Eastern District of North Carolina

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Norlina man was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack) and a quantity of cocaine and marijuana, maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of manufacturing, distributing, and using any controlled substance, and felon in possession of a firearm. 

According to court documents, William Leon Mayfield, 60, also known as “Moon,” sold crack cocaine to a confidential information out of a residence in Norlina on multiple occasions.  Following those controlled purchases, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant for the residence and executed it on June 13, 2019.  During that search, deputies found a loaded firearm, quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and U.S. currency.  Mayfield is a convicted felon, having been convicted of numerous drug and gun charges in and around Warren and Vance Counties. 

Mayfield pled guilty to the charges on November 5, 2020.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers, II. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. 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-230-M.

NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Norfolk, Virginia man Friday on charges of visa fraud related to a sham marriage and other immigration crimes along with trying to obstruct the testimony of a witness in an official proceeding.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Joshua Kwame Asane, 46, a citizen of Ghana, was indicted on July 22, 2020, for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud, visa fraud, false statements in immigration proceedings, and tampering with a witness.

Evidence presented at the trial revealed that the marriage between Asane and a U.S. soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was arranged by Asane’s brother (Ebenezer Asane, who was previously indicted for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, has plead guilty and is awaiting sentencing).   Asane and the soldier were married in Cumberland County, North Carolina.

Thereafter, Asane and the soldier submitted fraudulent applications to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requesting Asane’s adjustment of status as a lawful permanent resident in the United States.  Asane and the soldier were interviewed at the USCIS office in Norfolk, Virginia. Both attested under oath they were married in good faith. As a result of the interview, USCIS found indicators of fraud, and referred the case to USCIS, Fraud Detection and National Security, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for investigation.

In a split decision the jury found Asane guilty of visa fraud, false statements in immigration proceedings, and tampering with a witness, and not guilty of conspiracy and marriage fraud.

Asane faces maximum penalties of twenty-five years of imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for his convictions of visa fraud, false statements in immigration proceedings, and witness tampering when scheduled for sentencing for the term of court commencing on September 7, 2021.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 case was investigated by the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF) in the Eastern District of North Carolina led by Homeland Security Investigations and assisted by US Army Criminal Investigation Division, and USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz 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.5:20-CR-00349-FL-1 & 5:19-CR-423-1FL.

RALEIGH, N.C. – An Elizabeth City man was sentenced today to 162 months in prison for three counts of Interference with Commerce by Robbery and Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence.

According to court documents, on October 22, 2019, Marcus Alexander Waldo, Jr., 20, robbed the Family Fare on U.S. Highway 17 South in Elizabeth City at gunpoint.  He pointed a firearm at the clerk’s head and demanded money.  The clerk complied and Waldo fled the store.  A week later, on October 29, 2019, Waldo robbed the Dollar General on Oak Stump Road in Elizabeth City in a similar fashion.  Waldo pointed a firearm at the store clerk, demanded money, and fled.  On January 21, 2020, Waldo robbed the same Dollar General, again at gun point.  Following the third robbery, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Waldo’s residence where they found clothing, gloves, and a mask which matched the description of the items Waldo wore during the robbery.  Officers also found a firearm, ammunition, and several stacks of U.S. currency. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 (FBI) and the Elizabeth City Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. 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. 2:20-CR-29-D.

NEW BERN, N.C. – Jerome Davis, 39, of Brunswick County, was sentenced on Friday to 240 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine, heroin, and crack cocaine, distribution of a quantity heroin, possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine, cocaine base (crack) and marijuana, possession of firearm by convicted felon, and possession a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, on May 25, 2016, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office made a controlled purchase using a confidential informant of heroin from Davis in the area of Princess Place Drive in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Between March and September 2019, the Wilmington Police Department made several controlled purchases from Davis of either cocaine or a mixture of cocaine and fentanyl.

On September 27, 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wilmington Police Department conducted a search of Davis’ residence in Leland, North Carolina.  During the search, deputies found a loaded 9mm handgun, crack cocaine, cocaine, marijuana, and $27,000 in cash.  Davis was present during the search.  A storage unit used by Davis was also searched and a shotgun with a ten drum magazine and a stolen .357 handgun were recovered.  Davis is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Davis had prior convictions for felony burglary, assault inflicting serious injury, possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine and marijuana, conspiracy to sell or deliver heroin, sale of schedule I and II controlled substances, and felony resisting an officer with violence.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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, Wilmington Police Department and the Brunswick and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Offices investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo  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. 7:19-cr-00183-FL.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office, in commemoration of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), April 18–24, 2021, is hosting a Virtual Ceremony to raise awareness about crime victims’ issues and rights and introduce the community to the important resources and services available.

The faces of crime victims are those of our family, friends, neighbors, and community members.  According to the most recent National Crime Victimization Survey from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1.2 million people were victims of violent crime in 2019, a significant decrease from the year before. Now is the time to redouble our efforts so that victimization continues to decline, and fewer and fewer North Carolinians become victims of crime.

The United States Attorney’s Office will commemorate the advancement of victims’ rights and highlight issues surrounding victimization by holding a Virtual Ceremony on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 11:00 am.  This program is co-hosted by the other two United States Attorney’s Offices in North Carolina, the Victim Services Interagency Council of North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Justice, Durham, and Raleigh Police Departments.  Our keynote speaker is Ms. Deanna Walters, a survivor of intimate partner violence whose story was featured on the 2014 award winning documentary titled “Private Violence.”  If you would like to register for this training use this link:  https://usao.webex.com/usao/onstage/g.php?MTID=e0bb75a52a534a276abd6c3647b5a5d67.

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) leads communities throughout the country in their annual observances of NCVRW by promoting victims’ rights and honoring crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. This year’s theme— Support Victims. Build Trust. Engage Communities. —celebrates the contributions that we all can make toward building trust in our community’s capacity to support the healing journeys of crime victims. Trust is collective as well as individual, so we are honoring both the individual victims in our community and the groups engaged in building networks of understanding and support.

Acting United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III stated: “Together we can build a society of healing and hope if we come together to support, protect, and restore victims and survivors who suffer harm at the hands of others.”

For additional information about this year’s NCVRW and how to assist victims in your own community, please visit the United States Attorney’s Office website.  For more ideas on how to support victims of crime, visit OVC’s website at www.ovc.ojp.gov.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Roanoke Rapids man was sentenced today to 366 months in prison for interference with commerce by robbery, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to court documents, Joshua Jermaine Durante, 23, robbed the Family Dollar Store in Weldon on September 17, 2018.  During the robbery, Durante and a juvenile brandished firearms and pistol-whipped the clerk while demanding money.  After the clerk complied, the two fled the store.  On September 26, 2018, Durante and the juvenile robbed a second store - New Dixie Mart #213 in Roanoke Rapids.  After the clerk had trouble opening the safe at Durante’s command, he shot the clerk in the stomach.  The clerk sustained life-threatening injuries but survived.  A few days later, law enforcement in Gaston located Durante and the juvenile who ran from police leading them on a high-speed chase.  During the chase, Durante drove his car down railroad tracks which ultimately disabled his car.  He and the juvenile then fled from the car on foot but were captured by law enforcement after a short foot chase. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 Weldon Police Department, the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, and the Gaston Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. 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. 4:20-CR-00034-D.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Jacksonville man previously convicted of distribution of heroin resulting in death, two counts of possessing a firearm while a felon, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, three counts of distribution of heroin and/or crack, and three counts of possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and crack was sentenced to life plus five years in prison today.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Randon Austin Jenkins, a/k/a Jerz, 36, provided heroin to a victim who died shortly thereafter of a heroin overdose.  After the victim was discovered, detectives located bags of heroin marked with a unique stamp in the victim’s bedroom.  Detectives utilized informants, cell phone evidence, and other evidence to connect Jenkins to those stamped heroin bags.  They were able to search Jenkins house just two weeks later and located those same stamped heroin bags in his house.  Detectives also located guns and other drugs in the house as well as conducted multiple controlled purchases of drugs from the defendant over the course of the ensuing months. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge James C. Dever III. Jacksonville Police Department, Onslow County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted in this investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Howard 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 7:18-CR-0006-D.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Fayetteville man was sentenced to a total of 144 months in prison for discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

According to court documents, Zhivargo Kinta Jenkins, also known as Fefe, 43, discharged a firearm inside an apartment where he ran a drug distribution enterprise involving marijuana, cocaine, and cocaine base (crack).  On the night of December 15, 2018, Fayetteville Police Officers responded to a report of shooting inside an apartment.  Upon arrival, officers found several large quantities of drugs, distribution material, and spent rounds of ammunition.  Officers noted holes in the walls from the bullets, but no one was injured.  At the time of the incident, Jenkins was serving a term of post-release supervision for federal convictions involving firearms and the distribution of narcotics.

For his actions in December 2018 and its corresponding federal charges, Jenkins was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan.  In addition to this sentence, Jenkins was sentenced to an additional 24 months’ imprisonment for the revocation of his post-release supervision by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever, III.  The twenty-four-month sentence will run consecutive to his 120-month sentence.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Fayetteville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney J.D. Koesters  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. 5:19-CR-528 and 5:05-CR-204.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Red Springs man yesterday on charges of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Jonathan Revels, 57, was convicted for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The evidence presented at trial showed that on September 4, 2016, members of the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office and the Red Springs Police Department responded to shots fired on Kate Denny Road. Through the investigation, officers learned that Revels was involved in the shooting. Video evidence showed that Revels brought a firearm to the altercation, which was later recovered by law enforcement. Prior to this date, Revels had been previously convicted in federal court and sentenced to over a decade in federal prison.

Revels is set to be sentenced during the July 2021 term of court.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the verdict. The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, Red Springs Police Department, State Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad Rhoades and Brandon Boykin 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-CR-20-BO-2.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Mebane man yesterday on charges of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Antonio Kortez Turner, 32, was indicted on November 20, 2019.  On March 27, 2019, at approximately 1:45pm, Raleigh Police Department (RPD) Officers were conducting a security check of the parking lot at 500 W. Morgan Street, one block from the Ugly Monkey Bar. Officers located a black Honda Accord underneath a parking lot light and saw a firearm tucked between the passenger seat and the passenger door. After searching the vehicle registration, it was determined that the registered owner had the same address as Antonio Turner, a federally convicted felon who had previously been convicted in federal court for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and distribution of cocaine base (crack). Officers also learned that Turner was on federal supervised release out of the Middle District of North Carolina for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and distribution of cocaine. 

Officers began surveillance on the parking lot and observed Turner enter the driver's seat and another man enter the passenger seat of the Honda Accord. RPD Officers approached the vehicle and observed Turner waving a firearm with an extended magazine outside the driver's side window. Officers gave verbal commands for Turner to drop the firearm and put his hands in the air. Turner instead attempted to conceal the firearm beneath the passenger's leg inside the Honda Accord. The passenger attempted to conceal the firearm under the passenger seat.

Turner faces up to 120 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release when he is sentenced at a later date.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the verdict. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives (ATF) and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Smith and David Fitzgerald 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.5:19-cr-00464-BO-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that today, in federal court, Silvano Dominguez-Torres, age 32, a citizen of Mexico residing in Wake County, North Carolina, illegally present in the United States, was sentenced by United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle to 44 months imprisonment following a guilty plea to unlawful and illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, Dominguez-Torres, illegally entered the United States without inspection at an unknown place and date. Thereafter, according to the affidavit, Dominguez-Torres was deported from the United States and reentered without permission as follows:

• On March 13, 2014, he was deported to Mexico at Laredo, Texas and reentered the United States thereafter without permission.
   
• On March 26, 2014, he was deported to Mexico at Brownsville, Texas and reentered the United States thereafter without permission.
   
• On September 18, 2014, he was deported to Mexico at Laredo, Texas and reentered the United States thereafter without permission.
   
• On May 3, 2016, he was deported to Mexico at El Paso, Texas and reentered the United States thereafter without permission.
   
• On October 12, 2017, he was deported to Mexico at El Paso, Texas and reentered the United States thereafter without permission.

Additionally, according to the affidavit, on March 5, 2019, Dominguez-Torres was arrested in Wake County, North Carolina by local law enforcement.

According to court records and information provided in court, on July 26, 2020, a traffic stop was conducted by North Carolina State Highway Patrol in Wake County, North Carolina, on a vehicle driven by Dominguez-Torres. Dominguez-Torres was suspected of driving while impaired. Dominguez-Torres attempted to flee the trooper on foot and resisted arrest for over 10 minutes. In addition, Dominguez-Torres bit the trooper on his hand to avoid being handcuffed. Dominguez-Torres was subsequently taken into custody. The trooper had to seek a medical evaluation. A search of Dominguez-Torres’s vehicle revealed a .380 caliber handgun located on the passenger side floor. The firearm was reported stolen. Fingerprints submitted to DHS and FBI databases confirmed Dominguez-Torres’s identity as a previously deported alien. Dominguez-Torres was charged with illegal reentry of a deported alien via criminal complaint on July 30, 2020, and on September 2, 2020, he was indicted for illegal reentry and unlawful and illegal alien in possession of a firearm.  He pled guilty on November 16, 2020.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, in conjunction with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, investigated 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 Nos. 5:20-cr-00376-BO and 5:20-mj-1789-JG.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Fayetteville woman was arrested and was detained pending her trial in federal court today on charges of wire fraud and laundering the proceeds of government contract fraud scams that targeted the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and businesses in the Eastern District of North Carolina. 

According to court documents, from 2011 to 2020,  Stephanie Dianna Elliott, aka “Stephanie Wilson,” aka “Stephanie Moore,” aka “Stephanie Russell,” aka “Stephanie Hanchett,” aka “Vicki Marsh,” aka “Monica Allen,” aka “Melissa Standford,” aka “Jennifer Taylor,” aka “Heidi Litchford,” aka “Sandy Morehead,” aka “Randy Morehead” aka “Katie Jones,” aka “Sharon Mitchell,” aka “Sharon Miller,” aka “Sarah James,”  and aka “Janet Harrington,”  45, used aliases and more than a dozen business entities to obtain more than 1,000 federal defense contracts valued at more than $2.2 million.  According to the allegations in the indictment, Elliott defrauded the Department of Defense by obtaining contract payments after falsely certifying that she had shipped supplies to the U.S. military, when, in fact, the goods were not shipped.  It is alleged that Elliott and/or businesses under her control were debarred from federal contracting on four occasions.  Elliott allegedly circumvented the terms of her debarments by using aliases and various business names to continue bidding on federal contracts. 

The indictment also alleges that Elliott executed fraud schemes in connection with contracts with the State of North Carolina and other state governments. It is alleged that Elliott bid on contracts to supply food products and other goods.  The indictment alleges that, after winning the contracts, Elliott defrauded third party vendors by inducing them to deliver the goods to the state in satisfaction of Elliott’s contractual obligations.  It is alleged that, in so doing, Elliott obtained payment for these contracts but failed to pay the victim vendors.

Elliott is charged with twenty-six counts of Wire Fraud and five counts of Money Laundering and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count if convicted.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Toby Lathan is prosecuting the case.

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

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Whitakers man was sentenced yesterday to 78 months in prison for bank robbery and robbery of a Family Dollar store.   

According to court documents, Christopher Bryan Shingleton, 43, pled guilty to robbing the First Bank located in Morehead City on June 6, 2019 and robbing the Family Dollar located in Havelock on June 15, 2019.  During both robberies, Shingleton threatened employees by saying he had a gun and demanded money.  Shingleton also agreed to pay restitution for two other robberies that he had committed in Jacksonville and Greenville.  In total, Shingleton was ordered to pay $4,910 in restitution.       

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 Wilmington Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Jacksonville Police Department, the Morehead City Police Department, the Havelock Police Department, and the Greenville Police Department  investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parris prosecuted the case with the assistance of the Onslow County District Attorney’s Office, the Craven and Carteret Counties District Attorney’s Office, and the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office.

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-cr-00165-M.

WILMINGTON, NC - Jason Hyland, 39, of Duplin County, was sentenced yesterday to 134 months in prison for Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, on June 30, 2020, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents working with Duplin County Narcotics Detectives received information that Hyland and Ashely Shakelford were traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to pick up two pounds of methamphetamine and then would be returning to Eastern North Carolina.   On July 1, 2020, DEA agents assisted by Sampson County Sheriff’s Office Detectives stopped a car driven by Shakelford with Hyland as the sole passenger.  The car was stopped in the Newton Grove area returning from Georgia.  Detectives had a K-9 conduct a sniff of the car and the K-9 detected the odor of narcotics.  Detectives searched the car and found more than a kilogram and half of methamphetamine.  During the investigation, law enforcement discovered that between May and June 2020, Hyland made approximately 8 trips to Georgia to pick up methamphetamine.  Hyland had distributed methamphetamine to Virginia and the Eastern District of North Carolina.  Hyland was responsible for distributing approximately 6 kilograms of methamphetamine.

Shakelford was previously sentenced in federal court for her role and received 90 months imprisonment.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Craven, Duplin, New Hanover and Sampson County Sheriffs’ Offices and the Mount Olive Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo  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-cr-00130-M-1.

WILMINGTON, N.C. –A Wilmington man was sentenced today to 100 months in prison for robbery affecting interstate commerce and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

According to court documents and other evidence, Shaun Cedric Robinson, 22, and a co-defendant went to the Scotchman gas station and convenience store in Burgaw on June 4, 2019 and robbed the store.  Robinson entered the store and held the clerk at gunpoint while he demanded money.  The clerk opened the cash register and the co-defendant took the money out of the register.  Robinson’s co-defendant had driven Robinson to the store to effectuate the robbery and was going to be the get-away driver.  However, Robinson ran the opposite direction from where the car was parked, and his co-defendant drove away from the scene without him.  The clerks were able to describe the car that fled the area and officers with the Burgaw Police Department were able to locate the car very shortly after the robbery.  Robinson’s co-defendant was with the car and was detained for questioning.  Robinson was found a short time after the robbery walking within 3 blocks of the Scotchman.  Robinson was wearing clothing consistent with the robber and attempted to flee from law enforcement when they approached him.  In addition, Robinson had money from the store on his person as well as the firearm used during the robbery.  The firearm belonged to his co-defendant’s sister.  Both men were transported to the Burgaw Police Department.  Robinson once again fled from law enforcement but was found a short time later.   Robinson gave a statement to law enforcement wherein he denied participating in the robbery.  He claimed another person had done the robbery.   When law enforcement confronted him about his clothing being consistent with the clothing worn by the robber, Robinson claimed he let the robber wear his pants and after the robbery Robinson took the pants back from the real robber and took the firearm from him.  Despite his initial claims of innocence, Robinson ultimately pled guilty on November 4, 2020 and was sentenced today.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 and the Burgaw Police Department 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-cr-00080-M.

NEW BERN, N.C. – A South Carolina man was sentenced today to 151 months in prison for transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

According to court documents and statements made during hearings, on the morning of October 21, 2018, a New Bern woman found that her 12-year-old granddaughter was missing from the child’s bedroom.  The window was open, and a hand-written ransom note demanded $20,000 for her return.  Investigators found mulch from a flower bed on the granddaughter’s bed and smudges on the window but no sign of forced entry.  They reviewed the granddaughter’s Facebook account and found a page that identified the defendant James Murdoch Peele as a boyfriend. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) determined that Peele was enlisted in the US Army and stationed at Ft. Bragg.  They traced him to a barracks room, where the same afternoon they found Peele together with the minor victim.  A forensic examination confirmed that Peele had recently had sexual intercourse with the minor. 

Law enforcement interviewed a friend of Peele’s, also a soldier stationed at Ft. Bragg.  The friend described how a week before the apparent kidnapping, Peele had asked for a ride to his “girlfriend’s” house in New Bern.  Peele had shown a photo of the victim and claimed that she was 18 years old.  When they arrived, however, Peele instructed the friend to park at a vacant neighboring house, and Peele entered the home through a window.   The friend also entered the room and became concerned about the girl’s age after noticing childlike décor, including middle school photographs and a hamster.  The friend explained to investigators that he had become disgusted and left the room when Peele and the minor began kissing.    

Investigators determined that on the morning of October 21, after leaving New Bern, Peele drove the minor victim to his parents’ home in South Carolina.  During a brief stay, he introduced the 12-year-old to his parents as his girlfriend and claimed that she worked in a sewing shop.  They stayed for less than a half-hour before Peele’s sergeant called and Peele had to return to base. 

Back at Fort Bragg, Peele’s barracks roommate was present when Peele arrived with the minor shortly before noon.  As the roommate later recounted to investigators, the minor stayed in the room as Peele left to meet his sergeant.  Later, Peele returned and asked his roommate to turn up his music, which the roommate understood to mean that Peele planned to have sex with the girl behind a sheet that had been hung across the room for privacy.  The roommate left, and the FBI arrived soon after.  

During a forensic interview, the minor victim stated that she and Peele had been involved in a sexual relationship.  She had told Peele her true age, and he responded that age is just a number.  She admitted that she had not been kidnapped but denied coming up with the idea to stage a kidnapping. 

After his arrest, Peele made a videotaped confession.  He admitted to having sexual intercourse with the minor victim.  He also admitted to writing the ransom note, although he stated that the victim had asked to leave with him and had come up with the idea of staging a kidnapping.  Peele claimed that he believed the victim was 18 years old, but he admitted that he saw her at a sleepover with friends who looked very young, including one girl whose age he had seen to be 12 years old. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Craven County Sheriff’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jake D. Pugh and Erin Blondel prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-cr-0096-FL.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Wake Forest, NC man was sentenced today to 135 months imprisonment for wire fraud and ordered to pay $6,040,965.00 in restitution.

According to court documents, Anthony Wayne March, 49 years old, operated the non-profit 501(c)(3) entity Asset Trader, located in Rolesville, NC, between 2012 to 2015.  March represented that Asset Trader offered educational services to professionals and taxpayers in the area of exit planning.  Asset Trader’s stated educational mission allowed it to obtain classification as a 28 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization.  Asset Trader used its §501(c)(3) tax-exempt status to solicit tax-deductible donations in exchange for charitable gift annuities (“CGAs”) and to recruit referral sources to obtain assets from potential donors.  Through Asset Trader, March and his co-conspirators engaged in and executed what is commonly known as a “Ponzi” scheme to defraud investors by inducing them to invest with Asset Trader.

During the course of the scheme, March solicited at least 22 victims to invest over $8,100,000 in charitable gift annuities and other products offered by Asset Trader.  March and Asset Trader sold these securities to victims as retirement or exit planning vehicles classified as donations to March’s § 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization.  March did not utilize any of the victim’s money for charitable purposes; rather, he spent the money on "Ponzi" payments, his own lavish lifestyle, and expenses of the scheme.

March pled guilty today to conspiracy to wire fraud on August 3, 2020.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), and the North Carolina Secretary of State, Securities Division conducted the investigation in this matter.  The Office of the U.S. Bankruptcy Administrator for the Eastern District of North Carolina provided substantial assistance.  Assistant United States Attorney Ethan Ontjes, Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Behr, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Harrington represent the United States.  

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. 5:19-CR-383-H.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Maxton man was sentenced today to 144 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

On August 3, 2019, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a community complaint regarding drug sales at a residence in Rowland, North Carolina.  During the investigation, deputies observed Cody Zachary Locklear, 29, run out of the residence and attempt to discard a firearm and a bag containing distributable amounts of cocaine, crack, marijuana, and various narcotic pills.  Deputies recovered the firearm and the controlled substances and took Locklear into custody. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 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. 7:20-CR-89-D.

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RALEIGH, NC- Jorge Zapata Castro, 52, of Duplin County, was sentenced today to 216 months in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Five Grams or More of Methamphetamine, Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime and Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Alien.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, on July 22, 2019 a Duplin County Sheriff’s Deputy observed Zapata Castro leaving a known drug house. The deputy conducted a traffic stop after Zapata Castro crossed the center line multiple times in the area of North Carolina Highway 241 in Duplin County. Zapata Castro informed the deputy that he did not have a driver’s license. While the deputy was conducting his investigation, Zapata Castro fled at high rate of speed. During the chase that ensued, Zapata Castro leaned out of the window of his vehicle and pointed a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun at the deputy. Then, Zapata Castro lost control and crashed his vehicle into a person’s yard at the intersection of Old NC 24 and Wagon Ford Road. Zapata Castro exited the vehicle and then pointed the Smith and Wesson at the deputy again before fleeing on foot. Additionally, Zapata Castro then stole a vehicle from a nearby residence from someone who was washing the car. Zapata Castro was ultimately apprehended in a bean field a short time later.

During a search of Zapata Castro deputies found a loaded handgun and methamphetamine.  Detectives also searched the truck that Zapata Castro had wrecked and found 34 grams of methamphetamine and $1,550 in U.S. currency.  Zapata Castro was illegally in the country at the time of his arrest and had been previously deported therefore he was prohibited from possessing the handgun.

The investigation was part of OCDETF Operation “Fighting Jellyfish”.  An Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, 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.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Department of Homeland Security, and the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo  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. 7:19-cr-00130-D-1.

NEW BERN, N.C. – A Greensboro woman was sentenced today to 37 months in prison and also ordered to make restitution in the amount of $ 213,927.55 to the North Carolina Medicaid program for Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud.

According to court documents, Pamela Grace Faulkner, 60, was the sole officer of Skeen Services, Inc., which was a company with offices in Greensboro, Greenville, Lumberton, and Wilson, North Carolina. In 2013 and 2014, Faulkner’s co-conspirator, Renee Christine Borunda, submitted over 4,500 fraudulent claims to Medicaid which falsely represented that behavioral health services had been provided to over 190 North Carolinians when in fact the services had not been provided. Faulkner was aware that Borunda was submitting the false claims.  They had agreed to split the monies from the fraudulent claims.  Medicaid paid Skeen Services, Inc. approximately $213,927.55 for these false claims by electronically depositing the funds into an account over which Faulkner had control.  Faulkner then paid Borunda approximately $144,000. 

Borunda was previously sentenced on November 7, 2018, to 37 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349 and Aggravated Identity Theft in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan.

The North Carolina Department of Justice’s Medicaid Investigations Division (“MID”) and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation investigated this case.  Assistance was provided by the Office of Compliance and Program Integrity of the North Carolina Division of Health Benefits, EastPointe, Sandhills Center, and Trillium Health Resources.  Assistant United States Attorney John Parris and Special Assistant United States Attorney Mike Heavner prosecuted the case.

The MID investigates and prosecutes health care providers that defraud the Medicaid program, patient abuse of Medicaid recipients, patient abuse of any patient in facilities that receive Medicaid funding, and misappropriation of any patients’ private funds in nursing homes that receive Medicaid funding.  To report Medicaid fraud or patient abuse in North Carolina, call the MID at 919-881-2320.

The MID receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $6,160,252 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2020. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $2,053,414 for FY 2020, is funded by the State of North Carolina.

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. 4:19-cr-00059-FL

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Wilson man on Tuesday on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Terrance Anthony Moore, 35, possessed a firearm on July 8, 2018. Moore was seen by law enforcement standing on the side of the road in Wilson, raising and lowering the firearm in the direction of nearby businesses. Moore took the stand and testified, among other things, that he had a number of previous felony convictions, including two common law robberies and a drug distribution offense, within the previous ten years. He also testified that his nickname was “Trigger” due to his violent temper.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the verdict. The Wilson Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucy Brown 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.5:19-cr-00164-BO.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that today, in federal court, J. Refugio Gomez-Juarez, age 51, a naturalized citizen of the United States, born in Mexico, residing in Franklin County, was sentenced by United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle to 6 months imprisonment following a guilty plea to naturalization fraud. Moreover, Gomez-Juarez was criminally denaturalized as a United States citizen and ordered removed from the United States by the court.

According to the indictment, on September 1, 2010, after submitting an Application for Naturalization to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Gomez-Juarez made a false statement under oath during his naturalization interview. In response to the question “Have you ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” he answered “No.”

On September 17, 2010, Gomez-Juarez was granted United States citizenship and issued a naturalization certificate which he subsequently used to fraudulently apply for and receive multiple U.S. passports. 

On March 1, 2016, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Franklin County, Gomez-Juarez was convicted of second-degree forcible rape for knowingly having vaginal intercourse with a mentally disabled child against her will.  According to the judgment, the crime was committed on January 1, 2007, before he applied for naturalization.  Gomez-Juarez was not arrested for the rape until 2011. Thus, immigration officials were not aware of the crime.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated the case as part of Operation False Haven. Operation False Haven is an ongoing initiative, in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation, designed to identify and prosecute child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship.

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. 5:20-cr-00345-BO.

RALEIGH, N.C. –Rahne Cooper, age 31, and Darius Hinton, age 31, pled guilty to bank fraud before Magistrate Judge Robert T. Numbers, III, in federal District Court today. 

Both men admitted using synthetic identities to obtain loans from financial institutions.  A synthetic identity, often referred to as a CPN or credit privacy number, looks like a nine-digit social security number.  Often, the CPN was actually issued by the Social Security Administration to a real individual.  Individuals with poor credit scores use CPNs to build fresh credit by adding the CPN to their names and dates of birth.  To enhance the credit worthiness, the new credit profile is added as authorized users on credit accounts belonging to individuals with good credit. 

Cooper used a synthetic identity to finance the purchase of a car and Hinton used one to purchase John Deere lawn equipment from Quality Equipment.  Each man faces a maximum penalty of 30 years’ in prison, a $1,000,000 fine, restitution and forfeiture. 

Cooper and Hinton were charged along with Durham Attorney Tiffany Russell in a 26-count Indictment.  Russell’s arraignment is scheduled for the May 17, 2021 term of court before District Judge James C. Dever III.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Social Security Administration, and Raleigh Police Department have jointly investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Menzer is prosecuting the case.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh woman pleaded guilty today to Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341.

According to court documents, Jasmine Shyann Frederick, 32, of Raleigh, admitted to carrying out a scheme to profit from the filing of false Priority Mail insurance claims. 

The Criminal Information, to which the defendant pled guilty, states that the United States Postal Service (USPS) insures Priority Mail packages up to $100.  To qualify for payment, the addressee or sender must send proof of the cost or value of the lost or damaged item, either online or by mail.  Applicants for insurance payments must certify the truthfulness of their submissions.

The Criminal Information further alleges that between December of 2017, and continuing to July of 2019, the defendant submitted and caused to be submitted hundreds of false insurance claims for Priority Mail packages shipped by the USPS.  Using USPS.com accounts in her name, and that of her sister, the defendant uploaded stock pictures of allegedly lost or damaged merchandise.  The defendant also supplied Priority Mail tracking numbers acquired online.

The Criminal Information further alleges that the USPS mailed numerous insurance claim checks to the defendant’s home in Raleigh.  The defendant deposited these checks into her bank accounts or cashed them through her sister’s accounts.  In total, the defendant negotiated and caused to be negotiated $38,614.74 in claim checks she received through the scheme.

Frederick pleaded guilty to Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341, and faces a up to 20 years in prison when sentenced in June of 2021.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after United States Magistrate Judge Robert T. Numbers II accepted the plea.  The United States Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Gilmore 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. 5:21-cr-00080-D-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury today convicted David Sierra Orozco, 31, a Mexican national and recent resident of Georgia, of possessing child pornography.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on July 25, 2017, members of the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office were observing traffic outside of Dunn city limits, when they spotted a Lexus whose registered owner had an expired license.   They followed the Lexus, and after observing it twice drift across the center lane, conducted a traffic stop. 

The driver identified himself as Orozco and presented a Mexican consular ID but no valid driver’s license.  Officers noticed that Orozco appeared extremely nervous—he was sweating profusely despite the air conditioner on high and was shaking uncontrollably.   They also noticed tool marks on the car’s instrument panel and that the cover was not flush with the dashboard.   Recognizing this as signs of a possible hidden “trap” in the dashboard, officers called for a K-9 deputy.  As the traffic stop proceeded, Orozco consented to a search, and the K-9 arrived and alerted to the car.  Within a trap in the dashboard, officers found $111,252 in cash, wrapped in blocks within grocery bags. 

While being processed into the Harnett County Jail on a charge of driving without a license, Orozco was searched.  A folded up $100 bill was removed from his pocket, and as law enforcement unfolded it, several MicroSD memory cards fell out.  Orozco lunged for the floor, picked up what appeared to be two memory cards, and put them in his mouth.  Officers recovered one chewed half of a memory card from his mouth and three intact cards from the floor. 

Law enforcement obtained a search warrant based on possible narcotics trafficking. But upon opening the first MicroSD memory card, they spotted what appeared to be child sexual abuse material, commonly referred to as child pornography.  After securing a second search warrant, a full forensic review uncovered over 261 videos and 2 images of child pornography on one MicroSD memory card, another 14 videos on a second memory card, and 5 child pornography thumbnails on the defendant’s smart phone.  Most files depicted children under 12 years of age. 

Along with the child pornography, the forensic examiner found files linking the devices to Orozco.  Two of the memory cards and the cell phone contained photographs that Orozco had taken of himself.  The other card contained a photo of a car that an officer confirmed was the same make, model, and color as the Lexus that Orozco had been driving.  Forensics further showed that Orozco had taken and sent one of the photos of himself using the same mobile application that had been used to collect the child pornography. 

Orozco faces a maximum of 240 months in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced during the court’s June 21, 2021 term.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III accepted the verdict. The Harnett County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Homeland Security have investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh is prosecuting.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-cr-00095-D.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man pled guilty today to setting a fire inside a store in Raleigh after a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Richard Rubalcava, of Raleigh was arrested on June 18, 2020, by special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and was charged by indictment with two counts of maliciously damaging or destroying, or attempting to damage or destroy, by means of fire or an explosive, any building or other real or personal property affecting interstate or foreign commerce. 

According to the indictment, on May 30, 2020, at approximately 12:13a.m., a fire was discovered at the Dollar General Express located at 149 East Davie Street, Raleigh, after it had been looted by rioters. Video surveillance was obtained from the Dollar General Express.  The video shows Rubalcava enter the business and place numerous items in a Dollar General Bag.  Rubalcava leaves and re-enters the business numerous times.  Each time Rubalcava enters the business, he would steal items from the store. Further video surveillance captured Rubalcava inside the Dollar General Express setting fire to miscellaneous items located on an aisle endcap.  Rubalcava appears to exit the store after setting the fire. 

Rubalcava faces a statutory mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years, a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison, and a maximum fine of $250,000. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert B. Jones, Jr. accepted the plea. The Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith  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. 5:20-CR-00341-FL

NEW BERN, N.C. – Leonid Teyf, 59, a Russian national formerly residing in Raleigh, North Carolina, pled guilty today to bribery of a public official, visa fraud, and false statements on a tax return.  Tatiana Teyf, 43, pled guilty to a false statement in an immigration matter.

In December 2018, Teyf was charged in an indictment with the bribery, murder-for-hire, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, harboring illegal aliens, and unlawful use of a visa procured through false claims.  Teyf was also charged in a money laundering conspiracy with Tatiana Teyf and others, and several tax charges regarding the wrongful denial of the existence of overseas financial interests and the failure to file required forms in regard to the same overseas accounts.

The indictment alleged that between 2010 and 2012, Leonid Teyf received kickbacks of Russian government funds amounting to more than $150,000,000.  The indictment additionally alleged that since December 2010, Leonid and Tatyana Teyf and others opened at least 70 financial accounts at four financial institutions in the names of themselves and businesses under their control and received an approximate total of $39,500,000 in 294 wire transfers.   By December 2018, approximately $9 million of these funds remained in accounts within the United States and the funds were seized at that time.

The indictment further alleged Teyf knowingly used and possessed a U.S. immigrant visa which he had procured through false claims made on his I-140 application and that he and Tatiana Teyf had harbored and assisted other persons from Russia in coming to and remaining in the United States.

As otherwise alleged in publicly available documents filed in federal court by the Government, during the course of the investigation into the money laundering charges, Leonid Teyf came to believe that Tatiana Teyf was having an affair with another man.  Leonid Teyf discussed with an FBI confidential source having the man murdered.  Teyf also paid an employee with the United States Department of Homeland Security $10,000 to find the man and have him deported from the United States.  When the deportation plan was taking a longer period of time than he expected, Leonid Teyf returned to the previously discussed murder-for-hire plan and paid the confidential source $25,000 to kill the man before the end of 2018.  To assist in the commission of the murder, Leonid Teyf supplied the confidential source with a firearm on which the serial number had been removed.

Teyf entered a plea of guilty to violations of 18 U.S.C. § 201, the payment of the $10,000 bribery to the federal official, 18 U.S.C. § 1546, visa fraud, and 26 U.S.C. § 7206(1), filing a false tax return.  Tatiana Teyf plead guilty to a separately filed Criminal Information, which charged a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1015(a), making a false statement in an immigration document.  Both agreed to forfeit assets in the total amount of $5,900,241 and Teyf agreed to forfeit the firearm that was provided to the confidential source.  He also agreed to be judicially deported once his sentence is complete. 

Pursuant to the plea, the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina agreed to dismiss the murder-for-hire, firearm, money laundering,  harboring illegal aliens, and all but one of the tax charges against Teyf, and to seek a sentence of 60 months’ imprisonment for him.  Pursuant to Tatiana Teyf’s plea to the charge in the Criminal Information, all charges against her in the Indictment will be dismissed and the government will not seek a term of imprisonment.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement, noting, “Attempts to subvert U.S. laws through lies and bribery cannot be tolerated.  This is particularly true when such attempts are done with the intent of causing greater harm and this office stands ready to pursue these cases with every available tool.  Thankfully, through the proactive work of our law enforcement partners, the violence desired was prevented.” 

U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan accepted the plea. The investigation of this case was conducted by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Raleigh Police Department.

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 5:18-cr-00452-FL.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Federal criminal cases were unsealed today charging four defendants with making false claims of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote in the 2016 general election.

The cases stem from an investigation led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina that has resulted in charges against 24 defendants over the last 18 months. The charges include making false claims of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote, naturalization fraud, and fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents as it relates to the registration to vote, and false statements in immigration proceedings. Two defendants are charged with illegally voting in the 2016 general election.

Each defendant is charged individually and there are no charges of conspiracy.

The investigation of these cases was conducted by agents of Homeland Security Investigations under the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF) in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to express its appreciation to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for their support in the investigation.

NEW BERN, N.C. – An Apex man was sentenced today to 109 months in prison for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy that caused a total loss of over $800,000 to at least 22 financial institutions.

According to court documents, Jamal Mohammad Eleidy, Age 59, and others conspired to commit bank fraud against various financial institutions while Eleidy resided in the Eastern District of North Carolina and engaged in the United States naturalization process.  Specifically, Eleidy and his co-conspirators defrauded various financial institutions by opening credit accounts using various synthetic identities, making charges to those accounts by using cash advances and other transactions, and allowing those accounts to remain delinquent with no intention to repay the outstanding debt.  On the date of his naturalization ceremony, Eleidy used one of those synthetic identities to purchase gas for his travel to the ceremony.  Eleidy’s sophisticated scheme spanned the course of four years and involved the establishment of shell companies, the rental of various properties, and the laundering of money from the synthetic identity accounts into those owned by Eleidy.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 United States Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamika Moses 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. 5:19-CR-133-FL-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced today to 71 months in federal prison for robbing the BP Gas station located at 4330 Louisburg Road in Raleigh.

According to court documents, on December 30, 2019, Marvin Newell, 53 entered a BP Gas Station in Raleigh, North Carolina, and walked to the beer aisle.  After he selected several bottles of alcohol, he approached the front counter and asked the clerk for some cigars.  After the clerk scanned the merchandise, Newell inserted his credit card into the card reader as if he was going to pay, and then removed it and told the clerk to open the register drawer.  Newell told the clerk again to open the drawer and pointed his finger at her through his shirt, as if he was holding a gun.  Fearful that Newell had a gun, the clerk opened two drawers and gave the defendant $63 currency, as well as a hidden tracking device that was stuck between two bills. Newell then instructed the clerk to go with him to the back of the store, but the clerk refused.  Newell exited the store with the $63 currency, as well as the merchandise, which was valued at approximately $19.

Law enforcement began to search for Newell and used the tracking device to ping his location. When officers located Newell and activated their blue lights, he failed to stop and began driving in the wrong direction on the street.  Newell attempted to flee the area and eventually hit a curb, which disabled the vehicle axle.  Newell then fled on foot from the officers.  Newell was apprehended after a short chase. He opened his hand, which revealed a handful of currency (the currency stolen from the BP Gas Station), and stated, “that’s my money.”  Law enforcement took control of the currency, as well as the hidden tracker.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith  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-00316-D.

NEW BERN, N.C. – Anthony Lemmonds, 53, of Onslow County, was sentenced today, to 235 months imprisonment for: (1) Conspiracy to Possess With Intent to Distribute and Distribute Five Hundred (500) Grams or More of Methamphetamine; (2) Distribution of Fifty (50) Grams or More of Methamphetamine; and (3), Possession With the Intent to Distribute Fifty (50) Grams or More of Methamphetamine.  Lemmons pled guilty to these charges on June 9, 2020.

According to court documents, on March 29, 2019, the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) obtained information that Anthony Lemmonds was traveling to South Carolina to purchase crystal methamphetamine. The DCSO, operating in conjunction with the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), conducted a controlled purchase with Lemmonds utilizing a confidential informant.

On March 30, 2019, utilizing the same confidential informant as the previous day, another controlled purchase was conducted. The confidential informant obtained 86 grams of crystal methamphetamine and during that controlled purchase, Lemmonds informed the confidential informant that he brought back a pound of crystal methamphetamine the week prior.

On April 4, 2019, the confidential informant met with Lemmonds again, this time to obtain three ounces of methamphetamine. Lemmonds advised the confidential informant that he would have to travel to South Carolina again to obtain the methamphetamine. On the return trip from South Carolina on April 5, 2019, Lemmonds was surveilled by law enforcement and a traffic stop was conducted where officers witnessed Lemmonds throwing an item out of the car. Law enforcement recovered the sealed bag containing crystal methamphetamine in the area where Lemmonds threw the items out of the car. Additionally, law enforcement searched his car and found an additional 138 grams of methamphetamine, two digital scales and a ledger. Lemmonds confirmed that the ledger contained records detailing prior drug transactions.  Between August 2018 and April 5, 2019, Lemmonds is attributed with trafficking more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.

Lemmonds prior criminal history includes the following: Possession of Cocaine (2004); Possession of Methamphetamine (2005); Possession of a Firearm by Felon and Possession of Methamphetamine (2017).  In 2009, Lemmonds also has a previous federal conviction for Conspiracy to Possess With Intent to Distribute More than 500 Grams of Methamphetamine where he received a 91-month sentence.

The investigation was part of OCDETF Operation. An Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.  This OCDETF focuses on a Multi-State Drug Trafficking Organization and Gang Activity that has been responsible for the distribution of large quantities of extremely pure methamphetamine throughout the United States.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing before U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan.  The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office and the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office took part in the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo  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. 7:19-CR-182-FL.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that today in federal court, Saul David Aquino, age 44, a naturalized citizen of the United States, born in Argentina, residing in Franklin County, was sentenced by United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan to five years of probation and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine following a guilty plea to passport fraud. Moreover, Aquino was civilly denaturalized as a United States citizen and ordered judicially removed from the United States.

According to an affidavit for a federal search warrant executed on March 4, 2020, Aquino was born in Argentina in 1976, and on August 4, 2003, he was granted permanent resident status in the United States.

On May 28, 2009, in Franklin County, North Carolina, Aquino completed, and submitted, an Application for Naturalization (Form N-400) to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  The Form N-400 contained a series of questions related to good moral character. Question 15 asked: “Have you ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?”  Aquino answered “No” and signed the Form N-400 under penalty of perjury.

On August 26, 2009, Aquino was granted United States citizenship and was issued a naturalization certificate.

On June 8, 2015, in the Superior Court of North Carolina in Franklin County, Aquino was convicted of two counts of indecent liberties with a child, in violation of North Carolina General Statute § 14-202.1. Aquino was sentenced to a combined term of imprisonment of between 26 and 32 months and mandated to register as a sex offender.  The offense date listed on the judgment was January 1, 2007, before he applied for naturalization.

Additionally, the affidavit stated that on August 26, 2009, in Franklin County, Aquino signed and submitted an application for a U.S. passport to the United States Department of State. As proof of citizenship and eligibility, AQUINO presented his fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement.  Agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated the case as part of Operation False Haven. Operation False Haven is an ongoing initiative in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation, designed to identify and prosecute child molesters and other egregious felons who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship.

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. 5:20-cr-00041-FL, Case No. 5:20-cv-00277-FL, and Case No. 5:20-mj-01224-JG-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that today in federal court, Tojiddin Ghaibulloyev Rahimov, age 47, a naturalized citizen of the United States, born in Tajikistan, residing in Columbus, Georgia, was sentenced by United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan to 8 months imprisonment following a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.

The indictment alleges that Melissa Godshall and Robert Kennerley, who were romantically involved, were panhandling for money on the side of the road in Granville County, North Carolina. Rahimov approached them and asked Godshall if she would be willing to marry a foreign-born national for money. Rahimov introduced Godshall to Levan Lomtatidze, a citizen of the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. Thereafter, Godshall agreed to engage in the marriage to Lomtatidze in exchange for $12,000, housing, and a vehicle. 

Lomtatidze and Godshall got married in Granville County, North Carolina. The marriage ceremony was witnessed by Kennerley and another individual. Thereafter, Lomtatidze transferred $1,000 to Rahimov’s bank account.

Lomtatidze, Godshall and Kennerley entered into a rental agreement for a house located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The rent was paid for by Lomtatidze as part of the payment for the sham marriage. Thereafter, Godshall and Lomtatidze submitted fraudulent applications to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requesting Lomtatidze’s adjustment of status as a lawful permanent resident in the United States (commonly known as a “green card”).  Rahimov prepared Lomtatidze and Godshall for their interview with USCIS.

At the interview, both Godshall and Lomtatidze attested under oath they were married in good faith. As a result of the interview, USCIS approved the request and Lomtatidze was granted conditional resident status in the United States.  Later, Lomtatidze and Godshall submitted to USCIS another application attesting they were still married in good faith and requesting Lomtatidze’s removal of conditions on his resident status. A fraudulent letter supporting Lomtatidze’s removal of conditions attesting to the legitimacy of the marriage was submitted by Godshall’s mother, Marilyn Godshall.

Godshall, Lomtatidze, and Kennerley were all charged and sentenced for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud via separate indictments in Case No. 5:19-cr-00106-FL. Moreover, Marilyn Godshall was also charged and convicted for aiding and abetting in Case No. 7:19-mj-01053-FL.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated 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. 5:19-cr-00180-FL.

NEW BERN, N.C. – Kareem Jaquian Dennings, 21, of Fayetteville was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for possessing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to the investigation, on October 9, 2017, a little after 4 p.m., a man robbed the Fast Trip gas station on Yadkin road in Fayetteville.  He walked behind the counter, and as he approached the clerk at the cash register, he pointed the gun at her and racked the slide.  He demanded the money, and in the process of transferring the money into a book bag he carried, fired one shot downward past the clerk’s legs.  In total he took $220. 

The surveillance video showed the suspect to be a 5’6” to 5’9” African American male with a thin build.  He wore his jacket hood up and a red bandana over his nose.  Surveillance video showed that the suspect had handled the store’s door frame and responding Fayetteville PD officers were able to obtain a latent fingerprint.  They also recovered a spent .38 caliber shell casing under the store counter. 

Law enforcement ran the fingerprints through the State Automated Fingerprint Identification System (SAFIS), which reported a match to Dennings.  A review of Dennings’ Facebook account showed that he matched the robber’s physical description.  The account also included several photos in which he appeared to be wearing the same jacket and a similar red bandana to the robber. 

When arrested, Dennings was wearing this same bandana.  He denied having been to the Fast Trip gas station, but when confronted with the fingerprint evidence, he claimed that he had been drinking that day and may have forgotten visiting the store.  After the interview, Dennings was observed in the interview room digging with his hands into his shorts that he wore under his pants.  Officers searched him again and found a .38 caliber bullet in one of the pockets, consistent with the shell casing found at the Fast Trip. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Fayetteville Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh  prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:18-cr-00107-FL.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment today for attempting to set fire to a marked police vehicle in Raleigh after a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Jabari Devon Davis, of Raleigh, was arrested by special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) on June 4, 2020 and was charged with one count of attempting to damage or destroy by fire a vehicle owned or possessed by an institution receiving federal financial assistance. 

According to court documents, on  May 31, 2020, at approximately 12:31 a.m. a fire was discovered coming from the fuel filler area of a police vehicle owned by the Raleigh Police Department (RPD), that was parked at the Raleigh Police Southeast District Station (RPSDS) in Raleigh.  The fire was discovered and extinguished by an RPD Captain who was driving through the parking lot prior to the fire departments arrival.   The fire caused approximately $5,000 in damage to the police vehicle.  Investigators seized a charred sock located within the fuel filler of the damaged vehicle, a bottle with the odor of gasoline was located on the sidewalk, behind the damaged vehicle, and another charred sock located between the vehicle and the sidewalk.

On June 2, 2020, investigators were notified that a fingerprint was lifted from the seized bottle recovered at the scene and determined the fingerprint belonged to Davis.

On June 3, 2020, Davis was interviewed at his residence where he admitted to being the subject who intentionally set the police vehicle at the Southeast District on fire. DAVIS stated that after leaving the protest, he and his friend traveled to the RPSDS, where he retrieved the bottle of gasoline and poured a small amount of gasoline on a sock and put another sock in to the mouth of the bottle.  DAVIS placed the gasoline-soaked sock in the fuel filler of the police vehicle and set it on fire.  As DAVIS ran back towards his friend’s vehicle, he set the bottle with the sock on fire and threw it toward several parked police vehicles.  However, when he threw it, the burning sock fell out, catching the grass and straw on fire. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith  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-00433-D.

NEW BERN, N.C. – An Apex man was sentenced today to 75 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $909,763.28 in restitution owed to dozens of victims on charges of Wire Fraud and Aiding and Abetting and Aggravated Identity Theft.

Acting United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III stated, “This was a case involving a serial con artist who, in the course of evading the repayment of restitution to victims of his prior federal offense, engaged in a new, and more extensive fraud scheme, harming others.  I am pleased that the court saw fit to return the defendant to prison to protect the public from the ongoing economic threat he continues to pose to trusting citizens.”  

The case showed that defendant Charles Gilbert Murphy was subject to collection efforts by the United States Government arising from a prior federal conviction for Wire Fraud in June of 1999 in this same district.  To avoid his payment obligations Murphy used his family members to open bank accounts for him in the name of various companies he controlled, referred to in the Indictment as the “Murphy Entities.”  These entities were Toxic Solutions LLC (“Toxic Solutions”), Biological Marine Remediation LLC (“Bio-Remediation”), Bio Marine Remediation LLC (“Bio-Marine”), Bio Separation Systems, LLC (“Bio-Separation”), On-Site Solutions LLC (“On-Site Solutions”), and On-Site Technologies LLC (“On-Site Technologies”).

Murphy used the Murphy Entities to obtain money from individuals and entities under false and fraudulent pretenses.  Murphy represented that the Murphy Entities performed environmental cleanup activities, such as water remediation.  Murphy purported to offer to various entrepreneurial victims the opportunity to purchase exclusive rights to perform environmental cleanup services in a given geographic area.  Murphy also purported to sell the equipment necessary to perform the cleanup services.  In furtherance of the scheme, Murphy frequently presented false documents to the entrepreneurs to make it appear that funds had been allocated for services to be performed in the geographic area where the victims had purchased the exclusive rights.  In reality, the documents justifying the exclusive rights purchase were falsified, and Murphy took the money without providing all of the equipment purchased.

In furtherance of the scheme, Murphy utilized the identities of others to make it appear that his companies were good investments by creating false documents and correspondence in the names of the victims.  Among others, Murphy impersonated a professor, a mayor, and a representative of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Murphy defrauded dozens of victims in this case.  Many of the victims lost down payments they paid to Murphy, trusting that he would deliver on his promises.  Unfortunately, others lost their life savings.  At sentencing the Government sought and obtained an order of restitution on behalf of these victims, totaling $909,763.28.

The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, Securities Division.  Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represents the United States.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-cr-432-fl .

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced today to 144 months in federal prison for robbing three Subways and three gas stations in Raleigh in 2019.  

According to court documents, an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with the assistance of local law enforcement officials in Raleigh, North Carolina, revealed that from June 20, 2019, to June 24, 2019, Khaliq Roberto Miranda, 28 years old and a validated member of the Sex, Money Murder sect of the United Bloods Nation, robbed multiple Raleigh businesses to include three Subways and three gas stations.

On June 20, 2019, Miranda entered the Subway on Avent Ferry Road in Raleigh and approached the counter where two employees were working.  Miranda shoved one of the employees in the throat to move the employee toward the cash register.  Miranda then grabbed the other employee and pushed her toward the cash register.   Miranda then placed what appeared to be a firearm to the back of one of the employees while instructing the other employee to empty the register.  Miranda fled the scene once provided with the register money, $300.

On June 21, 2019, Miranda entered the Subway restaurant on Wake Forest Road in Raleigh.  He jumped over the counter and demanded money from two restaurant employees. One of the employees denied seeing a firearm; however, noted that Miranda was holding the waistband of his pants in a manner to insinuate he possessed a firearm.  Once provided with the money, $662, Miranda forced one of the employees to the back of the business to unlock the back door so he could flee. Also, on June 21, 2019, video surveillance showed Miranda enter the BP Gas Station on Louisburg Road in Raleigh.  Miranda grabbed the clerk by the neck while he brandished what appeared to be a firearm and demanded the employee open the safe.  After the clerk provided him with the money, $80, Miranda pushed the clerk to the ground and exited the business.

On June 23, 2019, Miranda ran into the Subway restaurant located on Western Boulevard in Raleigh, jumped the counter, and demanded money from two employees.  After the clerks gave him the money, $434, Miranda had the employees lead him to the back door, through which he exited. 

On June 24, 2019, Miranda once again robbed the BP Gas Station on Louisburg Road. Miranda came upon an employee who was outside smoking.  Miranda grabbed the employee by the neck and forced her into the gas station.  Miranda, who was holding what appeared to be a firearm, then demanded money from the employee stating, “Don’t make me shoot you with this 9.”  After receiving $115 from the employee, Miranda directed the employee to lie down on the ground and then fled the business.

Later, on June 24, 2019, Miranda entered the Circle K Gas Station on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh. Miranda walked behind the counter and placed his knuckle to the back of the clerk’s neck, insinuating he possessed a firearm.  Miranda then told the clerk, “You know what time it is.”  The clerk emptied the register and gave Miranda a plastic bag containing $250.  Miranda then ran out of the business.  

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith  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-00260-BO

NEW BERN, N.C. – Jarrin Anthony Clarida, age 27, of Wilmington was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for three counts of distribution of a quantity of heroin and one count of possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin.  On December 18, 2019 Clarida pled guilty to these charges.  All the counts arose out of acts that occurred in the City of Wilmington. 

According to court documents, in January 2019, investigators with the Wilmington Police Department (WPD) launched an investigation into Clarida’s drug distribution activities.  Using a Confidential Informant, law enforcement conducted three controlled purchases of heroin from Clarida on January 8, 10, & 15, 2019.  Following the controlled purchases, members of the WPD Gang Unit executed a search warrant at Clarida’s residence.  A search of the residence uncovered heroin packaged in 220 bindles, marijuana, 3 dosage units of MDMA, miscellaneous ammunition, gang related documents, a 9mm magazine, an unloaded EKOL Volga 9mm starter gun and $5,601.00.  Clarida was taken into custody and provided a statement to law enforcement officials admitting that the heroin and a large portion of the currency found in the residence were his.  Per court documents, Clarida is a validated gang member and has prior state convictions that include, but are not limited to, selling a Schedule I controlled substance, interference with an electronic monitoring device, and possession with the intent to sell or deliver marijuana.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Wilmington Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Murphy Averitt  prosecuted the case.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation and the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

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. 7:19-cr-00140-FL.

NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Raleigh  man today on eleven counts of mail fraud, eleven counts of wire fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Furman Alexander Ford, 51, was a New York Life (NYL) financial advisor who was advising a 72-year-old client who had recently inherited real property valued at $1.3 million.

Ford assisted in the sale of the property and the setting-up of a charitable annuity trust with NYL using the sale proceeds.  Ford worked as an insurance and financial agent at NYL from 2012 to 2015, and the victim was his primary client while employed at NYL.  The charitable annuity was set-up to pay the victim $6,000 per month during her lifetime.  As part of Ford’s responsibility as the victim’s financial agent, he drafted and submitted authorized letters of withdrawal from her annuity account to pay for certain expenses.  Under NYL customer service guidelines, the financial agent is required to have the client sign the withdrawal letter in person with “wet ink” before submitting it to NYL via the mail.  The funds would then be electronically wired to the recipient as directed by the client with their full knowledge and consent.

During the investigation, agents identified twenty separate fraudulent letters of withdrawal drafted by Ford and submitted to NYL headquarters in New York, NY, on behalf of Ms. Jones.  The letters were all mailed by Ford via UPS from his office in Raleigh.  The funds requested ranged from $5,000 to $45,000 and totaled over $400,000.  The proceeds were then electronically wired by NYL to Ford’s personal checking account.  An FBI financial analysis traced the funds to the purchase by Ford of various personal items, including a BMW vehicle, Rolex watches, firearms, child support, and a cruise to the Bahamas. On December 29, 2014, Ford withdrew $1 million from the victim’s annuity account.  Ford stole over $1.3 million from the victim.

“Integrity and trust are characteristics that all financial agents should embody,” said Acting United States Attorney Acker.  “Unfortunately, the defendant used his position to prey upon one of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens and today he was held accountable for his criminal actions.  Our office is dedicated to prosecuting fraud cases, particularly those directed at the elderly, and will continue to use our resources to bring to justice those who take advantage of others to line their pockets with money.”   

Ford faces a maximum penalty of 444 months in prison when sentenced during the August 3, 2021 term of court.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 United States Postal Inspectors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation   investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan A. Ontjes and Special Assistant United States Attorney Tamika Moses 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-00351-FL-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Fayetteville man was sentenced today to 130 months in prison for robbing an Exxon convenience store in Fayetteville.

According to court documents, on December 9, 2018, Tyler Kador, 23, and Morgan Ward, 22, robbed an Exxon convenience store.  Kador, armed with a firearm, walked into the store and approached the clerk, who was behind the counter.  Kador pointed the gun at her and demanded that she give him money.  Ward entered the store behind Kador and looked down each isle for anyone else present in the store.  Ward saw a second employee and held her against a counter during the robbery.  The clerk behind the counter gave Kador approximately $50.  Both clerks were ordered to lie on the floor and the men left the store.  Surveillance videos showed the two robbers getting into a car and driving to a nearby apartment complex.  Investigators with the Fayetteville Police Department located the car and determined it was registered to Kador.  Investigators were also able to determine the apartment the men went into and obtained a search warrant for that apartment.  In that apartment officers found clothing consistent with the clothing worn by the robbers, ammunition and a gun box.  The original purchaser of the firearm told investigators Kador purchased the firearm from him a few days before the robbery.  Ward was arrested during the execution of the search warrant and confessed that he and Kador were the two that went inside the Exxon and robbed the business. 

Morgan Ward was sentenced on December 21, 2020 and received a sentence of 120 months followed by 60 months of supervised release.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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, Firearm and Explosives and Fayetteville Police Department 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. 5:19-cr-00351-D.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Red Springs man was sentenced today to 288 months in prison for possessing multiple stolen firearms as a convicted felon.

According to court documents, as well as evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, Martin Elliott Brooks, 39, possessed multiple stolen firearms as a convicted felon. On November 26, 2018, the Myrtle Beach Police Department investigated a burglary where multiple firearms were stolen from a hotel room. The investigation established that Brooks, stole an AK-47 rifle, an AR-22 rifle, two handguns, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Brooks later sold two of those firearms unlawfully.

On December 12, 2018, investigators with the United States Marshals Service, Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, and Pembroke Police Department located and arrested Brooks on outstanding warrants. During the arrest, Brooks locked himself in a bedroom and fired multiple shots into the ceiling. Several hours later, he surrendered without further incident. Investigators searched the residence and recovered two of the stolen firearms, and an additional firearm.

This case is part of the Take Back North Carolina Initiative of The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.  For more information about this initiative click here:  https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF),  United States Marshals Service, Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, Pembroke Police Department, and North Carolina Department of Public Safety Special Operations and Intelligence Unit investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad E. Rhoades  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. 7:19-cr-00084-D.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Two Fayetteville residents were arrested on charges within an Indictment returned by a federal grand jury and relating to violations of conspiracy to smuggle, transport and harbor aliens for commercial advantage or private financial gain, conspiracy to commit forced labor, and money laundering. 

According to the forty-two (42) count indictment, Martha Zelaya-Mejia, age 37, a permanent resident of the United States, born in Honduras, and David Darnell Whitehead, age 42, a United States citizen, conspired with others to smuggle four Honduran females and their minor children from Honduras, through Mexico into the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain.  Once the Honduran females were in the U.S. Zelaya-Mejia, Whitehead and others transported, harbored, and placed them into the residence of an individual residing in Willard, North Carolina in order to obtain the labor and services by means of force, threat, physical restraint, or threats of physical restraint to the Honduran females.

On August 9, 2019, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from one of the Honduran females that was placed at the Willard residence stating that she was not free to leave and was being held against her will, and tased by the owner of the residence.

In order to smuggle the females into the U.S. Zelaya-Mejia, Whitehead and others involved in the conspiracy transmitted thousands of dollars in various wire transfers from locations in the Eastern District of North Carolina to Honduras, Mexico and areas located on the US – Mexican border to smugglers.

If convicted of conspiracy to smuggle, transport, and conceal aliens, Zelaya-Mejia, and Whitehead face up to a maximum imprisonment of 10 years per count, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.  If convicted of conspiracy and forced labor, they face up to a maximum imprisonment of 20 years imprisonment, $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.  If convicted of conspiracy and money laundering, they face up to a maximum term of 20 years imprisonment, $500,000 fine and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina said, “Human smugglers, time and time again, prove the they have little regard for human life. Travelling from Honduras through Mexico into the US with small children, poses immense dangers from smugglers, gangs, and cartels that are only interested in their personal financial gain.  This office will continue to aggressively prosecute those organizations that are operating in the Eastern District and deter criminals that choose to take advantage of those that are most vulnerable.”

“The arrests will bring an end to the reign of terror that these two predators inflicted on their victims. Human smuggling is akin to modern day slavery and the perpetrators of this evil do tremendous physical and mental damage to their victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in North Carolina. "Having these two off the street is a small step in making this country safer and we will continue our relentless pursuit of any and all who would choose to follow in their path.”

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, Pender County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Organized Crime Unit are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel Diaz 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.7:20-CR-191.

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

WILMINGTON, N.C. –A Henderson man was sentenced yesterday to 96 months in prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.

According to court documents and other evidence, Jerome Cozart, 31, engaged in a shootout with another individual at a convenience store on East Andrews Avenue in Henderson.  Video surveillance shows the two men in a verbal altercation, when Cozart retrieves a handgun and shoots toward the other man who returned fire.  A Henderson Police Department officer was nearby on routine patrol and immediately responded to the scene, placing Cozart into custody.  No one was injured. 

Cozart had prior convictions for Common Law Robbery, Breaking or Entering and Terrorizing or Injuring, and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 Henderson Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. 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-293-M.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment last week, charging a Cameron man with Bribery, Conspiracy to Introduce Contraband into a Prison, and Introducing Contraband.

“Contraband in prisons is one of the greatest threats to both inmates and correctional officers,” stated Acting United States Attorney G. Norman Acker, III. “This indictment seeks to hold a correctional officer who allegedly violated the trust of his peers by conspiring with inmates to introduce contraband to the prison.  My office will always prosecute those who endanger lives and disrupt the good order and discipline within our correctional institutions.”

“When correctional officers smuggle contraband into prisons, they jeopardize the safety of the very institutions they are charged with protecting.  The OIG is committed to investigating this type of behavior,” said Russell Cunningham, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Washington Field Office. 

According to the indictment, Casey Covington, 45, a correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, conspired with three inmates to smuggle cell phones into the prison.  Covington is also accused of accepting bribes in exchange for smuggling in the cell phones and other contraband, including marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol.   

According to the indictment, inmates Christopher Lee Davis, 36, Antonio Demond Byers, 40, and Robert Henry Huitt, 32, were also each charged with conspiring with Covington and possessing cell phones in prison.

If convicted, Covington faces 15 years in prison, and Davis, Byers, and Huitt each face up to 1 year in prison. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Dodson is prosecuting the case.

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

RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Fayetteville man yesterday on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Miguel Marquis Hutchinson 35, was encountered inside a car at McDonalds on Bragg Blvd. by Fayetteville police officers investigating a nearby armed robbery.  Hutchinson matched the description of the armed robbery suspect and provided a false name to the officers.  When asked to step out of the car, he made a suspicious movement that caused the officers to jump forward and pin him down.  Meanwhile, other officers had observed store security footage which confirmed Hutchinson was not the person being sought for the armed robbery. 

During the encounter at the car, officers smelled the odor of marijuana and conducted a search of the car which resulted in locating approximately 22 grams of marijuana inside the center console, baggies, and a digital scale.  A loaded 9mm Taurus pistol was also located positioned and ready for use between the driver’s seat on the right side pinned against the center console.   

Hutchinson was previously convicted of second-degree murder in North Carolina state court in 2006 in Cumberland County, North Carolina. 

Hutchinson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of Life in prison when sentenced on June 7, 2021. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the verdict. Homeland Security Investigations and the Fayetteville Police Department are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz 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.5:19-cr-00523-BO-1.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A New Hanover County man was sentenced yesterday to 78 months imprisonment for distribution of a quantity of heroin and fentanyl; possession with intent to distribute a quantity of heroin; and, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and other evidence, on January 22, 2020, the Wilmington Police Department conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from Quadarrius “Reckless” Cotten, 23, in the bathroom of a Burger King restaurant in Wilmington. At time the of the sale, Cotten was accompanied by two young children.  A photograph introduced at the sentencing hearing showed one of the children wearing a Burger King crown standing next to Cotten as he delivered the drugs.

On January 28, 2020, the Wilmington Police Department conducted a second controlled purchase of fentanyl and a firearm from Cotten.  Law enforcement later determined that the firearm which Cotten possessed during the offense was stolen.

On May 16, 2020, the Wilmington Police Department was conducting surveillance in the area of 6th and Campbell Streets due to concerns over retaliatory gang violence. Cotten, a validated gang member, was observed engaging in an argument with an individual who was armed with an AK-47 rifle. Officers intervened and during a search of Cotten found a small amount of heroin and nearly $400 in cash in his possession.

Cotten had prior convictions for Conspiracy to Commit Common Law Robbery and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 Safe Street Task Force and the Wilmington Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo  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-cr-00103-M.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for robbing the BP Gas station located at 4330 Louisburg Road in Raleigh.

According to court documents, on August 15, 2019, officers of the Raleigh Police Department, responded to a BP gas station regarding an armed robbery.  The store clerk advised the suspect, later identified as Demarius Jerrad Morris, 29, entered the store, brandished a firearm at him/her, and demanded money.  The clerk provided Morris with $65 of U.S. currency with an attached a GPS tracker.  Police dispatch monitored the tracker and advised responding officers of the tracker’s location.  Officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle and detained Morris, who matched the description of the robbery suspect.  During a search of the vehicle, officers seized the stack of U.S. currency, a loaded firearm, and various ammunition. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith  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-00195-BO.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – A North Carolina corporation was sentenced today to 5 years’ probation and ordered to pay a $2,000,000 fine in addition to paying $10,069,361.35 in restitution to the North Carolina Medicaid Program on a charge of Healthcare Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1347.  The company and its owner have also agreed to pay millions to the United States and State of North Carolina to resolve related civil claims under the federal and state False Claims Acts.  In that same civil action, the Governments have obtained a multi-million-dollar judgment against one of the company’s employees.

According to court documents, A Perfect Fit for You, Inc., was a durable medical equipment provider located in Morehead City, North Carolina, and owned by Margaret A. Gibson.   Durable medical equipment includes items such as powered wheelchairs, orthotic braces, diabetic shoes, powered air flotation beds, osteogenesis stimulators, pneumatic compressors, etc.  Between March 2015 and November 2016, one or more employees of A Perfect Fit for You submitted fraudulent billings claims to Medicaid for providing durable medical equipment to Medicaid recipients.  These fraudulent claims contained the personal identifying information of Medicaid recipients who had never ordered nor received any durable medical equipment from A Perfect Fit for You.   In fact, some of the patients had been deceased years before the false claims were even submitted.  This scheme resulted in an estimated loss to Medicaid of approximately $10,069,361.35. 

After appointment of a receiver, A Perfect Fit for You, Inc. self-reported suspected fraudulent activity to the North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division.  Thereafter, the company cooperated throughout the investigation.

On December 13, 2017, and based on the conduct described above, the United States and State of North Carolina filed a civil complaint under the federal and state False Claims Acts against A Perfect Fit for You, Inc. and Gibson, as well as one of the company’s employees, Shelley P. Bandy.  The federal and North Carolina False Claims Acts mandate that the Governments recover triple the money falsely obtained, plus substantial civil penalties for each false claim submitted.  To resolve those claims, the company has agreed to pay $20,138,722.70, while Gibson has agreed to pay $4,000,000.  As for Bandy, the United States and State of North Carolina have obtained a $34,708,945.42 default judgment against her in the civil action.  It should be noted that the civil claims against A Perfect Fit for You, Inc. and Gibson are allegations only and were resolved by settlement.  There has been no judicial determination or admission of liability as to them in the civil case.

On December 29, 2020, Bandy pled guilty to making false statements relating to health care matters in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1035.  Bandy admitted to submitting fraudulent claims to Medicaid on behalf of A Perfect Fit for You, Inc.   Bandy is scheduled to be sentenced later in March, 2021. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting 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 investigation of this case was conducted by the North Carolina Department of Justice’s Medicaid Investigations Division (MID) and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General.   Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore is the prosecutor on the criminal case, while Assistant United States Attorney C. Michael Anderson represented the United States in the civil case.  Special Deputy Attorneys General F. Edward Kirby, Jr. and Michael M. Berger, who also serve as a Special Assistant United States Attorneys, represented the United States and the State of North Carolina in the civil case.

The MID investigates and prosecutes health care providers that defraud the Medicaid program, patient abuse of Medicaid recipients, patient abuse of any patient in facilities that receive Medicaid funding, and misappropriation of any patients’ private funds in nursing homes that receive Medicaid funding.  To report Medicaid fraud or patient abuse in North Carolina, call the MID at 919-881-2320.

The MID receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $6,160,252 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2020. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $2,053,414 for FY 2020, is funded by the State of North Carolina.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Jacques Yves Sebastien Duroseau, age 34, a former U.S. Marine born in Haiti and a naturalized citizen of the United States, residing in Onslow County, was sentenced today by United States District Judge James C. Dever III to 63 months in prison.

On December 12, 2020, Duroseau was convicted following a three-day trial (conviction) of conspiracy to illegally export and smuggle firearms and controlled equipment from the United States to Haiti, as well as transporting firearms without a license to the Haitian Army. Additionally, the jury decided that the firearms and equipment should be forfeited.

At trial, the evidence showed that Duroseau, at the time an active duty U.S. Marine with the rank of sergeant, along with a co-conspirator, both impersonated high ranking military officers and pretended to be on military business in order to facilitate the illegal transportation of eight firearms, including a Ruger model Precision Rifle 300WIN MAG and a Spike’s Tactical model ST15, as well as copious ammunition, riflescopes, and body armor, via commercial aircraft to Haiti. The evidence further showed that Duroseau’s purpose was to train the Haitian Army with the firearms and equipment in order to engage in foreign armed conflict. 

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The investigation of this case was conducted by agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Additional assistance was provided by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and Directorate of Trade Controls, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the U.S. Marine Corps.

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. 4:20-cr-00003-D.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Smithfield man Friday of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and of a minor;  sex trafficking by force fraud and coercion; sex trafficking of a minor; using the internet to promote a prostitution business enterprise (ITAR); and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Jonathan Lynn Jenkins, aka “Max,” 48, and his co-conspirator prostituted many women between November 2014 and October 2015, including minors. The victims were young, vulnerable, and often struggling to survive. After luring the victims with promises of food, shelter, and a better life, Jenkins and his co-conspirator manipulated and controlled the victims’ lives, isolating them, withholding food, and keeping all money the victims earned. The defendant beat and choked the victims, sometimes to unconsciousness. He emotionally and psychologically abused them. Among other threats, he claimed to have magical powers that allowed him to hunt down victims and kill them. He sexually assaulted victims and forced them into sexual acts against their will. And he attempted to murder a man who helped one victim escape.

Jenkins was convicted of second-degree murder in North Carolina state court in 2006, and first-degree murder charges are pending against him in state court in Johnston County, North Carolina.

Acting United States Attorney Acker stated: “Human Trafficking – the horrible exploitation of those vulnerable among us – is one of the worst and most intolerable crimes we prosecute.  It is simply modern-day slavery and cannot be tolerated.  This verdict allows us to take another step in the right direction as we work to eliminate this crime and its terrible consequences for our communities.”

“This sentence ensures that Jenkins, a serial offender, will not be able to continue his reign of terror on some of the most vulnerable people in our community,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in North Carolina. “I’m thankful for the hard work from HSI and its partners that led to investigating, arresting and prosecuting this predator.”

Jenkins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III accepted the verdict. The Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, the Raleigh Police Department, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Blondel and Lucy Brown 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.5:18-cr-00451-D.

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