Southern District of Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Columbus vice detective pleaded guilty in federal court today to crimes related to kidnapping victims under the guise of an arrest.

Andrew K. Mitchell, 59, of Sunbury, pleaded guilty to two counts of depriving individuals of their civil rights while acting under color of law and one count of obstructing justice.

As part of the plea agreement, the parties involved have recommended a sentence of seven to 11 years in prison.

Mitchell was employed by the Columbus Division of Police from 1988 until 2019 and was assigned to the vice unit from 2017 until 2019. As part of his duties in that role, Mitchell conducted law enforcement actions for solicitation offenses.

According to court documents, in July 2017, Mitchell picked up a sex worker who was working in the Hilltop near Sullivant and Whitethorne avenues. Mitchell was in plain clothes and an unmarked black sedan. He told the victim he was a police officer and acted as if he were doing a check for any outstanding warrants on the victim.

Mitchell used this ruse to handcuff the victim to the doorknob of his vehicle. He drove the victim to a nearby parking lot with multiple dumpsters and forcible held and detained the victim against her will before dropping her off at her boyfriend’s residence.

Similarly, in September 2017, Mitchell picked up a second sex worker in the Hilltop. Mitchell was again in plain clothes and was driving a dark SUV. He began discussing the victim’s rates for sexual activity before announcing that he was an officer with the vice unit and said she was going to jail.

Mitchell kidnapped the victim and drove her to Lindbergh Park, holding her against her will.

Mitchell also admitted in his plea agreement to obstructing justice. Specifically, during the federal investigation into Mitchell’s civil rights crimes, he directed several individuals to assist him in cleaning out one of the rental properties he owned, located on Denune Ave. The individuals disposed of evidence including photos, clothing, bedding and rental records, and used bleach extensively in the apartment to clean a bed, couch, ottoman and floor.

Mitchell was charged federally and arrested in March 2019. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case.

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A Springfield, Ohio, man was sentenced in U.S. District Court yesterday to 20 years in prison for committing federal hate crimes targeting and attacking Haitian nationals residing in the area.

Izaye Eubanks, 22, pleaded guilty in August to both federal and local crimes. He admitted to committing hate crimes against at least eight Haitian nationals.

“This defendant is being held accountable for repeatedly assaulting and robbing members of the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, because of their national origin,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Attacks like these, where a group of individuals is targeted for violent abuse and robbery because of who they are, will not be tolerated. The Justice Department will continue to enforce our federal criminal civil rights laws to protect all people in this country, and we will prosecute predators who commit violent, bias-motivated crimes.”

“Hate and discrimination have never had a place in our society. As today’s significant prison sentence shows, they have no place today,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “We will continue to prosecute hate crimes to the fullest extent of the law.”

“The hate crimes committed by Izaye Eubanks threatened and intimidated the immigrant community throughout the region,” stated Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office. “Because hate crimes have such a wide-ranging impact, investigating these crimes is a top priority for the FBI.”

According to court documents, in January and February, Eubanks committed various assaults, robberies and a carjacking of Haitian individuals because of the victims’ actual and perceived national origin. Eubanks would travel throughout Springfield looking for individuals he believed were from Haiti and then attack the individuals, usually by punching them and knocking them to the ground before robbing them of their money, cell phones, a vehicle and/or other personal belongings.

On Jan. 29, Eubanks assaulted and robbed a victim while the victim was walking to wire $300 in cash to his mother in Haiti. Eubanks punched the victim in the back of the head and neck, causing him to briefly black out, then robbed the victim of his cash, cell phone and ATM cards. That same day, Eubanks assaulted a victim as he left a Haitian market. Eubanks grabbed the victim by his shirt, pulled him out of his vehicle and punched him in the face before stealing the victim’s vehicle.

On Feb. 1, Eubanks directed juveniles to help him complete four separate attacks on five additional victims.

The FBI Cincinnati Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy M. Smith and Ryan A. Saunders for the Southern District of Ohio prosecuted the case.

CINCINNATI – A former United States Postal Service employee pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to selling a postal key that was then used to steal mail from collection boxes.

Demarco Tapplar, 19, of Cincinnati, admitted to selling a mail arrow key, which is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

According to court documents, in 2023, individuals in the Cincinnati area sought to steal cash and checks from U.S. Postal Service collection boxes by illegally obtaining the postal keys to the boxes.

On Jan. 23, 2023, police recovered a stolen postal key. The next day, the perpetrators of the mail theft obtained a new postal key by purchasing one from Tapplar. At that time, Tapplar was a postal carrier.

Court documents also detail that in August 2022, 10 altered checks were deposited into Tapplar’s bank accounts and in September 2022, a check stolen from the mail was altered to include Tapplar’s name and cashed. 

Tapplar was indicted in June 2023.

Congress sets the minimum and maximum statutory sentences, and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future hearing.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Lesley C. Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division, announced the guilty plea entered on Dec. 4 before Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.

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DAYTON, Ohio – A Springfield, Ohio, man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 240 months in prison for crimes related to targeting and attacking Haitians residing in the area.

Izaye Eubanks, 22, pleaded guilty in August to both federal and local crimes. He admitted to committing hate crimes against at least 8 Haitian nationals.

“This defendant is being held accountable for repeatedly assaulting and robbing members of the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, because of their national origin,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Attacks like these, where a group of individuals is singled out and targeted for violent assaultive conduct because of who they are, will not be tolerated. The Justice Department will continue to enforce our federal criminal civil rights laws and prosecute those who commit violent, bias-motivated crimes in our country.”

“Hate and discrimination have never had a place in our society. As today’s significant prison sentence shows, they have no place today,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “We will continue to prosecute hate crimes to the fullest extent of the law.”

“The hate crimes committed by Izaye Eubanks threatened and intimidated the immigrant community throughout the region,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “Because hate crimes have such a wide-ranging impact, investigating these crimes is a top priority for the FBI.”

According to court documents, in January and February 2023, Eubanks committed various assaults, robberies and a carjacking of Haitian individuals because of the victims’ actual and perceived national origin.

Eubanks would travel throughout Springfield looking for individuals he believed were from Haiti and would then attack the individuals, usually by punching them and knocking them to the ground before robbing them of their money, cell phones, a vehicle, and other personal belongings.

For example, on Jan. 29, 2023, Eubanks assaulted and robbed a victim while the victim was walking to wire $300 in cash to his mother in Haiti. Eubanks punched the victim in the back of the head and neck, causing him to briefly black out, then robbed the victim of his cash, cell phone, and ATM cards.

That same day, Eubanks assaulted a victim as he left Friendly’s Bakery, a Haitian market. Eubanks grabbed the victim by his shirt, pulled him out of his vehicle, and punched him in the face before stealing the victim’s vehicle.

On Feb. 1, 2023, Eubanks directed juveniles to help him complete four separate attacks on five victims.

Eubanks will serve his federal sentence concurrently to the one imposed in Clark County Court of Common Pleas. Eubanks pleaded guilty to five counts of 2nd degree felonious robbery in his local case. He will serve four years in prison for each robbery count concurrently to federal imprisonment.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen M. Clarke; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Field Division; Clark County Prosecutor Daniel P. Driscoll; and Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorneys Amy M. Smith and Ryan A. Saunders are representing the United States in this case.

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CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged the former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) with crimes related to bribery and embezzlement.

Samuel Randazzo, 74, of Columbus, self-surrendered at U.S. District Court in Cincinnati this morning. Randazzo is charged in an 11-count indictment that was returned on Nov. 29 and he will be scheduled for an initial appearance later today.

“Public officials – whether elected or appointed – are tasked with upholding the highest level of integrity in their duties and responsibilities. Such service to the public must be selfless, not selfish,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Through the indictment unsealed today, we seek to hold Randazzo accountable for his alleged illegal activities."

"Today's indictment outlines an alleged scheme in which a public regulatory official ignored the Ohio consumers he was responsible for protecting, instead taking a bribe from an energy company seeking favors," stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “The FBI will remain vigilant in investigating allegations of corruption at all levels of government and hold those who violate the law accountable for their actions.”

Randazzo faces one count of conspiring to commit travel act bribery and honest services wire fraud, two counts of travel act bribery, two counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of wire fraud and five counts of making illegal monetary transactions.

Randazzo was the PUCO chairman from April 2019 until November 2020, when he resigned.  According to the indictment, Randazzo allegedly received more than $4.3 million from an energy company and its affiliates to provide favorable official actions for the company through PUCO proceedings.

For example, it is alleged that in November 2019, Randazzo included language in a PUCO Opinion and Order that would address an issue for the energy company that was slated to happen in 2024. “Stock is gonna get hit with Ohio 2024. Need Sam to get rid of the ‘Ohio 2024 hole,’” an energy executive text message read. Another executive messaged, in part: “I spoke with Sam today. Told me 2024 issue will be handled next Thursday.” The next Thursday, the PUCO decision included language alleviating the 2024 issue.

A March 2020 text message from an executive mentions that Randazzo “will get it done for us but cannot just jettison all process.” The message references specific official actions before continuing: “…a lot of talk going on in the halls of PUCO about does he work there or for us? He’ll move it as fast as he can.”

It is alleged that Randazzo received the bribe money from the energy company through his consulting business, Sustainability Funding Alliance of Ohio, Inc. (SFA), which was registered in Ohio in March 2010. SFA filings name Randazzo as the president and sole representative of the business and lists Randazzo’s home address as the business address.

The charging document alleges that Randazzo also used his consulting business, SFA, to carry out an embezzlement scheme, funneling to himself at least a million dollars meant for an association of large, industrial energy users in Ohio.

Randazzo was the general counsel of the industry group for multiple years, including from 2010 until his PUCO appointment, and at times served as the industry group's executive director. Randazzo controlled the industry group's bank accounts.

It is alleged Randazzo entered into settlements with companies on behalf of the industry group and kept portions of the settlement payments for himself.  As one method to conceal his alleged embezzling, Randazzo allegedly created a fictitious member of the industry group that received payments along with legitimate members.

For example, in March 2019, it is alleged Randazzo attempted to conceal his embezzling by wiring approximately $1.1 million between bank accounts under his control.

If convicted as charged, the defendant could face up to 20 years in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the charges and acknowledged assistance provided by the Ohio Ethics Commission. Deputy Criminal Chief Emily N. Glatfelter and Assistant United States Attorney Matthew C. Singer are representing the United States in this case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Central Ohio men pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to four armed robberies of Postal carriers.

Theirno S. Bah, 20, of Columbus, was arrested in August 2023 after being charged with co-defendant Cameron D. Newton, 20, of Westerville. As part of Bah’s plea, the parties are recommending a sentence of 20 to 25 years in prison. Newton faces a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison.

The two men are the latest of at least a dozen defendants charged in the Southern District of Ohio in 2022 and 2023 with crimes related to Postal robberies. For example, in Columbus, in August 2022, Brandon J. Campbell was sentenced to 78 months in prison for two previous armed Postal carrier robberies. Mahad S. Jama, Da’Mon D. May and Cody N. Beasley have been convicted of crimes for an April 2023 armed Postal robbery in Dublin.

According to Bah’s plea agreement, he used firearms and robbed Postal carriers of their U.S. Postal Service keys on four occasions between December 2022 and May 2023. Newton aided and abetted the aggravated robberies of mail and the use of a firearm during the crimes of violence.

Bah, who is also known as “Wopo” and “Wopoonese,” and Newton worked with others to steal service keys, which are then used to steal mail from USPS receptacles (a process known as “fishing”). Individuals then “cook” the mail by washing personal and business checks and other financial instruments to reflect new payees and new payment amounts. The defendants would then recruit third parties to deposit the newly washed checks in their own accounts and split the profit.       

The alleged thefts occurred in Central Ohio on:

• Dec. 29, 2022
• Jan. 3, 2023 (two separate robberies on this date)
• May 11, 2023

Bah admitted to using a handgun to rob a Postal carrier in German Village on Dec. 29, 2022. Bah pointed the handgun at the victim’s stomach and demanded his vehicle and service keys. Newton, who was on probation and consequently wearing a GPS ankle monitor at the time, recruited two juveniles to assist with the robbery. Newton also arranged for Bah to use the handgun.

On Jan. 3, Bah pushed a Postal carrier into her mail truck while she was sorting mail in the back of the truck on East Columbus Street. He then pushed a gun into the victim’s side before stealing her keys. At this robbery, Newton provided surveillance from his vehicle nearby, using the cover of making DoorDash deliveries to evade his home confinement.

Later that day, Bah committed another armed Postal robbery, this time in Whitehall. Bah approached the victim and pushed the handgun into her stomach before stealing her personal car keys and the USPS service keys.  Newton again provided surveillance in the vicinity. He also worked to arrange buyers for the stolen Postal keys.

On May 11, Bah robbed a Postal worker at the Post Office Retail Store on West Broad Street. Bah approached the victim while she was outside on a break. Bah asked the victim for her keys, and when she asked, “What keys?” he pistol-whipped her in the head with his handgun. Bah forcibly accompanied the victim into the post office to retrieve her service keys. Newton obtained another firearm for Bah to use during this robbery and picked up Bah and others near Goodale Park following the robbery. Newton then paid the robbers several hundred dollars via CashApp.

On May 18, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Newton’s residence and discovered $22,000 in cash, hundreds of washed and altered checks, two Postal keys and hundreds of pieces of stolen mail.

Congress sets minimum and maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at future hearings.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler; and Whitehall Police Chief Mike Crispen announced the guilty pleas entered this afternoon before Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two defendants pleaded guilty in federal court here today to crimes related to an April 2023 armed robbery of a mail carrier.

Da’mon D. May, 18, of Columbus, and Cody N. Beasley, also known as “Drose,” 22, of Columbus, are two of three defendants charged in this case.

According to court documents, on April 4 at 3:20pm, May and Mahad S. Jama, 21, of Westerville, robbed at gunpoint a USPS letter carrier who was sitting in his work vehicle on Sawmill Road in Dublin.

Jama allegedly approached the USPS vehicle, brandished a handgun that May provided him, and demanded the carrier’s U.S. Postal Service key. Beasley aided and abetted them in that robbery.

The defendants robbed the worker of an “arrow key” that gives access to mail collection boxes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and partner law enforcement agencies continue to investigate a network of individuals involved in robbing or stealing U.S. Postal Service keys for the purpose of stealing checks from collection boxes. Two additional defendants were charged in a separate indictment in Columbus in August for four different armed robberies against U.S. Postal carriers.

May admitted in his plea that he provided Jama a 9mm handgun just prior to the robbery. On April 13, investigators discovered the stolen Postal key at May’s residence.

May pleaded guilty this morning to aiding and abetting the aggravated robbery of property of the United States, a crime punishable by up to 25 years in prison, and aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence, which carries a potential sentence of at least seven years and up to life in prison.

Beasley pleaded guilty to possessing stolen mail in another district and to aiding and abetting the aggravated robbery of property of the United States in the current case.

Beasley admitted to stealing a Postal key in March 2023 in the Cleveland area. He and Jama were stopped for a traffic violation in Parma Heights and fled from law enforcement. Officers eventually detained the men and searched the vehicle they had been using, discovering a black trash bag with numerous pieces of mail that had not yet been postmarked. A search of Beasley’s phone also revealed pictures of stolen checks and research about 38 Post Offices and blue USPS collection boxes in Cleveland.

While Beasley and Jama were detained in jail together for the crimes in the Northern District of Ohio, Beasley admits he began planning for a new Postal robbery in Dublin. Beasley directed the April 4 armed robbery and later paid Jama for his alleged role in the theft.

Congress sets the maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at future hearings.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Lesley C. Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division; announced the guilty pleas entered today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Noah R. Litton and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in this case.

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CINCINNATI – The former executive director of the Clermont Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) was indicted for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars intended to assist low-income residents of Clermont County, Ohio.

Timothy Holland, 56, of Williamsburg, Ohio, self-surrendered at U.S. District Court in Cincinnati today.

According to the indictment, Holland served from 2012 until 2019 as the executive director for CMHA, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recognized public housing authority for Clermont.

CMHA received more than $5.9 million in annual federal funds in both 2018 and 2019 to operate and maintain public housing units as well as provide housing assistance to low-income families and individuals. It is alleged Holland stole at least $70,440 from the agency for his personal use during those calendar years.

“Mr. Holland allegedly used his position to convert money for his personal gain that was intended to help low-income and elderly and disabled individuals,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Shawn Rice with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General.  “HUD OIG remains steadfast in its commitment to working with federal prosecutors and law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who engage in activities that threaten the integrity of HUD programs.”

Holland is charged with two counts of federal program theft, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Shawn Rice, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Mid-Atlantic Region; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Ohio Auditor Keith Faber announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo is representing the United States in this case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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An Ohio man pleaded guilty yesterday to removing emissions control devices required by the Clean Air Act from customers’ vehicles after previously agreeing to a civil resolution with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for similar misconduct.

According to court documents, David Owens, 33, of Cleves, was previously a co-owner and operator of a diesel shop based in North Bend, Ohio. In 2020, Owens entered a consent agreement and final order with the EPA regarding allegations that he knowingly removed or rendered inoperative various emissions control devices. As part of this civil resolution, Owens agreed to cease removing these devices. Instead, Owens continued this activity through another company, this time called Cincy Diesel, at the same North Bend location.

The act of removing or disabling a vehicle’s emissions control system can increase particulate matter emissions by a factor of 40 times, nitrogen oxides by a factor of 310 times, carbon monoxide by a factor of 120 times, and non-methane hydrocarbons by a factor of 1,100 times.

Owens pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the tampering with a monitoring device required under the Clean Air Act. He will be sentenced on a future date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio made the announcement.

The EPA, Criminal Investigation Division and Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Environmental Enforcement Unit are investigating the case.

Senior Trial Attorney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.

CINCINNATI – Two defendants pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to conspiring to commit bank fraud through a phone scam that compromised 11 bank accounts and more than $108,000.

Deon O. Noel, 28, and Diamond Bezada, 25, both of Miami, Florida, admitted to a scheme to defraud Fifth Third Bank and multiple individuals in the Southern District of Ohio with Fifth Third Bank accounts.

According to court documents, in August and September 2019, Noel and Bezada would call bank customers and fraudulently represent themselves as employees of the bank. These calls were used to obtain the bank account and security information of the customers.

Coconspirators would then use the stolen information and contact the bank pretending to be the bank customer and get the bank account information added to a pay app.

Noel and Bezada received more than $108,000, which they used to purchase goods, services and money orders, primarily in Las Vegas, Nevada. As part of their plea agreements, they agree to pay the total funds in restitution.

Conspiracy to commit bank fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced the guilty pleas entered today before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy S. Mangan and Ryan A. Keefe are representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A California man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to embezzling more than $10.2 from his employer and violating orders of the Court in a lawsuit against him.

Brinson Caleb Silver, 43, of Culver City, California, pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud and contempt of court. As part of his guilty plea, Silver agrees to pay more than $10.2 million in restitution.

According to court documents, Silver was the Chief Marketing Officer of Root, Inc., an online car insurance company. From November 2021 through November 2022, Silver entered into contracts with four vendors for marketing services. Silver directed the vendors to send a portion of their contract proceeds to bank accounts in the names of businesses that Silver owned and controlled. Those diverted payments totaled more than $10.2 million.

Silver used the millions he embezzled to buy a $1.4 million dollar yacht, a Mercedes-Benz G550 for nearly $165,000, an amphibious plane, luxury watches and other items.

As a result of his fraud scheme, in February 2023, Root sued Silver. The Court granted a motion in his civil suit that limited him to financial transactions no greater than $5,000. Silver failed to appear in court for a hearing related to his civil suit and instead spent lavishly while traveling the globe.

His expenditures in February and March 2023 violated the Court’s orders and include $20,000 on plastic surgery, more than $25,000 at Indonesian businesses (including $8,000 at a luxury resort in Bali) and in withdrawals made in Indonesia, and more than $88,000 through PayPal to individuals. Silver also withheld from the Court information about a $1.8 million house he owned in California. During this time, Silver also made two phone calls to an “international relocation” company and asked for citizenship within a country that would not extradite him to the United States, and a foreign bank account that the United States could not freeze.

Silver was charged criminally and arrested in June 2023. Parties involved in his case have recommended a sentence range of 24 to 51 months in prison in addition to the $10.2 million in restitution.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and David J. Twombly are representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker today announced that a Virginia-based tactical gear and equipment company has agreed to pay nearly $2.1 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it failed to comply with the requirements of the Buy American Act (“BAA”), Trade Agreements Act (“TAA”) and Berry Amendment when selling textile-based products to the Department of Defense.

London Bridge Trading Company, Ltd. (“LBT”) entered the settlement with the United States and qui tam relator Ann Keating.

The BAA was enacted in 1933 to protect U.S. manufacturing by creating a preference for domestic products when the federal government purchases supplies. The Berry Amendment requires certain items purchased by the Department of Defense to be 100% domestic in origin and mandates a higher level of domestic content than the Buy American Act. The TAA governs trade agreements between the United States and foreign countries and limits certain U.S. Government procurement to US-made products or products made in designated countries.

Court documents allege that since at least 2008, LBT submitted false claims in connection with the sale of “American-made” products that were actually manufactured in foreign countries, including Peru, Mexico and China. The company marketed its goods as “100% made in America” and replaced the original foreign manufacturers’ tags with tags that read “Made in USA.”

LBT also offered its products for sale to all federal agencies on the government-owned website “GSA Advantage!” that permits government agencies throughout the United States to purchase products from contracted vendors.

The United States, including through the Defense Logistics Agency’s supply center located in Columbus, purchased a variety of textile-based products from LBT, including clothing, armor, boots, belts, bags, rope, slings, backpacks and medical pouches. This settlement specifically addressed load-out bags purchased from LBT that violated the TAA and Berry Amendment.

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought by an employee of LBT under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. These provisions allow a private party, known as a relator, to file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. Under the terms of the settlement agreement the relator will receive a share of the proceeds. 

The lawsuit is titled U.S. ex rel. Keating v. London Bridge Trading, et al. The relator in this case had a personal interest in the safety and security of the United States military; in 2004, the relator’s son was killed while serving in Iraq. The relator believes the scheme as alleged was a threat to the safety and integrity of U.S. military operations.

This matter was investigated by agents from the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Major Procurement Fraud Field Office; General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General, Mid-Atlantic Division; Homeland Security Investigations; and Defense Logistics Agency working with the U.S. Attorneys’ offices in the Southern District of Ohio and Eastern District of Virginia. 

“We greatly appreciate the steadfast, thorough, and collaborative work on this case by each of the federal agencies involved,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “This office takes very seriously the duty of government contractors to meet all of their obligations under government contracts and we will pursue anyone falsely certifying compliance with the Buy American Act.”

“GSA OIG will continue to work with its investigative partners and the Department of Justice to protect the integrity of GSA's Multiple Award Schedule program and hold accountable those who attempt to defraud the government," said Special Agent in Charge Elisa Pellegrini with the General Services Administration’s Office of Inspector General.

“We are very pleased with this resolution. This is a testament to the aggressive investigation we conducted, and now the public can see this.” said Andrew Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Major Procurement Fraud Field Office. “Companies that do business with the government must comply with all of their obligations, and if they seek to circumvent the rules and regulations of what and how they supply our women and men in uniform, they must be held accountable for their actions.”

Civil Chief Andrew M. Malek is representing the United States in this matter.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

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CINCINNATI – Damarion Boyd, 20, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to illegally possessing a fully automatic weapon.

Boyd possessed a 3D printed Glock switch, which converts a firearm into a fully automatic weapon and is considered a machine gun under federal law.

According to his plea documents, on March 21, 2023, Boyd’s probation officers conducted a home visit and executed a probation search.

Boyd made statements to conceal the location of his bedroom, but officers found a basement bedroom that had in it a poster-size photograph of Boyd and a friend, his graduation cap and gown and Boyd’s signed terms of probation from a few days earlier.

The officers discovered a black backpack in the basement bedroom with a loaded Glock firearm and attached conversion device.

Boyd was charged federally in May 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced the guilty plea entered before Senior U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan A. Keefe and Ashley N. Brucato are representing the United States in this case.

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DAYTON, Ohio -- A federal grand jury has indicted four Ecuadorian nationals with crimes related to stealing jewelry and Apple products at retail centers in multiple states to then resell the items on the black market.

Those charged include Alexander Wilson Diaz-Remache, 39; Jonathan Eduardo Remache-Diaz, 33; Alvaro Oswaldo Loaiza-Alvarez, 27; and Gustavo Daniel Vinueaza-Bueno, 36. The defendants are scheduled to appear in federal court today.

“This office will seek to hold accountable anyone stealing from and endangering the hard-working men and women who deliver our goods and mail. Whether it be UPS, FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service, or any other deliverer, we will not tolerate attacks against individuals simply doing their jobs,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.

According to the indictment, between January and September 2023, the defendants conspired to steal interstate shipments and transported stolen goods in interstate commerce.

It is alleged three of the defendants entered the United States on travel visas and established California as a base of their illegal activities with Diaz-Remache. From their California base, the coconspirators would allegedly travel by plane and car to other states, including Ohio, Virginia and Maryland, in search of malls and retail centers housing Apple stores, jewelry stores and other businesses.

The defendants would allegedly establish surveillance at these retail centers and track deliveries from UPS, FedEx and other common carriers to learn their delivery patterns. The men then allegedly stole the goods on the delivery vehicles, repackaged them, and mailed them back to California to eventually resell them on the international black market. After saturating an area with thefts of interstate shipments, the coconspirators relocated their efforts, often moving from state to state.

In the Southern District of Ohio, the men allegedly performed surveillance of a FedEx delivery truck at the Greene Town Center in Beavercreek on Sept. 19. One defendant allegedly attempted to distract the delivery driver in a hallway while the other three forced entry into the delivery truck, stealing 300 Apple watches.

A few days later, on Sept. 22, the four defendants allegedly began surveillance of a UPS truck at the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek with the intent to steal the interstate shipment within it.

Other thefts alleged in the indictment include approximately $300,000 in diamonds and other jewelry from a UPS truck in Rockville, Maryland, and thousands of dollars in jewelry from a UPS truck in Fairfax, Virginia.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Beavercreek Police Chief Jeff Fiorita. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi is representing the United States in this case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

# # #

CINCINNATI -- A Cincinnati woman was arrested today on federal charges alleging she stole the identity of a deceased child and used it to avoid a pending criminal prosecution and to obtain thousands of dollars in government benefits.

Christina Vaskovsky, 56, is charged with wire fraud, misusing a Social Security Number and aggravated identity theft.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Vaskovsky was indicted in Hamilton County in July 2008 for allegedly stealing $14,500 from her employer. Vaskovsky failed to appear at her trial scheduled in December 2008. A nationwide warrant was issued for her arrest.

In 2010, Vaskovsky allegedly obtained a new Ohio driver’s license using the name, date of birth and Social Security number of a child who was born the same year as Vaskovsky but who died in 1977.

It is alleged that the defendant then began using the child’s identity in a variety of contexts over a span of 13 years, including:

• Receiving $19,570 in food stamp benefits;
• Filing bankruptcy to discharge nearly $128,000 in debt;
• Obtaining Social Security disability benefits totaling nearly $36,000;
• Providing the false identity upon being arrested for shoplifting in Kentucky;
• Applying on five separate occasions for Economic Injury Disaster Loans;
• Receiving more than $11,600 in unemployment benefits; and
• Obtaining Supplemental Security Income disability benefits totaling $4,300.

Vaskovsky is scheduled to appear in federal court in Cincinnati at 1:30pm today.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the charges. This case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General with assistance from the USDA Office of Inspector General, Ohio BMV Investigations, Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Marshals Service. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

# # #

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal jury has convicted Antoine Dwayne Riley, 37, of Columbus, with illegally possessing firearms after previously being convicted as a federal defendant in the Southern District of Ohio.

Riley was convicted in 2009 of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than five grams of cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. This prohibits him from possessing firearms or ammunition.

According to court documents and trial testimony, on Nov. 13, 2022, officers with the Columbus Division of Police responded to a domestic violence call on East 13th Avenue in Columbus.

Officers were informed that Riley had pushed down a victim and stomped on her face with his foot. Officers were told Riley may have a handgun.

Riley was inside his room in the residence at the time and, for several hours, refused officers’ requests to open his door and exit. Riley eventually complied and was taken into custody. Officers cleared Riley’s bedroom and discovered two rifles: a 12-gauge shotgun and a multi-caliber rifle.

Riley was indicted in June 2023. He faces up to 15 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the verdict returned on Nov. 14. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer M. Rausch and Damoun Delaviz represented the United States in this case.

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A Huber Heights, Ohio, man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 600 months in prison for crimes related to creating hundreds of images and videos of child pornography by victimizing children as young as 6 years old over a 15-year period.

Ty Brandon Roberts, 38, pleaded guilty in February 2023 to producing child pornography and coercing minors.

“From California to New York, Texas to Illinois, Washington to Florida, the United Kingdom to Australia, no minors anywhere were safe from Roberts so long as Roberts had access to the Internet. It stops now in the Southern District of Ohio,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Roberts was opportunistic; his victims ranged in age from 6 to 17 years old. They were white, Black, Hispanic and Native American. They were male and female. In all, FBI agents fully identified 57 minors whom Roberts coerced into producing 502 distinct images and videos of child pornography.”

Roberts’ child pornography includes 120 more victims depicted in an additional 216 distinct files who remain unidentified to this day.

According to court documents, beginning in 2007, Roberts exploited young victims online and sexually abused victims in person. Roberts used two schemes to coerce minors into creating child pornography. One scheme was bribing young minors with video game gift cards to online games such as “Fortnite” in exchange for sexually explicit images and videos. The second scheme Roberts used was pretending to be a teenaged girl online to entice and coerce minors to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. He also committed hands-on sexual offenses to at least three minor victims.

For example, between 2007 and 2008, Roberts sexually abused an 11-to-12-year-old boy and took photos of the abuse on a Polaroid camera. Roberts eventually created digital images of the Polaroids and kept the original Polaroids in his home until law enforcement seized them in 2022.

Roberts possessed more than 11,000 child pornography images in total.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Huber Heights Police Chief Mark Lightner announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly K. Rossi and Dwight Keller are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A New York man pleaded guilty in federal court here today to possessing an unregistered incendiary device.

Farhan Jami, 28, of East Meadow, New York, admitted to placing and lighting an explosive device on top of a car at a victim’s residence in Butler County.

According to court documents, in May 2023, Jami flew from New York to Ohio and brought thermite (an explosive powder) and sparklers with him on the flight.

In the early morning hours of May 16, Jami traveled to a residence in Butler County and constructed an incendiary device using the thermite, sparklers and a ceramic pot. He placed the device on the hood of a car at the home and lit the sparklers. He left as the fire began.

Home security footage shows Jami wearing a hat, surgical mask and gloves while placing and lighting the device before walking away.

While responding to the scene, officers located Jami in a vehicle nearby. His shirt and pants had red residue on them consistent with thermite. Officers also discovered the lighter, hat, mask and gloves used during the crime, as well as a bag of thermite.

Possessing an unregistered destructive device is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy S. Mangan and Ryan A. Keefe are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury indicted a Cincinnati man today on charges related to trafficking fentanyl and laundering the proceeds.

Nathaniel Williams, 44, is charged with possessing with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and money laundering.

According to the indictment, on Oct. 18, Williams possessed bulk amounts of fentanyl.

In August 2023, Williams allegedly provided cash from his narcotics sales to an individual who then wired $15,120 of the funds into Williams’s bank account via a wire transfer. Williams withdrew $10,000 of the funds in cash a few days later.

Agents discovered more than $44,000 in cash at Williams’s residence while executing a search warrant.

Possessing with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison. Money laundering carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Cincinnati Field Office; and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.

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

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

# # #

CINCINNATI – As part of its monthlong observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio is proud to announce that the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded more than $5.1 million in the district to bolster coordinated community responses aimed at bringing an end to domestic violence, as well as sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.

“This is a time to center the experiences of survivors, honor those who lost their lives to domestic violence; express gratitude to the countless individuals in the movement to end violence; and raise awareness on the issues of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.

Data from the most recent National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey indicate about 41% of women and 26% of men experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner and reported an intimate partner violence-related impact during their lifetime. Domestic violence rates are even higher for Black individuals, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals.

The announced grants will reach historically marginalized communities, underserved communities, college and university campuses, rural towns, culturally specific communities, and more. The funding prioritizes increasing access to justice, improving survivor safety, holding perpetrators accountable, and offering training and technical support to professionals addressing these crimes.

Specifically, the Southern District of Ohio received the following approximate funds for the 2023 fiscal year:

• State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program

Ohio Domestic Violence Network: $108,000

Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence: $232,500

This program enhances the coordination between courts, child protective services agencies, advocates, law enforcement, and community programs to encourage trauma-informed, survivor-centered responses to domestic violence and sexual assault.

• Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Grant Program

City of Columbus: $800,000

Ohio Supreme Court: $1 million

Funding from this grant is used to promote coordinated community responses among law enforcement agencies, courts, victim service providers, and other system partners.

• Grants to Enhance Culturally Specific Services for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking Program (Culturally Specific Program)

Ohio Hispanic Coalition: $400,000

These dollars are designated to help community-based organizations develop culturally relevant programs specific to American Indian and Alaska Native populations, Black, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Tribal communities to support survivors.  

• Rural Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Assistance Program (Rural Program)

Ohio Hispanic Coalition: $500,000

Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program: $750,000

This funding supports programs by local government, community-based organizations, and medical providers in rural areas to improve the safety of survivors.

• Grants to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking on Campus Program (Campus Program)

Otterbein $400,000

Central State University $494,600

This funds colleges and universities to develop and strengthen effective security and investigation strategies for such crimes and to develop prevention education and awareness programs. In addition, OVW awarded to Central State University under the new Strengthening Culturally Specific Campus’ Approaches to Address Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Initiative to support new programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).

 

• Research and Evaluation Initiative

University of Cincinnati: $499,900

This money supports researcher-practitioner partnerships and a broad range of research and evaluation methods to generate more knowledge about effective strategies to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and hold offenders accountable.

“Every day, a vast network of dedicated individuals helps domestic violence survivors access multiple pathways to safety, justice, and healing,” said OVW Director Rosie Hidalgo. “OVW understands that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to addressing domestic violence. These funds will enable communities to increase capacity and strengthen a coordinated community approach to prevent and address violence in more comprehensive ways tailored to their communities. Together, with our grantees, we are building a future where individuals and families can live and thrive without the threat of intimate partner violence.”

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through implementing VAWA and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities nationwide that are developing programs, policies, and practices to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – Elhanan Omar Pittman, 28, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to possessing a Glock switch.

Possessing any weapon or machine gun that can readily shoot more than one shot without manual reloading is against federal law.

Parties involved in Pittman’s case have recommended a sentence of 78 months in prison.

According to his plea agreement, on June 8, a Wyoming, Ohio, police officer attempted to stop Pittman’s vehicle for a traffic violation. Pittman fled from the vehicle carrying a backpack.

After a foot pursuit, Pittman was captured when he was found hiding behind Wyoming Middle School.

Pittman had an automatic weapon in the backpack, namely, a handgun with a Glock switch.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Wyoming Police Chief Brooke Brady announced the guilty plea entered Oct. 25 before U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Oakley is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A disbarred attorney who previously practiced law in the Cincinnati area was arrested today by federal agents for allegedly using a false identity to obtain employment with at least three law firms.

Richard Louis Crosby III, 36, of Mason, Ohio, is charged by criminal complaint with wire fraud, Social Security number fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, the Cincinnati Bar Association filed a complaint against Crosby in November 2020. In April 2021, he indicated his intent to resign from the practice of law.

In both June and November 2021, Crosby was indicted and charged in Hamilton County with crimes related to stealing client funds. After his indictments, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio entered an order disbarring Crosby.

In May 2022, Crosby was arrested in both of his Hamilton County cases. He was sentenced to probation in both cases in June 2023.

According to the federal charging document filed on Oct. 24, while Crosby’s local cases were pending, he created an email account using “richardcwilliamsesq.” Crosby used the email address and the alias Richard Williams to communicate with a law firm in Washington D.C. in June 2021. The firm briefly employed Williams.

In September 2022 – at which point Crosby had been disbarred in Ohio and arrested on the Hamilton County charges – Crosby used his alias to apply for an attorney position with a law firm based in Miami, Florida. Crosby met with a recruiter via Zoom, and represented himself as Richard Williams, a licensed attorney admitted to the bar in New York and D.C.

It is alleged Crosby then met with one of the firm’s hiring managers in Florida and was ultimately offered employment in October 2022. His starting salary was $185,000 per year with a $5,000 signing bonus. Crosby allegedly used another individual’s Social Security number, passport number and banking information to complete his onboarding paperwork at the law firm.

In April 2023, the firm received an inquiry from an investigator with the Clermont County Child Support Enforcement Office, making the firm aware of Crosby’s true identity. He was subsequently fired.

In July 2023, Crosby again used the alias to attempt to obtain employment. He allegedly interviewed over Zoom with senior management of a law firm located in Coral Gables, Florida. It is alleged that Crosby doctored a “screen shot” of the name Richard Coleman Williams Jr. in the online D.C. bar membership directory to attach with his resume.

The firm offered Crosby a starting salary of $195,000 per year with a $10,000 signing bonus, but eventually determined Crosby was using a false identity and did not hire him.

Crosby was arrested this  morning in Mason and will make his initial appearance in federal court in Cincinnati at 1:30pm.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio announced the charges. The case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office, Clermont County Department of Job and Family Services, United States Marshals Service, and Diplomatic Security Service. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

If you have information related to this alleged conduct, please contact the Social Security OIG tip line at 1-800-269-0271.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man pleaded guilty in federal court here today to sex trafficking a missing teen girl.

As part of his plea, Payton Jamar Brown, 26, will forfeit his home on Niagara Street in Cincinnati. Proceeds of the sale of the home will be given to Brown’s victim.

According to court documents, from June until October 2022 and again in February 2023, Brown sex trafficked the teenaged girl.

Brown met the victim online and began a relationship with her. The victim began to reside with Brown, who created prostitution advertisements of her. Brown would transport the victim to hotels for prostitution dates that he had arranged. Brown arranged at least 40 prostitution dates in this timeframe and collected the proceeds from the victim.

In October 2022, Colerain police officers responded to Brown’s residence and recovered the victim, who was subsequently taken to a juvenile facility in another state.

In February 2023, the juvenile escaped the facility and messaged Brown on Instagram to pick her up. Brown drove interstate to pick up the victim and her friend and bring them to his residence. Brown again created a prostitution advertisement of the victim and arranged sexual encounters with other men for money.

Throughout his time with the victim, Brown would regularly engage in sex acts with the minor and record those acts with a cell phone. He would then sell the photos and videos to others online.

Brown was arrested by the FBI in February 2023.

Parties involved have recommended a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Colerain Township Police Chief Edwin C. Cordie III; and members of the Regional Electronics and Computer Investigations (RECI) task force announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Donald Adams, 52, of Mount Sterling, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 240 months in prison for exploiting children online and sharing child sexual abuse material.

Adams pleaded guilty in May 2023 to two counts of sexually exploiting a minor and two counts of distributing child pornography.

According to court documents, between May and September 2021, Adams exploited two teenage victims. Specifically, Adams used Snapchat and Google Duo to coerce the victims into sending him images and videos of themselves engaged in sexual conduct. Adams made the minors believe they were in a legitimate romantic relationship with him.

Adams also exploited at least one of the minor victims by directing them to send the sexual content to other online predators.

The defendant drove to another state to pick up one of the victims in person and took her to a hotel room for three hours.

In September 2021, Adams sent an online undercover FBI agent videos of children 3 to 7 years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Upon Adams’s arrest, law enforcement recovered more than 1,500 images and 2,000 videos of child sexual abuse material. Adams possessed images and videos of victims as young as infants and toddlers being sexually abused by adults.

As part of his sentence, Adams will pay restitution to the minor victims he directly exploited, and eight other victims identified in Adams’s pornography collection through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Pakiz and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, presented Law Enforcement and Community Service Awards, honoring individuals and groups for their work to reduce gun violence, provide alternatives to armed responses to mental health crises, improve school safety, volunteer to support crime prevention programs, aggressively investigate child exploitation, and help restored citizens return to the community after serving time behind bars.

“Building safe communities requires a mosaic of people and groups who look out for each other and bring their own individual skills and abilities to work together for a greater good,” U.S. Attorney Parker said. “Our office wants to call attention to these dedicated agents, officers, volunteers, and citizens for their accomplishments. We work together, we stand together, and at times we may suffer together, but we make positive change together.”

The awards include:

Kaia Grant Badge of Bravery and Sacrifice Award

Cincinnati Police Sergeant Donald Elsaesser, Cincinnati Police Officers Joshua Jordan, Rachel White, Jeremy Randolph and Lilgenia Wharton

This group of Cincinnati police officials put themselves in harm’s way and risked serious injury to themselves to disarm an individual who was repeatedly stabbing himself as he was going through a mental health crisis on July 6, 2023.

“The bravery, quick response, and teamwork of these officers allowed the man to receive the medical treatment he desperately needed, saving his life,” Parker said.

Law Enforcement Excellence Award

Cincinnati Police Officer Jeremy Burroughs

Officer Burroughs is a 22-year veteran who is currently a third shift uniformed patrol officer in an area that generates some of the most calls for service in the city.

“Throughout his career, Officer Burroughs has demonstrated exemplary patrol strategies that aid in achieving the mission of the Cincinnati Police department. He is consistent in his dedication to solving crimes in progress,” Parker said, noting that Officer Burroughs has also served as a field training officer, helping sculpt the next generation of law enforcement officers to operate with the same high values and sense of community that he holds.

Project Safe Neighborhood’s Guardian Award

Dayton Police Detectives Dustin J. Phillips, Geoffery T. Orndorff and Lucas A. Rose

The Dayton police detectives received this year’s Project Safe Neighborhood’s Guardian Award for their efforts to reduce gun violence as members of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force.

They have been directly responsible for the recovery of 93 firearms in the last 12 months, leading to federal firearms charges against 37 individuals. Detective Phillips has worked for the Dayton Police Department for 16 years and has been a Task Force Officer with the FBI for eight years. Detective Orndorff has worked for the Dayton Police Department for 10 years and has been a Task Force Officer with the FBI for one year. Detective Rose has worked for the Dayton Police Department for 10 years and has been a Task Force Officer with the FBI for one year.

The Project Safe Childhood Shield of Innocence Award

FBI Special Agent Andrea Kinzig

Over the course of her 18-year career with the FBI, Special Agent Kinzig has set an almost impossible standard of excellence while pursuing justice for children who have been the victims of sexual abuse or exploitation. Special Agent Kinzig has built cases that have resulted in the successful prosecution of dozens of now-convicted sex offenders, investigating all manner of crimes against children, from production, distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography to coercion and enticement.

“Special Agent Kinzig has chosen a particularly noble and difficult path,” Parker said. “She focuses on protecting the public from predators and on making sure that child victims are heard, vindicated and cared for.”

Polaris Community Service Award

Coordinator Raven Cruz-Loiaza

Dayton Mediation Response Unit (MRU)

The City of Dayton created the MRU in May 2022 to provide an alternative response to armed uniformed responders to calls for service when an armed response was not necessary. Since it was established, the MRU has handled more than 3,500 calls for service and received closure and positive outcomes in 74 percent of its interaction with citizens.

“Thanks to the MRU, people are getting connected to health care, mental health and addiction services, mediation and other services, instead of facing negative outcomes such as incarceration or criminal charges,” Parker said.

Serve Thy Neighbor Award (Dayton)

Centerville Safe

Shortly after the Oregon District mass shooting in 2019, seven Centerville City School students’ parents put their fears and concerns to use and organized Centerville Safe, a non-profit organization, to focus on raising funds to support implementation of safety and security best practices within the City of Centerville school district. They’ve worked with first responders and Dayton Children’s Hospital to present seminars on safety, equipped every classroom with safety kits, and helped schools upgrade their safety systems.

“I join the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the Centerville Police Department in commending Centerville Safe for providing invaluable crime prevention support among the community’s youth by partnering with local law enforcement and the school district,” Parker said. “They are fulfilling their worthy mission.”

Serve Thy Neighbor Award (Cincinnati)

Mr. Bob Weidlich

Mr. Weidlich went through the first Springdale Police Citizen’s Police Academy class in 2011 and was quick to give back on the opportunity. He has volunteered more than 2,080 hours to work with the police on crime prevention and community safety programs.

“In addition, Bob has been a participant in the Honor Flight Program, served honorably in active duty in Vietnam and is active within Springdale beyond his service through the police department,” Parker said.

Serve Thy Neighbor Award (Columbus)

U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr., Pastor Donald Fitzgerald, former Chief of U.S. Probation John Dierna, and Alfred Young

Restored Citizens

After speaking on several occasions during the sentencing of individuals in the federal courthouse, Pastor Fitzgerald and U.S. District Judge Sargus established The Restored Citizens program. The program involves meeting with former inmates at the Pastor’s church to discuss positive ways to transition from a life of imprisonment back into the communities they left. The group also discuss the means and resources available to assist them in overcoming systemic barriers to their transition home.

The men paired up with then Chief of U.S. Probation Dierna and Mr. Young, and together, the group provided resources related to topics like housing, employment, transportation and mental health.

“When an individual is calling for another chance, the Restored Citizens program is answering that call. These many men and women of the Restored Citizens program are an instrumental part of the fabric of our community. They represent resiliency and positive change,” said Parker.

U.S. Attorney’s Special Commendation

Ms. Hope L. Harvey Dudley

Ms. Dudley “embodies the spirit of everything we would want in a fighter for law enforcement, victims and the community as a whole,” said Parker.

After gun violence killed her son, Daniel Chaz Dudley, in September 2007, Dudley founded UCanSpeakForMe, a place where families suffering in anguish know they are not alone, and that there are others who are working tirelessly to solve the crimes committed against their loved one and bring accountability to the forefront.

Ms. Dudley has hosted countless vigils and community events, and created playing cards that hold the information and faces of loved ones who were victims of unsolved homicides. These cards have been distributed throughout the community and placed in jails to give prisoners and others the understanding that they can come forward to provide information to law enforcement regarding the crime.

For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s annual law enforcement awards, please contact Law Enforcement Coordinator Mitchell Seckman at 614-469-5715.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man pleaded guilty in federal court here today to crimes related to the July 6 shooting of a Columbus police officer. Parties involved have recommended a sentence of 20 to 30 years in prison.

Faisal M. Darod, 23, pleaded guilty to all nine counts charged against him in a superseding indictment that was returned in September 2023. The crimes include aiding and abetting robberies and aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during the robberies.

His co-defendant, Aden Abdullahi Jama, 20, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Oct. 11.

The two central Ohio men were involved in the July 6 shooting of a Columbus police officer. Jama admitted in court today to participating in related crimes on July 5 and July 6.

According to his plea agreement, on June 21, Darod aided in the robbery of a GameStop store on Hilliard-Rome Road in Hilliard. Darod and another man initially planned to rob a bank that day, but mistakenly thought the bank would be open until 6pm. When they realized the bank was closed, they shifted focus to the GameStop instead, and, at approximately 6:15pm, robbed the store at gunpoint using a handgun with an extended magazine.

Darod helped the other man obtain the firearm, extended magazine and ammunition, and served as a lookout during the robbery.

On July 3, Darod drove the other man to the Auto Gallery on Westerville Road in Minerva Park, where the man robbed the car dealership owner at gunpoint. The man stole a 2016 Corvette Stingray. Over the next two days, Darod had others record several videos of him driving the Corvette around the parking lot of the Baymont Inn and Suites at Morse Road, where he had rented a room.

On July 5, Darod arranged for Jama to pick up him and another individual after they robbed at gunpoint the Fifth Third Bank on Fishinger Road in Upper Arlington. Following the bank robbery, Darod texted Jama and instructed him to meet up with them on West Sixth Avenue in Columbus and drive them to the Baymont Inn and Suites.

While at the hotel, Darod and Jama recorded a video on Darod’s cell phone showing Darod lying on the bed surrounded by the recently stolen cash. In the video, Darod raps about “cheese” – i.e., money, being in the air and everywhere.

The next day, on July 6, Darod aided and abetted an armed robbery at Byers Imports in Whitehall. He and Jama drove a third individual to the car dealership to commit the robbery.

Shortly after the robbery, Darod and Jama met up with the car thief at townhomes on the southeast side of Columbus. The three men then drove the stolen Porsche Cayenne, sometimes exceeding 100 miles per hour, to Hilliard to commit another armed bank robbery.

Darod and Jama again served as the lookout and aided and abetted the armed robbery and the use of a firearm during that robbery at Fifth Third Bank on Hilliard-Rome Road in Hilliard. 

Unbeknownst to the three men, Whitehall police detectives had been tracking their movements using the Porsche Cayenne’s onboard GPS system. The detectives surrounded the stolen car at Fifth Third Bank and ordered the men to stop the vehicle. The now-deceased driver drove the stolen Porsche through a gap in the detectives’ cars and fled over a grass embankment onto Hilliard-Rome Road, and, eventually, out to Roberts Road and the freeway.

Columbus police officers then located the stolen vehicle on I-70 traveling eastbound. The men reached speeds more than 125 miles per hour near rush hour while attempting to flee law enforcement.

The vehicle became damaged and came to an abrupt stop before Darod and Jama both fled on foot. The third man used a handgun with an extended magazine to ambush the responding officers. He opened fire from close range and struck one officer. That officer suffered life-threatening injuries. The driver of the stolen vehicle was struck several times and died of his gunshot wounds soon after.

Following the gun battle on I-70, a coordinated manhunt ensued for Jama and Darod. Darod was arrested in Columbus on the evening of July 7. By then, he had conducted several internet searches for flights out of Columbus to Somalia. U.S. Marshals and Homeland Security Investigation agents arrested Jama at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on July 8, bound for Turkey, with an ultimate destination of Somalia.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; the United States Marshals in Columbus and Chicago; ICE and HSI Chicago; the Whitehall, Minerva Parka and Upper Arlington police departments; and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the guilty plea entered this afternoon before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A ninth federal defendant pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to money laundering and conspiring to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. The defendant orchestrated teams of drug dealers in central Ohio and laundered the proceeds to Mexico.

In the fall of 2020 and spring 2021, eight original, federal defendants were sentenced to prison for the same conspiracy, in which they laundered $44 million in drug proceeds to Mexico through local cell phone store fronts. The stores sold few, if any, cell phones, and they conducted little, if any, legitimate business otherwise. The defendants received sentences ranging from five to 18 years in prison.

In his guilty plea today, Cruz Alberto Perez-Nunez, 36, admitted to being a drug trafficker and regular “customer” of the cell phone store fronts who laundered his drug proceeds from Columbus to Nayarit, Mexico.

Perez-Nunez oversaw the narcotics-distribution operation of multiple teams of drug dealers in the Southern District of Ohio. In 2018, he oversaw the supply chain of heroin and directed and controlled drug-trafficking and money-laundering activities of individuals in and around Columbus. Perez-Nunez also set up living arrangements for the teams of drug traffickers.

Perez-Nunez and others coordinated with the owners of Los Rosales on Shady Lane Road, Los Rosales 2 on East Main Street and Express Cellular on Eastland Square Drive to send bulk money transfers to lists of names in Mexico. Thousands of illicit wire transfers were completed per year. Drug dealers from multiple narcotics-trafficking cells would drop large amounts of narcotics money at the stores, after which the store owners would falsify money sender names, addresses and phone numbers on the wire transfers to Mexico to conceal the nature of the proceeds. 

In total, the joint state–federal efforts led to the prosecution of nine defendants federally and 35 defendants by the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation and prosecution of these defendants removed approximately 34 kilograms of heroin, 516 grams of cocaine, 76 grams of fentanyl and 250 pounds of marijuana from Central Ohio streets. Additionally, investigators seized $458,500 in U.S. currency and a home valued at nearly $248,000 as part of the investigation and prosecution of these cases.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Cincinnati Field Office; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Detroit Division; Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant and officials with the Ohio HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Commission announced the guilty plea entered today before Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall and Jessica W. Knight are representing the United States in this case. Daniel J. Stanley, formerly with the office of Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack, also represented the United States in this case as a Special Assistant United States Attorney.

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

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Fairfield County, Ohio man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to crimes related to child pornography and sextortion.

Devin Bailey, 27, of Millersport, Ohio, admitted to distributing child pornography of a minor victim and using those images, in addition to others, in interstate communications to extort an adult victim for images of herself.

According to his plea agreement, Bailey used multiple personas online to solicit sexually explicit photographs of the adult victim and then used the images he obtained to threaten and extort her for more explicit photographs of herself.

Bailey also sent additional messages to the adult victim that depicted pornographic images of nude minor females exposing their genitalia to the camera or engaged in acts of masturbation.  After receiving these images from Bailey, the adult victim recognized one of the minor females depicted in the images she received.  That minor female was approximately 12 years old at the time the images and videos were created. The minor child believed she had sent the explicit images and videos to a female in Florida, who in reality was another persona of Bailey’s.  These photos of the nude minor were then kept by Bailey for over five years and sent to the adult victim to coerce her into taking sexually explicit photographs of herself for Bailey. 

Bailey also threatened to distribute the child pornography of the known minor female to family members of the adult victim and across the internet if the adult victim did not comply with his demands.

In May and June 2022, Bailey also used numerous email addresses, cell phone numbers and Snapchat accounts to harass the adult victim, threatening to share pornographic images of her as well. He said if the victim did not send him new explicit photos or videos, he would use the older materials against her.

Bailey’s threats persisted for weeks. He consistently and aggressively messaged the adult victim and, when she indicated she would involve law enforcement, Bailey responded, “Go ahead, they are untraceable numbers, and I can get hundreds more lol.”

A forensic review of Bailey’s electronic devices revealed that they contained approximately 200 images and 20 videos of child sexual abuse material.

Distributing child pornography is a federal crime punishable by a range of five to 20 years in prison. Interstate communications with the intent to extort carries a potential penalty of up to two years in prison. Congress sets statutory sentences, and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a later hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Lancaster Police Chief Nicholas H. Snyder announced the guilty plea entered on October 11 before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

 

CINCINNATI – Two leaders of a prolific online drug trafficking organization were sentenced in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati to 16 and 18 years in prison.

Khlari Sirotkin, 39, of Colorado, was sentenced on Oct. 11 to 192 months in prison. Sean Deaver, 39, of Nevada, was sentenced in August 2023 to 216 months in prison.

The two men are leaders of five defendants charged in 2020 for using several Dark Web marketplace accounts – including one named Pill Cosby – and encrypted messaging apps to sell illegal drugs online.

The defendants specialized in the manufacturing and distribution of more than one million fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills and laundered approximately $2.8 million from 2013 until 2020. The pressed fentanyl pills, along with heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine, were shipped to the Southern District of Ohio and throughout the country. Co-conspirators also disguised fentanyl as authentic, pharmaceutical opioids.

The investigation was coordinated out of the Cincinnati Field Office of the FBI and is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) joint investigation conducted by the Southern Ohio Digitized Organized Crime Group. The investigation was significantly aided by the Department of Justice’s multi-agency Special Operations Division (SOD).

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Charles L. Grinstead, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Food and Drug Administration – Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), Kansas City Field Office; Lesley C. Allison, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge; and the Ohio National Guard Counterdrug Task Force announced the sentences imposed by U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole. Criminal Chief Karl P. Kadon is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Aden Abdullahi Jama, 20, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to being an accessory after the fact to bank robbery, two counts of aiding and abetting robberies and two counts of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during the robberies.

Jama and Faisal M. Darod, 23, of Columbus, were charged by a federal grand jury in a 10-count superseding indictment on Sept. 27.

The two central Ohio men were allegedly involved in the July 6 shooting of a Columbus police officer. Jama admitted in court today to participating in related crimes on July 5 and July 6.

According to his plea agreement, on July 5, Jama aided and abetted Darod and another individual after they robbed at gunpoint the Fifth Third Bank on Fishinger Road in Upper Arlington. Specifically, Jama met up with the men on West Sixth Avenue in Columbus and drove them to the Baymont Inn and Suites on Morse Road. This allowed Darod and the other individual to abandon a stolen Corvette they used during the robbery.

While at the hotel, Darod and Jama recorded a video on Darod’s cell phone showing Darod lying on the bed surrounded by the recently stolen cash. In the video, Darod raps about “cheese” – i.e., money, being in the air and everywhere.

The next day, on July 6, Jama served as a driver and/or lookout both before and after an armed robbery at Byers Imports in Whitehall.

Shortly after the robbery, Jama and Darod met up with the car thief at townhomes on the southeast side of Columbus. The three men then drove the stolen Porsche Cayenne, sometimes exceeding 100 miles per hour, to Hilliard to commit another armed bank robbery.

Jama again served as the lookout and aided and abetted the armed robbery and the use of a firearm during that robbery at Fifth Third Bank on Hilliard-Rome Road in Hilliard. 

Unbeknownst to the three men, Whitehall police detectives had been tracking their movements using the Porsche Cayenne’s onboard GPS system. The detectives surrounded the stolen car at Fifth Third Bank and ordered the men to stop the vehicle. The now-deceased driver drove the stolen Porsche through a gap in the detectives’ cars and fled over a grass embankment onto Hilliard-Rome Road, and, eventually, out to Roberts Road and the freeway.

Columbus police officers then located the stolen vehicle on I-70 traveling eastbound. The men reached speeds more than 125 miles per hour near rush hour while attempting to flee law enforcement.

The vehicle became damaged and came to an abrupt stop before Jama and Darod both fled on foot. The third man used a handgun with an extended magazine to ambush the responding officers. He opened fire from close range and struck one officer. That officer suffered life-threatening injuries. The driver of the stolen vehicle was struck several times and died of his gunshot wounds soon after.

Following the gun battle on I-70, a coordinated manhunt ensued for Jama and Darod. Darod was arrested in Columbus on the evening of July 7. By then, he had conducted several internet searches for flights out of Columbus to Somalia. U.S. Marshals and Homeland Security Investigation agents arrested Jama at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on July 8, bound for Turkey, with an ultimate destination of Somalia.

Aiding and abetting a bank robbery is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during a crime of violence carries a potential penalty of at least five years and up to life in prison. Being an accessory after the fact of bank robbery is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a later hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Charges remain pending against Darod.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; the United States Marshals in Columbus and Chicago; ICE and HSI Chicago; the Whitehall, Minerva Parka and Upper Arlington police departments; and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the guilty plea entered this morning before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI– A man who filed for relief under the Paycheck Protection Program and fraudulently claimed that he was running a business during the time he was incarcerated was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 12 months and one day in prison.

Willie Boyce, 42, pleaded guilty in April 2023 to one count of wire fraud. As part of his sentence, he will pay $41,040 in restitution.

According to court documents, Boyce was incarcerated in Hamilton County from March 2018 until September 2020, when he was released to a halfway house.

Boyce acknowledged that he applied electronically for two PPP loans in April 2021, claiming he owned a business that provided taxi and ridesharing services.

In his applications, Boyce fraudulently claimed a gross income of $98,500 for 2019 even though he was in prison for the entirety of that year. Boyce used his halfway house address as the business address and submitted a forged bank statement.

Boyce claimed the money was for payroll for his company, and received payments on April 20 and May 5, 2021, but withdrew or spent all the money by the end of May 2021, on non-business-related transactions including payments to Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Expedia, Hampton Inn and Delta Airlines.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, in coordination with U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Investigations and Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Landry and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ebunoluwa Taiwo are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – Former Cincinnati City Council member Alexander “P.G.” Sittenfeld, 39, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 16 months in prison for bribery and attempted extortion by a government official.

Sittenfeld was convicted following a jury trial in June and July 2022.

“Sittenfeld earned today’s prison sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “A jury of his peers reviewed the evidence against him and found him guilty. Now, he must be accountable for his actions. Not only did he break the law, but he also violated the public’s trust. Public service is just that: public service, not self service.”

According to court documents and trial testimony, Sittenfeld accepted $20,000 in bribe payments to his political action committee (PAC) from undercover FBI agents posing as corrupt businessmen working with a real estate developer.

Sittenfeld knowingly received the $20,000 in bribe payments in return for guaranteeing votes for a development project at 435 Elm St. Sittenfeld told the undercover agents he could “deliver the votes.”

Trial testimony detailed that Sittenfeld’s typical fundraising strategy was to use his power over city business to extract campaign contributions from individuals who regularly conducted business with the city. Sittenfeld instructed his staff to create a list and track individuals with business before the city so he could identify and target donors.

For example, Sittenfeld solicited the real estate developer to collect $10,000 in contributions to the former council member for Sittenfeld’s support of the developer’s efforts. 

In total, Sittenfeld accepted eight $5,000 checks in 2018 and 2019 from the undercover FBI agents. The latter $20,000 was received from the undercover agents for help with their sports book.

Sittenfeld’s PAC records do not list the undercover agents as the source of the $40,000 total that he received directly from them, and his ethics disclosures failed to list expensive gifts and dinners he received from the undercover agents.

Sittenfeld was indicted in November 2020.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas R. Cole. Deputy Criminal Chief Emily N. Glatfelter and Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew C. Singer and Megan Gaffney Painter represented the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced the appointment of U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio and six other U.S. Attorneys to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC).

Created in 1973, the AGAC advises the Attorney General on matters of policy, procedure, and management impacting the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys and elevates the voices of U.S. Attorneys in Department policies.

“I sincerely appreciate this appointment to the advisory committee and look forward to continuing my commitment to fairness and accountability in upholding the law,” said U.S. Attorney Parker.

Parker added that as a member of the committee, he will reinforce the Southern District of Ohio’s law enforcement and community outreach efforts in order to strengthen the collaborative work of his office with the entire Department of Justice to promote safer communities nationwide.

The AGAC appointees also include Alexander M.M. Uballez for the District of New Mexico, Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York, Natalie K. Wright for the District of Oregon, Eric G. Olshan for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Alamdar Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas, and Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia.

“United States Attorneys work every day throughout the country to advance our mission of upholding the rule of law, keeping our country safe, and protecting civil rights,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful for the perspective the newest members of the Committee will provide on behalf of federal prosecutors across the country and the communities they serve.” 

The bios of all U.S. Attorneys are available here.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded 31 grants totaling $17 million to cities, counties, local law enforcement agencies, colleges and universities, and social service agencies in the 48-county Southern District of Ohio. Additionally, the Justice Department awarded more than $88.4 million to state agencies and elected offices in Ohio.

“The grants will promote safety and strengthen trust, helping communities tackle the proliferation of gun violence and restore bonds of trust between community residents and the justice system,” U.S. Attorney Parker said. “These grants are also going to accelerate justice system reforms, improve the fairness and effectiveness of the juvenile justice system, expand access to victim services, and advance science and innovation to strengthen the knowledge base that policy makers and practitioners can use to develop better strategies to improve community safety.”

Parker said the Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded 25 grants totaling $14 million to cities, counties, and non-profit agencies in the district. The funds will support community response to the opioid epidemic, improve reentry education, increase mental health services for those charged with crimes and support investigations into crimes against children.

Grants from the Office for Victims of Crime include:

            Adult Advocacy Center                      $747,917

            OhioHealth Research Institute           $400,000

            Ohio University                                  $323,000

            Women Helping Women                    $764,000

The National Institute of Justice awarded the University of Cincinnati $105,000 for a graduate research fellowship. Other grants were awarded by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Sex Offender Monitoring, Apprehending Registering and Tracking (SMART) Office, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Nine state agencies and elected offices received grants from the Department of Justice to support increasing community safety statewide.

In total, the Justice Department awarded more than $4.4 billion nationwide to support community safety efforts. Visit the OJP website for the complete list of grantees as well as more information on the programs.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A 72-year-old Annapolis, Maryland, man was sentenced in federal court here to 18 years in prison for numerous child exploitation and pornography crimes.

A federal jury found Bernhard Jakits guilty on all eight counts following a trial in May 2023. The jury deliberated for approximately 45 minutes before reaching their verdict.

According to court documents and trial testimony, in January 2019, the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office received information relating to two potential exploitation victims. Forensic examination of cell phones and other electronic devices revealed that Jakits had communicated via text message with two teenaged victims and coerced them to send nude photographs of themselves.

In December 2018 and January 2019, Jakits sexually exploited a 15-year-old female to create child pornography. Jakits also attempted to exploit a 13-year-old female in January 2019.

The defendant coerced the two teenaged victims and used the chat app TextNow to obtain pornographic images of the minors in exchange for money. Jakits sought to video chat with the victims and offered them thousands of dollars, but the minors declined.

Jakits met the minor victims based on his relationship with their mother, during which he paid the mother to engage in sex acts via video chats.

Jakits owned homes in both Maryland and California. He traveled extensively around the world on his yacht after running and selling a yacht brokerage business.

The defendant was indicted in a superseding indictment by a federal grand jury in January 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Belmont County Sheriff David M. Lucas announced the sentence imposed on Oct. 5 by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill and Assistant United States Attorneys Emily K. Czerniejewski and Kevin A. Koller are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – Federal agents arrested a Middletown man this morning on charges alleging he exploited and coerced child victims online.

William Scott Elam, 52, allegedly connected with an estimated 20 minor females on sites and apps like Omegle and Discord and pretended to be a 14-year-old.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, in July 2023, the FBI in Milwaukee was made aware of a potential child victim through a report to law enforcement that originated with a mandated reporter. The report involved a 12-year-old victim.

It is alleged the victim met Elam on Omegle, a free online chat website that allows users to socialize without the need to register. The service randomly pairs users in one-on-one chat sessions where they chat anonymously using the names “you” and “stranger.”

Elam and the victim allegedly exchanged Discord contact information and began chatting on the app.

Elam allegedly pretended to be a 14-year-old male and coerced the child victim to send him live sexual material by telling her that he would log off Discord and cut himself if she did not comply.

It is alleged that Elam also pretended to be a 14-year-old cousin to his other persona. Using the second persona, he allegedly coerced the victim into sending new live sexual content by threatening to show “his cousin’s mom” her previous encounters with Elam.

A search of Elam’s Discord account revealed similar sexual encounters with at least three other minor victims between October and December 2022.

It is alleged that Elam also instructed one victim to self-harm via cutting on live video in addition to coercing the victim to perform sex acts live on camera.

Elam appeared in federal court in 1:30pm today. His detention hearing is scheduled for 1:30pm tomorrow before Chief Magistrate Judge Karen L. Litkovitz.

Sexually exploiting children is a federal crime punishable by a prison range of 15 to 30 years in prison. Coercion and enticement carries a potential penalty of at least 10 years and up to life in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Hamilton, Ohio, man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 120 months in prison for his role in a foreclosure rescue scheme that defrauded at least 780 financially distressed homeowners throughout the United States, including more than 100 individuals in the Southern District of Ohio.

Lorin Kal Buckner, 67, preyed on homeowners who had defaulted on their mortgages and convinced the victims to pay to take part in fraudulent programs on the promise it would save their homes.

Buckner was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud following a jury trial in November 2022. He is one of 11 individuals charged in the scheme.

According to court documents and trial testimony, from 2013 through 2018, the defendants took advantage of homeowners’ desperation to save their homes and used money from homeowner victims to personally enrich themselves.

Co-conspirators promised affiliates commissions by recruiting distressed homeowners to companies including:

• MVP Home Solutions, LLC, also known as
  • Stay In or Walk Away;
• Bolden Pinnacle Group Corp., also known as
  • Home Advisory Services Network
  • Home Advisory Services Group Inc.; and
• Silverstein & Wolf Corp.

Affiliates were encouraged to be aggressive in recruiting homeowners. Affiliates used online databases and court records to identify vulnerable, financially distressed homeowners who had recently received notice of foreclosure on their home.

Buckner and his co-conspirators mailed more than 56,000 postcards in the Southern District of Ohio and elsewhere promising that they could “stop foreclosure” or “stop the sheriff sale” for a fixed fee. Buckner and his co-conspirators also reached out to homeowners using Craigslist ads, websites, email and social media platforms.

On the promise of reducing or eliminating mortgage obligations in exchange for a fee, recruiters like Buckner would collect payments from homeowners and refer the victims to the co-conspirator companies.

Among other things, the defendants promised:

• to negotiate with mortgage lenders on the homeowners’ behalf for the purchase of the mortgage notes at a discount;
• to negotiate the sale of their home and release of their mortgage loans through a short sale and/or deed in lieu of foreclosure sale;
• to stop an imminent foreclosure sale;
• to remove the mortgage lien via a tender offer; and
• achieve short sale prices at a fraction of the value of the outstanding lien/note.

Further, defendants represented that they had “proprietary” methods or “legal tactics” to help homeowners stall or completely avoid foreclosure. In actuality, the defendants persuaded homeowners to file chapter 13 bankruptcies to delay foreclosure actions.

Defendants filed skeletal bankruptcy petitions that they called “pump fakes” or “missiles,” These petitions intentionally failed to disclose the defendants as preparers giving the appearance that the homeowners had filed the petitions pro se. Any relief from foreclosure delay was temporary until the bankruptcy court dismissed the proceeding.  As a result of the defendants’ scheme, victims lost thousands of dollars and in many cases lost their homes.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Robert Manchak, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Housing Finance Agency -  Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG), Northeast Region; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Lesley C. Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division; and Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector in Charge, USPIS, New York Division, announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett. Assistant United States Attorneys Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo and Timothy S. Mangan are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A federal grand jury has indicted two area men with crimes related to running a drug trafficking operation out of a local home and business property.

Kevin Darnell Byrd, Jr., 38, of Dayton, and David Minor, 36, of Englewood, are charged in a narcotics conspiracy that is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison and possessing firearms in furtherance of the drug conspiracy, which is punishable by at least five years and up to life in prison.

According to the 15-count indictment, Minor was using his home on Southview Drive in Englewood as a drug premises and Byrd was using a business on Webster Street in Dayton as a drug premises. The defendants allegedly conspired to distribute and possessed with the intent to distribute bulk amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

On Sept. 14, the FBI Southern Ohio Safe Streets Task Force and the Regional Agencies Narcotics and Gun Enforcement Task Force conducted a buy-bust operation and purchased a pound of methamphetamine from Minor. Task force members attempted to initiate a traffic stop of Minor following the narcotics sale and Minor allegedly fled in his Chevrolet Impala and then attempted to flee on foot before ultimately being apprehended.

A search warrant of Minor’s residence on Southview Drive in Englewood revealed four firearms and bulk amounts of cash, along with methamphetamine, fentanyl and synthetic opioids in a vehicle at the property.

Agents and officers executed a related search warrant at a business on Webster Street in Dayton and discovered more than five kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately one kilogram of fentanyl, a loaded handgun and bulk amounts of cash.

Minor and Byrd are both prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cincinnati Division; and Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck announced the indictment returned on Sept. 26. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is representing the United States in this case.

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

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment that adds new charges against the two central Ohio men allegedly involved in the July 6 shooting of a Columbus police officer.

The 10-count superseding indictment now charges Faisal M. Darod, 23, of Columbus, with aiding and abetting four other robberies in addition to the originally charged robbery of Fifth Third bank in Hilliard on July 6. Darod is also charged with four counts of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during the robberies.

Aden Abdullahi Jama, 20, of Reynoldsburg, is charged with being an accessory after the fact to bank robbery, two counts of aiding and abetting robberies and two counts of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during the robberies.

The robberies to which the defendants allegedly aided and abetted include:

Date

Location

Defendant Charged

June 21, 2023

GameStop on Hilliard-Rome Road in Hilliard

Darod

July 3, 2023

Auto Gallery on Westerville Road in Minerva Park

Darod

July 5, 2023

Fifth Third Bank on Fishinger Road in Upper Arlington

Darod & *Jama

*accessory after the fact

July 6, 2023

Byers Imports on North Hamilton Road in Whitehall

Darod & Jama

July 6, 2023

Fifth Third Bank on Hilliard-Rome Road in Hilliard

Darod & Jama

The superseding indictment alleges Darod helped steal a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray from Auto Gallery, more than $75,000 from the Fifth Third in Upper Arlington, and multiple PlayStation gaming consoles.

Both men allegedly aided and abetted the theft of a 2020 Porsche Cayenne SUV from Byers Imports and more than $85,000 from the Fifth Third in Hilliard.

Columbus Police and other law enforcement officers encountered Darod and Jama on I-70 near downtown Columbus after the July 6 Fifth Third Bank robbery in Hilliard. A shootout followed during which a Columbus Police officer was severely injured and a third person in the car with Darod and Jama was killed.

The United States Marshals’ Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team arrested Darod in the early morning hours of July 7 outside his Columbus residence. U.S. Marshals and Homeland Security Investigation agents arrested Jama at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on July 8. The two remain in custody.

Aiding and abetting a bank robbery is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during a crime of violence carries a potential penalty of at least five years and up to life in prison. Being an accessory after the fact of bank robbery is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; the United States Marshals in Columbus and Chicago; ICE and HSI Chicago; the Whitehall, Minerva Parka and Upper Arlington police departments; and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced the superseding indictment returned today. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this case.

A superseding indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Guadalupe Sanchez-Cruz, 50, of Indianapolis, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 48 months in prison for possessing 45 guns as an illegal alien.

According to court documents, Sanchez-Cruz is an illegal alien and therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Sanchez-Cruz, who is originally from Mexico, was the passenger in a truck transporting 45 firearms from Indiana to New Jersey. The defendant was stopped by law enforcement in Ohio on Jan. 20.

Sanchez-Cruz told law enforcement officials he was paid to help transport parcels and knew the items contained within were “likely illegal.” The 45 firearms included handguns and rifles, some with high-capacity magazines. They were heavily wrapped in plastic and contained in two boxes on the truck.

Sanchez-Cruz was indicted in February 2023 and pleaded guilty in April 2023.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Charles A. Jones; announced the sentence imposed on Sept. 21 by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth A. Geraghty is representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A resident of Grandview Heights was arrested today on federal charges including transporting, receiving, and possessing child pornography.

Stephen Chinn, 39, of Columbus, turned himself in at U.S. District Court this morning to be arrested by federal agents. Chinn then made his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon, and his charges were unsealed at that time.

According to the three-count federal indictment returned yesterday, Chinn uploaded child pornography to the internet that depicted prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct including sex acts with adults and animals.

Chinn allegedly downloaded and saved other child sexual abuse material between Aug. 11 and Aug. 13. The material further depicted prepubescent children engaged in bestiality and sexual intercourse with adults, as well as minor victims subjected to sadistic and masochistic abuse.

On Aug. 16, a search warrant was executed at Chinn’s residence. It is alleged that Chinn possessed a desktop computer containing more than 4,000 child sexual abuse images. At the time, Chinn was employed as a public defender in Franklin County.

Chinn was initially arrested on Aug. 16 and charged locally with Pandering Sexually Oriented Matter Involving a Minor and Pandering Obscenity. Chinn was released on bond in that matter. The federal indictment will supersede any charges on his local case.

Chinn is scheduled to appear again in U.S. District Court at 1:30pm on Sept. 25 for a detention hearing.

Transporting and receiving child pornography are federal crimes punishable by a mandatory minimum of five years in prison. Both charges also carry a statutory maximum punishment of 20 years in prison, which is the same statutory maximum for possessing child pornography of a prepubescent minor.

The case is being investigated by the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Grandview Heights Police Chief Ryan Starns; Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin; and Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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A federal jury in the Southern District of Ohio convicted an Ohio physician today for unlawfully distributing opioids from his clinic.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Thomas Romano, 73, of Wheeling, West Virginia, owned and operated a self-named pain management clinic in Martin’s Ferry to which individuals traveled hundreds of miles to obtain prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances. Romano charged $750 for an initial visit and $120 for subsequent monthly visits. The prescriptions Romano issued for opioids and other controlled substances greatly exceeded recommended dosages and were in dangerous, life-threatening combinations that fueled the addiction of the individuals to whom he prescribed. Between October 2014 and September 2019, Romano prescribed over 137,000 pills, including opioids, benzodiazepines, and muscle relaxants, to nine individuals.

The jury convicted Romano of 24 counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, outside the usual course of professional practice, and not for a legitimate medical purpose to nine individuals. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each charge. A sentencing date has not yet been set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Detroit Division, Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Mario M. Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Service Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

The DEA, FBI, and HHS-OIG, as well as the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation and Ohio Board of Pharmacy, investigated this case.

Assistant Chief Alexis Gregorian and Trial Attorneys Devon Helfmeyer and Danielle Sakowski of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force. Since its inception in late 2018, ARPO has partnered with federal and state law enforcement agencies and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, and West Virginia to prosecute medical professionals and others involved in the illegal prescription and distribution of opioids. Over the past four years, ARPO has charged over 115 defendants, collectively responsible for issuing prescriptions for over 115 million controlled substance pills. To date, more than 60 ARPO defendants have been convicted. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

DAYTON, Ohio – A Vandalia man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today for possessing drugs in a school zone.

Jason Glanton, 34, of Vandalia, possessed with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl within 1,000 feet of Helke Elementary School on Randler Avenue in Vandalia.

According to court documents, in the fall of 2022, the FBI and Dayton Police Department began investigating Glanton for fentanyl trafficking. Law enforcement observed Glanton sell fentanyl on at least three occasions in January and February 2023.

While executing a search warrant in February 2023, agents discovered more than 136 grams of fentanyl, $9,000 in cash, five semiautomatic handguns and more than 300 rounds of ammunition in a basement office at Glanton’s home on Pool Avenue. Investigators also discovered three loaded handguns in the primary bedroom.

In Glanton’s Chevrolet Silverado, officials discovered $10,000 in cash in the trunk and a loaded handgun in a hidden compartment inside the vehicle.

When Glanton was arrested in March 2023, he had more than $1,700 in cash on him and nearly 75 grams of fentanyl in his Chrysler 300.

Glanton faces a prison sentence of five to 80 years. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal announced the guilty plea entered today before Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorney Kelly K. Rossi is representing the United States in this case.

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DAYTON, Ohio – A 19-year-old Dayton man pleaded guilty in federal court here today to possessing a gun in the parking lot of an area middle school.

Jacob Ruff, Jr. admitted he possessed a firearm on the grounds of Edwin Joel Brown Middle School on May 12, 2023.

According to court documents, ballistics were collected from the scene and sent to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) when Dayton police officers responded to a shots fired call in the parking lot of the school. Security footage of the school implicated Ruff in the crime.

On May 31, 2023, Ruff was arrested after fleeing from law enforcement at the site of a loud block party in a public roadway. Once he was apprehended, officers discovered a gun in his fanny pack.

Agents with the ATF test fired the weapon and submitted shell casings to NIBIN, which matched the shell casings collected at Edwin Joel Brown Middle School.

Ruff was charged federally in June 2023.

Possessing a firearm in a school zone is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence, and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Through the violent-crime reduction program, stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; John Nokes, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal announced the guilty plea offered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline H. Gentry. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Texas men are convicted of crimes related to providing faulty parts to the U.S. military.

Philip R. Huddleston, 58, of Ft. Worth, Texas, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today.

Since 2013, Huddleston was a civilian employed as a quality assurance specialist at the Defense Contract Management Agency. Since 2018, Huddleston also co-owned WM Industries, a DoD contractor in Beaumont, Texas, who sold and supplied a variety of military parts to the DoD.

Huddleston co-owned the DoD parts business with Gregory Gotreaux, 56, of Beaumont, Texas, who is also convicted in this scheme.

According to court documents, Huddleston and Gotreaux conspired to supply the United States with unapproved and substituted parts on 41 orders totaling at least $704,000.

Specifically, from November 2019 through September 2021, Huddleston and Gotreaux provided nonconforming parts used in various U.S. military defense and weapons systems. The defendants were paid by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) located in Columbus.

The two men pleaded guilty to wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.

Parties involved with Huddleston’s plea agreement have recommended a sentence of 24 to 37 months in prison.

The defendants have agreed to pay $706,000 in restitution, which includes approximately $2,100 for testing costs to the Department of Defense.

Sentencing of the defendants take place at future hearings and will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Patrick Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS); Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); announced the guilty pleas. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica W. Knight and Special Assistant United States Attorney J. Michael Marous are representing the United States in this case.

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The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against Joseph Earl Lucas of Amesville, Ohio, for sexually harassing female tenants and housing applicants in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Lucas has owned and managed more than 70 residential rental properties in and around Athens County, Ohio.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, alleges that since at least 2004, Lucas requested sex acts from female tenants and applicants; subjected female tenants to unwelcome sexual touching; made unwelcome sexual comments and advances to female tenants and their female guests; repeatedly drove by and entered female tenants’ homes without their permission; demanded that female tenants engage in sex acts with him in order not to lose housing; and offered to reduce rent or excuse late or unpaid rent in exchange for sex acts. The lawsuit also alleges that Lucas initiated evictions or threatened to evict female tenants who refused his sexual advances.

“No one should have to experience sexual harassment in their home or their community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will vigorously enforce fair housing laws to hold accountable landlords who prey on vulnerable tenants and housing applicants.” 

“This lawsuit sends a message that this deplorable behavior has no place in our communities and that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will vigorously enforce federal civil rights laws to stop this conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “No one should be forced to endure any form of sexual harassment, let alone in their efforts to maintain housing.”

The lawsuit, which is the result of a joint investigative effort with the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG), seeks monetary damages to compensate persons harmed by the alleged harassment, a civil penalty to vindicate the public interest and a court order barring future discrimination.

“Every person deserves to feel safe in housing without facing the threat of being sexually harassed or abused by a landlord,” said HUD Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis. “Victims should not hesitate to report such harassment and abuse to law enforcement authorities. HUD OIG will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to hold housing providers accountable for this type of horrible conduct.”

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. It also prohibits sexual harassment, a form of sex discrimination. Individuals who believe they may have been victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination at rental properties owned or managed by Joseph Lucas, or who have information that may be relevant to this case, may contact the Justice Department by calling the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Tipline 513 684-2055, emailing usaohs.civilrights@usdoj.gov or completing a Civil Rights referral form at www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/file/1513341/download. 

The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The initiative seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative in October 2017, the department has filed 35 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $10.8 million for victims of such harassment.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal jury has convicted a local man of making interstate threats to local law enforcement, court officials, businesses and schools.

Yousif Mubarak, 27, of Canal Winchester, was convicted of seven counts of making interstate threats.

The verdict was announced today following a trial that began on Aug. 28 before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.

According to court documents and trial testimony, in September 2021, Mubarak made at least 87 threatening phone calls from the state of Washington, where he resided for a short time, to a Franklin County Municipal Court Judge who previously presided over his court case.

Mubarak told the Judge that he would find her, that he had private investigators following her and that she should watch for cars following her. Mubarak said, “I will find you even if that means I die,” and threatened to kill the Judge himself.

Beginning on Sept. 12, 2021, and continuing until the early morning hours of Sept. 13, 2021, Mubarak also placed numerous threatening calls to businesses and schools in the Canal Winchester and Pickerington areas.

He called to make threats to employees at the Brew Dog, Home Depot and Best Western businesses in Canal Winchester.

On Sept. 12, 2021, at about 10pm, officers and agents with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Division of Police and FBI visited the last known address of Mubarak in Canal Winchester. Mubarak observed the officers in his Ring doorbell camera and taunted the officers throughout the interaction.

Twenty minutes later, Mubarak called a dispatcher in Fairfield County and told her, in part, “you can die” and “she would get two bullets in the head.”

Around 7am on the morning of Sept. 13, 2021, Mubarak called in a bomb threat to Canal Winchester Middle School. He told a school employee: “I have placed several bombs in your building” and “I would get your women and children out now.”

Approximately 20 minutes later, Mubarak called Pickerington North High School and said there were two suicide bombers inside the school.

Mubarak was charged federally and arrested on Sept. 22, 2021. A federal grand jury indicted him in November 2021 and that indictment was superseded in June 2022.

Making interstate threats is punishable by up to five years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Fairfield County Sheriff Alex Lape; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced today’s verdict. Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica W. Knight and Jennifer M. Rausch are representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Central Ohio man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to embezzling more than $26 million from his Columbus employer.

Yi He, 35, of Powell, admitted to committing wire fraud and filing a false tax return.

According to court documents, Yi was a long-time and trusted employee of a furniture company that provides furniture to retailers like Wayfair, Overstock, Kohls, Walmart and Ashley. Yi was solely responsible for payroll and payroll tax-related duties for the company.

From 2018 until 2022, Yi embezzled money from the company’s bank account into his own personal and financial investment accounts. Yi submitted false and fraudulent bank and financial statements to the company’s leadership to remain undetected.

For example, in one wire transfer in February 2022, Yi wired himself $100,000. Yi falsified that month’s bank account statement by removing the transaction entirely.

In total, Yi stole $26.5 million from the company.

Yi also helped oversee an employee incentive LLC that rewarded company employees with 10 or more years of service. The LLC offered employees a way to earn more and supplement retirement. Yi similarly embezzled from the LLC’s bank accounts. For example, in one wire transfer in April 2022, he paid himself $200,000 by falsely categorizing the transfer as “Rent.” In total, he stole $635,000 from the LLC.

Yi failed to accurately report his income to the IRS for tax years 2018 through 2021, causing a total tax loss of approximately $6.8 million.

As part of his guilty plea, Yi will pay more than $27 million in restitution to the furniture company and LLC, and he will forfeit two homes in Reynoldsburg and one home in Columbus.

Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Filing a false tax return carries a potential penalty of up to three years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence, and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); announced the guilty plea entered on Aug. 29 before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica W. Knight is representing the United States in this case.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Central Ohio women are charged federally with crimes related to fraudulently receiving more than $2.8 million total in covid-relief funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

“As Attorney General Merrick Garland recently made clear, while the COVID-19 public health emergency may have ended, our work to identify and hold accountable those who stole pandemic relief funds is far from over,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Working alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to prosecute the individuals who engaged in these illegal activities.”

Lorie A. Schaefer, 62, of Westerville, allegedly received nearly $1.9 million in covid-relief funds by fraudulently claiming an affiliation with an Ohio pizza company.

According to court documents, Schaefer opened new bank accounts in December 2020 prior to registering a fictitious business name with the State of Ohio in March 2021.

It is alleged that Schaefer fraudulently claimed affiliation with the Flying Pizza restaurants in Dayton, Centerville and Fairborn. When notified that a PPP loan for nearly $1.9 million had been filed in the name of Flying Pizza, individuals at the family-owned business said their restaurants could not justify such a large loan.

Schaefer claimed to have 98 employees and allegedly submitted altered bank records as part of her application. Schaefer also claimed the business was established in March 2021, even though the original Flying Pizza was established in 1984. Additionally, she claimed not to be under indictment despite having pending theft charges in Meigs County. Schaefer allegedly attached multiple fraudulent documents to her PPP application, including a bank statement, tax records, and a letter from the IRS.

Bank records indicate Schaefer improperly used PPP funds for personal expenses, for example, nearly $26,000 on liposuction, a $10,000 check for a “newborn baby gift,” and more than $900,000 to purchase and renovate a condominium in Westerville. Schaefer also allegedly made purchases at Wayfair, Lamps Plus, Kroger, KFC, Burger King, Arby’s, McDonald’s and Olive Garden. Evidence also suggests Schaefer used the fraud proceeds to purchase vehicles in Ohio and property in Australia for her personal use.

Schaefer allegedly assisted co-defendant Latisha C. Holloway, 42, of Reynoldsburg, in fraudulently receiving more than $980,000 in PPP loans.

Holloway allegedly claimed to own a business called Jaguar Logistics, LLC. Holloway stated on loan application documents that she had 76 employees and had a total gross income of $4.9 million. Her loan application was submitted within a month of Schaefer receiving PPP loans and records indicate Holloway wired Schaefer $180,000 after receiving her own loan money. According to court records, Holloway similarly attached fraudulent documents to her PPP loan, including a bank statement and tax records.

Both defendants allegedly collected unemployment benefits after receiving federal covid-relief funds.

Finally, it is alleged that Schaefer used another individual’s Social Security Number to apply for and receive an additional $20,800 in PPP funds for “LS Associates,” a corporation established by Schaefer.

Schaefer was arrested on Aug. 25 and Holloway was arrested today.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the case, which was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cincinnati Division and the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General as part of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney David J. Twombly is representing the United States in this case.

Criminal complaints merely contain allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man who was convicted at trial in December 2021 of trafficking narcotics was sentenced in federal court here today to 204 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release.

Lelon Campbell, 30, distributed and possessed with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.

According to court documents and trial testimony, from June through October 2018, Campbell possessed more than 130 grams of fentanyl and approximately 27 grams of cocaine.

As a career criminal, Campbell was either on bond or under community control when he committed the offenses in his federal case.

Campbell was charged federally in 2019. At the time of his arrest, he attempted to get to two handguns before being stopped by SWAT officers. Campbell also had a large number of high capacity, high powered weapons in two “go-bags” in his basement.

In video surveillance, Campbell threatened to shoot a witness. The video played at trial shows Campbell directing a drug buyer to pull up his shirt so Campbell could check for a wire. He told the witness that he would shoot him if he was working for the police.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; John Nokes, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Oakley and Special Assistant United States Attorney John Zachary Kessler from the Cincinnati City Solicitor’s Office represented the United States in this case.

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