Eastern District of North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. – An armed methamphetamine and cocaine trafficker from Dunn was sentenced to 180 months for drug trafficking and firearm charges after holding a victim at gunpoint. On August 22, 2023, Deandre Coleman, age 42, pled guilty to the charges.

“Drug traffickers the world over try to use kidnapping and intimidation to impose their will on their communities.  We won’t allow it in North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “Coleman kidnapped a woman and held her at gunpoint in furtherance of his cocaine and meth trafficking scheme.  Our Violent Crime Strategy targets violent drug traffickers like Coleman for federal prosecution and we aren’t backing down.  I’m grateful to my law enforcement partners for keeping North Carolina safe.”    

“The successful conviction of Deandre Coleman highlights how teamwork among different law enforcement groups can tackle drug and violent crimes,” said Dunn Police Chief Cary Johnson. “Dunn is lucky to have a strong working relationship with Federal agencies like the ATF and the U.S. Attorney's Office, which helped achieve this result. The Dunn Police Department and its partners are dedicated to keeping Dunn a safe and welcoming place for everyone who lives in, works in, or visits the area.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with the Harnett and Johnston County Sheriffs’ Offices, and the Dunn Police Department were involved in an undercover investigation of drug activity by Coleman. Working together, law enforcement executed multiple controlled purchases of both methamphetamine and guns, including a 9mm rifle with a high-capacity magazine and a shotgun with a drum magazine.

Coleman received an enhancement at sentencing for using force to restrain a person in connection with his drug trafficking. The enhancement stemmed from a June 13, 2022, response to a reported kidnapping. That investigation revealed that Coleman, and multiple others, held a victim at gunpoint while driving the victim around in a car. The victim was kidnapped because Coleman thought the victim had knowledge about a recent robbery of Coleman's drugs and drug proceeds.  After the kidnapping, Coleman was stopped by Raleigh Police while driving the vehicle that had been used in the kidnapping. A search of the vehicle uncovered a loaded firearm with a high-capacity magazine, nearly $10,000 in cash, 70 grams of marijuana, 14 grams of THC wax, 17 grams of “moon rocks” or cannabis dipped in hashish oil, and a ski mask.

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 Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, and the Dunn and Raleigh Police Departments investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons  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-00281-BO.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Wilmington man with six previous state felony convictions was sentenced to 85 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after he reached for a gun during a traffic stop. On August 23, 2023, Michael Eugene Williams, age 28, pled guilty to the charge.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on August 29, 2022, officers with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle the defendant was driving. The defendant was the sole occupant of the vehicle and when deputies approached the vehicle, they detected an odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. When asked by deputies to exit the vehicle, the defendant did so hesitantly and provided deputies with a false name. While outside the vehicle, the defendant failed to comply with deputies’ orders and a brief struggle ensued, during which, the defendant resisted officers and reached towards his waistband. The defendant was eventually handcuffed and a 9mm handgun was located in the defendant’s pants. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately 62 grams of methamphetamine, digital scales, and drug paraphernalia.

Williams has six prior felony convictions in state court for burglary, selling heroin, trafficking heroin by possession, trafficking heroin by manufacturing, and conspiracy to traffic opium or heroin.

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 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.

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-00041M-001.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – Two Greenville men were each sentenced to 92 months in prison for an attempted carjacking.  On August 23, 2023, Alterrik Laquan Parker aka “Al-Terrick Parker” and Gabriel Zachary Harris, both age 19, pled guilty to the charges. Previously, a third accomplice, a juvenile, was sentenced in Pitt County Superior to 80 to 108 months for attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and 16 to 29 months custody, consecutive, for possession of a weapon of mass destruction.

“According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, carjackings increased more than 8 percent in 2022 and nine out of ten cases involve the use of a weapon,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “And, just like this case, we are seeing more cases of carjackings that involve juveniles. Carjackers in Eastern North Carolina should be on notice that we are working with our state and local partners to investigate and prosecute these cases to hold all involved in the crime – regardless of age – accountable.”

"I am happy that we have been able to help bring closure to this investigation and for the victim.  The men and women of the Greenville Police Department work tirelessly to investigate crimes that occur in our city. We strive to provide the highest service possible to those who suffer at the hands of those wishing to do harm.  Violence of this kind is not tolerable, and it goes without saying that anyone committing these offenses will be held accountable to the highest level," said Greenville Police Department Chief, Ted Sauls.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on February 23, 2023, Parker and a juvenile accomplice, wearing ski masks and armed with handguns, approached a store patron as he left an ABC store in Greenville and got into his vehicle.  Parker and his accomplice told the victim, “give us everything or we’ll kill you,” while pointing their firearms at the victim. The victim exited the vehicle and dropped his phone and wallet in the parking lot. At that time, Harris approached the scene and retrieved the victim’s items from the ground and then tried to drive away in the victim’s vehicle but was unable to start the car because the key fob was still in the victim’s pocket, outside the car. The victim offered to let the three carjackers have the car in exchange for his wallet and phone. The situation escalated and multiple shots were fired at the victim by Parker and the juvenile. The victim, who was armed with a firearm, returned fire on the three assailants, striking Parker. The three assailants fled the scene, and the victim retrieved his belongings and called authorities. Responding officers from the Greenville Police Department were able to locate the suspects fleeing in a Kia. Following a high-speed chase, all three assailants were arrested, and a search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of a 9mm handgun, multiple shell casings, and approximately three ounces of marijuana.

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. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Greenville Police Department 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. 4:23-CR-00030-M-RN.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – A Rocky Mount man was sentenced yesterday to 192 months in prison for distribution of cocaine base (“crack”) and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  Tony Lavores Davis entered a guilty plea to these charges on June 8, 2023.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, investigators with the Nash County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) received information in the summer of 2022 that Davis, 43, was selling crack cocaine out of his residence on Kingston Avenue in Rocky Mount.  Davis had recently been released from the Bureau of Prisons after serving an 81-month combined sentence. He was initially sentenced to 48 months and then his supervised release was revoked and served an additional 33 months for a previous conviction in the Eastern District of North Carolina for Distribution of Cocaine Base. 

NCSO conducted a series of controlled purchases from Davis at his residence from July through September of 2022.  On September 26, 2022, NCSO investigators executed a search warrant at Davis’ residence and seized quantities of crack cocaine, powder cocaine, pills containing methamphetamine, and a loaded .380 handgun. 

Davis bonded out of the Nash County jail and quickly resumed selling crack cocaine.  Investigators were able to conduct three additional controlled purchases of crack from Davis in October and December of 2022.

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 Nash County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives 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. 5:23-CR-117-D.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Timothy Mann, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for two counts of cyberstalking.  Mann, 25, pled guilty to the charge on August 23, 2023.

“Online harassment, threats, and cyberstalking cause immense trauma for victims.  They are also federal crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “Those who would try to send heinous death threats through anonymous social media accounts should take note.  The sentences are stiff, and there is no screen time in federal prison.”  

According to court documents and other information presented in court, around May 2021, D.E., a Raleigh NC resident, met and befriended the defendant Timothy Mann through social media online.  Mann, who lived in New York, later moved to North Carolina.  D.E., however, began to distance himself from Mann after Mann’s behavior became erratic, and this resulted in increased hostility.  Mann began contacting and harassing D.E. and D.E.’s mother repeatedly.  Despite their attempts to block and otherwise avoid him, Mann persisted contacting them using dozens of anonymous phone numbers, social media accounts, and email accounts, as well as through messages to other family members. 

Many of these messages were violent and threatening.  For example, in early 2022, Mann commented on an Instagram photo of D.E.’s daughter, stating that Mann hoped the daughter would be present when he “takes out” D.E. “so her last memory is her father getting his brains out.”  In a separate Instagram message to D.E.’s girlfriend, Mann wrote that he knew where she lived, would “handle” her too, was “gonna shoot” her, hoped her “baby dies and [she] bleed[s] out,” and finally that he would “piss on [her] child.”  The same day, Mann sent D.E.’s stepfather a text message photo of a Glock pistol along with the statement that Mann “will not be held accountable” and was not concerned about the police because “after i kill him im going kill myself.”  In March 2022, D.E.’s mother received a message stating that “bullets go threw windows houses and cars im just getting started.”  With the message, Mann attached a photo of the mother’s home.  The harassment continued into the fall.  In an October 2022, message to D.E. and his mother, Mann stated that the mother would have “bullet holes all threw ya body” and that she wouldn’t be able to stay in her home all day.  He added that they better “hope nd pray Raleigh police department gets there fast enough.”  In messages to D.E.’s aunt in November, Mann announced repeatedly that he planned to kill the mother on Christmas Day, that he had “been planning this for a while year,” and that he was “ready to die” if necessary. 

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 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. 5:23-cr-00014-FL.

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NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal jury convicted Quillan Inman, 33, this week on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Inman is a previous felon and validated gang member from Lumberton.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, members of the narcotics unit with the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office were conducting surveillance near Perritt’s Grocery in Lumberton on November 14, 2020 when they saw a vehicle cross the center line. Deputies attempted to make a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled for a short time and surpassed 90 mph during the chase. Ultimately the vehicle stopped, and the driver fled. Inman was a passenger in the vehicle and a deputy ordered him to step out of the vehicle when he saw Inman making a stuffing motion towards the front of his hooded sweatshirt. As Inman stepped out of the vehicle, the deputy saw the handle of a handgun sticking out of the pocket of the hoodie. He immediately cuffed Inman, who attempted to reach for the gun as the deputy patted him down. The deputy also recovered suspected cocaine and suboxone strips. A search of the vehicle revealed three more firearms. 

Inman faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced.  He was previously convicted in N.C. state court of robbery with a dangerous weapon and two counts of second-degree kidnapping. He was charged with attempted first-degree murder in 2019, but the charges were later dismissed.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan accepted the verdict. The FBI and Robeson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Rhoades, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lori Warlick and 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.7:22-cr-00007-FL-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Robeson County man was sentenced today to 300 months in prison for orchestrating and directing a 2020 fentanyl distribution conspiracy while in custody for multiple state charges including possession of a firearm by a felon, trafficking heroin, and discharging a weapon into an occupied property.  His role in the conspiracy continued after his release from prison and continued after his arrest. On August 22, 2022, Clarence Jamar Graham pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. During a traffic stop executed during the investigation, Graham was found in a car with a child in the backseat holding a bag of fentanyl.

“Small amounts of fentanyl can be deadly, especially for small children,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This fentanyl dealer jeopardized the safety of the community and put a small child at risk.  We will not tolerate callous narcotics dealers who endanger the innocent.  Our message with this case is clear –distributing fentanyl in North Carolina will lead to prison.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Graham, 36, utilized co-defendant Jania Leggett to sell fentanyl on his behalf while he was serving a state prison sentence between April and September of 2020.  Witnesses reported to law enforcement that they had seen AR-15 style rifles and small children in the house that Leggett used as a hub for her fentanyl sales. 

In October of 2020, investigators learned that Graham had been released from prison and using a Lumberton area hotel for drug sales made by him and Leggett.  Lumberton Police Department detectives stopped Leggett and Graham leaving the hotel on October 13, 2020.  When detectives approached their vehicle, they observed that Leggett had a .40 caliber handgun in her lap and that there was a small child in the backseat holding a bag of fentanyl.  Detectives then searched the vehicle and a storage unit in Graham’s name and found a total of 334.98 grams of fentanyl, $46,647 in cash, an additional handgun in Leggett’s purse, and a variety of items used to package drugs for sale. 

After Graham was arrested for the traffic stop, he continued to run fentanyl sales from the Robeson County Jail.  Investigators located multiple recorded jail phone calls made in November and December of 2020 where Graham gave directions to another co-conspirator about the prices and quantities of drugs being sold.  In total, investigators determined that Graham was involved in the distribution of over 4,600 grams of fentanyl during the year 2020.

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 Lumberton Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives 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. 7:21-CR-95-D-1.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – An inmate at the Federal Medical Center in Butner (“FMC Butner”) was sentenced yesterday for assaulting a federal law enforcement officer working at FMC Butner in 2022.

According to the indictment, on May 15, 2022, the inmate, Timothy Leak, 47, refused the officer’s orders to wear his mask and return to his cell.  Instead, he became aggressive, and ran to a nearby room on the housing unit.  As the officer approached Leak from the room, he rushed toward her and slammed the heavy metal door on the officer’s arm, pinning it in the door.  Throughout this altercation, Leak was verbally aggressive toward the officer.  The officer was only able to free her arm after calling for assistance from other staff members.  As a result of this contact, the officer suffered injuries to her arm that ultimately required surgical repair.

Thomas Scarantino, Complex Warden at FCC Butner stated, “I would like to thank the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina for their continued support in prosecuting these cases.  I would also like to thank the legal team and staff at FCC Butner who have assisted with this case.  I have zero tolerance for inmates assaulting, resisting, or impeding the staff members who work tirelessly at FCC Butner.”

Citing Leak’s criminal history and the severity of the assault, Unites States Federal District Court Judge James C. Dever III sentenced Leak to 21 months in prison.  Leak previously pled guilty to the count of Assault on a Federal Officer on August 30, 2023.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement.  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. 5:22-cr-00263-D-RN.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Fayetteville man was sentenced today to 360 months in prison for firearms possession and his role as a kilogram-level dealer of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and other substances.  On December 22, 2022, Aaron Albert Goode pled guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine and fentanyl, possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

“Kilogram-level drug dealers often receive dangerous high-purity narcotics, such as fentanyl, from their suppliers, then mix those drugs with cutting agents in makeshift laboratories where they press the cut drugs into kilograms,” said US Attorney Michael Easley.  “This dangerous process leads to unpredictable dosage amounts of potentially-deadly drugs that can kill unsuspecting drug users.  We are shutting down these clandestine laboratories and prosecuting the drug traffickers who profit from them.”

“The Fayetteville Police Department’s Narcotic Vice Suppression Unit and Emergency Response Unit played a vital role during this investigation. Working collaboratively with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, we continue to aggressively combat Fayetteville's gun violence and trafficking,” said Chief Kemberle Braden.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Goode, 48, was identified by Fayetteville and Robeson County area law enforcement investigators as a significant source of drug supply dating back to at least 2016.  After years of receiving information about Goode’s drug involvement, investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) were able to conduct multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl from Goode during the summer of 2021.  Goode conducted these fentanyl sales out of a residence on Oakview Drive in Fayetteville.

On August 5, 2021, investigators with ATF and the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) executed a search warrant at the Oakview Drive residence.  Investigators familiar with Goode’s violent criminal history, which included a 1997 murder conviction in Hoke County, surrounded the residence and demanded that he exit so that the search warrant could be served.  After a delay of several minutes, Goode exited the residence.  Investigators later learned that during this delay, Goode destroyed several ounces of fentanyl by flushing it down the toilet. 

During the search of the Oakview Drive residence, investigators located various items used to package bulk quantities of drugs for sale to include a hydraulic press, digital scales, blenders and plastic wrap with drug residue.  Investigators also located six firearms, body armor, a ballistic shield, and approximately $70,000 in U.S. Currency inside the residence. 

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 Fayetteville and Lumberton Police Departments, and the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office 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-334-D.

RALEIGH, N.C. –  A federal grand jury in Greenville returned an indictment charging six individuals with mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud for their roles in an alleged scheme to obtain emergency rental assistance designated for households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by filing at least 44 fraudulent North Carolina HOPE program applications, resulting in the disbursement of more than $279,000 in proceeds in connection with the scheme. The indictment was returned on September 14, 2023, and the final defendant was arrested and made his initial appearance today.

“The North Carolina HOPE program was meant to help struggling North Carolinians stay in their homes during an unprecedented public health emergency,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Those who took advantage of our nation’s generosity to defraud this and other relief programs will face criminal prosecution.”

According to the indictment, between June 2021 and February 2022, it is alleged that the six defendants, and others they recruited, falsely claimed to be landlords on properties that they neither owned nor served as a landlord for to apply for rental assistance from the North Carolina HOPE program. The North Carolina HOPE program utilized federal funding to assist renters who faced housing insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tenants applied for the program and eligible applicants and their landlords were provided an agreement certifying the accuracy of the application. Landlords participating in the program had to agree not to evict a tenant for a certain amount of time and were paid directly by the state.

The six defendants charged in the indictment are listed below. If convicted, defendants face up to thirty years for each count.

• Joe Lewis Jefferson, age 50, of Nashville is charged with 22 counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
• Danyael Davis Jefferson, age 50, of Nashville is charged with three counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
• Arkino Montrillis Williams, age 51, of Enfield is charged with four counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
• John Lee Bass, age 49, of Rocky Mount is charged with eight counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
• Timothy Kelvin Harvey, age 41, of Roanoke Rapids is charged with eight counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
• Douglas Roberson, age 34, of Rocky Mount is charged with four counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

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

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

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-00293-D.

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

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Robeson County murder suspect accused of shooting two Robeson County Sheriff’s deputies now faces federal carjacking charges. A criminal complaint filed today alleges that Shawn Tobin Locklear, Jr., carjacked a vehicle with the intent to cause serious bodily injury. If convicted, Locklear faces up to 25 years in prison.

“The brave men and women of law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Our office will bring swift prosecution against individuals who intentionally try to bring harm to those who have taken an oath to protect their communities. We are proud to partner with Sheriff Wilkins and District Attorney Matt Scott to address violent crime in Robeson County.”

“This is yet another example of the importance of working alongside our federal partners in such a way to bring violent offenders to justice,” says Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins. “The criminal complaint filed today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office is the first step in ensuring that this suspect is held accountable for his violent actions that have plagued this county for years.”

According to the complaint, Locklear is alleged to have shot and injured two Robeson County Sheriff’s deputies who were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on him. After being struck by gunfire, both deputies took cover behind their patrol car. Locklear is then alleged to have entered the driver’s side of the patrol car and put the car into reverse as one deputy was located on the ground behind the patrol vehicle. The deputy was able to push himself partially out of the way before Locklear reversed over his leg with the car. Locklear was able to drive away with the patrol vehicle and fled the scene. The incident was captured on the deputies’ body cameras.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Foxx is prosecuting 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.7:23-CR-01286-RJ.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Maxton man was sentenced yesterday to 300 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy responsible for moving kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin from Mexico to Robeson County. Antonio Lavonne Locklear pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, and possession of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin with intent to distribute.

“Our ongoing partnership with the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office has secured this 25-year sentence for a large-scale drug trafficker bringing kilogram quantities of narcotics from Mexico into Robeson County,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Narco-traffickers should be warned. The partnership between local law enforcement and federal agencies has never been stronger or more focused on dismantling drug trafficking organizations.”

“The sentencing of Locklear will have a huge positive impact within the Prospect community of Robeson County and beyond,” said Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins. “The punishment Locklear received should be an eye opener to others that continue to wreak havoc on our county. Thank you to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ATF for the partnership as we continue to try and make our county safer.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Locklear, age 38, was identified during a multi-year investigation into a group of Robeson County-based individuals who were trafficking kilograms of controlled substances from Mexico into the Brownsville, Texas, area.  Investigators learned that members of this drug trafficking organization would travel to Texas, cross the border to meet with suppliers, and then personally transport kilograms of drugs across the border and ultimately back to Robeson County, where the drugs would be sold. During the investigation Robeson County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a March 2020 search warrant at one of Locklear’s stash houses and collected over 400 grams of cocaine.

On October 14, 2020, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a rental vehicle occupied by Locklear and two other individuals as they returned from Texas. Investigators located 2.3 kilograms of methamphetamine, 2.98 kilograms of cocaine, 967.7 grams of heroin, and more than $58,000 in U.S. currency inside the spare tire of the vehicle. 

In the spring of 2021, investigators began to receive information that members of the drug trafficking organization had resumed traveling to Texas to pick up controlled substances from the same suppliers. Through coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs and Border Patrol, co-defendant Jeremiah Eli Lowery was stopped at a border checkpoint near Brownsville, Texas on the way back into the United States from Mexico on April 8, 2021.  After a canine alerted to the presence of narcotics within the vehicle, officers recovered 2.8 kilograms of cocaine and 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine from the spare tire.  Lowery has previously been sentenced to 252 months imprisonment for his role in the conspiracy.

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 Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives 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. 7:21-CR-59-D-2.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Jamaican man was sentenced today to 204 months in prison for trafficking kilogram quantities of cocaine. On August 17, 2023, Michael Kenroy Bell aka “Jamaica Mike,” age 47, pled guilty to the charges. Bell had been deported to Jamaica on June 25, 2020, after serving a federal sentence for a previous drug trafficking offense and is in the country illegally.

“This career drug trafficker was previously charged, convicted, and deported. This time he was caught trying to dodge accountability with a false identity,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Drug traffickers operating in Raleigh should take note of this seventeen-year sentence. We are actively partnering with Raleigh Police and the FBI to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking networks like this one.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Raleigh Police Department were involved in an investigation of a drug trafficking organization operating in Raleigh in the Fall of 2021. Through physical and electronic surveillance, including a federal wiretap, Bell was observed interacting frequently with known drug dealers that were subjects of the investigation.

Though he was not charged in the 2021 investigation, Bell remained under surveillance by law enforcement, and, between February and May 2022, was observed making numerous trips between Raleigh and Huntersville, as well as 11 trips to Miami, Florida specifically to purchase cocaine. He was often observed in the 700-block of Quarry Street, which is frequented by members of the Eight Trey Gangster Crips and is known by law enforcement to be a high drug trafficking area.

In June 2022, Bell was pulled over in Florida, and, after detecting an odor of marijuana, officers searched his vehicle and found both cocaine and marijuana. Bell provided law enforcement a fake identification card, but his identity was discovered when he was booked at the local jail. Despite being in custody Bell orchestrated the continuation of his cocaine distribution in the Raleigh area. Bell has a lengthy criminal record including multiple felonies, including a 2009 federal conviction for two drug trafficking charges.

This is 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.

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, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons 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-00052-D.

RALEIGH, NC – A Mount Olive man was federally indicted and arrested for allegedly trafficking drugs and distributing fentanyl to a victim who later died as a result of an overdose. Dylan Jones, age 23, is currently facing five federal charges including one count of distribution resulting in death, three counts of distribution of fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. If convicted, Jones is facing a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison.

“North Carolina reported a 22% increase in overdose deaths in 2021 with more than 4000 people losing their life in a single year, and more than 77% of the deaths likely involving fentanyl,” said Michael Easley. “We are partnering with local law enforcement to train and educate on the dangers of fentanyl and prioritizing the prosecution of it.”

“The Sheriff’s Office and the United States Attorney will continue to work diligently to dismantle drug trafficking operations in our community and ensure those responsible for the deaths of our loved ones are held accountable,” said Duplin County Sheriff Stratton Stokes. “I am thankful for their partnership as our county faces the fentanyl crisis that touches every corner of our nation.”

According to the indictment, Jones is alleged to have supplied counterfeit pills containing fentanyl to a victim who died in 2022. He is also alleged to have sold fentanyl on three different dates and during at least one of those sales, was carrying a firearm. Jones was arrested on state charges on November 2, 2022, and was recently arrested on federal charges on November 7, 2023.  Jones is currently in custody and has a detention hearing set for November 16 where the Government will seek pre-trial detention.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons is prosecuting 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.7:23-cr-00114-FL-BM-1.

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

NEW BERN, N.C. – Kawshie Chapman, 49, of Wilmington, was sentenced to 160 months in prison for drug and firearm offenses after selling drugs and guns, including a sawed-off .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle with a 110-round magazine that was unregistered, to an undercover agent. Chapman is a member of the United Blood Nation, commonly referred to as the “Bloods” street gang.

“This conviction and sentencing takes an armed drug dealer with gang ties off the streets,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute the individuals contributing to the violence in our communities.”

“ATF has always made the pursuit and capture of violent gang members a priority,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Mein. “These individuals have a major impact on public safety, often responsible for bringing in many of the illegal firearms recovered by ATF and our law enforcement partners.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on May 13, 2021, Chapman and co-defendant Rhonesa Greene-McNeil sold an undercover Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent 476 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. A few days later, Chapman contacted the undercover agent and asked if he was interested in purchasing two firearms. On the day of the sale, Chapman sent Greene-McNeil to handle the transaction. Greene-McNeil arrived and sold the ATF agent a sawed-off .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle with a 110-round magazine that was loaded with 62 rounds and a second magazine that appeared to hold 30 rounds, as well as a 9mm handgun. 

Chapman has prior convictions for Trafficking in Cocaine (1998 and 1999), Manufacturing, Dispensing, or Distributing or Possessing with the Intent to Distribute Heroin or Cocaine (2015), Bail Jumping (2017), and Possession with Intent to Sell or Deliver a Schedule II Controlled Substance (2020). Chapman had been released from prison in July 2020.

Chapman pleaded guilty to three offenses on March 15, 2023: conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; and possession of an unregistered sawed-off rifle. Greene-McNeil received a sentence of 120 months in prison for her role in these offenses. (Case Number 7:22-CR-0025-FL-1)

This is 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.

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the New Hanover and Brunswick County Sheriffs’ Offices, and the Wilmington Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Severo and 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. 7:22-CR-0025-FL-4.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Wilmington man, and validated member of the United Blood Nation street gang, was sentenced today to 100 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. On June 5, 2023, Demirion Keziah Barnett, age 19, pled guilty to the charge.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on January 28, 2023, at approximately 11:16 p.m., investigators with the Wilmington Police Department were dispatched to a residence on Metting Street following a ShotSpotter alert and notification that an individual in the residence sustained a gunshot wound to the hand.

When officers arrived on scene they saw the defendant, Demirion Barnett, walking away from a vehicle parked in the parking lot before making contact with the occupants of the home involved in the shooting. Officers saw the numerous bullet holes in the walls and windows of the residence, indicative of someone firing into the home. During the investigation officers located approximately 437 grams of marijuana and a 9mm handgun in a backpack inside the residence. Officers also looked under the vehicle the defendant was observed walking away from and found a .223/556 AR style “ghost” gun rifle with a 60-round drum magazine and a stolen 9mm handgun with a 24-round magazine and two obliterated serial numbers wrapped inside a blanket.

Barnett was detained and interviewed by law enforcement. He told investigators he was inside the home when the shooting occurred, and he put the guns in the blanket under a vehicle to hide them from law enforcement.    

The next day, investigators responded to a call that another firearm was located in the parking lot next to the location where they found the firearms the previous day and found a 9mm semi-automatic “ghost” gun with a 31-round magazine.

At the time of the offense, the defendant was a convicted felon and was on state probation for felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a Schedule VI Controlled Substance. Records from the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections reflect that the defendant is a validated member of the United Blood Nation street gang.

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Wilmington Police Department’s Gun Crime Task Force, and the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff Office Mobile Field Force Unit 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 U.S. 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-00026M-001.

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NEW BERN, N.C. – Raymond Lawrence Brown was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for leading a violent Bloods gang that dealt cocaine and crack and terrorizing a southern Raleigh community through violence and intimidation. On May 11, 2021, Brown pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute.

"This conviction and sentence ensure that a violent gang leader will remain in federal prison for the next two decades," said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. "We will continue to partner with law enforcement at every level to identify, investigate, and prosecute the individuals driving the violence in our community."

Court documents and other highlighted at the hearing, evidence presented in court confirm that Brown received an enhancement for his involvement in at least one murder. During the sentencing hearing, law enforcement presented evidence of a house that Brown used for drug dealing getting robbed in 2019. In retaliation, Brown issued an order to murder one of the suspected robbers. On June 10, 2019, the individual Brown ordered killed was found dead from gunshot wounds. This incident represents just one example of Brown’s use of directed violence and intimidation highlighted at the sentencing hearing.

The investigation into Brown showed he coordinated, directed, or supplied drug deals carried out by subordinates in the gang. Law enforcement also documented Brown selling a gun and his ordering of others to commit acts of violence on his behalf, all in furtherance of the gang and drug dealing. During the sentencing, he received enhancements for being a leader, maintaining a house for distributing drugs, using guns, and using violence.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and Raleigh Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons  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. 5:20-cr-00141-FL-1.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A repeat sex offender was sentenced yesterday to 180 months imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release for Receipt of Child Pornography.    

According to court documents and other information presented in court, in May 2021, Robert John Richards, 38, of Raleigh, was investigated by the Raleigh Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for child exploitation offenses.      

On July 14, 2015, Robert John Richards pled guilty to Second Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and two counts of Indecent Liberties with a Child in State Court.  He was given a suspended sentence and placed on probation for five years.  While on probation, he was charged with and pled guilty to Failure to Notify of Change of Address and received another suspended sentence, which extended his probation.  A part of his probation was that he was not to possess any sexually stimulating or sexually oriented materials as deemed inappropriate by the probation officer. 

On May 25, 2021, North Carolina state probation officers met with Richards and asked for consent to search his devices.  Richards agreed and provided passwords for his devices.  His phone showed visits to a site sometimes used to disseminate child pornography.  In a Discord text application, officers found conversations discussing child sexual abuse.  Richards also had a laptop containing multiple images of child pornography.  He was arrested for a probation violation, and law enforcement obtained a search warrant for his digital devices.

A search of his digital devices revealed 234 images and 10 videos of child sexual abuse material. Some of the images and videos depicted infants/toddlers and sadistic and masochistic conduct.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Raleigh Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson 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-55-M.

RALEIGH, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Michael Easley announced the filing of a criminal complaint against Kevin Edral Douglas, 46, alleging that he made threats to shoot or injure children. Douglas was originally arrested on Wednesday by the Cary Police Department and was rearrested on Thursday morning. He remains in custody at this time.

“The swift action by the Cary Police Department to mitigate this threat helped to keep the community safe,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “We are proud to partner with Chief Terry Sult and FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of threats of violence before action is taken.”

“The safety and well-being of the public are our utmost priority, and we are committed to taking all necessary actions in coordination with all our public safety partners on the local, State, and Federal level to ensure their protection. We also want to extend our gratitude to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for their vigilance and quick reporting of this threat, which undoubtedly played a crucial role in resolving this situation before anyone was hurt,” said Cary Police Chief Terry Sult.

"The FBI has a strong partnership with the Cary Police Department. Special agents and task force officers work alongside one another every day. The swift action in this case is proof of exactly how important our joint mission is to the safety of our community," said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina. 

According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a series of threatening communications via a cybertip reporting service on NCMEC’s public website. The communications that were reported included references to killing children. An investigation into the cybertips led law enforcement to believe that the threats were being made by Douglas, who was residing at the Extended Stay America Motel on Weston Parkway in Cary.

Douglas has a 2016 federal conviction for communicating interstate threats to the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., and an extensive history of threatening behavior beginning around 2002 and spanning at least eight states.

The complaint charges Douglas with knowingly and willfully transmitting in interstate and foreign commerce from North Carolina to Virginia, communications to NCMEC via the cybertip reporting service, and the communications contained a threat to kidnap and injure children.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Cary and Raleigh Police Departments are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad DeVoe 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-MJ-2298.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Amos Clayborne, age 36, of Lexington, Kentucky was sentenced today to 115 months in prison for possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon after he fired into a crowd of people at the Wake Inn in 2021, striking three individuals and paralyzing one.

According to court records and evidence presented in court, Clayborne and his girlfriend visited the Wake Inn on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh on March 27, 2021. Surveillance footage from the inn shows that when they arrived, they were approached by four men and an argument ensued. Shortly after, Clayborne could be seen pulling a firearm from the waistband of his pants. He then proceeded to fire the weapon indiscriminately into a crowd of people on the outside stairwell of the inn. Three people were hit, and one victim sustained a gunshot wound that paralyzed her from the chest down.

Clayborne has two previous felony convictions in Florida including assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill (2008), and robbery without a dangerous weapon (2009).

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. 5:22-CR-00209-BO.

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Joseph W. Floyd, IV, age 76, was sentenced to serve 42 months in federal prison for conspiracy to sell and deliver unregistered securities in connection with a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme that was operated under the guise of a purported investment program.  Following his prison sentence, Floyd was ordered to serve three years on supervised release.  Floyd was also ordered to pay $10,646,504 in restitution.  Floyd’s brother and co-defendant, William Floyd, was previously sentenced. 

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Floyds owned and operated Floyd’s Insurance Agency (FIA), an insurance business based in Whiteville, North Carolina.  The Floyds, through FIA, also offered a purported “Loan Program” in which more than 150 individuals and businesses in southeastern North Carolina and elsewhere invested funds in exchange for interest-bearing promissory notes.  The promissory notes were securities as defined by law and therefore required to be registered with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).  As part of the registration process, the SEC requires businesses to provide important financial information that allows investors to make informed investment decisions.  The Floyds never registered the investment offering with the SEC at any time. 

The Loan Program offering was portrayed as a safe and conservative investment, comparable to a traditional money market account or certificate of deposit (CD) but offering higher interest rates that varied from six percent to 10 percent.  The promissory notes, which were personally guaranteed by the Floyds, stated that investor principal was repayable within one year.  The Floyds initially used the borrowed funds to extend credit to Monthly Payment Plan (MPP), an affiliated company in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that was in the business of financing annual insurance premiums for consumers.  

Loan Program investors were falsely led to believe that FIA was earning sufficient profits from which to pay the promised rate of return and fund redemptions of principal upon demand.  In truth, by 2012, FIA had borrowed more than $20 million from investors and did not have the means to service the debt through any legitimate business source.  In order to forestall bankruptcy, the Floyds operated the Loan Program as a Ponzi scheme in which principal and profits were paid to existing investors with funds raised from more recent investors.  Investors were never advised of this fact.  Instead, the Floyds willfully concealed FIA’s insolvency while continuing to accept additional investments.  In May 2020, FIA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  At the conclusion of that proceeding, it is anticipated that assets will be available for distribution to the victims of the Floyds’ scheme.     

Michael Easley, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after the arraignments were concluded. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Charlotte Field Office, investigated the case.  The Securities Exchange Commission, Atlanta Field Office, also provided valuable assistance.  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. 7:23-CR-1-BO.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Fayetteville, North Carolina man, Alvester Aaron Williams, Jr., was sentenced today to 44 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit bank fraud.  On May 24, 2023, Williams pleaded guilty to the charge. 

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the United States Postal Inspection Service initiated an investigation of Williams following a state probation search of Williams’s hotel room in Fayetteville.  The search recovered approximately 500 stolen checks and other pieces of stolen mail, X-ACTO blades for altering the checks, over a dozen debit cards in the names of other people, and bank account usernames and passwords.  At the time of the search, Williams was on state probation for obtaining property by false pretense related to the theft and alteration of checks, among other convictions.  Analysis of the stolen checks, together with other evidence, indicated that Williams resumed his check fraud activities shortly after the imposition of his state sentence.

According to the subsequent federal investigation, between approximately July 2020 and August 2021, William conspired with others to steal checks from mailboxes in and around Fayetteville, alter the checks to reflect the names of co-conspirators (i.e., money mules), change the payment amounts, deposit the checks into co-conspirator accounts, and withdraw the proceeds at ATMs.  When law enforcement authorities arrested Williams on the federal indictment, Williams was found in possession of 97 stolen checks, multiple debit cards in the names of other people, and X-ACTO blades.

Michael Easley, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The United States Postal Inspection Service, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, investigated the case.  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. 5:22-CR-227-M

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RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced yesterday to 24 months in prison for possession of stolen mail.  On July 18, 2023, Anthony Messiah Brooks, age 21, pled guilty to one count of Possession of Stolen Mail and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Mail. 500 pieces of mail recovered from a search of Brooks’ residence contained checks, U.S. currency, money orders, gift certificates, and personal identifying information for unknown individuals.   At least six victims have been identified with losses of more than $30,000 although it is anticipated that there are additional victims.  As part of the judgment, Brooks will be ordered to pay criminal restitution to victims in this case.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Raleigh Police Department investigated multiple occurrences of theft from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes throughout Raleigh between May and August 2022. These boxes can only be accessed by a U.S. Postal Service master key. As a result of that investigation, Brooks was found in possession of 500 pieces of mail. There is also evidence that Brooks used social media to recruit and communicate with others involved in the conspiracy. Specifically, there were direct messages to other users regarding bank account balances, photos of checks, and discussions of various meeting locations at banks.

“As it has for almost 250 years, our US Postal Service operates largely upon the trust and good faith of our citizens not to abuse it,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Unfortunately, there are those in our society who see that system of trust as an opportunity for profit, by stealing from the mail and converting the contents for financial gain.  We are proud to partner with the United States Postal Inspection Service which works tirelessly to hold accountable those who abuse our mail system to enrich themselves.”

“The Postal Inspection Service takes great pride in protecting postal customers from criminal activity related to the U.S. mail” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service.  “Postal Inspectors along with our local law enforcement partners will continue to vigorously investigate and seek criminal prosecution of those who use the U.S. mail to further their criminal activity.”

At the sentencing hearing Brooks, who had no prior criminal record, only faced an advisory guideline sentence of 6 to 12 months.  The Court, however, departed upwardly from the guideline to impose two years in prison.  In doing so, the Court noted that Brooks’ conduct was egregious, and that a more significant punishment was needed to deter Brooks and others from stealing mail from, and perpetrating fraud against, the community.

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 United States Postal Inspection Service and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Labresh and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Warlick 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. 7:22-CR-00068-D.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A leader of a drug trafficking organization based in Elizabeth City moving kilogram quantities of heroin and fentanyl in was sentenced today to 150 months in prison for his role as a major supplier of drugs in Eastern North Carolina.  On July 26, 2023, Jamal Dance, age 31, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and 100 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl analogue between 2019 and 2022.

“Fentanyl is wreaking havoc on communities and tearing apart families throughout Eastern North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This case exemplifies our unwavering dedication to thoroughly investigate and bring to justice the suppliers who are helping fuel this deadly epidemic.”

"Dance distributed dangerous drugs into his own community. Each brick of fentanyl he smuggled here, equaled 50 doses. When you do the math using the results of our investigation, it is astounding to think of the damage he did to so many people's lives," said Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina. "While we have taken this drug dealer off the streets, the FBI and our partners will continue working together to make our neighborhoods safe for everyone."

“I would like to thank all agencies and personnel involved in this case,” said Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten. “I’m grateful for our working relationship to ensure the safety of our respected communities. I look forward to continuing the effort to keep this poison off the streets.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Pasquotank Sheriff’s Office and the Elizabeth City Police Department, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, initiated an investigation in 2020 targeting a drug trafficking organization (DTO) engaged in the importation of heroin and fentanyl from New Jersey. Through surveillance, controlled buys and investigative interviews, Dance was identified as the leader of the DTO. The investigation also revealed Dance’s role in regularly acquiring 25,000 individual dosage units of fentanyl from his source in New Jersey and distributing them through his DTO in Elizabeth City and the surrounding area. On June 2, 2022, Dance was arrested in Chesapeake, VA after returning from securing supply in New Jersey. The search of his vehicle resulted in the discovery of over $14,000 in cash, and 10,000 individually packaged dosage units of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue, totaling approximately 150 grams.  On the same date, a search warrant was executed at his residence in Elizabeth City, where officers seized a loaded .40 caliber handgun, a loaded AR rifle, various ammunitions, cash and marijuana.

This investigation was 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.

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 Pasquotank, Dare and Camden County Sheriffs’ Offices, the Elizabeth City and Chesapeake (VA) Police Departments and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Englander 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-00022-M.

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RALEIGH , N.C. – William Dayshawn Wilson, also known as “Santana,” of New Bern, North Carolina, was sentenced to 234 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and aiding and abetting.  On June 3, 2022, Wilson, age 32, pled guilty to the charges.

“We are committed to keeping our streets safe from the destructive influence of gang activity and the deadly impact of fentanyl trafficking. Today’s sentencing is a clear message to those who engage in such criminal enterprises will face the full force of the law. We will relentlessly protect our communities and ensure justice is served,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.

According to court documents, evidence presented in court, and other documents, on January 13, 2019, Craven County Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to a report of shots fired at one of Wilson’s drug stash houses at the Gracie Farms trailer park in Craven County. Law enforcement discovered that Coriana Cox had been killed as individuals shot into the trailer, likely as a part of an attempted robbery.

Before law enforcement arrived at the drug stash house, Wilson called someone inside the residence and told them to get rid of the narcotics and firearms that were inside.  During the homicide investigation, law enforcement found 46 grams of fentanyl that had not yet been destroyed.

The investigation revealed that from 2014 until 2020, Wilson orchestrated drug trips from New Jersey to Eastern North Carolina and oversaw several drug “trap houses” in Craven County. The investigation uncovered that Wilson was involved in the distribution of large amounts of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.

On April 2, 2019, Wilson was arrested in Greenville, North Carolina for a North Carolina State probation violation. Wilson had attempted to alter his appearance, was in possession of a Florida Driver’s license in the name of “Akiz Jackman,” and had a suitcase that contained more than $30,000.

On April 24, 2019, law enforcement observed Shatavia Wilson, William Wilson’s wife, meet someone in a parking lot in Craven County.  Following that meeting, that person placed a shoebox in the trunk of Shatavia Wilson’s car.  Officers conducted a traffic stop on the car.  A K-9 alerted on the car and officers found more than more $42,000 in the shoebox. 

On May 1, 2019, Wilson used a recorded jail phone to arrange for someone to pick up heroin from New Jersey for distribution in Eastern North Carolina.  Detectives were able to confirm that a third party left New Bern and travelled to Newark, New Jersey. On May 3, 2019, members of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office stopped the car in Oxford, North Carolina and found 80 grams of heroin.

According to law enforcement and other information, Wilson was one of the highest-ranking Blood gang members in Craven County and had a reputation for using fear and intimidation.

This case is 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.

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 United States Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Craven and Granville County Sheriffs’ Offices, the New Bern Police Department, Craven County District Attorney Scott Thomas, and the Craven County District Attorney’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Lemmon and Timothy Severo 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. 4:21-CR-0053-D-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The leader an armed drug-trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for moving kilogram quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in and around the Craven County area was sentenced yesterday to 420 months in prison for drug trafficking and gun charges.  On March 3, 2023, Ivan Leonardo Medina-Beltran, age 45, pled guilty to the charges. Medina-Beltran is an undocumented noncitizen from Sonora, Mexico.

“Medina-Beltran supplied kilogram quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine to the New Bern area. He even tried to coordinate the shipment of nearly a kilogram of highly pure methamphetamine to Eastern North Carolina while he was held in jail. The 35-year sentence stands as a warning to would-be drug traffickers. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with Craven County every day to keep deadly narcotics off our streets, and dismantling the drug-trafficking networks that supply them,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.

“We are committed to collaborating with our law enforcement partners to investigate, disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations that are responsible for the illicit distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl that has resulted in the death of thousands and the ruining of lives and families throughout the country,” said Ronnie Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Charlotte that covers North and South Carolina. “This sentence sends a strong message to narcotic distributors that law enforcement will work aggressively with the United States Attorney’s Office to combat the poisoning of our communities with these egregious and dangerous drugs and bring those involved to justice.” 

“This prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office has eliminated a major source of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Craven County” said Sheriff Chip Hughes.  “The Craven County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Bureau will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to investigate, arrest, and prosecute drug traffickers.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, HSI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Craven County Sheriff’s Office in coordination with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners launched an investigation into a cartel-connected drug trafficking organization responsible for acquiring kilogram quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl from the southwest border and distributing them in and around Craven County. Through the use of confidential sources, surveillance and controlled buys, law enforcement identified several high-level operatives in the organization, including the leader, Medina-Beltran.

From January to October 2022, law enforcement conducted sixteen controlled purchases of ice methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine from Medina-Beltran and other members of the conspiracy. Medina-Beltran sold narcotics directly to confidential informants working at the direction of law enforcement. On September 7, 2022, he sold over 60 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant, while on September 8, 2022, he sold over 290 grams of ice to a confidential informant.

On October 31, 2022, multiple search warrants were executed at residences associated with the DTO, including the residence of Medina-Beltran. The search of his home yielded five grams of cocaine, an AR-15 style 5.56 rifle, a .45 caliber handgun, and cash.

While in pretrial custody, Medina-Beltran coordinated a shipment of approximately two pounds of ice methamphetamine from California to the Eastern District of North Carolina, which was seized by law enforcement.

Multiple other individuals associated with the DTO, including two other high-level operatives have been indicted. Xavier Garza (4:22-cr-00075-D-3) pled guilty to drug trafficking and firearm charges on May 16, 2023. Sentencing is pending in his case.

This investigation was 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.

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 Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; United States Postal Inspection Service; the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; the Craven County Sheriff’s Office, and the New Bern Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Englander and 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-00075-D-1.

NEW BERN, N.C. – A Holly Ridge man was sentenced today to 270 months imprisonment followed by a lifetime of supervised release for Production of Child Pornography.  Aaron Halbeisen, age 35, pled guilty to the charge on March 15, 2023.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation of Halbeisen in June 2019 following a tip from the Queensland Police Service in Australia, who were conducting an undercover investigation into an image sharing website. During the undercover investigation, one of the users posted a picture of a small child that constituted child pornography.  The IP address used to upload the photograph was leased by Halbeisen with an associated address in Holly Ridge, North Carolina. 

Homeland Security agents and detectives with Onslow County Sheriff’s Office went to Halbeisen’s residence and confronted him about the photograph.  Halbeisen admitted he had taken the photograph and acknowledged the child was someone with whom he had contact.  A search warrant was obtained for the residence to search any digital devices for additional contraband images. 

When Halbeisen’s digital devices were searched, additional images of the child were located on his phone that also constituted child pornography.  In addition, agents located hundreds of images of child pornography unrelated to the minor child. Agents also found numerous chats between Halbeisen and another user of the image sharing website wherein the two discussed the sexual abuse of minors as well as traded images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing was concluded.  U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan presided over the sentencing.  The Department of Homeland Security Investigations and Onslow County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson 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. 7:20-CR33-FL

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh, North Carolina man, Basilio Rafael Garcia, was sentenced to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.  On May 11, 2023, Garcia pleaded guilty to the charges. 

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Garcia conspired with others to unlawfully transfer, possess, and use the identities and personal identifying information of Puerto Rico residents to finance and purchase more than $1 million worth of vehicles and watercraft from dealerships in the Eastern and Middle Districts of North Carolina. 

“This defendant ran a scam to buy high-end luxury cars using other people’s credit.  He was driven by greed and greed alone,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Identity theft like this can leave victims with ruined credit and dire financial straits.  We are prosecuting the fraudsters and reminding consumers to protect themselves by securing personal identifying information and monitoring credit reports regularly for suspicious activity.”

According to the investigation by the United States Secret Service and local law enforcement, Garcia traveled from Raleigh to Columbia, South Carolina and used the stolen identifying information of a Puerto Rico victim to apply for and obtain a South Carolina identification card.  The supporting documents that Garcia provided to the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles included a Social Security card and a purported Puerto Rican birth certificate in the victim’s name, as well as a counterfeit bank statement.  Based on the false information provided, Garcia successfully obtained a South Carolina identification card with his photograph but the victim’s identifiers.  On the following day, Garcia used the identification card and the victim’s personal information, including his Social Security number and credit report, to finance the purchase of Honda dirt bike from a dealership in Wake Forest, North Carolina. The defendant subsequently used the same victim’s identity to fraudulently finance the purchase of multiple vehicles from dealerships in the Raleigh and Durham areas, including two Jeep Wranglers, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a BMW X5, and a Range Rover. A search warrant was later executed at Garcia’s residence, during which officers recovered drivers’ licenses, birth certificates, passports, Social Security cards, and vehicle titles in the names of other people. Raleigh-based law enforcement officers have recovered some of the vehicles working with counterparts in other states. 

Two of Garcia’s co-conspirators in the case, Jarlin Javier Sanchez and Warlin Mateo-Tejeda, were previously sentenced to prison following their guilty pleas.

Michael Easley, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The United States Secret Service, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, investigated the case.  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. 5:22-CR-48-D.

NEW BERN, N.C. – A Dunn man was sentenced today to 199 months in prison for trafficking heroin and fentanyl.  Oshea Massey, 25, pled guilty to the charges. Massey has been a validated member of the United Blood Nation street gang.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Massey was a leader of a violent United Nation Blood street gang responsible for at least 10 shootings from 2019 to 2021. These shootings were typically related to territorial disputes, attempted armed robberies, or intimidation and retaliation. Law enforcement made seven controlled purchases of heroin and fentanyl from Massey between January and March of 2021. These purchases were made after Massey was identified as having sold another defendant varying amounts of heroin over a two-year period. During the investigation, others also identified Massey as a heroin dealer. Much of the heroin that was distributed by Massey also tested positive for fentanyl.

A traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle occupied by Massey to serve an arrest warrant for state charges in May 2021. A search of the vehicle found marijuana, cash, a receipt with an off-white powdery substance and a handgun near Massey’s leg. A subsequent search of Massey’s residence found 3.1 grams of heroin.

“It is through partnerships with surrounding local and federal agencies such as ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office that we can identify and convict violent, drug dealing gang leaders who are attempting to destroy our communities and youth,” said Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats. “Oshea Massey was a violent criminal in Harnett County who will now spend many years in prison.”

"This is another great example of ATF agents partnering with the Sheriff to ensure safer communities within Johnston County," said Sheriff Steve Bizzell.  "We value the working relationship we have with the ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s office and will continue to aggressively pursue and remove drug dealers and felons that are in possession of firearms from our neighborhoods."

Massey pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and 40 grams or more of fentanyl and distribution of a quantity of fentanyl. Massey was previously convicted on felony burglary (2013) and felony larceny (2015) charges. In 2016, he was convicted of possession of firearm by a felon. Massey also faces state charges for drug trafficking for offenses that allegedly occurred in 2018 and 2019.

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Dunn Police Department and the Johnston and Harnett County Sheriffs’ Offices investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons  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-00240-FL.

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NEW BERN, N.C. – A Raleigh man with two prior federal convictions was sentenced as an armed career criminal offender today for possession of a firearm by a felon. Donald Melvin, age 52, was sentenced to 188 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. On March 9, 2023, Melvin pled guilty to the charge. Melvin’s previous convictions for drug trafficking and breaking and entering qualified him as an armed career criminal.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Melvin, 52, was living at an apartment in Raleigh on January 6, 2022, when Raleigh Police Department (RPD) attempted to serve an outstanding arrest warrant.  Melvin initially lied about his identity. However, RPD officers were able to confirm his identity and took him into custody after Melvin attempted to flee. Melvin was carrying a loaded 9mm gun, and a search of his apartment revealed four additional firearms, ammunition and a variety of narcotics including heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and Phencyclidine. Firearms recovered at the apartment included a 9mm with an extended magazine, two 12-gauge shotguns and .243 caliber rifle,

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 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.22-CR-00143-FL.  

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Isaac Lamont Dawson, 45, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Act (“PPP”) COVID-19 loans on behalf of two separate businesses he owned. He is the seventh defendant to be sentenced for his role in the scheme, and he has received the longest sentence so far.  To date, 16 defendants have pled guilty to this scheme in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Sentencing is pending for the remaining nine.

“Stealing taxpayer money intended to help struggling businesses during a pandemic is shameless,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.  “We will continue to hold accountable those who criminally took advantage of our country in its time of need.”

According to the filed charges and information summarized in court, Dawson conspired with Edward Whitaker, Schunda Coleman, and others to obtain fraudulent PPP loans on behalf of their businesses. Dawson’s businesses included a construction company and a holding company. Whitaker and Coleman pled guilty on January 19, 2023 for their role in operating a nation-wide scheme to help people across the country commit millions of dollars of PPP fraud from their home in Texas.

Whitaker and Coleman created fraudulent supporting documents and applications for each PPP loan in exchange for 25% of the total loan proceeds.  The fraudulent applications falsified the number of employees and gross wages being paid prior to the COVID-19 pandemic by backdating fraudulent IRS Forms 940 and 941, in order to help qualify for the PPP loans.   Following the disbursement of the PPP loans, Whitaker gave each defendant, via text messages subsequently obtained by law enforcement, detailed instructions as to how to make it appear that the PPP loans were being paid out to employees.  In reality, most or all of the money was transferred back to the defendants.  The fraudulent payroll records were then submitted to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to obtain 100% loan forgiveness.

Late last year, Quentin Jackson pled guilty in the same conspiracy which included the recruitment of numerous individuals within the Eastern District of North Carolina to use Whitaker and Coleman to obtain fraudulent PPP funds.

“The Paycheck Protection Program was designed to help small businesses facing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Donald “Trey” Eakins, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge in the Charlotte Field Office. “Through our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents will continue to aggressively pursue individuals who try to exploit federal relief programs for their personal gain.”

Defendants that have been sentenced so far include:

• Shakeerah Kaneisha Yvette Vinson [Case No. 5-23-cr-00027-D]
• Monica Faye Barnes [Case No. 5:23-cr-00094-D]
• Terron Cortez Parker [Case No. 5-23-cr-00081-D]
• Kami D. Woodard [Case No. 5-23-cr-00095-D]
• Eugene Miller, Jr. [Case No. 5-23-cr-00290-D]
• Jonathan Fleming [Case No. 5-23-cr-00227-D]

All but Fleming received sentences of 12 months plus one day. Fleming received a 15- month prison sentence.

Defendants awaiting sentencing include:

• Quentin Jackson [Case No. 5-23-cr-180-D]
• Edward Whitaker [Case No. 5-22-cr-00257-D]
• Schunda Coleman [Case No. 5-22-cr-00257-D
• Nekita Hooks [Case No. 5-23-cr-00025-D]
• Denise Alston [Case No. 5-23-cr-00077-D]
• Dontrell Barnes [Case No. 5-23-cr-00094-D]
• Lenille Woodard [Case No. 5-23-cr-00138-D]
• Irene Edwards [Case No. 5-23-cr-00098-D]
• Jackson Ndoyo [Case No. 5-23-cr-00118-D]

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were economically suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic.  The CARES Act and additional appropriations authorized up to $649 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  Financial institutions issued the PPP loans, which were guaranteed by the SBA.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III announced the sentence.  Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Beraka is prosecuting 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. 5:23-CR-00097-D.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – Charles Gilbert Green, age 29, pled guilty today to two counts of distribution of cocaine base (crack) and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, in 2021 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. On June 2, 2021, and on September 23, 2021, law enforcement utilized a confidential informant to conduct controlled purchases of cocaine base (crack) from the defendant.

On April 2, 2022, at approximately 1:30 p.m., officers with the Wilmington Police Department were dispatched to the area of 6th Street and Red Cross Street 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 six fired shell casings in front of the John H. Shaw’s Son Funeral Home on Red Cross Street, where people were gathered for a funeral. Five fired shell casings were also found on the southeast corner of Red Cross and North 6th Street. Officers were able to locate security camera footage which showed Green firing multiple shots from the southeast corner of Red Cross Street towards a group of individuals standing near the funeral home where the shell casings were found.  Green then got into a white Ford Flex and fled the scene. Based on their review of the video footage, officers determined the shell casings found in front of the funeral home were fired in self-defense.

At the time of the shooting, Green was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. His prior felony convictions include a conviction for common law robbery in 2018 and a conviction for possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana in 2014.  

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after Chief United States District Judge Richard E. Myers II accepted the plea. Sentencing will occur before Chief United States District Judge Richard E. Myers II later this year. The FBI’s Coastal Carolina Safe Street’s Gang Task Force is leading the investigation, and Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt 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. 7:23-cr-00014-M.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Wilmington man was sentenced today to 96 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On June 7, 2023, Quajohn Anthony Crews, age 21, pled guilty to the charge.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on October 12, 2022, members of the Wilmington Police Department responded to two almost simultaneous ShotSpotter notifications in a community known by law enforcement to be associated with Gangster Disciple street gang activity. Upon arrival, officers located 12 spent shell casings and several residences that were damaged by gunfire. One of the residences that suffered damage was occupied by a woman and her children at the time of the shooting and officers located a projectile on the floor of an upstairs bedroom. Law enforcement was able to identify a red four door Ford sedan as a suspect vehicle involved in the shooting.

The next day, on October 13, 2022, members of the Mobile Field Force, a joint task force comprised of officers with the Wilmington Police Department and deputies with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, located the suspect vehicle traveling near the Hillcrest public housing community and determined it was reported stolen on October 1, 2022. Officers got behind the vehicle and attempted to initiate a stop of the vehicle, but the  vehicle fled. While officers were in pursuit of the vehicle, they observed a handgun being thrown from the passenger side of the vehicle. After the vehicle stopped, Crews jumped out of the back passenger window and fled on foot, but he was quickly apprehended and placed under arrest.  Officers went to the area where the handgun was thrown from the vehicle and located a black Ruger semiautomatic handgun that had been reported stolen.

Following his arrest, Crews was brought to the Wilmington Police Department and interviewed by detectives. During his interview, Crews admitted to being a Blood street gang member and acknowledged there was an ongoing dispute between members of the Blood and Gangster Disciple gangs. He also admitted to traveling to the Creekwood housing community with others on October 12, 2022, and participating in the shooting to “send a message” and retaliate for another shooting that he believed to have been carried out by a Gangster Disciple. Crews also admitted to possessing the Ruger pistol that was thrown from the vehicle and admitted to firing the pistol on October 12, 2022. 

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Wilmington Police Department Gun Crimes Task Force, the Wilmington Police Department, and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Special Assistant United States Attorney William Van Trigt 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.

The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (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. 7:23-cr-00009-FL-001.

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NEW BERN, N.C. – A Holly Ridge man who sliced a witness’ throat and stabbed a child, was sentenced to 240 months imprisonment followed by 60 months of supervised release for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and Possession of a Stolen Firearm. Avery Ray Brinson, age 29, pled guilty to the charges on March 24, 2023. Brinson is a convicted felon and has three or more prior convictions for violent felonies making him subject to the penalties of the Armed Career Criminal Act.

According to court documents and other information presented in court Brinson was investigated by the Holly Ridge Police Department in May and July 2021 for firearm related offenses. On May 30, 2021, Brinson was at a friend’s house and learned the friend kept a firearm in his living room. Brinson stole the firearm and left the house.  When the friend discovered his firearm was missing, he watched the surveillance video from his home security system and saw Brinson steal the firearm.  The following day he confronted Brinson about the theft.  Brinson denied knowing anything about the missing firearm until the victim told Brinson about the home security footage capturing the theft.  Brinson then acknowledged he stole the firearm and returned it. The friend did not call law enforcement, thinking the matter had been handled.

The next day, June 1, 2021, Brinson broke into the friend’s house and stole multiple items, including a different firearm.  Brinson disabled the home security system by cutting the power to the entire residence. The investigation revealed that after Brinson stole the firearm, law enforcement was approached by a man who said Brinson ran into his house and stashed something under the master bed.  Law enforcement went to the residence and retrieved a .308 Savage Rifle from under the bed.  The friend and victim of the breaking and entering confirmed it was his firearm. 

The female resident of the home where Brinson stashed the gun gave a statement implicating Brinson to law enforcement on July 21, 2021, about the breaking and entering and the firearm being found in her home. On June 22, 2021, Brinson went to the female’s house and attacked her, slicing her throat and stabbing her multiple times.  When a juvenile, who was also at the house, tried to protect the female resident, he was stabbed seven times.  Both underwent immediate medical attention and survived the attack.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing was concluded.  U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan presided over the sentencing.  The Holly Ridge Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charity Wilson and William Van Trigt 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. 7:22-CR-21-FL

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal inmate pled guilty to possession of a contraband cell phone at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina (“FMC Butner”) and was sentenced on Wednesday 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, Ronito Gomez, 33, an inmate located at FMC 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.  During the search, staff discovered one cell phone with a SIM card and one cell phone charger, which Gomez had concealed under his clothing before the search.  The Warden at FMC Butner did not give Gomez permission or authorization to have a cell phone in his possession inside of the federal prison.

Gomez’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, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement.  The Federal Bureau of Prisons investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Merrill Ward 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-00126-FL-RJ.

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ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – A New Bern man was sentenced to 108 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On December 14, 2022, Brian Javon Webb, 33, pled guilty to the charges.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Webb was previously a validated Blood gang member. During August 2021, the New Bern Police Department (NBPD) conducted four controlled purchases of heroin from Webb. Investigators also conducted trash pulls from Webb’s residence which recovered drug paraphernalia and some marijuana. On September 3, 2021, NBPD arrested Webb during a traffic stop and then executed a search warrant of his residence. Officers recovered a mixture of fentanyl and tramadol, over $1,800 in cash, a loaded .45 caliber firearm with an obliterated serial number, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Bern Police Department investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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-00046-BO-RJ.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Michael Easley today announced that multiple charges, including conspiracy, money laundering, firearm trafficking, straw purchasing and making false statements to firearms dealers, have been brought against five individuals for their role in an alleged conspiracy to smuggle guns purchased in Eastern North Carolina to Mexico. To date, 17 firearms, most of which were AK-47 style rifles, have been seized. Four of the five individuals are in custody following an indictment handed down by a federal grand jury late last month.

“The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act allows us to investigate and prosecute gun trafficking and straw purchasing rings that drive the flow of guns from the United States to Mexico, often fueling cartel violence in that country while enabling the fentanyl crisis here at home,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Those who engage in international gunrunning conspiracies based in North Carolina will meet justice in our courts.”

“The impact of straw purchasing and firearms trafficking is rarely limited to a single community or city,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Mein. “Those that knowingly put firearms in the hands of violent and dangerous individuals are a threat to all of us.”

“We are committed to collaborating with our law enforcement partners to investigate, disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations that are responsible for the illicit export of firearms that fuel violence across our southern border,” said Ronnie Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) - Charlotte that covers North and South Carolina. “This indictment sends a strong message to weapon smugglers that law enforcement will work aggressively with the United States Attorney’s Office to combat this egregious and dangerous activity and bring those involved to justice.” 

According to the indictment:

• Cortney Highsmith, age 43 of Garland, has been charged with conspiracy to make a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer, five counts of making false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer, straw purchasing firearms, and trafficking firearms. Highsmith faces up to 15 years imprisonment if convicted.
• Luis Martinez, age 29 of Roseboro, has been charged with conspiracy to make a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer, trafficking firearms, smuggling goods from the United States, money laundering conspiracy, and alien in possession of a firearm. L. Martinez faces up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted. L. Martinez is the sole defendant yet to be arrested.
• Steven Martinez, age 26 of Tarheel, has been charged with conspiracy to make a false statement to a federally licensed firearms dealer, two counts of making false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer, and straw purchasing firearms. S. Martinez faces up to 15 years imprisonment if convicted.
• Roberto Martinez, age 23 of Roseboro, has been charged with trafficking firearms and money laundering conspiracy. R. Martinez faces up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted.
• Gilberto Hernandez, age 28 of Selma, has been charged with smuggling goods from the United States and money laundering conspiracy. G. Hernandez faces up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted.

The indictment alleges Highsmith and Steven Martinez purchased multiple firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers between January 27, 2023, and February 7, 2023, certifying that they were the “actual transferee/buyer” of the firearm, but later transferred the firearms to Luis Martinez, who is not a legal citizen of the country and is, therefore, prohibited from owning firearms. It is alleged Luis Martinez then conspired with Roberto Martinez, Highsmith and Hernandez to transport the guns to Mexico. The firearms purchased by Highsmith and Steven Martinez were intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers on February 19, 2023, at the Del Rio, Texas port of entry. The vehicle carrying the guns was traveling to Durango, Mexico.

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.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie A. Childress and Chad Rhoades are 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-00241-BO.

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

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal grand jury returned an Indictment on August 17, 2023, against one current and one former Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy.

According to the Indictment, Michael Kenneth Cox, age 48, and Christopher C. Worth, age 52, were each indicted on 12 separate fraud charges stemming from an alleged scheme undertaken by Worth and Cox to steer contracts for upfits of Wayne County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) vehicles to a business owned by Cox and employing Worth, regardless of whether Cox’s company provided such work at the lowest price as required by the Wayne County procurement requirements.  Cox was employed by the WCSO from 1996 until he retired as the head of the Drug Unit in 2018. Worth joined the WCSO in 1993 and currently serves as a Major overseeing all of WCSO criminal enforcement sections and WCSO’s Support Services.

In addition to the fraud charges, Cox was indicted for conspiring with multiple drug traffickers to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and oxycodone and two counts of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

“Law enforcement officers take an oath to protect and serve our communities by upholding the rule of law,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Our office will continue to hold accountable those who violate the public trust and abuse their position for personal gain.”

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis Duffy and Nick Hartigan are 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-260.

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

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Attachments: 

US vs Michael Kenneth Cox and Christopher C. Worth

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Today, U.S. Attorney Michael Easley announced charges relating to murder, drugs, firearms, and obstruction for Kenneth Maurice Quick, Jr. of Laurinburg, North Carolina.  A federal grand jury indicted Quick on August 1, 2023, and that indictment was unsealed at his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Swank in Greenville. 

According to court documents and other information presented in court, it is alleged Quick committed first-degree murder by shooting a victim on Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) on December 1, 2020.  In addition, it is alleged Quick used a firearm to murder a second victim that same day.  The murder of the second victim was in relation to a separate charge for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.  Quick is also alleged to have been a felon at the time of these offenses and knowingly possessed ammunition.  Finally, Quick is alleged to have obstructed justice by attempting to dispose of the body of one of the victims.  Quick is currently serving 57 months in federal prison for an unrelated conviction.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division). U.S. Attorney Michael Easley commends the focus and dedication of the investigating agencies that allowed these charges to be brought. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brad DeVoe and Caroline Webb are 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-246.  The indictment is located here: 

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

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – Lee Trevor Kirwan, 38, of Carteret County, was sentenced to 200 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.  On February 21, 2023, Kirwan pled guilty to the charges.

According to court documents and information presented in court, on January 30, 2022, investigators with the Craven County Sheriff’s Office and the New Bern Police Department encountered the defendant during a traffic stop in Craven County. After a narcotics dog alerted to Kirwan’s backpack, a search located approximately one pound of crystal methamphetamine, approximately 1.5 ounces of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue, and a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver. During questioning, Kirwan admitted to supplying at least 20 individuals in Carteret County with crystal methamphetamine for further distribution.

Kirwan previously sustained a felony conviction in Virginia for larceny and possession of burglary tools.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The Craven County Sheriff’s Office, the New Bern Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine S. Englander 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 number 4:22-CR-00063-M-BM.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Wilmington man was sentenced today to 70 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On March 7, 2023, Tyrek Desmond Anderson, pled guilty to the charge.

According to court documents and other information presented in court. After witnessing a vehicle commit a traffic violation on February 16, 2022, officers initiated their emergency equipment to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle, driven by Tyrek Anderson fled from law enforcement at a high rate of speed and almost caused multiple traffic collisions. Due to public safety concerns, the chase was terminated.

A short time later, officers located the vehicle, unoccupied, on the side of the road in the area of Metts Avenue and South 22nd Street. Officers then saw Anderson walking down Metts Avenue towards Forest Hills Drive. Upon seeing law enforcement, Anderson fled on foot and ran through multiple backyards on Forest Hills Drive before being apprehended. During the chase, officers saw Anderson holding what appeared to be a handgun, however, they did not locate a handgun on his person in a search incident to arrest. Officers retraced Anderson’s path of flight and located a stolen Glock 19 in the bushes of a residence on Forest Hills Drive. Subsequent testing revealed the presence of Anderson’s DNA on the firearm. In a subsequent search of the vehicle Anderson drove, officers located six softball size bags containing marijuana totaling approximately 237 grams.

Anderson was previously convicted of voluntary manslaughter in connection with a 2015 murder and was on post-release supervision for that conviction at the time of this offense. 

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 Wilmington Police Department, the Wilmington Police Department Gun Crimes Task Force, and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office 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 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-00102BO-001.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Henderson man was sentenced today to 180 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl and possession of firearms. On March 20, 2023, Neno King, 31, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin and fentanyl, possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

“The Henderson Police Department has made major investments in the federal partnership and the people of Henderson are safer for it,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This city is bringing every law enforcement tool to fight the opioid crisis, and we are proud to partner with state and local police and prosecutors to fight fentanyl trafficking and save lives.”  

Chief Marcus Barrow of Henderson PD stated: “This is just another example of our collective efforts to make our community safer. I’m hopeful the impact is felt across our community.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, law enforcement conducted multiple controlled purchases of heroin suspected of containing fentanyl from King in the Spring of 2022. In March 2022, agents executed a search warrant at King’s residence in Henderson where they recovered three firearms and a substance containing fentanyl.

King has prior felony convictions for possession with the intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver heroin (2013), possession of heroin (2015), possession with the intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver heroin (2016), and fleeing and eluding arrest in a motor vehicle (2016).

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 North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey L. Peaden 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. 5:22-CR-00335-BO.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Luis Oceguera, 21, of Sampson County, was sentenced to 140 months in prison. The sentence followed a multi-agency drug investigation that spanned multiple North Carolina counties.

According to information presented in court, Oceguera was an integral part of a drug trafficking organization that distributed kilograms of drugs in Eastern North Carolina. Oceguera regularly received, transported, and distributed fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana. During the investigation, Oceguera was stopped by law enforcement three separate times while armed with handguns and rifles. One of the handguns seized was an unregistered “ghost gun” that Oceguera admitted to building himself.

On another occasion, Oceguera fled from law enforcement in a vehicle, reaching speeds over 120 mile per hour. During the chase, Oceguera threw a package containing over two kilograms of pure methamphetamine out of the window on the side of the road. Law enforcement searched the flight path and were able to recover the methamphetamine package.

Ultimately, Oceguera was arrested and the house he was staying at was searched pursuant to a search warrant. During the search, law enforcement seized drug trafficking materials, ammunition, loaded magazines, and another firearm.

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 DEA, ATF, United States Postal Service, United States Marshals Service, NC National Guard, NC State Bureau of Investigation, Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, and Dunn Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons  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. 7:22-CR-86-M-5.

NEW BERN, N.C. – A Henderson man was sentenced Friday to 188 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl and heroin. On May 4, 2023, Tyren Omarious Hargrove, 23, pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin and fentanyl.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, after receiving information that Hargrove was involved in drug trafficking, law enforcement oversaw multiple controlled purchases of suspected heroin from Hargrove. In June 2022, agents also executed a search warrant at Hargrove’s residence in Henderson where they recovered more than 4,000 dosage units of heroin and fentanyl, oxycodone, and nearly $55,000.

“The outcome of today’s sentencing is the result of a collaborative effort of local, state, and federal resources,” said Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow. “Our partnerships are focused on the betterment of our community. I’m hopeful that our community feels the impact of today’s announcement and many others that will be forthcoming.”   

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Henderson Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration 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-00173-FL.

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RALEIGH, N.C. –Tyler Mack Kirby, 27, of Garner who shot a pregnant woman in the head on New Bern Avenue in August of last year was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of ammunition by a felon. Kirby pled guilty on May 11, 2023.

“This felon shot a pregnant woman in the back of the head in an act of senseless violence while she simply rode in a car,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Make no mistake, this U.S. Attorney’s Office will take action against any felon who engages in gun violence in Raleigh or beyond.  We are partnering with law enforcement to prioritize prosecutions against dangerous trigger-pullers who illegally use and carry guns.”

“I am proud that our ongoing partnership with the VCAP initiative continues to remove dangerous offenders from our community," said Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson. "This arrest should send a message to all violent offenders that the Raleigh Police Department is working closely with our federal partners to prosecute those who inflict harm on our community. As one of my priorities, making Raleigh the safest city in the country requires constant collaboration with the community and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. This arrest is yet another example of the impact of collaboration to end violence caused by firearms.” 

According to documents and other information presented in court, on August 25, 2022, Kirby was traveling in a vehicle on New Bern Avenue. Occupants of Kirby’s vehicle began arguing with occupants of a second vehicle over perceived driving errors. After the argument ensued, Kirby fired a single gunshot into the back of the second vehicle where a pregnant woman was a passenger.  The bullet traveled through the headrest and struck the passenger in the head. After firing the single shot, Kirby fled from law enforcement and destroyed evidence prior to being taken into custody by the Garner Police Department. The shooting victim survived the incident. State charges related to the shooting, including Discharging a Weapon Into Occupied Property, Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill Inflicting Serious Injury, Fleeing or Eluding Arrest with a Motor Vehicle, and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, are still pending.

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 James C. Dever III . The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the 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. 5:20-CR-00341-D.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Sean Tracy Dillard, 55, pled guilty today pursuant to a criminal information to theft of government funds for fraudulently submitting North Carolina Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions (NC HOPE) loan applications for emergency rental assistance.  As part of his fraud scheme, the defendant, a correctional officer with the North Carolina Department of Corrections (NCDOC), submitted fictitious tenant lease agreements for multiple properties in Hertford County as part of his NC HOPE loan applications.  He faces up to 10 years in prison. 

On March 27, 2020, Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of $5 billion in Community Development Block Grant (“CDBG”) programs as flexible federal funding to states and localities earmarked to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) administers the Community Development Block Grant (“CDBG”) program as a source of flexible federal funding for economic and community development, as well as to direct long-term recovery funding to states and localities in response to disasters and emergencies.

The State of North Carolina’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency (“NCORR”), a division of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, utilized federal funds made available in the CARES Act to assist North Carolina renters stay in their homes during COVID-19 by preventing evictions and the loss of utility services.  The NC HOPE program, utilized an initial $51.5 million allocation of CDBG funds from the CARES Act to provide housing and utility assistance.  The State of North Carolina also received CRF funds from the CARES Act, of which $66 million was allocated to pay administrative costs associated with the NC HOPE program. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after United States Magistrate Judge Robert B. Jones, Jr.  accepted the plea.  Sentencing will occur before United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan later this year.  The FBI is leading the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Ontjes 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.

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NEW BERN, N.C. – Shyheim Williams of Williamston, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.  Williams, 27, pled guilty to the charges on April 11, 2023.  Williams is the last of four codefendants to be sentenced in a gun trafficking scheme in which the organizer, Jacintre Holley, bought over 100 firearms from straw purchasers in North Carolina. 

“Gun laws restricting the purchase of firearms by felons are put in place to protect the public,” said U.S. Attorney Easley. “If you illegally purchase a gun for a felon, you will be held accountable. The criminal conduct in this case put guns bought in Eastern North Carolina in the hands of a killer in Connecticut – within 6 days. We and the ATF are relentlessly pursuing violent felons and the gunrunners and straw purchasers who arm them.”

According to documents and other information presented in court, the gun trafficking investigation began when the Middletown, Connecticut, Police Department recovered a Taurus 9mm pistol used in a murder.  A trace of the gun’s serial number showed that the firearm had been purchased by codefendant Keshwan Squire at the Smokin' Barrel Gun and Ammo in Raleigh, North Carolina. Surveillance records from the store showed Squire made a phone call from the parking lot after purchasing the firearm. Call records revealed that he called a Connecticut phone number later linked to Jacintre Holley.  Records also revealed that Squire and Holley had as a mutual contact a phone number associated with defendant Shyheim Williams and his girlfriend and codefendant Jasnika Craig. 

Trace records for Craig showed that she made over 20 firearm purchases in North Carolina since 2020. Craig agreed to a recorded interview and admitted to selling firearms for a premium over market price. She admitted that almost all firearms went to Holley, who she estimated had come from Connecticut every two weeks since December 2020 to buy around seven firearms each time.  Williams identified the guns she should purchase and set up the deals with Holley, which took place in Craig’s car in their driveway.  In total, Craig estimated that she had sold around 100 firearms to Holley.  Holley was arrested on July 31, 2021 and in an interview following his arrest, he confirmed that he bought firearms from Williams and Squire multiple times over the previous several months and sold those firearms in Connecticut.

On February 14, 2023, Craig received a 24-month sentence, and Squire received an 18-month sentence.  Each had pled guilty to one count of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.  On February 24, 2023, the court sentenced Jacintre Holley to a 127-month term of imprisonment after he pled guilty to engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime.

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case, with assistance from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and the Williamston and Greenville Police Departments.  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. 4:22-cr-0019-FL.

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NEW BERN, N.C. – A former army Master Sergeant was sentenced today to 76 years’ imprisonment followed by lifetime supervised release for Distribution and Receipt of Child Pornography.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Joshua Robert George Glardon, 41, was investigated by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation in July 2021 for child exploitation offenses.      

The investigation began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received three CyberTips from Kik social media that one of its users had uploaded child sexual abuse material on multiple days.  The IP address used to upload the images belonged to Joshua Glardon who lived in Fayetteville.  Two of the images in the CyberTip appeared to be homemade images.  Pursuant to a search warrant, Glardon’s digital devices were seized. After a forensic analysis was complete, law enforcement found thousands of images of child sexual abuse material on his phone. Included in those files were images of the child that appeared to be homemade images that were a part of the CyberTips. 

Law enforcement officers were able to identify the child through chat messages Glardon had with Amy Huddleston.  When law enforcement learned Huddleston had access to this child, a search warrant was executed on Huddleston’s residence.  In an interview, Huddleston confessed to allowing Glardon to rape this child.  She admitted she would take images and videos of the child, including videos of her performing sexual acts on the child, and send them to Glardon.  A forensic analysis of Huddleston’s digital devices revealed chat conversations wherein Glardon and Huddleston discussed the sexual abuse of the child.

Glardon would then distribute the child’s images over the internet where he encouraged others to further share the images.  Law enforcement located nearly 50 conversations wherein Glardon had shared the child’s image and encouraged others to fantasize about brutally raping the child.

His co-defendant, Amy Huddleston, was sentenced in June to 30 years’ imprisonment.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing was concluded.  U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan presided over the sentencing.  The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson 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. 7:22-CR98-1FL.

RALEIGH, N.C. – James Craig Bell, 63, was sentenced today to 24 months for conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a scheme through his pharmacy in Robeson County that had operated under the name Townsend’s Pharmacy.  Mr. Bell previously pled guilty to the charge in October 2022.  Mr. Bell’s codefendant and former employee, Melisha Oxendine West, 51, was sentenced last month following her guilty plea to 24 months imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release in connection with the same scheme.

“People who steal taxpayer-funded programs intended to provide healthcare to the needy will be investigated and prosecuted,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “For over a decade, Bell and his pharmacy fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid over $4 million for medicine he never actually gave to patients. That money should have gone to getting vital medications to those in need.”

Beginning as early as 2006 through July 2017, Bell, acting through Townsend’s Pharmacy, billed Medicare, Medicaid, and various private health plans for prescription drugs that were never actually dispensed by the pharmacy.  Bell had trained West and other employees on how to bill health care benefit plans for drugs that were not authorized or dispensed.  Bell also trained employees to falsely reauthorize a previously existing prescription from a licensed medical professional, and, how to falsely bill health care benefit programs as though a drug had been dispensed. West began independently running the pharmacy’s operations while Bell continued to knowingly profit from the fraudulent billing practices.  This fraud scheme in total cost Medicare and North Carolina Medicaid over $4M in fraudulent billings by conservative estimates.

"When providers submit false claims to Medicare and Medicaid, they take valuable, taxpayer-funded resources away from patients," said Tamala E. Miles, Special Agent in Charge at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "HHS-OIG is proud to work with our partners to hold accountable those who attempt to illegitimately profit off of federal health care programs."

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan announced the sentence.  The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Beraka is prosecuting 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 Cases No. 7:22-cr-00107-FL and 7:21-cr-00129-FL. 

RALEIGH, N.C. –A Wilson-based United Blood Nation gang member was sentenced to 420 months in prison followed by six years of supervised release. Nazeer Vick, 32, was convicted by a Federal jury in April on gun and drug trafficking charges.

“Vick is a career criminal who led police on a high-speed chase exceeding 130 miles per hour on a busy interstate for nearly 26 miles,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “He endangered the lives of law enforcement and other drivers in his efforts to elude capture and continue his criminal activity. Now, he will spend the next 35 years in a federal prison.”

“I would first like to thank all of the deputies and other law enforcement that were involved in removing this career criminal from our streets,” said Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone. “Not only did he put lives in danger, he showed no regard for his actions. I would also like to thank the hard work and success of the United States Attorney’s Office in prosecuting this case. It takes teamwork like this to remove gangs, guns, and drugs from our community.”

“The State of North Carolina and the City of Wilson are safer places to live today because of this arrest and conviction,” said Wilson Police Chief Scott Biddle.  “This case highlights the importance of our partnership with and the commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to making our city and streets safer by eliminating threats to public safety like Mr. Vick and other known gang members.”

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Nazeer Vick, 32, was found in possession of a firearm and marijuana during a traffic stop in Wilson after a K9 unit detected the odor of marijuana.  Vick was arrested but quickly bonded out of custody.  Nearly six months later, on October 7, 2020, Nash County deputies encountered a car being driven by Vick that was driving erratically on Interstate 95, weaving in and out of traffic and reaching speeds in excess of 130 miles per hour.  Vick fled from Nash County, into Wilson County and then into Johnston County where he crashed on I-95 after colliding with a transfer truck.  Vick then crawled out of a window of the mangled car with a black bookbag and fled on foot to a nearby motel. Vick was captured by hotel security cameras running around the hotel attempting to open hotel room doors.  He threw the bookbag into a trashcan and then hid in an electrical closet where he was later found by law enforcement.  Officers recovered the discarded bookbag which contained cocaine, cocaine base, marijuana, various pills, a digital scale, a loaded firearm, and documents associated with Vick.  Vick is a validated member of the United Blood Nation street gang and has a lengthy criminal history including voluntary manslaughter, selling heroin, possession with intent to sell or deliver heroin, and possession of a firearm by a felon. 

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 (ATF), Wilson Police Department, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, Rocky Mount Police Department, and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Foxx and Robert Dodson 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. 5:20-cr-00485-D.

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