District of South Carolina

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson sentenced James Anthony Brown Jr., a former employee of the Richland County Recreation Commission, to 135 months of incarceration as a result of his conviction for Possessing with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B). 

Evidence presented in court established that on the May 27, 2016, Richland County Sherriff’s deputies stopped Brown after deputies observed him retrieving a package, suspected of containing narcotics, from the front porch of an address in Columbia, S.C. After encountering Brown, deputies searched the package and found 11.9 pounds of marijuana. A subsequent search was done of Brown’s home and deputies found a second package with approximately 775 grams of methamphetamine (street value of approximately $20,000). This package was addressed to Brown and had the same return address as the previous package which contained the 11.9 pounds of marijuana. Additionally, deputies found more marijuana, drug paraphernalia, ecstasy and an assault rifle throughout Brown’s home.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Richland County Sherriff’s Office, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Will Lewis and Alyssa Richardson of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.

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United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that a Federal Grand Jury in Columbia, South Carolina, returned an indictment against the following:

Conway Man Charged in Federal Indictment for Gun and Drug Charges.  Eron Jordan, age 26, of Conway, South Carolina, was charged in a three-count Indictment with felon in possession of a firearm, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g); possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c).  The maximum penalty Jordan could receive is life imprisonment.  The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, assisted by the Conway Police Department and the Horry County Police Department.  The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Hummel of the Florence office for prosecution.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in this Indictment are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Caster Delaney Whetstone was sentenced in federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and 924(e) and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, in violation 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1).  United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. of Columbia sentenced Whetstone to 180 months (15 years) incarceration followed by 5 years of supervised release and $100 special assessment.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on June 10, 2014, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Columbia Police Department (CPD) used an informant to purchase a half an ounce of cocaine from Whetstone.  The informant met Whetstone at a local store in Five Points. Whetstone gave the informant the cocaine and the informant paid Whetstone $600 cash.

  On June 24, 2014, ATF and CPD used another informant to attempt to make a purchase of a half-ounce of cocaine and a firearm from Whetstone.  They met and Whetstone sold the informant a .32 caliber Harrington and Richardson model 632 revolver with 6 rounds of ammunition and what he represented was 14 grams of cocaine.  The cocaine was later determined to be fake.  

Whetstone is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms based upon his prior separate state convictions for armed robbery (2 counts), kidnapping, discharging a firearm into a dwelling, and assault with intent to kill.    

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the City of Columbia Police Department and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases.  Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon of the Columbia office handled the case.

Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.  In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

 

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated that Jokari T. Jones, age 36, of Columbia, plead guilty today in federal court to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition and misprison of a felony, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 4, 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2), and 924(e). United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis, of Columbia, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the United States Probation Office.

Evidence presented in court established that on July 29, 2017, Jones’ brother Shamari Delresse Jones, a/k/a “Amari, was arrested on state charges, including felon in possession of ammunition. Thereafter, Jokari T. Jones, who was on a state ankle monitor at the time, moved firearms and ammunition belonging to his brother from Columbia to their mother’s residence in Heath Springs, which is in Lancaster County. On July 30, 2017, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office responded to Jones’ mother’s home in reference to a shooting. No one was injured, but while at the home, a number of firearms and rounds of ammunition were recovered by law enforcement, including a Bushmaster .223 caliber rifle with an extended magazine and two 12 gauge shotguns. Jones’ brother, a known gang member, had attended an offender notification meeting in October 2015, in which he, and others, were advised by law enforcement officials that should they be found in possession of firearms and ammunition, their case would be considered for federal prosecution in light of their extensive prior record. Jones moved the firearms in an effort to keep law enforcement from finding the firearms following his brother’s arrest for ammunition.    

Jones is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition and has prior South Carolina state convictions for unlawful carrying of a pistol (2003), assault with intent to kill and unlawful carrying of a pistol, wherein he shot at someone (2005), and carrying weapons on school property and possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime of violence, wherein he shot a handgun on the premises of a local elementary school (2012). 

Jones faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release on the felon in possession of firearms and ammunition charge. He faces a maximum of 3 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 1 year of supervised release on the misprison of a felony charge.

Jones’ brother Shamari Delresse Jones, a/k/a “Amari,” entered a guilty plea in federal court in earlier this year to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, and is currently awaiting sentencing.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Columbia Police Department, and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused upon aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and reinstituted PSN nationwide. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.

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WASHINGTON – Defendant Bobby Paul Edwards, 53, of Conway, South Carolina, pleaded guilty Monday in United States District Court for the District of South Carolina to one count of forced labor, admitting that he used violence, threats, isolation and intimidation to compel a man with an intellectual disability to work for over 100 hours a week without pay, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon of the District of South Carolina.

According to court documents, between 2009 and 2014, Edwards managed a restaurant in Conway, South Carolina, where the victim, identified in court documents as “JCS,” had worked since he was 12 years old. Once Edwards began managing the restaurant in 2009, he increased JCS’s duties, requiring him to work more than 100 hours per week. The defendant stopped paying JCS and began using violence, threats, isolation, and intimidation to compel victim JCS’s continued service. According to court documents and Edward’s admissions, he subjected JCS to abusive language, racial epithets, threats, and acts of violence that included beating JCS with a belt, punching JCS with his fists, hitting JCS with pots and pans, and burning JCS’s bare neck with hot tongs, in order to compel JCS to work faster or to punish JCS for mistakes.

The defendant compelled JCS to continue working under these conditions until October 2014, when authorities removed victim JCS from the premises after receiving complaints about the abuse.

“Human trafficking through forced labor can happen on farms, in homes, and as today’s case shows – in public places, such as restaurants,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore. “Edwards abused an African-American man with intellectual disabilities by coercing him to work long hours in a restaurant without pay. Combatting human trafficking by forced labor is one of the highest priorities of this Justice Department and today’s guilty plea reflects our commitment to seeking justice on behalf of victims of human trafficking.”

“This defendant abused a vulnerable victim, and today’s guilty plea holds the defendant responsible for his criminal acts,” said U.S. Attorney Sherri Lydon for the District of South Carolina. 

Edwards faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for forced labor, a $250,000 maximum fine, and mandatory restitution to the victim. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. According to the terms of the plea agreement, the defendant will also be required to pay restitution to victim JCS in an amount to be determined at the time of sentencing.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. The case is being prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Jared Fishman, Trial Attorney Lindsey Roberson of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and its Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Leigh Richardson of the District of South Carolina.

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WASHINGTON – On the 500th day of the Trump Administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney Sherri A. Lydon for the District of South Carolina announced that the Department of Justice is taking a dramatic step to increase resources to combat violent crime, enforce our immigration laws, and help roll back the devastating opioid crisis.

In the largest increase in decades, the Department of Justice is allocating 311 new Assistant United States Attorneys to assist in priority areas. Those allocations are as follows: 190 violent crime prosecutors, 86 civil enforcement prosecutors, and 35 additional immigration prosecutors. Many of the civil enforcement AUSA’s will support the newly created Prescription Interdiction & Litigation Task Force which targets the opioid crisis at every level of the distribution system.

"Under President Trump's strong leadership, the Department of Justice is going on offense against violent crime, illegal immigration, and the opioid crisis—and today we are sending in reinforcements," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. "We have a saying in my office that a new federal prosecutor is 'the coin of the realm.'  When we can eliminate wasteful spending, one of my first questions to my staff is if we can deploy more prosecutors to where they are needed. I have personally worked to re-purpose existing funds to support this critical mission, and as a former federal prosecutor myself, my expectations could not be higher. These exceptional and talented prosecutors are key leaders in our crime fighting partnership. This addition of new Assistant U.S. Attorney positions represents the largest increase in decades."

In the District of South Carolina, three of these AUSAs will focus on violent crime while an additional AUSA will take on civil enforcement.

USA Lydon echoed Attorney General Sessions’ support and dedication to public safety.  “With four new Assistant U.S. Attorneys joining our ranks in South Carolina, our ability to continue our efforts alongside our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners as well as our state prosecutors will be significantly enhanced.  The timing could not be better as we advance to secure communities and citizens across our state.”

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated that Richard Stewart, age 42, of Lancaster, SC, pled guilty on in federal court in Columbia, to Felon in Possession of a Firearm, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g).  United States Senior District Judge Cameron Currie, of Columbia, accepted the plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that on June 6, 2017, Lancaster Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) Deputies executed a search warrant at Stewart’s mother’s residence in Lancaster, SC. During the search, deputies found multiple firearms including a Taurus Judge handgun. Stewart was arrested shortly after the search and admitted to owning the Taurus firearm.

Stewart is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearm based upon his prior felony convictions for possession of crack cocaine and manufacturing crack cocaine. 

Stewart faces a maximum possible penalty of ten (10) years, a fine of $250,000, and up to three (3) years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Assistant United States Attorney Will Lewis of the Columbia office handled the case. Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.  In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Jason Rivers, age 30, of Lexington, SC, pled guilty on in federal court in Columbia, to Felon in Possession of a Firearm, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g).  United States Senior District Judge Cameron Currie, of Columbia, accepted the plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that on January 29, 2018, Lexington County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) Deputies tracked Rivers to his residence in order to execute an arrest warrant on Rivers for Failure to Update his Residence as a Registered Sex Offender. Upon entering the residence, Deputies encountered Rivers at the door and immediately detained him. When Deputies first saw Rivers he was wearing a backpack and before deputies could detain him, Rivers attempted to throw the backpack into the residence. Deputies seized the backpack and searched it finding a loaded Ruger .380 caliber pistol. After Deputies detained Rivers, he admitted to owning the Ruger pistol.

Rivers is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm due to prior felony convictions for assault and battery of a high and aggravated Nature and committing a lewd act upon a child under sixteen (16). 

Rivers faces a maximum possible penalty of ten (10) years, a fine of $250,000, and up to three (3) years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Assistant United States Attorney Will Lewis, of the Columbia, office handled the case. Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.  In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

 

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Tayquan Thomas, age 23, of Florence, South Carolina, was sentenced today in federal court in Florence for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2250(a).  United States District Judge Bryan Harwell of Florence sentenced Thomas to 24 months’ imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release.

The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that in 2013 Thomas was convicted in Pitt County, North Carolina of Indecent Liberties with Child, which conviction required him to register as a sex offender in any state where he resided, was employed or was a student.  Under the law, Thomas was required to inform authorities if he ever changed his address, and if he moved to another state, he was required to notify authorities of both the state he was leaving as well as the state to which he was moving.  In September 2017, the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office discovered that Thomas had left his previous address without informing them as required, and they issued a warrant for his arrest.  The matter was referred to the United States Marshals Service which soon discovered that Thomas had moved to an address on East Old Marion Highway in Florence, South Carolina.  On October 25, 2017, Thomas was located at the East Old Marion Highway address by a task force officer working with the U.S. Marshals Operation Intercept Fugitive Task Force.  When the officer attempted to arrest Thomas, he fled in a vehicle, then on foot, but was eventually apprehended after a tracking dog (K-9) was deployed.    

The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service with the assistance of the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated that Brandon Shane Kolesar, age 39, of Lexington, plead guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2), and 924(e). Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, of Columbia, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the United States Probation Office.

Evidence presented in court established that on the evening of March 29, 2018, deputies with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call about someone breaking into cars. Upon arriving at the scene, witnesses said they observed a man, later identified as Kolesar, attempting to get into a vehicle. When confronted by the men, Kolesar threatened them with a handgun. Deputies searched the area and found Kolesar on a porch of a residence. As deputies approached, Kolesar ran and a .380 caliber handgun fell from his waistband. Deputies recovered the firearm and later apprehended Kolesar through the use of a K-9. A search incident to arrest also revealed approximately 25 grams of marijuana on Kolesar’s person. Kolesar was arrested on state charges and thereafter, a federal arrest warrant and complaint was issued.

Kolesar is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior state convictions. Kolesar has prior state convictions for burglary 2nd degree and ill treatment of animals, where he shot and killed a homeowner’s dog during a burglary (2006), pointing and presenting a firearm (2014), and assault and battery 2nd degree (2014). At the time of the current offense, Kolesar was on state probation, stemming from a September 2017 state conviction for unlawful carrying of a firearm.   

Kolesar faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused upon aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and reinstituted PSN nationwide. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.

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WASHINGTON – On May 23, 2018, the United States District Court in the District of South Carolina entered judgment for the United States in the amounts of $111,109,655.30 against defendants LaTonya Mallory, Floyd Calhoun Dent III and Robert Bradford Johnson, and for an additional $3,039,006.56 against Johnson and Dent, the Department of Justice announced today.  The judgment follows the January 31, 2018, jury verdict finding the three individuals liable for violating the False Claims Act (FCA) by paying remuneration to physicians in exchange for patient referrals, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute, and causing two laboratories to bill federal health care programs for medically unnecessary testing. 

“Improper financial relationships between physicians and laboratories can distort a physicians’ best judgment for their patients, in addition to undermining patient health and trust,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division Chad Readler.  “Executives and other individuals who break the law will be held personally accountable for their actions.”

During a two-week jury trial held in Charleston, South Carolina, the government introduced evidence that the defendants paid physicians remuneration disguised as processing and handling fees of between $10 and $17 for each patient they referred to two blood testing laboratories:  Health Diagnostics Laboratory Inc. (HDL), of Richmond, Virginia; and Singulex Inc., of Alameda, California.  The government also introduced evidence that the kickback scheme resulted in physicians referring patients to HDL and Singulex for medically unnecessary tests, which were then billed to federal health care programs. 

The jury found Mallory, HDL’s former CEO, and Johnson and Dent, who marketed and sold HDL’s and Singulex’s tests, jointly and severally liable for causing the submission of 35,074 false claims, worth $16,601,591, submitted to Medicare and TRICARE by HDL.  The jury also found defendants Dent and Johnson jointly and severally liable for an additional 3,813 false claims, worth $467,935, submitted by Singulex.  As provided by the FCA, the Court trebled those damage amounts, offset settlement payments received from HDL and Singulex for the same claims, and awarded $63.8 million in penalties requested by the United States, for a total judgment of $114,148,661.86. 

The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by federally funded programs.  The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that a physician’s medical judgment is not compromised by improper financial incentives and is instead based on the best interests of the patient.  

 “The Court’s damages award in this case recognizes the seriousness of what these defendants did,” said Sherri A. Lydon, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina.  “Paying kickbacks to cause unnecessary tests injures patients, the Medicare Program, and American taxpayers and the District of South Carolina will continue to pursue those who participate in such conduct.”

“This judgment affirms that individuals who cheat Medicare and TRICARE will not be allowed to enjoy their ill-gotten gains,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu. “This office joins with its Department of Justice colleagues in our mutual commitment to investigate misconduct and recover funds unlawfully obtained from federal healthcare programs.”

“Laboratories that pay kickbacks to physicians in exchange for referrals of business exploit patients and taxpayer-funded health care programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.  “Our agency is dedicated to investigating such corrosive kickback schemes, as they undermine the public’s trust in medical professionals, and the integrity of government health care programs.”

“The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate allegations of criminal misconduct between companies and individuals who engage in kickback schemes at the expense of the U.S. government,” said Acting Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division Chris Hacker.  “We recognize the importance of those who came forward and brought allegations to light and realize that we cannot do our work without the public’s help.”

The claims resolved by the court’s order were originally brought in three lawsuits filed by Dr. Michael Mayes, Scarlett Lutz, Kayla Webster, and Chris Reidel under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act.  Under the Act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the government for false claims and share in any recovery.  The Act permits the United States to intervene in and take over the whistleblower suit, as the United States did, in part, in the three consolidated actions against Mallory, Dent, Johnson and others in August 2015.  The whistleblowers’ share of any recovery has yet to be determined. 

The cases were litigated by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of South Carolina and the District of Columbia.   The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina, HHS-OIG, the FBI’s Columbia Field Office and FBIHQ’s Major Provider Response Team, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service assisted with the investigation.

The cases are captioned United States ex rel. Mayes v. Berkeley HeartLab Inc., et al., Case No. 9:11-CV-01593-RMG (D.S.C.); United States ex rel. Riedel v. Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:11-CV-02308 (D.D.C.); and United States, et al. ex rel. Lutz, et al. v. Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc., et al., Case No. 9:14-CV-0230-RMG (D.S.C.).  

 

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Florence, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated that Michael Jamal Grice, age 35, of Myrtle Beach, plead guilty this week in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2), and 924(e). United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell, of Florence, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the United States Probation Office.

Evidence presented in court established that on June 1, 2017, an officer with the Myrtle Beach Police Department was on patrol when he observed Grice make an improper right-hand turn from Canal Street onto Highway 501.  A traffic stop was conducted and upon approaching, the officer smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.  The vehicle was searched and police located a stolen Springfield 9mm handgun. 

Grice is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior convictions. Grice has a prior state conviction for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and a prior federal conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  

Grice faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Myrtle Beach Police Department and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused upon aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and reinstituted PSN nationwide. Special Assistant United States Attorney David P. Caraker, Jr., of the Florence office handled the case.  Caraker is employed by the Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office as a Senior Assistant Solicitor, and undertook this case in a joint effort with federal authorities to prosecute firearm cases.

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COLUMBIA –Jeremy David Grove, 30, Tyler James Durney, 36, both of Greenville, and Jaspal Singh Grewall, 40, of Anaheim, California, have all pleaded guilty in federal court for their roles in a marijuana distribution conspiracy operating between the East Coast and California. On December 12, 2017, the men were charged in a seven-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. Section 846, conspiracy to launder drug proceeds, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. Section 1956(h) and conspiracy to structure financial transactions, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. Section 371. 

The men devised multiple schemes to pay for and to transport the California sourced high-grade marijuana to South Carolina for distribution, including the United States Postal Service and commercial carriers.  According to the indictment, beginning in November 2014, the defendants deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds into “funnel” bank accounts, in amounts at or under $10,000. The indictment alleges the transactions were designed to circumvent the bank’s reporting requirements and conceal the nature of the transactions and source of the money. During the plea hearings, the defendants admitted using multiple bank accounts in a coordinated manner to funnel the illicit bulk currency from South Carolina for immediate withdrawal in California.

As part of his plea agreement, Grewall has agreed to forfeit to the government $500,000 in cash plus property located in Vista, California. The maximum penalties for the defendants range from 5 to 20 years imprisonment, depending on the offense(s) of conviction. All three defendants await sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Greenville City Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Leesa Washington.

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- Napoleon Isaac Mansell, age 35, of Greenville, South Carolina, was sentenced to 60 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).  United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks of Greenville sentenced Mansell on May 23, 2018.

At an earlier guilty plea hearing, Assistant U. S. Attorney Jeanne Howard, established that on March 1, 2016, Greenville County Sheriff’s Deputies executed a search warrant at Mansell’s residence on Old Buncombe Road.  The deputies found a .380 caliber firearm and ammunition inside Mansell’s residence.  Because of his prior criminal history, including felony convictions for distribution of crack cocaine and pointing and presenting a firearm, Mansell is prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.    

The case was investigated by agents of the Safe Street Task Force of the FBI, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, and ATF and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused upon aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and reinstituted PSN nationwide. Assistant United States Attorney Jeanne Howard of the Greenville office handled the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Caleb Elias Hartzog, Jr., age 59, of Orangeburg, pled guilty to Making a False Statement to a Government Agency, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, § 1001.  Chief Judge Terry L. Wooten accepted the plea and will sentence Hartzog on September 11, 2018.  

Evidence presented at the hearing established that Caleb Hartzog, a former drinking water operator for the town of Branchville, South Carolina, forged forms certifying that residents had collected drinking water samples from within their homes.  Hartzog falsified forms for at least ten residential homes.  Several residents claimed no one had been taking water samples from their homes for some time, and, in certain cases, ever. The samples were to be analyzed for potential lead and copper contamination. None of the ten residents had signed the forms in 2014, the year that is the basis for the criminal charges.

Testing performed after Hartzog was no longer the drinking water operator revealed no contamination of the Branchville water supply.

The maximum penalty faced by Hartzog is imprisonment for five years, with a potential fine up to $250,000.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) investigated the case.  Assistant United States Attorney Winston David Holliday, Jr., of the Columbia office is prosecuting the case.

 

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Melvin Leonard Wimmer, Jr., age 53, of Greenwood, South Carolina has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Greenville, to Securities Fraud, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1348.  Senior United States District Judge Henry M. Herlong, Jr., of Greenville, accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Wimmer at a later date after he has reviewed the presentence report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that in 2007, Wimmer started an investment firm in Greenwood called Cornerstone Capital.  From 2010-2017, approximately twenty-five (25) individuals invested $3.6 million with Wimmer.  Wimmer pooled the money into one bank account, and he traded primarily securities and stock futures and options.  Wimmer invested in high-risk securities and futures contracts.  Of the $3.6 million invested, Wimmer lost approximately $3 million. 

Wimmer committed fraud by issuing fraudulent account statements to his investors.  Soon after he started trading options and futures, Wimmer lost money, and he continued to lose money throughout the scheme.  Instead of reporting the losses, Wimmer emailed his investors monthly account statements that falsely listed gains of 8-10 percent on an annualized basis.  Wimmer manufactured and distributed false account statements from the outset, and he continued until the scheme collapsed.  Wimmer also falsely represented the expected gains from trading, including the past performance of his trades, and he failed to inform the investors of the high risk of trading futures and options. 

Ms. Drake stated that the maximum penalty for Securities Fraud is imprisonment for 25 years and/or a fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  Assistant United States Attorney Rhett DeHart of the Charleston office is prosecuting the case.

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United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that a Federal Grand Jury in Florence, South Carolina, returned Indictments against the following:

North Carolina Couple Indicted on Hobbs Act Robbery and Federal Gun Charges. Jeremy Lamar Hayes, age 29, and Kenney Mariah Boggs, age 25, both of Asheboro, North Carolina, were charged in a ten-count indictment with conspiracy to obstruct commerce by robbery, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section1951(a); obstruction of commerce by robbery, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section1951(a); and the use, carry, and possession of a firearm and aiding and abetting the brandishing of the firearm during a crime of violence, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A), Hayes was also charged with felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).  The maximum penalty Hayes and Boggs could face is a fine of $250,000.00 and/or life imprisonment. This case was investigated by the Myrtle Beach Police Department, the Horry County Police Department, the Surfside Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alfred W. Bethea, Jr., of the Florence office.

Conway Man Indicted for Illegal Reentry into the United States After Deportation. Carmelino Bersain Bravo-Roblero of Conway, South Carolina, was charged in a single-count indictment with illegal reentry into the United States after deportation, a violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).  The maximum penalty Bravo-Roblero could receive is two years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.00.

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement Removal Operations. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office for prosecution.

Myrtle Beach Man Indicted for Illegally Producing and Transferring False Identification Documents and for Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Alien.  Gullermo Palma-Rodriguez of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was charged in a 4-count indictment with illegally producing and transferring false identification documents, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1028(a)(1) and 1028(a)(2) and for possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(5)(A).  The maximum penalty Palma-Rodriguez could receive is 15 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.00.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office for prosecution.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in these Indictments are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

 

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Marcus Terrelle Marsh, age 34, of Columbia, plead guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2), and 924(e). Chief United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten, of Columbia, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the United States Probation Office.

Evidence presented in court established that on July 25, 2017, at approximately 5:50 pm, an officer with the Benedict College Police Department was on patrol when he observed a black male, later identified as Marsh, walking on the sidewalk of the 2600 block of Elmwood Avenue in front of the Benedict College Business Development Center, approaching Two Notch Road. Officer Eggleston observed Marsh, who was clad in jean shorts and a white t-shirt, wearing a GPS ankle monitor on his lower leg and noticed what appeared to be a handgun on Marsh’s right hip area underneath the t-shirt. After the officer pulled his car around, Marsh turned and walked in the opposite direction, stopping on the porch of a nearby home[1]. When approached by the officer, Marsh refused a patdown and ran. As Marsh began to flee, the officer’s body cam footage showed the firearm on Marsh’s right hip area. The officer gave chase and observed Marsh discard the firearm. Marsh was apprehended and the firearm was recovered. Marsh provided the officer with a false name, but his identity was later discovered. 

Marsh is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior state convictions. Marsh has prior state convictions for unlawful carrying of a weapon, possession of crack cocaine, resisting arrest/assault on an officer while resisting arrest, failure to stop for blue light and siren (3 separate convictions), possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine (2 separate convictions), possession with intent to distribute marijuana within the proximity of a park, possession with intent to distribute marijuana 2nd offense (2 separate convictions), trafficking crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine within proximity of a park, and possession with intent to distribute ecstasy 2nd offense.  

Marsh faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release. However, if he is deemed an armed career criminal in light of his extensive prior convictions, he would face a statutory mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years with a maximum of life, a fine of $250,000, and 5 years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Benedict College Police Department and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused upon aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and reinstituted PSN nationwide. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.

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[1] The resident later advised officers that they did not know MARSH.

Columbia, South Carolina: Colby L. Simmons, age 35, of Lithia Springs, Georgia, was sentenced to 78 months in prison after being found guilty by a jury for his involvement in a conspiracy to pass Treasury checks of the United States bearing falsely made or forged endorsements, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, and making false statements to federal authorities, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001. United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain of Anderson sentenced Simmons and also ordered that he pay over $236,000 in restitution.

Evidence presented at the trial established that there was a multistate conspiracy, beginning in or about June 2013, to steal Treasury checks and cash them.  The checks belonged to disabled veterans, retired federal employees, and current federal employees. Several victims appeared at trial and testified about having automobiles repossessed, no money for Christmas gifts, and loss of homes because of the thefts.  

The investigation focused on Simmons beginning in June 2014 during a car stop on I-85.  Greenville County deputies stopped Simmons and found a Treasury check that did not belong to Simmons and $10,000 in proceeds from the cashing of Treasury checks.  On top of the check recovered there was written the driver’s license number of Brandy D. Page, a co-conspirator from Cowpens, South Carolina, who has pled guilty and is awaiting sentencing. The check was sent to the laboratory and it came back as having on it the fingerprints belonging to Joshua A. Martin, a co-conspirator from Spartanburg, South Carolina, who has pled guilty and is awaiting sentencing.  Martin and Page arrested some months after the stop of Simmons’ vehicle and confessed to their involvement.

In December 2014, Wal-Mart in Boiling Springs reported that it was the victim of approximately $200,000 in reclamations related to the cashing of Treasury checks.  Three cashiers were interviewed and several picked Page out of a line up as a person who cashes multiple Treasury checks in the store.  Cashiers also identified Josh Martin as cashing multiple Treasury checks. 

In January 2015, the Greer Wal-Mart reported approximately $75,000 in reclamations related to the cashing of Treasury checks.  On many of these checks there were written Page’s driver’s license number and date of birth.  Others had Martin’s driver’s license number and date of birth.  The store also had on file fake power of attorney forms that Page and Martin had used to cash the checks.

Investigation revealed that Page and Martin began cashing checks for Simmons in the summer of 2013.  During the initial meeting with Simmons, Page received three to four (3-4) checks. There were many more meetings in which checks were provided to Page and Martin and proceeds from the cashing of the checks were given to Simmons.  Simmons brought Treasury checks to Page approximately one to two times per month for at least eighteen (18) months.

The case was investigated by agents of the Greer Police Department, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins of the Greenville office handled the case.

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Columbia, SC - Carrie B. Caldwell, age 40, of Aiken, South Carolina, was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment for embezzlement by a bank officer, in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 656 and filing false tax returns in violation of Title 26, United States Code Section 7206(1). According to information presented during her guilty plea and sentencing, Caldwell was a branch manager for Regions Bank in Aiken. During her employment, Caldwell embezzled more than $600,000.00 from the bank and used the funds to pay for travel, a boat, and other luxury items. Caldwell evaded detection by stealing money from dormant bank accounts. Additionally, Caldwell failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in income to the Internal Revenue Service.

"The role of IRS, Criminal Investigation becomes even more important in embezzlement and fraud cases due to the complex financial transactions that must be unraveled," said Matthew D. Line, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Field Office. "Those who cheat taxpayers by hiding their income and abuse their positions to enrich themselves at the expense of others will be held accountable." The Internal Revenue Service, working cooperatively with the Aiken Police Department and the United States Secret Service, investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson of the Columbia office.

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Columbia, South Carolina ----– The United States Attorney’s Office, the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services; SC Department of Employment and Workforce; SC Works; SC Vocational Rehabilitation; SC Department of Social Services; and the US Probation Office are continuing their statewide partnership to help individuals with prior criminal backgrounds secure employment.

The Second Annual Central Reentry Job Fair & Expo will be held Wednesday, May 23, 2018, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Dutch Square Mall, located at 421 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC 29210.

This fair, which supports job seekers in the Midlands, is one in a series of fairs held annually, including in Florence, the Upstate, and the Lowcountry. These job fairs are specifically designed for South Carolinians with a criminal history. The aim is to assist these South Carolinians with obstacles they face when they return home after incarceration, including employment, transportation, certifications needed for skilled labor, and other keys to living a law-abiding life. 

“We are excited to work with our federal and state partners on this second year of reentry fairs,” said U.S. Attorney Beth Drake. “Last year, we welcomed hundreds of job seekers and enthusiastic employers, many of whom were able to offer employment opportunities on site.”

The fair and expo will include area employers and other organizations who support, and provide resources for, returning citizens. Any interested employers or vendors should inquire with Diana Goldwire at (864) 315-9751 or dgoldwire@dew.sc.gov. 

U.S. Attorney Drake added, “Supporting the formerly incarcerated in their search for stable jobs and lives is key to crime prevention and community safety. Rehabilitation is one of the key goals of criminal justice. As President Trump said, ‘We’ll be very tough on crime, but we will provide a ladder of opportunity to the future...[We are] committed to helping former inmates become productive, law-abiding members of society.’”

For more from President Trump on the importance of helping inmates get jobs upon release and thereby giving those with a criminal record a second chance, please see the below links.   

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-proclaims-april-2018-second-chance-month/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-meeting-prison-reform/

Professional dress is required. Job seekers should inquire with Robbie Carroll of the US Probation Office at robbie_carroll@scp.uscourts.gov or George Whitehead at (803) 734-9143, (803) 667-1258 or george.whitehead@ppp.sc.gov if they have any questions about the event.

 

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Charleston, South Carolina ---- Tywone Eli Reed, age 38, of Georgetown, South Carolina, was convicted in federal court, in Charleston, of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, as well as a quantity of cocaine and crack cocaine; possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon; possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number; and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Senior United States District Judge P. Michael Duffy, of Charleston, presided over the trial and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the trial established that on September 2, 2016, the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit, comprised of narcotics investigators from local law enforcement agencies in Georgetown and Horry counties, executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence. In the defendant’s kitchen, agents found over 200 grams of heroin, almost 225 grams of cocaine and approximately twenty grams of crack cocaine, along with paraphernalia used to manufacture crack cocaine and package narcotics for distribution. In the defendant’s bedroom, agents recovered two loaded handguns on the nightstand, a loaded .556 caliber rifle leaning against the wall and a .22 caliber handgun in a drawer. They also recovered approximately $3,800 from the defendant’s bedroom. Agents recovered a total of 439 rounds of various caliber ammunition from the defendant’s kitchen and bedroom.  Evidence also showed that a six year old child was in the defendant’s residence at the time the search warrant was executed, despite agents waiting until school was in session to execute the search warrant.

Bill Knowles, Commander of the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit, stated, “We appreciate the working relationship that the DEU has with the United States Attorney’s Office and we are pleased with the jury’s decision to hold the defendant responsible for choosing to deal dangerous narcotics while heavily armed in our community.”  United States Attorney Drake added, “In the U.S. Attorney’s Office, we do our best work when we work closely with our state and local law enforcement. Many thanks to the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit and the DEA for the investigation that lead to getting this heavily armed heroin dealer off the street.”

Ms. Drake stated that Reed faces a mandatory minimum of ten years’ imprisonment and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The case was investigated by agents of the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, City of Georgetown Police Department and the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorneys Nick Bianchi and Chris Schoen of the Charleston office tried the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Brandon Leroid Cummings, age 28, and Brandon Christopher Craft, age 31, both of Sumter, were both sentenced today in federal court in Columbia by Chief United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten after pleading guilty earlier this year to various firearm and drug charges.

Cummings was sentenced to a total of 108 months imprisonment with 6 years of supervised release on charges of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin and cocaine base (commonly known as “crack cocaine”) and conspiracy to use/carry/possess a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(o).

Craft was sentenced to a total of 63 months imprisonment with 3 years of supervised release to follow on charges of felon in possession of a firearm and conspiracy to use/carry/possess a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(o).

Evidence presented in court during the guilty plea hearings established that May 17, 2017, Cummings distributed crack cocaine and four baggies of heroin to a confidential informant and undercover officer in exchange for $400. The transaction, which occurred in Sumter, was recorded on audio/video. Thereafter, on May 25, 2017, Cummings made arrangements to sell a firearm and heroin to the confidential informant in exchange for $800. When Cummings arrived to meet the confidential informant and the undercover officer, he was accompanied by Craft. Cummings provided the confidential informant what he said was heroin. Craft produced a Taurus .38 caliber revolver from a bag hidden in his waistband and gave it to the confidential informant. The investigation revealed that the firearm had been previously reported as stolen. Additionally, the heroin sold by Cummings on this occasion, while packaged like the previously sold heroin, was found to be cocaine during a laboratory analysis.

Cummings had prior state convictions for possession with distribution of marijuana, possession of crack cocaine (2 counts), and possession schedule I/schedule II controlled substance 2nd offense. Craft had prior state convictions for burglary 2nd degree (2 counts), possession of crack cocaine, possession of a firearm, assault and battery 2nd degree, and forgery (2 counts).

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”) and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Department and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused upon aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and reinstituted PSN nationwide. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Jackie Tyrell Kennedy, age 25, of Florence, was sentenced today in federal court after pleading guilty in January to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). Chief United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten of Columbia sentenced Kennedy to 42 months imprisonment, which will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

Evidence presented in court established on October 13, 2017, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, along with officers and deputies from the Columbia Police Department, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department executed a sting operation as part of “Operation Cross County,” targeting human sex trafficking. While investigating sex trafficking at a Columbia motel, agents encountered Kennedy, who fled on foot and dropped a Cobra .380 caliber handgun along the way. Agents were able to locate the firearm and determine Kennedy’s true identity after he provided a false name. Agents also recovered additional ammunition belonging to Kennedy inside the motel room. The female inside the motel room described Kennedy as sort of like her pimp.

Kennedy is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his August 2017 Virginia conviction for possession of ecstasy. Kennedy was on state probation for that offense at the time of this incident.   

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Columbia Police Department, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused upon aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and reinstituted PSN nationwide. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina------- United States Attorney Beth Drake announced today that Ana Milena Barrero, age 24, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment today in Federal Court in Greenville.

The evidence presented at the change of plea hearing and at the sentencing hearing showed that Barrero and her boyfriend, Theodore Khleborod, formed an agreement to sell large quantities of opioids, including U-47700 and fentanyl, using a dark web internet site called “AlphaBay.”  Interfacing with customers on AlphaBay under the username “PetertheGreat,” Khleborod and Barrero would ship opioids to customers via the U.S. Mail, and these customers would pay for the drugs using bitcoin.  The investigation culminated in the arrest of Khleborod and Barrero on April 26, 2017, and a search of their apartment in downtown Greenville.  Police seized approximately 43 pounds of substances they believe to be opioids during the search of the apartment, and authorities believe that drugs distributed by Barrero and Khleborod resulted in the deaths of at least two people and the serious bodily injury of a third.

The case was investigated by Special Agents with ICE-Homeland Security Investigations, Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST), the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville Police Department, and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office.  

Assistant United States Attorney Andy Moorman, Deputy Criminal Chief for the Narcotics Division, prosecuted the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- Antonio Miller, age 39, of Columbia, South Carolina, plead guilty to three counts today in connection with the torture, robbery, and murder of Fred Tucker in Aiken: (1) Using a firearm to commit murder in furtherance of a crime of violence and drug trafficking; (2) Kidnapping resulting in death; and (3) Conspiring to distribute crack cocaine resulting in death.  United States District Judge Mary Lewis accepted the plea and will sentence Miller in the coming months.

Hearings revealed that on September 15, 2008, Miller and three confederates targeted Fred Tucker to rob him of drugs and drug proceeds to further their ongoing efforts to distribute crack cocaine. Miller and the others drove in a rental car to Tucker’s house in Aiken. Carrying multiple firearms, these four men entered Tucker’s home, subdued and restrained Tucker, binding his hands and feet with duct tape, before repeatedly burning him with a scalding flathead screwdriver. After torturing Tucker in order to learn the location of hidden drugs and drug proceeds, Tucker was fatally shot in the chest. Through the work of local law enforcement, searches of the rental car and Miller’s own residence revealed crack cocaine taken from Tucker and firearms that ballistically matched those used to murder Tucker.

After his co-defendants pleaded guilty, a state-court jury convicted Miller of kidnapping, murder, and related charges before SC Circuit Judge Doyet A. (Jack) Early, III. On appeal in 2016, the South Carolina Supreme Court reversed the conviction. As part of a longstanding history of cooperation with Second Circuit Solicitor Strom Thurmond Jr., federal authorities indicted Miller in 2017. After U.S. District Judge Lewis denied Miller’s attempts to suppress evidence of the murder, Miller agreed to plead guilty and be sentenced to thirty years in federal prison.  

The case was investigated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, FBI, Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, the Aiken Department of Public Safety, the North Augusta Department of Public Safety and the United States Marshal’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys J.D. Rowell and Jay Richardson are prosecuting the case.

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Greenville, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Antonio Devon Williamson, age 30, of Florence, South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court in Anderson, for a conspiracy to murder a trial witness of the State of South Carolina, in violation of the federal Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering (VCAR) statute, Title 18, United States Code, Section 1959(a)(5).  United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain, of Anderson, sentenced Williamson to 60 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release. 

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Williamson conspired with fellow members of the Elm Street Piru Bloods gang, in Greenville County, South Carolina, to attempt to murder a witness in an upcoming state trial.  That witness had been the victim of an armed robbery, committed by Brian Lewis, the leader of the Elm Street Piru gang for all of South Carolina.  Lewis commissioned Williamson and others, as members and leaders in Elm Street Piru, to murder the anticipated victim/witness in order to avoid a lengthy sentence for that crime.  Law enforcement, however, was able to intercept the conspiracy before any attempt on that individual’s life could be accomplished.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney D. Josev Brewer of the Greenville office handled the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Rico Reid, a/k/a “Deuce”, age 41, of Berkeley County, South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court yesterday in Charleston, South Carolina, for (1) Using and Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i), (2) Possession with Intent to Distribute and Distribute of Heroin in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) & 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C), and (3) Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).  Senior United States District Judge Patrick Michael Duffy, of Charleston, sentenced Reid to twenty years’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release,   

Evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that in 2016 and 2017, agents conducted an undercover operation during which they made several purchases of firearms and heroin from Reid.  Reid was previously convicted of several crimes punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year and was therefore prohibited from carrying a firearm.

Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis stated, “With the assistance of the ATF and U.S. Attorney’s Office, a major player around the Goose Creek area in the gun and narcotics trade has been removed from society.  This 20-year federal sentence should send a strong message to the criminal element.”                

The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with the assistance of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Limehouse and Sean Kittrell of the Charleston office prosecuted the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina-------United States Attorney Beth Drake announced today that a sentencing hearing for Ana Milena Barrero, age 24, has been set for Friday morning, May 11, 2018, at 10:00 A.M. in the federal courthouse in Greenville. 

The case was investigated by Special Agents with ICE-Homeland Security Investigations, Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST), the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville Police Department, and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. 

Assistant United States Attorney Andy Moorman, Deputy Criminal Chief for the Narcotics Division, is prosecuting the case.

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United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that a Federal Grand Jury in Greenville, South Carolina, returned Indictments against the following:

Health Care Providers Indicted on Conspiracy and Health Care Fraud.  Donna Becker, age 54, of Greenville, South Carolina; Marcela Dolores Farrer, age 53, of Columbia, South Carolina; and Carol Guardiola, age 65, of Columbia, South Carolina, were charged in a six-count Indictment.  All three defendants were charged with Conspiracy, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371; Bribery of Public Officials and Witnesses, a violation of Title 18 , United States Code, Section 201(c)(1)(B); and Acts Affecting a Personal Financial Interest, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 208(a).  The maximum penalty the defendants could receive is a fine of $250,000 and/or five (5) years imprisonment.  The case was investigated by agents of the Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney William J. Watkins, Jr. of the Greenville office for prosecution.

Greenwood Resident Indicted on Murder for Hire.  Brandon Cory Lecroy, age 25, of Hodges, South Carolina, was charged in a two-count Indictment with Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 373, and Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-For-Hire, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1958(a).  The maximum penalty Lecroy could receive is a fine of $250,000 and/or ten (10) years imprisonment.  The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney William J. Watkins, Jr., of the Greenville office for prosecution.

Two Individuals Charged with Possession of Contraband Cell Phones in Federal Prison.  Megan Eileen Wall, age 22, of Salisbury, North Carolina, was charged in a two-count Indictment with knowingly providing a contraband cell phone to William Lewis Meeks, an inmate of Edgefield Federal Correctional Facility, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1791(a)(1).  William Lewis Meeks, age 40, an inmate of Edgefield Federal Correctional Facility, was charged with knowingly possessing a contraband cell phone, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1791(a)(2).  The maximum penalty Wall and Meeks could face is a fine of $100,000.00 and/or imprisonment of not more than one year. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Prisons and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeanne Howard of the Greenville office.

Individual Indicted for False Claim to be a US Citizen.  Jose Rodolfo Morales Ruiz, age 20, was charged in a three-count Indictment with Fraud and Misuse of Visas, Permits and Other Documents, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1546(a), which carries a maximum penalty of a fine of $250,000 and/or ten (10) years imprisonment; False Claim to be a US Citizen, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 911, which carries a maximum penalty of a fine of $250,000 and/or three (3) years imprisonment; and False Representation of a Social Security Number, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B), which carries a maximum penalty of a fine of $250,000 and/or five (5) years imprisonment.  The case was investigated by agents of ICE-Homeland Security Investigations and is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney David C. Stephens of the Greenville office for prosecution.

Townville Man Indicted on Federal Gun and Ammunition Charges.  Devon Samuel Prater, age 23, of Townville, South Carolina, is charged in a one-count Indictment with Felon in Possession of firearms and ammunition, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).  The maximum possible penalty Prater could receive, depending on his prior criminal history, is up to life imprisonment.  The case was investigated by the Anderson Police Department and agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen in the Greenville U.S. Attorney’s Office.

 

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in these indictments are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

 

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Columbia, SC - With summer approaching, parents and camps alike are making plans for terrific, fun opportunities for young campers to learn new skills and grow in their confidence and abilities.  The United States Attorney’s Office has taken the opportunity to increase the understanding of camp organizers and parents about the law that pertains to camps which ensures that all children are welcome, especially those with disabilities.  To help ensure that children with disabilities are allowed the opportunity to attend summer camp, the U.S. Attorney’s Office recently sent the attached flyer to hundreds of summer camps located within the District of South Carolina reminding them of their responsibilities and obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).

Under the ADA, summer camps, both private and those run by municipalities, must make reasonable modification to enable campers with disabilities to participate fully in all camp programs and activities. This generally means that children with disabilities are entitled to attend any camp or activity that non-disabled children attend, that camps must evaluate each child on an individual basis, and that camps must train their staff in the requirements of the ADA.  Camps are obligated to pay for the cost of any reasonable modifications necessary for disabled children to participate in camp activities, and parents should not be charged any additional fee beyond standard camp enrollment costs.

“Summer camps – whether in a tent or a gym -  present tremendous growth opportunities for our children.  Camp is not only fun, but the camp experience offers the camper the opportunity to try new things, develop some independence, and gain self-confidence in the process,” said U.S. Attorney Drake. “All of our kids should have access to summer camps and in fact the law requires camps to provide equal opportunities to disabled children whose needs can be reasonably accommodated.”

Additional information about the ADA is available at www.ada.gov, or through contacting the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Team at (864) 282-2100 or https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/civil-rights.

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2018_ada_summer_camp_flyer_0.pdf

Columbia, South Carolina –------- United States Attorney Beth Drake announced today on May 2, 2018, April Cormelius Miller, age 44, of Seattle, Washington, was sentenced by District Court Judge Timothy M. Cain sitting in Anderson, South Carolina.  Miller was sentenced to serve 135 months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons to be followed by 3 years of Supervised Release. 

Miller was charged with two counts of wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343. The fraud consisted of offering a totally bogus investment which purported to be a legitimate program run out of Switzerland with the approval of banking and government entities in that country.  Miller would represent to potential investors that the investment was totally risk free and that the returns were up to 100% each month.  In order to boost her credibility Miller would claim that she had been in banking for 20 years, that she had large personal investments, that she had a number of attorneys on her payroll, and that for 17 years she had been successfully taking investors to Switzerland to engage in the investment she was offering.  These credentials turned out to be as bogus as the investment that was being offered.

In 2011 Miller came to the attention of the FBI in South Carolina which along with AUSA Stephens launched an undercover investigation into Miller’s activities.  During this operation Miller was recorded pitching the “opportunity” to persons she believed to be representatives of a charitable organization which had a $30 Million endowment which they wished to invest.  These persons were in fact FBI agents and operatives.

Miller was indicted in January 2012 and tried and convicted by a jury in June 2012.  During the trial it was shown that the investment program was in fact totally non-existent and that Miller had none of the credentials that she had claimed.  At the conclusion of the trial Miller was allowed to remain on bond, however, she became a fugitive and was not located by the United States Marshals Service until May 2017.

United States Attorney Drake commended the FBI, AUSA Stephens and the US Marshals Service for their role in a long and complicated investigation, prosecution and fugitive hunt.         

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Jesus Patino-Lopez, age 31, of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, was sentenced in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, for Illegal Re-Entry into the United States.  United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins, Jr. of Spartanburg sentenced Patino-Lopez to 10 months in federal prison with 1 year of supervised release to follow. 

The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that on June 23, 2017, ICE–Enforcement and Removal Operations Officers in Charleston, SC, encountered Patino-Lopez at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center where he was detained for local charges.  A records check revealed that Patino-Lopez is a native and citizen of Mexico and had two prior removals in 2009.  On both occasions, he was removed from the United States back to Mexico.  A records check also revealed that Patino-Lopez had not received permission to enter, re-enter, or remain in the United States. 

This case was investigated by officers of the ICE–Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Horry County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Hummel of the Florence office handled the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Nicholas Benitez-Hernandez, age 46, of Mexico, has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Columbia to Illegal Re-Entry, a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) and (b)(2).  United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs, of Columbia, accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that the South Carolina Department of Public Safety/Immigration Enforcement Unit (SCDPS/IEU) and the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office arrested Benitez-Hernandez for Forgery and Identity Fraud to Obtain Employment. He was encountered by ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations agents on April 26, 2018, at the Lexington County. An investigation revealed that he is a citizen of Mexico who had previously been deported after serving a sentence for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute. U.S. Attorney Drake stated the maximum penalty for Illegal Re-Entry is imprisonment for 29 years and/or a fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by agents of the SCDPS/IEU, the Newberry County Sherriff’s Office and ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations.  Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day, II of the Columbia office is prosecuting the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that David Scott LaPointe was sentenced to prison for 8 months followed by 3 years supervised release in federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, by United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis, of Columbia, after being convicted for failing to register as a sex offender in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2250(a).

Evidence presented at the guilty plea and other hearings established that LaPointe was convicted in September 2002 of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor-Second Degree (Person Under 13).  As a result of this conviction, he was required to register in any state where he lived, worked or attended school.  LaPointe registered as a sex offender in North Carolina after serving his sentence but failed to register when he moved to South Carolina in June 2017.        

The United States Marshal Service, Mecklenburg, and York County Sheriff Offices investigated the case.  Assistant United States Attorney Bill Day of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Gerald Arnette, Jr., of Dillion, was sentenced in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, for bank fraud, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344.  United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell, of Florence, sentenced the defendant to one year and a day in federal prison.

Evidence presented established that the defendant was a loan officer at Citizens Bank in Florence, South Carolina. In his role as loan officer, the defendant used his position to fraudulently obtain loans, some of which he received kickbacks for obtaining. Moreover, information was presented that the defendant paid back over $150,000 dollars to the bank thereby making full restitution for the loans that were fraudulently issued.

The case was investigated by agents of the FBI and US Postal Inspector.  Assistant United States Attorney Jay Richardson of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.

         

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Artemio Bustos Solano, age 35, of Conway, SC, was sentenced in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, a violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846.  United States District Judge Bryan Harwell, of Florence, sentenced Solano to 48 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release,   

Evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that in the later part of 2010, agents learned from a confidential informant that Solano and a codefendant, who previously pled guilty and has been sentenced, were involved in the distribution of multiple kilograms of cocaine in the Horry County area.  The informant was able to approach Solano and the codefendant and arrange for the controlled purchase of two kilograms of cocaine from them.  Solano negotiated the details of the deal which was to take place on April 8, 2011 in the parking lot of a grocery store in Conway.  On April 8 the informant brought the “buy money” to the grocery store parking lot and showed it to the codefendant who then left to retrieve the cocaine from Solano’s residence.  After the codefendant returned to the grocery store parking lot with the cocaine, agents arrested the codefendant and seized the two kilograms.  However, agents were not able to apprehend Solano at the scene.  In fact, he was not arrested until September 2017.            

The case was investigated by agents of ICE- Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU).  Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office prosecuted the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that in its continued efforts to support the commitments in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the U.S. Attorney’s Office participated in Advocacy Day for Access and Independence 2018 this past week.

This annual event was led by Able SC, which is a Center for Independent Living organization, whose mission includes empowering people with disabilities to live active and self-determined lives.  There were several speakers on the State House grounds for the April 25, 2018 event including members of the SC General Assembly, various SC Departments, disability advocates, non-profit entities, and members of the disability community.  Support groups from around the state participated and hundreds of people attended the event.

Assistant United States Attorney Rob Sneed participated on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  AUSA Sneed is one of two prosecutors in the US Attorney’s Office whose practice is largely civil rights enforcement.  AUSA Sneed focused his remarks on the Department of Justice’s Project Civic Access (PCA).  Access to civic life is a fundamental part of American society and The ADA requires that state and local governments be accessible to people with disabilities.  PCA a wide-ranging effort to ensure that counties, cities, towns, and villages comply with the ADA by eliminating physical and communication barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in community life.  The Department of Justice has conducted reviews across the entire country, in all fifty states, territories, and the District of Columbia.  It has resulted in hundreds of settlement agreements for communities to come into ADA compliance.  These agreements are tailored to address the steps each community must take to improve access.  PCA agreements typically include requirements to make physical modifications to facilities so that, among other elements, parking, routes into buildings, entrances, assembly areas, restrooms, service counters, and drinking fountains are accessible to people with disabilities.  Other common provisions address effective communication (e.g., telephone communications), grievance procedures, polling places, emergency management procedures and policies, sidewalks, domestic violence programs, and ensuring that an entity’s official website and other web-based services are accessible to persons with disabilities.

In South Carolina, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Department of Justice have conducted several reviews of local and state governmental ADA compliance since 1994, resulting in several agreements with all levels of local government.  AUSA Sneed said that these ADA reviews in South Carolina have generally been positive and most governmental entities have responded cooperatively.  He further noted that the majority of officials are aware of their ADA obligations and have made progress in meeting them.  The work is ongoing however, and barriers remain for people in the disabled community.

U.S. Attorney Drake noted that, “Thank you to all of our South Carolina officials who are committed to providing equal access to all residents and visitors with disabilities.  These officials have positively impacted the lives of millions of Americans with disabilities through Project Civic Access. As a result of their commitment and that of the trial attorneys in our office and at the Department of Justice, the injustice of being denied access to government buildings or participating in government programs, services, and activities is becoming a thing of the past for Americans with disabilities.”

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that United States District Judge J. Michelle Childs sentenced Dr. Mackie James Walker, Jr., a former podiatrist of Aiken, South Carolina, to 188 months of incarceration for his role in a conspiracy to illegally distribute oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance.  The 188-month term of imprisonment followed sentencing hearings that spanned the course of three days.  Evidence produced during the hearings showed that Dr. Walker sold prescriptions of oxycodone, a powerful and addictive painkiller, to dozens of individuals without any legitimate medical purpose.  Dr. Walker directly communicated with several coconspirators who in turn would recruit individuals for sham medical examinations.  In some circumstances, no examinations were performed prior to Dr. Walker issuing a prescription for oxycodone.  Dr. Walker earned as much as $1000 per prescription of oxycodone. Based on the investigation, Dr. Walker wrote illegal prescriptions in excess of 1 kilogram of oxycodone tablets.  In total, fourteen individuals were charged for their roles in the conspiracy to illegally distribute oxycodone.

United States Attorney Drake stated, “This doctor sold powerful, addictive narcotics in breach of his responsibility as a physician.  The court’s sentence sends a powerful message to drug dealers with initials behind their name – be they doctor, nurse, or veterinarian.”  

The charges were the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration Tactical Diversion Squad, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, the Aiken Department of Public Safety, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Bureau of Drug Control, the Burnettown Police Department, the Columbia Police Department, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Ben Garner of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.

United States Attorney Drake stated that this case represents another example of the fine work being done by Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies working together to combat the opioid epidemic our community is experiencing. 

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Stephanie M. Campellone, age 46, of Myrtle Beach, SC, pled guilty in federal court in Florence, to Filing a False Tax Return, a violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1).  United States District Judge Bryan Harwell, of Florence, accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that Campellone owns and operates Mastercare Contracting, Inc., a lawn care/landscaping business in Myrtle Beach.  During the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, Campellone diverted a large portion of Mastercare’s income into personal bank accounts and substantially underreported the business’s taxable gross receipts on tax returns.  By understating the business’s gross income, Campellone also substantially underreported her income on her personal tax returns.  Specifically, for the three years in question, Campellone understated over $1,460,000.00 in gross receipts.  As a result of this conduct, Campellone owes over $447,000.00 of additional income taxes.    

Ms. Drake stated the maximum penalty Campellone can receive is imprisonment for 3 years and a fine of $100,000.

The case was investigated by agents of the Internal Revenue Service.  Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office is prosecuting the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Quavon Melik Bellamy, age 22, of Longs, SC, was sentenced in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, for Possession of a Stolen Firearm and Ammunition and Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana.  United States District Judge Bryan Harwell, of Florence, sentenced Bellamy to 24 months in federal prison with 3 years of supervised release to follow. 

The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that on February 14, 2017, law enforcement responded to a call about a man with a gun.  The 911 caller provided officers with Bellamy’s name and a vehicle tag number.  Officers ran the tag and identified the address on the vehicle’s registration.  Officers responded to the address and located the vehicle in the front yard.  When the officers arrived at the residence, Bellamy exited the house, and officers informed him of the victim’s report.  Bellamy stated that he ran into the victim and they had “words,” but he denied possessing or presenting a firearm.  Officers confirmed the vehicle was registered to Bellamy and inquired about firearms in the vehicle.  Bellamy responded there were no firearms in the vehicle and gave consent to a search of the vehicle.  Upon opening the vehicle door, the officer immediately smelled marijuana.  Officers searched the vehicle and located a black purse on the back seat that contained two glass jars of marijuana and a scale.  Officers also found a Springfield Armory 9mm handgun on the rear floorboard, fully loaded with fifteen rounds of ammunition, including one in the chamber.  After being advised of his rights and agreeing to speak with law enforcement, Bellamy initially claimed he did not know anything about the firearm, only later to admit that it was his and that he presented it to the victim.  After running the firearm’s serial number through dispatch, officers confirmed that the firearm was stolen. 

The case was investigated by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Horry County Police Department, the Horry County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina Highway Patrol.  Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Hummel of the Florence office handled the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.  In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001. 

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Scott Borrowman, age 50, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, pled guilty in federal court in Florence, to Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2250(a).  United States District Judge Bryan Harwell, of Florence, accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

The evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that in 2002 Borrowman was convicted in Washington County, Utah, of Unlawful Sexual Activity with a Minor and Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, which convictions required him to register as a sex offender in any state where he resided, was employed or was a student.  Under the law, Borrowman was required to inform authorities if he ever changed his address within the state or moved to another state.  In July 2016, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office discovered that Borrowman failed to report to update his sex offender registration and could not be found at his last registered address, so they issued a warrant for his arrest.  The matter was referred to the United States Marshals Service which soon discovered that Borrowman had moved to South Carolina.  Borrowman was located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and was arrested at his place of employment there on October 30, 2017.    

Ms. Drake stated the maximum penalty Borrowman can receive is imprisonment for 10 years and a fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service with the assistance of the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Juan Ramos-De Jesus, age 41, and Ignacio Montanez-Torres, age 42, both from Mexico, pled guilty in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, to Illegal Re-Entry into the United States after deportation, a violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a).  United States District Judge Bryan Harwell of Florence accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that ICE-ERO Officers on January 14, 2018,  discovered Juan Ramos-De Jesus and on February 9, 2018 discovered Montanez-Torres while they were in custody at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Horry County on state charges.  Immigration records revealed that Ramos-De Jesus and Montanez-Torres are natives and citizens of Mexico who had previously been deported from the United States.  Ramos-De Jesus nor Montanez-Torres have never received permission to enter or remain in the United States.

Ms. Drake stated the maximum penalty both could receive is imprisonment for 2 years and a fine of $250,000.00.

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations in Charleston, with the assistance of the Horry County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office is prosecuting the case.

         

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Columbia, South Carolina –------- United States Attorney Beth Drake announced today that Amy June Shaufelberger, age 31, of Plum Branch, South Carolina, has entered a plea of guilty to embezzling $40,000 from Regions Bank.  The plea was accepted by Senior United States District Court Judge Henry M. Herlong, Jr., who will sentence Shaufelberger at a later date.  Shaufelberger faces a possible sentence of up to 30 years imprisonment plus a fine of up to $1,000,000.00.

At the guilty plea the Court was advised by Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) David C. Stephens of the following facts.  Shaufelberger was employed by Regions Bank as a teller.  Regions received a complaint from a client that his account showed a balance that was not correct.  Upon audit of the account it was determined that $27,265.00 had been withdrawn which the customer stated that he had not received.  Each of the withdrawal slips showed that Shaufelberger had handled the withdrawals.  When questioned about the matter Shaufelberger admitted that she had taken the money for her own use and also had taken a total of $13,600.00 from two other accounts.

United States Attorney Drake stated that the case had been investigated by agents from the United States Secret Service and that AUSA Stephens of the Greenville Office was in charge of the prosecution.

 

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Columbia, South Carolina –------- United States Attorney Beth Drake announced today that James Littlejohn, age 66, of Gaffney, South Carolina, pled guilty on April 24, 2018, to two counts of theft of United States government funds in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.  The plea was taken by Senior United States District Judge Henry M. Herlong, Jr., who will sentence Littlejohn at a later date.  The possible sentence on each count is imprisonment for up to 10 years and a fine of $250,000.00.

At the guilty plea hearing the Court was advised of the following facts.  In February 2013 the Internal Revenue Service received two Form 1040 Individual Income Tax Returns bearing Mr. Littlejohn’s name, address and Social Security Number.  Each showed a large income with various deductions entitling Mr. Littlejohn to a refund for tax year 2011 of $98,261.44 and a refund for tax year 2012 of $122,696.56.  Two checks in these amounts were sent to Mr. Littlejohn who cashed same and converted the funds to his own use.  It was later learned that the Form 1040’s were bogus and that Mr. Littlejohn was not entitled to the claimed refunds.

United States Attorney Drake stated that the case had been investigated and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jaime Raich of the Southern District of Florida and Assistant United States Attorney David C. Stephens of the District of South Carolina. 

 

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United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that a Federal Grand Jury in Florence, South Carolina, returned Indictments against the following:

Horry County Man Indicted for Illegal Re-entry into the United States After Deportation.  Domingo Alvarado-Gomez of Horry County, South Carolina, was charged in a single-count indictment with illegal re-entry into the United States after deportation, a violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).  The maximum penalty Alvarado-Gomez could receive is two years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.00. 

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement Removal Operations. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office for prosecution.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in these Indictments are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

 

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Swan Nicoyis Jackson, age 22, of Camden, was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 180 months (15 years) imprisonment with 4 years of supervised release to follow. Jackson plead guilty in January to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1), 924(a)(2), and 924(e) and Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(D), and 851. Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, of Columbia, imposed the sentence.

Evidence presented in court established that on morning of June 2, 2017, Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department deputies encountered Jackson and another male walking down railroad tracks near a neighborhood that had recent thefts. When deputies asked Jackson and the other male to stop, they both ran. Deputies could smell marijuana emanating from their direction. During the chase, Jackson fell and deputies were able to catch up to him and found a 9mm handgun in his pants pocket, along with marijuana. Further investigation revealed that the firearm had been reported stolen from a residence.   

Jackson is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms based upon his prior separate state convictions for possession of crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, distribution of crack cocaine (2 counts), distribution of crack cocaine near a school, possession with intent to distribute marijuana 2nd offense, and possession of crack cocaine 3rd offense or more.    

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department and was prosecuted as part of Project CeaseFire, a joint federal, state and local initiative focused upon aggressively prosecuting firearm cases in an effort to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. Project CeaseFire is South Carolina’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority and reinstituted PSN nationwide. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.

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Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Jerry Oliver, age 52, of Lexington County, South Carolina, who plead guilty in January of this year to Murder for Hire was sentenced today in federal court in Columbia.  United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten sentenced Oliver to the statutory maximum of 10 years in prison.

Evidence against Oliver established that the defendant was a member of the Hells Angels and it was through this membership that the defendant met a person who was a FBI informant. The informant was working as a driver at the defendant’s place of work. The informant was charged with DUI and worried that he would lose his job as a driver, so the informant approached Oliver for help. Oliver recommended an attorney who Oliver knew and Oliver offered to cover the cost of the attorney if the informant would kill Oliver’s ex-wife. Oliver was involved in a contested family court proceeding where a hearing was scheduled regarding Oliver’s failure to comply with the divorce decree with his ex-wife. Oliver stated that the murder needed to occur before Oliver’s next family court appearance. The informant contacted the FBI who provided recording materials to the informant to record the interactions with Oliver. Numerous recordings of in-person and over the phone discussions of killing the ex-wife were captured. The informant told Oliver numerous times that he was a felon and the two discussed how to make the killing look like a robbery gone bad.

On September 29, the informant again told Oliver that he was a felon and needed help getting a firearm to do the murder. Oliver stated he would put a Glock in a truck on Oliver's property. The informant contacted Oliver who confirmed the weapon was in place for the informant to retrieve. The informant recorded his retrieval of a loaded Glock. The informant and Oliver discussed locating pictures of the ex-wife on Facebook, a recording of Oliver accessing the ex-wife's Facebook was captured – when Oliver told the informant to monitor the ex-wife’s location using Facebook.

The case was investigated by agents of the FBI.  Assistant United States Attorneys Jim May and Jay Richardson of the Columbia office are prosecuting the case.

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Columbia, SC - A federal jury convicted Michael Young Jr. and Vance Volious Jr. of dealing drugs and plotting to kill Young’s ex-wife with a mail bomb they bought with bitcoin from the Dark Web’s Alpha Bay Market. United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Young, 32, and Volious, 36, both of Columbia S.C., were convicted of conspiracy, transport of an explosive with the intent to kill, mailing a non-mailable explosive with the intent to kill, and carrying an explosive during the commission of another felony. Judge J. Michelle Childs presided over the trial and will impose sentence after a presentence report is prepared by the United States Probation Office.

Evidence presented at the trial revealed that while incarcerated in the South Carolina Department of Corrections, Young obtained a contraband cellphone smuggled into the Broad River Correctional Institution.  Young used that contraband cellphone to run a drug business distributing marijuana he obtained from a California supplier and from purchases on the Dark Web. Drugs purchased by Young would be shipped to a conspirator’s residence before being picked up by Volious for re-distribution.

While this drug conspiracy among Young, Volious, and others was operating, the conspirators also plotted to kill Young’s ex-wife. This was not the first time that Young had tried to kill her, as he was serving a fifty-year sentence after having been convicted of attempting to kill her and of murdering her father in an incident in 2007. Young turned back to the Dark Web on his contraband cellphone looking to purchase a mail bomb.  Young used Bitcoin to pay for the mail bomb to be sent to a conspirator’s residence in Irmo. He also had re-shipment labels addressed to his ex-wife to be sent to Volious’ house in Columbia. Co-conspirator Tyrell Fears – who previously pleaded guilty – obtained the labels from Volious, armed the mail bomb, and delivered the inert explosives package to the Post Office in Irmo on June 6, 2017. After a United States Postal Inspector recovered the mail bomb, search warrants and interviews the next morning led to the federal arrest and indictment of Young, Volious, and Fears.

U.S. Attorney Beth Drake thanked the law enforcement team that worked the case, “This was a particularly challenging operation, and we got a great result because of great policing.  The case certainly brings to bare the very real and dangerous problem that is contraband cell phones in our prisons.” 
South Carolina Department of Corrections Director Bryan Stirling lauded the collaborative effort between local, state, and federal law enforcement in this matter and emphasized the escalating threat that contraband cell phones in prisons pose to citizens across South Carolina.  “I would to thank our local, state, and federal partners for working alongside SCDC’s Division of Police Services in this investigation to convictions in this case.  These convictions underscore what I have been saying for years—contraband cell phones in the hands of prisoners pose a significant threat to not only other prisoners and corrections staff but to the general public as well.”

“This conviction was made possible by the coordinated efforts and exceptional work of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, all our law enforcement partners and the US Attorney’s Office,” said Alphonso Norris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Columbia Division.  “Our ability to stop a horrific crime from being committed and dismantle a drug trafficking enterprise speaks to the past and present commitment of the FBI and our partners to come together and devote significant resources for the protection of our communities.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Joint Terrorism Task Force, United States Postal Inspection Service, South Carolina Department of Corrections’ Division of Police Services, State Law Enforcement Division, South Carolina Information and Intelligence Center, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Lexington Country Sheriff’s Department, Irmo Police Department, USC Division of Law Enforcement and Safety, and Columbia Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Will Lewis and Jay Richardson with assistance from Dan Goldberg of the Fifth Circuit’s Solicitor’s Office.

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Columbia, South Carolina-------United States Attorney Beth Drake announced the indictment and arrest of fourteen former employees of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) on federal charges related to accepting bribes and bringing contraband into South Carolina prisons.

The federal violations include: Use of Interstate Facilities to Facilitate Bribery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1952; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud Depriving South Carolina of the Right to Honest Services, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349; and Possession with Intent to Distribute Narcotics, in violation 21 U.S.C. § 841.  

The individuals charged include: Rachel Burgess (age 39); Joshua Cave (age 29); Jamal Early (age 23), James Harvey (age 54), Douglas Hawkins (age 29), Robert Hill (age 53), Sharon Johnson-Breeland (age 29), Darnell Kleckley (age 33), Holly Mitchem (age 37), Frank Pridgeon (age 64), Catherine Prosser (age 60), Camille Williams (age 65), Miguel Williams (age 41), and Shatara Wilson (age 29).  All defendants were arraigned on their respective indictments today.

Since 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has partnered with state law enforcement to investigate the smuggling of contraband into prisons by staff at SCDC. The investigation uncovered a number of SCDC employees who accepted bribes to smuggle into prison various contraband, such as cell phones, narcotics, or tobacco.  Additionally, joint investigations over the last year, targeting the use of contraband cell phones in our state prisons, have led to the federal convictions of multiple defendants in two other prosecutions in the upstate and most recently, just last week, in Columbia. See links below.

Inmate and Conspirator Convicted of Using Contraband Cellphone to Deal Drugs and Obtain a Mail Bomb from the Dark Web

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/inmate-and-conspirator-convicted-using-contraband-cellphone-deal-drugs-and-obtain-mail-0  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/USAO_SC/status/989170992755986432

Jury Convicts Spartanburg Brothers in Federal Court of Drug and Money Laundering Charges (sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday, April 27th, 2018, at 9:30 am at the G. Ross Anderson, Jr. Federal Building United States Courthouse, 315 South McDuffie Street, Anderson, SC 29624)

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/jury-convicts-spartanburg-brothers-federal-court-drug-and-money-laundering-charges

Twitter: https://twitter.com/USAO_SC/status/953365064345702400

Fifteen Charged in Drug Trafficking Ring that Operated from Inside South Carolina Prisons

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/fifteen-charged-drug-trafficking-ring-operated-inside-south-carolina-prisons

This operation was a combined law enforcement effort by the FBI, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), SCDC, and U.S. Attorney’s Office.  U.S. Attorney Beth Drake commended the partnership:  “This operation signals our joint commitment to prosecute those who abuse their position for personal gain at the cost of the safety of our communities and prisons. If you have information about public employees and officials abusing their position, please contact the Columbia (South Carolina) FBI office at (803) 551-4200 or www.fbi.gov/tips.”

This case is assigned for prosecution to Assistant United States Attorney Jay Richardson and Assistant United States Attorney Will Lewis.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in these indictments are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

 

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