Southern District of Ohio

An Ohio man pleaded guilty to two counts of raising and training dogs for the purpose of dog fighting.

Michael Valentine, 40, of Bidwell, Ohio, admitted to raising and training over fifty dogs near his home in Gallia County, Ohio. According to court documents, law enforcement first investigated Valentine for dog fighting offenses in 2019 following a dog attack on a small child living with the defendant. That investigation led to a search warrant of the defendant’s residence and the seizure of 40 dogs. The search also recovered numerous items of dog fighting paraphernalia, including treadmills, veterinary supplies, and dog fighting videos.

On March 8, 2022, a second search warrant was executed at the defendant’s residence as part of a fentanyl-distribution investigation. That search revealed substantial evidence of drug distribution, as well as two assault-style rifles. In addition, a search of a nearby parcel of land revealed an additional 11 dogs, which the defendant was keeping for purposes of dog fighting.  

Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Marous for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting this case.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General (USDA-OIG) and the FBI.

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

CINCINNATI – Markeith Ford, 32, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 66 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm.

 

As a previously convicted felon, Ford is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

 

According to court documents, on March 4, 2022, plain clothes officers from the Crime Gun Information Center (CGIC) identified Ford at the rear of a property on Race Street. Ford was wearing a black outfit, camouflage mask and latex gloves.

 

When a patrol vehicle arrived, Ford immediately fled on foot, carrying a firearm in his left hand. He threw the gun toward a fire escape on a building. Ford was eventually caught and placed into custody, and the firearm – which was loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition – was recovered. Ford also had a black magazine with 10 rounds of ammunition in a front pants pocket.

 

Ford pleaded guilty in June 2022 to illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony crime.

 

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 Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa A. Theetge announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Springer is representing the United States in this case.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Belmont County attorney was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 60 months in prison for committing mail fraud related to stealing more than $882,000 from an elderly woman with dementia while purporting to act in her best interests under a Power of Attorney.

 

From 2012 through August 2019, Mark Alan Thomas, 63, of St. Clairsville, Ohio, defrauded a client and took the victim’s money without her knowledge or permission to use it for his own benefit.

 

As part of his sentence, Thomas is required to pay $882,502 in restitution.

 

“Thomas’s grave abuse of power over this vulnerable victim demands today’s serious punishment,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said. “The victim in this case was 86 years old, exhibiting symptoms of dementia, and living in a senior-care facility. She trusted Thomas, and Thomas abused that trust to steal her money for more than seven years. His actions to take advantage of her were utterly shameful.”

 

According to court documents, Thomas improperly used the victim’s Power of Attorney and his status as a lawyer – even after his law license was revoked in 2015 – to convince various entities, including banks and life insurance companies, to transfer the victim’s money for his use.

 

In May 2012, a family member of the victim obtained a separate Power of Attorney for the victim, and Thomas drafted a revocation of the family member’s Power of Attorney for the victim to sign. Thomas acted as the notary to verify the victim’s signature on the revocation.

 

Furthermore, Thomas falsely told a banker he needed $200,000 from the victim’s investment account to set up an educational fund that the victim wanted to establish. Once he received the money from the bank, Thomas transferred the money to himself instead.

 

In January 2014, Thomas cashed more than $290,000 of the victim’s U.S. Treasury Bonds, then subsequently transferred $200,000 into his law firm’s bank account, and eventually into his own personal bank account.

 

According to court documents, in 2016, Thomas wrote letters to three life insurance companies purporting to be the victim asking to cash out the victim’s policies and direct all correspondence to Thomas.

 

Thomas was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2021 and pleaded guilty in August 2022.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. The Ohio Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Unit and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Twombly and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.

 

To report elder fraud, please visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center or contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833–FRAUD–11 or 833–372–8311 Monday – Friday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm EST.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A career bank robber pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to armed bank robberies in Athens and Marietta in 2020. The plea includes an agreed-upon sentence of more than 13 years in federal prison.

 

William E. Johnson, 58, of Lancaster, admitted to committing armed robberies in August 2020 in Athens and October 2020 in Marietta.

 

Johnson’s plea agreement details that on Aug. 17, 2020, he brandished a firearm at Hocking Valley Bank on East State Street in Athens. Johnson wore a prosthetic forehead and nose, skin-toned arm sleeves/gloves, makeup and a COVID mask, all designed to disguise his appearance.

 

Johnson ordered employees to get on the floor and then emptied several drawers of cash. In total, he took more than $25,000. After stealing the cash, he tied the employees’ hands with zip ties. Johnson ordered the bank manager to give him the keys to the bank manager’s car and the manager complied. Johnson fled the bank in the stolen vehicle.

 

On Oct. 22, 2020, Johnson robbed the Citizens Bank on North Second Street in Marietta. Johnson was wearing a full-length Halloween-style mask that made him appear to be an old man and wore a red hood pulled up around his face.

 

Johnson possessed a gun and forced his way behind the tellers’ counter. He emptied several drawers, stealing $11,390.

 

At the time, Johnson had a warrant out for his arrest for a pending indictment for a bank robbery in Williamstown, West Virginia.

 

Law enforcement officers spotted Johnson driving in West Virginia on the evening of the Marietta bank robbery and pulled him over. Johnson attempted to flee on foot, telling officers they would have to kill him to take him into custody again. Officers tased Johnson and placed him under arrest.

 

Officers searched Johnson’s vehicle and located more than $9,000 in cash, a loaded handgun, zip ties and his disguises.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cincinnati Division; the Athens, Marietta, Williamstown, W.Va. and Parkersburg, W.Va. police departments; the Washington County and Wood County, W.Va. sheriff’s offices; and the West Virginia State Police announced the guilty plea entered on April 27 before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Noah R. Litton and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jeremie Adam Elkins, 46, of Newark, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 43 months in prison for causing more than $1.5 million in fraud in connection with access devices. Elkins committed wire fraud and illegally possessed a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony crime.

 

According to court documents, from July to October 2020, Elkins used his Verizon company-issued credit card to pay for personal expenses like hotels/resorts, restaurants, bars, pawn shops and auction houses. Elkins had been employed as a Network Engineer at Verizon, Inc.

 

Elkins also used an old Verizon work order number to place multiple fraudulent orders with vendor W.W. Grainger, Inc. Grainger provides tools and equipment for Verizon service vans.

 

Elkins placed 46 unauthorized orders to Grainger and personally picked up most of the equipment, which totaled approximately $936,000. He used the illicit proceeds to purchase two boats and a motorcycle.

 

The defendant placed an additional 20 unauthorized orders to Grainger, for items totaling nearly $954,000, but never obtained the equipment.

 

As part of his sentence, Elkins will pay nearly $24,000 in restitution to Verizon and more than $936,000 in restitution to Grainger.

 

When he was arrested in August 2021, Elkins illegally possessed a pistol and admitted to investigators that he has sold 15 to 20 firearms. Elkins was previously convicted of a felony crime in Licking County, prohibiting him from possessing firearms or ammunition.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. and commended the investigation by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Brenda S. Shoemaker is representing the United States in this case.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Pickerington man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to committing a civil rights violation by burning a house of worship.

 

Benjamin Darrell Ruckel, 25, pleaded guilty to violating the Church Arson Prevention Act.

 

A federal bill of information charges Ruckel with setting fire to the Mount Zion Church in Baltimore, Ohio, on Nov. 27, 2021. During an arraignment hearing this morning before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison, the defendant admitted to intentionally setting the fire because of the religious character of the church.

 

“The defendant in this case is being held accountable for the devastating church arson that impacted an entire community of worshipers,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that religious practice is protected from forceful interference and will continue to prosecute those who commit acts of violence against houses of worship because of their religious character.”

 

“Every resident in the Southern District of Ohio should be free to worship without any criminal acts occurring against them or the place in which they come together to do so,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Combatting these types of unlawful acts is a priority for my office, and together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to vigorously use every criminal enforcement tool at our disposal to address civil rights violations.”

 

“Religious freedom is a cornerstone of our nation, and the FBI will continue to protect the rights of Americans to worship safely,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “As the lead agency for investigating criminal violations of federal civil rights statutes, the FBI works closely with law enforcement, religious organizations, and community groups to reduce civil rights abuses.”

 

According to court documents, Ruckel broke the windows of the church and spread accelerant before setting the church ablaze, causing extensive damage.

 

Violating the Church Arson Prevention Act is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

 

Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Parker and Special Agent in Charge Rivers announced today’s guilty plea. Deputy Criminal Chief Brian J. Martinez for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Daniel E. Grunert of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case. The FBI Cincinnati Division investigated the case.

 

Information related to potential civil rights violations in the Southern District of Ohio can be submitted online here: /media/1227446/dl?inline. 

 

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CINCINNATI – Federal agents arrested nine individuals for crimes relating to a conspiracy to buy firearms online and have them shipped to Cincinnati-area federal firearms licensees (FFLs). It is alleged that more than 70 firearms were bought with stolen credit card information and picked up, or attempted to be picked up, at local FFLs via straw purchases that hid the identity of the true buyer. Several of the defendants are also charged with COVID-relief crimes totaling more than $120,000 in alleged loss.

 

A total of 10 defendants were charged in two related indictments returned on April 12. The indictments were unsealed on April 21.

 

One defendant, Roderico Allen, 26, of Cincinnati, remains a fugitive. Law enforcement authorities ask anyone with information related to Allen’s whereabouts to call the ATF at 513-684-3354.

 

“These cases allege conspiracies that endangered our communities through straw firearms purchases, and several defendants are also alleged to have exploited pandemic relief,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not waver in our determination to prosecute those who illegally purchase firearms and those who defrauded relief programs meant to help struggling Americans during the pandemic. Straw purchasers are as much a part of the problem of violence we are seeing on our streets as those who pull the trigger.”

 

Jones et al.

In one indictment, six individuals are charged with conspiring to make false statements during the purchase of a firearm from an FFL.

 

According to the indictment, from April 2022 through at least July 2022, the six conspired to make false statements to an FFL about the identity of the true buyer of the firearms, including on ATF Form 4473, which a buyer must fill out when purchasing a firearm.

 

Members of the conspiracy allegedly used stolen credit card information to buy firearms online from out-of-state FFLs, including Guns.com. The firearms were then shipped to Cincinnati-area FFLs for pickup. Members of the conspiracy allegedly bought the firearms in the names of other members of the conspiracy, who then falsely represented to local FFLs that they were the true buyers of the firearms and were not obtaining the firearms for anyone else.

 

It is alleged that the conspirators had 60 firearms shipped to the Southern District of Ohio and succeeded in obtaining at least 38 of those firearms.

 

The 23-count indictment charges:

Name

Age

City of Residence

Zephaniah Jones

20

Cincinnati

Nehemiah Jones

23

Atlanta, GA

Jerin Johnson, Sr.

35

Cincinnati

Cedric Conyers

34

Cincinnati

Aneesah Williams

27

Cincinnati

Mykia Melton

25

Cincinnati

 

Zephaniah Jones is also charged with three counts of unauthorized use of an access device and three counts of aggravated identity theft relating to his alleged use of stolen credit card numbers to buy firearms.

 

Four defendants – Zephaniah Jones, Nehemiah Jones, Mykia Melton and Jerin Johnson, Sr. – are also accused of fraudulently obtaining a total of five Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans during the COVID-19 pandemic:

 

• It is alleged that Zephaniah Jones fraudulently applied for and obtained more than $20,000 in PPP loans. Zephaniah Jones allegedly falsely stated he was the sole owner of Jones Lawncare LLC, a business he allegedly falsely claimed was in operation in February 2020 and had $99,000 in gross income in 2020.

 

• Co-defendant Nehemiah Jones allegedly obtained two fraudulent PPP loans by falsely claiming to own a business called “massage on air” and falsely representing that the business earned $98,000 in gross income in 2020. Nehemiah Jones received two PPP loans totaling more than $40,000.

 

• Mykia Melton allegedly received nearly $21,000 in PPP loans by falsely claiming she owned a clothing and accessories wholesaler called “Kia’s Drip.” It is alleged she falsely claimed the business had $100,000 in gross income in 2020.

 

• Jerin Johnson, Sr. allegedly falsely claimed his handyman and contracting business grossed nearly $98,000 in income in 2020. He allegedly received a $20,000 PPP loan.

 

Allen et al.

The four defendants included in the second indictment are also charged with conspiring to make false statements during the purchase of a firearm from an FFL.

 

According to that indictment, from May 2022 through at least June 2022, the four defendants engaged in a conspiracy using the same fraud scheme as the Jones defendants. These defendants allegedly caused 14 firearms to be shipped to the Southern District of Ohio and obtained nine of them.

 

The individuals charged in this 10-count indictment include:

Name

Age

City of Residence

*Roderico Allen

26

Cincinnati

Tyler Sneed

25

Cincinnati

Kazyra Robertson

24

Cincinnati

Jaidah Jones

22

Columbus

*Fugitive

 

Roderico Allen is also charged with aggravated identity theft and unauthorized use of an access device relating to his alleged use of a stolen credit card number in May 2022.

 

Jaidah Jones is also charged with PPP fraud. She allegedly received approximately $20,000 after falsely claiming to own a shoe store, stating the shoe store earned $200,000 in gross income in 2020.

 

Conspiring to make false statements during the purchase of a firearm is a crime punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment, and making such false statements is punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment. Unauthorized use of an access device is a crime punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment. A conviction for aggravated identity theft requires a mandatory two-year prison term in addition to any other sentences imposed. Making false statements to an agency of the United States is punishable by up to five 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 (ATF); Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Field Office; Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa A. Theetge; and Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia 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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Two men were sentenced in federal court today to crimes related to a scheme to attack power grids in the United States in furtherance white supremacy.

Christopher Brenner Cook, 20, of Columbus, Ohio, and Jonathan Allen Frost, 24, of Katy, Texas, and West Lafayette, Indiana, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Cook was sentenced was sentenced to 92 months in prison and Frost was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Jackson Matthew Sawall, 22, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was also charged and pleaded guilty in February 2022 in connection with the scheme and will be sentenced at a later date.

“These defendants plotted armed attacks against energy facilities to stoke division in furtherance of white supremacist ideology and now they are being held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will not tolerate the use of violence to advance any extremist ideology and we remain determined to protect our communities from such hateful acts of terror.”

“At the root of every terrorist plot – whether foreign or domestic – is hate,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “As a society, we must be vigilant against online radicalization, which is a powerful tool used by extremists to recruit both juveniles and adults.”

“The defendants in this case conspired to provide material support to terrorism by putting plans in place to damage America’s infrastructure, motivated by their adherence to racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist ideology,” said Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “When individuals move from espousing ideas to planning or committing acts of violence, the FBI will investigate and take action to disrupt their plans. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the commitment we have to working with our partners to bring violent extremists to justice and to protect our communities.” 

According to court documents, in fall 2019, Frost and Cook met in an online chat group. Frost shared the idea of attacking a power grid with Cook, and within weeks, the two began efforts to recruit others to join in their plan.

As part of the recruitment process, Cook circulated a book list of readings that promoted the ideology of white supremacy and Neo-Nazism. By late 2019, Sawall – a friend of Cook’s – joined the conspiracy and assisted Cook with online recruitment efforts, operational security and organization.

As part of the conspiracy, each defendant was assigned a substation in a different region of the United States. The plan was to attack the substations, or power grids, with powerful rifles. The defendants believed their plan would cost the government millions of dollars and cause unrest for Americans in the region. They had conversations about how the possibility of the power being out for many months could cause war, even a race war, and induce the next Great Depression.

In February 2020, the co-conspirators met in Columbus, Ohio, to further discuss their plot. Frost provided Cook with an AR-47 and the two took the rifle to a shooting range to train.

Frost also provided Cook and Sawall with suicide necklaces during the Columbus meeting. The necklaces were filled with fentanyl and were to be ingested if and when the defendants were caught by law enforcement. Both Cook and Sawall expressed their commitment to dying in furtherance of their mission.

Upon arriving in Columbus, Sawall and Cook purchased spray paint and painted a swastika flag under a bridge at a park with the caption, “Join the Front.” The defendants had additional propaganda plans for their time in Ohio, but they were derailed during a traffic stop, during which Sawall swallowed his suicide pill but ultimately survived.

Court documents detail that Cook and Frost continued to travel together after their Ohio meeting, and drove to Texas in March 2020. Cook stayed in different cities with various juveniles who he was attempting to recruit for their plot.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica W. Knight for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Columbus, Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Houston. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Northern District of Indiana provided valuable support.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two men were sentenced in federal court here today for conspiring to attack power grids throughout the United States to promote their white supremacy ideology.

 

Christopher Brenner Cook, 21, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 92 months in prison. Jonathan Allen Frost, 25, of Katy, Texas, and West Lafayette, Indiana, was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Jackson Matthew Sawall, 22, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was also charged and pleaded guilty in February 2022. His case remains pending.

 

Cook and Frost engaged in a plot to attack the country’s energy infrastructure, damage the economy, and stoke division in American society in the name of white supremacy. “Revolution is our solution” was a recurring theme in the defendants’ communications to one another.

 

“These defendants plotted armed attacks against energy facilities to stoke division in furtherance of white supremacist ideology and now they are being held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will not tolerate the use of violence to advance any extremist ideology and we remain determined to protect our communities from such hateful acts of terror.”

 

“At the root of every terrorist plot – whether foreign or domestic – is hate,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “As a society, we must be vigilant against online radicalization, which is a powerful tool used by extremists to recruit both juveniles and adults.”

 

“The individuals sentenced today created a suicide pact to sow hatred and commit terrorist acts intended to destabilize our country,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “Through rigorous investigation and law enforcement partnerships, their radical plan was halted. Today’s sentence is a message to anyone with similar plans that they will be disrupted and held accountable for conspiring to commit violence.”

 

According to court documents, in fall 2019, Frost and Cook met in an online chat group. Frost shared the idea of attacking a power grid with Cook, and within weeks, the two began efforts to recruit others to join in their plan.

 

As part of the recruitment process, Cook asked literary questions and circulated a book list of readings that promoted the ideology of white supremacy and Neo-Nazism.

 

The conspirators had a separate propaganda group named “The Front” that planned to take credit for the power grid attack should it occur successfully. The defendants also created exclusive subgroups for individuals who passed the defendants’ additional screenings. The first subgroup was called “Lights Out.”

 

As part of the conspiracy, each defendant was assigned a substation in a different region of the United States. The plan was to attack the substations, or power grids, with powerful rifles. The defendants believed their plan would cost the government millions of dollars and cause unrest for Americans in the region. They had conversations about how the possibility of the power being out for many months could cause war, even a race war, and induce the next Great Depression.

 

The defendants’ commitment to their radical ideology turned from ideas to concrete actions in furtherance of the attacks.

 

In February 2020, the co-conspirators met in Columbus, Ohio, to further discuss their plot. Frost, who had obtained several untraceable automatic rifles, provided Cook with an AR-47 and the two took the rifle to a shooting range to train.

 

Frost also provided Cook with a suicide necklace during the Columbus meeting. The necklace was filled with fentanyl to be ingested if and when the defendants were caught by law enforcement. Cook expressed his commitment to dying in furtherance of the mission.

 

Upon arriving in Columbus, Cook and Sawall purchased spray paint and painted a swastika flag under a bridge at a park with the caption, “Join the Front.” The defendants had additional propaganda plans for their time in Ohio, but they were derailed during a traffic stop.

 

Court documents detail that Cook and Frost continued in furtherance of the conspiracy to travel together after their Ohio meeting, and traveled to Oklahoma and Texas in March 2020, where Cook stayed in different cities with various juveniles he was attempting to recruit for their plot.

 

Frost circulated a “meetup guide” to the group with guidance on recruiting juveniles to their cause because “[T]hey are 99% not a Fed…”

 

When law enforcement searched each defendant’s residence, they discovered multiple firearms, chemicals, components capable of building explosives, violent extremist Nazi material, and information about U.S. power infrastructure and substations.

 

The men were each charged by a Bill of Information and pleaded guilty in February 2022 to conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

 

Assistant United States Attorney Jessica W. Knight and Trial Attorney Justin Sher with the Department of Justice’s National Security Division are representing the United States in this case.

 

U.S. Attorney Parker commended the cooperative investigation by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Columbus, Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Houston, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Northern District of Indiana.

 

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CINCINNATI – A former insurance agent was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 24 months in prison for defrauding dozens of victims in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas.

 

Seneca Birchmore, 45, of Cincinnati, committed aggravated identity theft. Birchmore also fraudulently obtained two COVID Paycheck Protection Program loans.

 

As part of his sentence, Birchmore was ordered to pay nearly $147,000 in restitution.

 

According to court documents, Birchmore lost his license as an insurance agent in 2019 because he was writing unauthorized insurance policies so that he could collect the commissions.

 

After losing his license, Birchmore then stole the identities of two other insurance agents and used those identities to write more life insurance policies for customers who did not want them. Birchmore had the commissions from dozens of local victims’ policies deposited into his own bank accounts.

 

Local law enforcement departments received complaints from victims that money was being automatically withdrawn from their bank accounts for insurance policies they never ordered. Many of the victims are senior citizens, and most reside in Dayton, Englewood, Middletown and Cincinnati.

 

The commissions for Birchmore’s original fraudulent insurance policies under his own name as an agent totaled more than $8,000. The commissions for policies created under the stolen identities of other agents totaled more than $93,000.

 

“This case is based plainly on Birchmore’s greed combined with his wanton acts to take advantage of some of society’s most vulnerable people, the senior customers,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Unfortunately, the victims in the case are not only the customers, but also the insurance agents whose identities he stole as well as the insurance companies he caused to pay the fraudulent commissions.”

 

As part of his conviction, Birchmore was ordered to pay the following restitution:

• Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company: $34,820.37
• Columbian Life Insurance Company: $16,604.01
• Transamerica Life Insurance Company: $4,671
• Mutual of Omaha: $2,104.65
• Great Western Insurance Company: $16,303.17
• Aetna Health and Life Insurance Company: $8,826.84
• American General Life Insurance Company: $2,718.45
• Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company: $17,906.07
• Integrity Market: $1,000.00
• U.S. Small Business Administration: $41,665

 

In a separate scheme, Birchmore fraudulently obtained two COVID Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling more than $40,000. Birchmore claimed on both loan applications that he owned a business in his name and stated his gross income for 2019 was more than $13 million. No such business existed.

 

The defendant was charged federally and arrested in June 2022. He pleaded guilty in January 2023.

 

“I commend the diligence of the Ohio Department of Insurance's investigatory team for bringing detailed aspects of this case to light, and the work of the partner agencies to ensure accountability for breaking the law,” said Ohio Department of Insurance Director Judith L. French. “Insurance crimes are serious. They negatively impact consumers and also drive up the cost of insurance for all Ohioans.”

 

U.S. Attorney Parker and Director French were joined by the Social Security Office of Inspector General, U.S. Secret ServiceOhio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, U.S. Marshals Service, Butler County Sheriff’s Office and Cincinnati Police Department in announcing the sentence imposed on April 13 by Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia and former Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry represented the United States in this case.

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CINCINNATI – A criminal complaint charging David John Frahm, 62, of Trenton, Ohio, with distribution of child pornography alleges that he used an encrypted instant message application to pursue adults with access to minor children for the purposes of engaging in sexual acts and shared sexually explicit images of children.

 

Court documents allege that Frahm used the app to gain access to chat rooms where people discussed child sexual abuse and shared photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse material. During one of those visits, Frahm allegedly shared three images with an undercover Homeland Security investigator who was in the chat room.

 

Agents arrested Frahm on April 7. Frahm had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Litkovitz on April 10 and was ordered to remain in custody pending trial. Frahm’s case was unsealed today.

 

Distribution of child pornography is punishable by a range of five years up to 20 years in prison.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Field Office; and the Lebanon Police Department announced the charge and the arrest. 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.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two local men were arrested by federal agents on allegations they robbed a mail carrier at gunpoint 10 days ago.

 

Mahad S. Jama, 21, of Westerville, and Da’mon D. May, 18, of Columbus, appeared in federal court today at 1:30pm before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly A. Jolson.

 

According to the criminal complaints, on April 4 at 3:20pm, Jama and May robbed at gunpoint a USPS letter carrier who was sitting in his work vehicle on Sawmill Road in Dublin.

 

“We continue to investigate a network of individuals involved in robbing or stealing U.S. Postal Service keys for the purposes of accessing mail collection boxes to steal checks,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “As today’s charges show, our law enforcement agencies will work swiftly to identify those allegedly involved in this brazen conduct. We will not tolerate violence in any form, including against Postal workers who are simply trying to fulfill such an important role in serving the community.”

 

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

 

Postal Inspectors executed searches at Jama’s and May’s residences yesterday. May was in possession of a firearm and the USPS key. Jama was found to have checks in names other than his own both on his person and in his home.

 

Aggravated robbery of a Postal employee is a federal crime punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

 

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 charges. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton 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 Chicago man who committed a home burglary in Cincinnati while illegally possessing two firearms before leading law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit was sentenced in federal court to 87 months in prison.

 

Terrance Lorenzo White, 28, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony crime.

 

According to court documents, on Aug. 21, 2020, deputies with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call about an attempted robbery at a residence. When deputies responded to the residence, witnesses said White was armed and threatened to shoot up the house. He had stolen marijuana and cash and was driving a white Jeep.

 

As deputies were assessing the crime scene, White drove past in the white Jeep and law enforcement pursued him. White led the deputies on a high-speed vehicle pursuit and crashed his Jeep before attempting to flee on foot.

 

White had two loaded firearms, a black ski mask and marijuana in his vehicle.

 

While he was out on bond in this case, White was convicted in Chicago of aggravated battery against a victim 60 years or older. He was sentenced in December 2022 to six months in prison.

 

Congress sets the minimum and maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendant is 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; and Warren County Sheriff Larry L. Sims announced the sentence imposed on April 11 by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley N. Brucato is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A 42-year-old convicted sex offender from Flushing, Ohio, was sentenced in federal court today to 180 months in prison for distributing and receiving child pornography.

 

Joshua E. Green was also sentenced to serve his time in a prison facility that provides sexual offender treatment and serve 20 years under court supervision after completing his prison sentence.

 

“Repeat offenders who have shown that they remain a threat to the children around them must be kept away from society for a significant period of time,” said Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

 

According to court documents, the investigation into Green began when he distributed images of himself to an undercover FBI agent posing as a 12-year-old female. Green admitted that in September 2021, he engaged in conversations through an online messenger app with the purported 12-year-old female and distributed sexually explicit images of himself along with pictures of his face.  These images ultimately led to the identification of Green as a registered sex offender.

 

Further investigation revealed that Green had also distributed child sexual abuse material in January 2022 and February 2022 via the mobile application Kik.

 

A search warrant was executed at Green’s residence and numerous digital media devices were seized which contained additional evidence of his child exploitation activities.

 

Green pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2022, to distributing and receiving child pornography after being convicted of an offense relating to the sexual abuse of a minor. His prior conviction stemmed from a 2014 case in Belmont County Common Pleas Court in which he pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and pandering obscenity involving a minor.

 

Court documents also say that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received tips from Kik messenger regarding Green’s online child exploitation activities.

 

Parker was joined by J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Field Office; and Belmont County Sheriff David M. Lucas in announcing the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Sardinia, Ohio, woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to serve 28 months in prison for stealing more than $700,000 from the family-owned business for which she worked. She was also sentenced to pay restitution to the company.

 

Tina Coday-Townes, 49, pleaded guilty on October 20, 2022, to wire fraud.

 

According to court documents, Coday-Townes previously served as the office manager for a business in Clermont County. In that role, she was responsible for accounts payable and bookkeeping, including inputting and sending data to a third-party payroll company.

 

The defendant admitted that from 2013 until 2019, she wrote checks using an employers’ signature stamp to pay off her personal credit cards. Coday-Townes made false entries into the accounting database, indicating the checks were to vendors rather than to her personal credit cards.

 

In addition, Coday-Townes entered overtime hours for herself, even though she was ineligible for overtime as a salaried employee.

 

Her sentence calls for her to pay $697,000 in restitution to her former employer, $11,500 to the State of Ohio for fraudulently paid unemployment benefits, and $35,000 to West American Insurance Company.

 

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 Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley N. Brucato 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 pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to one count of wire fraud.

 

Willie Boyce, 41, agreed to pay $41,040 in restitution, in addition to any time he may serve in federal prison.

 

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 guilty plea entered today before 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ebunoluwa Taiwo is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A former longtime Beavercreek police officer was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 181 months in prison for committing two federal child pornography crimes.

Kevin A. Kovacs, 60, of Fairborn, was arrested in April 2020 and indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2020. He pleaded guilty in February 2022 to transporting and possessing child pornography.

“The law holds everyone accountable, no matter who they are or what their profession is,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “As a law enforcement officer, Kovacs should have been a trusted member of society, but instead he victimized children. He deserves this time in federal prison.”

Kovacs was employed as a police officer with the Beavercreek Police Department from 1992 until his retirement in 2018. He spent the last six years of his police career as the D.A.R.E. officer in the Beavercreek City Schools.

According to court documents, between April 2015 and July 2017, Kovacs uploaded more than 300 images and 2,200 videos depicting child pornography to his Dropbox account. Videos featured the sexual abuse of children as young as toddler-aged. One video depicted a toddler lying on a diaper whose arms and legs were bound by black tape.

Kovacs also used online messenger, social media, cloud storage and email accounts to transport and possess child pornography.

In total, as of December 2019, Kovacs possessed more than 780 images and 5,100 videos of child pornography.

He was further sentenced to 15 years of supervised release after completion of his prison term and ordered to pay $45,000 in restitution to victims.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney, Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Fairborn Police Chief Terry Bennington and Beavercreek Police Chief Jeff Fiorita announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Dwight K. Keller is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A 28-year-old Columbus man was ordered detained after he appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge here today after a criminal complaint charging him with sex trafficking was unsealed. 

The complaint alleges that Terrael Alexander Alls, aka “Ace” and “Rell” engaged in sex trafficking by means of force, threats, fraud, and coercion. Alls was arrested on March 31, 2023 in Licking County and appeared in federal court for his initial appearance on April 3.

According to court documents, an email tip received by the Columbus Division of Police regarding possible sex trafficking in Columbus was sent to the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force. The Task Force investigation, which spanned the course of one year, ultimately led to All’s arrest.

“Court records contain disturbing testimony by two of the numerous victims as they describe what they’ve been through,” said Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “I admire their courage to come forward and encourage anyone else who may be a victim to reach out to law enforcement.”

“Human traffickers control their victims with abuse, fear and intimidation – which are difficult to overcome,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Now that this defendant is in custody, we’re asking potential victims to contact law enforcement with any information about the case. If you’ve seen something, now is the time to say something.”

Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation or knowledge of additional victims of human trafficking is encouraged to contact the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446) or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888 and request to be connected with a member of the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force.

The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, formed under the Ohio Attorney General’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, includes resources from the Columbus Division of Police, Homeland Security Investigations, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Licking County Sheriff’s Office, Powell Police Department, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Adult Parole Authority, The Ohio State University Police Department, Salvation Army, Southeast Healthcare, the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office and the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office.

Sex trafficking by means of force, threats, fraud, and coercion is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to life imprisonment.

U.S. Attorney Parker and Ohio Attorney General Yost announced the unsealing of the complaint and the detention ordered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly A. Jolson, who set a preliminary hearing for April 17, 2023. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Jennifer Rausch are representing the United States.

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

# # #

CINCINNATI – A federal jury has convicted a Cincinnati man of one drug and two firearms crimes. The defendant was found guilty on all counts as charged.

 

Ieben Ewing, 39, is convicted of possessing with the intent to distribute controlled substances, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and illegally possessing firearms as a previously convicted felon. He will face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison.

 

The verdict was announced on March 29 following a trial that began on March 27 before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, Ewing distributed bulk amounts of narcotics from his residence on Betts Avenue in Cincinnati.

 

While executing a search warrant at Ewing’s home in March 2022, investigators discovered 770 grams of powder cocaine, 100 grams of crack cocaine, $75,000 in cash and various firearms. The firearms included an AK-style gun with a 100 round “drum” style magazine attached.

 

“The residents of the North College Hill community should not have to tolerate the illegal activities of Ieben Ewing in their neighborhood. Now he is looking at a lengthy prison sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.

 

As a previously convicted felon, Ewing is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

 

Ewing was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2022.

 

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

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Hamilton County Charmaine McGuffey and members of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Regional Narcotics Unit announced the guilty verdicts. Assistant United States Attorneys David P. Dornette and Timothy D. Oakley are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – Timothy Jefferson, 46, of Butler Township, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to drug and gun crimes that carry a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to life in federal prison.

 

Specifically, Jefferson pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl that carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison. The defendant also admitted to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, a crime that carries a mandatory sentence of five years in prison consecutive to any other penalty.

 

According to court documents, from at least May 2021 until December 2021, Jefferson obtained bulk amounts of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine for resale and distribution in the greater Dayton area. Jefferson and others would travel out-of-state to receive the bulk amounts of narcotics, driving the drugs back to Southern Ohio and staying in hotels along the way.

 

Jefferson’s plea details that he conspired to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.          

Jefferson kept firearms to protect the illegal drugs and the subsequent drug proceeds.

 

As part of his conviction, Jefferson will forfeit three firearms, multiple rounds of ammunition, a Chevy El Camino and more than $55,000 in cash.

 

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

 

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); members of the Tactical Crime Suppression Unit; Kettering Police Chief Christopher N. Protsman; and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, announced the guilty plea entered on March 28 before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A U.S. District Court jury has convicted Kevin Daniels, 45, of Columbus, of crimes he committed during the armed robbery of a mobile phone store in November 2021. Because of prior criminal convictions, Daniels faces at least 25 years in prison.

 

According to trial testimony and evidence, Daniels entered a mobile phone store on North High Street in Columbus about 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 26, 2021. He brandished a semi-automatic handgun in front of the two clerks, held them at gunpoint, and demanded they give him the phones in the safe and any cash they had in the store. After the clerks handed Daniels two bags of phones and cash, he sprayed them with chemical mace, temporarily blinding them. Daniels fled out the store’s back door and drove away.

 

The store clerks cleared their vision enough to call 911. Columbus Police identified the suspect’s car and arrested Daniels on the east side after a high-speed chase along neighborhood streets.

 

A federal grand jury indicted Daniels in December 2021, charging him with interfering with interstate commerce by robbery (the Hobbs Act), use of a firearm in a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

 

Daniels has a prior federal firearms conviction in Columbus which means he faces a sentence of at least 25 years in prison. Daniels will be sentenced after the court conducts a pre-sentencing investigation.

 

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 reached at the conclusion of a trial before U.S. District Judge Michael Watson on March 21. Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall and Nicole Pakiz are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged area men in two separate cases involving drugs sold near elementary schools in Springfield and Vandalia.

 

Robert Holmes, 39, and Jamel Williams, 37, both of Springfield, are charged together in one indictment with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine.

 

It is alleged their drug trafficking took place within 1,000 feet of Fulton Elementary School on S. Yellow Springs St. in Springfield.

 

Holmes and Williams also allegedly possessed firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking, which legally qualifies as a serious drug offense.

 

As part of this investigation, law enforcement officials seized five firearms, including an assault rifle, more than one kilogram of fentanyl, three kilograms of cocaine, and more than $143,000 in cash from Holmes’s property and vehicle near the school.,

 

If convicted, Holmes and Williams face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison for drug offenses and a potential consecutive mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in prison for firearms offenses.

 

Jason Glanton, 34, of Vandalia, allegedly distributed fentanyl within 1,000 feet of Helke Elementary School on Randler Avenue in Vandalia.

 

Glanton’s indictment alleges he possessed and distributed fentanyl and owned a firearm in furtherance of his serious drug offense.

 

While executing a search warrant, agents seized nine firearms and $21,000 in cash from Glanton.

 

The grand jury returned both indictments on March 14. Glanton appeared in federal court yesterday and Holmes and Williams appeared in federal court this afternoon. Their cases were subsequently unsealed.

 

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 Aftal announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Kelly K. Rossi 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 – Jesse Carter, 32, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 84 months in prison for illegally possessing a fully-automatic weapon and possessing a pistol and ammunition after previously being convicted of a felony.

 

A federal jury found Carter guilty following a trial in May 2022 before U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole.

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, in March 2020, Carter illegally possessed a pistol, a fully-automatic weapon and more than 400 rounds of ammunition.

 

The fully-automatic weapon was an AR-style “ghost gun” with no markings. Ghost guns are often assembled from kits, do not contain serial numbers, and are sold without background checks, making them difficult to trace. In April 2022, the Department of Justice announced a new rule modernizing the definition of firearms to make ghost gun kits subject to the same regulations as traditional firearms.

 

The Government presented at trial that Carter referred to the ghost gun as “the big one” in jail calls in which he described the location of the ghost gun, which had been concealed behind the sub-woofer in his car.

 

Carter was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2020.

 

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 sentence imposed today by Judge Cole. Assistant United States Attorney Ebunoluwa Taiwo and Special Assistant United States Attorney Meagan W. Myers of the Cincinnati City Solicitor’s Office are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A Dayton man, who as part of his fraud scheme purported he was a Ghanaian prince, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to the statutory maximum of 240 months in prison. 

 

Daryl Robert Harrison, also known as Prince Daryl R. Attipoe and Prophet Daryl R. Attipoe, 44, was found guilty of 10 counts of various federal fraud crimes following a jury trial in September 2022. Harrison defrauded at least 14 victims of more than $800,000. He was convicted of mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and witness tampering.

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, from January 2014 until September 2020, Harrison defrauded victims who thought they were investing in African trucking and mining companies.

 

Harrison – falsely holding himself out to be a royal prince from the African national of Ghana – told investors he had direct connections with these companies, and that they could expect an investment return of 28 to 33 percent.

 

Harrison solicited prospective investors at local Starbucks coffee shops, IHOP restaurants, Kroger grocery stores, carwashes and fitness centers.

 

Harrison and his stepfather claimed to be ministers with Power House of Prayer Ministries, which sponsored religious services in various church facilities and private residences throughout the Greater Dayton area, Southwestern Ohio area and Parker, Colorado. Many investor victims were members of the congregation.

 

Harrison routinely withdrew thousands of dollars in cash from the Ministries bank accounts shortly after receiving investments. Harrison and his stepfather used the investment funds to rent a house in Colorado, purchase luxury vehicles, airplane tickets, hotel accommodations and rental cars.

 

The defendant was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2020.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jaime Carazo, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorneys Dwight K. Keller and Ryan A. Saunders are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The lead of 11 defendants charged in a Scioto County child sex trafficking operation was sentenced in federal court here today to 480 months in prison.

 

“Larry Dean Porter is a predator who manipulated and abused children and drug-addicted women in southern Ohio for many years. He used force, violence, and threats to coerce these vulnerable victims to engage in sex acts with him,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Though no sentence can undo the indescribable, despicable harm he caused, it is fitting that he will spend the rest of his life where he belongs – in a federal prison.”

 

A federal grand jury originally indicted Larry Dean Porter, 72, of Wheelersburg, Ohio, and several of his family members and associates in June 2020. All 11 defendants have since been convicted.

 

Porter’s physical and sexual abuse of women and children in Scioto County spanned numerous decades and involved additional victims other than those identified in the charged offenses in this case.

 

Porter exchanged drugs obtained in Columbus and elsewhere for sexual access to the children of drug-addicted parents and guardians.

 

Agents with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force began investigating Porter in April 2019 following reports from several sources that Porter was involved in sexually abusing male and female minors with the consent of the minors’ parents in exchange for illegal drugs from Porter.

 

Porter sexually abused multiple children and produced child pornography that he kept on flash drives and used extreme methods to conceal, including by burying the flash drives in the yard surrounding his house.

 

In addition to sexually assaulting the children himself, Porter also instructed drug-addicted parents to sexually abuse children and recorded it to use as blackmail. Porter also used other methods of force, such as duct taping and tying women to chairs, burning them with cigarettes and firing guns by their ears, to ensure they continued to comply with his various sexual demands and remained silent about his crimes.

 

Porter’s manipulation and sexual assaults of women and children took place several times a week for years. For example, several of Porter’s co-conspirators took three children under the age of 10 to Porter’s residence on a regular basis to traffic the children sexually in exchange for pills. The abuse occurred a few times per week for up to five years.

 

Porter was arrested in March 2020 on local charges during a human trafficking sting operation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

 

After Porter was arrested locally, his friends and relatives – including two of his daughters and one of his cousins – attempted to destroy evidence and intimidate witnesses on Porter’s behalf.

 

For example, family and friends dug holes in the ground on Porter’s property to retrieve and attempt to conceal or destroy SD cards containing child pornography that had been buried in Porter’s yard. Agents also found eight DVDs containing child pornography linked to Porter’s home computer at the house of one of Porter’s friends. Porter’s cousin discussed in jail calls with Porter their plans to assault and potentially kill a witness they believed was a source for law enforcement.

 

Porter pleaded guilty on Aug. 10, 2022, to conspiring to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, child sex trafficking, and participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Porter was also ordered today to pay more than $300,000 in restitution to the victims.

 

Co-defendants sentenced to date include, Joshua D. Aldridge (324 months in prison), Charity Rawlins (210 months in prison), Frank E. Andrews (121 months in prison), Ronnie L. Rawlins (63 months in prison), Jonathan David Flagg (60 months in prison), Ralph Albert Aldridge (48 months in prison), Crystal D. Porter (30 months in prison), Denna Sue Porter (three months in prison), and Erroll Wayne Porter (six months of home detention).

 

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; Jackson County Sheriff Tedd E. Frazier; Jackson County Prosecutor Justin Lovett; Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman and Scioto County Prosecutor Shane A. Tieman announced today’s sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill and Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Rausch and Jessica W. Knight are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

 

CINCINNATI – Two Cincinnati-area men have pleaded guilty to illegally flying drones over professional sporting events in Cincinnati.

 

“It is not worth risking federal criminal charges to illegally fly a drone over events like Reds and Bengals games. Even if there is no intent to harm, this conduct poses a direct risk to the players and the individuals in the stands,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “As we kickoff FC Cincinnati and Reds seasons this month, and look to summer concert season, we ask the public to refrain from using drones illegally over events.”

 

“Flying a drone over a stadium full of fans is dangerous and illegal without the proper FAA training, licensing, and approved flight plan," stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “We will continue to work with the FAA and local police to investigate these incidents when proper FAA protocols and procedures are not followed.”

 

It is illegal to fly drones over stadiums that are designated as a Temporary Flight Restriction zone during sporting events. The two defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2022 for separate incidents involving Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds events.

 

NFL

The Cincinnati Bengals hosted an NFL playoff game at Paul Brown Stadium on Jan. 15, 2022. During the game, Dailon Dabney, 24, of Cincinnati, illegally flew his drone into the stadium and hovered over the players and portions of the stadium crowd. Dabney recorded his drone flight and posted the video to social media sites and YouTube.

 

Dabney pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland.

 

MLB

April 12, 2022, was Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds’ 2022 season and featured the first game of the season at Great American Ballpark. Travis Lenhoff, 38, of Northern Kentucky, flew a drone into the restricted flight area of Great American Ballpark during the Opening Day festivities.

 

Lenhoff pleaded guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott.

 

Both defendants pleaded guilty to one count of violating a Temporary Flight Restriction, a misdemeanor crime punishable by up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a $100,000 fine.

 

Any drone that weighs more than .55 pounds and less than 55 pounds must be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Dabney’s and Lenhoff’s drones were not registered with the FAA, and they do not have a remote pilot certification.

 

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; the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa A. Theetge and Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey announced the guilty pleas entered today. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

 

A West Virginia man today pleaded guilty to multiple charges of illegally trafficking in protected plants.

According to court documents, Tony Lee Coffman, 59, of Birch River, purchased American ginseng roots that had been illegally transported in interstate commerce from Ohio to West Virginia and falsified records relating to the purchase of Ohio ginseng. American ginseng is protected in over 20 states due to heavy pressures from international trade and is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Coffman pleaded guilty to five Lacey Act violations. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Each of the Lacey Act violations has a statutory maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine whether to accept the plea agreement 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 and U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio made the announcement.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement investigated the case.

Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Pakiz and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Marous for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.

CINCINNATI – A federal jury convicted former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, 63, of Glenford, Ohio, and former Ohio Republican Party chair Mathew Borges, 50, of Bexley, Ohio, of participating in a racketeering conspiracy.

 

“As presented by the trial team, Larry Householder illegally sold the statehouse, and thus he ultimately betrayed the great people of Ohio he was elected to serve,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Matt Borges was a willing co-conspirator, who paid bribe money for insider information to assist Householder. Through its verdict today, the jury reaffirmed that the illegal acts committed by both men will not be tolerated and that they should be held accountable.”

 

“The FBI’s top criminal priority is investigating public corruption to hold elected officials accountable when they commit illegal acts,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “I commend the special agents who investigated this historic case, the FBI analysts and staff who provided integral support, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their successful prosecution.”

 

The verdict was announced today following a trial that began on Jan. 23 before Senior U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black.

 

The government proved beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that Householder and his enterprise conspired to violate the racketeering statute through honest services wire fraud, receipt of millions of dollars in bribes and money laundering.

 

The conspiracy involved nearly $61 million in bribes paid to a 501(c)(4) entity to pass and uphold a billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout. 

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, from March 2017 to March 2020, the enterprise traded millions of dollars in bribery campaign donations in exchange for Householder’s and the enterprise’s help in passing House Bill 6. The defendants then also worked to corruptly ensure that HB 6 went into effect by defeating a ballot initiative to overturn the legislation.

 

In March 2017, Householder began receiving quarterly $250,000 payments from the related-energy companies into the bank account of his 501(c)(4), Generation Now. Team Householder spent millions of the company’s dollars to support Householder’s political bid to become Speaker, to support House candidates they believed would back Householder, and for their own personal benefit.

 

The United States detailed that Householder spent more than half a million dollars of the dark money to pay off his credit card balances, repair his Florida home and settle a business lawsuit.

 

Borges used approximately $366,000 for his personal benefit.

 

Borges was budgeted $25,000 to bribe an Ohio Republican operative to try to save House Bill 6. Borges gave the man a $15,000 check in exchange for information on the number of signatures collected on the anti-House Bill 6 ballot referendum.

 

Householder’s longtime campaign and political strategist, Jeffrey Longstreth, and lobbyist Juan Cespedes, both of Columbus, Ohio, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the racketeering conspiracy. FirstEnergy Corp. signed a deferred prosecution settlement in July 2021, agreeing to pay a $230 million penalty for conspiring to bribe public officials and others.

 

The racketeering conspiracy as charged in this case is punishable by up to 20 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 today’s verdict. Deputy Criminal Chief Emily N. Glatfelter and Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew C. Singer, Megan Gaffney Painter and Timothy S. Mangan represented the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to orchestrating an investment fraud scheme in Pike County and to failing to remit more than $50,000 that had been withheld from employee paychecks to employee retirement funds.

 

Robert W. Walton, Jr., 54, of Loveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of theft from an employee benefit plan.

 

According to court documents, Walton engaged in a scheme to defraud investors of Hadsell Chemical Processing, LLC (HCP) and related entities. Walton was the president of HCP and fraudulently sought investments in the form of promissory notes from dozens of victim investors.

 

Walton claimed the notes were personally guaranteed by a prominent local business owner when in fact they were not. Walton repeatedly forged the business owner’s signature from 2012 through 2015 without the business owner’s authority on several loan documents and promissory notes.

 

Walton admitted to falsely representing his company’s future revenues from another business to be in the millions by creating fake invoices. The actual total legitimate business revenue HCP had with that other business was approximately $50,000. He provided the fake invoices to investors. Walton also provided investors with a falsified profit and loss statement, changing HCP’s net income during January to May 2014 from approximately –$800,000 to nearly $395,000.

 

During part of his employment at HCP, Walton was responsible for approving the remittance of employee retirement funds to an employee benefit plan sponsored by HCP. Walton failed to remit approximately $53,000 withheld from employees’ pay, failing to transfer the funds into employee retirement funds.

 

The United States is seeking more than $8.6 million in restitution for the victims of the fraud scheme.

 

Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and embezzling from an employee benefit plan carries a potential maximum sentence of 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; and L. Joe Rivers, Regional Director, United States Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, Cincinnati Regional Office announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man was arrested and charged federally with sex trafficking and exploiting teenage girls from Indiana.

 

Payton Jamar Brown, 26, is charged with sex trafficking and sexually exploiting children.

 

According to the complaint, in October 2022, investigators received a report from the Safe Harbor/Human Trafficking Coordinator at the Hamilton County Juvenile Court regarding a potential victim.

 

The victim and another juvenile female had been missing from separate cities in Indiana. Both of the16-year-olds were recovered from Brown’s residence on Niagara Street in Cincinnati.

 

It is alleged that Brown met the first minor victim on an online dating app, 3Fun.

 

Brown allegedly posted photos of the teenager to a website from June to October 2022 to advertise for sexual encounters. According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, the victim had sex with numerous men for money, which was then given to Brown.

 

Additionally, Brown filmed sexual encounters with the teenager which they then attempted to sell to other individuals.

 

Brown also allegedly picked up the second minor in Indianapolis and brought her to his residence in Cincinnati.

 

Brown appeared in federal court in Cincinnati yesterday and has been ordered to remain in custody pending trial.

 

Sex trafficking a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison. Sexually exploiting children is punishable by a range of 15 to 30 years in prison.

 

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 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.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Justice Department announced today an agreement to resolve allegations that Park National Bank (Park National), headquartered in Newark, Ohio, engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination by “redlining” in the Columbus metropolitan area. This resolution is part of the Justice Department’s nationwide Combating Redlining Initiative.

 

“For far too long the doors to home ownership have been shut for Black families and many other people of color because of unlawful redlining by banks and other financial institutions,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When banks fail to provide equal access to lending services in neighborhoods of color, they engage in modern day redlining and exacerbate the racial wealth gap in our country. The Justice Department will continue to fight to fulfill the promise of our nation’s fair lending laws while tearing down the discriminatory barriers that deny Black people and other people of color access to economic opportunity and homeownership.” 

 

“Let today’s settlement send a very clear message to banks: we will not tolerate discriminatory lending practices and we will hold you accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “We are committed to enforcing fair lending laws, which require financial institutions to provide equal opportunity for every American to obtain home loans and credit. We take very seriously our duty and honor to uphold those laws.”

 

“Redlining” is an illegal practice in which lenders avoid providing credit services to individuals living in communities of color because of the race, color or national origin of the residents in those communities.

 

The complaint filed in federal court today alleges that, from at least 2015 to 2021, Park National failed to provide mortgage lending services in majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Columbus area. Specifically, the department alleges that all of Park National’s branches and mortgage lenders in the Columbus area were concentrated in majority-white neighborhoods, and that the bank did not take effective measures to compensate for its lack of physical presence in majority-Black and Hispanic communities.

 

Under the proposed consent order, which is subject to court approval and was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio along with the complaint, Park National has agreed, among other things, to do the following:

 

• Invest at least $7.75 million in a loan subsidy fund to increase access to credit for home mortgage, improvement, and refinance loans, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit, in majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Columbus area; $750,000 in outreach, advertising, consumer financial education, and credit counseling initiatives; and $500,000 in developing community partnerships to provide services to residents of majority-Black and Hispanic areas that expand access to residential mortgage credit;
• Open one new branch and one new mortgage loan production office in majority Black-and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Columbus area; ensure that a minimum of four mortgage lenders, at least one of whom is Spanish-speaking, are assigned to serve these neighborhoods; and maintain the full-time position of Director of Community Home Lending and Development, who is responsible for overseeing lending in majority-Black and Hispanic areas; and 
• Conduct a Community Credit Needs Assessment, a research-based market study, to help identify the needs for financial services in majority-Black and Hispanic census tracts in the Columbus area.

 

Park National worked cooperatively with the department to remedy the redlining concerns that were identified and has agreed to settle this matter without contested litigation.

 

The Justice Department’s Combating Redlining Initiative is a coordinated enforcement effort to address this persistent form of discrimination against communities of color. Since the initiative was launched in October 2021, the Department has announced six redlining cases and settlements and secured $84 million in relief for communities of color that have been victims of lending discrimination across the country.

 

More information about the department’s fair lending enforcement can be found at www.justice.gov/fairhousing. Individuals may report lending discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291 or submitting a report online. The public can also report potential civil rights violations through the U.S. Attorney’s Office main webpage or at /media/1227446/dl?inline.

 

Deputy Civil Chief Brandi Stewart and Assistant United States Attorney Michael J.T. Downey represented the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this matter.

 

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Ohio National Guard member was sentenced in federal court today to 71 months in prison and six years of supervised release for making and selling “ghost guns,” untraceable homemade weapons made in whole or in part with a 3D printer.

 

Court documents detail that Thomas Develin, 25, of Columbus, also made antisemitic and violent statements online while employed to provide security services at local synagogues and Jewish schools.

 

Develin admitted in his October 2022 plea agreement that he created ghost guns to sell for profit. He also made and possessed homemade conversion devices to convert semi-automatic AR-15 rifles and Glock-type pistols into fully automatic machine guns. Develin admitted that he made and sold firearms that he knew were illegal.

 

Develin advertised online that he possessed and was selling 3D-printed sears, which are devices designed to convert semiautomatic AR-type rifles into fully automatic rifles.  Devices that are intended to convert semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic firearms are considered “machineguns” under federal law. Other messages on Develin’s phone stated that he had manufactured a two-handed firearm with an overall length under 26 inches, which is illegal.

 

On March 31, the day Develin was arrested, agents discovered in his vehicle: night vision goggles, ballistic plates, a ballistic helmet, first aid equipment and a large quantity of ammunition including several loaded magazines.

 

Agents discovered more than 25 firearms in Develin’s residence and vehicle while executing search warrants in March and April 2022. They also discovered two IED manuals.

 

Develin admitted in his plea agreement that in late March 2022, he knew law enforcement may be coming for him, so he went to the property surrounding the cabin of a person he knew to hide and burn illegal firearms parts. In text messages with another person, Develin also discussed hiding and destroying incriminating evidence. Develin admitted he took these acts with the intent to obstruct the investigation.

 

Develin was also sentenced today in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas to six years in state prison for various crimes, including making terroristic threats. His state sentence will run concurrent to his federal term of incarceration.

 

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 sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. The law enforcement agencies were assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant United States Attorneys Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Jessica W. Knight are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

El Departamento de Justicia hoy anunció un acuerdo de $9 millones para resolver alegaciones de que Park National Bank (Park National), con sede en Newark, Ohio, incurrió en un patrón o una práctica de discriminación en el ámbito crediticio al practicar “exclusión financiera” (“redlining”, en inglés) en la zona metropolitana de Columbus. El acuerdo forma parte de la Iniciativa para Combatir la Exclusión Financiera a nivel nacional del Departamento de Justicia que el Fiscal General Merrick B. Garland lanzó en octubre de 2021.

“Por demasiado tiempo se han cerrado las puertas de ser propietarios de vivienda a las familias afroestadounidenses y a muchas otras personas de color debido a las prácticas ilegales de exclusión financiera de los bancos y otras instituciones financieras”, afirmó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. “Cuando los bancos no proporcionan un acceso equitativo a los servicios crediticios en los barrios de color, incurren en una práctica moderna de exclusión financiera y agravan la disparidad racial de riqueza en nuestro país. El Departamento de Justicia seguirá luchando para cumplir la promesa de las leyes de préstamos justos de nuestra nación, al tiempo que derriba las barreras discriminatorias que niegan a los afroestadounidenses y a otras personas de color el acceso a las oportunidades económicas y a ser propietarios de vivienda”.

“Hagamos que el acuerdo de hoy envíe un mensaje muy claro a los bancos: no toleraremos prácticas discriminatorias en el ámbito crediticio y les haremos rendir cuentas”, declaró Kenneth L. Parker, el Fiscal Federal para el Distrito Sur de Ohio. “Estamos comprometidos a hacer cumplir las leyes de préstamos justos, que exigen que las instituciones financieras ofrezcan igualdad de oportunidades a todos los estadounidenses para obtener préstamos y crédito hipotecarios. Nos tomamos muy en serio nuestro deber y honor de hacer cumplir esas leyes”.

La exclusión financiera es una práctica ilegal en la que los prestamistas evitan proporcionar servicios de crédito a las personas que viven en comunidades de color por motivos de la raza, color de piel u origen nacional de los residentes en esas comunidades. En la demanda entablada hoy ante el Tribunal Federal de Distrito para el Distrito Sur de Ohio se alega que, al menos desde 2015 hasta 2021, Park National no prestó servicios de crédito hipotecario al reducir la oferta en los barrios de mayoría afroestadounidense e hispana de la zona de Columbus. En concreto, la demanda alega que todas las sucursales y prestamistas hipotecarios de Park National en la zona de Columbus se concentraron en barrios de mayoría blanca, y que el banco no tomó ninguna medida significativa para compensar su falta de presencia física en las comunidades de mayoría afroestadounidense e hispana.

En virtud de la orden por consentimiento propuesta, que también fue entablada hoy ante el tribunal federal y está sujeta a aprobación judicial, Park National ha acordado, entre otras cosas, hacer lo siguiente:

• Invertir al menos $7.75 millones en un fondo de subvención de préstamos para aumentar el acceso al crédito para hipotecas, mejoras y refinanciación de viviendas, así como préstamos y líneas de crédito sobre el valor neto de la vivienda, en los barrios de mayoría afroestadounidense e hispana de la zona de Columbus; $750,000 en iniciativas de divulgación, publicidad, y educación financiera de los consumidores y asesoramiento crediticio; y $500,000 en el desarrollo de asociaciones comunitarias para prestar servicios a los residentes de zonas de mayoría afroestadounidense e hispana que amplíen el acceso al crédito hipotecario residencial;
• Abrir una nueva sucursal y una nueva oficina de generación de préstamos hipotecarios en los barrios de mayoría afroestadounidense e hispana de la zona de Columbus; garantizar que un mínimo de cuatro prestamistas hipotecarios, al menos uno de los cuales sea hispanohablante, estén asignados para atender a estos barrios; y mantener el puesto a tiempo completo de Director de Préstamos y Desarrollo de Viviendas Comunitarias, responsable de supervisar los préstamos en las zonas de mayoría afroestadounidense e hispana; y
• Realizar una Evaluación de las Necesidades de Crédito de la Comunidad, un estudio de mercado basado en la investigación, para ayudar a identificar las necesidades de servicios financieros en las zonas censales de mayoría afroestadounidense e hispana de la zona de Columbus.

Park National trabajó en colaboración con el Departamento para remediar las inquietudes de exclusión financiera que se habían identificado y ha acordado resolver este asunto sin litigio contencioso.

La Iniciativa para Combatir la Exclusión Financiera es un esfuerzo coordinado para hacer cumplir las leyes para abordar esta forma persistente de discriminación contra las comunidades de color. Desde al lanzamiento de la Iniciativa, el Departamento ha anunciado seis casos y acuerdos de exclusión financiera y ha conseguido $84 millones en ayuda para las comunidades de color que han sido víctimas de discriminación en el ámbito crediticio en todo el país. Esto incluye un acuerdo de $31 millones con City National Bank, el más grande en la historia del Departamento de Justicia.                                                                               

Se puede encontrar información adicional sobre los esfuerzos del Departamento de hacer cumplir las leyes de préstamos justos en https://www.justice.gov/crt-espanol/hce. Las personas pueden denunciar la discriminación en el ámbito crediticio llamando a la línea informativa del Departamento de Justicia para discriminación en la vivienda al 1-833-591-0291 o presentando un informe en línea.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final defendant charged in a conspiracy to launder the money generated from online romance scams was sentenced in federal court here today to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

 

Kwame O. Yeboah, 38, of Columbus, conspired to launder more than $1.7 million through bank accounts in his control. As part of his sentence, Yeboah is ordered to pay the $1.7 million in restitution.

 

Yeboah and six other co-conspirators were convicted and sentenced for laundering the proceeds of online romance scams; they did not conduct the actual online scamming. The total amount generated by romance fraud that these individuals laundered was more than $11.8 million.

 

The other defendants convicted and sentenced include:

 

Name

Age

City of Residence

Sentence Received

Robert K. Asante

39

Canal Winchester

60 months in prison

Eric Ahiekpor

52

Lewis Center

36 months in prison

Edward Amankwah

45

Westerville

48 months in prison

Uriah Lamdul

30

Columbus

24 months in prison

Mohamed Toure

28

Columbus

18 months in prison

Alexis Wellington

32

Canal Winchester

Term of probation

 

The romance scams involved individuals who created several profiles on online dating sites. They then contacted men and women throughout the United States and elsewhere, with whom they cultivated a sense of affection, and often, romance.

 

After establishing relationships, perpetrators of the romance scams requested money, typically for investment or need-based reasons, and provided account information and directions for where money should be sent. In part, these accounts were in the names of the defendants, their family members and their companies.

 

Funds were not used for the purposes claimed by the perpetrators of the romance scams. Instead, the co-conspirators conducted transactions designed to conceal, such as withdrawing cash, transferring funds to other accounts, buying official checks, sending wires to Ghana, China, the United States, and more. Part of the conspiracy was for the defendants to move the romance fraud proceeds from the United States to Ghana.

 

As part of their sentences, the defendants will pay the approximately $11.8 million in total.

 

Toure was also sentenced for money laundering as part of an unrelated COVID fraud scheme. Another individual submitted a fraudulent application for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). The U.S. Small Business Administration approved the COVID disaster-related loan and sent $110,000 in loan proceeds to Toure’s bank account. He then laundered the funds to conceal and disguise the fraud proceeds.

 

Ahiekpor was also sentenced for Wire Fraud for his role in defrauding the EIDL Program. In June 2020, he obtained a fraudulent $150,000 EIDL for his business. He spent the funds on two boats, an outboard motor, and a boat trailer. Ahiekpor committed part of his fraud scheme while on pretrial release for his money laundering charges, which means he will serve his Wire Fraud sentence after he completes his Money Laundering sentence.

 

The public can report online romance scams and other internet crimes at ic3.gov.

Experts offer tips for flagging romance scams:

• Be careful what you post and make public online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you.

• Beware if the individual seems too perfect or quickly asks you to leave a dating service or social media site to communicate directly.
• Beware if the individual attempts to isolate you from friends and family or requests inappropriate photos or financial information that could later be used to extort you.
• Beware if the individual promises to meet in person but then always comes up with an excuse why he or she can’t. If you haven’t met the person after a few months, for whatever reason, you have good reason to be suspicious.
• Never send money to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone. Never provide your financial information or allow your bank accounts to be used for transfers of funds.

Requests for gift cards are also a red flag. The FBI has additional tips and information for protecting against romance and confidence fraud: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/safety-resources/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/romance-scams.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday–Friday. English, Spanish and other languages are available.

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 sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorneys Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and David J. Twombly are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Marcus C. Beatty, 55, of Columbus, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison and repay $486,408.55 in unclaimed funds he stole from the State of Ohio, who was holding the funds in trust for the rightful owners.

Court documents outline the significant fraud scheme Beatty ran from at least June 2011 through at least March 2018 to steal from the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Unclaimed Funds. In Ohio, as in many other states, when funds held by a financial institution are inactive for a certain length of time, the funds legally become “unclaimed funds” and are turned over to the state. The Division of Unclaimed Funds returns the money to the rightful owners who claim them.

For nearly eight years, Beatty repeatedly filed fraudulent claims for unclaimed funds through an intricate process of identifying Ohio businesses whose registrations had been cancelled, using fraudulent paperwork to reinstate the businesses with the Ohio Secretary of State, changing the names of these companies to the names of companies for which the Division of Unclaimed Funds held money in trust, then filing then fraudulent claims with the Division to obtain the unclaimed funds.

Beatty fraudulently obtained unclaimed funds held in trust for five Ohio companies. He also filed several false claims with the unclaimed-funds agencies in Alabama, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Beatty pleaded guilty in October 2022 to one count of mail fraud. In 2006, Beatty had been sentenced in federal court to 33 months in prison in a separate fraud scheme.

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; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Sherry Maxfield, Director of the Ohio Department of Commerce announced the sentence imposed February 22, 2023 by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorney Peter Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

 

 

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 54 months in prison for illegally possessing a high-powered, high-capacity pistol with a high-capacity magazine while he was on bond after serving two years in state prison for gun crimes.

Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Nahya Wimpye, 23, on Christmas Day 2020. He was a passenger in a car pulled over for a brake light violation near Lockland. Officers found a Century Arms, Micro Draco, 7.62x39 millimeter semi-automatic pistol loaded with 18 rounds of 7.62x39 millimeter ammunition in the car.

“The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office Crime Lab found the defendant's DNA on the firearm, which is essentially the pistol equivalent of an AK-47,” said Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “Reducing violent crime effectively sometimes means punishing those who demonstrate that they are repeatedly a threat to community safety.”

Court documents indicate that at the time of the Christmas Day arrest, Wimpye was on post-release control after serving two years in state custody for illegally possessing a firearm. While awaiting a hearing on the violations of his post-release control, he was found yet again with another firearm in February 2021. While on bond, he was arrested in Tennessee on felony charges.

A federal grand jury indicted Wimpye in October 2021 on one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Wimpye pleaded guilty to the indictment in September 2022.

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); Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey and Lockland Police Chief Chris Bundren announced the sentence imposed on February 22, 2023 by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas R. Cole. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Oakley is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – Rasean J. Piner, 35, of Trotwood, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 151 months in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute bulk amounts of narcotics.

 

Piner admitted in a May 2022 plea agreement to possessing with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 500 grams or more of cocaine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

 

According to court documents, in May 2021, Dayton police officers executed a search warrant at Piner’s residence on Patrick Street in Trotwood. They discovered drug paraphernalia and processing equipment in the kitchen and a firearm in the primary bedroom.

 

In total, officers seized more than 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, 842 grams of cocaine and approximately 42 grams of fentanyl.

 

Investigators also discovered more than $8,000 in cash, some of which was hidden in the bathroom wall.

 

Piner was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2021.

 

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; Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal and members of the FBI’s Southern Ohio Safe Streets Task Force announced the sentence imposed on Feb. 15 by U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is representing the United States in this case.

 

This investigation was conducted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

 

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Through the violent-crime reduction program, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works 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.

 

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Logan, Ohio, man was sentenced in federal court here today to 540 months for producing child pornography of a three-year-old child and possessing thousands of images of child sexual abuse, some of which depicted other minor children to whom the defendant had access.

 

Robert Gemienhardt, 37, was charged federally in April 2022, along with his significant other Carrie Daniels, 41, for their child exploitation offenses. Daniels has pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography and awaits sentencing.

 

“All child exploitation crimes are serious and create lasting effects on the victims and their families. Gemienhardt’s conduct – the grooming and sexual abuse of the minor victims in this case – is particularly heinous,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said. “He earned every bit of his sentence to multiple decades in federal prison.”

 

More than 1,000 images and 350 videos depicting child sexual abuse were ultimately recovered from Gemienhardt’s digital media devices, some of which depicted minors as young as toddler age engaged in oral sex, masturbation, bestiality and sexual acts with adults.

 

According to court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip from Kik messenger regarding Gemienhardt’s online child exploitation activities. The Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office then began investigating the allegations.

 

Subsequent search warrants executed by the Hocking County Sherriff’s Office, in conjunction with the FBI, revealed that Gemienhardt and Daniels were acting together and produced child pornography through the grooming and sexual abuse of minor victims they had access to between April and June of 2020.

 

Gemienhardt and Daniels exchanged thousands of illicit text messages detailing their sexual fantasies about the minor victims. Those text messages further revealed both Gemienhardt and Daniels had plans to act out some of the detailed fantasies by sexually abusing the minors. Daniels also distributed images she created of the sexual abuse of minors to Gemienhardt.

 

Gemienhardt is a registered sex offender from a prior Franklin County conviction in July 2021. He pleaded guilty in his current federal case in September 2022.

 

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 Hocking County Sheriff Lanny E. North announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

 

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A Dayton man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 250 months in prison for distributing fentanyl and cocaine that resulted in overdoses in the late hours of New Year’s Eve and into the early hours of New Year’s Day 2019.

 

Kelsey V. Williams, Jr., 41, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Ohio in May 2021 and arrested in June 2021 in Minnesota. He pleaded guilty in federal court in Dayton in January 2022.

 

According to court documents, on New Year’s Eve 2018 and New Year’s Day 2019, the defendant distributed a fentanyl and cocaine mixture responsible for six total fatal and nonfatal overdoses. Of those six, four died from overdosing, and one was revived by Narcan following a vehicle crash that brought law enforcement and medics to his aid.

 

“Williams trafficked in drugs that directly resulted in overdoses,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “His crimes could not be more serious and have had a devastating impact on families in the Dayton area.”

 

Parker was joined by J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal in announcing the sentence imposed yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Assistant United States Attorneys Amy M. Smith and Ryan A. Saunders are representing the United States in this case.

 

This case is being prosecuted as part of Operation S.O.S. In July 2018, the Department of Justice announced the launch of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S), a program aimed at reducing the supply of synthetic opioids in 10 high impact areas and identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers.

 

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, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury indicted three women today on charges related to the attempted arson of a nail salon in Monroe, Ohio.

 

It is alleged that Kim Lien Vu, 45, of Liberty Township, Ohio; Cierra Marie Bishop, 29, of Hamilton, Ohio; and Makahla Ann Rennick, 18, of Hamilton, Ohio, were responsible for initiating an incendiary device at Bora Bora Nail Salon on Hamilton-Lebanon Road in Monroe with the intent of destroying the facility.

 

It is alleged that Vu enlisted the other defendants to build and help plant the device. Ohio Secretary of State records show that Vu owns two nail salons: Allure Nails Vu LLC and Love Nail Vu LLC.

 

An affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint details that on Feb. 5, surveillance camera footage shows Bishop and Rennick entering the salon. Rennick had made an appointment for a pedicure under the name “Katelynn,” allegedly at the direction of Vu for Rennick to get the latest nail appointment she can and to “Just use another name. Sound white.” Rennick is shown receiving her nail services.

 

Bishop allegedly sat near Rennick during the pedicure and is then seen walking toward the rear of the salon holding two white bags. Bishop placed one of the bags behind a desk before leaving the salon.

 

A salon employee then found the suspected device, which smelled like gasoline. The employee opened the package, seeing that it looked like an explosive device, and took it outside near the salon’s dumpsters. The employee later went back outside to check on the device and noticed that it was burning.

 

Monroe police officers responded to a call reporting a dumpster fire near the salon.

 

Text messages on Bishop’s and Rennick’s phones show the co-defendants planning the incident for at least one week.

 

Maliciously damaging or destroying property, or attempting to maliciously damage or destroy property, via a fire or explosive device is a federal crime punishable by a range of five to 20 years in prison. Conspiring to commit malicious destruction via fire is punishable by up to five years in prison.

 

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; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Angie Salazar, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Monroe Police Chief Bob Buchanan. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan 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 – Three defendants are charged with crimes related to two murders in Cincinnati during the summer of 2021.

 

Antwan Coach, Jr., 20, of Cincinnati, and Markel Hardy, 21, of Cincinnati, allegedly robbed and murdered Kamar Williams on July 5, 2021, in North College Hill. According to the eight-count superseding indictment, Coach and Hardy robbed Mr. Williams of marijuana and a firearm and shot him to death.

 

It is alleged that the third defendant, Jamal Binford, 33, of Dallas and Cincinnati, unlawfully assisted Hardy after the July murder.

 

In August 2021, all three defendants allegedly conspired to murder a second victim in connection with 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Binford, Coach and Hardy are charged with the Aug. 1, 2021, murder of Deonte Nuckols in St. Bernard.

 

Binford was arrested this morning at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and appeared in federal court in the Northern District of Texas.

 

The case pending against Binford, Coach and Hardy was unsealed today.

 

If convicted as charged, each of the defendants faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 20 years and up to life 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 (ATF); Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa A. Theetge; North College Hill Police Chief Ryan Schrand; and St. Bernard Police Chief Michael Simos announced the charges. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division also aided during the investigation.

 

Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley N. Brucato and Frederic C. Shadley 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.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio– A federal grand jury has indicted two Texas men for their roles in one or more alleged conspiracies involving wire fraud, money laundering and tax fraud.

 

Charges pending against John K. Eckerd, Jr., 58, of Dallas, and Afif Baltagi, 45, of Houston, were unsealed yesterday.

 

It is alleged that Eckerd is the leader of the multi-state conspiracy.

 

Conspiring with previously convicted and sentenced defendant Jason E. Adkins, 46, of Jackson, Ohio, Eckerd, Baltagi, and others orchestrated a $50 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded more than 50 investors.

 

According to the indictment, from 2012 until at least in or around late 2018, Eckerd represented himself to potential investors as an entrepreneur and businessman with expertise in the market for off-the-road tires. Off-the-road tires are over-sized tires that are used on earth moving equipment and/or mining equipment. Eckerd had control of or access to many corporations allegedly used as part of the scheme.

 

Baltagi worked in logistics for a freight company that had access to a storage yard in Houston where off-the-road tires were stored.

 

Co-conspirators allegedly solicited millions of dollars from investor-victims under false pretenses. Investors were told their money would be used to buy off-the-road tires at a steep discount, and that the tires would then be re-sold to a buyer at a much higher rate. Investors were promised a 15 to 20 percent rate of return on investment, generally within 180 days.

 

Eckerd, Baltagi, Adkins, and others corresponded with the potential investors face-to-face, as well as through a combination of phone calls, text messages, and, on occasion, emails. It is alleged they used private planes to showcase their inventory and appear wealthy and successful. Defendants also allegedly provided investors with elaborate, fraudulent paperwork regarding the purported deals. The co-conspirators requested large investments and loans, most to be funded through wire transfers.

 

It is alleged defendants rarely bought or sold tires, and when they did, they used the same tires as the basis for multiple deals, promising multiple investors that they each owned the same tires. Baltagi allegedly used his employer’s tire yard to deceive investors.

 

Another previously convicted defendant, Todd Wilkin, 60, of Hillsboro, Ohio, posed as a neutral third-party seller of off-the-road tires in deals arranged by Adkins. In actuality, Wilkin was working with Adkins as part of the Ponzi scheme. Wilkin pleaded guilty in January 2022 to participating in the fraud scheme and awaits sentencing.

 

Eckerd, Adkins and others allegedly conspired to launder the proceeds from their Ponzi scheme by creating numerous corporate entities and associated bank accounts. It is alleged that Eckerd had control of many of the business accounts but that he instructed others to place the accounts in other people’s names.

 

Eckerd also allegedly lied on his tax forms and conspired with others to avoid paying taxes he owed, resulting in a tax loss of more than $1 million for tax years 2013 and 2014. Eckerd failed to file his taxes for tax years 2016 and 2017. In July 2018, Eckerd filed for bankruptcy on the same day he allegedly transferred $1 million between two bank accounts in his control. Over the next month, it is alleged Eckerd transferred another $715,000 between accounts in his control.

 

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Conspiracy to commit money laundering carries a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit tax fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation; and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the case. Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall, Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and David J. Twombly 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.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today in a case involving the murder of a husband and wife in a local Internet café.

 

Justice B. Stringer, 28, drove co-defendants to and from the robbery resulting in murder. His plea includes an agreed-upon sentence of 30 years in prison.

 

Specifically, Stringer pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, two counts of aiding and abetting murder using a firearm, and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

 

Stringer and others were indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2019 for crimes related to a string of robberies of Internet gaming businesses, including the robbery at Players Paradise on East Broad Street that resulted in murder on Jan. 20, 2019.

 

Five defendants were charged in total and four have pleaded guilty to related federal crimes. Chris A. King, 27, is set to begin trial on April 3. King is charged with three counts of murder (including the murder of a witness).

 

According to court documents, King and a co-defendant robbed Players Paradise at gunpoint and allegedly murdered security guard Joseph Arrington and then his wife, employee Karen Arrington. Stringer then drove the men away from the Internet café.

 

Stringer also participated in a prior café robbery on Jan. 7, 2019. He and others robbed at gunpoint the Planet Jackpot café on Alum Creek Drive shortly before 4am. The co-defendants stole approximately $2,400.

 

According to court documents, co-defendants had also robbed Players Paradise at gunpoint on Dec. 10, 2018, and fled with $30,000 in cash.

 

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; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI– A home healthcare company providing services in several states, including Ohio, to U.S. Department of Energy employees and contractors, among others, who were injured or became ill on the job has paid $9 million to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act.

 

United Energy Workers Healthcare, Corp. and related entities paid $9 million to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims for payment to the U.S. Department of Labor for healthcare services to beneficiaries of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).

 

This settlement resolves allegations that, between January 2013 and March 2021, defendants submitted claims for payment for in-home healthcare services that were never provided or were medically unnecessary, in violation of the False Claims Act. Such violations included billing for case management services not actually provided, instructing caregivers to charge for more time than actually spent with patients, providing and billing for services to beneficiaries that were not covered by the EEOICPA program, and providing services without possessing required licensures.

 

“The EEOICPA program provides important benefits, and companies that provide in-home healthcare to EEOICPA beneficiaries must ensure that they do so in accordance with the program’s regulations and seek payment appropriately,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “This settlement shows that the United States will ensure that taxpayers do not overpay companies that bill the United States for improper or excessive claims.”

 

“The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General is dedicated to investigating allegations involving OWCP and ensuring tax dollars are protected from fraud, waste, and abuse,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, DOL-OIG. “We applaud the relators for coming forward regarding these issues.”

 

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought by multiple individuals, on behalf of the United States, under the qui tam (commonly known as “whistleblower”) provisions of the False Claims Act. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery if the government takes over the case and obtains judgment against or reaches a monetary agreement with the defendant.

 

The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.

 

For the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the matter was investigated by Deputy Civil Chief Brandi Stewart and Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Horwitz and Bill King.

 

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

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The lead of 11 defendants charged as part of a national narcotics distribution operation bringing drugs into Central Ohio from California pleaded guilty in federal court here today.

 

Isabel Odir Castellanos, of Los Angeles, and the other defendants were arrested in June 2022.

 

According to court documents, Castellanos transported narcotics from Los Angeles to Columbus via semi-truck. Castellanos is a business owner of a transportation company and a semi-truck driver who frequently travels across the United States.

 

Castellanos delivered the narcotics to a co-defendant’s residence in Columbus, which served as a stash house. Co-conspirators then allegedly delivered the drugs to mid-level retail distributors. Those mid-level retailers then allegedly sold the drugs in Central Ohio, Youngstown, Ohio, Springfield, Ohio and in West Virginia.

 

Castellanos would then collect the drug proceeds before returning to California.

 

This case involves what is believed to be the largest single fentanyl seizure in the Southern District of Ohio, involving millions of dollars’ worth of the drug.

 

As part of this investigation, law enforcement has seized more than 100 pounds of narcotics, including 115,000 fentanyl-laced pills that make up part of the 76 kilograms of total fentanyl, nearly half a million dollars in cash, 7 firearms and 4 vehicles.

 

Charges remain pending against 10 individuals from Columbus, Springfield and Youngstown, Ohio, and from West Virginia, and nine of those individuals have pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking conspiracy crimes.

 

Many of the individual drug transactions charged involve tens of thousands of dollars. For example, one drug transaction detailed in an affidavit describes a co-defendant transporting 5,000 fentanyl pills to another co-defendant’s home in Columbus in exchange for $36,000.

 

Conspiring to distribute or possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl is a federal crime punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the guilty plea entered today before Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Mr. Parker and Mr. Greene commended the cooperative investigation including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio State Highway Patrol and Springfield Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Hunter is representing the United States in this case.

 

This investigation was conducted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Columbus police officer was sentenced in federal court today to 108 months in prison for conspiring to distribute more than eight kilograms of fentanyl and accepting bribes to protect the transportation of cocaine.

 

Marco R. Merino, 45, of Columbus, was arrested by federal agents in September 2021 and pleaded guilty in February 2022.

 

“We cannot allow those who took an oath to uphold law and order to begin violating the law,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “This office will hold lawbreakers accountable, no matter their profession.”

 

From June to September 2021, Merino conspired with another Columbus police officer to traffic fentanyl. Merino distributed fentanyl to another individual on at least three occasions and accepted $32,500 for approximately one of the kilograms of fentanyl.

 

In March, April, May, August and September 2021, Merino accepted a total of $45,000 in cash in exchange for protecting the safe transport of at least 47 kilograms of cocaine. Merino possessed a firearm in furtherance of the protection of cocaine. Unbeknownst to Merino, there was no actual cocaine and each of the transactions was controlled by federal law enforcement.

 

Court documents detail that Merino tried to recruit a confidential informant to traffic drugs with him. Merino promised law enforcement protection to the individual and said he could intervene if other law enforcement agencies attempted to investigate the confidential informant.

 

Fellow former Columbus police officer John J. Kotchkoski, 33, of Marengo, Ohio, awaits sentencing.

 

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; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

A Beavercreek, Ohio, man, who was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at John Glenn International Airport in 2018 while trying to travel to Afghanistan to join the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) or ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), was sentenced today in federal court.

Naser Almadaoji, 23, an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release.

Almadaoji pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in November 2021. He admitted to attempting to provide material support – himself, as personnel – to foreign terrorist organizations, namely ISIS and ISIS-K.

According to court documents, Almadaoji purchased a plane ticket for travel on Oct. 24, 2018, and was arrested by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force officers after checking in and obtaining his boarding pass.

The defendant intended to travel to Astana, Kazahkstan, where he planned to be smuggled into Afghanistan so that he could join and receive military training from ISIS-K in support of both that terrorist group and ISIS.

Almadaoji explained to an individual whom he believed to be an ISIS supporter that he wanted “weapons experts training, planning and executing, hit and run, capturing high value targets, ways to break into homes and avoid security guards. That type of training.” He began making travel plans in September 2018.

Prior to that, between Feb. 16 and 24, 2018, Almadaoji traveled to Egypt and Jordan for the purpose of joining ISIS’s affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula, ISIS Wilayat Sinai, another designated foreign terrorist organization, but he ultimately was unsuccessful.

Almadaoji told an individual posing as an ISIS supporter online about his proposed plot to start a conflict in the United States between the federal government and anti-government militias. He asked the purported ISIS supporter for a guide on how to make a car bomb.

In August 2018, Almadaoji also told the purported ISIS supporter that he was “always willing” to assist with “projects” in the United States.

Almadaoji recorded and sent a video of himself wearing a headscarf and pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS.

In addition, Almadaoji translated a purported ISIS document from Arabic to English, telling his contact, “Don’t thank me . . . it’s my duty.”

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio, Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI Counterterrorism Division and Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Dingeldein for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are representing the United States in this case.

DAYTON, Ohio – A Huber Heights, Ohio, man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to crimes related to creating hundreds of images and videos of child pornography by victimizing children as young as 8 years old over a 15-year period.

 

Ty Brandon Roberts, 38, pleaded guilty to producing child pornography and coercing a minor.

 

According to court documents, beginning in 2007, Roberts sexually abused at least one minor and communicated online with many other minors around the world to produce child pornography.

 

Specifically, between 2007 and 2008, Roberts sexually abused an 11to 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.

 

As part of his plea, Roberts admitted to pretending to be a teenaged girl online to entice and coerce minor boys to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves.

 

The FBI has identified 44 minor victims, mostly between the ages of 11 and 14, in the child pornography Roberts created. Those 44 minors are depicted in more than 400 images and videos. Many more victims of Roberts’s child pornography remain unidentified.

 

Production of child pornography is a federal crime punishable by a range of 15 to 30 years in prison. Coercing a minor carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life 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; and Huber Heights Police Chief Mark Lightner announced the guilty plea entered today before 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 man formerly and currently incarcerated in Hamilton County on state charges has been charged federally with crimes related to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud.

 

Willie Boyce, 41, was indicted today by a federal grand jury.

 

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

 

The indictment alleges that Boyce applied electronically for two PPP loans in April 2021, claiming he owned a business named “Willie Boyce” that provided taxi and ridesharing services. Boyce submitted two separate applications on April 4 and April 9, 2021.

 

In his application, Boyce fraudulently claimed a gross income of $98,500 for 2019 even though he was in prison for the entirety of that year.

 

It is further alleged that as part of his applications, Boyce used his halfway house address as the business address and submitted a forged bank statement.

 

In early May 2021, Boyce received more than $40,700 in Covid relief loans. That month, Boyce allegedly spent the PPP loan money on purchases at Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Expedia, Hampton Inn and Delta Airlines.

 

Boyce is charged with four counts of wire fraud, a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the case, which 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 United States Attorney Timothy Landry 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.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A Beavercreek, Ohio, man who was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at John Glenn International Airport in 2018 while trying to travel to Afghanistan to join ISIS or ISIS- Khorasan (ISIS-K) was sentenced today in federal court.

 

Naser Almadaoji, 23, an Iraqi-born United States citizen, was sentenced to 120 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release.

 

Almadaoji pleaded guilty in November 2021 just before his jury trial was scheduled to begin. He admitted to attempting to provide material support – himself, as personnel – to foreign terrorist organizations, namely ISIS and ISIS-K.

 

“Almadaoji was not just an ideological supporter of terrorism, he attempted to train to fight, assassinate, kidnap and kill, in hopes of employing violence in America on behalf of ISIS,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Thanks to the FBI and our other law enforcement partners, Almadaoji was ultimately unsuccessful in his plan to become a human weapon and will now spend a decade in federal prison.”

 

“Mr. Almadaoji was stopped by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force while attempting to join ISIS and learn the deadly methods of terrorists,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, and our partners, will continue to work to protect the community from those determined to support terrorism and plan violent attacks.”

 

According to court documents, Almadaoji purchased a plane ticket for travel on October 24, 2018, and was arrested by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force officers after checking in and obtaining his boarding pass.

 

The defendant intended to travel to Astana, Kazahkstan, where he planned to be smuggled into Afghanistan so that he could join and receive military training from ISIS-K in support of both that terrorist group and ISIS.

 

Almadaoji explained to an individual whom he believed to be an ISIS supporter that he wanted “weapons experts training, planning and executing, hit and run, capturing high value targets, ways to break into homes and avoid security guards. That type of training.” He began making travel plans in September 2018.

 

Prior to that, between February 16 and 24, 2018, Almadaoji traveled to Egypt and Jordan for the purpose of joining ISIS’s affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula, ISIS Wilayat Sinai, another designated foreign terrorist organization, but he ultimately was unsuccessful.

 

Almadaoji told an individual posing as an ISIS supporter online about his proposed plot to start a conflict in the United States between the federal government and anti-government militias. He asked the purported ISIS supporter for a guide on how to make a car bomb.

 

In August 2018, Almadaoji also told the purported ISIS supporter that he was “always willing” to assist with “projects” in the United States.

 

Almadaoji recorded and sent a video of himself wearing a headscarf and pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS.

 

In addition, Almadaoji translated a purported ISIS document from Arabic to English, telling his contact, “Don’t thank me . . . it’s my duty.”

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice National Security Division; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge of the Cincinnati Division of the FBI; Alan J. Hill, Oakwood Public Safety Director; and Greene County Sheriff Scott Anger announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.

 

Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas A. Dingeldein and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are representing the United States in this case.

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