Southern District of Ohio

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio entered a consent decree permanently enjoining a Columbus-area woman from producing and selling fake Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 vaccination cards. 

In a civil complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, the government alleged that Tiffany Keller, 39, of Junction City, Ohio, produced and sold fake CDC COVID-19 vaccination cards in violation of Section 1140 of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1320b-10. The complaint alleged that Keller advertised her services on a blog that discussed how to make fake CDC COVID-19 vaccination cards and offered to print fake cards for $40 per card and ship them to paying customers via priority mail. Keller sold more than 77 fake cards.  

“Printing, selling and distributing fake vaccine cards undermines important efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to working with our federal partners to root out this kind of unlawful activity.”   

“During this time of a national emergency, individuals should not capitalize on the situation for their own greed,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “This type of fraud is particularly problematic as it could endanger the health of others.”

“Manufacturing and selling fake COVID-19 vaccination record cards can undermine critical public health measures and put the health of Americans at risk,” said Acting Chief Counsel Robert DeConti of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who attempt to illegally profit from the pandemic.”

It is a violation of federal law for individuals to reproduce, reprint, or distribute any item consisting of a form, application, or other publication of HHS for a fee without express authorization from HHS. HHS-OIG is authorized to impose a civil money penalty of up to $11,506 for each violation.

Under the terms of the consent decree and final judgement, Keller admitted that the allegations in the complaint are true and agreed to be permanently enjoined from, among other things, (1) engaging in prohibited acts related to the misuse of HHS departmental words, symbols, or emblems; (2) reproducing, reprinting, distributing, selling or offering for sale fake CDC COVID-19 vaccination cards; and (3) using any means, including but not limited to blogs and social media platforms to advertise or solicit the sale of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards. Should Keller violate the terms of the consent decree, the order also subjects her to the imposition of civil money penalties in the amount of $442,981 for her violations of 42 U.S.C. § 1320b-10(a)(2)(B), as specified in the complaint.

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

Information about fake CDC COVID-19 vaccination cards can be reported to HHS OIG by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS or 1-800-447-5477. Anyone with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The government is represented by Trial Attorneys Yolanda D. McCray Jones of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, Christopher Reimer of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J.T. Downey of the Southern District of Ohio. HHS-OIG provided substantial investigative support.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man was sentenced in federal court here to 150 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy involving shipments of narcotics from Arizona to Ohio.

 

Dawit Mamay, 24, is one of four defendants charged federally in a narcotics conspiracy involving at least 17 kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl. As part of this case, law enforcement seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from co-defendant Ermias Golla’s residence in the Short North.

 

According to court documents, from September 2020 through April 2021, Mamay and others shipped drugs via Priority Mail with false shipper and recipient names and/or addresses. Co-conspirators also shipped drug proceeds back to Arizona from Ohio. The defendants used the United States Postal Service tracking system.

 

For example, one package that Mamay mailed in early October 2020 that was intercepted by law enforcement contained more than 6,000 grams of fentanyl.

 

A second parcel mailed to Golla that month was also intercepted by law enforcement and contained more than 6,000 grams of methamphetamine that lab tested at 96 percent purity.

 

Mamay’s three co-defendants have each agreed to plead guilty to federal narcotics charges.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Kent Kleinschmidt, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Detroit division; and Jeffrey Krafels, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office, announced the sentence imposed on May 10 by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorney Sheila G. Lafferty is representing the United States in this case.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A local man previously convicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for federal narcotics crimes was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 156 months in prison for committing new narcotics and firearms crimes while on supervised release.

 

Larry K. Smith, 31, is also known as “Lil Larry” and “Big Larry.” He was sentenced in federal court for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

 

According to court documents, Smith owns Larry’s Cleaning LLC and applied for CARES ACT aid for his business. During the same timeframe, Smith was observed on social media with high-end vehicles, jewelry, bags and stacks of money all while having no verified income.

 

Law enforcement surveillance revealed an increased amount of foot and vehicle traffic at Smith’s home in Columbus. Further surveillance revealed that Smith had another residence on Bay Ridge Drive in Lewis Center.

 

While executing simultaneous search warrants at Smith’s two residences, law enforcement officials discovered approximately 300 grams of fentanyl dispersed throughout the homes, including in Smith’s dog’s collar and in a Gucci bag hidden under the stairs. All told, Smith was found to have more than $50,000 in cash, including in a Louis Vuitton backpack and on his person, as well as a loaded firearm, marijuana and crack cocaine. The Government also seized a large diamond and gold Short North Posse medallion necklace from Smith.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Travis S. Riddle, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth A. Geraghty and S. Courter Shimeall are representing the United States in this case.

 

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CINCINNATI – A federal jury has convicted Jesse Carter, 31, of Cincinnati, with illegally possessing a machine gun and possessing a pistol and ammunition after previously being convicted of a felony.

 

The verdict was announced yesterday afternoon following a trial that began on May 2 before U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole.

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, in March 2020, Carter illegally possessed a pistol, a machine gun and more than 400 rounds of ammunition.

 

The machine gun 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, 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 machine 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.

 

As a previously convicted felon, Carter is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. He faces up to 10 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

 

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

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio and Travis S. Riddle, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced today’s verdict. 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.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Miami, Fla. man was sentenced to 78 months in prison for conspiring in a racketeering enterprise to defraud individuals through moving companies located throughout the United States. Identified victims of the fraud lost more than $2.4 million total.

 

Andrey Shuklin, 33, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati today.

 

Shuklin was one of 12 defendants indicted in July 2018. According to court documents, the defendants operated and worked through several affiliated moving companies to enrich themselves by stealing from customers who hired them to move their household goods.

 

The enterprise executed their scheme through various moving companies in Florida, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, California, Connecticut, Colorado and Missouri. More than 1,000 customers have been identified as victims.

 

Shuklin admitted to participating in the scheme from April 2013 through July 2018. The defendant was the owner of affiliated moving companies and worked out of the enterprise’s main business offices in Florida.

 

One of the enterprise’s warehouses was in West Chester, Ohio, and some of the identified victims reside in the Southern District of Ohio.

 

As part of the conspiracy, the defendants would provide customers with low binding estimates to do their move, promising to beat their competitor’s prices. After the customers agreed to hire the moving companies, employees of the moving companies would load the customers’ goods onto the truck and then the price of the move would be bumped. Co-conspirators would use an inflated cubic footage for the price of moving the customers’ goods.

 

Shuklin tracked the “actual” or “real” cubic footage for customers’ goods and charged customers based on the fraudulently inflated price.

 

Shuklin pleaded guilty in January 2021 to participating in the racketeering conspiracy.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Andrea M. Knopf, Regional Special Agent-in-Charge, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT); and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Gaffney Painter and Matthew C. Singer are representing the United States in this case.

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Steubenville, Ohio, man was sentenced in federal court today to 90 months in prison for his involvement in fentanyl trafficking.

 

Llyod George Douglas, Jr., 39, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to conspiring to attempt to possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.

 

According to court documents, in May 2021, law enforcement intercepted a package from Long Beach, California, addressed to Douglas’s residence that contained approximately 500 grams of fentanyl. Law enforcement then arranged for a controlled delivery of the package after removing the narcotics and inserting an electronic device that would signal when the package was opened.

 

Douglas transported the package to another residence in Steubenville where the mail was opened. Douglas ran outside shortly after the package was opened and was apprehended by law enforcement.

 

While searching both residences, investigators discovered firearms and nearly $15,000 in cash.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentence imposed today by Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. U.S. Attorney Parker commended the cooperative investigation by the Cleveland Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Jefferson County Drug Task Force and Hancock Brooke Weirton Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin W. Kelley and Jefferson County Prosecutor Jane Hanlin represented the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio inmate was sentenced in federal court to 108 months in prison for writing at least 15 threatening letters containing powder. In some of the letters, he claimed the powder was anthrax or fentanyl or threatened the use of explosive devices.

 

Sean Heisa, 39, mailed threatening letters while incarcerated to various officials throughout the state of Ohio from July 2017 to July 2018.

 

Heisa mailed a letter to the city manager of Painesville in August 2017 and claimed powder contained within the envelope was anthrax. In the letter, Heisa described several things that were going to happen: “#1 – You are going to have trouble breathing; #2- You are going to die; #3 – You are going to become a martyr for a cause and an organization far bigger than yourself.”

 

Likewise, Heisa mailed a second letter that month to a magistrate judge in Whitehall, again claiming the powder contained within the letter was anthrax.

 

Heisa also threatened via letter officials within the Coshocton Municipal Courthouse, Franklin County Common Pleas Court and then-Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine through threatened exposure to anthrax and the use of explosive devices.

 

Other letters threatened to injure recipients – including the former Ohio prisons director, the Columbus Dispatch, the Circleville Herald and The Ohio State University – by exposure to purported fentanyl.

 

For example, one letter to a Fairfield County Common Pleas Court judge who had presided over several hearings involving Heisa (involving robbery charges for which Heisa is now serving a combined 37-year sentence) stated: “This is enough Fentanyl to kill you and multiple coworker [sic]. You deserve a more painful death but this will do”.

 

Heisa had access to what he believed to be fentanyl in prison and knew that if he could send enough fentanyl that it could kill someone, which is why he referenced it in many of his letters. Heisa chose to ingest the substance instead of mailing it.

 

Heisa was charged federally in December 2018 and pleaded guilty in October 2019 to making false information or hoaxes and mailing threatening communications.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division announced the sentence imposed by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica W. Knight is representing the United States in this case.

 

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DAYTON, Ohio – The lead of eight defendants convicted in a narcotics conspiracy was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 168 months in prison. The drug trafficking organization’s operations stretched from the Mexican border and the western United States to the Southern District of Ohio.

 

Clemente Quezada, 39, of Fairborn, Ohio, was one of eight individuals indicted in June 2021 in a narcotics conspiracy involving at least 14 kilograms of fentanyl destined for resale in Clark, Greene, Hamilton and Montgomery counties.

 

According to court documents, between December 2020 until June 2021, the defendants used a network of sellers in southern Ohio to distribute kilogram quantities of opioids from supply sources in Mexico and the western United States. The co-conspirators used a series of properties throughout southern Ohio to process, store, and distribute controlled substances and their resulting cash proceeds.

 

As part of the conspiracy, one defendant, under the guise of her profession as a truck driver, transported thousands of dollars in cash to sources of drug supply in Mexico and the western United States.

 

Co-defendant Edson Cruz-Medina was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in prison.

 

Kenneth L, Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Kent Kleinschmidt, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Richard S. Fambro; and Miami County Sheriff Dave Duchak announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – Aaron Spencer Doakes, 33, of Dayton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 100 months in prison for possessing firearms and ammunition after being convicted of a felony crime.

 

According to court documents, in February 2020, Dayton police officers were investigating the circumstances of a firearm visible in a vehicle that was running but not occupied near the Uptown Lounge on West Third Street in Dayton.

 

Doakes returned to the vehicle with the vehicle’s key fob in hand but fled on foot from law enforcement. As he ran, Doakes discarded a Glock 9mm magazine that was loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition.

 

Doakes was apprehended and detained. The magazine matched the firearm in the vehicle.

 

While executing subsequent search warrants, officers discovered four additional firearms and nearly $10,000 in cash that was in Doakes’s residence and on his person.

 

Doakes pleaded guilty in September 2021 to possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony crime. His prior convictions include various violent assaults, including with a deadly weapon.

 

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 Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – Davon Andre Winn, 36, of Dayton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 72 months in prison for possessing two loaded firearms after being convicted of a felony crime.

 

According to court documents, in November 2020, while Winn was on parole, Ohio Adult Parole Authority conducted a search of the residence in which Winn spent a majority of his time.

 

They discovered an assault rifle and a handgun. Both firearms were loaded.

 

Winn had prior felony convictions, including kidnapping, aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon, burglary and various other violent offenses. These convictions legally prohibited Winn from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

 

“We take felon-in-possession cases seriously, especially when they involve defendants using military-style weapons as street guns,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “These firearms, with their high-capacity magazines and ability to fire repeatedly without reloading, continue to exact a great cost in senseless bloodshed and tragedy in communities across the country.”

 

The defendant pleaded guilty in his federal case in October 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 other members of the Dayton Police Department’s Safe Streets Task Force announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorney Laura I. Clemmens represented the United States at sentencing.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two local men were sentenced in federal court for their roles in crimes related to the 2018 murders of three victims and a related narcotics ring.

 

In September 2021, a federal grand jury charged five Columbus men with crimes related to the three murders. An alleged narcotics conspiracy in 2018 to rob a local marijuana dealer of drugs and cash in his residence allegedly resulted in the shooting death of another resident within that house. To cover up for this murder, it is alleged one defendant murdered a man and a woman with knowledge of the first murder.

 

The indictment also charges defendants with crimes related to trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin.

 

In total, 13 individuals have been charged federally for their alleged involvement in either the murders, the cover-up of the murders, or the related narcotics conspiracy.

 

Lashawn Lee White, 47, was one of four defendants charged with crimes related to the alleged narcotics conspiracy. White possessed fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, Oxycodone, three pistols, one sawed-off shotgun and $20,000 in cash at his residence.

 

He was sentenced on April 19 to 12 years in prison.

 

Charles Koon, 52, was one of four other defendants charged in February 2021 for their alleged involvement with moving, dismembering, relocating and then burying the bodies of murder victims Henry Watson and Tera Pennington. He was sentenced 63 months in prison.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; James C. Harris III, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentences imposed by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.

 

The joint investigation includes assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), Franklin County Coroner’s Office, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC), U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Columbus Division of Fire and the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Prichard and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in the cases.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged eight individuals with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, a crime punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison.

 

It is alleged the defendants shipped multiple pounds of methamphetamine to Columbus from California and Las Vegas via the United States Postal Service.

 

To date, the government has seized at least 50 kilograms, or approximately 110 pounds, of methamphetamine as part of this case. The quantity of narcotics seized has an approximate street value of $1.5 million.

 

Law enforcement officials have also seized three firearms, fentanyl and marijuana.

 

The indictment was returned on April 12 and the case was unsealed today. 

 

Those charged include:

 

Name

Age

Residence

Wesley Durell Johnson

38

Las Vegas, Nevada

Deysuan Shalee Wells

39

Columbus, Ohio

Tiauna Christine Castro

32

Las Vegas, Nevada

Mohamed Ahmed Hussein

34

Moreno Valley, California

Ronnie Bert White

63

Columbus, Ohio

Autumn K. Jordan

40

Columbus, Ohio

Cierra Sade Stratton

33

Columbus, Ohio

Terrell D. Harris

59

Columbus, Ohio

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pittsburgh Division, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Prichard 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 – Luis Garza, 32, of Springfield, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 188 months in prison for possessing methamphetamine, carfentanil and fentanyl, and for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

 

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.

 

According to court documents, in October 2019, Garza was stopped in Indiana for speeding when a canine alerted to marijuana in his car. At the time, Garza was on parole in Ohio for aggravated robbery.

 

During a subsequent search of Garza’s residence in Springfield, Ohio, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Adult Parole Authority discovered distributable amounts of fentanyl, carfentanil and methamphetamine, as well as a handgun.

 

Hancock County, Indiana Sheriff’s deputies searched Garza’s vehicle at a tow yard, where the vehicle was impounded on a police hold. Deputies discovered more than 800 grams of pure methamphetamine in vacuum sealed packages between the rear seats. The DEA conducted the substance testing.

 

“This case highlights good investigative coordination between local, state and federal agencies in both Ohio and Indiana,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Thanks to their cooperation, we were able to take off the streets what would equal thousands of dosages of methamphetamine.”

 

Garza was indicted by a federal grand jury in Dayton, Ohio in June 2020. He pleaded guilty in January 2021.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Travis S. Riddle, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Springfield Police Chief Lee Graf; and Hancock County, Indiana Sheriff Brad Burkhart announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final of six defendants in a Columbus-to-West Virginia methamphetamine ring was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 154 months in prison.

 

Marvin C. Bozeman, II, 32, of Las Vegas, served as the group’s methamphetamine supplier.

 

According to court documents, in spring 2019, Columbus Division of Police officers received information from law enforcement in West Virginia that large amounts of methamphetamine were being transported from Columbus to be distributed in West Virginia.

 

Further investigation revealed the defendants were distributing large quantities of the drug and using various residences in Central Ohio to store and distribute the methamphetamine. Drug premises included residences on Rumsey Road, Lock Avenue and Esther Drive, among others.

 

Co-conspirators convicted in this case include: Joseph Brian Howard, Timothy D. Copley, Samantha Howard, Darin T. Copeland and Charlee Ann Blankenship. Howard and Copeland were each also sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.

 

Bozeman admitted to supplying Howard with packages containing pounds of methamphetamine from Las Vegas. Portions of the drugs were then redistributed amongst co-conspirators and throughout the region. Bozeman used the United States Postal Service to send nine-to-10-pound packages of methamphetamine in the mail. The local drug traffickers paid him approximately $1,000 per pound.

 

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 Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Elizabeth Geraghty are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Logan, Ohio, individuals have been transferred to federal custody on charges alleging they created child pornography of at least three minor children, one as young as three-to-four years of age.

 

Robert Gemienhardt, 36, and Carrie Daniels, 41, each appeared in U.S. District Court on April 8.

 

According to court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip from Kik messenger regarding Gemienhardt’s alleged 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 allegedly produced child pornography through the grooming and sexual abuse of minor victims. It is alleged that Daniels also distributed images of the sexual abuse to Gemienhardt.  In addition to the images Gemienhardt received from Daniels, Gemienhardt also possessed more than 1,100 images of child pornography.

 

Gemienhardt and Daniels were originally arrested on local charges in early March 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 charges. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

 

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

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – A previously convicted felon was sentenced in federal court here today to 70 months in prison for possessing a firearm.

 

Tevaughn Presley, 27, of Cincinnati, was on supervised release from a separate federal gun conviction when he was involved in a retaliatory shooting on April 17, 2020, at the Villages at Roll Hill in Cincinnati.

 

The shooting was one of four episodes of gun violence in early April 2020 between the Villages at Roll Hill and Cumminsville.

 

“The cost was grave to those involved in the series of shootings – two men lost their lives, and two others were seriously injured from gunshot wounds,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “The Cincinnati Police Department and the ATF expended significant resources to curb that surge of violence, and today’s sentence is one of many examples resulting from their joint law enforcement efforts.”

 

According to court documents, after the shooting, Presley disposed of the gun. However, Presley had taken a picture of himself with the firearm that day – including the weapon’s serial number – lying in his lap. Officers discovered the photo while executing a search warrant of Presley’s phone.

 

The ATF and Cincinnati Police Department matched two types of shell casings from the vehicle in which Presley was a passenger to the April 17 shooting scene using National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) technology.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Travis S. Riddle, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Cincinnati Interim Police Chief Teresa Theetge announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Michael R. Barrett. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley N. Brucato is representing the United States in this case.

 

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – A previously convicted felon was sentenced in federal court here today to 70 months in prison for possessing a firearm.

 

Tevaughn Presley, 27, of Cincinnati, was on supervised release from a separate federal gun conviction when he was involved in a retaliatory shooting on April 17, 2020, at the Villages at Roll Hill in Cincinnati.

 

The shooting was one of four episodes of gun violence in early April 2020 between the Villages at Roll Hill and Cumminsville.

 

“The cost was grave to those involved in the series of shootings – two men lost their lives, and two others were seriously injured from gunshot wounds,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “The Cincinnati Police Department and the ATF expended significant resources to curb that surge of violence, and today’s sentence is one of many examples resulting from their joint law enforcement efforts.”

 

According to court documents, after the shooting, Presley disposed of the gun. However, Presley had taken a picture of himself with the firearm that day – including the weapon’s serial number – lying in his lap. Officers discovered the photo while executing a search warrant of Presley’s phone.

 

The ATF and Cincinnati Police Department matched two types of shell casings from the vehicle in which Presley was a passenger to the April 17 shooting scene using National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) technology.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Travis S. Riddle, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Cincinnati Interim Police Chief Teresa Theetge announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Michael R. Barrett. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley N. Brucato is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged three individuals from Turkey who live in the Cincinnati region with conspiring to bring illegal Turkish immigrants into the United States via Mexico.

 

Comert Kurdistan (also known as Comert Ardic), 43, of Newtown, Ohio; Emma Brown (also known as Emma Nur), 35, of Cincinnati; and Ismail Altundag, 26, of Cincinnati have each been charged with federal immigration crimes.

 

According to the six-count indictment, the three defendants conspired in October and November 2021 to bring at least three undocumented immigrants into the United States.

 

Conspiring to bring in illegal immigrants is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison and aiding or abetting in such conduct carries a potential maximum punishment of 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; James C. Harris III, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Newtown Police Chief Thomas Synan Jr. and Miami Township Police Chief Mike Mills announced the charges. 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.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A local photographer with a history of sex offenses was sentenced in federal court to 18 years in prison for possessing child pornography, including images of young children he photoshopped to be sexually explicit.

 

Henry Douglas Hitchcock, 61, of Covington, Ohio, was also sentenced to 15 years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

 

According to court documents, Hitchcock possessed at least 220,000 images and videos depicting child pornography, which he had collected over a span of 20 years.

 

The defendant morphed images of pre-pubescent children to make the children appear nude.

 

Hitchcock was convicted of local child exploitation crimes in 1998 and 2002.

 

“Hitchcock has repeatedly demonstrated that nothing short of this significant term of incarceration will stop him from continuing to sexually exploit children,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “This office is dedicated to protecting children – the most vulnerable victims in our communities.”

 

Hitchcock was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2021 and pleaded guilty in January 2022 to possessing child pornography.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorney Christina E. Mahy is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

Law enforcement officers including FBI Task Force agents and FBI SWAT officers arrested Bruce Armstead, 66, of Cincinnati on March 29 on charges that he committed five bank robberies in the Cincinnati area between November 2021 and January 2022.

A federal indictment was unsealed following Armstead’s arrest.

The indictment alleges that Armstead robbed

- a U.S. Bank in Lockland on November 2, 2021 and again on November 13, 2021

- a Huntington Bank on Galbraith Road in Deer Park on December 8, 2021

- a 5/3 Bank in Wyoming, Ohio on December 14, 2021 and

- a US Bank on Hamilton Avenue in Mt. Healthy on January 7, 2022

The grand jury charged Armstead with three counts of bank robbery, two counts of armed bank robbery in connection with the robberies on December 8 and January 7, and two counts of using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence.

Each count of bank robbery is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Armed bank robbery is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Use of a firearm in connection with a crime of violence is punishable by a mandatory minimum seven-year sentence.

“The FBI along with investigators from the police departments in Lockland, Deer Park, Wyoming, and Mount Healthy began investigating Armstead based on information they obtained from bank surveillance videos and interviews with bank employees,” said Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “The cooperation between agencies was crucial to securing the indictment.”

Armstead was arrested near his residence in South Cumminsville.

U.S. Attorney Parker along with J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Interim Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge, Lockland Police Chief Darin Lunsford, Deer Park Police Chief Michael F. Schlie, Wyoming Police Chief Brooke Brady and Mount Healthy Police Chief Vincent L. Demasi announced the indictment and the arrest.

Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Springer is representing the United States in this case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

# # #

A Cincinnati man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 36 months in prison for crimes related to creating fake credentials to pretend to be a member of law enforcement and a federal employee.

David Lomache, 62, pleaded guilty in August 2021 to making fake IDs claiming he was a Special Agent with Homeland Security and an employee of the Defense Logistics Agency, which is the Department of Defense’s combat logistics support agency.

“As today’s sentence reflects, Lomache’s offense is much more serious than merely creating fake identification documents for self-enrichment,” said United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “The defendant was not just collecting badges and making ID cards for his personal amusement. He was amassing the tools he needed to impersonate law enforcement and federal government employees. Given that many of his chosen identities focused on search, rescue, recovery, and seizure, Lomache’s apparent designs include the threat of trespass or worse under the guise of government authority.”

Lomache pleaded guilty in August 2021 to fraud in connection with identification documents.

According to the court documents, the defendant used fake credentials to acquire badges intended only for legitimate federal officers.

Lomache fraudulently obtained a United States Federal Contractor badge in order to impersonate a civilian contractor technician for the Defense Logistics Agency.

In January 2021, Lomache produced fake identification documents for both the Defense Logistics Agency and for Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”). He listed his titles on the fraudulent documents as “Civilian Contractor Technician” and “Homeland Security Special Agent.”

In February 2021, the defendant posted a picture of himself on social media in which he’s wearing a cap with “K-9” printed on it with a gold badge on the side. In the comments, Lomache claimed to be a “CERT member…K9 search & rescue urban/mountain.”

When investigators executed a search warrant as part of this investigation, they discovered Lomache in possession of numerous law enforcement badges, patches and clothing items, as well as fake identification cards, handcuffs and various knives.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; James C. Harris III, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations; and Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Matthew McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Megan Gaffney Painter is representing the United States in this case.

# # #

Cincinnati – Frederick Louis, 57, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was indicted on 16 counts of aiding or assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, 4 counts of wire fraud, and 4 counts of aggravated identity theft.  On March 18, 2022, Louis was arrested by IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents.

 

The indictment alleges that Louis served as a “ghost preparer,” meaning that he prepared tax returns for compensation but failed to sign or otherwise declare the tax returns he prepared for other individuals.  Louis worked as a Tax Examiner for the IRS from 1985 to 1994.  It is alleged that due to his prior IRS employment, Louis knew that by law individuals who are paid to prepare or assist in preparing tax returns must have a valid Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) and sign and include their PTIN on the returns they prepare.  Louis also held himself out to be an accountant who prepared tax returns for pay or as a favor to friends.  In actuality, Louis does not have an accounting degree, is not a Certified Public Accountant, and did not have a PTIN.

 

It is alleged that from at least January 2016 and continuing through at least March 2021, Louis prepared tax returns that contained false Schedule C business expenses, false Schedule F farming expenses, false Schedule A itemized deductions, claimed false dependents, and/or claimed false filing statuses on certain tax returns to generate fraudulent inflated tax refunds to which the taxpayer clients were not entitled.  It is further alleged that Louis allocated portions of the refunds to himself, often unbeknownst to his client by directing the fraudulently inflated refunds be direct deposited in one of the following ways: (1) the entire refund was sent to Louis or (2) some portion of the refund was sent to bank accounts owned or controlled by Louis.  As a result of the scheme, the IRS issued over $191,000 in fraudulent federal income tax refunds.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio and Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office announced the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo is representing the United States in the case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man who sex trafficked a minor female with his half-brother was sentenced in federal court here today to 188 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release. As part of his sentence, the defendant was also ordered to pay $194,000 in restitution to the minor victim.

 

William Pierce Washington, Jr., 52, was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2017 with co-defendant William Pierce Washington, 40, also of Cincinnati.

 

According to court documents, Washington, Jr., also known as “Man,” participated in the sex trafficking of a minor female for at least four months. Washington, Jr. often transported the victim and the victim resided at his home during the majority of the events.

 

Co-defendant Washington, also known as “Bam,” primarily orchestrated the exploitation. Washington would routinely get the victim high on drugs, including forcibly injecting the victim with heroin on at least one occasion.

 

Washington would then traffic the teenager to engage in sexual conduct for money. He beat and raped the victim.

 

Court documents in this case detail that Sharonville Police Department officers responded to a motel in Sharonville on April 18, 2017, following the report of a distraught female in the business’s parking lot. The female, a 16-year-old, told officers she had spent several hours in a motel room smoking crack cocaine and engaged in oral sex with an adult male who physically assaulted her.

 

Contact with the adult male and search of his cell phone revealed sexually explicit photos with the victim and text conversations with Washington about arrangements to coordinate the sexual activity for payment to Washington.

 

Washington was sentenced in December 2021 to more than 15 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; Sharonville Police Chief James C. Nesbitt II and other members of the FBI’s child exploitation task force announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Black. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Federal agents arrested a South African woman this morning at John Glenn International Airport on federal charges alleging she mailed large amounts of K2 and Suboxone via mail into the United States. Inmates in Ohio jails were the end recipients of the packages.

 

Tanya Baird, 46, of South Africa, appeared in federal court at 3pm today.

 

According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, Baird obtained K2 from China and saturated legal documents with the substance in South Africa before mailing the papers to the United States.

 

For example, in June 2021, Baird allegedly mailed at least eight packages each containing 30 pieces of saturated paper to an inmate in an Ohio prison.

 

It is alleged that another individual sometimes received packages from Baird containing legal privileged documents that were saturated in K2. The individual would then send the legal documents into Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction facilities and collect proceeds from inmates. The proceeds were then allegedly sent to Baird via CashApp or PayPal.

 

In total, import records showed 69 packages being sent into the United States from June through August 2021, 34 of which were destined for the Southern District of Ohio. Multiple recipients of the packages from Baird had been in communication with or attended visits with current Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction inmates.

 

“Today’s arrest would not have happened without the cooperation and professionalism of our law enforcement partners, especially with the FBI,” said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Kent Kleinschmidt. “Synthetic drugs are extremely dangerous because their use can lead to very erratic behavior and even death. They absolutely have no place in our society, but are especially problematic inside a correctional facility.”

 

Baird is charged with importing controlled substances, a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Kent Kleinschmidt, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and officials with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Hunter is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A federal jury has convicted a Dayton man of traveling interstate to murder the former husband of his then-girlfriend after cyberstalking the victim.

 

Sterling H. Roberts, 38, of Dayton, was found guilty of shooting and killing Robert Caldwell in August 2017. As a previously convicted felon, Roberts was prohibited from possessing the firearm he used in furtherance of the crime of violence.

 

The verdict was announced today following a trial that began on March 8 before Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, around 6pm on Aug. 15, 2017, Robert Caldwell and his three minor children left a counseling appointment in Riverside, Ohio. While crossing the parking lot, Roberts shot Robert Caldwell multiple times in front of his children and died at the scene.

 

Roberts’ girlfriend at the time, co-defendant Tawnney Caldwell, and the murder victim had an ongoing dispute regarding the custody of their children. The two, along with four other co-defendants, collaborated to plan, execute and cover-up the murder.

 

Earlier in August 2017, Roberts pretended to be a customer in need of stonework and messaged Robert Caldwell to lure him into meeting in Jamestown, Ohio. Roberts, armed with a gun, ambushed Robert Caldwell, who fled and called 911. Robert Caldwell eventually escaped that encounter and reported it to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.

 

Between the time of the attempted homicide and the eventual murder of Robert Caldwell, Roberts fled to a relative’s home in Tennessee. Tawnney Caldwell traveled interstate and brought him back to Ohio, stopping in Kentucky to illegally purchase Roberts an AK-47 rifle.

 

Sterling Roberts’ brothers, Chance Deakin and Christopher Roberts; Chandra Harmon (Tawnney’s mother); and James Harmon (Tawnney’s step-father) were each charged in March 2018 and have been convicted of crimes related to the cyberstalking and murder.

 

Tawnney Caldwell was sentenced in July 2021 to 35 years in prison for interstate stalking resulting in death.

 

Roberts faces up to life in prison; a sentencing date has not yet been set.

 

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; Riverside Police Chief Frank Robinson and Sugarcreek Township Police Chief Michael Brown announced today’s guilty verdict. Assistant United States Attorneys Amy M. Smith, Sheila G. Lafferty and Kevin Koller are representing the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man who sought babysitting jobs online was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 100 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release for possessing child pornography.

 

Ryan J. McConnell, 31, was arrested by federal agents in December 2020.

 

According to court documents, FBI agents in El Paso, Texas, acting in an undercover capacity on Kik messenger discovered McConnell through a group called “Toddlers.” Members within this group distributed hundreds of videos and images of child rape.

 

McConnell’s phone contained child pornography depicting pre-pubescent and pubescent boys engaged in sexually explicit conduct while wearing diapers.

 

Additionally, McConnell actively sought work as a babysitter from approximately 2010 until 2020 on a number of websites, including SitterCity.com, Care.com, Craigslist.org and possibly others. For example, McConnell was registered for three SitterCity accounts and had created at least 20 Craigslist ads offering childcare and/or babysitting services as recently as late October 2020. He was accepting babysitting jobs as “Bryan S.”

 

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 Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to two separate armed robberies of United States Postal Carriers.

 

Brandon J. Campbell, 20, admitted to using violence and a weapon to endanger the mail carriers’ lives and steal property from them.

 

According to Campbell’s plea documents, he assaulted two postal carriers in September 2021.

 

On Sept. 8, 2021, Campbell stole an “arrow” key – which is used to access USPS mailboxes and receptacles – and vehicle keys from a postal carrier who was delivering mail at Vistas at Rocky Fork Apartment Complex in Gahanna. Campbell wore a balaclava mask and used a Glock-style handgun.

 

On Sept. 21, 2021, Campbell committed armed robbery against a second postal carrier who was delivering mail near 4500 Hemingway Court in Columbus. He again used a handgun and mask and stole the carrier’s arrow key.

 

Investigators followed Campbell’s champaign-colored Saturn Aura and subsequently executed search warrants on an apartment Campbell fled into, as well as his vehicle. Law enforcement officers discovered four firearms in that apartment, as well as the balaclava mask. Forensic examination of Campbell’s iPhone showed the phone was in the location of both robberies during the timeframe of the robberies. Campbell’s phone also showed pictures of himself holding a Glock-style firearm.

 

Aggravated robbery of property of the United States is a federal crime punishable by up to 25 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 at a future sentencing hearing.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Gary R. Barksdale, Chief Postal Inspector, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged a previously convicted felon with possessing ammunition during a shoot-out with another man.

 

Charles Stacey Brooks, 40, of Wilmington, Ohio, was allegedly in an active shoot-out in a residential neighborhood in January 2022. It is alleged that Brooks illegally possessed ammunition at the time of the incident.

 

According to pending local charges, on Jan. 12, 2022, Brooks and Christian Burton, 21, also of Wilmington, shot at each other while in a residential neighborhood of Wilmington. A 911 caller allegedly reported hearing at least three shots on South Walnut St. The caller said that one of the shots struck the outside of a car occupied by a man driving with his child.

 

Brooks has previously been convicted of felony crimes including robbery and aggravated drug trafficking. He was on parole at the time of the shooting.

 

Possessing a firearm or ammunition as a previously convicted felon is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

 

Burton has also been indicted by a federal grand jury. He was charged federally on Feb. 23 with seven counts of narcotics crimes, including distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine and possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted, Burton faces a potential minimum of five years up to 40 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; Wilmington Police Chief Ron Cravens; Warrren County Sheriff Larry L. Sims and other members of the Warren County Drug Task Force; and Clinton County Prosecutor Andrew T. McCoy announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Kelly K. Rossi is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – Jason Pollet, 48, of Dayton, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 132 months in prison for distributing child pornography.

 

According to court documents, throughout 2020 and 2021, law enforcement agents and task force officers in the Southern District of Ohio conducted an online investigation to identify individuals using social media and messaging apps to commit child exploitation offenses.

 

Between November and December 2020, Pollet used Kik Messenger and Wickr – two internet-based messaging apps – to distribute more than 30 images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct to an undercover law enforcement officer.

 

Pollet pleaded guilty in November 2021 to distributing child pornography.

 

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 other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force announced the sentence imposed by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas A. Dingeldein represented the United States in this case.

# # #

CINCINNATI – A political and media consultant was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 24 months in prison for federal crimes related to the embezzlement of more than $1.4 million from a United States Congressional campaign.

 

James R. Schwartz II, 42, of Cincinnati, pleaded guilty in March 2021 to wire fraud and falsification of records.

 

According to court documents, from approximately 2011 through 2019, Schwartz worked as a consultant on behalf of a Congressional campaign through his companies Fountain Square Group LLC and Prime Media LLC. Schwartz also served as the de facto treasurer for the campaign.

 

Schwartz embezzled funds from the Congressional campaign by writing checks to himself and his companies from the campaign that were for more money than he and his companies had actually earned.

 

“Simply put, when he ran low on money, Schwartz cut himself a check from campaign funds that he did not earn,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said. “For close to 10 years, Schwartz fraudulently lined his own pockets at the expense of the entity he was hired to help further.”

 

Schwartz concealed the embezzled funds by misrepresenting the amounts paid to him and his companies in reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

 

Schwartz created and submitted false receipt and disbursement records to an FEC audit team; Schwartz fabricated bank statements; he falsified e-donation reports and created a fake email from an e-donation vendor to conceal the fake e-donation reports; and he began writing fake checks to match the fictitious bank statements, which were prepared to match the prior false filings with the FEC.

 

During the FEC audit in summer 2019, Schwartz reported his criminal activity to the United States Attorney’s Office and cooperated with FBI agents.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew C. Singer is representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – Da’Quan Payne, 30, of Cincinnati, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 170 months in prison for committing five federal crimes related to firearms and narcotics.

 

According to court documents, Payne possessed nine firearms, approximately $194,000 in cash, and distributable amounts of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. He had nearly $158,000 in cash in his home.

 

In June 2019, agents from the Norwood Drug Task Force, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Cincinnati Police Department launched an investigation into Payne’s suspected drug-trafficking activity.

 

They conducted five law-enforcement controlled purchases of fentanyl from Payne. During those purchases, law enforcement observed Payne carrying a firearm. As a previously convicted felon, Payne is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

 

Investigators learned that Payne kept some of his supplies in storage lockers. During a search of Payne’s storage units, law enforcement discovered eight of Payne’s nine firearms, along with fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. Payne was also storing more than $24,000 in cash in the lockers.

 

A search of Payne’s vehicle revealed the ninth firearm, more than $12,000 in cash and various narcotics.

 

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

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Kent Kleinschmidt, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; Norwood Police Chief William Kramer and Interim Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Michael R. Barrett. Assistant United States Attorney Kelly K. Rossi is representing the United States in this case.

 

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Eastern Ohio man was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 168 months in prison for discharging a firearm during a drug-trafficking robbery and for cyberstalking a victim for a year.

 

Michael Bertolino, Jr., 35, of Adena, Ohio, was sentenced for committing three federal crimes.

 

According to court documents, in December 2020, Bertolino conspired with others to plan and execute the armed robbery of a drug dealer in Cadiz, Ohio.

 

At a meet-up arranged through SnapChat, Bertolino and others robbed the individual of a half-pound of marijuana and 50 THC cartridges. During the robbery, as the victim was on the ground, Bertolino discharged a gun into the ground near the victim’s head.

 

In a separate criminal scheme, throughout all of 2020, Bertolino used social media platforms, text messages and a GPS system to cyberstalk a second victim.

 

The defendant created social media accounts to post derogatory statements or comments on the accounts of the victim and the victim’s friends and family members. For example, Bertolino created a Facebook account and used explicit photos of the victim for the account profile.

 

Bertolino also placed a GPS tracker on the victim’s vehicle and monitored the victim’s movement on his computer. He sent the victim Google Earth screenshots showing that he was tracking the victim at all times.

 

As part of his cyberstalking, Bertolino used a text messaging application to send the victim thousands of messages from what appeared to be 19 different phone numbers. In the messages, he threatened to kill the victim and those involved with the victim and promised to post compromising pictures of the victim online.

 

Bertolino pleaded guilty in July 2021 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, discharging a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and cyberstalking. 

 

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 Harrison County Sheriff Ronald J. Myers announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney S. Courter Shimeall is representing the United States in this case.

 

 

# # #

Three men pleaded guilty today to crimes related to a scheme to attack power grids in the United States in furtherance of white supremacist ideology.

According to court documents, Christopher Brenner Cook, 20, of Columbus, Ohio; Jonathan Allen Frost, 24, of West Lafayette, Indiana, and of Katy, Texas; and Jackson Matthew Sawall, 22, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.  The charge and plea agreements indicate that the defendants knew and intended that the material support they conspired to provide would be used to prepare for and carry out the federal offense of destroying energy facilities.

“These three defendants admitted to engaging in a disturbing plot, in furtherance of white supremacist ideology, to attack energy facilities in order to damage the economy and stoke division in our country,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen. “The Justice Department is committed to investigating and disrupting such terrorist plots and holding perpetrators accountable for their crimes.”

“These defendants conspired to use violence to sow hate, create chaos, and endanger the safety of the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “As this case shows, federal and state law enforcement agencies are dedicated to working together to protect this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

“The defendants in this case wanted to attack regional power substations and expected the damage would lead to economic distress and civil unrest,” said Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “These individuals wanted to carry out such a plot because of their adherence to racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist views. When individuals move from espousing particular views to planning or committing acts of violence the FBI will investigate and take action to stop their plans. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect our communities.”

“Those inspired to commit terrorist acts in the name of hate pose a serious threat to our nation," said Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office. “I am thankful for the Joint Terrorism Task Force and our law enforcement partners who work each day to prevent this type of violence from occurring in 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.

Cook, Frost and Sawall were each charged with providing material support to terrorism by a bill of information filed on Feb. 7. The defendants face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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.

DAYTON, Ohio – A Columbus, Ohio, man was sentenced in federal court today to 144 months in prison for his role in multiple home invasions that took place in the greater Dayton region.

 

Kieran Chandre Furness, 28, was sentenced for conspiring to violate the Hobbs Act with four co-defendants, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

 

According to court documents, the defendants conspired to commit at least four home invasions of Dayton-area drug dealers.

 

The co-conspirators took part in armed robberies of purported drug dealers to steal their illicit drug inventories and cash proceeds derived from prior drug dealing. The co-conspirators also stole vehicles, jewelry, clothing, shoes and firearms.

 

During January 2019, Furness and others forced entry into various residences in Dayton, Trotwood and Harrison Township. While inside the homes, defendants bound up the ankles and wrists of adult and child occupants, forcing them to lie face down on the floor, and brandishing firearms towards them.

 

Furness was the final defendant to be sentenced in the case. His co-defendants received the following sentences:

• Dreshaun Alexander Thomas – 97 months in prison;
• William Anthony-Lee Baylor – 72 months in prison;
• James Ralph Jackson III – 60 months in prison; and
• Eric Sterling Brown II – 48 months in prison.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland H. Herndon, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck and Trotwood Police Chief Erik Wilson announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorneys Dwight K. Keller and Ryan A. Saunders are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal jury has convicted a former Columbus vice officer with conspiring to violate an individual’s constitutional rights. 

 

The verdict was announced yesterday evening following a trial that began on Feb. 14 before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison.

 

Steven G. Rosser, 45, of Delaware, was employed with the Columbus Division of Police for 19 years and assigned as a detective in CPD’s vice unit from April 2013 until October 2018.

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, in 2018, Rosser and others conspired to deprive one of the owners of the Dollhouse, a gentlemen’s club on Karl Court, of his civil rights by seizing and searching him and his vehicle without probable cause in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. At trial, the government presented evidence that Rosser was part of a scheme to frame the victim for cocaine possession.   

 

Rosser was indicted by a federal grand jury and arrested in March 2020.

 

Conspiracy to violate a person’s civil rights is punishable by up to 10 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; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) Superintendent Joseph Morbitzer; and Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber announced the verdict.

 

Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Southern Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes special agents and officers from the FBI, Ohio Attorney General’s BCI, the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office and the Columbus Division of Police.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – Charles Edward Severt, Jr., 52, of Xenia, was sentenced in federal court to 24 months in prison for stealing more than $370,000 in Social Security disability benefits and for making false statements related to stealing $20,000 from a Xenia church.

 

Severt was indicted and arrested in March 2021.

 

According to court documents, in connection with his application for disability benefits, Severt stated that he had not worked since 2010 as the result of a shooting. In reality, Severt had been working since at least 2014 in the tree trimming business.

 

Severt also stated under oath that his license as an investment advisor was suspended for not reporting income from flipping houses. Court documents detail Severt was actually banned for life by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority for stealing $20,000 from a church in Xenia.

 

As part of his sentence, Severt will pay more than $370,000 in restitution.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the sentence imposed yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case, which was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Chicago Field Division, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three men pleaded guilty today to crimes related to conspiring to attack power grids throughout the United States in furtherance of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism advocating for the supremacy of the white race.

 

Christopher Brenner Cook, 20, of Columbus, Ohio; Jonathan Allen Frost, 24, of Katy, Texas and of West Lafayette, Indiana; and Jackson Matthew Sawall, 22, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin; have each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

 

“According to these pleas, three individuals engaged in a disturbing plot to attack our country’s energy infrastructure, damage the economy, and stoke division in our society, all in the name of white supremacy,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will continue to investigate and disrupt such violent plots, and to hold perpetrators accountable in a courtroom, where the rule of law and the Constitution prevail.” 

 

“These defendants conspired to use violence to sow hate, create chaos, and endanger the safety of the American people,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said. “As this case shows, federal and state law enforcement agencies are dedicated to working together to protect this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

 

“The defendants in this case wanted to attack regional power substations and expected the damage would lead to economic distress and civil unrest,” said Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “These individuals wanted to carry out such a plot because of their adherence to racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist views. When individuals move from espousing particular views to planning or committing acts of violence the FBI will investigate and take action to stop their plans. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect our communities.”

 

“Those inspired to commit terrorist acts in the name of hate pose a serious threat to our nation," stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “I am thankful for the Joint Terrorism Task Force and our law enforcement partners who work each day to prevent this type of violence from occurring in 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 asked literary questions and 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 in real life and online – 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 in furtherance of the conspiracy to travel together after their Ohio meeting, and drove to Texas in March 2020, where Cook stayed in different cities with various juveniles he was attempting to recruit for their plot.

 

Cook, Frost and Sawall were each charged by a Bill of Information that was filed on Feb. 7. The defendants face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

 

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.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – American Health Associates, Inc. (AHA) has agreed to pay the United States $142,718 to resolve False Claims Act allegations that they knowingly caused the submission of false claims to Medicare for diagnostic testing.

 

AHA has offices in Cincinnati and in 2014, acquired MedLab, which provided laboratory services to Access Hospital Dayton, LLC.   

 

The government alleged that, between January 2015 and December 2019, AHA knowingly caused the submission of false claims to Medicare for diagnostic laboratory tests that were performed during patients’ inpatient stays at Access Hospital Dayton and already covered by the inpatient admission. Medicare prohibits separate payment for diagnostic testing performed during an inpatient admission. 

 

The government’s settlement in this matter follows the federal government’s earlier settlement with Access Hospital Dayton, bringing the federal government’s total recovery in this matter to approximately $517,498. The False Claims Act permits the United States to recover a multiplier of as much as three times the amount of damages sustained by the Government. The settlements with Access Hospital Dayton and AHA were consistent with the multiple damages recovery allowable under the False Claims Act. 

 

False Claims Act tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477). 

 

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The matter was investigated by Senior Trial Counsel Christopher Wilson of the Civil Division and Civil Chief Andrew M. Malek of the Southern District of Ohio.

 

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

 

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man pleaded guilty in federal court this morning to threatening to bring a bomb to a local reproductive health services facility.

 

Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Brime, 25, also admitted to threatening to kill a patient whom he believed was seeking reproductive health services, specifically an abortion, at the clinic. 

 

On April 11, 2021, Brime made two separate telephone calls to the local reproductive health care clinic.  In the first, he made a death threat relating to the prospective patient and in the second, he made a bomb threat directly to the clinic, telling the clinic staff “my organization will be bringing a bomb to your facility. I suggest you close your doors.”

 

Specifically, Brime admitted to violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act – which makes it a federal crime to threaten the use of force to intimidate anyone receiving or providing reproductive health services – and to transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.

 

Threatening freedom of access to clinic entrances is a federal crime punishable by up to one year in prison and transmitting threats in interstate commerce carries a potential maximum sentence of 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.

 

Brime was indicted by a grand jury and arrested in September 2021. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and S. Courter Shimeall and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The United States and the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation have reached three related settlements totaling more than $3 million with Orthopedic & Neurological Consultants, New Albany Surgery Center, and Mount Carmel Health System, for improper claims submitted to Medicare and the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.

 

Orthopedic & Neurological Consultants (OrthoNeuro) is a large orthopedic practice in Central Ohio. One of its doctors and part owner, Robert Nowinski, now deceased, billed for certain complex shoulder surgeries that either did not occur within the standard of care or did not occur at all. Dr. Nowinski routinely billed for complex, time-consuming shoulder surgeries despite spending a fraction of the time in the operating room as would be expected and required to complete such surgeries. He frequently did not use the specific supplies required for the designated surgery.

 

Nowinski used the operating room facilities at New Albany Surgery Center (NASC), an ambulatory surgery center and a joint venture with OrthoNeuro and Mount Carmel Health, and at Mount Carmel’s New Albany Surgical Hospital.

 

NASC and Mount Carmel billed “facility fees” to Medicare and Ohio BWC relating to the surgeries allegedly performed at those facilities by Dr. Nowinski. OrthoNeuro billed Medicare and Ohio BWC for Dr. Nowinski’s professional services involved in the suspect procedures. 

 

As part of the settlement, OrthoNeuro will pay $498,182 to Medicare and $533,482 to BWC; NASC will pay $772,650 to Medicare and $468,406 to BWC; and Mount Carmel will pay $760,901 to Medicare and $156,139 to BWC.

 

While the settling parties did not appear to intentionally submit false claims arising from Dr. Nowinski’s surgical procedures, the government concluded that there was evidence that should have provided notice of Dr. Nowinski’s wrongdoing to the settling parties.

 

“The United States will aggressively pursue providers that bill for services not performed within the appropriate standard of care, as well as entities whose compliance programs fail to identify egregious wrongdoing by their providers.  Here, the settling parties have fully cooperated with the government’s investigation and promptly worked with the United States and Ohio BWC to reach a swift and equitable resolution,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Stephanie McCloud, Administrator of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG); J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and the U.S. Department of Labor announced the charges. Civil Chief Andrew M. Malek and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth F. Affeldt are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

CINCINNATI – Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, today announced priority areas and appointments to his management staff.

 

“Every matter we handle is significant, and this office is dedicated to pursuing justice every day, in every matter,” said U.S. Attorney Parker. “Under my leadership, we will emphasize efforts related to national security, narcotics, gun violence, public corruption, civil rights, elder abuse and fraud, child exploitation, cybercrimes and environmental matters. We will work to protect every person in the Southern District of Ohio, and especially vulnerable populations like children and the elderly.”

 

Parker oversees a staff of approximately 125 people, including 65 Assistant United States Attorneys.

 

Management staff appointments were effective Feb. 11. They include:

 

First Assistant United States Attorney Salvador A. Dominguez

Mr.  Dominguez was named First Assistant U.S. Attorney. This position is the number two position in the U.S. Attorney's Office and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the office. Dominguez has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 1989, serving in a number of roles throughout his tenure.  Dominguez served as the District’s First Assistant and Criminal Chief from July 1997 through February 2001 and as Interim United States Attorney in 2001. Prior to that, he served in the Criminal Division as the Project Safe Neighborhood/Violent Crimes Coordinator. A U.S. Navy Veteran, Captain Dominguez retired from the Navy in 2017 following 32 years of combined active-duty and service in the Navy’s Reserve component, which included three separate Commanding Officer tours and service as both a trial judge and a term on the Navy and Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. Dominguez is a graduate of Wabash College and received his law degree from Indiana University.

 

Executive Assistant United States Attorney Christy L. Muncy 

Ms. Muncy will be responsible for supervising a number of personnel and handling some issues related to Department of Justice reporting requirements and special projects. In addition, Muncy will lead the District’s Litigation Support Unit. Muncy served as the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Chief from 2019 to 2022. Muncy has also served as the District’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator.  She has served as a criminal Assistant U.S. Attorney since 2007. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Muncy was First Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for Kenton County, Kentucky, from 2002-2007.  Muncy is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and the Syracuse University School of Law.

Criminal Chief Karl P. Kadon

Mr. Kadon will continue as District Criminal Chief, a post he has held since November 2019. Kadon began serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Cincinnati Criminal Division in 2006. He also served as the District’s Chief of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force from May 2019 to November 2019, as the Chief of the Counter-Terrorism Section in the Office of the Justice Attaché at U.S. Embassy Kabul in 2010-11, and as the Justice Attaché at U.S. Embassy Kabul in 2016. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Kadon served as Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office and as Deputy City Solicitor/Chief of Litigation for the City of Cincinnati Law Department. Kadon served 28 years as a U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate, with active service in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and other locations. Kadon graduated from Miami University and earned his law degree from Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law.

 

Kadon will be assisted in his Criminal Chief Duties by four Deputy Criminal Chiefs. They are:

 

Brian J. Martinez, Deputy Criminal Chief (Columbus)

Mr. Martinez has served as the Deputy Criminal Chief in the Columbus office since 2019.  Martinez joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2014. He served as the Chief of Staff for the Associate Attorney General of the United States from 2012 to 2014 and as the Chief of Staff of the Justice Department’s Civil Division from 2009 to 2012. Prior to his work at the Department, Martinez was an associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco from 2003 to 2009. Martinez clerked for the Hon. Thelton Henderson of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. He attended Stanford University for both his undergraduate education and law school.      

 

Emily N. Glatfelter, Deputy Criminal Chief (Cincinnati)

Ms. Glatfelter has served as a Deputy Criminal Chief in the Cincinnati office since 2015. She joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cincinnati in 2012, primarily handling financial crimes matters. She previously served in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Maryland, beginning in 2006. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Butler University and her law degree from Indiana University before working for Arnold & Porter LLP in Washington D.C. She also clerked for the Hon. David F. Hamilton while he served as U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana.

 

Brent G. Tabacchi, Deputy Criminal Chief (Dayton)

Mr. Tabacchi has served as a Deputy Criminal Chief in the Dayton office since 2021. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dayton in 2007, handling the prosecution of drug organizations and financial crimes.  He previously served in the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California. In the early 2000s, he worked as an associate at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago and as a law clerk for the Hon. Kenneth F. Ripple, Judge for the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He graduated from the University of Illinois with his bachelor’s degree and law degree.

 

Kelly A. Norris, Deputy Criminal Chief (Organized Crime & Drug Enforcement Task Force)

Ms. Norris joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Columbus in 2018, primarily handling narcotics and gun cases. During her tenure, she has been the District’s Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) Coordinator. She previously served in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, beginning in 2008. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Xavier University and her law degree from the Valparaiso University School of Law before working for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office as an Assistant Attorney General in the Health Care Fraud Section.

 

Civil Chief Andrew M. Malek

Mr. Malek has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 2002, initially handling defensive civil matters, then focusing on affirmative civil matters as the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Coordinator then as the District Deputy Civil Chief. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Malek served as staff counsel to the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee in Columbus, Judicial Law Clerk to the Hon. Donald E. Calhoun, Jr., of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Columbus, and as a commercial litigation attorney in Los Angeles. Malek received his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton and his law degree from The Ohio State University. 

 

Deputy Civil Chief Brandi Stewart

Ms. Stewart joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dayton in 2014, where she defended the United States and its agencies in a wide array of civil suits brought against the government. She currently serves in the Affirmative Civil Enforcement division in Cincinnati where she primarily investigates and prosecutes fraud and civil rights cases on behalf of the United States. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Stewart was in private practice at a large Cincinnati-based law firm practicing civil litigation. 

 

Appellate Chief Mary Beth Young 

Ms. Young will continue as Appellate Chief, a position she has held since 2016, with supervisory responsibility for criminal and civil filings in the Court of Appeals and coordination of the District’s appellate practice with other divisions of the Department of Justice. Young became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2012 in Columbus after serving two years as a Special AUSA. Prior to joining the District, Young was in private practice in Columbus and served as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Moritz College of Law. Young received her B.S. from the University of Kentucky, her M.S. from Georgia Tech, and her J.D. from the University of Chicago. Following law school, Young served as law clerk to Judge David Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, then to Justice Antonin Scalia of the United States Supreme Court.

 

Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill

Ms. Hill will continue as the District’s Senior Litigation Counsel (SLC), a position she has held since April 2021. As the SLC, Hill is responsible for legal training and development. She joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Columbus in 2011 and served as the District’s Project Safe Childhood (“PSC”) Coordinator from 2012 until 2021. She previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington D.C. from 2007 to 2011. Prior to beginning her career as an assistant federal prosecutor, Hill clerked for the Hon. Robert I. Richter while he served on the Criminal Division of the D.C. Superior Court. She received her law degree from the George Washington University Law School and her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri.

 

# # #

DAYTON, Ohio – A former longtime Beavercreek police officer pleaded guilty in federal court here today to 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.

 

Kovacs pleaded guilty today to transporting and possessing child pornography.

 

According to the plea document, 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.

 

Kovacs’ plea also includes an agreed upon sentencing range of 60 to 240 months in prison. The Court will ultimately determine the sentence at a future hearing.

 

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 plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorneys Dwight K. Keller and DeMarr Moulton are representing the United States in this case.

 

# # #

Columbus, Ohio – Samuel Antwi, a citizen of Ghana and former Columbus resident, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to crimes resulting from his involvement in laundering money obtained through online romance scams.

 

After being charged on Valentine’s Day in 2018, Antwi fled the United States. He was arrested in Ghana in July 2021at the request of the United States and Ghanaian authorities extradited Antwi back to Columbus to face his pending charges. He has remained in custody since his extradition.

 

According to court documents, the perpetrators of the romance scams created several profiles on online dating sites. The scammers then contacted men and women throughout the United States and elsewhere, established relationships with the victims and ultimately asked for money. The victims received account information and were directed to send money to those accounts, including some controlled by Antwi. The fraud generated millions of dollars in proceeds. Antwi is not charged with perpetrating the romance scams, but instead is charged with laundering the proceeds to conceal or disguise their criminal source.

 

“Scammers use online dating sites to build trust relationships with victims and persuade them to send money or share personal and financial information,” said U.S Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “As Valentine’s Day approaches, remember, never send money to someone you have only met online. If you are the victim of a romance scam, file a complaint at ic3.gov.”

 

Court documents spell out Antwi’s involvement in the scheme. He used a company he established, E.N.O. Services, to launder the money. From at least December 2013 through May 2015, Antwi knowingly laundered or attempted to launder $331,150 using bank accounts in his name and his company’s name. Antwi also unlawfully possessed stolen credit card numbers and other confidential personal information of others. Between April 26, 2016, and May 18, 2016, he possessed at least 87 stolen credit card numbers.

 

Antwi pleaded guilty to one count of concealment money laundering and one count of access device fraud. The parties have agreed to a term of incarceration of between 24 and 30 months, and restitution to victims of $291,150.

 

Antwi was one of eight people charged on Valentine’s Day 2018 in connection with the romance scam money laundering. Six have received sentences ranging from 42 months in prison to 30 months of probation. One defendant remains at large.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Cincinnati Field Office; Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Pittsburgh Division; and James C. Harris III, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced the guilty plea entered before U.S. District Chief Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

 

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division worked with law enforcement partners in Ghana to secure the arrest of Antwi in Ghana and his extradition to the United States.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Columbus police officer pleaded guilty in federal court today to 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.

 

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.

 

“Unlike the purported cocaine involved in transports, the fentanyl that Merino distributed was real,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Merino swore an oath to serve and protect our community as a law enforcement officer, and instead he conspired to traffic enough fentanyl to kill well over one million people.”

 

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.

 

Possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl is a federal crime punishable by 10 years and up to life in prison. Federal Program Bribery is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

 

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

 

Charges remain pending against fellow former Columbus police officer John J. Kotchkoski, 33, of Marengo, Ohio.

 

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 Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the plea entered into today before 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.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jeremie Adam Elkins, 44, of Newark, Ohio, was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly causing approximately $1 million in fraud while employed as a network engineer at Verizon, Inc.

 

It is also alleged Elkins illegally possessed a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony crime.

 

According to the 16-count indictment, from July to October 2020, Elkins used his 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.

 

Elkins also allegedly 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.

 

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

 

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

 

Elkins is alleged to have caused $24,000 in loss to Verizon and more than $936,000 in loss to W.W. Grainger.

 

When he was arrested in August 2021, Elkins allegedly illegally possessed a pistol. Elkins was previously convicted of a felony crime in Licking County.

 

Elkins is charged with 10 counts of wire fraud, five counts of access device fraud and one count of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony crime.

 

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the charges 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.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A man convicted at trial in summer 2021 of crimes related to creating child pornography of his sexual abuse of a 5-year-old was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 300 months in prison.

 

A jury convicted Christopher M. Sammons, 28, of four child exploitation crimes in June 2021.

 

“Sammons’ conduct is truly some of the worst of the worst,” United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said. “The defendant molested a 5-year-old child repeatedly and shared pornographic images of the child with others. His prison sentence is deserved. This office will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who abuses the most vulnerable in our society.”

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, on March 11, 2019, an undercover FBI agent in Little Rock, Arkansas, received a message from Sammons regarding sexual interest in children.

Throughout their conversations, Sammons encouraged the undercover agent to “just make some homemade stuff” when discussing the availability of child pornography.

 

Sammons detailed sexually abusing a then 5-year-old victim and also offered to “share her next time if you’re interested in a long-term thing.” Sammons sent the agent child pornography files and suggested plans for he and the agent to exchange videos of themselves sexually abusing minors.

 

Based on IP address information, the investigative lead was forwarded to FBI Columbus and a Task Force Officer here began communicating with Sammons. Sammons told the task force officer he had been sexually abusing the victim for a year.

 

Sammons abused the victim while he was babysitting her and he was scheduled to babysit on the day he had arranged to exchange sexually explicit videos with the undercover agent. Law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Sammons’ house before the scheduled babysitting began, preventing Sammons from engaging in the planned pornographic exchange.

 

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 District; Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler and other members of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill and Special Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer M. Rausch, Legal Director of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Human Trafficking Initiative, represented the United States in this case.

 

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

 

# # #

COLUMBUS, Ohio – United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker announced today a Department of Justice settlement agreement with Ohio-based retailer The Kroger Co. The agreement, secured under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), will eliminate barriers preventing people with certain disabilities from getting information about COVID-19 vaccinations and booking their vaccination appointments online.

 

Kroger has 2,800 retail grocery stores under the Kroger name and others, with a presence in 35 states and the District of Columbia.

 

The COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Portal for Kroger-branded stores, currently located at https://www.kroger.com/health/pharmacy/covid-care, was not accessible to people with certain disabilities, including those who use screen reader software. For instance, critical medical screening questions, were not read to screen readers users.  These included questions about current COVID-related symptoms, allergies, and reactions to previous vaccines. Further, when a screen reader user selected an available appointment time, the website told them that the available appointment was “unavailable” instead of “selected.”   

 

Under today’s settlement, Kroger will make content about the COVID-19 vaccine, including the forms for scheduling an appointment to get the vaccine, conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Version 2.1, Level AA. WCAG is a set of voluntary industry guidelines for making information on a website accessible to users with disabilities.

 

Kroger also must regularly test the pages of its website that include vaccine scheduling and information about the COVID-19 vaccine, and quickly fix any problems that keep people with disabilities from being able to use these pages.

 

“All individuals deserve a full and equal opportunity to access services like vaccines,” U.S. Attorney Parker said. “This office will continue to partner with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to ensure that equal access.”

 

“Access for people with disabilities should never be an afterthought, including during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When a store’s website is inaccessible, people with disabilities may struggle to get potentially life-saving vaccines for themselves and their loved ones. This agreement helps fulfill the promise of the ADA by ensuring individuals with disabilities have equal access to healthcare.”

 

ADA complaints may be filed online at www.ada.gov/complaint.

 

Anyone in the Southern District of Ohio may also report civil rights violations to the Civil Rights Coordinator of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio by emailing USAOHS.CivilRights@usdoj.gov or calling 614-469-5715. 

 

Assistant United States Attorney Michael J.T. Downey is representing the United States in this matter in the Southern District of Ohio.

 

 

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CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged a former Fairfield and Cincinnati man with crimes related to an online romance fraud scheme.

 

De-love Kofi Amuzu, 23, was arrested on Jan. 13 in the Bronx and will appear in federal court in Cincinnati at 1:30pm today.

 

According to the 10-count indictment, from 2018 until his arrest in 2022, Amuzu conspired with others to perpetrate an online romance fraud scheme and to launder the proceeds of the scheme, including by wiring funds to Ghana. The co-conspirators allegedly created profiles on dating websites using false information and pictures of other individuals.

 

It is alleged that the co-conspirators led victims to believe they were in a romantic relationship with the person pictured in the false online profile and then made misrepresentations to the victims that induced them to transfer or mail money and valuables to members of the conspiracy.

 

According to the charging document, Amuzu used multiple bank accounts in furtherance of the scheme, including a bank account opened in the name of a shell company, Obdomdel Management Agency LLC.

 

Amuzu is charged with conspiring to commit and committing wire and mail fraud, as well as conspiring to launder money and committing money laundering. Each is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 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; Butler County Prosecutor Michael T. Gmoser and Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones announced the charges. U.S. Attorney Parker also recognized the contributions of Garrett Baker and Susan Monnin of the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office, as well as Butler County Prosecutor’s Investigator Steve Isgro. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia is representing the United States in this case.

 

An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

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CINCINNATI – A Wilmington man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to making interstate threats, a felony offense. The crime arises from his communications online related to his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the United States Capitol.

 

Justin Stoll, 41, was arrested on Jan. 15, 2021, by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

 

According to court documents, Stoll used the username “Th3RealHuckleberry” on the app Clapper and on YouTube to post videos related to his participation in the Capitol riots.

 

Videos Stoll filmed at the Capitol show that he proceeded past police barricades that other rioters had torn down and yelled profanities at U.S. Capitol Police.

 

The government’s investigation has not yielded evidence suggesting that Stoll entered the Capitol building, engaged in acts of violence, or destroyed property.

 

When Stoll returned to the Southern District of Ohio, he uploaded the videos to social media.

 

Stoll received comments from other individuals in response to his YouTube videos, including from one user who said (s)he had saved Stoll’s video and suggested that Stoll might go to prison. Stoll responded via another video, in which he said, in part:

 

Well, that shows your f------ ignorance because, clearly, the capitol building is owned by the people, so again, nothing will happen. Secondly, I never admitted I went into it, did I? Go watch the video again. Daddy’s not stupid. [Wink.] Third, if you ever in your f------ existence did something to jeopardize taking me away from my family, you will absolutely meet your maker. You can play that for the D.A. in court, I don’t care. If you ever jeopardize me, from being with my family, you will absolutely meet your mother f------ maker, and I will be the one to arrange the meeting.

 

Stoll admitted as part of his guilty plea today that he posted the video for the purpose of making a threat.

 

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 plea entered into today before Senior U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia and Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Timothy S. Mangan are representing the United States in this case.

 

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DAYTON, Ohio – A federal jury has convicted a Dayton businessman of crimes related to the fraudulent diversion of funds from an insurance claim.

 

Brian Higgins, 50, was found guilty of three counts of mail fraud and two counts of witness retaliation.

 

The verdict was announced today following a trial that began on Jan. 10 before U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

 

According to court documents and trial testimony, in 2014 and 2015, Higgins filed an insurance claim in connection with water damage to the Meeker Creek Residence, an 8,000 square-foot house in Dayton.  Higgins received more than $100,000 in insurance claims that he used for his personal benefit rather than to repair water damage that occurred from a large fish tank.

 

Higgins used money disbursed on the claim to pay for personal expenditures, such as funding a new restaurant space, paying telephone bills, spending money at a casino, and other personal expenses, rather than paying for bona fide repairs and restoration of the home.

 

The defendant submitted invoices and repair cost estimates from a construction vendor to his mortgage company, falsely representing that he intended to buy these products to repair his house.

 

Higgins then diverted the money to himself and paid for travel, hotels and dining out, among other personal expenses.  Higgins used a fraction of the funds from the claim to complete small, cosmetic repairs in an attempt to cover up his scheme.

 

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, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) announced today’s verdict. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and Assistant United States Attorney Rob Painter are representing the United States in this case.

 

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