On February 15, 2018, Harrison County Sheriff Deputies responded to a call regarding a shooting and found Giglio with a rifle.  Giglio was out on bond for a prior aggravated assault charge and was taken into custody.  He admitted to smoking marijuana since he was 16 years old and using methamphetamine.  On January 8, 2019, Giglio was charged in a federal indictment  with possession of a firearm by a user of controlled substances.  

Giglio will be sentenced on July 2, 2019 by Judge Guirola, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, along with 3 years of supervised release. 

The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.  The case is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.

Gulfport, MS – Dale Ricardo Easterling, 43, of Moss Point, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to 128 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Easterling was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

On July 13, 2018, a Louisiana State Trooper stopped a car driven by Easterling traveling east bound on Interstate 10. The trooper observed nervous behavior by Easterling. He searched the car and found a hidden compartment with seven kilograms of cocaine. Easterling admitted that he was taking the cocaine back to Moss Point for further distribution. He further admitted that he had previously trafficked cocaine to Jackson County.

On the same date, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force executed a search warrant at Easterling’s home. They found various rounds of ammunition, over 500 grams of marijuana brownies, 1.5 kilograms of marijuana, 833 grams of Fentanyl, 5 grams of heroin, and 99 pills that looked like oxycodone. The suspected oxycodone pills were sent to the Mississippi Crime Laboratory and found to contain fentanyl and acetaminophen.

The case was investigated by FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team, and the Louisiana State Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathlyn R. Van Buskirk.

 

Jackson, Miss. –  Maurice Taylor, 33, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, pled guilty today, before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Tom S. Lee, to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Special Agent in Charge Jere T. Miles with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.

Maurice Taylor carried out a scheme in which he shipped stolen firearms from Mississippi to a co-conspirator in London, England.  He prepared two separate packages containing stolen firearms concealed within children’s toys, and mailed the packages to London, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.  DNA evidence confirmed that Taylor, who is a convicted felon, was one of the people who handled the firearms.  The firearms had been stolen days earlier during a burglary of a pawn shop in Natchez, Mississippi.  Taylor texted with his co-conspirator messages and photographs of the guns he would mail, and received back from London confirmation numbers for wired payments for the guns, through a mobile phone application.  After the London Metropolitan Police arrested Taylor’s partner, the LMP seized his phone and several firearms from his car. Evidence of the communications and the electronic payments were retrieved from the co-conspirator’s phone.

Taylor also pled guilty being a convicted felon in possession of firearms.  He has prior felony convictions for burglary and grand larceny in Sharkey County, Mississippi.  Taylor will be sentenced on July 11, 2019, by Judge Lee, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison as to the Conspiracy charge and ten years in prison as to the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Taylor stands to receive up to a $250,000.00 fine for each charge.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and the London Metropolitan Police Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Theodore M. Cooperstein and Charles W. Kirkham.

Jackson, Miss. –  Christian Matthew Storey, 27, of Byram, pled guilty today before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Tom S. Lee to attempting to acquire a firearm by making fraudulent statements on a federal background check form, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On October 18, 2018, Storey attempted to purchase a firearm from a pawn shop in Jackson, Mississippi.  Storey had previously been judicially committed for mental treatment in 2016 by the Chancery Court of Hinds County.  He was subsequently treated and discharged from a mental hospital in Mississippi.

Storey, in an attempt to purchase a 9mm pistol, completed and signed ATF Form 4473 while at the pawn shop as part of the federally required background check process.  One question on that form asks a firearm purchaser whether or not they have ever been committed to a mental institution.  Storey fraudulently checked “No” as to that question and then signed the form certifying that his false answer was correct. 

The firearm purchase was denied after the National Instant Criminal Background Check System rejected the purchase due to Storey’s previous commitment for mental treatment.  Under federal law, it is unlawful for a person who has been involuntarily judicially committed to either possess or purchase a firearm.

Storey was charged in a federal indictment on January 8, 2019 with one count of making a false statement in an attempt to acquire a firearm and one count of giving false information to a federal firearm licensee.  He will be sentenced on July 11, 2019, by Judge Lee, and faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine on the first count and a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine on the second count.

The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles W. Kirkham.

Jackson, Miss. – Andrew Rollins, 28, of Jackson, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On August 22, 2018, Rollins was found in possession of a firearm at a Food Mart located in Jackson and attempted to conceal his possession of the gun from law enforcement by handing it off to a third person. Rollins was previously convicted of felonious house burglary in Hinds County and was sentenced to serve sixteen years in the custody of Mississippi Department of Corrections with eight of those years suspended.

Rollins will be sentenced by Judge Reeves on June 27, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Jackson Police Department investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Eichner.

Jackson, Miss. – Willie Charles Blackmon, Jr., 37, of Jackson, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to serve 384 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for sex trafficking of minors, announced United States Attorney Mike Hurst and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze. Blackmon was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and register as a sex offender for life.

"Harming, threatening and drugging children to do unspeakable things for money will be swiftly prosecuted by this office and harshly punished in this district. The men and women in law enforcement, as well as our prosecutors and support staff, are to be commended for bringing justice to these victims and accountability to this defendant. I would ask the public to remain vigilant as to these crimes and to promptly report any suspicious activities to law enforcement so that other children never become victims of such heinous acts in the future," said U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst.

"Exploitation of a child for any reason is despicable and has no place in our communities," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Freeze. "The FBI's Child Explotation Task Force will continue to actively pursue anyone who deprives the community of the innocence of children, and fight for justice for their victims."

After a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Jackson, Blackmon was found guilty on November 30, 2018, of two counts of sex trafficking minors and two counts of promoting a prostitution business.

In July 2014, an investigation began into a prostitution ring in the Jackson area led by Willie Charles Blackmon, Jr. The investigation revealed that Blackmon purchased a runaway minor for $500 and recruited other runaway minors for prostitution. He rented rooms at local hotels in Jackson and Vicksburg for days at a time, where the minors engaged in commercial sex acts with men for money. Blackmon kept most, if not all, of the money earned by the minors from the sex acts. The evidence showed that Blackmon physically harmed the minors, and would threaten them by holding a gun to their heads if they did not perform or if they disrespected him. He also provided drugs to the minors.

The Jackson FBI, Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, FBI New Orleans Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force, Clinton Police Department and Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the prostitution ring which spread throughout Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Arkansas. Assistant United States Attorneys Glenda R. Haynes and Keith French prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

A Hattiesburg, Mississippi man pleaded guilty today for his role in a $200 million compounding pharmacy scheme to defraud health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, which is the program that covers U.S. military service members and their families.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst of the Southern District of Mississippi; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze of the FBI’s Jackson, Mississippi Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Holloman III of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Atlanta Field Office and Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Southeast Field Office made the announcement.

Glenn Doyle Beach Jr., 46, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and tax evasion, before U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett of the Southern District of Mississippi.  Beach was charged in May 2018 in a 26-count indictment and had been scheduled to begin trial today.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 2, 2019.

“Glenn Doyle Beach and his co-conspirators stole hundreds of millions of dollars from federal health care programs, including TRICARE, which provides benefits to brave members of our military and their families,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski.  “The Criminal Division remains dedicated to rooting out and punishing this kind of misconduct, and to protecting America’s important health care programs from fraud and abuse.”

“While our men and women in uniform were defending the freedoms and values we hold dear, this defendant was selfishly stealing precious money and resources from their military healthcare system, TRICARE, to the detriment of us all,” said U.S. Attorney Hurst.  “Our investigators and prosecutors are to be commended for their steely resolve in rooting out corruption and administering justice for victims.  We will not stop until every last person involved in this criminal scheme has been brought to justice.”

“Fraud schemes of this magnitude disrupt the fabric of our health care system, ultimately damaging our nation's economy and costing taxpayers billions each year,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Freeze.  “Today's guilty plea brings this case one step closer to justice and proves that the collective resources of all partnering agencies will continue to expose these schemes and will actively seek justice for those who participate in them."

Beach was an owner and the managing member of Advantage Pharmacy of Hattiesburg.  At the hearing today, Beach admitted his role in a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, by marketing medications known as compounded medications, which ordinarily are medications that are specially combined or formulated to meet the individual needs of patients.  Beach admitted, however, that through Advantage Pharmacy of Hattiesburg, he formulated compounded medications without regard to the individual needs of the patients, but instead in order to increase reimbursements paid by health care benefit programs.  Furthermore, Beach admittedly created a fictitious paper trail to mislead insurance auditors who attempted to uncover the fraud. 

Beach further detailed a money laundering and tax evasion scheme that he and other co-conspirators used to conceal the fraudulent proceeds and evade taxes.

From approximately April 2012 through January 2016, health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, reimbursed Advantage Pharmacy and other pharmacies involved in the scheme at least $200 million, Beach admitted.  The government seized more than $6 million in cash and other assets from Beach, which will be forfeited in connection with his guilty plea.

Since 2017, 11 other individuals involved in this scheme have pleaded guilty, and one was convicted at trial.  The investigation is ongoing.

This case was investigated by the FBI, IRS-CI and DCIS, among other agencies.  Trial Attorneys Kate Payerle and Jared Hasten of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Helen Wall of the Southern District of Mississippi and Sean Welsh of the Western District of Virginia, formerly of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), are prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Trial Attorney Amanda Wick of MLARS.

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.  Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 14 strike forces operating in 23 districts, has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

WASHINGTON – A Hattiesburg, Mississippi man pleaded guilty today for his role in a $200 million compounding pharmacy scheme to defraud health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, which is the program that covers U.S. military service members and their families.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst of the Southern District of Mississippi; Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze of the FBI’s Jackson, Mississippi Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Holloman III of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Atlanta Field Office and Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Southeast Field Office made the announcement.

Glenn Doyle Beach Jr., 46, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and tax evasion, before U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett of the Southern District of Mississippi.  Beach was charged in May 2018 in a 26-count indictment and had been scheduled to begin trial today.  He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 2, 2019.

“Glenn Doyle Beach and his co-conspirators stole hundreds of millions of dollars from federal health care programs, including TRICARE, which provides benefits to brave members of our military and their families,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski.  “The Criminal Division remains dedicated to rooting out and punishing this kind of misconduct, and to protecting America’s important health care programs from fraud and abuse.”

“While our men and women in uniform were defending the freedoms and values we hold dear, this defendant was selfishly stealing precious money and resources from their military healthcare system, TRICARE, to the detriment of us all,” said U.S. Attorney Hurst.  “Our investigators and prosecutors are to be commended for their steely resolve in rooting out corruption and administering justice for victims. We will not stop until every last person involved in this criminal scheme has been brought to justice.”

“Fraud schemes of this magnitude disrupt the fabric of our health care system, ultimately damaging our nation's economy and costing taxpayers billions each year,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Freeze.  “Today's guilty plea brings this case one step closer to justice and proves that the collective resources of all partnering agencies will continue to expose these schemes and will actively seek justice for those who participate in them."

Beach was an owner and the managing member of Advantage Pharmacy of Hattiesburg.  At the hearing today, Beach admitted his role in a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, by marketing medications known as compounded medications, which ordinarily are medications that are specially combined or formulated to meet the individual needs of patients.  Beach admitted, however, that through Advantage Pharmacy of Hattiesburg, he formulated compounded medications without regard to the individual needs of the patients, but instead in order to increase reimbursements paid by health care benefit programs.  Furthermore, Beach admittedly created a fictitious paper trail to mislead insurance auditors who attempted to uncover the fraud. 

Beach further detailed a money laundering and tax evasion scheme that he and other co-conspirators used to conceal the fraudulent proceeds and evade taxes.

From approximately April 2012 through January 2016, health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, reimbursed Advantage Pharmacy and other pharmacies involved in the scheme at least $200 million, Beach admitted.  The government seized more than $6 million in cash and other assets from Beach, which will be forfeited in connection with his guilty plea.

Since 2017, 11 other individuals involved in this scheme have pleaded guilty, and one was convicted at trial.  The investigation is ongoing.

This case was investigated by the FBI, IRS-CI and DCIS, among other agencies. Trial Attorneys Kate Payerle and Jared Hasten of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Helen Wall of the Southern District of Mississippi and Sean Welsh of the Western District of Virginia, formerly of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), are prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Trial Attorney Amanda Wick of MLARS.

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.  Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 14 strike forces operating in 23 districts, has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

Jackson, Miss. – Kenneth Dewayne Williams, 45, of Meridian, pled guilty today before Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams of a detectible amount of cocaine hydrochloride, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge J. Derryle Smith.

The case is the result of an extensive investigation dubbed Operation "Deadly Dose" which began as an initiative targeting illegal narcotics distribution in central Mississippi that involved the distribution of heroin and cocaine. During the investigation, agents learned of an upcoming cocaine transaction between Williams and a coconspirator. On December 4, 2017, agents conducted a traffic stop of Williams on Interstate 20 east of Jackson, where agents seized approximately 2 kilograms of cocaine and $17,000.00.

Williams will be sentenced by Judge Jordan on June 28, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5,000,000 fine, followed by a term of supervised release of at least 4 years.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson Police Department, and the Internal Revenue Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Wansley.

Jackson, Miss. – Jalen Xavier Simmons, 19, of Jackson, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to serve 7 years and one day in federal prison for robbing a local Dollar General store in Jackson and brandishing a firearm during that crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Simmons was also sentenced to 4 years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $1,000.00 fine.

On April 6, 2018, Simmons entered the Dollar General on Briarwood Drive in Jackson carrying a stolen 9mm pistol loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition. He robbed multiple shoppers of their cash and demanded Dollar General employees open the cash register. Jackson Police officers soon arrived on the scene and Simmons was arrested.

Simmons was charged in a federal indictment on September 29, 2018, with one count of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during the crime of violence. He pled guilty without a plea agreement on December 17, 2018.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Purdie.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

Jackson, Miss. – Lee Andrew “Bokie” Henderson, 31, of Canton, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to 37 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Dana Nichols, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Henderson was also ordered to pay a $1,000.00 fine.

On May 5, 2018 Henderson was stopped by a Jackson Police officer for driving around a barricade in the area of Mill Street near Monument Street.  The officer smelled marijuana in the car and the passenger admitted to having marijuana.  The officer searched the car and found a .45 caliber pistol under the front passenger seat.  Henderson admitted that the gun was his and later gave a recorded statement to law enforcement officers again admitting that he was in possession of the gun.  Henderson has a prior felony conviction for aggravated assault in Madison County, Mississippi.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jackson Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charles W. Kirkham.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Justice Expel Crime Together." PSN is bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

 

Jackson, Miss. – Erika Shanta Kelly, 42, of Jackson, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to serve 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Jere T. Miles, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, New Orleans Division.  Kelly was also ordered to pay a $1500 fine.

Kelly previously pled guilty to conducting three separate financial transactions with proceeds from drug trafficking.  On April 22, 2014, March 3, 2015, and September 4, 2015, Kelly used money obtained from drug trafficking to purchase and make payments on vehicles. The purchases and payments made were to conceal or disguise the nature, source, ownership and control of the money.  

On November 28, 2017, a federal grand jury indicted Kelly for conspiracy to launder money and using proceeds from drug trafficking to purchase vehicles for another person.  

This case is the result of an extensive Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, dubbed AOperation Pipeline,@ which began as an operation targeting illegal narcotics distribution in central Mississippi involving cocaine and marijuana.  The distribution network encompasses the States of California, Texas and Mississippi.

The OCDETF program is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.

This OCDETF operation was a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, with assistance from Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Jackson Police Department, and the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Chalk.

 

Jackson, Miss. – Calvin Taylor, 51, of Yazoo City, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves to embezzling parcels of mail during the course of his employment with the U.S. Postal Service, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Chris Cave with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Southern Area Field Office.

Taylor was contracted to deliver mail between Jackson and various rural post offices, including those in Mayersville and Rolling Fork.  In December 2016, agents were notified that expected mail was not being delivered along Taylor’s route.  A subsequent operation run by investigators, utilizing monitored pieces of mail and surveillance, revealed that Taylor was taking parcels of mail that contained clothing and shoes.  When stopped and confronted, Taylor admitted he had been taking parcels from the mail.  Agents recovered the monitored pieces of mail and some additional items that were previously reported missing.

Taylor will be sentenced by Judge Reeves on June 25, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bert Carraway.

 

             

Jackson, Miss. – Porter Bingham, 57, of Roswell, Georgia, was arrested today in Georgia by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Bingham is charged in a federal criminal indictment with wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering arising from his role as a the Financial Advisor for the City of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, in connection with the issuance of municipal bonds in 2015. The indictment charges that Bingham fraudulently obtained an additional $33,000 of the bond proceeds to which he was not entitled.

Bingham appeared earlier today before a United States Magistrate Judge in Atlanta, Georgia. He was released on a $15,000 bond and will appear in federal court in Jackson before United States Magistrate Judge Linda Anderson on Monday, April 1, 2019, at 1:30 pm. The case is currently scheduled for trial in Jackson before United States District Judge Tom S. Lee during the May trial term.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dave Fulcher.

The public is reminded that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Jackson, Miss. – Keenan Martin, 26, of Philadelphia, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to 540 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for second degree murder, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Martin was also ordered to pay a $1500 fine.

Martin entered a guilty plea on July 3, 2018, to one count of second degree murder. On November 2, 2017, four members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians assaulted and killed another Tribal member in the Tucker Community.

Martin’s co-defendant, Jerome Steve, was sentenced on March 21, 2019 and also received a prison sentence of 540 months. The sentencing of a third defendant, Keyshawn Willis, will be set on a later date. A fourth defendant, Monte Isaac, died while awaiting sentencing.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Patrick Lemon, Assistant United States Attorney Erin Chalk and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Payne, and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Choctaw Police Department.

Gulfport, Miss. – Aldo German Arechiga-Gutierrez, 45, an illegal alien from Mexico, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to unlawful reentry by an alien removed after conviction for an aggravated felony, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, Jere T. Miles, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, and Gregory A. Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector.  

Arechiga-Gutierrez will be sentenced by Judge Ozerden on June 24, 2019.  He faces a potential maximum 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.  

The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office in Gulfport received information that Arechiga-Gutierrez had returned to the United States after being removed in 2014.  An investigation by HSI determined that Arechiga-Gutierrez was residing in the Picayune area and employed in the southeastern Louisiana area.  Arechiga-Gutierrez was positively identified and arrested.  He later admitted to being a citizen of Mexico and to voluntarily entering and being in the U.S. unlawfully.

In 2002, Arechiga-Gutierrez pled guilty and was convicted in California for conspiracy to possess and sell methamphetamine.  As a drug trafficking crime, the conviction qualified as an aggravated felony.  Arechiga-Gutierrez was ordered removed from the United States to Mexico after serving his prison sentence. 

Arechiga-Gutierrez then unlawfully returned to the United States and, in 2012, was convicted in the Southern District of Mississippi of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.  After completing his prison sentence, Arechiga-Gutierrez was again removed from the United States to Mexico in 2014.

U.S. Attorney Hurst commended the work of the Picayune Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Border Patrol.  Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for the case.

Gulfport, Miss – David Diaz Rodriguez, 68, of Edcouch, Texas, entered a guilty plea today before Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Rodriguez was stopped by the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team as he was traveling from Florida to Texas.  On searching his truck, officers found a shotgun and an AK-47 with a fully loaded magazine that was reported stolen out of Escambia County Florida.  Rodriguez has a 2006 felony conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine from Kane County, Illinois.  He will be sentenced by Judge Guirola on June 10, 2019 at 10:00 a.m., and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Jackson County MET Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.

Gulfport, Miss – Quniton Kinyoun Peairs, 34, of Pascagoula, pled guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Three times during May 2018, Peairs sold methamphetamine, along with a firearm, to a confidential informant for the South Mississippi Metropolitan Enforcement Team and the ATF.  On one occasion, Peairs brought another individual with him who sold a shotgun stolen from the Pascagoula Police Department to the confidential informant.  Peairs has seven prior felony convictions in Jackson County from 2006 through 2015. 

Peairs faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the firearm charge and a maximum of 20 years for the drug charge.  He further faces fines up to $1,000,000 along with at least 3 years of supervised release.  He will be sentenced by Judge Guirola on June 11, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. 

The South Mississippi Metropolitan Enforcement Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.

Gulfport, Miss – William Rex Roderick, Jr., 30, of Hancock County, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Roderick was also ordered to pay a $5000 fine.    

Roderick has previous convictions for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and transfer of controlled substances in Hancock County in 2015 and 2017.  He was on supervised release with the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) at the time of the federal charge.  During an MDOC home visit, Roderick was found in possession of ammunition.

A subsequent investigation and search of Roderick’s cell phone by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives discovered that Roderick was buying and selling firearms to known Simon City Royals gang members.  Through the investigation, ATF determined Roderick had at least 6 firearms from December 28, 2017 through May 2018, including a .22 caliber assault rifle with 2 thirty round magazines.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.

Jackson, Miss. – Jerome Steve, 33, of Philadelphia, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to 540 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for second degree murder, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Steve was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.

Steve entered a guilty plea on July 3, 2018, to one count of second degree murder. On November 2, 2017, four members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians assaulted and killed another Tribal member in the Tucker Community. Steve’s co-defendant, Keenan Martin, will be sentenced on March 22, 2019. The sentencing of a third defendant, Keyshawn Willis, will be set at a later date. A fourth defendant, Monte Isaac, died while awaiting sentencing.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Patrick Lemon, Assistant United States Attorney Erin Chalk, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Payne. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Choctaw Police Department.

Gulfport, Miss. – An illegal alien from Mexico living in Georgia pled guilty today to trafficking in heroin, after he was caught with nine kilograms of heroin and one kilogram of fentanyl in Gulfport. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, one kilogram of fentanyl alone can kill up to half a million people.

Eder Ortega-Casarrubias, 25, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to possession with intent to distribute heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Jere T. Miles with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.

"Illegal fentanyl has become a weapon of mass destruction, and, as demonstrated by this case, is being pushed by those who have no respect for our laws or our borders. The amount of fentanyl seized here is enough to kill every man, woman and child in Mississippi’s six coastal counties. This is a new fight, and we are going to take that fight directly to the drug traffickers and illegal aliens until our borders are secure and our citizens are safe," said U.S. Attorney Hurst.

In November 2018, Ortega-Casarrubias negotiated with a confidential informant to deliver and sell heroin and fentanyl to the informant in Gulfport, Mississippi. On November 6, 2018, Ortega-Casarrubias and two co-defendants arrived in Gulfport with what they claimed was ten kilograms of heroin hidden in a compartment of their vehicle. All three were arrested shortly thereafter. The substance was eventually tested and found to be nine kilograms of heroin and one kilogram of fentanyl.

Ortega-Casarrubias will be sentenced on June 26, 2019, by Judge Ozerden, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine. Co-defendants Pablo Vega-Ontanon and Eric Estudillo-Carrazco are scheduled to go to trial on May 13, 2019.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Meynardie.

Gulfport, Miss. – Merrideth Christina McMillian, 46, of Vancleave, Mississippi, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to theft from a credit union, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

While employed as the vice president of Singing River Federal Credit Union’s Moss Point branch, McMillian stole more than $350,000 from the credit union. The fraud was discovered after an audit in August 2018 showed suspicious transactions.

McMillian carried out the fraudulent scheme by going into the bank’s computer system and releasing collateral that was used for other loans. Once the collateral was released, she used that collateral to borrow money. Agents also uncovered that in 2017, McMillian used a customer’s information, without her consent, to take out several unsecured loans. The loans ranged from $5,000.00 to $60,000.00. On another occasion, McMillian used a friend’s name and a customer’s money market account information to take out a fraudulent loan of $47,500. In total, McMillian stole more than $350,000.00.

McMillian will be sentenced on June 24, 2019, by Judge Ozerden and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000.00 fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathlyn R. Van Buskirk.

Gulfport, Miss. – Jose Garcia Faustino and Ernesto Santiago-Baltazar, both age 21 and citizens of Mexico, pled guilty yesterday before Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to unlawful reentry by an alien after removal, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, Special Agent in Charge Jere T. Miles with U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, and Gregory K. Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector.

Garcia Faustino and Santiago-Baltazar are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Guirola on June 6, 2019. They each face a maximum penalty of 2 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. They also faced removal from the United States following the completion of any prison sentence.

On or about January 28, 2019, an interdiction agent with the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team conducted a lawful traffic stop on a GMC Yukon XL with South Carolina license plates on interstate I-10 eastbound in Jackson County. The agent observed a total of eight occupants in the vehicle (2 drivers and 6 passengers), which included Garcia Faustino and Santiago-Baltazar as passengers.

Border Patrol Agents arrived on the scene shortly thereafter, and interviewed the occupants of the vehicle as to their citizenships, determining none had proper documents and all were illegally present in the United States. All eight vehicle occupants were illegal aliens from Mexico. All occupants were arrested and transported to the Border Patrol Station in Gulfport. A Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent joined Border Patrol Agents and determined the six passengers were being smuggled within the United States. Further investigation revealed that both men are citizens of Mexico and had previously been ordered removed from the United States.

U.S. Attorney Hurst praised the cooperation exhibited by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Border Patrol, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the City of Gautier Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for the case.

Gulfport, Miss – Carl Levon Haynes, 26, of Pascagoula, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to 15 months in prison for being a drug user in possession of a firearm and 15 months for making a false statement in the purchase of the firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Dana Nichols.  Judge Ozerden ordered the sentences to run concurrently, followed by 3 years of supervised release and a $3000 fine.

In May 2018, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were conducting undercover purchases of drugs and guns.  On May 23, Haynes sold a shotgun that had been stolen from a Pascagoula police car.  Haynes admitted to regular use of marijuana and the purchase of a handgun in 2017 at which time he answered “No” to a question about whether he used marijuana or other illegal substances.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.

Gulfport, Miss. – Andrew Roy Broughton, 30, of Moss Point, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to 64 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Dana Nichols. Broughton was ordered to serve the 64 months consecutively to his Jackson County state sentence.  He was also ordered to serve 3 years of post-release supervision and pay a $5,000 fine.

Broughton was previously convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance in Pearl River County and felony possession of a controlled substance in Jackson County.  On February 28, 2018, Broughton sold three firearms, one reported stolen, to an ATF informant.  On March 6, 2018, Broughton sold a fourth firearm to the informant.

The South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.

 

Gulfport, Miss – Kristopher Michael Williams, 33, of Moss Point, Mississippi, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Williams faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the firearm charge and 40 years on the drug charge.  He further faces fines up to $5 million along with at least 4 years of supervised release.  He will be sentenced by Judge Guirola on June 11, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. 

On November 17, 2017, Moss Point police officers stopped Williams’ car, where it was discovered that he had marijuana and a .44 caliber pistol.  During January and February 2018, the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team in Jackson County and the ATF purchased marijuana, methamphetamine, and a gun from Williams during an undercover investigation.  Williams sold a total of 54.91 grams of “ice” or actual methamphetamine.  Williams was previously convicted in 2009 of armed robbery in Jackson County Circuit Court.

The South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.

Gulfport, Miss – Charles Keith Mueller, 34, of Hancock County, entered a guilty plea today, before U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On March 30, 2018, Hancock County Deputies pulled over the car Mueller was driving and found marijuana, Alprazolam, cocaine and several baggies of methamphetamine in a book bag with scales and a gun. Mueller has 2008 felony convictions for transfer of a controlled substance and jail escape in Hancock County.  When arrested on federal charges for the March 30, 2018, incident, Mueller was found in bed asleep with a loaded gun under the pillow. 

Mueller faces a minimum of 5 years to life years in prison for the firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking charge and a consecutive maximum of 10 years for the felon in possession of a firearm charge.  He further faces fines up to $250,000 along with not more than 5 years of supervised release.  He will be sentenced by Judge Guirola on June 11, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. 

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.

Gulfport, Miss. – Aseante Romaree Taylor, 21, of Gulfport, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for theft of a firearm from a licensed firearms dealer, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of  Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Taylor was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and restitution to Dad’s Super Pawn in the amount of $669.95

On September 18, 2018, Gulfport Police Department responded to Dad’s Super Pawn regarding the theft of a firearm.  Officers obtained surveillance video and were able to see the suspect go behind the counter while clerks were busy with customers, take an AK-47 off the shelf and walk out the door.  Once the defendant was outside, video showed him running to a car.  ATF agents located the car and determined the identity of the defendant.  Taylor was apprehended in the U.S. District Courthouse when he attended a sentencing hearing in support of another defendant.  When approached by U.S. Marshals, Taylor gave a false name, but was arrested. 

Taylor’s federal sentence will be served consecutively to a state court sentence he will receive on May 6, 2019 for a drive-by shooting on January 7, 2019.  

The Gulfport Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.

Jackson, Miss. – Wilkinson County Deputy Sheriff Christopher James, 43, and Kelvin Tolliver, 54, both residents of Woodville, Mississippi, have been indicted on conspiracy and wire fraud charges, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze.

James and Tolliver are charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud involving a scheme and artifice to defraud Mississippi Farm Bureau. The indictment alleges that James and Tolliver conspired to fraudulently obtain insurance proceeds by creating and submitting a false offense report with the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Department stating that Tolliver’s ATV had been stolen when, in fact, the ATV had not been stolen. James used his position as a Wilkinson County Deputy Sheriff to prepare and submit the false offense report, which was used to obtain over $12,000 in insurance proceeds. James was also employed as a guard at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana.

Tolliver is scheduled to be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Keith Ball today at 2:30 p.m. James was arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Ball on Wednesday, March 13, 2018, and released on a $10,000 bond.

The case is currently scheduled for trial in Natchez before United States District Judge David C. Bramlette on May 6, 2019.

U.S. Attorney Hurst commended the Public Corruption Task Force of the FBI’s Jackson Division, which is comprised of Special Agents with the FBI and Investigators from the Mississippi State Auditor’s Office, for their work on the investigation and commended the assistance of the DEA and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dave Fulcher.

The public is reminded that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

 

Gulfport, Miss – Ambrose Dejuan Nelson, 40, of Dallas, Texas, pled guilty today before U.S. District U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to possession of a controlled substance, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

On July 7, 2018, a Jackson County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Nelson.  The deputy noticed Nelson, the sole occupant in the car, put something in the back seat.  He also noticed that Nelson appeared to be under the influence of something.  Nelson was administered several tests to determine whether he was in fact under the influence, and he failed all examinations. Nelson was subsequently arrested and he began to struggle with the deputy.  During the altercation, Nelson snapped his cell phone in half and destroyed it.  The deputy searched the rest of Nelson’s car and found a bag containing a substance which tested positive for heroin and weighed over 17 grams.  

Nelson will be sentenced on March 15, 2019, by Judge Ozerden, and faces a maximum penalty of twenty years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathlyn R. Van Buskirk.

 

Gulfport, Miss – Mack Allen Bradley, 49, of Lucedale, Mississippi, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Halil Sul Ozerden to 108 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Christopher Freeze, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.

Bradley was stopped after agents observed him meeting with another individual in an area of McClain, Mississippi, where numerous drug arrests had taken place.  After what appeared to be an attempt to elude the officers, Bradley’s vehicle was stopped and, after consent to search, approximately an ounce of 98% pure methamphetamine was discovered in the vehicle. Bradley pled guilty on December 21, 2018, to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Meynardie.

Hattiesburg, Miss. – Devontee Cole, 41, of Jackson, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to 211 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Cole sold "ice", or actual methamphetamine, at homes in Mendenhall and Hattiesburg to a confidential informant on three occasions for a total of 584 grams of actual meth. Cole also sold the informant over three pounds of marijuana. At the time of his arrest, Cole was in possession of a gun, marijuana, methamphetamine and cash.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Annette Williams.

Hattiesburg, Miss – Clarence Steele, 35, of Perkinston, Mississippi, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to serve 70 months in federal prison, followed by 7 years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Derryle Smith with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Steele was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

An investigation by the DEA revealed that Steele was a distributor of methamphetamine in the Perry County area. On February 5, 2018 in Beaumont, Steele sold approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine to a DEA confidential source for $700. On February 20, 2018, also in Beaumont, Steele sold approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine to a DEA confidential source for $700. Steele pled guilty on December 6, 2018 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shundral H. Cole.

Hattiesburg, Miss – Rodrickus Easterling, 30, of Prentiss, Mississippi, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to  60 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possessession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Derryle Smith with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).  Easterling was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. 

On July 16, 2015, in Prentiss, Mississippi, Easterling and his co-defendant, Hilton Ross, Jr., sold 81.7 grams of methamphetamine to a DEA confidential source for $2,400.  Easterling pled guilty on December 6, 2018, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Ross, Jr. pled guilty for his role and was sentenced by Judge Starrett to serve 125 months in federal prison.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shundral H. Cole.

 

Hattiesburg, Miss – Waltario Womack, 32, of Prentiss, Mississippi, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to serve 108 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Derryle Smith with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).  Womack was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. 

An investigation by the DEA revealed that Womack was a distributor of methamphetamine in the Jefferson Davis County area.  On January 29, 2016 in Jefferson Davis County, Womack sold approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine to a DEA confidential source for $1,600.  On February 2, 2016, also in Jefferson Davis County, Womack sold approximately 28 grams of methamphetamine to a DEA confidential source for $1,000.  Womack pled guilty on December 6, 2018, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shundral H. Cole.

 

Gulfport, Miss. – Andarius Cordero Thomas, 25, of Biloxi, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr., to  64 months in federal prison followed by 3 years supervised release for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent-in-Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Thomas was also ordered to pay a $5,000.00 fine, and to forfeit a firearm and ammunition he had possessed.  Thomas pled guilty to the charges on December 4, 2018.    

The Biloxi Police Department conducted three undercover controlled buys of methamphetamine from Thomas in 2017.  A search of Thomas’ residence revealed 3 grams of methamphetamine, 1,300 grams of marijuana, 3 digital scales, 6 boxes of small plastic baggies, 2 partially smoked marijuana cigarettes, and a loaded 9mm pistol with ammunition, which Thomas used during his drug distribution.

Additionally, Thomas was stopped by Biloxi police on April 4, 2018, where he was the sole occupant in the vehicle and marijuana smoke was emanating from the vehicle.  A search of the vehicle revealed marijuana, a digital scale, and a loaded 40 caliber pistol which had been stolen.  A search of the area next to Thomas’ bed at his mother’s home revealed another 8 grams of marijuana.  

U.S. Attorney Hurst commended the coordinated investigation by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and by the Biloxi Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris.