Southern District of Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Mark W. Wolfe, 51, of Sunbury, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 180 months in prison, 20 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution for distribution of child pornography.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Westerville Police Chief Joseph Morbitzer announced the sentence handed down today by Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.

 

According to court documents, undercover investigators observed files containing child pornography being shared through an IP address belonging to Wolfe. During a search warrant executed on July 31, 2015 at Wolfe’s residence, investigators discovered a laptop containing approximately 486 videos and 203 images of child pornography.

 

The files were located in several folders on the computer under the user name “Mark.” Some of the videos showed children as young as eight to ten months old being sexually abused. Approximately 67 of the videos found on the Dell computer were live webcam sessions depicting children being repeatedly sexually assaulted, that WOLFE watched and recorded utilizing screen capture software.

 

Further forensic analysis of the computer revealed Skype chat messages between Wolfe and several other individuals. In these conversations, Wolfe distributed child pornography files, claimed to have previously engaged in sex acts with minors and stated that his favorite age is five to ten years old.

 

Wolfe was charged by indictment in September 2015 and pleaded guilty in March 2016.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation by the FBI Columbus Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes officers from the Westerville Police Department, Reynoldsburg Police Department, Powell Police Department and Belmont County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather A. Hill, who is prosecuting the case.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sukita M Williams, 44, of Las Vegas and Hilliard, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 72 months in prison for her role in an Oxycodone ring between Las Vegas and Columbus.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Timothy Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Troy N. Stemen, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, Christopher White, Assistant Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.

 

Williams is one of six defendants to be sentenced in this case on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Oxycodone and/or conspiracy to commit money laundering. They include:

 

• Danny R. Williams, 30, of Las Vegas, who was sentenced in July to 90 months in prison;

• Dontonyo Courtney, 22, of Columbus, who was sentenced in August to 33 months in prison;

• Alfred David James, Sr., 36, of Columbus, who was sentenced in September to 30 months in prison;

• Joquline D. Harris, 29, of Columbus, who was sentenced in September to five years of probation; and

• Rashod D. Todd, 29, of Columbus, who was sentenced in October to 70 months in prison.

 

Two defendants have yet to be sentenced in this case. Tiauna Castro, 28, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to commit money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 12, 2017.

 

Larissa Harris-Patterson, 46, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty in November to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute Oxycodone and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Her sentencing is yet to be scheduled.

 

According to court documents, between 2012 and November 2015, Sukita Williams, Danny Williams and Rashod Todd conspired to import, possess and distribute Oxycodone from Las Vegas. Sukita and Danny Williams each personally went to physicians to obtain fraudulent prescriptions for Oxycodone and arranged for other members of the conspiracy to do the same. The trio also used middlemen to obtain Oxycodone. Once they obtained bulk amounts of Oxycodone, the pills were transported to Columbus, Ohio via the mail or on commercial airlines to be sold on the street to drug users.

 

The three attempted to conceal their illicit proceeds by depositing money into others’ bank accounts. In addition, these cash deposits funded the purchase of airline tickets that enabled couriers to transport Oxycodone to Columbus and to transport bulk amounts of cash back to them in Las Vegas.

 

Joquline Harris conducted financial transactions to funnel the proceeds of the illegal distribution of Oxycodone through two separate Ohio bank accounts opened by Sukita Williams, to bank accounts owned by Sukita Williams in Las Vegas. Harris further used the money in these accounts and other illicit drug proceeds from Sukita Williams to purchase airline tickets for members of the drug ring and make payments on a vehicle used in the operation.

 

Tiauna Castro deposited proceeds from the illegal sale of Oxycodone to a bank account in Columbus that was held in the name of a front business. The account was actually controlled by someone Castro knew was trafficking illegally obtained pills from Las Vegas to Columbus.

 

Harris-Patterson went to physicians to obtain fraudulent prescriptions for Oxycodone and arranged for other members of the conspiracy to do the same. She also used middlemen to obtain Oxycodone. Once she obtained bulk amounts of the drug, the pills were transported to Columbus, Ohio via the mail or on commercial airlines to be sold on the street to drug users.

 

“This is an important victory for the citizens of Columbus,” said Troy N. Stemen, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “These individuals not only fueled the drug problem in Central Ohio, but they supported addiction in several parts of the country. The harm inflicted by these drugs is matched only by the profit potential for those who sell them.”

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the DEA, IRS, USPIS and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), as well as Deputy Criminal Chief Michael J. Hunter, who is representing the United States in these cases.

DAYTON – Kyle Jordan, 31, of Franklin, Ohio pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of sexual abuse.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Lt. Col. Randal Pendleton, Commander, Air Force Office of Special Investigations 10th Field Investigations Squandron, and Angela L. Byer, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), announced the plea entered into today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Newman.

 

According to the signed Statement of Facts attached to the plea agreement, in December 2015, Jordan knowingly had sex with an unconscious woman while staying at a Temporary Lodging Facility located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

 

Jordan raped the victim in a bedroom after they both consumed alcohol.

 

Sexual abuse carries a potential maximum sentence of up to life in prison and at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the Air Force OSI and FBI, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Alex R. Sistla and Andrew J. Hunt, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith, who are representing the United States in this case.

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged James Denney, 30, of Cincinnati, with two counts related to the promotion of child pornography in an indictment returned in Cincinnati.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Steve Francis, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced the indictment returned today.

 

The indictment alleges that in December Denney knowingly promoted a URL on the DarkWeb containing child pornography and that Denney allegedly aided another in accessing the pornography of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

 

According to investigators, Denney allegedly provided an undercover agent with web links to an online board featuring dozens of links to child pornography chat rooms, video/image board sites, as well as “community” support groups and online security advice for child pornographers.

 

Promoting a URL that contains child pornography is punishable by a range of five to 20 years in prison. Aiding in accessing child pornography carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. Each crime also includes a potential lifetime of supervised release.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by HSI, and Assistant United States Attorney Karl P. Kadon, who is prosecuting the case.

 

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

CINCINNATI – The Justice Department filed a consent order today to resolve allegations that Union Savings Bank and Guardian Savings Bank engaged in a pattern or practice of “redlining” predominantly African-American neighborhoods in and around Cincinnati; Columbus, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; and Indianapolis.  “Redlining” is the discriminatory practice by banks or other financial institutions of denying or avoiding providing credit services to consumers because of the racial demographics of the neighborhood in which the consumer lives.

The settlement, which is subject to court approval, was filed in conjunction with the department’s complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.  The complaint alleges that Union and Guardian violated the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which prohibit financial institutions from discriminating on the basis of race and color in their mortgage lending practices.  The lawsuit alleges that, from at least 2010 through 2014, Union and Guardian served the credit needs of the residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to a significantly greater extent than they served the credit needs of majority African-American neighborhoods.  Those neighborhoods are easily recognized because each of the four metropolitan areas in which the banks operate has long maintained highly-segregated residential housing patterns for African Americans.  Both banks are headquartered in Cincinnati and share common ownership and management. 

As a result of the settlement, Union will open two full-service branches and Guardian will open one loan production office to serve the residents of African-American neighborhoods. Together, Union and Guardian will invest at least $9 million in majority African-American neighborhoods in the Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Indianapolis metropolitan areas.  That investment includes $7 million in a loan subsidy fund to increase the amount of credit that Union and Guardian extend to residents of majority African-American census tracts. In order to make residential mortgage loans available to residents of predominately African-American neighborhoods that were not adequately served by Union and Guardian, the banks will further invest $2 million in advertising, outreach, financial education and community partnership efforts. The settlement also requires both banks to develop robust internal controls to ensure compliance with fair lending obligations and conduct fair lending training for their employees. 

“Lenders must treat all potential borrowers equally and fairly,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This settlement embodies a win-win solution for all parties by increasing the volume of mortgage loans, driving economic activity and creating a level playing field for qualified borrowers.”

“Redlining has no place in the Southern District of Ohio,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio. “This office is committed to vigorously enforcing the guarantees of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act so that the people in our District can borrow without prejudice based on race and color.”

The Justice Department’s enforcement of fair lending laws is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section. Since 2010, the division has provided over $1.6 billion in monetary relief for individual borrowers and impacted communities through its enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, ECOA and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. The Attorney General’s annual reports to Congress on ECOA enforcement highlight the department’s accomplishments in fair lending and are available at www.justice.gov/crt/publications/.

The Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Ohio are members of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.  President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.  For more information on the task force, visit www.StopFraud.gov.

Settlement Provides $9 Million to Ensure Equal Lending Services to African-American Communities in Ohio and Indiana

The Justice Department filed a consent order today to resolve allegations that Union Savings Bank and Guardian Savings Bank engaged in a pattern or practice of “redlining” predominantly African-American neighborhoods in and around Cincinnati; Columbus, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; and Indianapolis.  “Redlining” is the discriminatory practice by banks or other financial institutions of denying or avoiding providing credit services to consumers because of the racial demographics of the neighborhood in which the consumer lives.

The settlement, which is subject to court approval, was filed in conjunction with the department’s complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.  The complaint alleges that Union and Guardian violated the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which prohibit financial institutions from discriminating on the basis of race and color in their mortgage lending practices.  The lawsuit alleges that, from at least 2010 through 2014, Union and Guardian served the credit needs of the residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to a significantly greater extent than they served the credit needs of majority African-American neighborhoods.  Those neighborhoods are easily recognized because each of the four metropolitan areas in which the banks operate has long maintained highly-segregated residential housing patterns for African Americans.  Both banks are headquartered in Cincinnati and share common ownership and management.

As a result of the settlement, Union will open two full-service branches and Guardian will open one loan production office to serve the residents of African-American neighborhoods.  Together, Union and Guardian will invest at least $9 million in majority African-American neighborhoods in the Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Indianapolis metropolitan areas.  That investment includes $7 million in a loan subsidy fund to increase the amount of credit that Union and Guardian extend to residents of majority African-American census tracts.  In order to make residential mortgage loans available to residents of predominately African-American neighborhoods that were not adequately served by Union and Guardian, the banks will further invest $2 million in advertising, outreach, financial education and community partnership efforts.  The settlement also requires both banks to develop robust internal controls to ensure compliance with fair lending obligations and conduct fair lending training for their employees.

“Lenders must treat all potential borrowers equally and fairly,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “This settlement embodies a win-win solution for all parties by increasing the volume of mortgage loans, driving economic activity and creating a level playing field for qualified borrowers.”

“Redlining has no place in the Southern District of Ohio,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio.  “This office is committed to vigorously enforcing the guarantees of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act so that the people in our District can borrow without prejudice based on race and color.”

The Justice Department’s enforcement of fair lending laws is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section.  Since 2010, the division has provided over $1.6 billion in monetary relief for individual borrowers and impacted communities through its enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, ECOA and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.  The Attorney General’s annual reports to Congress on ECOA enforcement highlight the department’s accomplishments in fair lending and are available at www.justice.gov/crt/publications/.

The Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Ohio are members of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.  President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.  The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources.  The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.  For more information on the task force, visit www.StopFraud.gov.

Additional information about fair lending enforcement by the Justice Department can be found on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/fairhousing.

Union Savings and Guardian Savings Complaint

Union Savings and Guardian Savings Proposed Consent Order

CINCINNATI – Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, presented Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac today with a community policing commendation on behalf of U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch.

 

Lynch presented the recognition as part of her Inaugural Attorney General’s Community Policing Awards Ceremony on October 6.

 

There, she recognized the Cincinnati Police Department for its steadfast commitment to the principles of community policing and outstanding contributions to the safety, security and welfare of Cincinnati. Specifically, the police department was honored for its efforts to strengthen bonds between citizens and law enforcement, build mutual trust and promote the public good.

 

Lynch launched a national community policing tour in Cincinnati in May 2015. The tour was created to highlight collaborative programs and innovative policing practices designed to advance public safety, strengthen police-community relations and foster mutual trust and respect.

 

While in Cincinnati, the Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office, the City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Police Department hosted a roundtable with city officials, law enforcement, local leaders, young people and other members of the community at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. 

 

Cincinnati Police also hosted officials at their Right to Read Program at Chase Elementary School where Cincinnati police officers work with University of Cincinnati students to tutor and mentor children. As part of the tour, the Attorney General also visited with the Cincinnati Police Department where she thanked officers for their hard work and spoke to officers that were hired with COPS Office hiring grants. 

 

“The Attorney General began her community policing tour here in Cincinnati because of this department’s outstanding community policing,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “Since the Attorney General’s visit, moreover, the Cincinnati Police Department has continued to innovate in this vital area. I am very pleased to partner closely with the Cincinnati Police on a daily basis, so it’s my particular pleasure to present this recognition from the Attorney General. On her behalf and all of the Department of Justice, I thank the men and women of the Cincinnati Police for their service.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Ohio and the Northern District of Illinois have entered into a Non-Prosecution Agreement with Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., a Phoenix-based automated safety company.

 

The agreement was announced by Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

 

The agreement was reached in part due to Redflex’s extensive and thorough cooperation over recent years, which is detailed in the agreement. It included cooperation with the successful prosecutions of several individuals, including a Columbus lobbyist, a high-ranking city of Chicago official and Redflex’s prior Chief Executive Officer.

 

Among the company’s obligations under the two-year agreement, Redflex will pay restitution of $100,000 to the City of Columbus. The company will also pay restitution and compensatory damages to the City of Chicago, the amount of which will be determined either by a final judgment or a settlement agreement in Chicago’s pending civil lawsuit against Redflex. 

 

Further, Redflex agreed to cooperate fully with DOJ and any other law enforcement agency designated by DOJ, including the Australian Federal Police and other Australian law enforcement authorities.  As part of that obligation, Redflex must, among other things, provide DOJ, the Australian Federal Police, and other Australian law enforcement authorities, upon request, all non-privileged information, documents, records, or other tangible evidence. Notwithstanding the two-year time period of the agreement, Redflex agreed to cooperate with DOJ, the Australian Federal Police, and other Australian law enforcement authorities until all of their investigations or prosecutions are concluded.

 

In exchange for Redflex’s fulfillment of its obligations under the agreement, DOJ agreed that it will not criminally prosecute Redflex for any of the conduct arising out of investigations in Chicago and Columbus. The agreement does not relate to any potential tax charges.

 

Redflex Traffic Systems is wholly owned by Redflex Holdings Group of Melbourne, Australia, which owns and operates a network of digital speed and red-light cameras worldwide. The company installs cameras that automatically record and ticket drivers who run red lights. As part of the Non-Prosecution Agreement, Redflex accepted responsibility for its conduct related to the illegal activities of its employees in recent U.S. investigations.

 

Its former CEO was convicted as part of the probes into bribes paid to elected officials to procure or expand Redflex’s contracts with Chicago and Columbus. The investigations also resulted in the convictions of a Chicago official and a Columbus lobbyist.  John Bills, a former Chicago assistant transportation commissioner, was convicted of accepting cash and benefits from Redflex in exchange for expanding the company’s business with Chicago. The lobbyist, John Raphael, pleaded guilty to extorting cash from Redflex to pass on to elected officials in Ohio in an effort to obtain red-light camera contracts.

 

Since the inception of the U.S. investigations, Redflex has initiated substantial additions and changes to its compliance program, policies and procedures. The company agreed in the Non-Prosecution Agreement to revise and address any deficiencies in its compliance code, policies and procedures regarding compliance with applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws. Redflex agreed to adopt new policies to ensure that it maintains a rigorous anti-bribery and anti-corruption compliance code, and to install procedures designed to detect and deter violations of such laws.

 

During the term of the agreement, Redflex must prepare at least four follow-up reports and periodically submit them to DOJ.  If DOJ determines that Redflex has violated any provision of the Non-Prosecution Agreement, Redflex would be subject to prosecution for any applicable violation of U.S. law, including perjury and obstruction of justice.

 

The government in the Columbus case was represented by Trial Attorney Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Michael Marous of the Southern District of Ohio.  The Columbus case was investigated by the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office, Columbus Resident Agency, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

 

The government was represented in the Chicago case by Mr. Fardon and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurie Barsella and Timothy Storino of the Northern District of Illinois.  The Chicago case was investigated by the FBI’s Chicago Field Office, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, and the City of Chicago’s Inspector General’s Office.  

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged Richard Jay Sharp, 53, previously of Fairfield, Ohio, with one count of production and two counts of possession of child pornography in an indictment returned in Cincinnati.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Steve Francis, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, announced the indictment returned yesterday.

 

The indictment alleges that Sharp distributed child pornography in June 2015 and possessed pornography of children under the age of 12 in October 2015. Sharp allegedly sent the explicit material through Internet links in a conversation with undercover investigators and is also alleged to have downloaded child pornography on a work laptop with a thumb drive.

 

Distribution of child pornography is punishable by a range of five to 20 years in prison. Possession of child pornography carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years for each count.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the Australian Federal Police and HSI, and Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Oakley, who is prosecuting the case.

 

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

If you believe you have information related to Sharp’s alleged conduct, please contact Homeland Security Investigations at 866-347-2423.

CINCINNATI - U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman announced today that the Southern District of Ohio collected more than $13 million in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2016.  Of this amount, $10.7 million was collected in criminal actions and $2.4 million was collected in civil actions. 

 

Additionally, the Southern District of Ohio worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $73.5 million in cases pursued jointly with these offices. Of this amount, $62 million was collected in criminal actions and $11.5 million was collected in civil actions.         

             

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced yesterday that the Justice Department collected nearly $15.4 billion in civil and criminal actions in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2016.  The $15,380,130,434 in collections in FY 2016 represents more than five times the appropriated $2.93 billion budget for the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the main litigating divisions of the Justice Department combined in that same period.

 

“Every day, the men and women of the Department of Justice work tirelessly to enforce our laws, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used properly and that the American people are protected from exploitation and abuse,” said Attorney General Lynch.  “Today’s announcement is a testament to that work, and it makes clear that our actions deliver a significant return on public investment.  I want to thank the prosecutors and trial attorneys who made this year's collections possible, and I want to emphasize that the department remains committed to the well-being of our people and our nation.”

 

In the Southern District of Ohio, the largest single recovery in a criminal case this year involved restitution of more than $3.8 million from U.S. v. Joseph Molnar.

 

Molnar was a Managing Director for a Huntington National Bank subsidiary, Huntington Community Development Corporation. He embezzled approximately $4 million of the bank’s funds by falsely representing that he was paying “placement fees” or “advisory fees” for property management companies as part of several affordable housing property deals that had closed with Huntington National Bank. Instead, Molnar withdrew the funds under false pretenses and placed that money into his own accounts for his own personal use.

 

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

 

The largest civil collections were from affirmative civil enforcement cases, in which the United States recovered government money lost to fraud or other misconduct or collected fines imposed on individuals and/or corporations for violations of federal health, safety, civil rights or environmental laws.  In addition, civil debts were collected on behalf of several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, Small Business Administration and Department of Education.

COLUMBUS – A federal grand jury indicted Ikechi W. Emeaghara, 27, of Columbus, today in a superseding indictment charging him with seven additional armed bank robberies. He was indicted on one other count of armed bank robbery on November 10.

Emeaghara is alleged to be the armed robber dubbed as the “Buckeye Bandit” by law enforcement. Investigation continues on at least 20 other robberies in central Ohio.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Brad Earman, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Field Office; Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs; Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott; Delaware County Sheriff Russell L. Martin; Ohio State University Police Chief Craig Stone; Worthington Police Chief Jerry L. Strait, Jr.; Upper Arlington Police Chief Tracy Hahn and Gahanna Police Chief Dennis Murphy announced the superseding indictment returned today.

According to public court documents, Emeaghara allegedly brandished a dangerous weapon and demanded cash from bank teller’s drawers on the following occasions:

• October 31, 2013 at the Wesbanco Bank on South Stygler Road in Gahanna
• November 30, 2013 at the Cooper State Bank on West 5th Avenue in Columbus
• December 6, 2013 at the Wesbanco Bank on South Stygler Road in Gahanna
• July 9, 2014 at the Smart Federal Credit Union on North High Street in Columbus*
• January 12, 2015 at the Cooper State Bank on Sawmill Road in Columbus*
• April 26, 2015 at the Cooper State Bank on Sawmill Road in Columbus*
• March 17, 2016 at the First Merit Bank on East Powell Road in Powell
• October 21, 2016 at the Key Bank on Frantz Road in Columbus (original indictment)

* Denotes armed robbery charges that also include forcing one or more persons to accompany him within the bank.

Armed bank robbery is a crime punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Armed robbery including forcing one or more persons to accompany the defendant without their consent is punishable by at least 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by law enforcement and Deputy Criminal Chief Gary L. Spartis and Assistant U.S. Attorney Salvador A. Dominguez, who are prosecuting the case.

A federal indictment merely contains allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – John Richard Blazer, 70, of Marion, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to wire fraud and money laundering as part of an investment fraud scheme.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.

 

According to the Statement of Facts in this case, from approximately January 2011 until August 2013, Blazer owned and operated several businesses in central Ohio, including The Ohio Company and The Ohio Company Loan Fund. He was also a partner in The Ohio Heritage Fund.

 

Blazer recruited investors by promising them that their money would be invested in one of his businesses, or in a real estate fund to purchase and rehabilitate homes in central Ohio, or in a gold mining operation in Africa.

 

Rather than investing the victims’ funds, Blazer used the money to pay for personal expenses and to pay off previous investors.

 

In total, he received at least $1 million from approximately 21 victims.

 

Blazer pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud and money laundering. Each crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and Assistant United States Attorney Jessica H. Kim, who is representing the United States in this case.

CINCINNATI – U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman recognized nine employees of the Southern District of Ohio in three categories for their distinguished public service in his first annual United States Attorney’s Awards in Outstanding Performance in three categories.

 

“These awards give us the opportunity to highlight some of the top-notch work that’s happening every day in our District,” Glassman said. “I commend all of the recipients for their work, which is truly exemplary of what this office does on a daily basis.”

 

The United States Attorney’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Legal Support is presented to a support staff individual who has executed exemplary support for the District’s attorneys. This year’s recipient, Laura Griffin, has been recognized for creating a model system for appellate sections in U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country.

 

Griffin was also recognized for her legal support as this year’s recipient of the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Legal Support. She has implemented a system of formal moot courts for every oral argument conducted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys and is in the development of a training program for support staff on appellate rules and procedures. Griffin also assisted in the creation and development of an extensive intranet site for the Appellate Division that was praised by Evaluation and Review Staff evaluators as a model for U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country.

 

“Laura’s hard work, enthusiasm, and innovation have served to guide the Appellate Division from its infancy into one of the most respected Appellate Divisions in the country, universally praised by members of our office, evaluators, and the Judges of the Sixth Circuit,” Glassman said.

 

This year’s recipient of the United States Attorney’s Office Award for Outstanding Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney leads the District’s counterterrorism efforts. Not only has Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Mangan successfully brought to conclusion two national security cases in recent months, but he did so simultaneously.

 

Mangan prosecuted Munir Abdulkader, who plotted to attack a military official and then a local police station in Southern Ohio, and Christopher Lee Cornell, who plotted to attack government officials at the State of the Union Address. Through Mangan’s diligent prosecutorial efforts, the two defendants were sentenced to 20 years and 30 years in federal prison, respectively. Mangan has also been nominated by the Department of Justice’s National Security Division for national recognition for his remarkable work.

 

“Tim is the type of prosecutor that works tirelessly for justice,” Glassman said. “There can be no higher priority for a U.S. Attorney’s Office than our national security, and the Southern District of Ohio is fortunate to have someone as diligent and skilled as Tim leading our efforts in some of the most difficult and important cases.”

 

The 2016 United States Attorney’s Award for Outstanding Performance as a Litigative Team recognizes those involved in an unprecedented series of investigations and prosecutions in this District. The successful prosecutions of the Short North Posse gang in Columbus represent the largest federal murder investigation and prosecutions in Ohio history.

 

Assistant United States Attorneys David DeVillers, Kevin Kelley and Brian Martinez; Paralegal Specialists Christin Werner and Emily Sroka; and Victim Witness Coordinators Barbara Vanarsdall and Acquanette Lindsay were recognized for their work on the case.

 

Twenty individuals were indicted in the racketeering case in October 2014, with charges that included murders, attempted murders, drug trafficking, weapons offenses, extortion and robbery. The prosecutions held the gang accountable for 14 previously unsolved homicides. Six of the defendants were convicted in two separate jury trials, 13 defendants pleaded guilty, and one died awaiting trial. All of the defendants face life in prison.

 

“Our team held accountable a group of men who had perpetuated a multi-generational tradition of terrorizing Columbus neighborhoods through violence and intimidation,” Glassman said. “This team’s successful prosecutions sent a clear message that the gang’s reign has ended and such behavior will not go unpunished. It is impossible to accomplish something of this magnitude without tremendous teamwork, and the recipients of this award achieved unprecedented victories for justice in the Southern District of Ohio by combining their extraordinary skill and dedication in unprecedented collaboration.”

CINCINNATI – Brenda Ashcraft, 46, of Milford, Ohio was sentenced to 97 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution to 34 victims of a fraudulent investment scheme she operated between 2009 and 2013. The victims lost more than $4.2 million according to government calculations. 

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Mark Porter, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service and Jacqueline T. Williams, Director of the Ohio Department of Commerce, announced the sentence imposed today by Senior U.S. District Judge Sandra S. Beckwith.

 

According to court documents, Ashcraft operated a “Ponzi scheme” through her real estate company called French Manor Properties. Ashcraft would tell prospective investors that she had relationships with various banks which provided her with exclusive access to properties in foreclosure.

 

Ashcraft said she identified properties that she could purchase for a small amount from the bank, and also had a buyer for a much higher price, allowing for a quick and sizable profit. Ashcraft asked investors to contribute funds towards the initial purchase of the property, and the funds plus a large profit would be returned in approximately 2-3 months. These representations were false.

 

Bank records show that Ashcraft did not use investment funds to buy any properties. Ashcraft used the money to pay back earlier investors who were seeking the return of their money. Ashcraft also used the stolen funds to pay for personal expenses, including numerous trips to Cancun and Diamond Seat tickets to the Cincinnati Reds.

 

Ashcraft created a fake employee for her company to handle investor complaints and sent emails to investors and to herself under the fake name. Ashcraft also remotely “wiped” the contents of a cell phone FBI agents seized during the investigation in an attempt to hide the fraud.

 

“This case is an example of the harm that financial fraud causes,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “She preyed on friends, family, and the relationships she developed with other parents at her kids’ school. It's important to punish crimes like this with significant sentences, not only to achieve some measure of justice for the victims, but also to deter others who might be tempted to commit similar crimes.”

 

Ashcraft pleaded guilty in April 2015 to one count of wire fraud, one count of securities fraud one count of destruction of evidence, and one count of money laundering.

 

Glassman commended the cooperative investigation of this case by FBI and Secret Service agents, Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Securities staff, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Mangan and Deputy Criminal Chief Emily Glatfelter, who prosecuted the case.

DAYTON, Ohio – Three individuals were sentenced in U.S. District Court yesterday for their roles in an interstate vehicle theft ring.

 

Merle Jay Lunsford, 57, of Dayton was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Shane Lunsford, 34, of Dayton, was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Joshua Jenkins, 22, of Milan, Indiana, was sentenced to time served. All three defendants were ordered to pay nearly $55,000 in restitution jointly.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division and Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

 

According to court documents, from at least June until December 2015, the trio would steal vehicles in Southern Ohio or Northern Kentucky and sell them across the state border for profit. The defendants possessed stolen vehicles, additional license plates from stolen vehicles, lock-picking tools, a firearm, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl.

 

All three defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport stolen vehicles across state lines. Merle Jay Lunsford also pleaded guilty to one count of receipt, possession and sale of a stolen vehicle which had crossed a state boundary and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

 

Lunsford possessed a firearm after having been convicted of five previous felonies ranging in date from 1983 until 2003 and including offenses such as aggravated robbery and aggravated drug trafficking.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the FBI and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Dwight Keller, who is representing the United States in this case. 

DAYTON, Ohio – Donald May, 32, of Springfield, Ohio pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Springfield Police Chief Stephen P. Moody announced the plea entered into before U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

 

According to the Statement of Facts filed with the plea agreement, which May agreed were true and accurate, he was found by Springfield police officers in the driver’s seat of a vehicle that had been reported stolen in August 2016. When ordered to exit the vehicle, May fled by foot to a nearby yard but was eventually caught and arrested. Officers discovered he had a firearm in the vehicle.

 

May had previously been convicted of several felonies, including aggravated burglary and burglary, both in Clark County.

 

As part of the plea agreement, the parties agreed to recommend a sentence of 72 months in prison to the district court for the judge’s approval.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the Springfield Police Department and ATF, and Assistant United States Attorney Alex R. Sistla who is representing the United States in this case.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A United States District Court jury convicted the final defendant in the current federal Short North Posse racketeering and murder case today.

 

Johnathan Holt, 24, of Columbus, was convicted on all counts and now faces up to life in prison.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Trevor Velinor, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien and Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs announced the verdict reached today.

 

Holt is the final of 20 individuals who were indicted in October 2014 in a racketeering case, with charges that include murders, attempted murders, drug trafficking, weapons offenses, extortion and robbery.

 

Of the 20 total defendants, five others were convicted, 13 pleaded guilty and one has died.

 

Holt’s specific charges include murder in aid of racketeering and murder through the use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

 

“Today’s verdict completes an unprecedented investigation and series of prosecutions, thanks to which central Ohio is a safer and more just place,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “This success only strengthens our resolve to reduce violence and bring to justice violent offenders.”

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the two-year investigation by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, Columbus Police, Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott’s Office, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien’s Office, Fairfield County Prosecutor Gregg Marx, Licking County Prosecutor Kenneth Oswalt, Muskingum County Prosecutor D. Michael Haddox, Ross County Prosecutor Matthew S. Schmidt, law enforcement leaders from those counties, and officials of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys David DeVillers, Kevin Kelley and Brian Martinez and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jimmy Lowe with Franklin County Prosecutor O’Brien’s Office, who are representing the United States in this and the related cases. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Mark F. Speakman, 60, of Grove City, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to one count each of wire fraud, money laundering and filing a false federal income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As part of his offered guilty plea, he agreed to pay nearly $1.2 million in restitution to the victims of his investment fraud scheme.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, and Grove City Police Chief Jeff Pearson announced the guilty plea offered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King.

 

According to court documents, between 2000 and 2015, Speakman was a financial advisor at Ameriprise Financial, and between 2002 and 2015 Speakman defrauded his clients by misappropriating their funds.

 

Speakman persuaded his clients to remove their funds from their Ameriprise Financial accounts and invest them in Centrax, a fraudulent real estate investment trust. Rather than investing the funds in real estate, he stole the money. He took $870,000 from seven victims for the real estate scheme and used the money to pay his own expenses.

 

As part of this same scheme to defraud, Speakman stole from others to avoid detection by a client he had previously defrauded. In 2014, one of his clients who had previously agreed to invest in Centrax told Speakman that he wanted to cash out his investment. Speakman had already misappropriated those funds and had no way to pay back his client.

 

Speakman convinced another client and three of their family members to invest in gold coins so he could divert the money in order to pay back the previous victim.

 

In total, Speakman received $1,192,450 from others in furtherance of his fraudulent scheme.

 

In addition, Speakman filed a false federal income tax return with the IRS for the 2014 income tax year on which he omitted $275,000 in income generated by his fraudulent conduct. The total tax loss to the IRS for 2002 through 2014 was approximately $300,000.

 

"This investigation uncovered a complicated investment fraud scheme laced with a web of financial lies that generated more than a million dollars through false promises and deceit,” said Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “Investment fraud schemes are often described as a house of cards. The underlying structure can fall apart at any time and expose the individuals responsible."

 

Wire fraud is a crime punishable by up to 20 years of imprisonment; money laundering is a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison and filing a false income tax return is a crime punishable by up to three years of prison time.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the IRS and the Grove City Police Department, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate, who is prosecuting the case.

DAYTON, Ohio – A father, mother and two sons pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for their roles in a food stamp fraud case related to retail meat home delivery services and that involved the exchange of Oxycodone, heroin and marijuana for food stamps in the Dayton area.

Scott Andrew Traum, 46; Joey Lightcap Traum, 44; Brandon Scott Traum, 22; and Dalton Andrew Traum, 21; all of Fairfield, Ohio, pleaded guilty today. The parents, Scott and Joey Traum, as well as son Dalton Traum each pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States to include: illegally acquiring, possessing and using U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Brandon Traum pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of SNAP benefits.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and other members of the District’s electronic and financial crimes task force, announced the pleas entered into today before U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

The Southern District of Ohio Task Force is made up of approximately 60 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in Ohio. This task force, along with an additional 80 electronic and financial networks across the United States, has been established to prevent, detect and investigate various forms of criminal activity that have large community impact.    

According to court documents, since 2011, individuals associated with U.S. Beef Cincinnati LLC in Fairfield, Ohio actively engaged in illegal/fraudulent SNAP EBT (Food Stamp) transactions in exchange for cash. The owners, managers and other employees of the door-to-door meat retailers repeatedly, continually and illegally acquired and redeemed SNAP benefits in exchange for ineligible items including money, Oxycodone, heroin and marijuana.

Scott and Joey Traum owned and operated U.S. Beef Cincinnati LLC. USDA records show that between December 2011 and May 2015, approximately 8,145 suspected fraudulent SNAP EBT transactions were completed via voucher for their employees for a total amount of approximately $1.1 million.

The other three defendants in this case have already been sentenced. They include:

• Keith Blankenship, 37, of Loveland, Ohio, who was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $764,000 in restitution;
• Gregory M. Brown, 37, of Cincinnati, who was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $9,000 in restitution; and
• William N. King, 24, of Fairfield, Ohio, who was sentenced to 6 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $373,000 in restitution.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the Southern District of Ohio Task Force and Assistant United States Attorney Dwight K. Keller, who is representing the United States in this case.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Shannon C. Boston, 44, of Sunbury, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District court today to one count of failing to account for and pay over employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, James Vanderberg, Special Agent in Charge, the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, Brad Geary, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, and Marlon V. Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, announced the guilty plea entered into before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.

 

According to court documents, in 2013, Boston was the Chief Financial Officer of Porter Drywall, Inc. Boston submitted employer’s quarterly income tax returns for the company but failed to pay over their employees’ federal withholdings and Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) – which includes Social Security and Medicare withholdings amounts – for the fourth quarter of 2013, totaling $120,406.

 

The company’s Vice President, Robert Porter, 52, of Westerville, Ohio, was also charged in relation to this case when a federal grand jury returned an indictment on June 14 for five counts of willfully filing a false income tax return with the IRS, and one count of making a false statement.

 

The indictment alleges that Porter filed false personal income tax returns with the IRS for the 2009 through 2013 income tax years in which he omitted $236,064 in income, and that between June 2011 and December 2011 Porter, as a contractor for a HUD project, made false statements and representations relative to the filing of 29 false U.S. Department of Labor Forms.

 

"IRS Criminal Investigation realizes the detrimental consequences of employment tax evasion. It results in the loss of tax revenue to the United States government and the loss of future social security or Medicare benefits for the employees," stated Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office.

 

Failing to account for and pay over employment taxes with the IRS is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the IRS, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Homeland Security Investigations, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Brown, who is prosecuting the case.

DAYTON, Ohio – Ronald Scott Gibson, 46, of West Manchester, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to distributing child pornography after having been convicted of a prior related state sex offense.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Walter H. Rice.

 

According to court documents, Gibson’s illegal activity was discovered when the Swiss Federal Criminal Police conducted an investigation to identify those possessing and sharing child pornography through an online file sharing program. A search warrant of Gibson’s computers uncovered hundreds of files of child pornography. Gibson was previously convicted of Gross Sexual Imposition in Preble County Common Pleas Court in 1998.

 

Distributing child pornography after being convicted of a prior offense related to aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse or abusive sexual conduct involving a minor is a crime punishable by at least 15 years up to 40 years in prison.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI and Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Hunt, who is representing the United States in this case.

Christopher Lee Cornell, 22, of Green Township, Ohio, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for plotting, planning and attempting an attack on government officials during the State of the Union Address in 2015 in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary McCord, U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Division made the announcement.  Cornell pleaded guilty on Aug. 1 and was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith of the Southern District of Ohio, who also ordered Cornell to serve a lifetime term of supervised release.

“With this sentence, Christopher Lee Cornell is being held accountable for plotting to kill federal officials in the name of ISIL,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord.  “Counterterrorism remains our highest priority and we will continue to identify and hold accountable those who seek to commit acts of terrorism within our borders.”

“The seriousness of this crime is apparent,” said U.S. Attorney Glassman.  “Cornell plotted to commit violence as a symbolic attack on the United States as a whole.  An attempt to murder another individual is horrific enough and justifies a significant sentence.  But this was more than that.  Cornell wanted to inflict pain on the spirit of the entire country, and terrorize its leadership.  Today’s sentence appropriately holds him accountable for that.”

According to the plea agreement, from on or about August 2014 through January 2015, Cornell plotted, planned and attempted to travel to Washington, D.C., in order to attack the U.S. Capitol during the State of the Union Address on Jan. 20, 2015.

Cornell admitted that he conducted online research of weapons, the construction of bombs, the U.S. Capitol and other potential targets in the Washington, D.C., area.  He intended to kill officers and employees of the United States, and possessed two semi-automatic rifles and approximately 600 rounds of ammunition.

In addition, Cornell admitted that his planned attack on the U.S. Capitol was an attempt to provide material support and resources – both personnel and services – to ISIL.

Cornell was arrested on Jan. 14, 2015, by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).  After his arrest, he posted statements online that included a call for others to join him in violent jihad against the United States and its citizens on behalf of ISIL, according to admissions made in connection with the plea agreement.

The JTTF is made up of officers and agents from the Cincinnati Police Department; Colerain, Ohio, Police Department; Dayton Ohio, Police Department; Ohio State Highway Patrol; University of Cincinnati Police Department; U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations; FBI; U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement; U.S. Internal Revenue Service; U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; West Chester, Ohio, Police Department; and Xenia, Ohio, Police Department.

Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord and U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the JTTF for its investigation of this case.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Mangan of the Southern District of Ohio.

CINCINNATI – Christopher Lee Cornell, 22, of Green Township, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 30 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for plotting, planning and attempting an attack on government officials during the State of the Union Address in 2015 in the name of ISIL.

 

Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary McCord, U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Division announced the sentence handed down today by Senior U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith.

 

According to court documents, from on or about August 2014 through January 2015, Cornell plotted, planned and attempted to travel to Washington, D.C., in order to attack the U.S. Capitol during the State of the Union Address on January 20, 2015.

 

Cornell conducted online research of weapons, the construction of bombs, the U.S. Capitol and other potential targets in the Washington, D.C., area. He intended to kill officers and employees of the United States, and possessed two semi-automatic rifles and approximately 600 rounds of ammunition.

 

The defendant admitted that his planned attack on the U.S. Capitol was an attempt to provide material support and resources – both personnel and services – to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

 

Cornell was arrested on Jan. 14, 2015, by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). After his arrest, he posted statements online that included a call for others to join him in violent jihad against the United States and its citizens on behalf of ISIL.

 

“One would think that the shock of being arrested for these offenses would have an immediate and sobering effect on a young man’s psyche. But that is not what happened,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Mangan wrote in this case’s sentencing memorandum. “Cornell became even more proud of and obstinate regarding his attack plans and allegiance to ISIL, calling himself a prisoner of war. He remained determined to cause harm and tried (in multiple ways) to rally others to violence…instead of recognizing his own fault.”

 

Cornell was originally charged by an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Jan. 21, 2015. On May 7, 2015, Cornell was additionally charged by superseding indictment.  He pleaded guilty on August 1 to one count of attempting to kill government employees, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

 

“The seriousness of this crime is apparent,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “Cornell plotted to commit violence as a symbolic attack on the United States as a whole. An attempt to murder another individual is horrific enough and justifies a significant sentence. But this was more than that. Cornell wanted to inflict pain on the spirit of the entire country, and terrorize its leadership. Today’s sentence appropriately holds him accountable for that.”

 

The JTTF is made up of officers and agents from the Cincinnati Police Department, Colerain, Police Department, Dayton Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, University of Cincinnati Police Department, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, FBI, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, West Chester Police Department and Xenia Police Department.

 

Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord and U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the JTTF for its investigation of this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Mangan and Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

CINCINNATI –Carlos Ruiz-Rodriguez, 25, of Cincinnati, Ohio, has pleaded guilty to extortion against a Cincinnati-based company. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in August.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.

Ruiz-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to intruding computers and stealing proprietary information from the company he worked for.

He had been employed at the company for approximately two years as a call center employee.  In his role, he had access to the company’s customer service portal and personally identifiable information for certain clients.

Ruiz-Rodriguez sent multiple extortion emails to the company between November 2015 and January 2016 via the internet showing proof of compromise of the company’s data. He stated that if the company did not pay a Bitcoin ransom, then the company schematics and client data would be released to the public.

Ruiz-Rodriguez then posted the company’s data on an internet “dark web” forum and received two separate ransom payments from his employer totaling approximately $15,000.

Extortion is a crime punishable by up to two years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the FBI, and Assistant United States Attorney Tim Mangan, who is prosecuting the case.

CINCINNATI – Munir Abdulkader, 22, of West Chester, Ohio, was sentenced to 240 months in prison and lifetime supervised release for plotting to murder a military base employee and attack a Cincinnati area police station in the name of ISIL.

 

Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary McCord, U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman for the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Division, West Chester Police Chief Joel Herzog, Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Colonel Paul A. Pride and Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.

 

Abdulkader previously pleaded guilty to attempting to kill officers and employees of the United States, material support of a foreign terrorist organization and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

 

The plan was for Abdulkader to murder a specific employee of a military base at the employee’s home. He planned to videotape the murder so that it could be used in an ISIL propaganda video to further ISIL’s cause. Following the murder, Abdulkader would then launch a violent attack on a police station in the Cincinnati area.

 

In preparation for the attacks, Abdulkader conducted surveillance of the police station, received a targeting package about the victim, went to a shooting range, learned how to operate certain firearms, and practiced shooting the firearms. He also bought an AK-47 assault rifle for the attack.

 

According to the statement of facts admitted by Adbulkader at the plea hearing, beginning in at least July 2014 and continuing into 2015, Abdulkader expressed his support for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (“ISIL”) on Twitter accounts. From approximately March 2015 to mid-April 2015, Abdulkader began speaking with a Confidential Human Source (CHS) about his desire and intention to travel to Syria in order to join ISIL as a fighter. 

 

During that same time, Abdulkader made plans and preparations to travel to Syria to join ISIL as a fighter.  Namely, he secured a passport, saved money for the trip and researched the logistical details of traveling to Syria and joining ISIL. In late April, though, Abdulkader expressed concerns about the ability to travel and postponed his original departure date of May 2, 2015.

 

During May 2015, Abdulkader was in electronic communication with one or more individuals located overseas who he understood were members of ISIL. One of those individuals was a member of ISIL identified as Junaid Hussein. Through their communications, Junaid Hussein directed and encouraged Abdulkader to plan and execute a violent attack within the United States.

 

Abdulkader communicated with Junaid Hussein and the CHS about a plan to kill an identified military employee on account of his position with the United States government. The plan included abducting the employee at the employee’s home and filming the execution of the employee.

 

After killing the employee, Abdulkader planned to execute a violent attack on a police station in the Southern District of Ohio using firearms and Molotov cocktails.

 

Adbulkader was arrested on May 21, 2015 by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), after a controlled purchase and possession of the AK-47 assault rifle.

 

The defendant was charged by criminal complaint on May 22, 2015 and a bill of information was filed on March 2, 2016. Abdulkader pleaded guilty to the three charges in the information on March 24, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Barrett. The court documents and proceedings were unsealed in July.

 

“Using social media to communicate with the now-deceased Syria-based ISIL terrorist Junaid Hussain, Abdulkader coordinated and planned violent murders of military members and police officers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “Identifying and stopping such ISIL-directed and inspired plots is and will remain one of our highest priorities.”

 

“Abdulkader placed himself under the direction and control of an evil foreign terrorist organization and plotted with that organization to conduct multiple murderous attacks in the Cincinnati area,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “The sentence of twenty years in prison, followed by a lifetime of federal supervision, is fully warranted by the egregious facts of this case. It will protect the public from this defendant.”

 

Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord and U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the JTTF.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Mangan and Michael Dittoe of the Justice Department’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section.

 

The JTTF is made up of officers and agents from the Cincinnati Police Department, Colerain Police Department, Dayton Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, University of Cincinnati Police Department, United States Air Force OSI, FBI, United States Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, United States Internal Revenue Service, United States Secret Service, United States Postal Inspection Service, West Chester Police Department and Xenia Police Department.

Munir Abdulkader, 22, of West Chester, Ohio, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and lifetime supervised release, for plotting to murder a military base employee and attack a Cincinnati area police station in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman for the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Division, Police Chief Joel Herzog of the West Chester Police Department, Superintendent Colonel Paul A. Pride of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Police Chief Eliot Isaac of the Cincinnati Police Department announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett.

“Using social media to communicate with the now-deceased Syria-based ISIL terrorist Junaid Hussain, Abdulkader coordinated and planned violent murders of military members and police officers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “Identifying and stopping such ISIL-directed and inspired plots is and will remain one of our highest priorities.”

“Abdulkader placed himself under the direction and control of an evil foreign terrorist organization and plotted with that organization to conduct multiple murderous attacks in the Cincinnati area,” said U.S. Attorney Glassman.

Abdulkader previously pleaded guilty to attempting to kill officers and U.S. government employees, conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Abdulkader’s plan was to murder a specific employee of a military base at the employee’s home. He planned to videotape the murder so that it could be used in an ISIL propaganda video to further ISIL’s cause. Following the murder, Abdulkader would then launch a violent attack on a police station in the Cincinnati area.

In preparation for the attacks, Abdulkader conducted surveillance of the police station, received a targeting package about the victim, went to a shooting range, learned how to operate certain firearms and practiced shooting the firearms. He also bought an AK-47 assault rifle for the attack.

According to the statement of facts admitted by Abdulkader at the plea hearing, beginning in at least July 2014 and continuing into 2015, Abdulkader expressed his support for ISIL on Twitter accounts. From approximately March 2015 to mid-April 2015, Abdulkader began speaking with a Confidential Human Source (CHS) about his desire and intention to travel to Syria in order to join ISIL as a fighter. 

During that same time, Abdulkader made plans and preparations to travel to Syria to join ISIL as a fighter.  Namely, he secured a passport, saved money for the trip and researched the logistical details of traveling to Syria and joining ISIL. In late April, though, Abdulkader expressed concerns about the ability to travel and postponed his original departure date of May 2, 2015.

During May 2015, Abdulkader was in electronic communication with one or more individuals located overseas who he understood were members of ISIL. One of those individuals was a member of ISIL identified as Junaid Hussein. Through their communications, Junaid Hussein directed and encouraged Abdulkader to plan and execute a violent attack within the U.S.

Abdulkader communicated with Junaid Hussein and the CHS about a plan to kill an identified military employee on account of his position with the U.S. government. The plan included abducting the employee at the employee’s home and filming the execution of the employee.

After killing the employee, Abdulkader planned to execute a violent attack on a police station in the Southern District of Ohio using firearms and Molotov cocktails.

Abdulkader was arrested on May 21, 2015 by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), after a controlled purchase and possession of the AK-47 assault rifle.

The defendant was charged by criminal complaint on May 22, 2015 and a bill of information was filed on March 2. Abdulkader pleaded guilty to the three charges in the information on March 24 before U.S. District Judge Barrett. The court documents and proceedings were unsealed in July.

Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord and U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the JTTF. The JTTF is made up of officers and agents from the Cincinnati Police Department; Colerain Police Department in Cincinnati; Dayton Police Department in Dayton, Ohio; Ohio State Highway Patrol; University of Cincinnati Police Department; U.S. Air Force OSI; FBI; U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement; IRS; U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; West Chester Police Department in West Chester, Ohio; and Xenia Police Department in Xenia, Ohio.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Mangan for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

CINCINNATI – Representatives of Duke Energy Beckjord LLC agreed to plead guilty today in federal court to negligent discharge of oil, in violation of the Clean Water Act. The filed plea agreement includes a $1 million fine in addition to restitution.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, John K. Gauthier, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criminal enforcement program, Craig W. Butler, Director, Ohio EPA, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Captain Michael B. Zamperini, Commander, Sector Ohio Valley, U.S. Coast Guard announced the plea and sentence to take place in U.S. District Court today.

 

According to court documents, on August 18, 2014, Duke Energy caused a spill of approximately 9,000 gallons of diesel fuel from its Walter C. Beckjord generating station facility in New Richmond, Ohio to the Ohio River. The oil sheen on the Ohio River from the discharge extended for approximately 15 miles.

 

A Duke Energy operator transferring fuel from three 705,000-gallon capacity tanks ran the forwarding pump too long and over-filled the two 30,000-gallon capacity above-ground fuel tanks. Diesel fuel spilled from the tank overfill vents into a concrete secondary containment area. A valve on the secondary containment area had been improperly left open by other Duke employees, causing the spilled diesel fuel to escape the containment area and enter directly into the Ohio River.

The Ohio River is a source of drinking water for residents of both Kentucky and Ohio. As a result of the spill, the Northern Kentucky, Greater Cincinnati and Louisville water supply intakes were closed on August 19, 2014. Water intakes were reopened the next day, after water samples did not detect the diesel fuel in the drinking water.

Significant resources were expended by at least 35 government and private sector agencies in the emergency response and clean-up related to the discharge. Duke Energy’s prompt clean-up efforts resulted in the recovery of only a small portion of the discharged oil. To date, Duke Energy has reimbursed more than $1.2 million to those entities for costs incurred in connection with the spill. Further, Duke Energy has deconstructed the bulk fuel oil storage tanks involved in the spill and no longer stores bulk fuel oil at the Beckjord facility.

 

As part of the plea agreement, Duke Energy has agreed to also pay $100,000 to the Foundation for Ohio River Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural, ecological and economic value of the Ohio River through community education.  Duke Energy will also issue a written public apology in an advertisement published in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

 

“We will continue to take environmental violations seriously to ensure the safest living conditions for the residents of our District,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said.

 

“This case underscores the need for companies to have proper measures in place to prevent and respond to fuel spills so they don't impact our water resources," said John K. Gauthier, Acting Special Agent in Charge of EPA's criminal enforcement program in Ohio. "Had Duke Beckjord, LLC taken measures to ensure that valves were closed to contain fuel spills, this incident would not have occurred. Their lack of these measures resulted in a large fuel spill to the Ohio River which required substantial environmental response efforts.”

 

“This unfortunate incident risked the drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people. Simply following required procedures would have prevented this incident,” Ohio EPA Director Craig W. Butler said. “Today’s announcement should be a call to action for everyone along the river to be diligent about protecting this vital resource – the Ohio River.”

 

“This contribution will not only help get over 4,000 students on the Ohio River conducting water monitoring through our River REACH floating classroom program, but will also provide teachers hands-on training and materials that can be used in the classroom and at local streams,” said Heather Mayfield, Director of Foundation for Ohio River Education. “We are so glad that FORE can be a silver lining in this agreement and look forward to supporting Duke’s commitment to STEM education and water quality through our award-winning program.”

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA, Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation Environmental Enforcement Unit and the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey who is representing the United States in this case. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Brian M. Sze, 36, of Seattle, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 25 years in prison for production of child pornography.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Marlon V. Miller, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott, Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs and members of the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

According to court documents, the investigation began in July 2015 after a tip was reported to ICAC, which indicated that Sze had engaged in sexually suggestive communications with a minor.  The investigation revealed that Sze had also engaged in illicit sexual contact with a minor and caused recordings of the child engaged in sexual activity to be recorded.

“The defendant was a teacher, entrusted with the care of countless students,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “Mr. Sze’s abusive sexual acts with a child may forever distort the child’s understanding of healthy sexual relationships and sentence the child to a potential lifetime of distrust, anger and shame. Today’s sentence is reflective of the life-long damage his actions have caused.”

Sze pleaded guilty in March to one count of production of child pornography.

The Franklin County ICAC Task Force is a multi-agency effort dedicated to the fight against computer facilitated crimes against children. The following agencies are members:

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office

Ohio ICAC

Grove City Police Department

Columbus Police Department

Grandview Heights Police Department

Westerville Police Department

Hilliard Police Department

Franklin County Prosecutor's Office

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

Ohio Attorney General’s Office (BCI)

The Ohio State University Police Department

Upper Arlington Police Department

Circleville Police Department

Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office

Delaware County Sheriff’s Office

 

 

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the members of the ICAC Task Force for the cooperative investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather A. Hill, who is representing the United States in this case.

DAYTON – Deborah Yosick, 60, currently of Davenport, Florida, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to embezzling more than $1 million. She pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud and income tax evasion.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS), and Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cincinnati Field Division, announced the plea entered into yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sharon L. Ovington.

According to court documents, Yosick embezzled money from her employer, Donald C. Wright Investments, LLC and its sister company Don Wright Realty, LLC. Don Wright’s businesses are family-owned and are based in Centerville, Ohio. Don Wright provided various commercial, industrial, and residential services in the Dayton, Ohio-area.

 

Between approximately 1985 and October 2015, Yosick was Don Wright's accountant and was principally responsible for handing its accounts payables and accounts receivables, including making journal entries relating to receivables, crediting tenant accounts as rents were received and preparing deposit slips and making deposits on behalf of Don Wright. Yosick was personally responsible for depositing rental receipts (whether they were cash or check) into the appropriate Don Wright bank account.

 

Between 2010 and approximately October 2015, Yosick devised a scheme to defraud and embezzle money from Don Wright by using rental payments to pay her personal American Express bill, by initiating ACH transfers from a Don Wright bank account. She used a portion of the cash she embezzled to purchase money orders from supermarkets, Wal-Mart and post offices and use the money orders to pay her personal American Express credit card bills.

 

Also, between March 2013 and approximately October 2015, Yosick embezzled funds from Don Wright by causing approximately 70 electronic transfers (ACH payments) from a company bank account to American Express in order to pay her personal credit card bill.

 

In total, between 2010 and approximately October 2015, Yosick embezzled $1,098,778.23 from Don Wright.

 

Additionally, Yosick committed income tax evasion by filing a false income tax return for the 2014 income tax year by underreporting her taxable income by approximately $303,808, which resulted in tax due and owing of approximately $94,601, which represented the embezzled funds from Don Wright.

 

In total, Yosick attempted to evade paying $255,571 in federal income taxes to the IRS for the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 income tax years.

 

Yosick agreed to pay restitution to Don Wright Realty LLC in the amount of $1,098,778.23 and to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amount of $255,571.

 

Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, and income tax evasion is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment.

 

“Tax evasion and embezzlement schemes of this magnitude and with this degree of trickery, dishonesty and deceit, deserves to be punished,” said Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “The IRS, FBI, and U.S. Attorney’s Office remain determined and vigilant in ferreting out such schemes to cheat the honest taxpayers.”

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative law enforcement investigation, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Alex R. Sistla, who is prosecuting the case.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A U.S. District Court jury convicted Oscar Collado-Rivera, 32, of New Albany, Ohio of conspiring with others to distribute nearly 200 kilograms of cocaine involving at least $4 million in U.S. currency over a six-month period in 2015.

 

U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio, Timothy Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS), and agencies in a state and local task force announced the verdict reached yesterday following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson.

 

Evidence presented during the trial established that Collado-Rivera and others were responsible for arranging large shipments of cocaine from Mexico and Texas into the Columbus area.

 

“Collado-Rivera is the ninth defendant convicted out of 12 defendants charged in April,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “Disrupting the networks that bring illegal drugs into central Ohio requires tremendous cooperation by federal, state and local agencies.” Glassman noted that the three remaining defendants are believed to have fled the United States.

 

The jury convicted Collado-Rivera of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, a crime punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life. Judge Watson will determine the sentence following a pre-sentence investigation by the court. Task Force officers arrested Collado-Rivera in December 2015 based on a federal criminal complaint. He has been in custody since his arrest.

 

Glassman commended Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott’s Office, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the investigators with police departments in Pickerington, Upper Arlington and Westerville who conducted the investigation, as well as Deputy Criminal Chief Michael Hunter and Appellate Chief Mary Beth Young, who represent the United States in prosecuting the case.

DAYTON, OHIO – James Edward Risner, III, 34, of New Carlisle, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 480 months in prison for production and distribution of child pornography.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Field Division, Clark County Sheriff Gene A. Kelly and Clark County Prosecutor D. Andrew Wilson announced the sentence handed down yesterday by U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black.

 

According to the statement of facts in this case, Risner engaged in various sexual activities on multiple occasions with a 7-year-old female who was in his care. Risner photographed the sexual activities, ultimately creating nearly 70 digital pornographic photographs, and posted them online to at least one website.

 

Risner pleaded guilty on September 8 to one count of production and one count of distribution.

 

Risner was sentenced this morning to 15 years to life in prison on related child rape charges in Clark County Common Pleas Court. As part of his plea agreement, Risner will serve his local sentence concurrently with his federal one. He was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release.

 

“Actions like Risner’s extensive manipulation of this child victim result in lifelong and devastating physical, psychological, and emotional suffering,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and FBI, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Dwight K. Keller and Special Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith who are representing the United States in this case. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment alleging that Aaron Travis Daniels, 20, aka Harun Muhammad, aka Abu Yusef of Columbus provided and attempted to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

 

U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and agencies participating in the Southern Ohio Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) announced the indictment returned today.

 

Count one of the indictment alleges that Daniels provided material support to a foreign terrorist organization by sending $250 in January 2016 to an ISIL operative. Count two alleges that Daniels attempted to provide material support and resources, himself, as personnel to ISIL. JTTF agents arrested Daniels on November 7 as he attempted to leave Columbus with an alleged eventual destination of Libya to join ISIL.

 

If convicted, Daniels faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each count. Congress prescribes the maximum potential sentences and it is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. An indictment merely contains allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Daniels has been in custody since his arrest. Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. will preside over the case.

 

The Southern Ohio JTTF is made up of officers and agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Columbus Division of Police, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, The Ohio State University Police Department, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the John Glenn International Airport Police Department, Westerville Police Department and Columbus Division of Fire.

 

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica W. Knight, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Gibson with Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien’s Office and Trial Attorneys Michael Dittoe and Taryn Meeks of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

COLUMBUS – A federal grand jury indicted Ikechi W. Emeaghara, 27, of Columbus, charging him with armed bank robbery of a northwest Columbus bank on October 21, 2016.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Field Office, Brad Earman, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs announced the indictment returned today.

 

According to public court documents, a man, later identified as Emeaghara, entered the Key Bank on Frantz Road about 10 a.m. brandishing what appeared to be a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded cash from the bank teller’s drawers.

 

He took the cash and fled the bank in a car. Columbus Police officers followed him. Emeaghara pulled into a business parking lot, got out of the car and pointed a gun at the officers. Officers shot and injured him, and arranged for him to be transported to a hospital for treatment. Task Force officers investigating a series of bank robberies filed a federal complaint charging Emeaghara with armed bank robbery on November 1.

 

Armed bank robbery is a crime punishable by up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Congress prescribes the maximum potential sentences and it is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. A federal indictment merely contains allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by Columbus Police, the FBI, and ATF, and indicated that the investigation is continuing. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Salvador A. Dominguez and Deputy Criminal Chief Gary Spartis.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Timothy G. Rogan, 25, of Columbus, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to seven years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for robbing a sandwich shop with a rifle in Whitehall, Ohio on November 12, 2015. Store employees grabbed the rifle during the robbery and took it away from Rogan.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Brad Earman, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Whitehall Police Chief Mike Crispin announced the sentence handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr.

 

Rogan pleaded guilty on June 14, 2016 to one count of robbery affecting interstate commerce and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

 

An ATF agent testified during the plea hearing that Rogan entered the Subway restaurant brandishing a rifle and demanded money. The initial victim grabbed the weapon and began struggling with the suspect. During the struggle a second employee hit the suspect with a tray and took the weapon from Rogan.

 

Whitehall detectives took fingerprints and DNA swabs from the rifle and processed them through a database maintained by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which matched the DNA to Rogan. Detectives arrested Rogan on January 5, 2016. He has been in custody since his arrest.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by law enforcement, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Prichard, who represented the United States in this case. 

Aaron Travis Daniels, aka Harun Muhammad, aka Abu Yusef, 20, of Columbus, Ohio, was arrested today for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

The arrest was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Division and agencies participating in the Southern Ohio Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).

JTTF agents arrested Daniels as he attempted to leave Columbus with an alleged eventual destination of Libya, for the purpose of joining ISIL. The criminal complaint against him also alleges that Daniels sent $250 in January 2016 to an ISIL operative and had communicated his commitment to violent overseas jihad.

The complaint alleges that Daniels set up email addresses and a social media account using aliases and expressed his interest in violent jihad and traveling overseas in various communications.

The complaint also alleges that Daniels wired money to an intermediary for Abu Isa Al-Amriki, a now-deceased ISIL member, recruiter and external attack planner. Daniels allegedly told an undercover FBI employee that he wanted to travel to Trinidad as the beginning of his trip to Libya, where Daniels said Al-Amriki had suggested he go to support jihad. On Nov. 5, Daniels bought an airline ticket to travel from Columbus to Houston, Texas, and on to Trinidad. The flight was scheduled to leave Columbus today.

JTTF officers arrested Daniels at the airport, before boarding his flight. Daniels appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Terence P. Kemp who ordered him held without bond.

If convicted of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, Daniels faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Congress prescribes the maximum potential sentences and it is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. A federal criminal complaint merely contains allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

The Southern Ohio JTTF is made up of officers and agents from the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Columbus Division of Police, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio State University Police Department, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the John Glenn International Airport Police Department, the Westerville Police Department and the Columbus Division of Fire.

Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord and U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the JTTF for its investigation of this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica W. Knight of the Southern District of Ohio, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Gibson of the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office, and Trial Attorneys Michael Dittoe and Taryn M. Meeks of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Aaron Travis Daniels, 20, aka Harun Muhammad, aka Abu Yusef of Columbus was arrested today for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

 

The arrest was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, and agencies participating in the Southern Ohio Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).

 

JTTF agents arrested Daniels as he attempted to leave Columbus with an alleged eventual destination of Libya to join ISIL. The criminal complaint against him also alleges that Daniels sent $250 in January 2016 to an ISIL operative and had communicated his commitment to violent overseas jihad.

 

The complaint alleges that Daniels set up email addresses and a social media account using the aliases Muhammad and Yusuf. Daniels allegedly expressed his interest in violent jihad and travelling overseas in various communications.

 

The complaint also alleges that Daniels wired money to an intermediary for Abu Isa Al-Amriki, a now-deceased ISIL member, recruiter and external attack planner. Daniels allegedly told an undercover FBI employee that he wanted to travel to Trinidad as the beginning of his trip to travel to Libya. On November 5, Daniels bought an airline ticket to travel from Columbus to Houston, Texas and on to Trinidad. The flight was scheduled to leave Columbus today.

 

JTTF officers arrested Daniels at the airport, before boarding his flight. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Terence P. Kemp who ordered him held without bond. The case will be presented to a federal grand jury who has 30 days to weigh the evidence and decide whether or not to indict Daniels.

 

If convicted of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, Daniels faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Congress prescribes the maximum potential sentences and it is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. A federal criminal complaint merely contains allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

The Southern Ohio JTTF is made up of officers and agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Columbus Division of Police, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, The Ohio State University Police Department, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the John Glenn International Airport Police Department, Westerville Police Department and Columbus Division of Fire.

 

Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord and U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the JTTF for its investigation of this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica W. Knight, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Gibson with Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien’s Office and Trial Attorneys Michael Dittoe and Taryn Meeks of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

CINCINNATI – Four defendants involved in a major cocaine and heroin trafficking ring in the Cincinnati area have been sentenced on related charges in U.S. District Court.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Field Division, Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office and Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac, announced the sentences handed down by United States District Court Judge Timothy S. Black.

 

Christopher Whitfield, 42, of Cincinnati, Ohio was sentenced today to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to on one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

 

Tonia Whitfield, 41, of Cincinnati, Ohio was sentenced on December 14, 2015 to 12 months and one day in prison on three counts of money laundering.

 

Steven Griffin, 41, of Cincinnati, Ohio was sentenced on January 13, 2016 to 87 months in prison on one count each of possession with intent to distribute heroin and a felon in possession of a firearm.

 

Icierra Martin, 39, of Cincinnati, Ohio was sentenced on May 23, 2016 to three years of probation on two counts of money maundering.

 

A federal grand jury indicted the defendants in a 23-count indictment returned in April 2015. The indictment outlined that the group conspired to facilitate an illegal drug business, primarily cocaine and heroin.

 

As part of the conspiracy, the defendants operated “stash” houses to process, cut, package and store the drugs as well as firearms and money. In order to conceal the money generated from the drug sales, defendants would launder the profits by purchasing real and personal property and place assets in the names of other individuals.

 

Upon executing search warrants in this case, investigators seized more than $1 million in cash at the properties maintained by the narcotics trafficking organization.

 

Also included in forfeiture in this case are: seven firearms, three properties in Cincinnati, five vehicles including two luxury vehicles and a motorcycle, multiple pieces of jewelry, Gucci and Rolex watches, two ballistic vests, a number of “mink” fur coats and vests, 13 designer handbags and Beats headphones and ear buds.

 

“This is an important victory for the citizens of Cincinnati,” said Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “The laundering of illegal drug profits is as important and essential to drug traffickers as the very distribution of their illegal drugs. Without these ill-gotten gains, the traffickers could not finance their organizations. We are committed to taking the profit away from the drug traffickers and putting those individuals in jail.”

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by local and federal law enforcement, including the IRS, FBI and Cincinnati Police Department, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Karl Kadon and Jessica W. Knight, who represented the United States in this case.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Matthew L. Dailey, 45, of Howard, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 72 months in prison for Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Mount Vernon Police Chief Roger A. Monroe, announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

 

According to court documents, Dailey was a Detective Sergeant with the Mount Vernon Police Department. He investigated general crimes and narcotics crimes. In September 2015, Dailey asked an individual who had served as an informant for Dailey for approximately seven years to sell drugs for him.

 

Dailey provided the individual with marijuana, methamphetamine, bath salts and ecstasy pills to sell and split the profits. A portion of the drugs came from the police department’s property room, which Dailey supervised in his role as evidence custodian.

 

Investigators also observed Dailey meeting with a second confidential informant who sold large quantities of oxycodone pills to Dailey approximately five days a week for seven months. The second confidential informant told investigators that Daily had asked him to sell marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine for him. The investigation revealed that Dailey possessed a firearm during the drug trafficking offenses.

 

Dailey was placed on administrative leave in September 2015. During an inventory of the property room, police discovered a kit used to teach drug awareness was missing crack and powder cocaine and ecstasy pills. The inventory analysis also revealed that the methamphetamine, bath salts and hundreds of oxycodone pills were missing from the property room.

 

Further investigation revealed that Dailey created forged and falsified Mount Vernon Police Department evidence destruction orders. Investigators found multiple copies of the falsified letterhead in Dailey’s desk drawer and filing cabinet. Investigators concluded that Dailey’s actions during his criminal scheme affected nearly forty cases.

 

Dailey pleaded guilty on December 21, 2015. He also agreed to pay restitution to the Mount Vernon Police Department, forfeit weapons, and a ban on future employment in any law enforcement capacity.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by the FBI, DEA, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Mount Vernon Police Department, as well as Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica H. Kim and Douglas W. Squires, who represented the United States in this case. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Charles A. Granberry, 40, of Columbus pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiring to participate in a dog-fighting ring in central Ohio, and to illegally possessing a firearm.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Anthony Mohatt, Special Agent in Charge, Midwest Region, U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Ron O’Brien, and Capital Area Humane Society Executive Director Rachel D.K. Finney announced the plea entered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly A. Jolson.

 

According to court documents, an undercover law enforcement officer met with Granberry and others over a two-week period at two houses in Columbus in March 2016. The officer saw evidence indicating that the house was used to train, fight and sell dogs, including at least 20 fighting dogs in the rear yard of one house that were chained to heavy automobile axles buried in the ground.

 

Officers executed search warrants on April 5, 2016 at five Columbus houses. Agents seized evidence including more than 40 dogs along with cages, treadmills, heavy chains and collars and other items. Agents found canine blood on the floor and walls of the basement of one home indicating that the area was used as a dog fighting pit. Officers arrested Granberry and seized firearms and documents connected to the dog fighting operation. Granberry has been in custody since his arrest.

 

Conspiracy is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Granberry is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge James L. Graham will schedule a hearing to sentence Granberry.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the ongoing investigation by the USDA-OIG, Columbus Police and the Humane Society, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Michael Marous and Jessica Knight, and Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Heather Robinson, who are representing the United States in this case. 

COLUMBUS, OHIO -- A former CEO of a traffic light enforcement camera vendor was sentenced today to 14 months in prison for her role in a multi-year bribery and fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office.

 

Karen L. Finley, 57, of Cave Creek, Arizona, was sentenced today before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson of the Southern District of Ohio.  She pleaded guilty on June 19, 2015, to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and honest services wire and mail fraud.  Finley cooperated with the government’s investigation against John Raphael, an Ohio lobbyist, who pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Hobbs Act for his involvement in the scheme.  On June 8, 2016, Raphael was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison.  

 

From December 2005 to February 2013, Finley served as CEO of a red light camera enforcement company.  During this time, she participated in a scheme in which the company made campaign contributions to elected public officials in the cities of Columbus, Ohio, and Cincinnati through Raphael, a consultant retained by the company.  Finley and others, including another executive of the company, agreed to provide the conduit campaign contributions through Raphael with the understanding that the elected public officials would assist the company in obtaining or retaining municipal contracts, including a red light camera enforcement contract with the city of Columbus.  Finley also admitted that she and her co-conspirators concealed the true nature and source of the payments by Raphael and the company’s payment of false invoices for “consulting services,” which funds Raphael then provided to the campaigns of the elected public officials.

 

The FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office, Columbus Resident Agency, investigated the case with the assistance of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.  Trial Attorney Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Michael Marous of the Southern District of Ohio prosecuted the case.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The last of nine people who conspired to use stolen credit card numbers to commit $3,179,329.06 in fraud was sentenced in U.S. District Court today.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Mark Porter, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, and Kathy Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS), announced that Joey Westbrook, 21, of Columbus was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson today to serve 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

 

According to court documents, Reynoldsburg resident Francois Toure, 26, obtained more than 4,700 stolen credit card numbers over the Internet between April 2012 and March 2015. He then re-encoded the magnetic strips of genuine prepaid or gift cards to reflect the stolen credit card numbers. Shoppers used the re-encoded cards to buy genuine gift cards, cigarettes, and other merchandise. Mohamed Mobarak, 27, and Ahmad Mobarak, 22, who operated Beechcroft Newsstand, used the Newsstand’s point-of-sale terminal to fraudulently redeem genuine gift cards purchased by the shoppers. Finally, Mohamed Mobarak filled privately owned ATMs with funds that were in part the proceeds of credit card fraud.

 

Investigators determined that the intended loss of the fraud scheme was $3,179,329.06. Judge Watson ordered restitution of $928,008.92 to be paid to victims. Investigators seized 46 ATMs, two vehicles, firearms and ammunition, electronic equipment and $599,962.82 in currency during the investigation.

 

All nine defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and received sentences ranging from 33 to 60 months. The others who pleaded guilty are Robert A. Kamara, 27, of Canal Winchester, Enouch J. Kermue, 27, of Columbus, Asher Merritt, 28, of Columbus, Diddier Mami, 28, of Inkster, Michigan, and Destani T. Cable, 28, of Columbus.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the Secret Service, the IRS, and agencies participating in the 65-member Southern District of Ohio Task Force on electronic crimes created in 2012 for their cooperative investigation, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Bosley and Peter K. Glenn-Applegate, who prosecuted the case.

COLUMBUS -- United States Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman announced today that he has designated Election Officers in each of the district’s three offices who will lead the efforts in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2016, general elections. 

            Glassman appointed:

            Deputy Criminal Chief Gary Spartis in Columbus,

            Deputy Criminal Chief Emily Glatfelter in Cincinnati,

            Deputy Criminal Chief Laura Clemmens in Dayton.

As District Election Officers, they are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

U.S. Attorney Glassman said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud.  The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur.  The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day.

Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them.  For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law.  Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.

The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy.  We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.  In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 8, 2016, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Glassman stated that the District Election Officers will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. 

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.  The local FBI field offices can be reached by the public at 513 421-4310.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to voting.section@usdoj.gov or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.

United States Attorney Glassman said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate.  It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”

A former CEO of a traffic light enforcement camera vendor was sentenced today to 14 months in prison for her role in a multi-year bribery and fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers of the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office.

Karen L. Finley, 57, of Cave Creek, Arizona, was sentenced today before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson of the Southern District of Ohio.  She pleaded guilty on June 19, 2015, to one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and honest services wire and mail fraud.  Finley cooperated with the government’s investigation against John Raphael, an Ohio lobbyist, who pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Hobbs Act for his involvement in the scheme.  On June 8, 2016, Raphael was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison.   

From December 2005 to February 2013, Finley served as CEO of a red light camera enforcement company.  During this time, she participated in a scheme in which the company made campaign contributions to elected public officials in the cities of Columbus, Ohio, and Cincinnati through Raphael, a consultant retained by the company.  Finley and others, including another executive of the company, agreed to provide the conduit campaign contributions through Raphael with the understanding that the elected public officials would assist the company in obtaining or retaining municipal contracts, including a red light camera enforcement contract with the city of Columbus.  Finley also admitted that she and her co-conspirators concealed the true nature and source of the payments by Raphael and the company’s payment of false invoices for “consulting services,” which funds Raphael then provided to the campaigns of the elected public officials. 

The FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office, Columbus Resident Agency, investigated the case with the assistance of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.  Trial Attorney Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Michael Marous of the Southern District of Ohio prosecuted the case.

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The last of eight defendants guilty of distributing heroin, anabolic steroids and other drugs in central and southern Ohio has been sentenced in U.S. District Court, capping a two-year investigation by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Detroit Field Division, agencies participating in the Southern Ohio Drug Task Force, and Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs announced the sentences today. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson presided over the case.

The eight defendants who pleaded guilty to conspiracy are:

Mark Eubanks, 34, Columbus. Sentenced to 150 months in prison.

Donald Smith, 52, Columbus. 72 months.

Johnathan Nunez, 27, Wheelersburg, 41 months.

Gregory Workman, 51, Springfield. 36 months.

Timothy Mutter, 59, Franklin Furnace. 36 months.

Richard Glenn, 36, Portsmouth. 36 months.

Kent Whiteside, 32, Columbus. 18 months.

Trent Banks, 47, South Bloomfield. 36 months’ probation.

 

All except Banks pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin. Banks pleaded guilty to trafficking anabolic steroids.

According to court documents, the FBI began investigating a drug trafficking organization operating in central and southern Ohio in 2014. During the course of the investigation, agents identified Eubanks as a distributor of narcotics, including heroin, cocaine, MDMA and anabolic steroids. Eubanks used two residences and a storage unit in Columbus to conduct drug transactions and store narcotics, drug proceeds and firearms. As the investigation progressed, agents learned that Eubanks and his co-conspirators were distributing heroin and anabolic steroids in central and southern Ohio. Agents executed search warrants at various locations and seized quantities of heroin and MDMA, 200 vials of anabolic steroids, drug paraphernalia, ten firearms, ammunition, and more than $37,000 in cash.

A federal grand jury indicted the defendants in October, 2015.

Agencies in the Southern Ohio Drug Task Force include Scioto County Sheriff Marty V. Donini, Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless and the police departments in Portsmouth, Jackson and Ironton.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the task force agencies, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Martinez and Deputy Criminal Chief Michael Hunter, who represented the United States in this case.

DAYTON – Josue Morales-Medina, 41, of Mexico was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 108 months in prison for his role in trafficking heroin laced with fentanyl in the Miami Valley.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, members of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force, Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer, Ohio State Highway Patrol Colonel Paul A. Pride, announced the sentence handed down yesterday by U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose.

 

According to court documents, Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers stopped a vehicle in which Morales-Medina was a passenger on I-75 in Dayton in November 2015 for a traffic violation. Morales-Medina had approximately $298,000 in cash from trafficking drugs. Troopers contacted the Homeland Security Investigation’s Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force. Investigators went to a Dayton home used by Morales and others to store drugs. Inside the home, investigators found more than eight kilograms of fentanyl, nearly one kilogram of heroin and a firearm. They arrested Morales-Medina. He has been in custody since his arrest. He pleaded guilty on May 20, 2016 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.

 

Morales-Medina, an illegal alien from Mexico, faces deportation at the conclusion of his prison sentence.

 

United States Attorney Glassman commended the cooperative investigation by those involved in the HSI Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force, along with State Highway Patrol officers and Montgomery County Sheriff deputies, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Hunt, who represented the United States in this case. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Roman Hernandez, 39, of Grove City, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to possession with the intent to distribute heroin and to one count of money laundering. The plea agreement calls for a total custodial sentence of between 51 and 63 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, Marlon V. Miller, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott and other members of Central Ohio HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) Drug Task Force announced the guilty plea entered before Senior U.S. District Judge James L. Graham. The HIDTA Task Force is operated as part of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission.

According to court documents, this joint investigation revealed through surveillance, financial records, cooperating witnesses, and other investigative techniques, that between March 2013 and April 2013 Hernandez was involved in the sale of heroin.

On April 9, 2013 a search warrant was executed at 3260 Norwood Street, Columbus, Ohio. This was a home being rented by Hernandez and his girlfriend.

Before the search warrant was executed, Hernandez was observed driving away from the residence in his Cadillac Escalade. The vehicle was stopped by law enforcement and Hernandez admitted that between January 2013 and April 9, 2013 he had possessed with intent to distribute and distributed heroin. He acknowledged that proceeds from the sale of heroin would be located at his residence at 3260 Norwood Street, Columbus, Ohio.

During the course of the search warrant investigators seized in excess of $55,000 in U.S. currency. Investigators also found financial records and closing documents where Hernandez and his girlfriend had purchased a piece of real property located at 4870 Manitoba Road, Columbus, Ohio on April 2, 2013 for $70,000. The property had been purchased with cash.

Hernandez’s portion of the purchase price was $26,000. The funds had been withdrawn from his checking account in the form of a cashier’s check.  The investigation documented that the funds used by Hernandez to purchase the property at 4870 Manitoba Road were proceeds he derived from sale of narcotics.

In addition, Hernandez agreed to forfeit a Cobra, Model M-11, 9mm handgun and a Sig Sauer, Model P250, 9mm handgun.

“The harm inflicted by heroin is matched only by the profit potential for those who sell it. Today’s guilty plea is the culmination of a lengthy effort in which IRS-CI worked with its law enforcement partners to disrupt the flow of money -- the lifeblood that allows drug dealers to proliferate,” said Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “This is an important victory for the citizens of Central Ohio. This individual not only fueled the drug problem in Central Ohio, but he supported addiction in several parts of the country.”

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the Central Ohio HIDTA Task Force, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Prichard, who is prosecuting the case.

CINCINNATI – The U.S. Justice Department filed a proposed consent decree today to resolve allegations that Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by using inaccessible classroom and other technologies. 

Under the consent decree, which is pending court approval, Miami will make significant improvements to ensure that technologies across all its campuses are accessible to individuals with disabilities and will pay $25,000 to compensate individuals with disabilities.  The agreement also requires reforms to Miami University’s technology procurement practices.  These improvements will benefit all current and future Miami University students with disabilities.

As part of the consent decree, Miami University will, among other things:

• ensure that its web content and learning management systems conform with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 AA standards;
• meet with every student who has a disability for which he or she requires assistive technologies or curricular materials in alternate formats, and their instructors, every semester to develop an accessibility plan; and
• procure web technology or software that best meets various accessibility standards.

 

“Technology in the classroom and across campus provides the backbone for full and equal participation in college life,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “This settlement will ensure that students with disabilities can access and receive the full benefit of 21st century technology in higher education.”

“The courage of the students who participated in the United States’ investigation led to this broad agreement that touches the lives of all Miami students with disabilities,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio.  “This agreement between the Justice Department and Miami University will ensure full access to technology that is crucial to academic success.” 

The Justice Department intervened in this case, Dudley v. Miami University, which was originally brought by a single student.  The intervention expanded the case to ensure comprehensive relief under Title II of the ADA for all Miami University students with disabilities.  In the complaint, the department alleged that Miami University uses technologies in its programs, services and activities that are inaccessible to individuals with disabilities, including current and former students who have vision, hearing or learning disabilities.

The department further alleged that Miami University failed to make these technologies accessible and otherwise failed to ensure that individuals with disabilities could interact with Miami University’s websites and access course assignments, textbooks and other materials on an equal basis with students who do not have disabilities.  These failures deprived current and former students and others with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from all of Miami University’s educational opportunities.

For more information or for a copy of the consent decree, please visit the department’s ADA website at www.ada.gov.  Those interested in finding out more about the ADA may also call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD). 

The Justice Department filed a proposed consent decree today to resolve allegations that Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by using inaccessible classroom and other technologies.

Under the consent decree, which is pending court approval, Miami University will make significant improvements to ensure that technologies across all its campuses are accessible to individuals with disabilities and will pay $25,000 to compensate individuals with disabilities.  The agreement also requires reforms to Miami University’s technology procurement practices.  These improvements will benefit all current and future Miami University students with disabilities.

As part of the consent decree, Miami University will, among other things:

• ensure that its web content and learning management systems conform with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 AA standards;
• meet with every student who has a disability for which he or she requires assistive technologies or curricular materials in alternate formats, and their instructors, every semester to develop an accessibility plan; and
• procure web technology or software that best meets various accessibility standards.

“Technology in the classroom and across campus provides the backbone for full and equal participation in college life,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “This settlement will ensure that students with disabilities can access and receive the full benefit of 21st century technology in higher education.”                                                     

“The courage of the students who participated in the United States’ investigation led to this broad agreement that touches the lives of Miami University students with disabilities,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman of the Southern District of Ohio.  “This agreement between the Justice Department and Miami University will ensure full access to technology that is crucial to academic success.”

The Justice Department intervened in this case, Dudley v. Miami University, which was originally brought by a single student.  The intervention expanded the case to ensure comprehensive relief under Title II of the ADA for all Miami University students with disabilities.  In the complaint, the department alleged that Miami University uses technologies in its programs, services and activities that are inaccessible to individuals with disabilities, including current and former students who have vision, hearing or learning disabilities.

The department further alleged that Miami University failed to make these technologies accessible and otherwise failed to ensure that individuals with disabilities could interact with Miami University’s websites and access course assignments, textbooks and other materials on an equal basis with students who do not have disabilities.  These failures deprived current and former students and others with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from all of Miami University’s educational opportunities.

For more information or for a copy of the consent decree, please visit the department’s ADA website at www.ada.gov.  Those interested in finding out more about the ADA may also call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD). 

Miami University

WHEELING, WV – A bill of information charging Donna S. Brown, 65, of Clarington, Ohio with wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering has been filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. Brown owns Budget Finance Company in New Martinsville, West Virginia.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Raymond P. Duda, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Pittsburgh Field Division; Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Washington D.C. Field Office; Tommy Coke, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service; West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, West Virginia State Auditor and Securities Commissioner Lisa Hopkins; Commissioner Andrea Seidt of the Ohio Division of Securities; Acting Commissioner Dawn Holstein of the West Virginia Division of Financial Institutions; and Wetzel County Prosecutor Tim Haught announced the charges filed today.

 

The document charges Brown with one count each of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Each crime is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, three years of supervised release and restitution to the victims of the crimes.

 

The document alleges that Brown owned and operated Budget Finance company which was both a licensed consumer loan company and an unlicensed investment company. Between 2005 and 2015, she lured potential investors into investing funds with Budget Finance by promising annual returns of between 8 and 12 percent. 

 

Brown mailed checks to investors who requested periodic payments and sent them fraudulent quarterly investment statements reflecting their account balances and interest paid. She also mailed investors IRS 1099 forms, but never sent those forms to the IRS.

 

“Because no substantial investment source existed to account for well over 800 investment accounts with investments exceeding $31 million, she used money from new investors to pay the existing ones,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “This type of scheme is known as a Ponzi scheme.”

 

Budget Finance closed suddenly in November 2015.

 

A plea agreement was filed along with the Bill of Information, indicating that Brown will admit to the crimes. The plea agreement says the loss in this case is more than $9.5 million and less than $25 million. The crimes resulted in substantial financial hardship to 25 or more victims.

 

“For years, Donna S. Brown preyed upon investors and defrauded them out of their hard-earned money in order to support her personal lifestyle,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Johnson, of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, “As a result of the scheme devised by Brown, many of the victims in this case lost everything, including their livelihoods and the retirement savings they worked throughout their lives to secure. The FBI is committed to pursuing financial predators like Donna Brown, and her conviction today reflects the resolve of the FBI; IRS-Criminal Investigation; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our partners in state and local government in pursuing those who commit financial crimes and steal from trusting individuals.”

 

“When you knowingly mix deceit and trickery into the financial well-being of individuals, you create a recipe for devastation that could last a lifetime,” said Thomas Jankowski, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Washington D.C. Field Office.  "Ponzi schemes can thrive for a time on false claims but that time is gone.  As today’s actions have shown, it's time for Donna Brown to be held responsible for her criminal actions.  IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to using our financial expertise to identify and trace laundered funds that are used to perpetuate these types of investor fraud schemes.”

 

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will continue to strongly pursue its mission of investigating Mail Fraud crimes and protecting the US Postal Service and its customers,” said Tommy Coke, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “Today’s challenging economy deems it critical that consumers guard against losing their hard-earned assets to fraud.  Relying on the reputation of a financial advisor or their relationship with a friend or family member, is not enough.  Investors must still verify information, especially if there are claims of outperforming the market.”

 

Glassman suggested victims monitor the progress of the case through the “Budget Finance Company, Inc.” tab on the home page of the U.S. Attorney’s Office website (www.justice.gov/usao/ohs), or call the hotline established for victims, 866-532-9098.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the agencies and Assistant United States Attorney Daniel A. Brown and Deputy Criminal Chief Brenda Shoemaker, who are representing the United States in this case.

DAYTON –  A U.S. District Court jury convicted Carlos Pavon, 42, an illegal alien from Honduras, of conspiring with others to bring more than 2.5 kilograms of heroin hidden in the frame of a car into the Miami Valley.

 

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and law enforcement agencies in the Homeland Security Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force, announced the verdict returned late Friday, October 7 following a trial that began October 4 before U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice.

 

The jury convicted Pavon of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, a crime punishable by at least ten years and up to life in prison. 

According to court testimony, task force officers investigating a lead provided by law enforcement officials in California questioned Pavon and two other men at a Dayton hotel in November 2014. After talking with the men, agents searched a car connected to them at the hotel. Officers found two loaded semi-automatic handguns and items often involved in weighing and repackaging heroin. A drug dog sniffed the car and indicated the presence of illegal drugs. Task force officers took the car to the Fairborn Police Department and found five bricks of heroin, a total of more than 2.5 kilograms, hidden in the frame of the car. Officers arrested the three men on a federal complaint. They have been in custody since their arrest.

“We continue to work with law enforcement agencies to reduce the supply of heroin in our region,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “Hidden compartments or ‘traps’ are a common method used by drug traffickers and officers receive constant training on detecting these traps.”

Law enforcement agencies participating in the Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force led by Homeland Security Investigations include Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer’s Office, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Office, the Butler Township Police Department and the Miami Township Police Department.

"The number one way to target and dismantle a criminal group is to hit them where it hurts the most - in their wallets," said Marlon Miller, special agent in charge for HSI Detroit, which covers Michigan and Ohio. "This conviction and the guilty pleas of the other defendants are a testament to the immeasurable value of the Bulk Cash Smuggling Task Force and the unique expertise and authorities each member agency brings to bear in these complex investigations."

 

A grand jury indicted Pavon along with Amilcar Antonio Cortez Grande, 32, an illegal alien from El Salvador, and Mario Felix, 45, Spring Valley, California in December 2014. Grande and Felix pleaded guilty before Judge Rice in May 2015 to conspiracy and firearms charges. Grande was sentenced in November 2015 to 90 months in prison. Sentencing is pending for Felix. Evidence showed that Felix had driven the car from California to Ohio to deliver the heroin to Pavon and Grande.

Judge Rice will schedule a sentencing hearing for Pavon. As an illegal alien, Pavon faces deportation after he serves time in prison.

 

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the federal, state and local agencies involved, and Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Healey and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Vipal Patel, who are representing the United States in this case.