Eastern District of North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. – G. Norman Acker, III has begun serving as the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, following the departure of U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. on February 27, 2021. 

Acting U.S. Attorney Acker has served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for more than thirty years.  During his tenure he has litigated numerous civil and criminal cases in United States District Court as well as in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  He was the Deputy Civil Chief and the Civil Chief for a total of 18 years, and for the last 3 years has served as the First Assistant United States Attorney, supervising the work of the Civil, Criminal and Appellate Divisions.

“It is an honor and a privilege to represent the people of the United States in Federal Court,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Acker. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office has worked closely with Federal, State and Local law enforcement agencies over the past several years to protect the citizens of the Eastern District of North Carolina, and I pledge to do my best to continue this important work.”

While working as an AUSA, Mr. Acker’s primary focus of litigation was pursuing individuals and corporations who committed fraud against the United States. He was the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Coordinator and the Health Care Fraud Coordinator for the office. He handled “white collar” cases involving contract fraud against the military, health care fraud against the Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as many other types of fraud against the government. 

During his tenure as an AUSA, he has received numerous awards, including the Commander’s Award for Public Service, the Army’s highest civilian medal, in appreciation for judgments and settlements totaling several million dollars, and the Health and Human Services Inspector General’s Integrity Award for a criminal prosecution that resulted in a related civil settlement of more than $23 million.  In addition, Mr. Acker was the lead attorney in two month-long trials against Tuomey Hospital for Medicare fraud that resulted in a judgment for $237 million against the hospital.

Mr. Acker has served as the Professional Responsibility Officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for many years, and he also served for several years on the North Carolina State Bar Ethics Committee.

Mr. Acker was born and raised in Raleigh and is a lifelong resident of the Research Triangle area.  He received both his undergraduate degree and his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He has been married for 37 years and has three grown children and four grandchildren.

RALEIGH, N.C. - This weekend Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, will step down, along with all remaining Presidentially-appointed United States Attorneys across the country, in response to a request from the President.

First Assistant United States Attorney Norman Acker will assume the role of Acting United States Attorney upon Mr. Higdon’s resignation.  Mr. Acker will serve in that capacity until a new Presidentially-appointed United States Attorney is named by the current Administration and is confirmed by the United States Senate. 

Mr. Higdon was appointed as United States Attorney by former President Donald Trump in 2017, following the recommendation of North Carolina’s United States Senators, Richard Burr and Thom Tillis.  He has served for more than 28 years as a federal prosecutor.

Mr. Higdon commented: “It has been my great privilege to serve the people of eastern North Carolina as United States Attorney and as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer over the last three and a half years.  I am grateful to President Trump and to Senators Burr and Tillis for their trust in me and for their constant support and encouragement.  I am also grateful to Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr for their leadership, their confidence in me and for the opportunity to serve the people of this State as we look for solutions to some of the most intractable problems plaguing communities all across the Eastern District.  To serve in this way has been the greatest honor of my career.”

During Mr. Higdon’s tenure as United States Attorney, federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation saw dramatic transformation and success with a sharp focus on the mission of the United States Attorney, commitment to the priorities laid out by the Department of Justice and reliance on the exceptional men and women who serve in the United States Attorney’s Office.

Prior to stepping down Mr. Higdon highlighted some of the key accomplishments over the last three and a half years:

Criminal

Regarding criminal prosecutions, Mr. Higdon noted:  “Early in 2017, the United States Department of Justice, and the 94 United States Attorney’s Offices, were directed to (1) undertake all necessary and lawful action to break the back of criminal cartels that have spread across our nation; (2) reduce violent crime across the country; and (3) stop crimes of violence against law enforcement officers.” (See, Executive Orders issued on February 9, 2017.)  “Indeed, upon our appointment, each United States Attorney was personally directed by the Attorney General to embrace these goals and to show meaningful and substantial results within the federal district each was chosen to lead.”

Mr. Higdon continued:  “In the Eastern District of North Carolina (EDNC) we embraced the goals set out by the President and we reorganized and rededicated ourselves in order to make a difference in the safety and security of communities all across the eastern half of North Carolina.  This effort involved the renewal of frayed relationships with federal, state and local law enforcement, the addition of a large number of new federal prosecutors and support staff who shared the vision of the new leadership and the aggressive and strategic prosecution of those who would violate federal criminal law.”

“Since 2017 the attorneys and staff of the office have prosecuted record numbers of offenders, particularly violent and drug offenders, have charged more defendants annually than at any time in the District’s 231 year history – a more than 125% increase over 2016 annually -  and have partnered with federal, state and local law enforcement in ways leading to  a sustained and measurable decline in crime rates all across the District.”

“In our effort to serve all 44 counties within the Eastern District, we have worked to move our attorneys and staff out into the District and away from a concentration in Raleigh; we have opened a staffed office in Wilmington for the first time in the District’s history; and, we have conducted regular office hours throughout the District for the purpose of meeting with law enforcement, providing advice and guidance and for the intake of cases and matters for federal investigation and prosecution.  We have also worked to strengthen our relationships with the elected District Attorneys and those working with them throughout the District.”

-National Security

The EDNC is an area with substantial but vulnerable assets that are often the targets of threats to the national security.  These threats come from outside the United States, from within, and are often from mixed sources.  However, at the beginning of 2017 the United States Attorney’s Office had no meaningful national security apparatus despite its shared responsibility for the security and integrity of the four military bases residing in the EDNC, significant portions of the Research Triangle Park, substantial research universities and facilities, significant critical infrastructure and our easily accessible coastline and transportation corridors.  To bring the office back into partnership with national security agencies the USAO:

 -stood up a National Security Section which now includes 5 experienced Assistant United States Attorneys who prosecute significant security threats;

-included the prosecution of illegal aliens found in the district who are committing other crimes as part of our national security mandate; this focus included the addition of an immigration crime analyst with substantial investigative experience related to large scale immigration crimes;

-partnered with the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL) to increase resources in this area of prosecution;

-added a dedicated cybercrimes attorney in the National Security Section with responsibility to aid other litigating divisions of the office;

-conducted focused and targeted outreach to vulnerable communities (based on ethnicity, race, national origin, faith, etc.) to ensure equal access to the court and justice system, to provide for individual and group safety and security, to develop prevention skills and techniques and to develop a level of trust between these individuals and the law enforcement community.

-Violent Crime

Like so many other districts around the country, the EDNC saw a dangerous increase in violent crime rates between 2013 and 2016.  This period coincided with a reduction in the Department of Justice’s support for and commitment to the prosecution of violent offenders across the country.  Following the direction of the President and the Attorney General, in late 2017 and early 2018, the USAO worked to revitalize the District’s Project Safe Neighborhood program and augmented that effort with the development of the “Take Back North Carolina Initiative”.  The programs, working in tandem, included:

-the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement to identify those individuals driving the violent crime and drug problems in a particular community, develop prosecutions against them, and remove them from the area;

-empowering federal prosecutors to accept cases for prosecution directly;

-emphasis on the prosecution of those who were driving criminal activity in a particular area;

-close coordination with the elected District Attorneys;

-charging the most serious, readily provable offense in every case;

-encouraging all offenders to cooperate against those higher up in the criminal activity of which they were a part;

-sustained focus on a community or region until the crime rates began to decline;

-use of outreach and community development efforts to provide an alternative to criminal activity;

-sustained focus on criminal gangs and gang related activity;

-the prosecution of any offender who risks the life or safety of law enforcement officers if their crime is a violation of federal criminal law;

-working to highlight the work of the office, as a deterrent, whenever possible through appropriate media outlets;

-Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force

By 2016 the District’s drug prosecution efforts had fallen to record lows.  Beginning in late 2017, the office reorganized and reenergized its efforts to disrupt and dismantle key drug trafficking organizations through its Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) by:

-reappointing an experienced and skilled attorney to lead the effort;

-rebuilding the task force from four attorneys to a team of 14 Assistant United States Attorneys and Special Assistant United States Attorneys focused solely on attacking transnational and international drug trafficking organizations operating within the EDNC;

-inclusion of the OCDETF attorneys in the District’s “Take Back North Carolina Initiative;”

-focusing aggressively on the opioid and heroin epidemic through aggressive prosecution of offenders distributing these substances and through community outreach and education; development of a Heroin Education Action Team (HEAT) to provide information and counseling to users of these substances or those faced with the chance to begin using them;

-charging the most serious, readily provable offense in every case;

-sustained, strategic focus on criminal gangs and gang related activity;

-more than tripling the number of active, funded, and authorized OCDETF investigations underway in the District;

Working to highlight the work of the office, as a deterrent, whenever possible through appropriate media outlets;

-Economic Crime

In the last four years the District, like so many other locations in the country, has faced challenges and hurdles in the form of a pandemic, natural disasters, and other types of adversity where governmental agencies step in to provide assistance and help.  In each and every case there is an element of fraud and misuse that occurs, and which undermines the goals and purpose of the assistance.  In the EDNC we have developed standing and ad hoc task forces which have addressed fraud issues in these and other areas.  We have organized a task force to focus on fraud related to the pandemic and to address issues related to the hording of personal protective equipment (PPE); we have trained thousands of senior citizens on elder fraud scams and prosecuted numerous perpetrators in federal court.  We have also attempted to deter fraud associated with disaster relief through aggressive prosecutions and community outreach and awareness.

Our economic crime attorneys have prosecuted some of the most prolific financial crimes in the District’s history and have recovered millions of dollars in loses which have been returned to the victims of crime.

Civil

The attorneys and staff of the USAO who focus on civil matters – the representation of the United States as plaintiff or defendant in civil litigation – have continued to perform at record setting levels.  These professionals routinely handle some of the most complex and impactful litigation in the country.  In the last four years the Civil Division has:

-functioned at twice or better the national average in terms of matters handled per attorney;

-seen record recovery of assets which are the proceeds of, or which have facilitated criminal activity;

-partnered with the Criminal Division in the effort to fight the opioid pandemic through the investigation and litigation against medical providers and pharmacists who step away from their professional obligations and have aggravated this problem;

-participated actively in the fight against program fraud, fraud associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and fraud following natural disasters;

-continued to handle all civil commitment litigation of dangerous sex offenders in federal prison for the entire country (Adam Walsh litigation);

-responded to the hundreds of requests for compassionate release by prisoners in federal prisons due to the pandemic;

-maintained a sophisticated civil litigation docket to include medical malpractice defense, employment matters within federal agencies, bankruptcy litigation, asset forfeiture, tax matters and litigation associated with a wide range of federal agency functioning.

Administrative and Organizational

The Administrative Division of the United States Attorney’s Office assists the United States Attorney in overseeing an operation with an annual budget approaching $20 million, with more than 130 employees and contractors and with some 40 Special Assistant United States Attorneys.  During the last four years the Division, in addition to its substantial daily responsibilities, also led efforts to move the office’s headquarters from the Federal Courthouse in Raleigh into private space, the opening of a staffed office in Wilmington, the closing of an unnecessary and underutilized office in Greenville, the improvement of facilities in New Bern, Greenville and Elizabeth City and the rebuilding of space in the federal courthouse in Wilmington following two hurricanes which rendered the space unusable.  The Division also continued its active and critical support of the litigating functions of the office. 

Relationships With Law Enforcement

Over the last three and a half years, the USAO has made a concerted effort to provide support to law enforcement all across the District.  Through the “Take Back North Carolina Initiative”, moving our attorneys and staff out into the District on a daily basis, careful listening to and respect for the expertise of law enforcement officials all across the District who know their communities and who know who and what to pursue in order to drive down our crime rates and make our communities safer and more secure, and, by aggressively prosecuting any offense that places the life or safety of a law enforcement officer in jeopardy.  With the encouragement and support of the President and the Attorneys General, we have attempted to be as supportive as possible of our law enforcement communities.  Through both words and actions, we have attempted to say, “We have your back and you have our thanks.”

Conclusion

Finally, Mr. Higdon commented: “It has been a deeply humbling privilege to serve alongside the men and women of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina and with law enforcement all across the District.  To serve as the 47th Presidentially-appointed United States Attorney for this half of North Carolina is an opportunity I never anticipated and never expected.  But, to have the chance to work with these exceptional professionals and the brave heroes who serve us in uniform has been a true blessing.  I hope that we have served the people of this District, this State, and this Country well.  I am proud of the work we have done together.  And, I hope and pray for the continued success of these fine public servants in the years to come.”

NEW BERN, N.C. – A High Point man was sentenced today to 411 months in prison for conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a federal crime of violence, witness tampering and aiding and abetting in those crimes.

Charles Walker, Jr., a/k/a “Supreme,” 56, was convicted on December 11, 2020, after a jury trial in New Bern.  The case involved two Hobbs Act robberies at Kay Jewelry stores, one in Elizabeth City and one in Garner. The robbers were able to get away with almost $600,000.00 worth of jewelry. These were violent robberies as firearms were brandished during both robberies.  During one of the robberies, a store employee was handcuffed behind her back and left in a backroom of the store.  During the trial, the defendant took the stand and admitted during cross-examination that he is closely associated with a high-ranking blood member in Greensboro.

Walker is an extremely violent and dangerous individual. He was previously convicted of first-degree murder.  He ultimately won a new trial and pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and accessory after the fact to murder after he had served 17 years in prison.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Elizabeth City Police Department, the Garner Police Department, and the Greensboro Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert J. Dodson and 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. 2:18-CR-37-FL-1.

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NEW BERN, N.C. – Antonio Blake Spencer, 32, of Wilmington, North Carolina was sentenced today to 99 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  Spencer was charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm on April 30, 2019 and pled guilty on October 17, 2020. 

According to court documents and other information, on April 21, 2019, while on probation for multiple prior state offenses, including a felony drug conviction, Spencer was involved in an altercation with a pregnant female in the Houston Moore housing complex in Wilmington.  During the altercation – which was captured on Wilmington Housing Authority surveillance video – Spencer brutally assaulted the female.  The female ultimately was able to flee the scene.  Moments later, Spencer was approached by a male subject and the two fought for several minutes.  During the struggle, a gun Spencer had in his waistband, dropped to the ground and was ultimately used to shoot Spencer multiple times.  Spencer was treated and released from the hospital two days later.  Just nine days after the shooting incident, on April 30, 2019, law enforcement located Spencer in an effort to serve him with arrest warrants for assault on a female and assault on an unborn child arising from the April 21, 2019 incident.  At the time of arrest, Spencer again had a firearm on his person, along with a quantity of PCP in his vehicle.  During a post-arrest interview, Spencer admitted to possessing the firearms from both the April 21 and April 30 incidents. 

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The North Carolina 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Wilmington Police Department, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany prosecuted the case.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative. 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-00092-FL.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Sean Smith, 32, of Onslow County, was sentenced on February 17, 2021, to 198 months imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine and possessing, brandishing, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The investigation, along with evidence presented in court, revealed that on October 22, 2019, an Onslow County Sheriff’s Deputy was investigating a possible burglary on West Morton Street in Jacksonville.  The deputy was dressed in his police uniform and arrived in a patrol car.  While the deputy was speaking to an individual at the scene, Smith emerged from the side of the residence and fired a gun at the deputy from a distance of approximately 8-12 yards. The deputy, who was uninjured, retreated to his patrol vehicle and retrieved his rifle.  Smith fled the scene but was later found seated on the steps of a nearby residence. The 9mm handgun was found underneath the porch where Smith was seated.  Smith ultimately admitted to firing the gun. Smith was searched following his arrest and was found in possession of approximately 12 grams of methamphetamine and 3 grams of cocaine. 

During the investigation, law enforcement obtained evidence that Smith had possessed more than 400 grams of methamphetamine from September 2019 until the time of his arrest.

On January 1, 2021, Smith was captured on a recorded Facetime jail phone call bragging about how he had fired the gun at the officer, even demonstrating shooting the gun and laughing about the incident.  Smith also described how law enforcement would be unable to find a large amount of methamphetamine that he had hidden at an earlier time.

Mr. Higdon commented: “We are certainly gratified by the sentence imposed by the court in this case.  Sean Smith is a dangerous, cruel drug dealer, and that alone makes his prosecution critical to ‘Taking Back North Carolina’ for drug traffickers and violent criminals.  But his decision to risk the lives of law enforcement officers investigating his crimes puts him at the head of the line for prosecution as we attempt to support the brave officers who do the dangerous work of investigating armed drug trafficking.”

According to law enforcement, Smith was a member of a violent white supremacist organization.  Smith had prior convictions including possession or distribution of methamphetamine precursors; assault on a government official; possession of methamphetamine and, assault inflicting physical injury on a detention officer or employee. Smith was on probation for possession of methamphetamine and felony assault inflicting physical injury on a detention employee or officer at the time of this offense.

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 extremely pure methamphetamine throughout the United States.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing before U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Carolina Highway Patrol 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. 5:20-CR-00005-M.

NEW BERN, N.C. – Darion “Pluck” Graham, 31, of New Hanover County, North Carolina, was sentenced on February 16, 2021, to 365 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of 1,000 grams or more of heroin; two counts of distribution of a quantity of heroin and aiding and abetting; and possession with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and aiding and abetting.

The investigation, along with evidence presented in court, revealed that beginning in October 2015 until May 2017, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wilmington Police Department made several controlled purchases of more than 90 grams of heroin from Graham and persons working at his direction in various locations in Wilmington, North Carolina.

On August 29, 2017, the Wilmington Police Department, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, executed a search warrant at Graham’s residence on Summertime Lane in Wilmington. Graham was on house arrest for pending state charges at the time the search took place. During the search, law enforcement found a small quantity of heroin and fentanyl, packaging material, and more than $13,000. As law enforcement made forced entry into the residence, Graham managed to flush a large quantity of heroin down the toilet.  As a result, Graham was detained exiting the bathroom.

From February 2019 until May 2019, the Wilmington Police Department, working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made several controlled purchases of 30 grams of heroin from Graham in the Wilmington area.

On June 28, 2019, the Wilmington Police Department, together with the FBI, executed a search warrant on a River Front Place Apartment in Wilmington.  The apartment was rented in the mother’s name of one of Graham’s co-conspirators. As law enforcement was conducting the search of the residence, Graham and his co-conspirator arrived at the residence and attempted to flee upon seeing the police.  Law enforcement found 761 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture and more than $16,000 in drug proceeds.

The investigation revealed that Graham held a position of leadership in a large heroin and/or fentanyl drug trafficking organization which had more than 10 people.  Graham was supplying heroin and/or fentanyl and working with several members of a violent gang in Wilmington. Graham obtained heroin from New York, and, on one occasion, he and a co-conspirator picked up 3 kilograms of heroin. Graham was responsible for the distribution of more than 7 kilograms of heroin overall, more than 750 grams of a heroin/fentanyl mixture, and a quantity of a heroin/methamphetamine mixture.   Graham had a prior conviction for Conspiracy to Sell a Schedule I Controlled Substance.  Graham was one of the largest heroin suppliers in New Hanover County at the time of his arrest in 2019.  While awaiting sentencing, Graham attempted to intimidate witnesses by disclosing their identity on social media. 

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 heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the United States.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wilmington Police Department, Holly Ridge Police Department, and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office 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. 5:20-CR-00005-M.

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NEW BERN, N.C. – Chip Hollingsworth of Cary, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 144 months in prison after pleading guilty to eleven counts charging receipt and possession of child pornography.   

According to court documents and statements made in court, in summer 2018, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was conducting an undercover investigation on the chat and file sharing platform called, “Gigatribe.”  On August 6, 2018, an unknown user contacted the undercover investigator, transmitted child pornography, and requested images of 10-12-year-old boys in recorded conversations.  After obtaining account information from Gigatribe and an internet service provider, law enforcement identified the user as the defendant Chip Hollingsworth at a residence in Cary, North Carolina.  Law enforcement further determined that Hollingsworth had been employed as an elementary school teacher.    

On August 20, 2018, members of the FBI and Cary Police Department executed a federal search warrant at Hollingsworth’s residence.  He agreed to be interviewed and admitted to having a Gigatribe account, with which he obtained, viewed, and shared child pornography. 

Officers seized multiple electronic devices and conducted a forensic examination. Nearly 1,500 images and videos were found that constitute child pornography, the majority depicting children under 12.  File metadata showed that Hollingsworth had received  the files on dates from as early as August 29, 2008 to July 21, 2018. 

United States Attorney Higdon commented “We are grateful for the sentence handed down by the Court today.  As I have repeatedly said, the sexual exploitation of the most vulnerable among us – our children – is one of the worst offenses we are working to stop in communities all across the Eastern District.  Each of these cases is heartbreaking and each requires a strong response if we are to punish and, most importantly, deter others who may harm our children in the future.  This offender is particularly concerning because of his role as a teacher.  This sentence ensures that he will be held accountable and will not harm children in the future.  And we hope this message goes out to others that this type of crime must stop.”

This case is part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level.  For more information about this important national initiative, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Cary Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-cr-0231-FL.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Neville Singleton, 38, of North Charleston, South Carolina was sentenced on February 17, 2021, to 210 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting, and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting.

The investigation, along with evidence presented in court, revealed that on August 29, 2019, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made a controlled purchase of 51 grams of actual methamphetamine at a restaurant in Wilmington, North Carolina from Sean Thomas and Singleton. Following the drug deal, Singleton and the undercover officer discussed having Singleton provide him with larger amounts of methamphetamine in the future. Singleton indicated that the methamphetamine was coming from Charleston, South Carolina. 

On August 29, 2019, ATF, with the assistance of the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, ordered a quantity of methamphetamine from Singleton and Thomas to be delivered to a hotel in Brunswick County.  When Singleton and Thomas arrived in the hotel parking lot from Charleston, both men were arrested.  Law enforcement searched the trunk and found 1,134 grams of actual methamphetamine.  Between July 2019 and August 2019, Singleton possessed or distributed more than two and a half kilograms of actual methamphetamine into North Carolina and South Carolina.

Singleton had prior convictions for possession with intent to deliver cocaine and possession with intent to deliver cocaine in proximity of a school (2003); possession with intent to deliver cocaine (2004); possession with intent to deliver marijuana (2007);  possession with intent to deliver or distribute cocaine, LSD or other drug; possession with intent to deliver or distribute a drug within close proximity of a school (2010); and possession with intent to distribute marijuana (2016).  Singleton was on probation at the time he committed the crimes that brought him into federal court.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Brunswick 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. 5:20-CR-00005-M.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Paige Michelle Anderson, 29, from Ocean Isle Beach, NC was sentenced today to a total of 72 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine from April to June 2020; possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine on June 1, 2020; and possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine on June 14, 2020.

According to court documents and other information, beginning in April 2020, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and others with the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office in Elizabethtown, North Carolina learned through a confidential source that Anderson was part of a drug trafficking organization selling methamphetamine in Bladen County.  During the week of May 30, 2020, law enforcement received information that Anderson would be traveling to Sanford, North Carolina to pick up methamphetamine with an associate.  Law enforcement tracked Anderson’s trip and on June 1, 2020, conducted a traffic stop on the car in which Anderson was a passenger.  During a search of the car, law enforcement found 90.7 grams of methamphetamine, a firearm, and $1,189.00 in currency.  On June 14, 2020, while monitoring Anderson’s movements, law enforcement noted Anderson once more traveled to Sanford.  Upon her return, officers stopped Anderson’s car when she failed to stop at a stop sign.  Anderson admitted that she had methamphetamine in the car.  During the search of the car, officers found 222 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale for weighing narcotics, and $536.00.  

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 Bladen County Sheriff’s Office and The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Murphy Averitt  prosecuted the matter.

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.

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-00090-D.

NEW BERN, N.C. – A Shallotte man was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin.

According to court documents, Deontray Tremell Bryant, a/k/a “Certified,” 32, pleaded guilty to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin on July 5, 2018.

In March 2016, investigators with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) received complaints that Deontray Bryant was selling heroin from a residence in Supply, North Carolina.

On March 19, 2016, officers saw a male walk up to Bryant and conduct a hand-to-hand transaction. Officers conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle and found bindles of suspected heroin in the vehicle.

On March 22, 2016, a confidential informant (CI) conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from Bryant.

On March 23, 2016, a search warrant was executed at Bryant’s residence. Agents seized 6.44 grams of cocaine and more than 150 bindles of heroin, each of which contained about .02 grams of heroin.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). 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 case is part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Take Back North Carolina Initiative.  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 additional information about this initiative, click here https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan.  The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott A. Lemmon  prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:17-CR-150-FL-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Miguel Angel Ramos, age 31, from Wilmington, NC was sentenced today in Federal District Court in Raleigh, NC.  Ramos was sentenced to a total of 156 months in prison for the distribution of a quantity of fentanyl on July 25, 2019 in Wilmington, NC. 

According to Court documents and information presented at today’s hearing, in July 2019, agents with the Wilmington Safe Street Task Force (WSSTF) conducted two controlled purchases of suspected heroin from Ramos.  On July 17, 2019, under the supervision of agents with WSSTF, a confidential source (CI) purchased heroin from Ramos.  The CI contacted Ramos and arranged a meeting with Ramos to purchase heroin at a gas station in the Greenfield Lake area of Wilmington.  The CI met Ramos and purchased 50 bags of suspected heroin for $300.00.  On July 25, 2019, law enforcement conducted a second controlled purchase of suspected heroin from Ramos.  The CI met Ramos at a convenience store on Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington.  The CI purchased 98 bags of suspected heroin for $500.00.  In each instance, the suspected heroin tested positive as fentanyl after being sent to the lab for analysis.  Ramos has prior state convictions for the possession of narcotics with the intent to sell or deliver and a prior state conviction for trafficking in opium or heroin.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 Wilmington Safe Streets Task Force, 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. 7:20-cr-00012-D.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Spring Lake man was sentenced today to 160 months in prison for Distribution of Child Pornography.

According to court documents, agents with the Department of Homeland Security received a cyber tip regarding suspected child pornography that had been uploaded to Kik, a social media messaging app, from the address at which Donald Gregory Hoggard, 40, lived.  A search warrant was executed at the residence on October 8, 2019.  Hoggard was present and admitted that he had an account with Kik.  Hoggard admitted to posting and trading child pornography images on that social media app and admitted to having a Dropbox account which contained child sexual exploitation images and videos.  A forensic analysis was performed on Hoggard’s digital devices and Dropbox account.  Hoggard had hundreds of images and videos containing child pornography, some of which included the sexual abuse of infants or toddlers.

At the time of the execution of the search warrant, Hoggard was attending Fayetteville State University and was majoring in Education.  He had been a substitute teacher in Cumberland County from 2016-2018.

“Every image, every depiction of child exploitation victimizes a vulnerable child.  These are among the most despicable and base crimes we are tasked with prosecuting.  But we take on these matters to protect these vulnerable victims and to bring these predators to justice,” said the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr.  “We are grateful for the sentence imposed by the Court today.  And I would like to commend the dedicated law enforcement officers at the federal, state, and local level who have partnered to achieve today’s results.  We are all safer because of their commitment to this work.”

“This sentencing not only removes a serial predator from our community, it also sends a message to others engaged in this filth that we are serious about finding, arresting and prosecuting them,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in North Carolina. “Thanks to some hard work and the great partnerships we have with our law enforcement and community partners, this community can rest easier knowing this monster is no longer free.”

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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. Homeland Security Investigations, Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, Cary Police Department, State Bureau of Investigation and United States Marshals investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson, AUSA  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-00247-M-1.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced today to 151 months in prison for committing a bank robbery against the BB&T Bank located at 3000 Duraleigh Road, Raleigh.

According to court documents and information presented in court today, on April 5, 2019, Anthony Wayne Alston, 57, entered the BB&T bank on Duraleigh Road in Raleigh wearing a trench coat and a stocking mask over his face, and approached the teller counter.  Alston placed his finger to his mouth to signal to the victim teller to be quiet and jumped over the teller counter.  Alston removed $3,354 in United States currency from the victim teller’s cash drawer, placed the currency into a bag, and jumped back over the counter before fleeing from the bank.

Investigators with the Raleigh Police Department quickly located Alston’s vehicle travelling on I-440 and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The vehicle engaged in several evasive driving maneuvers and continued to flee from police at a high rate of speed.  The vehicle exited I-440 via the Six Forks Road exit at a high rate of speed and collided with another vehicle.  Alston fled from the vehicle on foot but was soon apprehended.  A total of $3,354 in United States currency was recovered from a plastic bag discovered near where Alston was apprehended.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II.

 The Raleigh Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith prosecuted the case.

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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-00261-M.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Robert Baxter, 51, of Duplin County, was sentenced last week to 97 months imprisonment for: (1) Conspiracy to Possess With Intent to Distribute and Distribution of Five Hundred (500) Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine and Possession With Intent to Distribute Fifty (50) Grams or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Methamphetamine.

The investigation revealed that on September 20, 2019, Duplin County Narcotics Detectives served a search warrant on Baxter’s residence on Black Swamp Road in Duplin County.  Detectives found an ounce and half of 98% pure methamphetamine.  On October 16, 2019, Duplin and Onslow County Detectives went to a residence, associated with Baxter, on Dunn Road in Sneads Ferry. Law enforcement searched the residence and found a quantity of methamphetamine and a digital scale.  During the course of the investigation, law enforcement discovered that Baxter had been involved in the distribution of more than one and a half kilograms of methamphetamine in the Eastern District of North Carolina between September 19, 2019 and June 30, 2020. The evidence showed that this methamphetamine was primarily from Georgia.

Baxter was arrested on federal charges on June 30, 2020.  On a later date, Baxter failed to appear in federal court for his arraignment.  On August 31, 2020, Onslow County deputies assisted the United States Marshals Service in apprehending Baxter. Law enforcement discovered that Baxter was in Onslow County and attempted to arrest Baxter.  Baxter fled in the vehicle he was driving. During the pursuit, Baxter drove his car at speeds of 85 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone and 100 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone.  Baxter drove into oncoming traffic, failed to stop for several red lights and stop signs and drove through two school zones. Baxter finally got his car stuck in the mud and fled on foot.  Baxter was ultimately arrested.  The car Baxter was driving had been reported stolen.

The investigation was part of an 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 associated Gang Activity that has been responsible for the distribution of large quantities of extremely pure methamphetamine throughout the United States.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II.  The Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Marshals Service, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office and the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office 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. 7:20-CR-74-M.

NEW BERN, N.C. – Tymir “Dolla” Wigfall, 27, of New Hanover County, was sentenced yesterday to 120 months imprisonment for: (1) Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribution of a quantity of Heroin and Fentanyl; (2) Distribution of Fentanyl and Carfentanil (two counts); (3)  Distribution of a quantity of Heroin and Fentanyl; (4) Distribution of a quantity of Fentanyl; (5) Distribution of a Quantity of Fentanyl (aiding and abetting); (6) Employing, Hiring Using, Persuading Enticing or Coercing a Person Under Age 18 to Distribute Fentanyl; and (7) Distribution of quantity of Fentanyl and Heroin (aiding and abetting).

The evidence presented in court revealed that, between November 2019 and May 19, 2020, the Wilmington Police Department made seven controlled purchases of fentanyl, carfentanil (an analogue of fentanyl) and heroin from Wigfall.

According to law enforcement, Wigfall was a leader of a violent street gang and used his status to encourage others to take part in criminal conduct.  For example, on March 10, 2020, the Wilmington Police Department arranged a controlled purchase of heroin from Wigfall.  Wigfall provided a juvenile with the heroin and directed the juvenile to make the sale.  Thereafter, on March 18, 2020, Wigfall again used the same juvenile to complete the sale of a mixture of fentanyl and carfentanil.  On March 19, 2020, Wigfall employed a different juvenile to complete a sale of fentanyl and heroin.  On that occasion, the juvenile appeared to have a firearm in his waistband during the exchange. 

Wigfall’s prior felony convictions include: Possession of a Firearm with an Altered Serial Number (2010); Possession of Heroin (2010); Sale of Heroin and Possession with Intent to Deliver Heroin Within 1000 Feet of a School (2014); and, Interfering with an Electronic Monitoring Devise (2017). While in the North Carolina Department of Correction for these offenses, Wigfall was cited for numerous infractions.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Wilmington Police Department 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. 5:20-CR-00005-M.

RALEIGH, N.C. – In response to President Biden’s request that all Presidentially appointed United States Attorneys step down, United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., submitted his letter of resignation to the President today with an effective date of midnight on February 28, 2021.  He expressed his honor to serve as United States Attorney and his gratitude to former President Trump and Senators Burr and Tillis for their support and for giving him an opportunity to serve the people of this District.  A copy of Mr. Higdon's letter is attached.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Yakim Paige of Elizabeth City was sentenced today to 90 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl and a fentanyl precursor, and aiding and abetting that crime, as well as possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.  Paige had previously been convicted of five state felonies, including firearm, drug, and assault offenses.  

According to court documents and statements made in court, in the months leading to August 2019, the Elizabeth City Police Department received information from two confidential sources that Paige was distributing heroin in Elizabeth City. 

On August 20, 2019, law enforcement set up surveillance and witnessed Paige engage in what appeared to be a hand to hand drug deal in an AutoZone parking lot.  He was wearing a black single-strap bookbag.  

Because Paige was on post-release supervision for a prior offense, officers notified his probation officer.  The same day, probation officers went to Paige’s apartment in Elizabeth City to conduct a warrantless search with assistance from law enforcement.  

They detained Paige and two other men who were present.  In the bathroom beside the toilet, officers found the black single-strap shoulder bag that Paige had been carrying at AutoZone earlier in the day.  In it they found his NCDMV ID card and a Ruger LCP II .380 caliber handgun, loaded with 6 rounds.  They also found a digital scale and four bags that contained a mixture of Fentanyl and a schedule II fentanyl precursor called ANPP. 

In a shoe box in the living room, officers found a second firearm, a Taurus 9mm handgun loaded with 9 rounds.  Elsewhere, they recovered ammunition of different calibers and a firearm magazine.  In a second book bag in the living room, officers found a clear plastic bag containing more of the Fentanyl and ANPP mixture, and in the kitchen cabinets, they found a digital scale and 91 blue wax bags, commonly used to package narcotics.  Officers seized eight additional plastic bags of powder substance from the pockets of the other two men who were present.  Altogether, officers seized over 42 grams of substance containing ANPP and Fentanyl.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

That effort has been implemented through 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 in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle.  The Elizabeth City Police Department, Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, N.C. Department of Public Safety, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00012-BO.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Whiteville man was sentenced today to 117 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine case (crack) and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on July 3, 2019, detectives with the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) executed a search warrant at the residence of Jamal Devon Bryant. Bryant was found in an abandoned, dilapidated house behind the main residence. A search of this structure and Bryant’s bedroom in the main residence, uncovered the following items: two .223 caliber semi-automatic rifles, a .40 caliber pistol, digital scales, $4,046 in U.S. currency, 8.4 grams of cocaine base and 4.5 grams of methamphetamine. Bryan was taken into custody and transported to the CCSO where he provided a brief unprotected statement admitting to selling cocaine base and ownership of the aforementioned firearms.

Bryant is responsible for the possession and/or distribution of 58.97 grams of cocaine base and 4.5 grams of methamphetamine. In addition, Bryant is also accountable for the possession of three firearms and maintaining a dwelling for the distribution of controlled substances.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration 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. – Today, the Director of the Department of Justice Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) recognized Jason Corprew, a task force officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Kevin Perry, a task force officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, for their outstanding work with and their commitment to the OCDETF Program. Officer Corprew is an officer with the Wilson Police Department, and Officer Perry is a deputy sheriff with the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office.  Both officers were nominated due to their work on OCDETF operations in the Eastern District of North Carolina and were two out of nine awardees in the country. 

The National OCDETF Awards recognize outstanding investigations, as well as individuals that best exemplify the prosecutor led, intelligence driven, multi-agency mission of the OCDETF program. These officers demonstrated leadership and commitment, overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles to bring an investigation from sometimes one traffic stop or single drug arrest to targeting and dismantling of national and international criminal organizations.  These investigations have resulted in numerous arrests and successful prosecutions, and lengthy sentences from 20 years to life imprisonment for some of the most dangerous individuals involved in these organizations.  Officers Corprew and Perry relentlessly pursued these organizations, spending countless hours over several years to bring members of the organizations to justice.  These officers were the backbones of complicated investigations, taking these dangerous individuals off the streets of the Eastern District of North Carolina and off the streets of multiple other states and countries.

The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces Program was established in 1982 to mount a comprehensive attack against organized drug traffickers.  Today, the OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.  The OCDETF strategy aims to focus federal drug resources on reducing the flow of illicit drugs and drug proceeds by identifying and targeting major trafficking organizations, eliminating the financial infrastructure of drug organizations by emphasizing financial investigations and asset forfeiture, redirecting federal drug enforcement resources to align them with existing and emerging drug threats, and conducting expanded, nationwide investigations against all the related parts of the targeted organizations.

The awards were presented by Robert J. Higdon, Jr, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  Principle Associate Director of the OCDETF Program, Gil Guerrero, OCDETF Southeast Regional Director Michael Smith, DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Raleigh, NC, office, Matthew O’Brien, and ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Wilmington, NC, office, Shawn Stallo, also made remarks.  During the presentation of the awards, special appreciation was shown for the Chief of the Wilson Police Department, Thomas Hopkins, and the Sheriff of Sampson County, Jimmy Thornton, for their departments’ willingness to contribute these Officers and many other resources to the mission of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. 

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Trenton man was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for possessing firearms as a convicted felon.

According to court documents, Gregory Wade Howard, Jr., 34, possessed handguns on two separate occasions in October and December 2019, while he was on supervised probation.  On October 17, 2019, probation officers and deputies with the Jones County Sheriff’s Office found a handgun during a search of Mr. Howard’s residence in Trenton.  On December 9, 2019, medical personnel and Sheriff’s Deputies responded to Mr. Howard’s residence after an emergency call for assistance for a drug overdose.  While rendering assistance to Mr. Howard the deputies found another handgun in the residence.  Mr. Howard had previously been convicted of several felonies, including a previous federal conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

That effort has been implemented through 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 in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 Jones County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Corrections and Juvenile Justice, and the District Attorney’s Office for Onslow, Duplin, Sampson and Jones Counties investigated and assisted with the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parris 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-00040-D-1.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – A Henderson man was sentenced last week to 144 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin. 

According to court documents, law enforcement in Vance County received information that Theodus Lewis Williams, 50, was distributing heroin from his residence, including from a tent in his front yard, and from his neighbor’s residence.  Law enforcement utilized confidential informants to conduct controlled purchases of heroin from Williams and his co-conspirators on several occasions.  As a result, on August 1, 2019, officers executed a search warrant on both residences and the tent, and found quantities of heroin laced with fentanyl, suboxone, more than $3,500 in U.S. currency, and firearms.  Williams pled guilty on August 20, 2020.  He is a convicted felon, having prior drug, gun, and assault convictions, including a 1996 conviction in federal court for possession of a firearm by a felon for which he received a 10-year prison sentence. 

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III on February 4, 2021.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Henderson Police Department, and the Vance 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. 5:19-CR-494-D.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Durham man was sentenced today to 180 months in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and Aiding and Abetting (Count Three) and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (Count Four).

According to court documents, Gurbir Singh Grewal, also known as “Gavin,” 23, pleaded guilty to both offenses on September 3, 2020.

The investigation established that from 2017 to May 2018, Grewal was the leader of a conspiracy to distribute marijuana that extended from New York to various locations in North Carolina, including Durham, Raleigh, and Wilmington.

At the time of the conspiracy, Grewal was a scholarship football player at Fordham University.

In May 2018, a confidential source informed agents that Grewal was selling marijuana for $1,800 to $2,000 per pound. The confidential source stated that in total, he had purchased 46 pounds of marijuana from Grewal during at least ten transactions. According to the confidential source, Grewal had a firearm during every transaction.

On May 11, 2018, the confidential source began communicating with Grewal to arrange a controlled purchase of fifteen pounds of marijuana.

On May 12, 2018, agents conducted surveillance of Grewal. That morning, Grewal went to two storage units. Later in the evening, agents saw Grewal leave an apartment on Leigh Road in Durham. Grewal then arrived at the planned meeting location in Raleigh.

Agents arrested Grewal, who was found in possession of fifteen pounds of marijuana and a firearm.

Agents then obtained a search warrant for the apartment in Durham. There, agents seized: an assault rifle with a double-drum magazine, which was loaded; an unloaded shotgun; marijuana; thousands of dollars in United States currency; a money counter; and a drum magazine that would fit the handgun seized from Grewal’s vehicle.   Agents then executed search warrants at the two storage units and seized marijuana and THC vapor liquid cartridges.

Finally, agents obtained warrants to search cell phones in Grewal’s possession. Data in the cell phones showed that Grewal had trafficked more than 300 pounds of marijuana to North Carolina in early 2018.

A witness stated that Grewal regularly used firearms to threaten others, and that Grewal would hold firearms to the heads of others during those threats. The witness also stated that Grewal became angered when a drug customer failed to pay a debt, and Grewal ordered members of the drug trafficking organization to burn down the home of that drug customer. Durham police reports confirmed that the customer’s home had been set on fire and was significantly damaged.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Raleigh Police Department, and the Durham Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott A. Lemmon  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-00491-D.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Bethesda, Maryland man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for health care fraud.  In addition to the prison term imposed, he was also ordered to pay $173,870.12 to the North Carolina Medicaid Fund as restitution.

According to court documents, Christian Anthony Ekberg, 34, was an officer and minority shareholder of an out-of-state company that entered into an agreement with a North Carolina dentist.  Under the agreement, the out-of-state company would provide professional management services to the dentist, including submitting Medicaid claims, and the dentist would provide dental services to patients living in skilled nursing facilities throughout North Carolina.

From September 2, 2015 through April 21, 2017, Ekberg, and others, knowingly submitted fraudulent dental claims to Medicaid.  For example, although the dental records showed that only approximately 107 prophylaxes and 24 debridements had been performed for Medicaid recipients living at the skilled nursing facilities, claims were submitted falsely representing that 771 prophylaxes and 611 debridements were performed for these recipients.  In total, the health care fraud resulted in Medicaid paying approximately $173,870.12 for services that had not been rendered.   These funds were deposited into an account to which Ekberg had access.  During the relevant time period, Ekberg signed all the checks from this account. The checks written to Ekberg, to cash, and to the out-of-state company, totaled approximately $177,034.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 North Carolina Department of Justice’s Medicaid Investigations Division (MID)  investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. 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. 5:20-cr-00434-M-1.

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NEW BERN, N.C. – Yesterday a federal jury convicted a Jacksonville man on  charges of Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With the Intent to Distribute One (1) Kilogram or More of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Heroin, a Quantity of Marijuana, and Five (5) Kilograms or More of Cocaine; Distribution of a Quantity of Heroin, and Aiding and Abetting; Possess With the Intent to Distribute One Hundred (100) Grams or more of a Mixture or Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Heroin, a Quantity of Marijuana and a Quantity of Cocaine; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Austin Kyle Lee, also known as Justin, 30, of Jacksonville sold heroin to dealers in Jacksonville on multiple occasions, beginning in 2016. Through further investigation, it was determined that Lee, who was on parole for a felony drug conviction out of New York, was maintaining a house next door to his probation-official residence. 

Officers searched Lee’s stash house on Ridge View Drive and found over $210,000.00 in cash, 354.4 grams of cocaine, 159.72 grams of heroin, and 118.95 grams of marijuana.  Additionally, a loaded Glock 19 9mm pistol, Kel-Tec 9mm pistol, and Jiminez Arms .22 pistol with obliterated serial number were located in the house.  Over the course of approximately two years, Lee distributed around 5 kilograms of heroin, 20 kilograms of cocaine, and 1.75 pounds of marijuana.

Lee faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment when sentenced in July 2021.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 Onslow County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,  Duplin County Sheriff’s Office, and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Brown and Robert Dodson 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. 7:18-cr-00153-FL-1.

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GREENVILLE, N.C. – Khyree Banks of Elizabeth City was sentenced today to 40 months in prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.  Banks’ 5 prior state felony convictions and 20 prior misdemeanor convictions include multiple instances of breaking and entering, larceny, and felony possession of cocaine.  

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 27, 2018, officers of the Elizabeth City Police Department were on patrol just before 2 p.m., when they initiated a traffic stop on a dark 2002 Mercedes Benz for illegal window tint at the intersection of S Road St. and Shepard St. 

As the car came to a slow roll, the rear passenger, Khyree Banks, jumped out of the car with a silver pistol in his hand and turned toward the officers.  Banks lost his balance after stepping out of the car but caught himself by placing his firearm hand on the ground.  He then turned and ran behind a building, and both officers chased him with their firearms drawn. 

Banks looped around the building to the road, where he eventually followed commands to slow down and was detained.  During the foot chase, the Mercedes had driven away.  In the place where Banks had stumbled out of the car, officers found a firearm magazine with 10 .22 caliber bullets. 

Officers asked Banks where the gun had gone, and he admitted that he had dropped it behind the building.  In a grassy area by Banks’ flight path, officers found a Ruger .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun.  It contained a second magazine loaded with 10 rounds. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

That effort has been implemented through 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 in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle.  The Elizabeth City Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-00011-BO.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Kevin Brown, 40, of Brunswick County, was sentenced today to 114 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack) and a quantity of cocaine and distribution of a quantity of cocaine.  Brown also received a consecutive sentence of 36 months imprisonment for a supervised release violation.

The evidence presented in court and other information revealed that between March and May of 2019, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Narcotics Division, working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, made several controlled purchases from Brown while he was on federal supervised release for conspiracy to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack).  Brown had been released from a federal halfway house in February of 2019 after serving a 92 month federal sentence.  Following Brown’s arrest on the new charges, law enforcement received information that Brown had obtained a firearm to protect his drugs and money, but they were unable to locate the firearm.

Brown’s prior convictions included accessory after the fact to robbery with a dangerous Weapon (2007), sale of cocaine (2010) and the previously mentioned federal conviction for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing before U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office 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. 5:20-CR-00005-M.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Carlton McIntyre, 26, of New Hanover County, was sentenced today to 54 months imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess With the Intent to Distribute and Distribute a Quantity of Heroin and Possess With the Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Heroin.

The evidence presented in court and other information revealed that on July 10, 2019, the New Hanover Sheriff’s Office conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from McIntyre around the 300 block of Wilson Street in Wilmington, North Carolina.   Detectives conducted a traffic stop on the car which was delivering the narcotics.  Detectives found a loaded 9mm handgun between McIntyre (the driver) and a passenger on the passenger floorboard in a backpack.  The backpack also contained more than 1,400 bags of either heroin or fentanyl. According to law enforcement, McIntyre is a member of a violent gang and has prior felony convictions.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing before U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III.  The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo  prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:19-cr-00123-D-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Omar Jaquan Carr, 26, from Teachey, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for conspiracy to possess and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, from January 2019 through February 19, 2020, one count of aiding and abetting in the distribution of a quantity of cocaine, and possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and marijuana.  Deon Harold Boney, 27, from Rose Hill, North Carolina was sentenced to a total of 66 months in prison on one count of conspiracy to possess and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, from January 2019 through February 19, 2020 and six counts of aiding and abetting in the distribution of a quantity of cocaine.   

According to court documents, Boney and Carr aided and abetted each other in the sale of cocaine on at least six occasions.  Records show that on January 23, 2019, the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office used a confidential informant to purchase cocaine from Boney and Carr who was Boney’s supplier. The confidential informant traveled to Boney’s residence in Rose Hill to meet Boney and waited for Carr to arrive and deliver the cocaine. Duplin County Sheriff’s investigators conducted similar purchases on August 20, 2019, September 17, 2019, October 28, 2019, December 11, 2019, and February 12, 2020.  In each instance, the confidential informant met Boney at his residence in Rose Hill and waited on Carr to deliver the cocaine. In total, law enforcement purchased almost seven hundred (700) grams of cocaine from Boney and Carr.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Carr’s residence in Teachey on February 19, 2020.  During the search, law enforcement found approximately $285,000 in currency.  Of this amount, $20,620 had matching serial numbers from the currency used by law enforcement in the controlled purchases over the course of the prior year. A total of $280,339 will be forfeited.  In addition, law enforcement recovered over 3,000 grams of marijuana and over 200 grams of cocaine.  A loaded .38 caliber revolver in a filing cabinet that contained marijuana and a 9mm handgun in a safe that contained marked currency were also recovered.  Carr has prior felony convictions.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 Duplin County Sheriff’s Office 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. 7:20-cr-00090-D.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced yesterday to 33 months in prison for conspiring with others to defraud financial institutions of approximately $393,875. 

According to court documents, Jacques Maurico Anderson, 32, and a close friend purchased synthetic identities from an individual they met on Craig’s List.  Anderson used this nine-digit-number, commonly referred to as a CPN, on credit applications instead of the social security number issued to him by the Social Security Administration because his credit was poor.  Anderson and his friend enhanced the credit worthiness of their new credit profiles by adding the CPN coupled with their names as authorized users to credit cards issued to individuals with high credit scores.  As a result, lenders and credit card issuers were scammed into believing Anderson and his friend had good credit and the ability to pay off indebtedness. 

Between February 17, 2017 and March 8, 2017, Anderson and his friend went on a month-long shopping spree with their new synthetic identities.  They also substantially inflated their income and provided false residential addresses.  In total, they purchased or attempted to purchase five automobiles, eight All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), one covered wagon trailer and obtained seven credit cards.  Anderson and his friend attempted to sell some of the ATVs that they fraudulently obtained to others.     

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 and the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General  investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Menzer  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-00266-D-1.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Shyreek Thatch, 21, of Lexington, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 108 months imprisonment for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of a 100 grams or more of heroin and a quantity of methamphetamine and cocaine, distribution of a quantity of heroin (aiding and abetting), and possess with intent to distribute and distribution of a 100 grams or more of heroin and a quantity of methamphetamine and cocaine (aiding and abetting).

The evidence presented in court and other information revealed that on November 14, 2019, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office conducted a controlled purchase of a half an ounce of heroin from Thatch. Following this controlled purchase, another purchase of heroin was orchestrated by law enforcement. Detectives conducted surveillance on Thatch and another person as they left an apartment on Park Avenue in Wilmington and drove to the meeting location.  Thatch and the other person fled after law enforcement identified themselves.  Thatch attempted to discard a quantity of heroin before he was arrested.  His co-defendant hid a loaded .40 caliber handgun prior to his arrest.  A search warrant was obtained for the Park Avenue address where detectives recovered half a kilogram of a heroin/fentanyl mixture, 55 grams of pure methamphetamine, 40 grams of ecstasy, a quantity of cocaine, another loaded .40 caliber handgun, a loaded 9mm handgun and money received from the earlier controlled purchase by law enforcement.  Two other persons were arrested in the apartment.  Thatch told law enforcement that he had come to Wilmington solely to make money.  During the course of the investigation, law enforcement discovered that the narcotics were being imported from the High Point area for distribution in Wilmington using armed associates or gang members. According to law enforcement, Thatch was a member of a violent gang.

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 heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the United States.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing before U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III.  The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo  prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-00005-M.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Smyrna, Georgia man was arrested and had his first appearance in federal court in Atlanta today on charges of laundering the proceeds of romance scams that targeted victims in the Eastern District of North Carolina and throughout the United States.

According to court documents, Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, a/k/a “Dare,” opened, maintained, and controlled multiple bank accounts, referred to as “drop accounts,” that were used to receive, move, and obscure criminal proceeds, including funds derived from romance scams.  A romance scam refers to a type of scheme in which scammers create fake profiles on Internet dating sites for the purpose of identifying victims, forming fraudulent romantic relationships with them, and then exploiting them for profit.  According to the allegations in the indictment, co-defendant Samuel Ugberaese, a/k/a “Putsammy,” a Nigerian national, and his co-conspirators used romance scam techniques, including false stories and promises, as a means to defraud victims into transferring money on their behalf.  It is alleged that Kolaogunbule conspired with Ugberaese to conduct financial transactions through his bank accounts, including accounts registered to purported Georgia export companies, in order to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the criminal proceeds.  The indictment seeks a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of at least $2,367,520 related to the schemes. 

Kolaogunbule is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and faces a maximum penalty of 240 months in prison if convicted.

“Romance scams are among the most prolific and despicable crimes of the digital age.  Con artists outside of our borders stalk Internet dating websites for the sole purpose of taking advantage of individuals looking for companionship,” stated United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr.  “They make false promises of love, but the victims—many of whom are older Americans—find only emotional and financial devastation.  The losses associated with these crimes is staggering; according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, romance scams produce greater reported financial losses when compared to other online crimes.  In 2019 alone, romance scams generated reported losses in excess of $475 million.  In order to move these criminal proceeds in and out of our financial system, the scammers often rely on domestic money launderers to help them avoid detection and maximize their profits. Disrupting these criminal networks and vindicating the rights of victims to see justice, with targeted investigations and prosecutions, will be continue to be a top priority for my office.”

"It takes a heartless person to prey on lonely, elderly people. Some of these victims were essentially robbed of their life savings so these conspirators could profit. The FBI and our law enforcement partners are focused on holding offenders accountable who rip off our senior citizens," said Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Charlotte.  

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Charlotte Field Office, investigated this case.    Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig 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. 5:21-CR-27-BO.

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

RALEIGH, N.C. – Stephon Ellis, 33, of Elizabeth City was sentenced today to 90 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.  Ellis’s six prior state felony convictions include attempted robbery, breaking and entering, and possession with intent to sell or deliver heroin.  

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 21, 2020, at around 1:00 p.m., the Elizabeth City Police Department was dispatched to a car crash in a residential area of Elizabeth City.  Officers identified the driver as the defendant Stephon Ellis.  After clipping the rear of a parked car, Ellis had turned onto a side street, where he ran into a fence and another parked car before coming to rest.  Ellis later admitted that he had been under the influence of Xanax.  

As the officers investigated, a witness informed them that Ellis had placed a firearm in the back-seat area of the car after the crash.   Officers recovered a Taurus model PT940 .40 caliber handgun in the seat pocket behind the driver’s seat.  It was fully loaded with a round in the chamber. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Since 2017, the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

That effort has been implemented through 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 in those communities on a sustained basis to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III.  The Elizabeth City Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00030-D.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Yesterday, a federal jury convicted Shawn Fonville, 34, of Wilmington on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin; possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Fonville was distributing narcotics from three residences in the Wilmington area.  While under surveillance, Fonville and his associates were observed orchestrating purchases and distributing heroin to other individuals from the residences. Following those purchases, officers from the Wilmington Police Department received information that the defendant had traveled to New York to get additional supplies of heroin.  The day after Fonville returned to his apartment in Wilmington, multiple vehicles were seen leaving his residence. Officers conducted a traffic stop on one of the vehicles.  The driver, co-defendant Zabar Irick, attempted to flee, and officers observed Irick throwing bundles of heroin while fleeing.  Officers secured a search warrant for the defendant’s apartment and discovered 3,000 dosage units of heroin, a loaded revolver, and over $40,000 in the defendant’s bedroom.  An additional firearm was located in the center console of the defendant’s vehicle.  This conduct occurred while Fonville was on federal supervised release for prior convictions of possession with intent to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm by a felon. 

Fonville faces a maximum penalty of 35 years imprisonment when sentenced during the May 3, 2021 term of court.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and Wilmington Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Bradford Knott and Caroline Webb prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:18-cr-00185-D.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Pamlico County man was sentenced on Thursday, January 28, 2021, to 100 months in prison for the distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine.

According to court documents, Curtis Trevore Bell, 38, began selling methamphetamine and cocaine almost immediately after serving a ten-year sentence for murder.   In a thirteen-month period, authorities purchased narcotics from Bell, a known member of the United Blood Nation, fourteen times.  During the same time frame, U.S. Marshals removed Bell from a Federal courthouse in Elizabeth City when Bell appeared at a trial of a notorious drug dealer in New Bern to intimidate the Government’s witnesses.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle.  This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force in the Eastern District of North Carolina focusing on narcotics distributors in Pamlico County. The Pamlico County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the District Attorney's Office in Prosecutorial District 4 assisted with the investigation of 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. 4:20-cr-00043-BO.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Two Lumberton men were sentenced for gun and drug crimes. James Floyd received a sentence of 72 months’ imprisonment and Jerrick Floyd received a sentence of 90 months’ imprisonment.

According to court documents, James Floyd, 29, and Jerrick Floyd, 36 sold drugs and firearms out of a stash house in Lumberton, North Carolina. From July 2019 until January 2020, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), conducted an investigation into the Floyds for drug distribution and unlawful firearms sales. Law enforcement conducted numerous controlled purchases of firearms and cocaine. On January 16, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the location of the controlled purchases and recovered three handguns, two rifles, extended magazines, a quantity of cocaine, and 1.5 kilograms of marijuana. James Floyd is also a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms.

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. 

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, and Lumberton Police Department 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. 7:20-CR-87-BO.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – Ashley Shackelford, 35, of Duplin County, was sentenced yesterday to 90 months imprisonment for: (1) Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute and Distribute 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing Methamphetamine; and (2) Possess with the Intent to Distribute of 500 grams of a mixture of substance containing Methamphetamine.

The evidence presented in court revealed that on June 30, 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration, (DEA) working with the Duplin County Narcotics Detectives, received information that Shackelford had recently been in possession of several ounces of methamphetamine and a firearm at her residence.  Agents developed additional information that Shackelford and another person were traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to pick up two pounds of methamphetamine and then returning to Eastern North Carolina.   On July 1, 2020, Sampson County Detectives stopped a car driven by Shackelford with a passenger in Newton Grove.  Detectives found more than a kilogram and half of methamphetamine in the car.  During the investigation law enforcement discovered that Shackelford had assisted in the delivery of more than two and a half kilograms of methamphetamine from Atlanta to Eastern North Carolina during 2020.

Additionally, in separate investigations, in February 2020, Mount Olive Police Officers conducted two controlled purchases of an ounce of methamphetamine on each occasion from Shackelford at her residence.  On December 2, 2017, Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a consensual search of Shackelford’s residence and found approximately 4 ounces of methamphetamine.

The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation.  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.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II.  The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Duplin, Sampson and Wilson County Sheriffs’ Offices and the Mount Olive Police Department 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. 7:20-cr-00130-M-2.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A La Grange, North Carolina man, Osvaldo Fuentez-Buentello, age 49,   was sentenced yesterday to a total of 148 months in prison for conspiracy to possess and possess with the intent to distribute five (5) kilograms or more of cocaine, fifty (50) grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and twenty-eighty (28) grams or more of cocaine base (crack).  In addition, Buentello was sentenced for possession with intent to distribute fifty (50) grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, a quantity of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.    

According to court documents, on February 19, 2020, a cooperating defendant in New Hanover County ordered a shipment of methamphetamine and cocaine from Buentello.  In route from a stash house in La Grange, North Carolina, in Lenoir County, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Deputies tracked Buentello and stopped his Chevrolet truck as it entered New Hanover County.  Buentello was the sole occupant of the truck.  A K-9 unit responded, and the K-9 gave a positive alert for the presence of narcotics.  Deputies searched the truck and found approximately 5 ounces of methamphetamine and 9 ounces of cocaine in a boot behind the passenger’s seat.  A 9mm High Point handgun was found in the center console. 

Following the traffic stop, law enforcement conducted a search of Buentello’s stash house in La Grange and found more than 400 grams of marijuana, more than 100 grams of cocaine and more than 28 grams of cocaine base (crack).  Law enforcement also located more than $40,000.00.  Buentello provided a statement to law enforcement following his arrest and indicated that he dealt in kilogram levels of cocaine for 8 years prior to his arrest and ounce levels of methamphetamine for several months prior to his arrest. 

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Murphy Averitt  prosecuted the case.

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.

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-00047-M.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wilmington man was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, Marquan Kyemeke Gibbs, 30, was charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm.  Gibbs pled guilty on November 17, 2020. 

On April 13, 2020, while on probation for multiple offenses – including a prior state conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon – Gibbs was in the back seat of a car that was subject to a traffic stop.  Gibbs failed to comply with law enforcement commands and was removed from the vehicle.  A subsequent search revealed a 9mm handgun in Gibbs’ pocket, with a 30-round high capacity magazine containing 27 rounds in a different pocket.  The gun was stolen from a home on Wrightsville Avenue in Wilmington during an August 8, 2019 breaking and entering.  On October 1, 2019, a very similar breaking and entering of another Wrightsville Avenue home resulted in four other guns being stolen, one of which was later recovered from a juvenile.  Investigators obtained fingerprints from the scene of the October 1, 2019 breaking and entering that matched Gibbs.  

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The North Carolina 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Wilmington Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany  prosecuted the case.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative. 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. 7:20-CR-00096-BO.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A New Bern woman pleaded guilty today to Distribution of Fifty Grams or More of Methamphetamine and Aiding and Abetting (Count One) and Conspiracy to Defraud the Internal Revenue Service (Count Two).  

According to court documents, on January 22, 2020, Antoinette Charmane Becton, age 40, aided and abetted the distribution of fifty grams or more of methamphetamine.

Law enforcement agents used a confidential informant and an undercover agent to arrange the purchase of one pound (approximately 453 grams) of methamphetamine from Becton, who stated that she would reach out to her supplier to obtain the methamphetamine.

Becton and her supplier then met with the confidential informant and undercover agent in a parking lot in Greenville, North Carolina where the transaction was completed. The drugs were field tested for the presence of methamphetamine, with positive results. 

Prior to this crime, Becton owned and operated a tax return business known as Carolina Tax Services in New Bern. From 2014 to 2019, Becton conspired with others to electronically file false tax returns with the IRS.  

By including false wage income, Becton caused the IRS to issue refunds the taxpayers were not entitled to. 

At today’s hearing, the government proffered that Becton caused the filing of at least 489 false returns, seeking approximately $3.2 million in fraudulent refunds. 

Becton faces a mandatory minimum of five years and maximum of 40 years in prison for the methamphetamine distribution offense. She faces a maximum of five years’ imprisonment for the tax fraud conspiracy when sentenced.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II accepted the plea. The Greenville Police Department, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Internal Revenue Service are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Lemmon and Susan Menzer 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. 4:20-CR-16-M-3.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – Late yesterday a federal jury convicted a Rocky Mount man on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Kalid Koron Ocean-Avent,  23, a member of the 9-Trey Bloods, led Rocky Mount Police Officers on a high-speed chase through the area of Cokey Road and Long Avenue at 2:00 a.m. on January 16, 2020.  After Ocean-Avent wrecked his car and ran from the scene, officers chased down and arrested Ocean-Avent in a nearby yard.  Upon searching Ocean-Avent’s car, officers found a stolen firearm in the open dash compartment, along with Ocean-Avent’s cell phone and marijuana.

At the time of his arrest, Ocean-Avent was on Federal post-release supervision stemming from a 2019 conviction in the Eastern District of North Carolina for distribution of heroin, a felony offense.

United States Attorney Higdon stated: “We are grateful for the jury’s verdict finding this defendant guilty.  As part of our ongoing effort to Take Back North Carolina from violent criminals, we are pursuing gang members – particularly members of the United Blood Nation – and others who use and carry firearms illegally.  Our goal is to remove them from our communities so that law abiding citizens can live without fear for their safety or their lives.”

Ocean-Avent faces a maximum penalty of 120 months in prison when sentenced on April 26, 2021, and an additional 24 months in prison for his pending revocation of his post-release supervision.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 Rocky Mount Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys J.D. Koesters and Nick Miller 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. 4:20-CR-17-D.

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WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Weldon man was sentenced today to 154 months in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Heroin, a Quantity of Cocaine Base (Crack) and a Quantity of Marijuana, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

According to court documents, in April 2019, Weldon Motic Jackson, 52, sold marijuana to a confidential informant working with the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office (“HCSO”) out of the New Yorker Motel in Weldon.  Thereafter, HCSO executed a search warrant at Jackson’s hotel room where they found Jackson with his juvenile child along with another man who was attempting to flush marijuana down the toilet.  On a table in the room, deputies found quantities of heroin, cocaine base (crack), marijuana, and drug distribution paraphernalia.  In a book bag near the drugs, deputies located a loaded firearm.  Upon his arrest by federal authorities, Jackson was found with additional narcotics on his person.  

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., 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 Halifax County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the case.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative.  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. 4:20-CR-00020-M.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced today to 180 months in prison for Possession of Child Pornography.  He was also ordered to pay $33,000 restitution to known victims.

United States Attorney Higdon stated: “Child pornography – the horrible exploitation of the most vulnerable among us – is one of the worst and most intolerable crimes we prosecute.  And today’s sentencing reflects the Department of Justice’s deep and abiding commitment to removing these predators and restoring our children.  The Court’s sentence 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 sentencing not only removes a serial predator from our community, it also sends a message to others engaged in this filth that we are serious about finding, arresting and prosecuting them,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in North Carolina. “Thanks to some hard work and the great partnerships we have with our law enforcement and community partners, this community can rest easier knowing this monster is no longer free.”

According to court documents, in November 2019, agents with the Department of Homeland Security received a cybertip regarding suspected child pornography that had been uploaded to a social media messaging app from the address in Raleigh at which Benjamin Lineberger, 28, lived.  A search warrant was executed at the residence and when the agents entered the residence, Lineberger was found in a bathroom.  Lineberger agreed to speak with agents.  He denied uploading or being in possession of any child pornography.  Lineberger admitted to having an iPhone and an iPad and gave agents consent to search the digital devices.  Agents searched the bathroom where Lineberger was found initially and found a broken cell phone inside the toilet tank.  The phone was bent, as though someone had tried to break it in half and the cover had been removed.

The iPhone and iPad and the cell phone were forensically analyzed.  The broken cell phone had a latent print on its screen that was matched to Lineberger.  The iPad and the broken cell phone contained child pornography.  In all Lineberger possessed approximately 1,480 images and 170 videos that depicted child pornography.  Many of those depicted sadistic and masochistic conduct.

Lineberger had previously been convicted for a similar offense, Third Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in Wake County Superior Court, North Carolina.

This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level.  For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Department of Homeland Security Investigations, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Cary Police Department, Raleigh Police Department and the United States Marshal’s Service 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. 5:20-CR-246.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces a podcast in observance of Human Trafficking Awareness month.  January is designated as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. 

You are invited to listen to a discussion about the successful prosecution of Brandon Jennings for the crime of Human Trafficking by the prosecution team.  (https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/raleigh-man-receives-life-imprisonment-human-trafficking) The prosecutor, investigators, and Victim-Witness Coordinator detail the challenges and rewards associated with complex Human Trafficking cases. The podcast was produced by the North Carolina Justice Academy and is located at https://ncdoj.gov/ncja/human-trafficking-podcast/.   

RALEIGH, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. recognizes the service of federal, state, local, and tribal police officers on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, which is being observed Saturday, January 9, 2021. On this date, communities across the country will show their appreciation and support for law enforcement agencies and their personnel in various ways.

“I ask every citizen of the Eastern District to join me in recognizing the tremendous service and sacrifices that our law enforcement officers have made this past year and make every day,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. “Together, with our ongoing partnerships, commitment, and dedication, we will continue to work together to ensure that our citizens, here in the Eastern District of North Carolina, are safe and secure.”

As part of this national day of recognition, citizens across the country are encouraged to share their expressions of gratitude and support for local law enforcement agencies, officers, and public safety personnel within their respective communities. Likewise, citizens and officers alike are encouraged to share their positive experiences and collaborations with each other.  

The Eastern District of North Carolina serves the 44 easternmost counties of North Carolina.

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

NEW BERN, N.C. – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that in Federal Court, United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan has sentenced Sandro Cuevas, Jr., 25, from Selma, North Carolina, to 360 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. 

According to court documents and evidence presented to the court, Sandro Cuevas, Jr. was named in a five-count Indictment filed on May 9, 2019.  On January 14, 2020, the defendant pled guilty to Conspiring with others to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, and to various counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine.

The investigation revealed Cuevas ran a large-scale drug trafficking organization for multiple years.  Cuevas began selling marijuana and cocaine nearly a decade ago and progressed in earnest to larger quantities and additional types of drugs.  As Cuevas progressed, he developed multiple contacts from Mexico to Atlanta, GA who supplied his organization cocaine and methamphetamine. As a primary means of transportation, Cuevas paid couriers up to $1,000.00 per trip to travel and retrieve kilogram quantities of the various drugs.  Once the drugs arrived in North Carolina, Cuevas utilized a network of stash houses and individuals to sell the drugs into various communities.  At the investigation’s conclusion, the organization led by Cuevas was known to distribute drugs in multiple North Carolina counties, South Carolina, and as far South as Atlanta, Georgia. Cuevas, and those with whom he worked, were known to sell the drugs quickly in an effort to reduce full criminal exposure that accompanies being caught with large quantities of drugs.  This organization carried and used multiple firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking activities.

Leading to the arrest of Cuevas, a reliable informant provided law enforcement with corroborated information about the drug organization.  With this, multiple controlled purchases for large quantities of methamphetamine were achieved. These controlled purchases led to a search warrant that resulted in the seizure of extensive drug ledgers, multiple arrests (including that of Sandro Cuevas, Jr.), the recovery of large quantities of methamphetamine, distribution materials, and an assault rifle.

The case is a federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) criminal matter.  In support of OCDETF, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina has implemented the Take Back North Carolina Initiative.  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.

The case was investigated by the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, the Duplin County Sherriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Brad Knott prosecuted the case on behalf of 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-00194-FL-1.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Aaron Bell, 25, of New Hanover County, was sentenced on January 6, 2021, to 48 months imprisonment for: (1) Distribution of a quantity of heroin; and (2) possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The evidence presented in court and other information revealed that on August 8, 2019, the Wilmington Police Department conducted a controlled purchase of heroin from Bell in the area of Voltaire Place.  On May 15, 2020, Bell was arrested on an outstanding warrant for pending state court charges.  At the time of that arrest he was found in possession of a loaded handgun.  Bell informed officers that he had the handgun because he was concerned that he was a target and going to be shot by a rival group.  Bell was a felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm at the time of his arrest. The investigation further revealed that between October 2018 and August 2019, Bell distributed more than 65 grams of heroin.  According to law enforcement, Bell was also a member of a violent gang.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Wilmington Police Department 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. 7:20-cr-00104-M-1.

NEW BERN, N.C. – Cyle Norris, 30, of Onslow County, was sentenced on January 5, 2021, to 112 months imprisonment for: (1) conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; and (2) distribution of a quantity of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.

The evidence presented during the sentencing hearing revealed that on December 20, 2019, Norris sold a quantity of methamphetamine to an undercover officer working with the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office in the Richlands, N.C. area.  The investigation further revealed that between August 2018 and the time of his arrest, Norris possessed and/or distributed more than 250 grams of methamphetamine.  According to law enforcement, Norris was also a member of a violent gang.

The investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) joint federal, state, and local investigation targeting a multi-State drug trafficking organization that has been responsible for the distribution of large quantities of extremely pure methamphetamine in Onslow County and throughout the United States.  OCDETF cooperative investigations are the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling national and regional level drug trafficking organizations.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Onslow, Duplin and Craven County Sheriff’s Offices and the Beaufort and Kinston Police Departments.   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-00075-FL-1.

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NEW BERN, N.C. – A Shallotte man was sentenced today to 66 months in prison for Cocaine, Cocaine Base (Crack), and Firearm violations.

According to court documents, Anthony Junior Bell, 50, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Cocaine and 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), Possession with Intent to Distribute a Quantity of Cocaine and 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon on November 13, 2019.

On December 18, 2018, investigators with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in Bolivia, North Carolina, performed a traffic stop of a vehicle occupied by Bell. A child was seated in the back seat next to Bell.

A K-9 unit provided a positive alert for the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. Investigators seized a set of brass knuckles, 34.38 grams of cocaine base (crack), and 15.89 grams of cocaine from Bell.

Bell admitted that over the prior six months, he had distributed approximately one kilogram of cocaine.

Bell also admitted that he had a firearm at his residence in Shallotte, North Carolina. Agents went to that residence and seized a .38 caliber handgun. Bell had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment, and so he was prohibited from possessing firearms.

On March 29, 2019, Bell was arrested. As he was being processed at the Brunswick County Detention Center, Bell removed 0.81 grams of heroin from his pants pocket and attempted to hide it by dropping it behind a computer at the intake desk.

This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).  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 case is part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Take Back North Carolina Initiative.  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 additional information about this initiative, click here https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan.  The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott A. Lemmon  prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:19-CR-95-FL-1.

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for possessing firearms while being a convicted felon. 

According to court documents and information presented in court today, on December 11, 2019, the Raleigh Police Department conducted a search at the residence of Nicholas Travon Edwards, 21.  Inside a bedroom safe, RPD officers located a 7.62mm caliber pistol; two 9mm caliber pistols, a model RF-15 5.56 caliber rifle, a .40 caliber pistol, two extended magazines containing 60 rounds of ammunition; 45 rounds of 45mm ammunition; 31 rounds of 9mm ammunition; 37 rounds of .40 ammunition; 30 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm; a .40 caliber extended magazine; a Glock extended magazine with a 31-round capacity; 9 oxycodone pills; 10 plastic bags containing .28 gram of marijuana; 80 grams of marijuana;  a rifle mount with a light and laser; a scope; and (10) 9mm rounds. Further investigation revealed one of the firearms was stolen. 

Edwards became a convicted felon on November 16, 2017, when he pled guilty to Breaking and Entering in Johnston County District Court. On June 20, 2017, Edwards broke into a building in Wendell, North Carolina, and stole equipment belonging to Traynor’s Tree Service.

Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II.

The Raleigh Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith  prosecuted the case.

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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-00262-M.

RALEIGH – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced today that the Eastern District of North Carolina collected $7,077,577.63 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2020.  Of this amount, $3,728,529.18 was collected in criminal actions and $3,349,048.45 was collected in civil actions.  Additionally, over $4.4 million was collected in asset forfeitures.  

Overall, the Justice Department collected more than $15.9 billion in civil and criminal actions in fiscal year (FY) 2020 ending Sept. 30, 2020. The $15,988,516,670 in collections in FY 2020 represents more than five times the approximately $3.2 billion appropriated budget for the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the main litigating divisions of the Justice Department combined in that same period. The total includes all monies collected as a result of Justice Department-led enforcement actions and negotiated civil settlements.  It includes more than $13.5 billion in payments made directly to the Justice Department, and more than $2.4 billion in indirect payments made to other federal agencies, states and other designated recipients. 

As part of its efforts to stop the reckless dispensing of opioids and other controlled substances, the Eastern District of North Carolina collected a $600,000 civil penalty from Farmville Discount Drugs and its owner Robert L. Crocker for multiple violations of the Controlled Substances Act that placed many of its patrons in danger of serious addiction and overdose. The civil judgment and permanent injunction levied against Farmville and Crocker resulted in each losing their license to dispense controlled substances.

Additionally, the Office has taken aggressive efforts to collect restitution for crime victims ordered by the United States District Court, resulting in millions of dollars collected for crime victims. As an example, after pleading guilty to receiving child pornography, William Trevor Soloff was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution to victims of the child pornography associated with his offense and a $5,000 assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015.  The Office garnished a 401(k) account belonging to Soloff to satisfy the judgment in full.

“Our office uses every available tool in our arsenal to vigorously litigate and aggressively collect victim restitution and criminal fines, and recover taxpayer dollars that are either lost to fraud or otherwise owed to government agencies,” said Mr. Higdon.  “We are proud of the men and women in our office who work so hard to pursue justice through their prompt and effective collection efforts.”

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

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $4,445,776  in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2020.  Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund can be used for a variety of purposes, including to support law enforcement.  In certain circumstances, they can also be used to restore funds to crime victims.  The Department of Justice, for instance, restored at least $1.1 million in assets forfeited by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina in Fiscal Year 2020, which assets have been used to compensate the victims of crimes prosecuted by this office.

“The forfeiture of assets which facilitate crimes or which are the fruits of the crime deprives the criminals of the means and reasons for their criminal activity,”  Mr. Higdon stated.  “Asset forfeiture serves an important law enforcement interest.  We will continue to aggressively follow the money so that we can financially disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations and restore funds to victims of crime.” 

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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.