Eastern District of North Carolina

NEW BERN, N.C. – Jimmy Waylon Johnson, age 59, was sentenced to 179 months and a $50,000 fine for his role as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine across Eastern North Carolina. Johnson pled guilty to two drug trafficking charges and one money laundering charge on December 11, 2023.

“We are partnering with law enforcement to get illegal drugs off our streets and make our communities safer,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Southeastern North Carolina must stay a safe place for our families and businesses. Drug traffickers like Johnson will be prosecuted and spend time behind bars.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, officials from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Duplin, Johnston, and New Hanover County Sheriffs’ Offices, were involved in a multi-year investigation into Johnson’s drug activity. Through joint undercover operations, traffic stops, and search warrants, law enforcement determined that Johnson was a leader in the drug trafficking organization that distributed large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine in at least four counties, stretching from Benson down to Wilmington. Johnson’s drug distribution began as early as 2015 and lasted until his arrest in 2021.

At times, Johnson used his gambling machine business, Benson Arcade, in downtown Benson to facilitate the drug trafficking. Along with kilograms of methamphetamine, Johnson would provide video gambling machines to subordinates who would run video gambling in bars, residences, backyards, and motorcycle clubs. Local law enforcement indicate that some of these locations also became hotbeds for methamphetamine distribution and addiction. On October 14, 2021, law enforcement executed search warrants at Benson Arcade and Johnson’s residence. This resulted in the seizure of $8,000, a kilogram of methamphetamine, and half a kilogram of cocaine. There were also several items observed and seized at Benson Arcade related to the Hells Angels motorcycle gang.

As part of the investigation, four additional co-conspirators were indicted and previously sentenced:

• Edward Neal Huffman, New Hanover County, 180 months for drug distribution and possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking;
• Johnie Wayne Culpepper, New Hanover County, 108 months for drug distribution and possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking;
• Michelle Marie Boring, New Hanover County, 84 months for drug distribution;
• Leigh Beverly Davis, Wake County, 100 months for drug distribution and possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking; and
• Randall Norris, Duplin County, 30 months for drug distribution.

The investigation into Johnson and the above co-conspirators also resulted in the seizure of 32 firearms, a bulletproof vest, and several hundred rounds of ammunition.

As part of his guilty plea, Johnson admitted to buying a motorcycle worth approximately $17,000, using drug money. This motorcycle was seized and forfeited by law enforcement.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-321-FL.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment charging two men with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit money laundering concerning obtaining fraudulent proceeds of Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) COVID-19 loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration.

“The pandemic is long over, but we won’t quit in our mission to run down stolen taxpayer money and ensure the integrity of federal relief programs,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Those who committed COVID-19 fraud should know - we’re well-resourced and we’re still coming.”

“Schemes to fraudulently obtain federal funds meant to provide assistance to small businesses is unacceptable,” said Donald “Trey” Eakins, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge. “Our field office continues to follow the evidence of crimes committed to obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loans and other COVID-19 funds intended for struggling businesses needing assistance during the pandemic and bring them to justice.”

According to the indictment, Tyreek Rasheed Exum, age 25, of Snow Hill, North Carolina, and Anthony Wandland, Jr., age 30, of Chicago, Illinois allegedly conspired to use over 20 stolen identities and the identities of co-conspirators to apply for EIDL and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits. The indictment alleges that Wandland provided Exum with the stolen identities, and, in exchange, Exum gave Wandland a percentage of the proceeds. Each loan application submitted by Exum allegedly contain false statements, misrepresentations, and omissions related to income, employment, and claimed business entities. Exum is alleged to have signed various financial documents, including loan and security agreements, in the names of those stolen identities and then had the loan proceeds deposited into his personal bank account, nominee bank accounts, bank accounts of family and friends, and into accounts in the names of stolen identities. Exum is alleged to have exercised control over these accounts by obtaining bank debit cards and by causing nominees to transfer the fraud proceeds to other accounts controlled by him via various digital mediums such as PayPal and CashApp. Exum allegedly withdrew the cash at multiple ATMs. In total, the indictment alleges Exum received nearly $1 million in fraudulent loan proceeds. If found guilty, Wandland and Exum face a maximum of 30 years in federal prison.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and Explosives, and the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office are leading the investigation.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa K. Labresh is prosecuting the case.

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

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-00104-UA-RJ.

An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Joseph Plummer, age 36, of Raleigh was sentenced today to 300 months in prison and five years of supervised release, for brandishing a firearm while robbing a Raleigh sweepstakes parlor.

“Luck was not on the side of Mr. Plummer and his crew when they targeted this sweepstakes parlor,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “After disarming a security guard and holding employees at gun point, he is now facing the next 25 years behind bars. Police also recovered every penny of the stolen cash. When you gamble with crime the odds are never on your side.”

“I am grateful for the work of U.S. Attorney Michael Easley’s office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for their ongoing partnership in this case. This is another example of how collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners puts violent offenders behind bars. Plummer chose to conspire with others to terrorize and commit an armed robbery of a local business. This violence has no place in our community, and we will continue to vigorously investigate these incidents to ensure our Federal and state prosecutors have the necessary evidence to send these offenders to prison,” said Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson.

“ATF and our law enforcement partners remain committed to apprehending those who pose a threat to our communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “Through a focused collaboration, we’ve recovered multiple firearms and removed a dangerous individual from our streets.”

According to court records and evidence presented in court, in the spring of 2021, Plummer arranged a robbery of the NGM City Sweepstakes where his then-girlfriend, Tawanna Godwin, worked. Plummer sought the assistance of Eric Lamonte Fair, whom he had previously met in federal prison, to plan a robbery of the business. During the early morning hours of July 27, 2021, Plummer drove Fair, Ky’sheke Hishad Sweat and Elij-wn Unique Oglesby to the business on N. Market Drive in Raleigh. Fair, Sweat and Oglesby entered the business with assistance provided by Godwin. Once inside, all three men disarmed the business’s security guard and held the employees at gunpoint while they collected money and other items, such as an employee’s cell phone, from the victims. Plummer then drove Fair, Sweat and Oglesby back to the residence he shared with Godwin.

Witnesses gave Raleigh Police a description of the vehicle seen leaving the scene. A vehicle matching the description was located at a townhome complex. While an officer was examining the car, Fair, Sweat, and Oglesby came out of the residence. The clothing they were wearing was similar to the clothing worn by the robbers on the surveillance footage from the NGM City Sweepstakes. The trio denied being involved in the robbery but admitted to having been in the car. Officers obtained a warrant to search the residence and found nearly $60,000 in cash in the washer/dryer, and five firearms, including the gun taken from the security guard.

Sweat, age 24, of Concord pled guilty to robbery of a business in interstate commerce and aiding and abetting and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting. On September 27, 2023, Sweat was sentenced to serve 130 months in prison.

Oglesby, age 25, of Salisbury, pled guilty to robbery of a business in interstate commerce and aiding and abetting and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting on February 8, 2023. On January 25, 2024, Oglesby was sentenced to serve 65 months in prison.

Fair, age 35, of Salisbury, pled guilty to robbery of a business in interstate commerce and aiding and abetting and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting on April 25, 2023. On March 13, 2024, Fair was sentenced to 96 months and 1 day in prison.

Godwin, age 46, of Raleigh pled guilty to robbery of a business in interstate commerce and aiding and abetting on December 12, 2023. Godwin’s sentencing is set for the May 21, 2024, term of court.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Raleigh Police Department investigated the case with the assistance of the ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah E. Nokes and Erin C. Blondel prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-CR-251-M.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment last week charging three Raleigh residents with straw purchasing a firearm that was used in a homicide last month on Poole Road in Raleigh.

“The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is the first major gun violence reduction bill passed in years and has quickly become a powerful crime-fighting tool for law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “The gun purchased in this case was allegedly used in a homicide just two weeks later. Our Violent Crime Action Plan prioritizes prosecuting trigger pullers and straw buyers who buy weapons for those that shouldn’t have them.

“Not only are these individuals charged with conspiring to put guns in the hands of people not legally allowed to buy one, but sadly, someone lost their life as a result. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to end gun violence in our communities," said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in North Carolina.   

According to charging documents, on January 20, 2024, at a gun show in Raleigh, Ever Arroyo Gasga, age 24, allegedly purchased two firearms for Anselmo Arroyo Gonzalez, age 49, and Jimmy Arroyo Maldonado, age 18, who were each legally prohibited from purchasing firearms themselves. Approximately two weeks later, on February 5, 2024, one of these guns, a Glock 23, .40 caliber pistol, was allegedly used by another individual to commit a homicide at 1308 Poole Road, Raleigh.  

As alleged in the indictment, Gonzalez is prohibited from legally purchasing firearms because he is a Mexican citizen who does not have legal status in the United States. Gonzalez was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in November 2016. Maldonado is prohibited from legally purchasing firearms because he is under indictment by state authorities for felony offenses, including felony fleeing to elude arrest.

Each defendant faces charges of aiding and abetting, conspiracy, and straw purchasing firearms. Gasga, if convicted, faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Arroyo Gonzalez faces additional charges of illegal reentry and possession of a firearm by an alien illegally and unlawfully in the United States. If convicted, he faces maximum penalties totaling 32 years in prison and deportation from the United States. Maldonado faces additional charges of possession of a firearm by a person under felony indictment and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted, he faces maximum penalties totaling 40 years in prison.

This case is being prosecuted under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted, and the President signed in June 2022.  The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms. For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.

This indictment is a result of the ongoing VCAP initiative which is collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Raleigh Police Department (RPD) are investigating the case, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Department of Homeland Security (HSI), and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah E. Nokes and Charles E. Loeser are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal grand jury returned a 13-count indictment charging three men for their alleged role in a conspiracy and scheme involving the theft of checks from United States Postal Service collection boxes located in Wake County.  According to the allegations in the indictment, one or more co-conspirators stole checks from the collection boxes, after which the checks were altered to change the payee information to the name of individuals enlisted to provide access to their bank accounts for use in the scheme.  The co-conspirators allegedly then deposited the fraudulent checks into the bank accounts and withdrew, and attempted to withdraw, the funds from ATMs.

“We’ve made our partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service a cornerstone of our antifraud strategy and are seeking additional postal resources to grow even stronger in this critical area,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “We are prioritizing cases where anyone tries to undermine the integrity of our federal mail system.  Anyone sending checks through the mail should notify the bank immediately of any unauthorized activity.”

“This case is yet another example of the unending dedication of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and its law enforcement partners to halt the devastating effects of fraud.  Those who steal the mail and engage in this type of criminal activity must learn they cannot escape detection and will be brought to justice,” said Inspector in Charge Tommy D. Coke of the Atlanta Division, which oversees Raleigh.

The indictment charges Darrell Alan Thompson, Antonio Rasheed Hair, and Michael James Pasea with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.  Thompson, Hair, and Pasea are also charged with multiple counts of bank fraud and aiding and abetting.  The defendants face up to 30 years’ imprisonment for each count of conviction on these charges.  Additionally, Thompson is charged with theft of mail and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon.  If convicted, Thompson faces up to 5 years’ imprisonment for the theft charge and up to 15 years’ imprisonment for the gun charge.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Raleigh Police Department are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Hulbig is prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-00042-M-RN

An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Unque Tyshaun Temoney, age 29, was sentenced today to 210 months in federal prison for carjacking and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On November 29, 2023, Temoney pled guilty to the charges.

“We will not normalize armed robbery, carjacking, and dangerous high-speed flight in Eastern North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “Cases like this, involving validated gang members and repeat violent felons, are ripe for federal prosecution.  For years, New Hanover County has funded a special prosecutor to work with our office to bring cases like this one to federal court.  Our Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) partnership with Chief Williams and Sheriff McMahon uses that resource to take felons like Unque Temoney off the streets and on the fast track to federal prison.” 

“I’ve said it before and I’ll emphasize it again, firearms in the hands of convicted felons is something that we will not tolerate in the City of Wilmington,” said Chief Donny Williams. “We will continue to devote countless hours to ensuring that these violent offenders are kept off our streets. As we have seen both locally and nationwide, dangerous situations happen when weapons fall into the hands of the wrong people. I want to thank our women and men for their dedication to this effort and I am also grateful to our partner agencies for assisting with this important case. Because of their continued hard work and dedication, this offender will no longer be able to harm our community.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on December 5, 2020, officers with the Wilmington Police Department responded to a call on 9th Street in Wilmington regarding an armed robbery and carjacking. A responding officer saw the victim’s vehicle drive off at a high rate of speed and he activated his lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop. The driver, later identified as Temoney, refused to stop and fled from law enforcement. Temoney ultimately crashed the vehicle into a parked car and fled on foot from law enforcement. After a brief pursuit, Temoney was apprehended.

After speaking with the victim and eyewitnesses on scene, the investigation revealed that Temoney put on a ski mask, brandished a revolver, and took the victim’s car keys and wallet before stealing the victim’s vehicle and fleeing from the police. The arresting officer on scene located a .380 revolver, loaded with five rounds of ammunition, on the driver’s seat of the vehicle Temoney stole. Laboratory testing later confirmed that Temoney’s DNA was on the firearm.

Temoney has been previously convicted of six felony offenses to include – possession of a stolen motor vehicle, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, breaking and entering, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, and possession with intent to manufacture, sell, and deliver a counterfeit controlled substance. Temoney was also out on bond for numerous state charges when he committed the offense.  

Temoney has been previously validated as a member of the Gangster Disciple Street Gang by the Wilmington Police Department and by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III.   The Federal Bureau of Investigation Coastal Carolina Safe Street’s Gang Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Wilmington Police Department, and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case. Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt represents the government.  Van Trigt is a prosecutor with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal violent crimes and other criminal matters.  This has been made possible by a grant funded by New Hanover County.

This conviction is a result of the ongoing VCAP initiative which is collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:22-cr-00092-D-001.

RALEIGH, N.C. – An Aberdeen man was sentenced to 96 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release following a fatal DWI crash in January of 2023. Joel Newton Brewer, age 34, pled guilty to felony death by motor vehicle on November 30, 2023.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on January 3, 2023, United States Army Military Police responded to emergency calls regarding a traffic collision at Fort Bragg Military Reservation (now Fort Liberty). Officers arrived to find two vehicles involved in the crash. One vehicle contained Brewer and the other contained an infant passenger with serious injuries. The driver of the vehicle with the infant had been ejected upon impact.

The investigation revealed that Brewer was driving 89 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone as he drove left of the center line and struck the front of the victim’s vehicle. The victim then lost control of her vehicle and it veered toward the right shoulder of the road. When the victim’s vehicle came to a stop, the victim was ejected from the vehicle and partially decapitated. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The infant suffered life-threatening injuries but survived. Brewer’s alcohol concentration was 0.15. In North Carolina, it is illegal to drive a vehicle while noticeably impaired or with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing was concluded.  U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III presided over the sentencing.  The Office of Provost Marshal and Army Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian Kielmanovich and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Brickey prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00146-D-RN.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Fuquay-Varina man pled guilty to devising and executing a scheme to defraud the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (“PCS”) by conspiring to fraudulently obtain matching charitable contributions for the Boys and Girls Succeed (“BAGS”) organization. Dwayne Moorer West, age 60, faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced later this year. Two of West’s co-conspirators pled guilty to the same charges on January 23, 2024, and are also facing up to 20 years behind bars.

“Many companies encourage their employees to support local charities by matching their employees’ charitable contributions.  This defendant recruited PSC employees to make fake donations to his charity so he could fraudulently secure over a half-million dollars in matching funds from PSC.  He then paid kickbacks to the employees,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “This defendant was driven by greed to take advantage of a charitable program meant to help those in need.  He now faces federal prison.”

According to documents and information presented in court, Dwayne Moorer West owned BAGS, an organization that provided services to boys and girls in Wake County. Between 2010 and 2018, West conspired with Michael Lavern King, a PCS employee, and Martin Fareed Abdullah, a BAGS employee, to fraudulently obtain matched charitable contributions from PCS. To carry out this scheme, King and Abdullah solicited multiple PCS employees to aid and assist in the fraud. West obtained bank checks that fraudulently showed large charitable donations from each PCS employee to the BAGS foundation. The fraudulent checks were then used as donation receipts for submission to PCS as part of their matching charitable program. The PCS employees never made charitable donations to BAGS. Instead, they received a quarterly kickback from West, Abdullah, and King for the use of their employee information. In total, PCS matched nearly $600,000 in fraudulently obtained contributions to BAGS.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the plea. The United States Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa K. Labresh is prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00091-BO.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina (USAO-EDNC) collected $18,157,710.06 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. Of this amount, $11,126,086.93 was collected in criminal actions and $7,031,623.13 was collected in civil actions. 

Additionally, EDNC worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to collect an additional $72,909.66 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. This amount was collected in criminal actions.

“We are committed to using every tool available to aggressively collect restitution for victims, criminal fines, and recover taxpayer dollars lost to fraud and owed to government agencies,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “We are proud of the men and women in our office who have worked so hard to ensure justice through their collection efforts which ultimately restore funds to crime victims and support law enforcement.”

The successful collection efforts included the collection of substantial funds from joint and several co-defendants, George Garven, William Davis, and Robert Helms, fully satisfying a criminal restitution judgment awarding $1,850,442.00 to Baker Roofing Company (BRC), the victim of a fraudulent contract billing scheme. Specifically, BRC hired Garven in 2011 to serve as the Vice President and General Manager of its Charlotte, North Carolina, branch office.  In 2014, Helms and Davis partnered together to provide roofing subcontracting services to BRC through Davis’s business, R&K Davis Holdings (R&K).  Between 2015 and 2020, R&K was used as a vehicle to fraudulently bill BRC for subcontracting work that was never performed.  Among other things, Garven obligated BRC to pay R&K by generating fake invoices and subcontracts in R&K’s name.  The criminal proceeds were funneled into business bank accounts controlled by Helms and Davis and then disbursed to Garven in various forms, including gift cards and checks.  The checks included fraudulent memo lines to make it appear they were related to legitimate business.  Garven also directed Helms and Davis to use the embezzled funds to pay contractors to perform work on Garven’s residential properties.  In furtherance of the scheme, Garven paid Helms and Davis each approximately $140,000 in cash. EDNC ultimately collected the full restitution amount from the defendants.  An earlier press release about the underlying criminal case can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/co-conspirators-sentenced-stealing-over-18-million-fake-billing-scheme.

In another example of successful enforcement, EDNC fully collected on a False Claims Act judgment in excess of $1 million against Jeffrey G. Hedges, related to false healthcare billing practices.  Specifically, the government alleged that under Hedges’ control, a medical clinic located in Durham, North Carolina, systematically defrauded the Medicare Program in a variety of ways.  But perhaps most egregiously of all, the clinic almost always billed medical services performed by non-physicians under the higher billing rate of the clinic’s nominal owner and medical director, even though she did not actually treat patients and was hardly ever physically present when services were provided.  Based on evidence presented by the government, the Court concluded that Hedges and one of his companies violated the False Claims Act with respect to billing under the medical director and ordered them to pay $1,097,975.24 to the United States.  After the Court entered judgment against Hedges and his company, the United States demanded payment, but Hedges failed to comply.  The government therefore initiated enforced collection, obtained writs of garnishment and execution to liquidate funds and property, and moved for a statutory 10-percent surcharge, which the Court awarded.  In the end, Hedges paid the United States a total of $1,207,772.76, which fully satisfied the False Claims Act judgment and the 10-percent surcharge.

The USAO-EDNC along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the United States and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

Additionally, the USAO-EDNC, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $18,067,902 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2023.

The EDNC’s successful forfeiture efforts included the criminal forfeiture of $4,635,346.24 in property derived from or traceable to health care fraud.  Tanya Parrish Grant was criminally indicted on June 16, 2021, and charged with defrauding Medicare by submitting false and fraudulent claims for Durable Medical Equipment.  After conviction, Grant was ordered to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $6,449,155.09, representing the total gross proceeds that she wrongfully obtained as a result of the fraud.  Of this amount, law enforcement agents and financial investigators were able to trace criminally derived funds into real estate, numerous bank accounts, luxury vehicles and other personal property valued at approximately $4.6 million, which the government was able to seize, liquidate, and apply toward the forfeiture money judgment.  Earlier press releases about the underlying criminal case can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/ceo-raleigh-healthcare-company-pleads-guilty-multi-million-dollar-healthcare-fraud and https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/ceo-raleigh-healthcare-company-sentenced-80-months-prison-multi-million-dollar.

In another example of a successful forfeiture effort in FY 2023, the EDNC civilly forfeited $198,400.47 seized from a bank account containing proceeds of a business-email-compromise scheme, where one or more criminal fraudsters used a spoofed email to fraudulently request that an eastern North Carolina law firm update bank account information for a legitimate real estate closing.  Once the victim law firm updated the account information, real estate closing funds were diverted into a fraudulent account which was the subject of the civil forfeiture proceeding. The U.S. Secret Service was notified of the fraud and worked with the USAO-EDNC to freeze, seize, and forfeit the entire balance of the fraudulent account as proceeds traceable to wire fraud. 

Forfeited assets deposited into the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.  The DOJ, for instance, restored $6,389,937 of forfeited assets in FY 2023, which is used to compensate the victims of crimes prosecuted by this office.

WILMINGTON, N.C. –Isaiah Emmanuelle Gibbs, 25, of New Bern was sentenced today to 204 months in prison for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. Gibbs was arrested after threatening to retaliate for the shooting of a young child in July of 2023. Gibbs pled guilty to the charges on September 25, 2023.

“Given this defendant’s previous criminal history, and pending state charges for firearm and drug violations, federal agents worked quickly to take him into custody after learning of credible threats to commit a shooting,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Those who are engaging in gun violence will be held accountable and brought to justice.”

“The senseless murder of a 19-month-old reminds us that gun violence is indiscriminate. The New Bern Police Department and our community greatly value the relationship we have built with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. U.S. Attorney Michael Easley, his team and all the other law enforcement professionals have shown a commitment to a common goal to make our community safe.”    

“Arresting and prosecuting violent criminals who illegally use firearms is a priority of the Craven County Sheriff's Office,” said Sheriff Chip Hughes. “We appreciate the cooperation and work of ATF agents and the U.S. Attorney's Office in removing this dangerous criminal from our community.  We will continue to work closely with our federal law enforcement partners to identify, arrest and prosecute violent felons.”

According to court records and other evidence presented in court, Gibbs was found with guns on five occasions between September 7, 2021, and March 11, 2023, by law enforcement officers from the New Bern and Emerald Isle Police Department’s and the Craven County Sheriff’s Office. Gibbs was federally indicted for an October 4, 2022, incident where the Craven County Sheriff’s office completed a traffic stop on a vehicle occupied by Gibbs and others. A backpack carried by Gibbs contained a loaded 9mm handgun and multiple rounds of 9mm ammunition. A search of the vehicle located a stolen, loaded 9mm handgun with a large capacity magazine underneath Gibbs’ seat.

On July 4, 2023, a vehicle was shot at in New Bern, and an adult male and his 19-month-old daughter were struck. The child succumbed to her injuries two days later. Gibbs was identified on scene immediately after the shooting. Shortly after the shooting, law enforcement learned that Gibbs intended to retaliate for the shooting. Due to the credible threat of violence combined with Gibbs’ history of violence, a federal complaint was filed, and Gibbs was arrested by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents on July 7, 2023, and has remained in detention since that arrest. During an interview with agents following his arrest, Gibbs admitted that he had been in possession of a firearm and ammunition during the October 2022 traffic stop.

Gibbs was previously convicted of three common law robberies in 2020 making him an Armed Career Criminal subject to enhanced penalties for possessing a firearm or ammunition, including a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence of incarceration. State charges for five counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon, second degree kidnapping, possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a schedule II-controlled substance, and two counts of resisting a public officer remain pending.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The New Bern and Emerald Isle Police Departments, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Aubart prosecuted the cases.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-cr-00037-M-BM-1.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Michael Easley announced that the Eastern District of North Carolina’s (EDNC) Criminal Chief, Assistant U.S. Attorney Felice Corpening was awarded the Judge David Daniel Award by the Eastern North Carolina District of the Federal Bar Association. The award was created to in memory of Magistrate Judge David Daniel to honor his integrity, commitment, and service to the legal community. The award honors one attorney who has shown a commitment to the legal profession, to the EDNC, to the clients they serve, and to their community.

“Felice Corpening sets the standard for lawyers across the state and the country,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “In leading the Criminal Division for the Eastern District of North Carolina, nearly every criminal prosecution crosses her desk before proceeding to court. In her review, she ensures equity, fairness and justice. Her integrity and quest to make a positive impact in the community are unparalleled. I am privileged to have the opportunity to work with her as we seek to make North Carolina safer for all.”

“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award.  I believe the legal community has a duty to exemplify the highest standards of ethics, professionalism, and dedication to the communities we serve because our work, our cause, our mission extends beyond the courtroom,” said Criminal Chief Felice Corpening. “Being the recipient of the Judge David Daniel Award has renewed my commitment to the principles that define our honorable profession.”

Corpening has been a prosecutor with the EDNC for 25 years, and currently serves as the Criminal Division Chief, a position she has held since early 2022. Corpening served as the Deputy Criminal Chief over the Economic Crimes Section from 2012 to 2022. Prior to joining EDNC, Corpening was an Assistant Public Defender in Fayetteville for three years where she represented indigent defendants in a variety of cases ranging from petty larceny, felonious breaking and entering, drug trafficking, and murder. Corpening also serves as an adjunct professor at UNC-School of Law.

The Judge David Daniel Award was created in 2017. To qualify for the award, a nominee must practice in EDNC and must exemplify the ideals of the legal profession and further the goals of equal justice under the law. For more information on the award, visit the Federal Bar Association website.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced to 144 months imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release, and $81,000 in restitution, for receipt and possession of child pornography. Klaus De La Fuente, age 27, pled guilty on September 11, 2023.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, De La Fuente, was found using peer to peer file sharing networks to receive and distribute child pornography during an investigation by the Cary Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security. Law enforcement officers identified child pornography files that were associated with De La Fuente’s IP address.  Based upon this, a search warrant was executed at his residence on April 1, 2022. 

When the search warrant was executed, multiple digital devices were seized including a cell phone that was actively downloading child pornography at the time.  When all devices were forensically examined, law enforcement discovered De La Fuente had been collecting child sexual abuse images since 2018 and had amassed a large collection of images and videos.  In total, De La Fuente possessed 8,839 images and 278 videos depicting child sexual abuse.  The collection of images and videos included very young children, infants and toddlers. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing was concluded.  U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle presided over the sentencing.  The Cary and Raleigh Police Departments, the United States’ Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-101-BO.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Elijah Tyler Thorne, 25, of Halifax County was sentenced to 87 months in prison for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon after complaints of drug activity led to an investigation that uncovered drugs and illegal guns in Thorne’s residence. Thorne pled guilty to the charges on October 26, 2023.

“Thorne’s illicit fentanyl operation will no longer be a thorn in the side of Halifax County. This case is just one example of our strong partnership with local law enforcement to make our communities safer by getting fentanyl and illegal guns off of our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.

“This successful prosecution represents the ongoing commitment of our local, state, and federal partners to identify the most dangerous and prolific offenders in Halifax County,” said Halifax County Sheriff Tyree Davis. “It is crucial for us to concentrate our resources on those individuals who cause our community the greatest harm. We appreciate our law enforcement partners and look forward to our continued work together.”

According to court records and other evidence presented in court, numerous complaints of drug activity led to an investigation into Thorne. A search warrant executed on his residence recovered marijuana, fentanyl, flualprazolam pills (a Schedule I Controlled Substance), eutylone (a synthetic cathinone similar to MDMA), and MDMA pills.  Thorne was also found to be in possession of a handgun and a 50-round drum magazine. Thorne has previous felony convictions for robbery and drug possession, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Aubart prosecuted the cases.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:21-CR-87-BO.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Michael Andrew Gilson, of Raleigh, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for receipt of child pornography.  Gilson, 43, pled guilty to the charges. on August 22, 2023.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on August 9, 2020, the Raleigh Police Department received a call from a woman who reported she had found images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on a friend’s iPad.   She met with officers and explained that she had been staying the night at the home of defendant Michael Gilson when he lent her his iPad because she couldn’t sleep.  While using it, a notification popped up and she discovered images of nude children saved to the device.  In the images, Gilson appeared to be video chatting with young girls.  She confronted Gilson, and he responded that he was seeking therapy for sexual addiction to juveniles and that he was helping the girls with their “sexual awakening.” 

Officers obtained a search warrant for the iPad and for Gilson’s Apple iCloud storage account.  A forensic examination of the iPad and iCloud account revealed 61 still images and 26 videos flagged as child sexual abuse material.    Many of the minors were prepubescent.  All images and videos were recorded from video chats with minors on an anonymous video chat program that Gilson admitted to using.  A text chat box is visible in the videos, and in some, Gilson could be seen instructing minors as young as 8 years old to engage in sexual activity.  Several files depicted Gilson masturbating while young girls watched. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Raleigh Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-0221-BO.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Manuel Gonzalez, of Elizabeth City, was sentenced today to 96 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon.  Gonzalez, 29, pled guilty to the charge on November 2, 2023.

“Last month, we launched a partnership with local law enforcement for a Violent Crime Action Plan in the Albemarle Region.  This case is a prime example of the senseless drug-related gun violence that partnership targets,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “This defendant fired a rain of bullets in a drug dispute, including into a home where a woman was sleeping.  His eight-year sentence should stand as a warning.  Violent felons driving gun violence should put down their guns or face federal prison.” 

“The Elizabeth City Police Department is grateful to all who had a hand in the conviction and sentencing of Mr. Gonzalez. His sentencing is a testament to the power of partnerships as a force multiplier in keeping our communities safe. We are committed to arresting those individuals who chose to use firearms to commit violent acts and will always work with our partners to ensure violent felons receive federal time,” said Elizabeth City Police Chief J. Phillip Webster.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on February 15, 2021, officers with the Elizabeth City Police Department, responded to a call regarding a shooting at a residence in Elizabeth City.  Two victims identified the defendant as the shooter and described how Gonzalez had begun shooting a handgun toward them after a drug dispute.  The victims had to run and hide inside the house and behind a truck to escape his gunfire.  Officers found multiple bullet holes in the side of the truck, as well as one that went through a wall of the home into a bedroom where a woman was sleeping.  One victim may have been grazed but no one was seriously injured.

On the afternoon of February 19, 2021, law enforcement received information that Gonzalez was staying at the Days Inn on S. Hughes Boulevard in Elizabeth City.  Officers responded to the hotel to serve an arrest warrant related to the shooting.  They knocked several times, and Gonzalez eventually opened the door and surrendered without incident.  During a search of the room pursuant to a search warrant, officers found a fully loaded Glock 22 .40 caliber handgun under the bed mattress.  In the top drawer of a dresser, they found a box of .40 caliber ammunition and a loaded extended magazine wrapped in a red bandana.  They also found a small amount of cocaine.  A debit card and other paperwork in the room were in Gonzalez’s name.   

Ballistics testing of the Glock handgun confirmed that it was used to fire shells discovered at the February 15, 2021, shooting. This testing also connected the firearm to an earlier incident on January 30, 2021, in which a victim was shot multiple times.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Elizabeth City Police Department, Pasquotank County Sherriff’s Office, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-0014-D.

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NEW BERN, N.C. – Arturo Barcenas Gonzalez (Barcenas) pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion before United States Magistrate Judge Robert B. Jones, Jr. At sentencing, Barcenas faces a statutory maximum of 60 months’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Barcenas will also be required to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in an amount to be determined.

“The vast majority of American taxpayers pay their fair share in taxes, supporting our nation’s infrastructure, innovation, and military. Meanwhile, Barcenas failed to file any federal tax return for years while he padded his personal accounts with money from his businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Businessmen making millions can’t use tax scams to dodge paying their share and leave law-abiding citizens to shoulder the burden. Hardworking Americans won’t stand for that, and neither will the IRS.”

“Defrauding the government using schemes to conceal income and evade taxes is unlawful,” said Donald “Trey” Eakins, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Field Office. “Today’s plea should serve as a reminder that those who evade their federal income tax responsibilities will be prosecuted and held accountable.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Barcenas owns and operates various businesses at an office location in Cary, including Barcenas Insurance Agency, LLC (BIA) and Barcenas Financial Services, LLC (BFS). BIA is a retail insurance company that offers and sells traditional insurance policies, including automotive coverage.  The investigation revealed that BIA operated a high-volume, cash-intensive business that, among other things, registered and titled vehicles on behalf of undocumented aliens through the use of assumed business name certificates filed with the register of deeds. BFS is a tax return preparation business that prepares federal and state income tax returns for customers.

In July 2018, Barcenas filed a false 2017 federal income tax return (Form 1040) that concealed over $300,000 in business receipts. Thereafter, Barcenas simply stopped filing federal tax returns altogether. Despite his non-filing, Barcenas continued to generate substantial business income—investigators identified business receipts in excess of $1 million per year between 2018 and 2022. In order to avoid IRS assessment and/or collection activity, Barcenas engaged in various acts of evasion, including titling assets in the names of others, depositing business proceeds into personal accounts, and making extensive use of cash. 

In May 2023, the IRS conducted a search warrant at Barcenas’s offices in Cary, during which agents recovered, among other things, various income-establishing business records that Barcenas previously claimed that he did not possess. The estimated tax losses attributable to the offense are over $1 million for calendars years 2018 through 2022.

Michael Easley, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after the arraignment.  IRS-Criminal Investigation, based in Raleigh, investigated the case and Assistant United States Attorney Adam F. Hulbig prosecuted the case for the government.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-376-FL.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Amir Williams, age 25, of Newark, New Jersey was sentenced to 235 months in prison for a string of armed robberies in Raleigh in March of 2022. Williams pled guilty on October 10, 2023, to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting and a single count of brandishing a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.

“Nobody should have a gun put to their face simply for doing their job. We want to locate this brazen violence in Raleigh,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Our Violent Crime Action Plan puts dangerous felons like Williams at the top of our priority list.”

According to court records and evidence presented in court, between March 4 and March 7, 2022, Williams robbed a Dollar General and a Circle K gas station in Raleigh. In each instance Williams entered the business with a co-conspirator, then he would point a firearm at an employee and demand money while counting down to zero. He and his co-conspirator would then leave the business in a stolen vehicle to escape with the proceeds from the robberies.  Williams was arrested on April 1, 2022, on an unrelated matter and ultimately confessed to his participation in the robberies.

The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is a collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonard Champaign prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00045-M.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Rocky Point, N.C. man was sentenced today to the statutory maximum 360 months in prison, and 10 years of supervised release, for the production of child pornography between April and October of 2020. On April 25, 2023, Thomas Frank Andrews, Jr., 39, pled guilty to the charges. Andrews was also ordered to pay a total of $36,000 in restitution to multiple victims and will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, in February 2020, Andrews traveled to Vance County to have sex with a minor female he had met and groomed through social media. The minor victim reported asking Andrews to stop but he did not, and a family member caught Andrews in bed with the minor. The Vance County Sheriff’s Office (VCSO) investigated, and Andrews was charged with Second Degree Forcible Rape.

During the investigation, the VCSO received reports that Andrews, a Pender County resident, was also sexually assaulting another minor female victim who was only 13 years-old at the time. On October 22, 2020, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) arrested Andrews on the outstanding Vance County warrant and seized his phone. A search warrant found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the phone. The PCSO then obtained and executed search warrants for Andrews’ home, vehicle, other electronic devices, and social media accounts. The subsequent investigation, conducted by the PCSO and the United States Secret Service (USSS), confirmed that Andrews had groomed the 13-year-old victim, engaged in a sexual relationship with her, and also had her create sexually explicit images and videos of herself at his direction.

The investigation also found that Andrews sexually assaulted yet another minor female victim, who was just 11 years-old at the time of his arrest. Later, investigators were able to confirm that one of the CSAM videos found on Andrews’ devices depicted the same minor victim, but was recorded over a year ago, when she was only 10 years-old.

A review of the electronic evidence revealed that Andrews had engaged in overtly sexual online communications with numerous other young females, including minors. Several explicitly disclosed their age / minor status, while Andrews often lied about his own age, claiming he was 18. Andrews regularly attempted to convince the young females to meet him for sex or send him sexually explicit images or videos, and some did. Additionally, the forensic review of Andrews’ electronic devices found a voluminous collection of thousands of CSAM images and videos, as well as search history which confirmed that Andrews actively sought out CSAM.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Pender County Sheriff’s Office, the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Secret Service investigated the case; the North Carolina 6th and 11th Prosecutorial District Attorney’s Offices prosecuted the state cases; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan M. Stephany prosecuted the federal case.

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

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:22-cr-00112-M.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, Michael Easley, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina (EDNC), announced its expansion of its Economic Crimes Section of the office, and that section’s enhanced enforcement in the prosecution of White-Collar Crime through increased partnerships with federal and state law enforcement agencies.

“Our nation is facing ever-increasing frauds and scams, fleecing innocent people of their well-earned savings and taxpayers of their investment in our Nation,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “We have strengthened our relationships with over 20 agencies investigating white-collar crime in the region.  We’ve launched multi-agency working groups on critical issues such as Investment Fraud, Public Health, COVID Fraud, Health Care Fraud, Public Corruption, Elder Fraud, Environmental Crimes, and Money Laundering. These efforts have spurred a surge in the number of investigations opened, and defendants prosecuted in this office.”

Just in 2023, significant white-collar cases brought or prosecuted by the Eastern District of North Carolina included, but were not limited to, the following:

Raleigh ENT Doctor Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Adulterating Surgical Devices, for Defrauding Medicare, and for Stealing Patient Identities. Following a lengthy trial, Anita Louise Jackson of Raleigh was sentenced to 300 months in prison for adulterating surgical devices used in more than 1,400 sinus surgeries performed on Medicare patients between 2011 and 2018.  Jackson was also ordered to forfeit 4.7 million dollars.  (Case No. 5:21-CR-00259-D).

Whiteville Business Owner Sentenced to Federal Prison for Ponzi Scheme. Joseph Floyd, age 76, of Whiteville, NC, was sentenced to 42 months in prison for conspiring to sell and deliver unregistered securities in connection with a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme operated for nearly a decade under the guise of a purported investment program. Floyd was also ordered to pay over 10 million dollars in restitution to the victims of the offense.  (Case No. 7:23-CR-1-B).

Raleigh man sentenced to 17 years for healthcare fraud.  Furman Ford, 54, of Wake County, convicted at a federal trial, was sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment. Ford conspired to defraud the Medicare Program by submitting false claims for never provided services. (Case No. 5:20-CR-448-D-1)

NCDOC Officer pleads guilty to Covid-19 Fraud Scheme. Sean Dillard, 55, of Hertford County, pled guilty and sentenced to a year in prison for the theft of government property for fraudulently submitting North Carolina Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions (NC HOPE) loan applications for emergency rental assistance.  (Case No. 2:23-CR-11-FL)

Raleigh Man Sentenced to Prison for Identity Theft Conspiracy Involving Fraudulent Financing of Vehicles in Excess of $1 Million. Basilio Rafael Garcia, of Raleigh, NC, was sentenced to 54 months in prison for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.  As part of the scheme, the personal identifying information of a Puerto Rico resident was stolen, transferred, and used to fraudulently finance and purchase more than 1 million dollars’ worth of vehicles and watercraft from dealerships in the Eastern and Middle Districts of North Carolina.  (Case No. 5:22-CR-48-D).

Former Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Executing a Multimillion Dollar Ponzi Scheme.  Shaun Good of Wilmington was sentenced to 87 months in prison for carrying out a 7-million-dollar investment fraud scheme while employed as an investment advisor for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC in Wilmington.   From 2012 to February 2022, Good solicited investments from business clients and others for purported real estate projects and tax-free municipal bonds, touting these opportunities as low-risk investments that would pay returns of between 6% and 10% over three- or six-month terms. (Case No. 7:22-CR-00096-D).

NC Man Sentenced to 7 Years Imprisonment for Leasing Fraud Scheme.  Dan Raymond, the owner of several computer equipment and small business financial consulting companies, was sentenced to 84 months imprisonment for orchestrating more than 20 million dollars in fraudulent lease deals.  As part of his plea, Raymond agreed to forfeit 4.7 million dollars in fraud proceeds, along with nearly $170,000 in proceeds from the sale of a residence, $11,650 in cash, and various jewelry, two Rolex watches, gold and silver bars, collectible coins, and apparel from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada. (Case No. 5:23-CR-96-BO).

Sixteen Plead Guilty in COVID Fraud Scheme. A Texas couple, Edward Whitaker and Schunda Coleman pleaded guilty in January 2023 to conspiracy to commit money laundering for helping dozens of North Carolina residents fraudulently obtain more than 15 million dollars in Paycheck Protection Act (PPP) COVID-19 loans. To date, 14 other defendants have pled guilty for the scheme. (Case No. 5:22-cr-00257-D).

Pharmacy Owner and Technician Both Sentenced to Prison for Health Care Fraud. James Craig Belland Melisha Oxendine West were each sentenced to 24 months imprisonment for their roles in a 4-million-dollar health care fraud scheme run through a pharmacy in Robeson County owned by Bell that had operated under the name Townsend’s Pharmacy.  The pharmacy billed Medicare, Medicaid, and various private health plans for prescription drugs that were never actually dispensed by the pharmacy.   (Case Nos. 7:22-cr-00107-FL and 7:21-cr-00129-FL).

Raleigh Man Sentenced to Two Years Prison for Mail Theft Scheme.  Anthony Messiah Brooks, 21, of Wake County, was sentenced to 2 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of Possession of Stolen Mail and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Mail. Brooks was found with 500 pieces of checks, U.S. currency, money orders, gift certificates, and personal identifying information for unknown individuals, all of which came from various blue collection boxes through the Raleigh area. (Case No. 7:22-CR-00068-D)

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for the case number.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Gordon Ray Custis 26, of Fayetteville, was sentenced to 180 months in prison for possession with the intent to distribute ketamine, conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute ketamine; and money laundering. He pled guilty to the charges on September 14, 2023. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects. Common street names for ketamine include Cat Tranquilizer, Cat Valium, Jet K, Kit Kat, Purple, Special K, Special La Coke, Super Acid, Super K, and Vitamin K.   

“We are partnering with the Army to crack down on drug-trafficking soldiers like Custis, who was caught with over sixty pounds of illicit African-sourced ketamine,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “This fifteen-year sentence is a warning to any member of our armed services who thinks they can engage in drug-trafficking and money-laundering while wearing the uniform.  American troops are the greatest fighting force in the world’s history, and we are proud to partner with the Army to ensure integrity in the ranks.”

“This case is a great example of strong partnerships across the spectrum of law enforcement,” said Shane Watts, Special Agent in Charge of the Carolinas Field Office. “Army CID will continue to target those responsible for degrading the Army mission through criminal acts by conducting professional and comprehensive investigations.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on May 7, 2021, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations was notified by the French Customs Service stationed at Charles De Gaulle International airport that a package from Cameroon had been intercepted containing approximately three kilograms of ketamine.  The package was delivered to Gordon Ray Custis, then a soldier at Fort Liberty, at his home in Fayetteville, by Federal Task Force Officers with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. 

Custis pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute ketamine and he was released pending sentencing.  While awaiting sentencing, the Army Criminal Investigative Division and Defense Criminal Investigative Service received information that Custis was laundering money.  The subsequent investigation revealed that Custis, acting in a leadership role involving co-defendant and others, laundered over $700,000. 

On February 1, 2023, a second search warrant was executed at Custis’s home and investigators recovered 28.5 kilograms of ketamine, $164,200 in cash, digital scales and vacuums sealing materials. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabe Diaz prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-0058-D-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, United States Attorney Michael Easley announced that over the course of 2023, his office prosecuted 281 illegal firearm offenders resulting in the forfeiture of at least 249 illegally owned, possessed, used, or obtained firearms. Firearms that are criminally forfeited are removed from the possession of a convicted criminal defendant and relinquished to the government for disposal, including potentially the return of stolen firearm to rightful owners.

“We are meeting violent crime head on – prosecuting violent offenders and taking guns out of the hands of the most dangerous felons,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Through our strong partnership with local, state and federal law enforcement, our violet crime action plan puts us shoulder to shoulder with local law enforcement to target the serial trigger pullers and armed drug traffickers driving violence in our communities.”

Since the start of 2023, EDNC charged approximately 281 defendants with federal firearms offenses, including possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, and straw purchasing of a firearm. These prosecutions are a result of close cooperation between prosecutors and partners at federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). EDNC also partners with the State Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, and local police and sheriffs across the District.

EDNC’s efforts to seize and forfeit illegal firearms in 2023 was the result of multiple investigative and prosecutorial efforts, including the Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) and the Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which are both collaborative efforts with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime, and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which works to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

“We’ve seen that collaborative efforts to address gun violence can make a significant impact,” said Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “Through proactive strategies, cooperative partnerships, and relentless efforts to protect our communities, we’re recovering thousands of firearms each year and addressing violent gun crime with every resource we have available.”

“Every day the FBI battles alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners against violent crime in our communities. One way we make our streets safer is to take guns out of the hands of those who cannot legally have them," said Robert M. DeWitt the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.

“Driven by greed, these violent criminals’ activities posed a significant threat in our communities,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Division. “The success of these investigations demonstrates that the DEA will use all of its resources to destroy violent drug distribution networks.”

“The success of these investigations is a direct result of the collaborative effort between all facets of law enforcement and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina and is a testament to HSI’s tireless efforts to prevent the use of illegal weapons to terrorize communities both domestically and internationally,” said Ronnie Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Charlotte that covers North and South Carolina. “HSI and its law enforcement partners are committed to identifying, investigating and prosecuting organizations involved in these crimes to better safeguard society, as a whole.” 

Some of the major firearms-related cases prosecuted by EDNC in 2023 include:

Violent Fayetteville Pimp and Drug Dealer Sentenced to More Than 32 Years in Prison for Kidnapping, Drug and Gun Offenses.   Yomere Busbee trafficked woman, sold drugs, and possessed firearms, resulting in 32 years in federal prison.  (Case No. 5:20-CR-00393-M)

Rocky Mount Blood Gang Leader Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and COVID-19 Fraud. Tyrone Foreman aka Ty Nitty was the leader of a violent drug trafficking organization in Rocky Mount that regularly carried firearms. He was sentenced to 30 years. In this operation, more than 20 guns were seized. (Case No. 5:21-CR-289-D-1)

Convicted Fayetteville Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to More Than 20 Years in Prison. Jarrell Bordeaux was convicted at trial. He distributed fentanyl and heroin to a confidential informant, and then multiple firearms were found in his possession during the execution of search warrants.  (Case No.5:20-cr-00428-M)

Wendell Armed Robber Targeting Aldi Grocery Stores Sentenced to Nearly 30 Years in Prison. Lionel Robinson got 30 years for targeting and robbing Aldi grocery stores at gun point.  (Case No. 5:21-cr-00017-FL)

Armed Robber Sentenced to More Than 38 Years in Federal Prison.  Frank McCree was sentenced to more than 38 years after a string of robberies in Robeson County. (Case No. 7:17-cr-00134-FL-1)

Armed Career Criminal Who Shot Fayetteville Pawn Shop Owner Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison.  Armed Career criminal Mario Whitted was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 45 years after he shot a pawn shop owner in Fayetteville.  (Case No. 7:21-CR-87-BO)

Career Offender Who Led Authorities on a High-Speed Chase on I-95 Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison.  A jury convicted Nazeer Vick of gun and drug charges after he led police on a dangerous 30-mile highspeed chase through three counties on I-95. (Case No. 5:20-cr-00485-D)

Leader of Craven County Armed Drug Organization Trafficking Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Sentenced To 35 Years. Ivan Medina-Beltran received a 35-year sentence for leading an armed methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking organization. During search warrants, firearms were seized. (Case No. 4:22-cr-00075-D-1)

Convicted Murderer Sentenced to 30 Years for Fentanyl Distribution. Aaron Goode was convicted of heroin, fentanyl, and 922(g) offenses. Goode was confirmed to be a large-scale fentanyl supplier. Goode was found with firearms, body armor, currency, and a hydraulic press to package drugs. (Case No. 5:21-CR-334-D)

Eight Time Prior Drug Felon Sentenced to 300 Months for Armed Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking. Montrel Rhone was distributing fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl, and methamphetamine. During a search warrant, agents found two guns. Defendant tried to flush drug evidence down the toilet. Defendant had eight prior felony drug convictions. (Case No. 5:21-CR-280-D-1)

Armed Career Criminal Facilitating the Sale of Firearms to Juveniles Sentenced to 18 Years.  Braxton Benton and his codefendant, Takara Wilson, were engaged in a straw purchasing scheme that put guns in the hands of juveniles. (Case No. 5:22-CR-153-1D)

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for the case number.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A New Bern, N.C. woman was sentenced today to 78 months in prison, and 5 years of supervised release, for sex trafficking a minor victim in March of 2022. On August 9, 2023, Brittney Chantel McCoy, 34, pled guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor. McCoy is also required to register as a sex offender.

“Sex trafficking of minors is happening right here in Eastern North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. "We have launched two Human Trafficking Task Forces with our law enforcement partners, working tirelessly to identify, locate, and rescue victims and zealously prosecuting those responsible.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, in March 2022, McCoy was residing with her co-defendant, Melody Faye Nobles-Green, and a 16-year-old minor victim, in Wilmington. McCoy, who was already engaged in commercial sex, began posting online escort advertisements for the minor. McCoy arranged for the minor to see commercial sex clients and engaged in commercial sex dates with the minor. Nobles, who was previously sentenced to 48 months for her role, allowed McCoy and the minor to entertain the commercial sex dates in her home in exchange for a portion of the money they earned. Later that same month, McCoy took the minor to Jacksonville, NC to engage in commercial sex. Nobles was again promised a share of the proceeds but when she did not receive any money, Nobles called authorities to report McCoy for exploiting and sex trafficking the minor.

Investigators moved quickly to locate and recover the minor victim the same day. McCoy admitted to knowing the minor’s age but initially denied sex trafficking the minor. Investigators were eventually able to establish McCoy’s role after reviewing phone messages and other material demonstrating that she posted commercial sex ads for herself and the minor, negotiated rates, and facilitated and arranged commercial sex dates for the minor in both Wilmington and Jacksonville. Although Nobles was initially not viewed as a subject because she had called in the tip to authorities, further investigation revealed her role in aiding and abetting the exploitation of the minor victim and attempting to profit from the same. Investigators also identified and arrested an adult male, Jermaine Linton, who transported McCoy and the minor, and facilitated their commercial sex while in Jacksonville. Linton is facing state charges for his role.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The case was investigated by the Coastal Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from Onslow County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Police Department, Wilmington Police Department, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service. the North Carolina 5th Prosecutorial District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the state case; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan M. Stephany prosecuted the federal case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-cr-00022-M-RJ.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Two members of a New Bern family pled guilty for their role in a scheme to defraud a program designed to help struggling North Carolina residents stay in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Takeeia Hawkins, age 43, and her daughter, Shanasia Hawkins, age 22, both pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and face up to 30 years at sentencing later this year. Takeeia Hawkins’ son, Jmari Hawkins, age 24, and another conspirator, Jonell Ojeda, age 23, have also been indicted in the scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $850,000 in emergency rental assistance from the NC HOPE Program (North Carolina Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions).

“This case is yet another example of the greedy taking from the needy,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “These funds were meant to help struggling families pay their rent, and these defendants stole it.  Our office will keep coming for fraudsters who used pandemic relief as a personal piggybank.”

According to information presented in court, Takeeia and Shanasia Hawkins admitted to submitting fraudulent applications to the NC HOPE Program, in which they falsely claimed to be the landlord of multiple properties in North Carolina.  More than 50 applications, requesting nearly $500,000, were submitted with Takeeia or Shanasia Hawkins listed as the landlord. Neither woman owned property nor served as a landlord of any property.  Based on the fraudulent representations, the NC HOPE Program mailed checks, totaling nearly $150,000 to the two women. 

Jmari Hawkins and Ojeda were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft in October 2023.  According to the indictment, Jmari Hawkins and Ojeda are alleged to have worked together with other Hawkins family members to falsely claim to be property landlords on applications submitted to the NC HOPE Program.  Property records show neither Jmari Hawkins or Ojeda owned property or served as landlord of any property on the applications.  In addition, the indictment alleges they conspired with a third-party to obtain stolen identities and fraudulent identity cards to use when submitting applications for rental assistance.  Their cases are still pending, and an indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.   (see case number below)

The NC HOPE Program administered federal COVID-19 relief funds and provided emergency rental assistance to North Carolina renters who faced eviction and homelessness during the pandemic.  The Program allowed renters to submit an online application to apply for rental assistance.  If approved, the Program paid the tenant’s rent, in checks sent directly to the landlord, for up to 15 months of overdue or future rent payments. 

“Treasury OIG is committed to supporting these coordinated efforts to detect and prevent misuse of public funds,” said Acting Inspector General Rich Delmar.

This alleged scheme allowed the members of the Hawkins family and their associates to enrich themselves at the expense of North Carolina renters struggling with housing insecurity during the pandemic.

“Investigating allegations of fraud related to housing assistance programs is a critical part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General,” said Special Agent in Charge Jerome Winkle, with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate these types of allegations and bring to justice bad actors who prey on communities struggling with the catastrophic impacts of the pandemic.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic was a difficult time for so many families, including those in communities across North Carolina,” said NC State Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Schurmeier. “The purpose of emergency relief funds like the NC HOPE Program offered was to provide a lifeline to those struggling to keep a roof over their heads. It is beyond disappointing to know that individuals exploited the crisis for their own personal gain while some of their most vulnerable neighbors risked losing their homes. Such actions undermine the very support systems created to hold our communities together during a crisis or otherwise.”

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement.  The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; the United States Department of Treasury, Office of Inspector General; and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Haughton.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for United States v. Takeeia Hawkins, Case No 5:23-CR-00380; United States v. Shanasia Hawkins, Case No. 5:23-CR-00379; Unites States v. Jmari Hawkins et al, Case No. 5:23-cr-00300.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Charles Gilbert Green, age 29 of Leland, was sentenced to 232 months in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearm charges after he was identified as the shooter who fired multiple shots in broad daylight near a Wilmington funeral home. One person was injured in the shooting. On September 12, 2023, Green pled guilty to two counts of distribution of cocaine base (crack) and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

“We will continue to go after individuals involved in violent crime and will aggressively seek prosecution,” said Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams. “I am proud of the continued work of our women and men and the partnerships we have with other agencies as well. We take the opportunity to serve and protect our community very seriously and will stop at nothing to do our part to help ensure our citizens have a safe place to live and work.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on April 2, 2022, at approximately 1:30 p.m. officers with the Wilmington Police Department were dispatched to the area of 6th and Red Cross Streets after receiving a ShotSpotter alert and multiple 911 calls about shots fired. Upon arrival, officers located one person suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and he was immediately transported to the hospital where he received treatment and recovered from his injuries. During their investigation, officers located almost a dozen  fired shell casings. Officers were able to locate security camera footage which showed Charles Green firing multiple shots from the southeast corner of Red Cross Street towards a group of individuals standing near the funeral home and then get into a white Ford Flex and flee the scene.

After reviewing the video from the shooting and hearing evidence, the court found Mr. Green used a firearm in an attempted murder, which resulted in serious bodily injury to the victim. At the time of the shooting, Mr. Green was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Mr. Green has prior convictions for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, common law robbery, assault inflicting serious injury, resisting a public officer, and possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana.

Members of the Brunswick County Vice and Narcotics Unit received information that a man that went by “CJ” was distributing narcotics in Leland. Law enforcement was able to identify “CJ” as Charles Gilbert Green, and then utilize a confidential informant to conduct controlled purchases of cocaine base (crack) from Green.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II.   The FBI’s Coastal Carolina Safe Street’s Gang Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Brunswick County Vice and Narcotics Unit, the Wilmington Police Department, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wilmington Police Department’s Gun Crime Task Force investigated the case and Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt prosecuted the case.   Van Trigt is a prosecutor with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office assigned  to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal violent crimes and other criminal matters.  This has been made possible by a grant funded by New Hanover County.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-cr-00014-M-001.

RALEIGH, N.C. – An Elloree, South Carolina man was sentenced to 151 months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possessing with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.  On October 13, 2023, Ricardo Baltazar-Aguirre pled guilty to the charges.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Baltazar-Aguirre, 52, conspired with Oscar Nunez-Cortes, 26, of Saint Matthews, South Carolina to distribute ten kilograms of cocaine to an individual in Fayetteville. On January 6, 2023, Nunez-Cortes drove to meet Baltazar-Aguirre at a house in Elloree, South Carolina. There, Baltazar-Aguirre and another man loaded 10 kilograms of cocaine into an SUV driven by Nunez-Cortes. Nunez-Cortes and his girlfriend then traveled to an agreed upon location in Fayetteville to meet the buyer. As they traveled Baltazar-Aguirre and his companion trailed their vehicle. North Carolina State Highway Patrol conducted traffic stops on both vehicles as they crossed into Cumberland County on Interstate 95. A search of Nunez-Cortes’s car revealed 10 kilograms of cocaine packaged in kilogram quantities in a large duffel bag in the back seat. A search of Baltazar-Aguirre’s truck revealed a handgun in the glovebox.

An examination of Baltazar-Aguirre’s phones revealed that he frequently communicated with a Mexican phone number that was saved in his contacts as “Sinaloa” that belongs to a suspected Sinaloan Cartel member. Baltazar-Aguirre discussed the sale and distribution of narcotics with “Sinaloa” ultimately receiving permission to conduct the deal with Nunez-Cortes. Nunez-Cortes was a heavy user of cocaine and would purchase an ounce or two a week from Baltazar-Aguirre before meeting the buyer and attempting to set up his own drug deal.

Nunez-Cortes previously pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Nashville Police Department, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, and the NC State Highway Patrol investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Blondel and Phil Aubart  prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-cr-00016-BO.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced to 288 months in prison for the distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and violent crimes in aid of racketeering (VICAR) for conspiring to kill a rival Eight Trey Gangster Crip (ETGC). On August 2, 2021, Dexter Maxwell pled guilty to charges related to this investigation. Maxwell was identified as the leader of ETGC throughout the North and South Carolina with direct ties to gang hierarchy in Los Angeles, California. 

"We are dismantling violent gang and drug traffickers across North Carolina with our expansive network of law enforcement partners.  Maxwell was a well-known gang leader in the Carolinas who directed violence around Raleigh, while trafficking narcotics that fueled addiction throughout the region,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “This operation brings an end to Maxwell’s racketeering enterprise and dismantles his network, with over 20 co-conspirators convicted, and their leader spending the next 24 years in federal prison.” 

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Deandre Earp was tased and assaulted by a rival gang member on Quarry Street in Raleigh in July 2019. Earp then coordinated with Maxwell, Clinton Basco, and Rayquan Wiggins to retaliate by planning a murder of the rival gang member. Maxwell directed his underlings to commit the murder and, as the group were driving to kill the rival gang member, Raleigh Police Department personnel initiated a vehicle stop. Earp and Basco both had loaded firearms with them in the car and were taken into custody, thereby preventing the potential murder of a rival Crip gang member.

“Drug trafficking networks bring serious threats to a community, including gun violence,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “To address that threat, ATF partners with local, state and other federal agencies to tackle this problem from every direction. When we remove the individuals leading gangs and drug trafficking networks from our communities, we can have a major impact on the level of gun violence and violent crime.” 

Maxwell was well-connected in the ETGC criminal world where he conspired with Troy Davis, a high-ranking ETGC member from Los Angeles to acquire large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to distribute throughout the Raleigh area. Once the illegal drugs arrived, Maxwell was responsible for overseeing the distribution operation and collecting drug proceeds to funnel back to California.

For approximately two decades, ETGC has operated in North Carolina, including in the North Carolina prison system.  The ETGC is recognized as a national criminal street gang originating out of Los Angeles and has a reputation for a propensity for violence that includes several homicides, aggravated assaults, and robberies.  Members and associates of ETGC have been involved in numerous violent crimes that have resulted in the loss of life, decrease in quality of life, and damage to societal norms in and around Raleigh.  The ETGC members committed acts of violence to maintain membership and discipline, both within the gang and against non-gang members. Maxwell has a lengthy, violent criminal history which had resulted in his rise to leadership and connection with ETGC leadership in Los Angeles, California.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Notably, more than 20 individuals have been indicted because of this investigation, including Deandre Earp, who was sentenced in January 2022 to 40 years in prison; Troy Davis, who was sentenced in November 2022 to 35 years in prison; Chad Murray, who was sentenced in May 2023 to 17 years in prison, Clinton Basco, who was sentenced in April 2023 to 11 years in prison; and Rayquan Wiggins, who was sentenced in February 2023 to 8 years in prison.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Raleigh Police Department led the investigation with assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Raleigh/Wake City-County Bureau of Identification and United States Marshals Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly L. Sandling prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.  5:19-cr-00395-D-1.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Felicia Moore Jones, 52, pled guilty to conspiring to defraud North Carolina Medicaid (“Medicaid”) in a scheme that resulted in more than $400,000 in fraudulent billing.  Jones faces up to 10 years in prison and a potential fine.

“Ms. Jones’ was a social worker who was supposed to help poor Medicaid recipients get healthcare.  Instead, she stole and sold their identifying information in a scheme to bill taxpayers for care that was never provided,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “We are fortunate to live in a generous country, where we are proud to help the less advantaged through programs like Medicaid.  But we will find and prosecute anyone who abuses that generosity for their own profit.”

According to the filed charge and information summarized in court, Jones was a social worker in New Hanover County who conspired with a licensed mental health counselor, Lakia Washington, to defraud Medicaid. Jones used her government employment to obtain personally identifying information (PII) of New Hanover County residents enrolled in Medicaid, including their Medicaid ID numbers.  In exchange for an agreed-upon fee per beneficiary, Jones then provided the PII to Washington, knowing it would be used to generate fraudulent claims for services never rendered.  Investigators have attributed over $400,000 of Washington’s fraudulent Medicaid billing to the beneficiary PII Jones provided to Washington.  Late last year, Washington pled guilty and is awaiting sentencing.  Based upon the investigation, no out-of-pocket costs were borne by the individuals whose identities were used as a part of the scheme.

“Government employees are supposed to be responsible stewards of our personal and health data, not steal it for their own profit,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “I’m grateful to my Medicaid Investigations Division and our federal partners for their work to protect taxpayer resources and patient information.”

The Center for Medicaid Services, within the federal Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for overseeing the Medicaid program in North Carolina, which has been administered by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services since 1978.  Medicaid providers are assigned a National Provider Identifier, which they use to submit claims for reimbursement for services rendered to Medicaid beneficiaries.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the plea. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, is leading the investigation with the assistance North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Beraka is prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00377-BO.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Reno, Nevada man, was sentenced to 96 months in prison and five years of supervised release for the receipt and possession of child pornography, known as child sexual abuse material (CSAM). On August 30, 2023, Sean Paul Holt, 28, pled guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography. Holt will also have to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Holt was an active-duty member of the United States Army, who was stationed at Ft. Liberty (previously known as Ft. Bragg) at the time of the offense. In April 2020, Holt purchased CSAM from a Tor site dedicated to selling material depicting sadistic sexual abuse of young boys. Investigators traced the bitcoin transactions to accounts belonging to Holt and found evidence that Holt’s phone was one of several devices using the relevant IP address at the time of the transaction. Later, in Spring 2021, investigators received multiple Cybertips regarding suspected CSAM in a Tumblr account that was tied to an email address that investigators had previously identified as belonging to Holt. 

On May 19, 2021, investigators executed a federal search warrant at Holt’s residence, and seized multiple electronic devices. A forensic examination revealed hundreds of CSAM files, including CSAM of prepubescent minors, on Holt’s phone. Investigators also found a Mega account used to store thousands of additional CSAM files. During the search warrant, Holt consented to a voluntary, non-custodial interview and made a number of admissions, including purchasing CSAM from a website, and accessing CSAM on and off for a number of years.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Department of Homeland Security, and the United States Army, Criminal Investigative Division investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan M. Stephany prosecuted the case.

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

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-CR-00007-D.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – A Halifax County man was sentenced to 100 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine. On October 16, 2023, Taj’ma De’yong Ussery, also known as “Pop Off,” was convicted by a federal jury.

“Drug traffickers are pushing dangerous and illegal drugs in vulnerable communities, driving up rates of addiction and overdose,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “We are partnering with law enforcement to stop this cycle by investigating and prosecuting those supplying the narcotics. This conviction is a result of our strong partnership with local law enforcement, who are working tirelessly to keep their communities safe.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ussery, age 26, distributed five grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance on December 21, 2022. The sale was a hand-to-hand transaction with a confidential informant. Ussery was identified as a regular dealer of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the community who worked within a network of others to distribute drugs throughout Halifax County. This indictment resulted as part of a larger effort to combat drug and gang-related violence in Halifax County North Carolina and was the result of coordination between the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Attorney’s Office.

“I want to thank our dedicated drug agents along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their hard work on this case,” said Halifax County Sheriff Tyree Davis. “A sentence like this sends a strong message to those in our community who would engage in dealing dangerous drugs. We will hold you accountable and seek justice.”

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. Halifax County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Foxx and Phil Aubart prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.4:23-cr-00034-BO-RJ-1.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Kumar Arun Neppalli, 57, was sentenced to 44 months in the Federal Bureau of Prison and ordered to pay almost $1 million in restitution to victims in connection with a Ponzi investment fraud scam. Neppalli  previously pleaded to guilty to 17 counts of Wire Fraud. 

The investigation revealed Neppalli relied on his good standing within the Indian American community in Cary to defraud numerous victims under the false pretense that he would invest their money in a legitimate real estate development in the Orange County area.  Neppalli leveraged his employment with the town of Chapel Hill to convince the victims that he had insider knowledge of development plans with respect to the purported real estate.  Neppalli would request a specific amount of money within a short timeframe, sometimes the same day, to facilitate closing the transaction.  Neppalli promised a return of the principal investment plus a profit within a few months, often asking his victims not to discuss the transaction with other members of the community or referencing a non-disclosure agreement.  Neppalli used the funds from these victims to pay back earlier investors who believed that he was returning their original investment and legitimate capital gains.

“Neppalli was a conman running a classic ‘affinity fraud,’ targeting Indian American investors in the Triangle for their hard-earned savings,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “It was a pure Ponzi scheme – stoking false hopes of financial success, but using new investor money to pay off earlier investors, while masquerading those payments as legitimate profits.  Investors should beware affinity fraudsters like Neppalli promising outsized returns on short timelines while exploiting membership in a particular religious or ethnic group to gain credibility and target victims.”

“Neppalli swindled members of his own tight-knit community. He pretended to have inside information to make them rich, instead many victims lost their entire life savings. While fraud of this magnitude can have a lasting impact, we hope the time Neppalli must serve in federal prison brings a sense of justice to his victims," said Robert M. DeWitt, the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle announced the sentence.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Triangle Fraud Taskforce led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Beraka is prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-CR-00347-BO.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Wilmington man was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. On September 6, 2023, Trevon Keoni Di’Jae Brown, age 24, pled guilty to the charge.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on November 18, 2022, the Wilmington Police Department attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by Brown. Brown attempted to evade the police by dangerously weaving through traffic, but eventually hit a parked car. The defendant then fled on foot but was quickly apprehended. Officers retraced the defendant’s path of escape and located a loaded 9mm privately made firearm (“ghost gun”) with a large capacity magazine with 25 rounds in it in the backyard of a residence. Ballistic testing revealed that the firearm was used in a shooting in Wilmington on June 12, 2022. 

“This sentence is yet another example of how dangerous felons increasingly turn to untraceable ghost guns for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “These weapons in the wrong hands pose a significant threat to our communities and we will continue to fully enforce the law against those who break it.”

Privately made firearms or “ghost guns” are firearms that are made by a person other than a licensed manufacturer and do not have a serial number placed on the firearm by a license manufacturer at the time the firearm was produced.  

Brown has multiple prior criminal convictions including, but not limited to, carrying a concealed weapon, resisting a public officer, carrying a concealed gun, and possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver cocaine. Brown was also validated as a member of the United Blood Nation by the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction and by the Wilmington Police Department.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle.   The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilmington Police Department’s Gun Crime Task Force, and the Wilmington Police Department investigated the case and Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt prosecuted the case.   Van Trigt is a prosecutor with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal violent crimes and other criminal matters.  This has been made possible by a grant funded by New Hanover County.

The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is a collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-cr-00050BO-001.

 

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RALEIGH, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Michael Easley announced efforts to combat human trafficking, including expansion of a dedicated task force in Southeastern North Carolina, including Wilmington and Jacksonville. This task force partnership follows the launch of a similar effort in the Raleigh-Cary area last year. As part of the annual observation of January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Easley also highlighted several successful human trafficking prosecutions led by his office. In 2023, 12 defendants received sentences averaging 98 months, with one defendant receiving a sentence of more than 32 years in prison. Numerous other individuals are facing charges that have not yet resolved.

“Our unique task force model is dismantling networks in North Carolina. Today we are expanding upon the work already underway in Southeastern North Carolina, bringing together our law enforcement and community partners to rescue victims and prosecute those who are exploiting vulnerable individuals for labor, services, or commercial sex,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “I commend the work of the FBI and our local partners to lay the groundwork for this expanded partnership.”

The dedicated human trafficking task force for Southeastern North Carolina will meet regularly to share intelligence and investigative leads, receive specialized training, develop investigative tools and expertise for law enforcement agencies, and to foster community partnerships to provide the services needed to assist trafficking victims. The task force includes law enforcement partners from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), N.C. State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI), Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Onslow County Sheriff’s Office, Carteret County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Police Department, and the Whiteville Police Department, as well as federal and state prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office and the North Carolina District Attorney’s Offices for the 5th and 6th Prosecutorial Districts.

"For years the FBI and our local law enforcement partners have been working tirelessly to combat human trafficking along North Carolina's coast," said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI. "We are deeply appreciative to the U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District for dedicating additional resources to join our mission to hold those accountable who enslave others for their own profit."   

“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is proud to be part of this all-important human trafficking task force working in conjunction with the United States Attorney’s Office and our local, state, and federal partners,” said Kyle D. Burns, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of HSI Charlotte, which covers both North and South Carolina.  “Human trafficking is a heinous crime that affects the most vulnerable members of society and by dedicating significant resources to this endeavor, we’re able to work jointly to dismantle these criminal organizations that seek to exploit these victims for their own financial gain.”

“The Sheriff's Office has had a zero-tolerance approach to human trafficking,” said New Hanover Sheriff Ed McMahon. “We will continue to dedicate resources and work with our partners to eradicate this evil crime.”

“The criminals and criminal organizations involved in human trafficking deserve the full attention of prosecutors and law enforcement.  Justice for them should be swift and resolute.  The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is proud to join our partners and we applaud this effort to bring justice to those who so rightly deserve it,” said North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Schurmeier.

Prosecution of Human Traffickers

Finally, the office is highlighting several human trafficking prosecutions from 2023 that have helped to put traffickers and members of their organizations behind bars.  Notable cases from 2023 include the following:

USA v. Timothy Bavaro (No. 7:20-CR-115-M)

On March 14, 2023, Timothy Bavaro was sentenced to 180 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $90,000 in restitution to multiple victims for his role as the leader and organizer of a prostitution enterprise that he operated from at least 2015 to 2019 across various states (including New York, South Carolina, and North Carolina), victimizing at least seven women. Information from the victims and a cooperating witness all provided information regarding Bavaro’s prostitution business, including Bavaro’s physical abuse of victims and the fear that many victims cited as the reason they continued engaging in commercial sex for his financial gain. Victims reported they were required to give Bavaro anywhere from 50-100% of their earnings while still having to pay their expenses, leaving them with little to nothing. Bavaro appealed, but on December 21, 2023, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the sentence imposed by the district court and dismissed the remainder of Bavaro’s appeal.

USA v. Yomere Juan Busbee (No. 5:20-CR-393-M)

On March 24, 2023, Busbee – a violent pimp and drug dealer from Fayetteville – was sentenced to 390 months in prison. In September 2022, a federal jury in Wilmington found Busbee guilty on six counts related to the kidnapping of four victims, including a minor, as well as several drug and gun offenses that came to light during an investigation into the defendant’s sex trafficking activities.  Two co-defendants pled guilty and received sentences of 108 and 90 months, respectively.

USA v. Roderick Wall (No. 7:22-CR-90-D)

On May 25, 2023, the court sentenced Roderick Wall to 78 months in prison for his role in a drug conspiracy, during which he facilitated commercial sex out of his house. According to court documents and information presented in court, Wall posted online advertisements for sexual services and allowed females to engage in commercial sex out of his home, often while supplying the females with drugs. Wall’s wife and two minor children lived in the home with him and were present during some of the drug transactions and during a search warrant on August 18, 2021. Additionally, Wall sold fentanyl to a pregnant woman, and home surveillance footage showed another pregnant female injecting fentanyl supplied by Wall.

USA v. Kevin Harold Rudolph (No. 5:19-CR-336-FL)

Marcus Antwan Gambrell and co-defendant Kevin Rudolph were charged with sex trafficking of a 14-year-old minor and using the internet to promote prostitution. In addition, Gambrell faced charges for manufacturing child pornography, and Rudolph for possession of a firearm by a felon.  Rudolph pled guilty to sex trafficking of a minor and aiding and abetting and was sentenced to 180 months in prison on April 5, 2023.

USA v. Ok Hwa Lee, et al. (No. 7:21-CR-00079)

From January to April 2023, the court sentenced five defendants who had been indicted in connection with an investigation into illicit massage parlors where sexual services were being provided. The indictment charged them with conspiracy, bribery, and operating an illegal prostitution enterprise in interstate commerce. All five defendants pled guilty in 2022, and all five were sentenced in 2023 to 10 years collectively. The leader of the organization, Ok Hwa Lee, 55, was sentenced to 34 months in prison. Shanyu Song, 50, and Xuejin Bai, 51, were sentenced to 26 and 12 months and one day, respectively. Additionally, Lee was ordered to forfeit $151,000; Song $146,000; and Bai $55,000. Ming Ji Cao was sentenced to 18 months, and a $1000 fine, and Og Bun Park was sentenced to 15 months and a $750 fine.

USA v. Brittney McCoy, et al. (No. 7:23-CR-22-M-RJ)

In March 2023, Brittney Chantel McCoy was indicted with sex trafficking of a minor and operating an illegal prostitution enterprise in interstate commerce. McCoy pled guilty to sex trafficking of a minor on August 9, 2023, and is set for sentencing in January 2024.

Melody Faye Nobles was initially charged with McCoy but was also subsequently indicted in a superseding indictment in August 2023, charging sex trafficking of a minor and operating an illegal prostitution enterprise in interstate commerce. Nobles allowed her co-defendant, McCoy, and a then 16-year-old minor victim to engage in commercial sex in her home in Wilmington, NC, in exchange for a portion of the money that McCoy and the minor earned. Later that same month, Nobles allowed the minor to travel to Jacksonville, NC, to engage in commercial sex, again in exchange for the proceeds.

Nobles pled guilty to operating an illegal prostitution enterprise in interstate commerce in September 2023 and was sentenced on December 12, 2023, to 48 months imprisonment and ordered to register as a sex offender.

USA v. Brieania Shidae Pinnock, et al. (No. 5:23-CR-210-FL-KS)

In June 2023, the government indicted Brieania Shidae Pinnock, charging her with eight human trafficking and child pornography offenses, including conspiracy, sex trafficking of a minor, production of child pornography, operating an illegal prostitution enterprise in interstate commerce, and distribution of child pornography. Co-defendant Trinity Sky Alston was charged with four counts, including sex trafficking of a minor, child pornography.  Both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

USA v. Christopher Todd Evans (No. 7:23-CR-82-M-RJ)

In July 2023, the government indicted a long-term human trafficking investigation, charging two human trafficking-related counts, including promotion or facilitation of prostitution and operating an illegal prostitution enterprise in interstate commerce. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

USA v. Deangelo Taborn, et al. (No. 7:23-CR-92-D-BM)

In August 2023, the government indicted DeAngelo Rarhem Taborn and co-defendant on Imani Jovianna Franco on multiple human trafficking and firearm offenses, including conspiracy, sex trafficking, interstate travel for prostitution by coercion or persuasion, interstate travel for prostitution (Mann Act), operating an illegal prostitution enterprise in interstate commerce and felon in possession of a firearm. Taborn faces eight charges and Franco faces seven.  Both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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If you or anyone you know needs help or has information to provide regarding a potential human trafficking situation, please contact law enforcement by calling 911 if the situation appears unsafe, or contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline:

• • https://humantraffickinghotline.org/
  • 1-888-373-7888
  • *Text 233733
  • Email:  help@humantraffickinghotline.org

A copy of this press release is located on our website. 

Dennis Antonio Bonner, 66, was sentenced to 48-months in prison for a week-long crime spree in March 2023, where he accessed, or attempted to access, the bank accounts of two victims with accounts at First National Bank.    

“Identity theft causes financial and emotional wreckage for victims,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Our economic crimes team is determined to stop these callous crooks and put them behind bars where they belong.”

Bonner, a resident of New York, travelled to First National Bank branches in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina to withdraw money from the personal bank accounts of his victims.  Bonner presented a fraudulent driver’s license in order to access the victim’s accounts.  In total, he withdrew $38,500 from the victims’ bank accounts.  He attempted to withdraw an additional $20,000 at a First National Bank Branch in Nags Head, North Carolina where he was ultimately stopped and arrested by local law enforcement.   

Bonner previously pled guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in September 2023.  He admitted to working with unindicted third parties to get fraudulent identification cards made and gain access to the personal identifying information and bank account information of the two individuals with accounts at First National Bank.    

Bonner has previously been convicted and sentenced for similar theft and impersonation crimes.  Since 2011, he’s faced charges in more than seven separate states for financial crimes, including identity theft, forged instruments, impersonation, possession of counterfeit identity cards, credit card theft, larceny, and forgery. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle.  Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Haughton prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00159.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Tyrese Stokley, a/k/a “Ty,” age 39 of Elizabeth City, was sentenced to 240 months in prison for distributing heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine in the Elizabeth City area.  The distribution of fentanyl resulted in an overdose death on February 29, 2020. 

“Fentanyl overdoses are ravaging our communities and driving down American life expectancy. Drug dealers lacing fentanyl into their products should take note. The party is over, we are coming for you,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “The defendant’s actions, which directly resulted in the tragic overdose death, show a blatant disregard for human life. Individuals should be on notice that we will stop at nothing to bring those responsible for perpetuating this overdose crisis to justice.”

On March 1, 2020, the Currituck Sheriff’s Office began investigating the fentanyl overdose death of a young woman.  Ultimately, the investigation revealed that Stokley was responsible for sourcing the drugs that were distributed to the young woman which caused her death on February 29, 2020, from fentanyl toxicity.

According to court documents and information presented in court, The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Elizabeth City Police Department, the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, the Kill Devil Hills Police Department, Nags Head Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted controlled purchases of heroin and cocaine from Stokley.  Stokely was responsible for distributing 59.99 grams of cocaine, .2 gram of fentanyl, and 45.3 grams of heroin. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Judge James C. Dever III.  The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Elizabeth City Police Department, the Dare County Sheriff’s Office, the Kill Devil Hills Police Department, Nags Head Police Department, Kitty Hawk Police Department, Southern Shores Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Nucci prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for case number 2:21-CR-00016-D.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Michael Easley and the Ship Outreach and Community Center hosted a Human Trafficking Awareness Training today to foster education and awareness of this crime. More than 150 individuals from law enforcement and local community service organizations were in attendance for the half-day training, which featured speakers from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and multiple community service organizations that provide support to victims of human trafficking. Attendees also heard from a survivor of human trafficking.

“Raising awareness about human trafficking, a crime that often happens in plain sight, is vital to our efforts to stop it,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “We are using every tool available to combat this heinous crime and want victims to know that there are resources available to support them.”

 “We are coming together to work towards ending human trafficking: Unite against the exploitation of lives, as every person deserves freedom and dignity,” said Pastor Christopher Jones of the Ship Outreach and Community Center.

“Investigating human trafficking is a top priority for HSI throughout the United States and internationally.  By taking a victim-centered approach, HSI is able to disrupt and dismantle these organizations that seek to exploit the most vulnerable of our society for their own financial gain,” said Kyle D. Burns, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of HSI Charlotte, which covers both North and South Carolina. “Training such as this is paramount in our efforts to tackle human trafficking and encourages strong partnerships throughout both the private and public sector.  HSI Charlotte is also proud to partner with the Washington, DC based Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT).  The CCHT is HSI-led and is the first US government unified, inter-component coordination center for countering human trafficking and special agents will be on hand to discuss HSI’s strategies to combat human trafficking and support victims at this important event.”

“As we recognize Human Trafficking Awareness Day around the world, it is important for everyone to be aware that no community is immune,” said Dawn Ferrer, Executive Director of A Safe Place.  “It impacts men and women, boys and girls of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds and it is commonly interrelated with domestic violence, substance use and mental illness. In order to ensure survivors are identified and assisted in a trauma informed manner, we must all recognize the signs of this ‘hidden in plain sight’ crime as well as understand the most common vulnerabilities to help prevent victimization from occurring.”

“Human Trafficking is the fastest-growing crime in the world,” said Traci Klein, Executive Director of True Justice. “It has surpassed both drug and arms trafficking, and North Carolina is consistently ranked in the top 10 reported cases of human trafficking. It is a global epidemic that is happening right here in our local communities. We cannot sit by and expect others to abolish this heinous crime.  There are numerous ways to get involved. Become aware of and share the warning signs, host an awareness event, and donate your time and talents to organizations fighting human trafficking.  Together we make a difference.”

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal inmate pled guilty to possession of a contraband cell phone at the Low Security Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina (“LSCI Butner”) and was sentenced to seven months in prison for the charge.  The seven-month term of imprisonment is in addition to, and consecutive to, his current term of imprisonment.

According to court documents, Antoine Stanfield, 42, an inmate previously housed at LSCI Butner at the time of the offense, was found in possession of a cell phone during a visual search by Federal Bureau of Prisons staff.  The officer ordered Stanfield to turn over the contraband cell phone, at which time Stanfield attempted to destroy it.  Inmates inside federal prisons are not permitted to possess cell phones, as they can compromise the safety and security of the institution by allowing inmates to have unmonitored communications with the outside community, which could provide inmates the opportunity to conduct further criminal activity.

Stanfield’s conviction for possession of a contraband cell phone also makes him ineligible to earn time credits under the First Step Act, which allows federal inmates to earn up to 365 days off of their sentence for participating in eligible programming while incarcerated. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement following sentencing by U.S. Chief District Court Judge Richard E. Myers II.  The Federal Bureau of Prisons investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Brooks Storus prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-00122-M-KS.

NEW BERN , N.C. – A Havelock man was sentenced today to 295 months in prison for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  On October 18, 2023, Xzavier Tylon Morris pled guilty to the charges.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Morris, 27, was stopped by deputies with the Craven County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) on February 1, 2022, to serve him with outstanding warrants for breaking and entering.  During the traffic stop, deputies observed Morris and his passenger throw a bag out the window of their vehicle. The bag was recovered, and its contents were determined to be fentanyl.   Morris was arrested for trafficking fentanyl and placed in the Craven County Detention Center.

CCSO detectives began to monitor Morris’ outgoing jail calls and discovered that he was directing co-defendants Kimberly Smith and Kayakenee Oliver to move a safe containing drugs to Oliver’s residence in Havelock.  In these recorded calls, Morris, Smith, and Oliver conspired to package the drugs for re-sale to a third party in order to try to raise bond money for Morris.

CCSO detectives were able to secure a search warrant for Oliver’s residence and executed it just after midnight on February 3, 2022.  During the search, detectives located a safe containing 139 grams of cocaine, 62 grams of fentanyl, 617 grams of methamphetamine, two 9mm pistols, and a digital scale.

Morris, a validated 9-3 Bloods gang member, was later interviewed and admitted that the guns and firearms in the safe belonged to him and that he had been instructing Oliver and Smith how to package the drugs for sale. 

Michael Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Craven County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Webb prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-CR-61-FL-1.

NEW BERN, N.C. – Jonathan Jermaine Peek, of Elizabeth City, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon.  Peek, 33, pled guilty to the charge on May 2, 2023.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) responded to multiple breaking and entering calls at residences in Elizabeth City between August and October of 2019. Checks from a stolen check book from the first burglary totaling more than $1,000 had been written to Peek’s girlfriend at the time. Following the second burglary, witnesses told PCSO that they observed a man, meeting the description of Peek near the home along with a dark SUV parked in front of the house at the time of the burglary. In the second burglary, six firearms, including at least three revolvers, and five brown holsters were taken from an unlocked gun safe in the home. The third burglary was interrupted when the home’s resident returned home to find an unfamiliar dark Honda CRV parked in the yard, and called his son, who arrived with two coworkers, to investigate. The son entered the home and saw a burglar, later identified as Peek, in the home. Following a scuffle, Peek fled in the Honda CRV. Peek was followed by the son and his two coworkers until members of PCSO intercepted and took over pursuit.

Peek did not stop for law enforcement and continued to flee through Elizabeth City at speeds exceeding 85 miles per hour.  He eventually lost control and crashed through a brick wall at the edge of Elizabeth City State University campus, where he was taken into custody.  A search of Peek recovered cash that was identified as the same amount missing from the third burglary.   Investigators also determined that the Honda CRV, driven by Peek, was registered to his girlfriend at the time. 

On October 15, 2019, investigators interviewed Peek’s girlfriend regarding charges relating to the robberies.  She stated that Peek had brought her a checkbook and had taken the money from checks that she had cashed.  She also indicated that Peek had shown up at her house with revolvers on the date of the second burglary.  He handed her a case to take inside, and she saw four or five revolvers when she looked inside.  She had also seen him put brown holsters into the garbage. 

Peek’s federal conviction follows six prior felony convictions in state court.  Notably, Peek committed the above offense while still on post-release supervision after having served a multi-year sentence for felony first degree burglary and robbery with a dangerous weapon.  His earlier felonies include drug offenses, possession of a stolen firearm, and common law robbery.     

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation  investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-0001-FL.

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – A Henderson man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl and possession of firearms, including a firearm loaded with a large capacity magazine.  On July 11, 2023, Tyrik Pettaway, 21, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin and fentanyl and possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin and fentanyl.

“The unwavering dedication and relentless efforts of the Henderson Police Department have been instrumental in upholding justice and ensuring the safety of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Their exemplary commitment to teamwork among state and federal law enforcement is commendable and emboldens public trust in our justice system.”

“Our collaboration with the Eastern District of North Carolina US Attorney’s Office continues to benefit our community,” commented Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow. “The efforts of all involved are evident. I am hopeful this sentence gives pause to those in our community walking a similar path.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, after receiving multiple reports that Pettaway and Neno King were dealing drugs, law enforcement conducted multiple controlled purchases of suspected heroin containing fentanyl from Pettaway and King in the Spring of 2022. In March 2022, agents executed a search warrant at a residence used by Pettaway in Henderson where they recovered a firearm with a large capacity magazine and approximately 1,100 dosage units of a substance containing fentanyl, rifle ammunition, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

Pettaway has prior felony convictions for possession of a stolen firearm (2020), possession with the intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver heroin (2020 and 2021), and breaking and entering to terrorize (2020).  King pled guilty to drug trafficking and gun charges in March of this year and was sentenced to 180 months in prison in August.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Henderson Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey L. Peaden prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-CR-00335-BO.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Lumberton man was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. On September 26, 2023, Elhodge Malik Kirby, age 48, pled guilty to the charges.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on August 17, 2021, officers with the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Mobile Field Force conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Mr. Kirby was the front seat passenger. A narcotics K9 responded to the scene and detected the odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle and officers conducted a search. In a plastic bag on the front passenger’s floorboard, officers located approximately 24 grams of a heroin and fentanyl mixture, approximately 11 grams of crack cocaine, a digital scale with white powdery residue, and a Narcan box containing 157 empty and unused wax bindles used to package narcotics. Under the front passenger’s seat, officers located a .22 caliber pistol. Subsequent laboratory testing revealed the presence of Kirby’s DNA on the pistol.

The investigation revealed that Mr. Kirby came to Wilmington from Lumberton to distribute narcotics due to the high demand. The investigation also revealed that between July 2021 and August of 2021, Mr. Kirby was responsible for the possession and/or distribution of over 450 grams of crack cocaine, 24 grams of fentanyl, and possessing two firearms in connection with his drug trafficking activities.

Mr. Kirby has a substantial criminal history dating back to 1992. His prior convictions include, but are not limited to, Possession with Intent to Sell or Deliver Cocaine, Assault on a Government Official, Felony Breaking or Entering, Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

Michael F. Easley, Jr. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle.  The FBI’s Coastal Carolina Task Force, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Mobile Field Force Task Force, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilmington Police Department’s Gun Crime Task Force, and the Wilmington Police Department investigated the case and Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt prosecuted the case.  Mr. Van Trigt is a prosecutor with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office.  District Attorney Ben David has assigned him to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute federal violent crimes and other criminal matters.  This has been made possible by a grant funded by New Hanover County.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:23-cr-00013BO-001.

The Justice Department announced today that is has secured a settlement against Billy Joe Goines, owner and operator of Goines Towing & Recovery, based near Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, to resolve allegations that he violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by towing and then selling vehicles without disclosing to the court that they were owned by servicemembers. 

The SCRA provides a wide variety of financial and housing protections to members of the military. It requires a towing company to file an accurate affidavit stating whether the vehicle’s owner is in military service (i.e. a military affidavit) before it can get a court judgment authorizing it to sell a stored vehicle. If it appears that a vehicle’s owner is in military service, the court may not authorize the sale of the vehicle until it appoints an attorney to represent the interests of the servicemember. If that attorney then requests a postponement of the matter, the court must grant that request and postpone the case for at least 90 days.

In a complaint filed on March 3, the United States alleged that Goines auctioned off, sold or otherwise disposed of motor vehicles owned by eight servicemembers in violation of the SCRA, which provides a wide variety of financial and housing protections to members of the military. The SCRA requires a towing company to file an accurate affidavit stating whether the vehicle’s owner is in military service (i.e. a military affidavit) before it can get a court judgment authorizing it to sell a stored vehicle. If it appears that a vehicle’s owner is in military service, the court may not authorize the sale of the vehicle until it appoints an attorney to represent the interests of the servicemember. If that attorney then requests a postponement of the matter, the court must grant that request and postpone the case for at least 90 days.  The complaint here alleges that Goines either failed to file or filed inaccurate military affidavits with the court. Goines also allegedly filed military affidavits stating that he was unable to tell whether a vehicle owner was in the military even in instances where the vehicle at issue was towed from a military installation or had military decals, and instances when the vehicle owner or owner’s spouse had informed Goines of the owner’s active military service.

“Under federal law towing companies are required to file accurate military affidavits after making a good faith effort to determine whether vehicle owners are in military service,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “By failing to follow federal law, Goines deprived servicemembers of the opportunity to reclaim their vehicles. This consent order demonstrates the Justice Department’s ongoing commitment to protecting the rights of servicemembers and their families.”

“Goines took a Marine Corporal’s SUV from a parking lot near Camp Lejeune while he was deployed in Okinawa. Then Goines asked a court to let him sell it and keep the proceeds, without ever flagging the Corporal’s service for the court,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley Jr. for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “Servicemembers sacrifice a lot — and, in many cases, everything. Debt collectors and towing companies shouldn’t be allowed to take and sell their property behind their backs. The Justice Department will vigorously enforce servicemembers’ rights under the SCRA. Try to illegally take property from a Marine and find out.”

This is the first lawsuit brought by the United States against a towing company under the provision of the SCRA requiring the filing of military affidavits. Under the settlement, which still must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Goines has agreed to pay $66,805.06 in relief for impacted servicemembers, must forgive storage fees assessed to certain servicemembers, attend SCRA training and institute new policies and procedures that comply with the SCRA.

The case resulted from a referral to the Justice Department from U.S. Marine Corps legal assistance.

Since 2011, the Justice Department has obtained over $481 million in monetary relief for over 146,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the Justice Department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov. Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forced Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations can be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil.

goines_proposed_consent_order.pdf

RALEIGH, N.C. – In a new public service announcement link being promoted by the office on social media, U.S. Attorney Michael Easley issued a warning reminding people that they face up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine for possessing a Glock or auto-sear switch. A Glock or auto-sear switch is a small, conversion device that can be attached to a handgun, converting it into a fully automatic machine gun. This warning comes after two defendants were sentenced for possession of these devices in Eastern North Carolina.

“In the last week we’ve sentenced two defendants caught with ghost guns modified into fully automatic machineguns. According to ATF, from 2017 to 2021, over 5,000 machinegun conversion devices, or “switches,” were recovered in the U.S. – a 570% increase from the 814 recovered between 2012 and 2016. The number of switches continue to increase, with thousands recovered nationwide over the last two years,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “A gun with a switch can automatically fire an entire 30-round magazine in about two seconds. Owning the switches is equivalent to owning a machine gun, and if you have them, our office will prosecute you.”

In the past two weeks, two individuals have been sentenced to 80 months and 162 months respectively for possession of a machine gun or machine gun conversion device.

A Farmville man, Lamikah Baptist, age 19 and a member of a local gang, pled guilty and was sentenced to 80 months for possession of a machine gun. According to court documents and other information presented in court, on January 15, 2023, the Greenville Police Department responded to a shots-fired call outside a residence where shots were fired at individuals in the yard. A SpotShotter report indicated that 21 rounds of automatic gunfire were discharged, and officers found 20 spent shell casings on the road in front of the home. Surveillance video showed Baptist as a passenger in a car leaving the scene after the shooting, and within five minutes, Baptist went live on Instagram with a video that appeared to reference the shooting and indicate that it was directed at members of a rival gang that had killed Baptist’s friend. On and around the date of the shooting, Baptist posted other videos titled, “Just me and my switch,” where he is heard talking about owning a switch and “Come get this off me,” where he is shown with a privately manufactured Polymer80 handgun and a bag of marijuana. A search of the residence where Baptist was apprehended revealed a ghost gun with a switch loaded with 20 rounds of ammunition, additional ammunition, a 50-round drum magazine, marijuana and a ballistic vest.

A Wilmington man, Tyrese Jerry Dawson, age 24, pled guilty and was sentenced to 162 months for two counts of possession of a machine gun conversion device, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and two counts of possession of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime. According to court documents and other information presented in court, Dawson was involved in multiple traffic stops in the Wilmington area, including one where he led officers on a high-speed chase traveling in excess of 70 miles per hour and drove on the wrong side of the road. Searches of the vehicles involved in the traffic stops revealed, cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana and three personally made firearms without serial numbers, also known as “ghost guns,” two of which had high-capacity magazines. Dawson’s fingerprints were located on at least one of the guns with an extended magazine. A fourth ghost gun with a switch and a 31-round magazine was found in a bag Dawson was observed to have left near a car wash.

“Machine gun conversion kits are turning up more and more in our streets and at crime scenes,” said Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “These conversion devices are illegal, incredibly dangerous, and pose a serious threat to the community. ATF is working closely with our law enforcement partners to keep these devices off our streets.”

Easley encouraged individuals with information on machine gun conversion devices to call the tip line at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) at 1-888-ATF-TIPS or ATF.gov/ATF-Tips.

U.S. District Court Judge C. Dever III handed down both sentences. The Baptist case was investigated by the Greenville Police Department and the ATF and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Aubart. The Dawson case was investigated by the Wilmington Police Department, the New Hanover and Brunswick County Sheriff’s Offices and the ATF and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Van Trigt. Van Trigt is a prosecutor with the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to handle federal cases. This has been made possible by a grant from the county.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-cr-00009-D and 7:23-cr-00042-D.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Bruce Carroll Callahan, Jr., aka “Hoss,” an armed Robeson County drug trafficker and prior federal felon who bragged to investigators about being the “biggest” drug dealer in Robeson County, was sentenced today to 300 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, cocaine and crack sourced from Honduras and Mexico in Eastern North Carolina.  Callahan claimed to have access to over twenty kilograms of narcotics at any time.

While awaiting trial and prior to his September 26, 2023, guilty plea, Callahan, age 45, escaped from the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia where he was being held. He was discovered missing on May 1, 2023, and apprehended on May 9, 2023, just a few miles from the jail. Callahan was convicted for his prison escape and sentenced to 20 months in custody followed by three years of supervised release.

“This is the fourth sentence of 25 years or more stemming from drug trafficking in Robeson County in just over a month,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “We and the ATF are partnering with local law enforcement to put dangerous drug traffickers like Callahan behind bars. Drug traffickers can run, but not for long.”  

“This arrest underscores our efforts and commitment to combat the drug trafficking trade,” says Sheriff Burnis Wilkins.  “Violent crime and overdose deaths are at an all-time high, and it is collaborative efforts such as this that will improve the quality of life in Robeson County.” 

“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and our local, state and federal partners remain committed to addressing the most serious threats to our communities, including the gun violence often linked to drug trafficking networks,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “Dismantling drug trafficking networks and bringing those responsible to justice has an immediate impact on the level of gun violence and violent crime in our area.”

“The United States Marshals Service, through its long-standing federal, state, and local partnerships ensures that violent fugitives are continuously pursued, discretely located, and safely arrested,” said U.S. Marshal Glenn McNeill for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  “The investigation and capture of Callahan is yet another example of those efforts.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) and ATF launched an investigation into Callahan and his drug trafficking operation in 2021 after receiving numerous community reports that he was selling drugs in the Fairmont area of Robeson County. During the summer of 2021, investigators conducted two controlled purchases of cocaine and crack from Callahan’s residence.

In September 2021, law enforcement arranged for a controlled purchase of two kilograms of fentanyl from Callahan.  Callahan’s Honduran suppliers arranged for co-defendants Rony Lardi-Ortiz and Jefferson Marin Funez to deliver the fentanyl to Callahan’s Fairmont residence on September 16, 2021.  Lardi-Ortiz and Funez have previously pled guilty and have been sentenced to 120 months and 126 months respectively for their role in the conspiracy.

After Callahan received the two kilograms of fentanyl from Lardi-Ortiz and Funez, they left Callahan’s residence, travelling north on Interstate 95 to deliver the fentanyl.  RCSO deputies conducted a traffic stop on their vehicle.  Though Callahan and his co-defendants attempted to jump out of the vehicle and flee, they were quickly apprehended.   Investigators located the two kilograms of fentanyl sitting on the back seat in Callahan’s vehicle.  A search warrant was then executed at Callahan’s residence where a quantity of cocaine and cocaine base were seized along with items used to package drugs for sale and a .45 caliber handgun. 

Callahan pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and crack; possession with intent to distribute four hundred (400) grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl; and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Callahan’s prior felony convictions include a 2003 federal conviction for possession of firearm by a felon in addition to several convictions in Robeson County Superior Court for felonious assaults, trafficking cocaine, and robbery with a dangerous weapon. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lumberton Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Webb prosecuted the case.

The other recent Robeson County cases yielding sentences of 25 years or more include:

• Antonio Lavonne Locklear, who received a 25-year sentence drug trafficking;
• Aaron Albert Goode, a convicted murderer who received a 30-year sentence for drug trafficking; and
• Clarence Jamar Graham, who received a 25-year sentence for trafficking fentanyl.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:21-CR-0138-D-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Raleigh man last week on charges of drug trafficking, conspiracy, and illegal firearm possession for his role as a leader of a Raleigh-based drug organization that sourced drugs from Los Angeles, California and Newark, New Jersey. Lawrence Levon Jones, age 45, has eight prior felonies including seven drug trafficking offenses and one conviction for felon in possession of a firearm and he faces between 15 years and life in prison when he is sentenced next year.

“This is the ninth defendant to be convicted in a drug trafficking organization moving kilogram quantities of drugs in the Raleigh area,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “I am proud of the collaboration of our law enforcement agencies to dismantle this organization and put those accountable behind bars.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, during an investigation into drug trafficking activity which included surveillance and wiretaps, agents determined that Jones regularly traveled to Los Angeles and Newark, picked up money from conspirators who were holding for him, and purchased large quantities of cocaine and marijuana. Couriers transported the drugs to the Raleigh area.

On July 22, 2020, law enforcement in Texas stopped one of these couriers travelling eastbound from California and seized 400 pounds of marijuana and three kilograms of cocaine from a hidden compartment in the back of the truck that had been constructed to look like a large stack of lumber. That same day, agents arrested Jones when he arrived at his stash house in Raleigh. Inside the home, agents found 3.5 kilograms of cocaine, 138 grams of crack, 2 kilograms of marijuana, hundreds of ecstasy pills that contained methamphetamine, two handguns (one stolen), over $99,000 in cash, and five kilo presses. Over the next two days, agents executed multiple search warrants at homes used by Jones’s organization in Raleigh and California and seized nine guns over $757,000, and additional drugs. 

The prosecution of Jones was a part of Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Other defendants associated with Jones pled guilty to drug trafficking and/or firearms offenses and received the following sentences imposed by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III:

• Tyrone Bragg, of Raleigh pled guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy and firearms charges and received a sentence of 168 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release;

• Calvin Lamar Kelley, of Keysville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of 60 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release;

• Keishron Ko-She Kilpatrick, of Raleigh, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy and firearms charges and received a sentence of 84 months imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release;

• Marquis Deja Brite, of Raleigh, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy and firearms charges and received a sentence of 90 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release;

• Hurley Matthew Cannady, of Raleigh, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy and firearms charges and received a sentence of 117 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release;

• David Earl Seawell, Jr., of Raleigh, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy charges and received a sentence of 78 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release;

• Wesley Kimball Kelley, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy charges and is awaiting sentencing; and

• Robert McNeal, of Raleigh, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III accepted the verdict. The Raleigh Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Peaden and Nick Hartigan are prosecuting the case. Investigators also received valuable assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the 32nd Judicial District Attorney's Office in Texas.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:20-cr-00388-D-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Zebulon man was sentenced to 216 months in prison for illegally selling guns to juveniles. On April 13, 2023, Braxton Benton, age 34, pled guilty to engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license and aiding and abetting along with possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. He has previous convictions for several common law robberies and drug violations.

“Trafficking guns to kids is a fast-track to federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley of the Eastern District of North Carolina.  “This felon got a straw purchaser to buy guns and report them stolen, then he sold them to juveniles.  Guns bought at a North Carolina Cabela’s turned up on a kid in Connecticut in less than a month.  We are bringing federal resources to target the gunrunners and straw purchasers arming children and fueling violence in our communities. ” 

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Benton’s codefendant, Takara Wilson, reported the theft of five handguns  from her car November 10, 2021 and claimed that the guns had been taken on October 28, 2021, but she had been too busy to report the theft. An investigation into the reported theft found that Wilson had purchased three of the guns from a Cabela’s in Garner on November 6, 2021, over a week after Wilson claimed they had been stolen. 

Surveillance video from the store showed Benton with Wilson together. On December 3, 2021, two of the firearms that Wilson reported stolen were found during the search of a juvenile’s residence in New Haven, Connecticut based on the juvenile being involved in multiple incidents involving firearms over a three-month period. The investigation revealed that Benton had used Wilson to purchase several firearms for him that he later sold without a license. On January 18, 2022, during a traffic stop, Benton was found in possession of 28 grams of marijuana and a loaded, Polymer80 “Ghost Gun” that was neither registered nor contained a serial number, making it extremely difficult to trace. There were also text messages on Benton’s phone indicating he was attempting to sell the Polymer80 gun.   

Takara Wilson was sentenced to 13 months imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release for engaging in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms without a license on June 16, 2023.

The indictment of both Wilson and Benton was originally announced in July of 2022 as part of the Raleigh Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP). VCAP is an approach that draws on close partnerships among federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as the community, to combat violence.  The initiative brings state and federal prosecutors together to prioritize the review of gun crime cases and identify and prosecute repeat offenders and criminal organizations as well as identifying and stopping the sources of guns.  Law enforcement partners use inter-agency coordination and intelligence-led policing, analyzing crime data to deploy resources where they are most needed and leveraging federal Task Force officers to bring federal technology to address local gun violence.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Raleigh Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Foxx  prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-CR-153-1D.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Two individuals, Hector Luciano Perez Valenzuela and John Steven Ellingson, from Oregon, were sentenced for their roles in an international drug trafficking organization (DTO) moving kilogram quantities of fentanyl and operating in multiple cities across the country, including Fayetteville. A third defendant, Kittisack Sam Vorana, age 30, was sentenced to 48 months earlier this year for his role in the conspiracy. The DTO has ties to the Sinaloa cartel operating in Mexico.

“Valenzuela and Vorana were caught transporting a quantity of fentanyl that, by conservative estimates, could have killed more than 700,000 people,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “And Ellingson was responsible for distributing many times that amount of fentanyl. We are continuing our efforts to stem the tide of illegal and dangerous drugs that are devastating communities across Eastern North Carolina.”

"These drug dealers boldly believed they could use Fayetteville as a hub to stash and ship fentanyl across the country. The FBI and our law enforcement partners worked tirelessly to ensure the members of this drug trafficking organization were punished for the pipeline of poison they operated in our community," said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in North Carolina. 

Valenzuela, age 35, was sentenced to 151 months and 3 years of supervised release. Valenzuela was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of conspiracy and fentanyl trafficking earlier this year. Ellingson, age 34 , was sentenced to 78 months followed by 5 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy and fentanyl trafficking.

According to court records and other information presented in court, in 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fayetteville Police Department began investigating a large-scale fentanyl trafficking ring. Through the investigation, law enforcement learned that the leaders of the DTO were based on the west coast, but they set up apartments in the Fayetteville area for use as hubs for the distribution of dozens of kilograms of fentanyl across the United States.

Through the use of surveillance and controlled purchases, investigators identified Ellingson as a member of the drug trafficking organization, which was primarily based in California.  Ellingson  operated a Fayetteville stash house for the organization and then transported kilograms of fentanyl to cities around the country, including, but not limited, to Chicago, New York, and Baltimore.  Ellingson also assembled firearms for the DTO members.

In early November 2019, Ellingson and two of his co-conspirators—Vorana and Valenzuela – decided to steal large quantities of drugs from the DTO, sell the drugs, and divide the profits.

Vorana and Valenzuela traveled from the west coast and stole 7 kilograms of fentanyl and approximately 3,000 fentanyl pills from the Fayetteville stash house. Each kilogram of fentanyl was valued at $38,000.  On their way back to the west coast during the early morning hours of November 8, 2019, they were stopped for speeding in St. Charles County, Missouri and consented to a search of the vehicle they were driving. During the search, law enforcement discovered a toolbox that contained seven brick-like packages. The packages had been wrapped in electrical tape and covered in grease to help evade detection by drug canines. A key to the toolbox was found in Valenzuela’s pocket.

These cases are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The cases were investigated in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, which prosecuted members of the drug trafficking organization based on the west coast.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Fayetteville Police Department, and the St. Charles County Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Lemmon and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Gainer  prosecuted the cases.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 5:20-cr-00397-M and 5:20-CR-00012-M.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Nash County man who bought and sold stolen guns from a Nashville resident was sentenced today to 130 months in prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and for possessing a firearm while a felon. On August 9, 2023, Kenneth Pomeroy, a convicted felon, pled guilty to the charges. Pomeroy’s co-conspirator, Rodney Alligood, also of Nash County, pled guilty to engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license. Alligood was sentenced to 51 months in prison on September 26, 2023. The pair were arrested following the investigation into the theft of nearly 60 firearms.

“Sixty guns were stolen and then sold on the streets which could have allowed criminals to bypass background checks and get their hands on weapons to be used in violent activity,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Gun traffickers who fuel violence by pushing stolen weapons into the community will face hard time in federal prison.”

"This case is a great example of how partnerships between local and federal law enforcement agencies take violent offenders off of the streets in our county,” said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone. “Criminals like these two defendants are contributing to the potential for illegal guns to end up in the wrong hands and be used for violence. I would like to personally thank the U.S, Attorney's Office and the law enforcement officers involved for their hard work and dedication to making our communities safer each day."

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on May 28, 2022, a Nashville man witnessed Alligood, 33, removing firearms from a neighbor’s locked outbuilding and called the police. The police contacted the homeowner who stated that nearly 60 of her late-ex-husband’s firearms had been stolen from the outbuilding, including pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns. She suspected Alligood of the crime, and a review of GPS ankle-monitoring data confirmed that Alligood, who was on active probation at the time for possession of drug paraphernalia, was in the vicinity at the time of the crime. Further review of ankle-monitoring data led authorities to Pomeroy, 38, as Alligood went directly from the crime scene to Pomeroy’s house to sell him the stolen firearms. Law enforcement executed a search warrant on both Alligood and Pomeroy’s residences and recovered stolen firearms at both locations. At Pomeroy’s they also recovered a distributable amount of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Pomeroy admitted to dealing methamphetamine and fentanyl and to purchasing more than twenty firearms from Alligood and then reselling them in Fayetteville. Neither Pomeroy nor Alligood had a license to legally sell firearms.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. Nashville PD, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Aubart  prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-68-M-BM.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Michael Dennis, of Jacksonville, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 170 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.  Dennis, 45, pled guilty to the charge on May 23, 2023.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Dennis had multiple run-ins with Onslow County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) deputies through 2021 and 2022 that led to seizures of methamphetamine and other drugs.  On November 6, 2021, OCSO deputies conducted a search of Dennis’s home on Blue Creek Road in Jacksonville in connection with a murder investigation.  In Dennis’s bedroom, deputies found 24 grams of methamphetamine and cutting agents.  Deputies returned to the home on November 16, 2021, to assist with a probation search and seized another 76 grams of methamphetamine, along with other drug items.  At that time, Dennis was on probation for Financial Card Theft convictions. 

On January 19, 2022, OCSO deputies were conducting surveillance at a Hubert, North Carolina, home after receiving complaints about drug activity.  Deputies stopped a vehicle that was leaving that home and identified Dennis as the driver.  A search uncovered an additional 49 grams of methamphetamine.  During a post-arrest interview, Dennis confessed to having a pound of methamphetamine at a residence on Bratten Drive in Jacksonville.  Deputies seized another 986 grams of 96% pure crystal methamphetamine, 11 grams of heroin, and $2,000 in cash from that address. 

Dennis’s federal conviction follows 11 prior North Carolina state felony convictions.  These include two counts of common law robbery, attempted common law robbery, two counts of larceny from a person, and three counts of financial card theft. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II.  The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-00300-M.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Fayetteville man was sentenced today to 300 months in prison for running a Fayetteville-based stash house where fentanyl and methamphetamine were sold.  On July 25, 2022, Montrel Demon Rhone pled guilty to drug trafficking and firearms charges.

“Stemming the flow of illicit fentanyl and the overdose epidemic continue to be among our highest priorities,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This avowed drug trafficker and REPEAT felon had eight prior drug-related convictions, and tried to escape accountability in this case by flushing drugs down the toilet when police executed search warrants.  With this federal sentence, he will now spend the next quarter century behind bars.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, investigators received information in October of 2020, that Rhone, 45, was running a drug house in the Deep Creek Road area of Fayetteville where he and half a dozen of his co-conspirators were selling drugs that he provided.  From late 2020 through March of 2021, investigators conducted multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl, and methamphetamine from Rhone and people working on his behalf.  Ultimately, investigators were able to establish that Rhone received half kilograms of fentanyl at a time from his source of supply. 

On March 25, 2021, the Fayetteville Police Department executed a search warrant at a hotel where Rhone had stored methamphetamine for one of the controlled purchases.  Though Rhone attempted to destroy drug evidence by flushing it down the toilet, investigators recovered fentanyl, drug packaging material, and two firearms from within the room.  At the time of this investigation, Rhone had previously been convicted of eight different drug related felony convictions in the State of North Carolina and had served an active prison sentence for cocaine trafficking. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Fayetteville Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Webb prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-CR-280-D-1.