Northern District of Texas

The man who allegedly assaulted an 88-year-old woman inside her Dallas home yesterday has been charged via criminal complaint with carjacking and possession of a stolen firearm, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Kristopher Charles Martin Brown, 19, allegedly broke into the victim’s home on Cliffmere Drive around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 8, likely through her back door, according to the federal complaint.

He punched her in the face, then brutally sexually assaulted her, the complaint alleges.

After the assault, he allegedly dug through her closet and purse, taking money, the keys to a 2007 Lexus RX, and a Remington shotgun. He then allegedly tied the victim to her chair, disabled her telephones, and told her she would find her vehicle at an address on East Overton Road in five days. He fled the scene in her Lexus.

A few hours later, Dallas Police Officers observed Mr. Brown filling up the Lexus’ tank at a local 7-Eleven, with the stolen shotgun in plain view in the rear of the vehicle. When he was apprehended, Mr. Brown was allegedly wearing Nike shoes that matched footprints found in the victim’s backyard. 

After being read his Miranda rights, Mr. Brown told officers he’d purchased the Lexus for $900 at a complex at East Overton Road. He claimed he’d purchased the shotgun there too. While undergoing processing by DPD’s Crime Scene Response team, Mr. Brown asked officers if anyone had died, noting that “the old woman got up.”

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of wrongdoing, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Brown is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted, he faces up to 35 years in federal prison. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney P.J. Meitl is prosecuting the case.

 

SENTENCING – Sylvia Diaz

On September 30, Sylvia Diaz was sentenced to 4 years and 10 months in federal custody, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to acquire a firearm from a licensed firearms dealer by false or fictitious statement. She and her codefendant purchased in total 160 firearms in 50 separate transactions for a buyer in Mexico. Diaz falsely claimed on the corresponding paperwork that she was the actual buyer. This case was prosecuted by AUSA Cathy Richardson and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

 

GUILTY PLEA - Joshua Blake Browning

On October 1, Joshua Blake Browning, 38, pled guilty to escape from custody. Browning was serving an 8 years and 10 month sentence for the crime of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He escaped from a Federal Prison Camp in Seagoville by running when asked to forfeit a cell phone in his possession. Browning faces up to five years in federal custody, consecutive with his current sentence. This case is prosecuted by AUSA Suzanna Etessam and was investigated by the United States Marshal Service.

 

GUILTY PLEA – Robert Darren Moore

On October 1, Robert Darren Moore, 35, pled guilty to bank robbery. Moore admitted to robbing a BBVA Compass Bank within a Tom Thumb, a Bank of America, and a Texas Star Bank within nine days. Moore faces up to 25 years in federal custody. This case is prosecuted by AUSA Damien Diggs and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Addison Police Department, Richardson Police Department, and Sherman Police Department. 

 

GUILTY PLEA - Luis Alexander Vargas

On October 1, Luis Alexander Vargas, 31, pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Vargas was apprehended in a white van and attempted to escape on foot. He was quickly arrested and the officers found 62 kilograms of methamphetamine in the vehicle.  Vargas faces up to 40 years in federal custody. This case was prosecuted by AUSA Linda Requenez and investigated by the Irving Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

 

SENTENCING – Joshua Israel Pagan Zapata

On October 3, Joshua Israel Pagan Zapata, 22, was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months in federal custody for conspiracy to possess methamphetamine. Zapata and his co-conspirators agreed to bypass security at the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport with what they believed to be 10 kilograms of methamphetamine. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Investigations Division of the Internal Revenue Service, and the Dallas Police Department. The case was prosecuted by AUSA George Leal, AUSA John De La Garza, and AUSA John Kull.

 

SENTENCING – Christian Davis Cruz-Rodriguez

On October 3, Christian Da Cruz-Rodriguez, 24, was sentenced to 5 years and 5 months in federal custody for conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Cruz-Rodriguez told undercover agents about different methods to smuggle contraband into aircraft at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. He agreed to smuggle 6 kilograms of methamphetamine at the request of the undercover agents. The investigating parties on this case were the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Investigations Division of the Internal Revenue Service, and the Dallas Police Department. The prosecuting attorneys were AUSA George Leal, AUSA John De La Garza, and AUSA John Kull.

 

GUILTY PLEA - James Dick Biggs

On October 1, James Dick Diggs, 55, pled guilty to unarmed bank robbery. In April of 2019, Diggs robbed two different banks in Dallas by threatening employees. Biggs faces up to 20 years in federal prison. This case was investigated by AUSA Melanie Smith and prosecuted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

 

GUILTY PLEA – Christopher Cousins

On September 30, Christopher Cousins, 28, pled guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. In February 2018, Cousins and his two coconspirators entered a Sprint Store in Garland, brandishing a firearm. The conspirators stole smartphones and cash for a total value of over $13,000. Cousins faces up to 60 years in federal custody. This case was investigated by the Dallas Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is prosecuted by AUSA PJ Meitl.

 

A Dallas charter school CEO was convicted for her role in a corruption scandal Friday evening, following an investigation by the FBI Dallas Field Office, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

After five days of trial, a federal jury in Dallas found Nova Academy CEO Donna H. Woods, 65, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and three individual counts of wire fraud.  The jury deliberated for just over four hours to reach its verdict.

Woods’s co-conspirator, Donatus Anyanwu, 61, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in July.

“We are gratified that the jury saw through Ms. Woods’ scheme and held her accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “Ms. Woods took advantage of her leadership role at Nova to steer a lucrative government contract to a company that wasn’t equipped to handle it – and to pocket a tidy sum in kickbacks for herself. The Northern District of Texas will not tolerate corruption.”

“The defendant used her position for personal gain and blatantly disregarded the children she pledged to serve. On the heels of this fraud, E-rate ran out of funding and was forced to deny money to schools with legitimate contract proposals,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Office Matthew J. DeSarno. “The FBI works with our law enforcement partners to investigate individuals who use their positions of trust to commit fraud and corruption. It is crucial for us to protect federal funds and guarantee they help the intended recipients.” 

According to evidence presented at trial, Ms. Woods approved the granting of a federal telecommunications E-rate contract, worth approximately $337,951, to ADI Engineering, a company owned by Mr. Anyanwu.  In return for the E-rate contract, Anyanwu paid Woods $50,000 in kickbacks.

When the charter school initially selected another contractor for E-rate, prosecutors explained, Ms. Woods filed a falsified E-rate application re-directing the contract to ADI – despite the company’s shoddy record.  To ensure that ADI’s bid was accepted by E-rate program managers, Ms. Woods also allowed Mr. Anyanwu to copy portions of the original winning bid and pass off the work as his own.

Then, when, ADI botched the E-rate job, Ms. Woods falsely certified that it had completed the work when it had not.

Ms. Woods now faces up to 80 years in federal prison, 20 years per count. Mr. Anyanwu faces up to five years for pleading to single a conspiracy count. Sentencing for Woods is set for Jan. 16, 2020; sentencing for Anyanwu is set for Jan. 30, 2020.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and Federal Communications Commission Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. U.S. Attorneys Russ Fusco and Nick Bunch prosecuted the case. Senior U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater presided over the trial.

An Arlington drug dealer who sold the heroin that killed an 18-year-old Southlake girl was sentenced today to more than 28 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. 

Michael Dasean Robinson, 33, pleaded guilty on April 12 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced to 340 months’ imprisonment by Senior U.S. District Judge John H. McBryde Thursday. 

“This woman’s untimely death was tragic – and preventable,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “Even as we mourn the many lives lost in the opioid epidemic, we are determined to hold those who peddle these deadly drugs accountable.”

“The sentence sends a message to drug dealers,” said Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Division Clyde E. Shelley, Jr.  “Drug dealers will be will be held accountable for their customer’s overdose deaths”.

Evidence showed that Mr. Robinson – who went by the street name “Tight” – sold $40 worth of heroin to Reed Bartosh on Nov. 30, 2017.  

Mr. Bartosh told police officers that he and his girlfriend, 18-year-old Brianna Flood, used the heroin together that same night and then fell asleep.  The next morning, he told officers, he awoke to find her unresponsive. 

An autopsy later revealed Ms. Flood had died of a heroin overdose. At today’s sentencing hearing, Judge McBryde found that the heroin sold by Mr. Robinson had caused her death – which ultimately led to Mr. Bartosh’s subsequent suicide. 

According to a criminal complaint filed in January 2019, after the girl’s tragic death, undercover officers posing as Mr. Robinson’s clients bought heroin and cocaine from him and an associate:   

“Can you do 140 b and 50 g?,” an undercover officer texted Mr. Robinson, at a number provided by Mr. Bartosh, referring to heroin and cocaine.  

“Yeah,” Mr. Robinson responded. “Hit me up.” 

At Mr. Robinson’s direction, his associate delivered plastic baggies containing heroin (commonly referred to as “boy,” or “b”) and cocaine (commonly referred to as “girl,” or “g”) to an undercover officer parked in the driveway of a Dallas residence in exchange for cash. 

During a traffic stop a few days later, law enforcement found cocaine, heroin, and marijuana in Mr. Robinson’s vehicle. Multiple sources of information confirmed to law enforcement that Mr. Robinson was their regular drug dealer.  A forensic analysis of his phone suggested he had more than 200 customers. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fort Worth Police Department’s Narcotics Division, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Southlake Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith prosecuted the case. 

Kidnapper Michael Webb has been found guilty of abducting an 8-year-old girl and holding her captive for eight hours, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Following a two-day trial, a federal jury in Fort Worth, Texas convicted Webb, 51, of kidnapping after less than 10 minutes of deliberation. 

“Today’s jury verdict represents closure and consequence -- closure for the family and consequence for Michael Webb,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “Early on, I pledged to the family that my office would seek justice on behalf of this victim, this family, and this community. As a prosecutor and a mother, it was important for me to take part in presenting this case to a jury. We’re glad this jury delivered swift justice.”

"Today's verdict underscores the FBI's commitment to aggressively pursue those who would prey on the most vulnerable in our community," said Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno of the FBI's Dallas Field Office.  "I am proud of the outstanding collaboration in this case between the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, the Fort Worth Police Department's Major Case Unit Task Force, and the many citizen volunteers who worked tirelessly to help bring the victim home safely.  The critical role volunteer searchers and other members of the public played in recovering the victim cannot be overstated, and the FBI is grateful for their assistance.”

According to evidence presented at trial, Webb grabbed the child as she and her mother were walking down Fort Worth’s 6th Avenue at 6:38 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. Neighborhood surveillance video shows the victim’s mother knocked to the ground as Webb’s car drives away.

The victim’s mother testified, describing her daughter as “brave, strong, and smart” before describing for the jury the horrific details of the “physical fight” for her daughter’s life.

In a three-hour recorded interview with the FBI, Webb confessed to the kidnapping, admitting that after successfully fighting off the child’s mother, he drove to a church parking lot. Later that evening, he admitted that he took the girl to Forest Hill’s WoodSprings Suites hotel, where he carried the child into a room and held her captive.

It was around midnight when a tip led Forest Hill police officers to Webb’s room. Shortly before their arrival, Webb admitted to threatening the girl, and hiding the girl from law enforcement in a small laundry basket. The officers, having visually inspected the room, left without finding the child.

Meanwhile, friends, volunteers, and law enforcement canvassed the city of Fort Worth looking for the missing girl. It was ultimately the efforts of a family friend who spotted Webb’s Ford sedan and called 911. Fort Worth Police Department responded and confirmed that there appeared to be blood on the front passenger seat. Law enforcement then acted quickly to gain entry into the hotel room, rescuing the victim who was found hidden in the laundry basket.

Jurors heard an emotional, “We got her, we got her!” from officers who announced the news over the radio moments after they found the girl. “He’s in custody; we have her.”

Webb, who has been in federal custody since his arrest on May 19, faces up to life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s North Texas Child Exploitation Task Force, the Fort Worth Police Department’s Major Case Unit Taskforce, which includes representatives of local law enforcement around the region, Homeland Security Investigations and the Texas Department of Public Safety. U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aisha Saleem, the District’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, are prosecuting the case. U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor presided over the trial.

Two meat packing plant executives today pleaded guilty to their role in a scheme to sell more than $1 million of adulterated meat — including whole cow hearts labeled as “ground beef” — to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

West Texas Provisions, Inc. president Jeffery Neal Smith, 49, and operations manager Derrick Martinez, 43, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States before Magistrate Judge Lee Ann Reno Tuesday afternoon.

According to plea papers, the defendants admitted to selling more than 775,000 pounds of uninspected, misbranded, or adulterated meat to 32 prison institutions in 18 states, for which BOP paid $1,011,166.72.

In violation of the Federal Meat Inspection Act, West Texas Provisions marketed its products as USDA inspected when, in fact, it was processed without inspection, defendants admitted.

Plea papers indicate the company processed whole cow hearts — not permitted in ground beef products — and labeled it “ground beef.” They kept the whole hearts offsite until inspectors left the premises, then processed the hearts on nights and weekends, when inspectors weren’t working.

They often kept the lights off inside the facility while processing uninspected meat, hid uninspected meat in the freezer while inspectors were in the building, and distracted inspectors from looking at the product, they admitted.

Both Mr. Smith and Mr. Martinez face up to five years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

The Department of Justice Office of Inspector General and the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Taylor is prosecuting the case.

U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr has named U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox Vice Chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced today.

The AGAC – chaired by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie Liu – represents the voice of federal prosecutors across the nation and provides advice and counsel to the Attorney General on policy, management and operational issues impacting the Offices of U.S. Attorneys.  The AGAC priorities include combating the opioid crisis, reducing violent crime, protecting the most vulnerable and enforcing the rule of law.

U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox is replacing outgoing AGAC Vice Chair John Huber, U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah, who is rotating off the AGAC after several years of service.

“John’s departure leaves me with big shoes to fill,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “I’m passionate about serving the Department of Justice and enforcing the rule of law in this country.  I am honored by General Barr’s request to continue to serve the AGAC, now as Vice Chair.”

The Hon. Nealy Cox also chairs the AGAC’s Domestic Violence Working Group and sits on its White Collar Fraud and Cyber Crime Subcommittees.

She looks forward to joining U.S. Attorney Liu in presiding over the AGAC’s United States Attorneys, including the nine U.S. Attorneys just appointed to the AGAC today.

Two Reagor Dykes Auto Group employees pleaded guilty today for their role a $23 million “check kiting” scheme, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. 

Sheila Evans Miller, 52, and Diana Herrera Urias, 53, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud before Magistrate Judge Lee Ann Reno in Amarillo Friday morning.

Their CFO, Shane Andrew Smith, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in the check kiting scheme and a related floor plan fraud scheme.

In plea papers, Ms. Miller, an RDAG group controller, and Ms. Urias, an RDAG office manager, admitted that the auto group – which was struggling with ballooning expenses due to aggressive growth, above market compensation and unnecessary overhead – engaged in widespread, systematic check kiting, a ploy that involves concealing fraud by cross-depositing checks across several banks.

In fact, the company had an entire team at its headquarters specifically designated to kite checks, both women admitted.

Due to the kiting, RDAG checks that should have bounced instead cleared during banks’ float time, the period between the deposit in the recipient account and the deduction from the payer’s account, according to their plea papers. 

At the instruction of RDAG Chief Financial Officer Shane Smith, Ms. Miller, Ms. Urias, and others would make up random amounts for each check to total the amount that needed to be kited for the day, often discussing the calculus over email, they said.

Ms. Miller and Ms. Urias each face up to five years in federal prison and may be required to pay at least $23 million in restitution. Mr. Smith faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and will be required to pay a mandatory restitution of more than $50 million, equal to the total amount of loss suffered by FMCC and victim banks.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Frausto, Jeffrey Haag, and Sean Taylor are prosecuting the case.

An armed carjacker who repeatedly disguised himself as a police officer has been ordered federal prison for 30 years, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. 

Fernando Fabian Alvarez, 36, of Mexico, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn on Sept. 20 after an investigation led by the FBI Dallas Field Office.

“This Defendant exploited innocent citizens’ trust in law enforcement to commit acts of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “We will not tolerate criminals brazenly impersonating police.” 

“Police officers are trusted members of the communities they serve. When someone impersonates an officer, it violates the trust our citizens have in law enforcement,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “The FBI and its law enforcement partners encourage the public to report anyone they believe is a police impersonator. We will hold these individuals accountable for using a law enforcement uniform to harm others.”

In May, Mr. Alvarez pleaded guilty to carjacking and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence in Addison, Texas.

According to his plea papers, Mr. Alvarez admitted that he and an accomplice, donning police uniforms and badges, approached their victim at an apartment complex, striking him in the face with a 9 millimeter pistol. They then placed the victims in handcuffs, bound his ankles, and stuffed him into his own car.

While the victim was restrained inside the vehicle, a Mercedes Benz sedan, his apartment was burglarized and his valuables – including cash, jewelry, a smartphone, and a pistol – were taken from him.

Mr. Alvarez admits he and his accomplice later drove the helpless victim to another part of the apartment complex and abandoned him next to a trash dumpster. Mr. Alvarez then abandoned the Mercedes Benz in a parking lot.      

At the sentencing hearing, Chief Judge Lynn noted that in addition to the armed carjacking offense, Alvarez admitted in his plea papers to committing other violent offenses in the Dallas area, including:

•  A home invasion in Frisco, Texas on December 20, 2016. Mr. Alvarez and two accomplices, all wearing police uniforms, confronted the homeowner in his garage, drawing pistols and shouting that they were the police. They then bound the homeowner, his wife, and his teenage sun at gunpoint, and took approximately $6,000 in cash and other valuables.

•  A home invasion in Colleyville, Texas on January 26, 2017. Mr. Alvarez and his accomplices knocked on the house’s front door, announcing that they were U.S. Marshals. When the victim opened the door, they forced their way into the home at gunpoint, placed the victim in handcuffs, and took jewelry, clothing, a pistol, and an automobile. 

•  A home invasion in Duncanville, Texas on May 1, 2017. Mr. Alvarez and an accomplice confronted the homeowner in his garage at gunpoint and handcuffed him. The two robbers brought the homeowner inside his home and when the homeowner—believing that they were police officers—asked to see the search warrant, one of the robbers struck him twice in the head with a pistol.  The pair then took jewelry, approximately $10,000 in cash, and a pistol from the victim. 

Mr. Alvarez, a citizen of Mexico residing in the U.S. illegally, will likely face deportation proceedings after serving his sentence. He is ineligible for parole. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force, along with the Addison, Frisco, Colleyville, Duncanville, and Irving Police Departments, conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Gary Tromblay prosecuted the case

SENTENCING – Noe Pineda-Castro, Junior

On September 12, Noe Pineda-Castro, Junior, 23 was sentenced to 7 years and 5 months in federal custody for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams of methamphetamine. Court documents reflect that the defendant engaged in this conspiracy from on or about January 20, 2017, to on or about October 17, 2017. The Defendant was illegally in the United States at the time of his arrest. The case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case that was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dallas Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Criminal Investigations Division of the Internal Revenue Service.  The case was prosecuted by AUSA George Leal.

 

SENTENCING – Claudia Gomez Lara

On September 9, Claudia Marcela Gomez-Lara, 33 was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in federal custody conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.  Court documents reflect on or about January 9, 2019, the defendant delivered approximately 668 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine in exchange for $3,700.00 at a Home Depot parking lot in Balch Springs, Texas. The Defendant was illegally in the United States at the time of her arrest. The case an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case that was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dallas Police Department, the Balch Springs Police Department, and the Criminal Investigations Division of the Internal Revenue Service.  The case was prosecuted by AUSA George Leal.

 

SENTENCING – Juan Carlos Macedo-Benitez

On September 12, Juan Carlos Macedo-Benitez was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months in federal custody for illegal reentry after removal from the United States. Macedo-Benitez was originally removed from the United States in April 2017. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations. This case was prosecuted by AUSA Cathy Richardson.

 

SENTENCING – Jon Anthony Terry

On September 11, Jon Anthony Terry was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for the production of child pornography. Terry was found in possession of several child pornography files, and admitted to sexually abusing one of the children who was residing with him at the time of the arrest. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Ozark Arkansas Police Department. AUSA Camilla Sparks prosecuted the case as part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative. To learn more about this case, click here.

 

SENTENCING – Asif Ali

On September 11, Asif Ali, 48, was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud. Ali emailed various investors with fraudulent documents that showed wire transfers from several organizations. He repeated this scheme multiple times from 2009 to 2017, collecting over 3 million dollars, claiming to use this money to further the business interests of a fraudulent limousine company. This case was prosecuted by AUSA David Jarvis and investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation Dallas Field Office.  

 

GUILTY PLEA – Ciera Washington

On September 12, Ciera Washington pled guilty to robbery. Washington served as a get-away driver in the robbery of a Valero Gas Station in Mesquite, Texas. Her co-defendants threatened the store owner at gunpoint and stole cash and tobacco products. The Mesquite Police Department was able to track a device in the stolen currency to find the trio. Upon discovery, Washington led the police on a high-speed chase. After crashing the car, Washington was arrested by the police. The stolen goods were found in the vehicle. Washington faces a sentence of up to 20 in federal custody. This case was prosecuted by AUSA Cara Pierce and AUSA Rachael Jones.

HOUSTON – A 37-year-old resident of Houston has entered a guilty plea to federal charges stemming from his escape from custody, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Anthony Brown Jr. was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2009 and has been in custody since that time.

On April 8, 2019, Brown was placed in a local half-way house to complete that sentence. A few weeks later, during a regular accountability check, officials discovered he was missing. They discovered he did not have permission to leave or absence himself from custody and opened a fugitive investigation.

Authorities conducted a stop May 3 near Pinemont street on U.S. highway 290 after a vehicle had committed a traffic violation. Brown was driving. They immediately discovered who he was and took him into custody.

During the search of his vehicle, officers found a semi-automatic handgun hidden behind the glove box.

U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett accepted the plea and will set sentencing at  a later date. At that time, Brown faces up to five more years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

The U.S. Marshals Service, Texas Department of Public Safety and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation and arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Porto prosecuted the case.

FORT WORTH – A North Texas man was sentenced today to 240 months in federal prison for conspiring to provide material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani-based foreign terrorist organization also known as LeT, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox for the Northern District of Texas and Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of National Security.

“This case demonstrates how an American citizen can be radicalized by a violent ideology based upon hate and how the actions of the FBI and our partners on the Joint Terrorism Task Force worked tirelessly to prevent violence here, and abroad.  We cannot thank them enough for what they do to protect our community,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox.  “The 20 year sentence proves that justice in the Northern District of Texas can be swift and certain. We will work aggressively to counter terrorist threats and treat these cases with the highest priority.”

“Sewell conspired with another individual to provide material support to LeT and assisted his coconspirator with his plans to travel overseas to join the terrorist organization.  Today’s sentence provides just punishment for his crime,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of National Security.  “The National Security Division is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who conspire to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.”

“Eighteen years after 9/11, combatting terrorism remains the FBI’s top priority.  Here, the defendant, a natural born American citizen, helped recruit a fellow American to fight for a group responsible for unspeakable violence across South Asia,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno.  “The FBI Dallas Field Office, and its partners who make up the North Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force, will work tirelessly to bring to justice those who offer their support to terrorist organizations, both at home and abroad.”

Michael Kyle Sewell, 18, was arrested in February and pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge in May. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor this morning. During sentencing, the United States introduced evidence that Sewell’s offense was consistent with a long pattern of online statements supporting violent extremism.  Sewell had posted numerous messages threatening to attack individuals and gatherings of people who he believed were opponents of his radical beliefs.  Sewell also conducted internet searches suggesting that he was investigating ways to carry out such attacks.  During a search of Sewell’s home after his arrest, agents found an AR-15 style rifle, multiple magazines, and a number of knives in Sewell’s bedroom.

According to court documents, Sewell admitted to encouraging an individual identified in court documents as cc1 to join LeT. Sewell provided the coconspirator, who he spoke to on social media, with contact information for an individual he believed could facilitate the coconspirator’s travel to Pakistan to join LeT.  Unbeknownst to Sewell and the coconspirator, the facilitator was an undercover FBI employee. After providing the facilitator’s contact information to the coconspirator, Sewell coached the coconspirator about how to present himself to the facilitator.  Sewell then contacted the facilitator to vouch for the coconspirator’s intentions and promised that he would kill the coconspirator if he turned out to be a spy.  Sewell also told the facilitator that he would recruit additional fighters to join LeT.  The coconspirator continued to communicate with the facilitator, and made arrangements to travel to Pakistan to join LeT.

The FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force members, including the Arlington Police Department, the Fort Worth Police Department, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, the Naval Criminal Investigation Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Weimer prosecuted the case with the assistance of Trial Attorney Bridget Behling of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

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A North Texas man was sentenced today to 240 months in federal prison for conspiring to provide material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani-based foreign terrorist organization also known as LeT, announced Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of National Security and U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox for the Northern District of Texas.

“Sewell conspired with another individual to provide material support to LeT and assisted his coconspirator with his plans to travel overseas to join the terrorist organization.  Today’s sentence provides just punishment for his crime,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of National Security.  “The National Security Division is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who conspire to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.”

“This case demonstrates how an American citizen can be radicalized by a violent ideology based upon hate and how the actions of the FBI and our partners on the Joint Terrorism Task Force worked tirelessly to prevent violence here, and abroad.  We cannot thank them enough for what they do to protect our community,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox.  “The 20 year sentence proves that justice in the Northern District of Texas can be swift and certain. We will work aggressively to counter terrorist threats and treat these cases with the highest priority.”

“Eighteen years after 9/11, combatting terrorism remains the FBI’s top priority.  Here, the defendant, a natural born American citizen, helped recruit a fellow American to fight for a group responsible for unspeakable violence across South Asia,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno.  “The FBI Dallas Field Office, and its partners who make up the North Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force, will work tirelessly to bring to justice those who offer their support to terrorist organizations, both at home and abroad.”

Michael Kyle Sewell, 18, was arrested in February and pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge in May. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor this morning. During sentencing, the United States introduced evidence that Sewell’s offense was consistent with a long pattern of online statements supporting violent extremism.  Sewell had posted numerous messages threatening to attack individuals and gatherings of people who he believed were opponents of his radical beliefs.  Sewell also conducted internet searches suggesting that he was investigating ways to carry out such attacks.  During a search of Sewell’s home after his arrest, agents found an AR-15 style rifle, multiple magazines, and a number of knives in Sewell’s bedroom.

According to court documents, Sewell admitted to encouraging an individual identified in court documents as cc1 to join LeT. Sewell provided the coconspirator, who he spoke to on social media, with contact information for an individual he believed could facilitate the coconspirator’s travel to Pakistan to join LeT.  Unbeknownst to Sewell and the coconspirator, the facilitator was an undercover FBI employee. After providing the facilitator’s contact information to the coconspirator, Sewell coached the coconspirator about how to present himself to the facilitator.  Sewell then contacted the facilitator to vouch for the coconspirator’s intentions and promised that he would kill the coconspirator if he turned out to be a spy.  Sewell also told the facilitator that he would recruit additional fighters to join LeT.  The coconspirator continued to communicate with the facilitator, and made arrangements to travel to Pakistan to join LeT.

The FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force members, including the Arlington Police Department, the Fort Worth Police Department, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, the Naval Criminal Investigation Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Weimer prosecuted the case with the assistance of Trial Attorney Bridget Behling of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Jon Anthony Terry, 30, was sentenced yesterday to 60 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Erin Nealy Cox. 

On November 14, 2017, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents executed a search warrant at a home in Rockwall, Texas where Terry was living.  The warrant described several child pornography files that Terry had distributed and law enforcement had intercepted.  The videos and images depicted children as young as toddlers engaged in sexually explicit conduct.  After agreeing to speak to agents, Terry admitted to sexually abusing one of the children who was currently residing with him.  Several media devices containing incriminating media were seized by the agents.

Upon review of Terry’s media collection, agents discovered over 1000 videos and images of prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts. Additionally, they uncovered videos and images that Terry himself had produced of four children, including the one Terry had previously admitted to molesting. The children ranged in age from 2-10 years old. 

On December 13, 2017, a federal grand jury indicted Terry for four counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.   On February 19, 2019, Terry pled guilty to two counts of production of child pornography, each punishable from 15-30 years in prison.

On September 11, 2019, Chief Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn heard evidence at the sentencing regarding the abuse of these children.  Three of the parents of the victims provided statements that detailed the extreme emotional and physical suffering that the children endured and still endure as a result of Terry’s actions. The Court sentenced Terry to 720 months in federal prison and supervised release for life. 

“We will not tolerate criminals who target innocent children,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox.  “I am proud of my office and the investigating agents’ efforts in this case. The investigation and prosecution of these horrific crimes reinforces our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable in our society – our children.”

“As lengthy as it is, 60 years in prison will never compare to the lifetime of pain and suffering the innocent children in this case have been sentenced to. Plain and simple, the criminal in this case is a monster whose disgusting actions stripped these victims of their innocence and dignity,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Dallas.  “Homeland Security Investigations special agents won’t ever relent when it comes to protecting children and prosecuting predators whose behavior has no place in our society.”

This case involved the coordinated efforts of HSI and the Ozark Arkansas Police Department. AUSA Camille Sparks prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative designed to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The initiative marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

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Public Affairs Officer Erin Dooley will be out of the office thru Monday, Sept. 16.
If you need immediate assistance, please contact Suzanne Martin at suzanne.martin@usdoj.gov .

A Dallas man has been charged with operating a large-scale human trafficking organization, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Tremont Blakemore, 40, was charged by criminal complaint with sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion and made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Rutherford Wednesday afternoon.

According to victim statements detailed in the complaint, Mr. Blakemore -- who goes by the street name “Macknificent” --  may have trafficked hundreds of women across the United States between 2011 and 2018.

Mr. Blakemore allegedly cultivated an “environment of paranoia,” demanding near constant updates from the victims he forced into commercial sex and doling out severe physical punishment from those he believed were “keeping secrets,” according to the criminal complaint.

Victims said they were required to alert Mr. Blakemore of each illicit encounter as it happened or face grotesque abuse.

“I’m going to make an example out of someone soon,” he wrote in a group text message to victims. “I will not continue to tolerate disrespect that’s one of my biggest pet peeves.”  

Mr. Blakemore allegedly set a quota of commercial sex proceeds – generally about $1,000 or more per day – and required victims turn all earnings over to him, either in bulk cash or via money transfers. He set the rates for various commercial sex acts, and occasionally lowered victims’ rates to flood out competition.

“We need to be bringing in 100k a week,” he told victims in another text. “Those don’t like working need day jobs.”

To enforce the rules, Mr. Blakemore allegedly slapped, punched, choked, and kicked his victims, and occasionally burned them with cigarettes.

After one victim expressed a desire to leave his organization and have a family, Mr. Blakemore allegedly body-slammed her into an air conditioning unit, leaving her bruised, bloodied, and with severe back injuries. The victim told agents she believed Mr. Blakemore wanted to “make an example” in front of the other victims so they’d be afraid to talk about a life outside his control.

Mr. Blakemore allegedly appointed certain victims “group leaders” tasked with managing the trafficking organization’s business, including posting commercial sex advertisements online and booking women’s cross-country travel to engage in commercial sex as far away as New York and Hawaii.

In order to recruit new victims, Mr. Blakemore flouted his lavish lifestyle on social media, giving the illusion that his victims were also living in luxury.  

He even encouraged women to tattoo his street name on their bodies to signal their loyalty to him.

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence, and like all defendants, Mr. Blakemore is innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to life in prison.

Homeland Security Investigations, North Texas Trafficking Task Force, with the assistance of the Oakridge Police Department, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigations and Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by AUSA Melanie Smith, AUSA Nicole Dana, and AUSA Cara Foos Pierce.

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Public Affairs Officer Erin Dooley will be out of the office thru Monday, Sept. 16.
If you need immediate assistance, please contact Suzanne Martin at suzanne.martin@usdoj.gov .

 

 

A Texas man was sentenced today to 33 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for child kidnapping.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office made the announcement. 

Rene Gloria, 57, of Muleshoe, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas.  According to admissions that he made in connection with his guilty plea, on Dec. 24, 2018, Gloria lured two minor children into his car with the promise of money.  Once they were in his car, Gloria threatened to kill them and refused to let them out of his car.  After several hours, both minors eventually escaped from Gloria’s car and were recovered by law enforcement.

The case was investigated by the FBI with the assistance of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Muleshoe Police Department, the Bailey County Sheriff’s Office, the Plainview Police Department and the Hale County Sheriff’s Office.  Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Lorfing of the Northern District of Texas prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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 to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

SENTENCING - Samuel Colin

On August 26, Samuel Colin, 25, was sentenced to 78 months in the United States Bureau of Prisons for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.  Court records reveal that from October 18, 2016, to September 6, 2017, he conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine. The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Investigation and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service, and the Dallas Police Department. The case was prosecuted by AUSA George Leal.

SENTENCING - Jose Guadalupe Silva

On August 23, Jose Guadalupe Silva, 31, was sentenced to 17 years and 6 months in federal custody after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Silva admitted to working with others to distribute cocaine. The court authorized wiretapping and found that Silva and his co-conspirators used coded language to discuss the sale and dispersion of cocaine. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by AUSA George Leal.

GUILTY PLEA - Ronnie Rusk

On August 23, Ronnie Rusk, 44, pled guilty to using a communication facility to facilitate a drug felony. Rusk admitted to using a cell phone to discuss the distribution of a half-kilogram of cocaine. He coordinated with his co-defendant and a Drug Enforcement Administration cooperating defendant to deliver the cocaine to the cooperating defendant. Rusk faces a maximum sentence of up to four years. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by AUSA Suzanna Etessam.

GUILTY PLEA - Keon Dwayne Thompson

On August 27, Keon Dewayne Thompson, 35, pled guilty to felon in possession of a firearm and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Thompson and his co-conspirators traveled to Bonham, Texas to kidnap the victim. Thompson threatened the victim at gunpoint to force compliance with his demands to withdraw funds from the victim’s bank account. Thompson faces a maximum possible sentence of 15 years in federal custody. The case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Dallas Police Department. The case is prosecuted by AUSA PJ Meitl.

GUILTY PLEA - James Earl Cude

On August 27, James Earl Cude, 54, pled guilty to receipt of child pornography. Cude received the pornography via his cell phone through the Kik application. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. This case was investigated by Homeland Security and is prosecuted by AUSA Camille Sparks.

INDICTMENT – Jose Alanis

On August 28, Jose Alanis, 34, was charged with production of child pornography and possession of prepubescent child pornography. Alanis allegedly used his cell phone and laptop to document and view minors engaged in sexually explicit acts. This case was investigated by ­­­­the Dallas Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations and is prosecuted by AUSA Camille Sparks. If convicted, Alanis faces up to 80 years in federal custody.

SENTENCING - Donnie Arlondo Ferrell

On September 4, Donnie Arlondo Ferrell, 26, was sentenced to 30 years in federal custody for murder and using a firearm during a crime of violence. Ferrell murdered a postal worker during a road rage incident where he fired at the USPS vehicle. When law enforcement attempted to arrest Ferrell, he refused to exit his residence and surrender for several hours. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, Dallas Police Department, and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. AUSA P.J. Meitl prosecuted the case. To learn more about the case, click here.

GUILTY PLEA – Rafael Rubi

On September 3, Rafael Rubi, 24, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Federal agents were able to link shell casings from four separate drive-by shootings to Rubi’s firearms that were found in his home and car, along with heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. The case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Dallas Police Department. AUSA Rebekah Rickets and AUSA Gary Tromblay prosecuted this case. To learn more about the case, click here.

A Los Angeles man was sentenced today to 30 years in federal prison for murdering a postal worker during a road rage incident in Dallas last February, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox.

Donnie Arlondo Ferrell, 26, pleaded guilty in February 2019 to shooting and killing U.S. Postal Service employee Tony Mosby, who was behind the wheel of a USPS vehicle, a year prior.

According to plea papers, Mr. Ferrell – one of three passengers inside a Mazda traveling eastbound on I-30 – became incensed at something he perceived Mr. Mosby had done on the freeway. He leaned out of the Mazda and fired four shots at the USPS vehicle. Mr. Ferrell then watched as the USPS vehicle crashed into a retaining wall on the freeway.

After Mr. Ferrell later learned Mr. Mosby had been killed by a bullet to the head, Mr. Ferrell instructed the Mazda’s other passengers not to discuss the incident with anyone else.  When law enforcement attempted to arrest Mr. Ferrell two days later, he retreated into his residence and refused to surrender for several hours, according to his plea papers.

Mr. Ferrell pleaded guilty to one count of murder of an employee of an agency of the United States government, and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

“It was devastating to learn of the senseless act of violence that took the life of a federal postal employee while on the job in our district,” U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox said in February after the defendant’s guilty plea. “I’m gratified we could bring the perpetrator to justice. My heart goes out to Mr. Mosby’s family and friends.”

“The sentencing of Donnie Ferrell for the murder of postal employee Tony Mosby brings to an end an investigation of a heinous crime,” stated U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Fort Worth Division Inspector in Charge Thomas Noyes. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to protect our employees and customers. While we cannot prevent these senseless acts, we will not allow anything to impede our pursuit of justice. A special thank you to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, U.S. Marshal Service, Dallas PD and Dallas County Sheriff’s Department among others who worked swiftly to bring closure to this investigation and the Mosby family.”

A codefendant, Bei-jing Tashawna Walker, accused of accessory after the fact, entered a plea of not guilty last March. Her trial is scheduled to begin October 28, and she is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation with assistance from the Dallas Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dallas Police Department, and Dallas County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys P.J. Meitl and John Kull prosecuted the case.

A gang member involved in several drive-by shootings in Dallas pleaded guilty today to multiple gun and drug charges, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Rafael Rubi, 24, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance Tuesday morning before Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford.

Using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, federal agents were able to link shell casings found at the scenes of at least four drive-by shootings in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood to firearms found in Mr. Rubi’s home and car.

“Intelligence gleaned from ATF’s ballistic database helped get a violent criminal off the streets,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “We are proud to partner with ATF to use every investigative tool at our disposal – from shrewd agents to sophisticated technology – to track criminals wielding unlawful firearms against our communities.”

“Use of ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network can provide essential leads linking firearm evidence recovered from associated or seemingly-unrelated crime scenes, even if the crimes occur in separate jurisdictions,” stated ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II. “Every gun tells a story. In this case, the use of NIBIN capture and comparison technology revealed the connection between the firearms seized from Mr. Rubi and several violent crimes committed in the Dallas area. NIBIN is an excellent investigative tool. ATF works with our local, state and federal partners to advance the use of the technology to prevent, solve and prosecute violent crime offense.”

In plea papers, Mr. Rubi, a member of the street gang La Familia Homeboy, admits he was involved in all four drive-by shootings, including one shooting that targeted a driver previously involved in a car accident with Mr. Rubi’s girlfriend and another shooting that targeted the driver’s family members.

In total, approximately 119 cartridge casings were recovered at the scenes of the shootings.

The majority of the casings were later linked to two Glock pistols – one found stashed in a toilet tank in Mr. Rubi’s apartment (along with heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia), and another recovered from his Ford Mustang during a traffic stop hours after the final shooting.

During that traffic stop, officers observed Mr. Rubi’s passenger making “furtive movements” toward the floorboard, where they later located the loaded Glock pistol. Mr. Rubi admits he handed the Glock to the passenger and asked him to hide it.

A convicted felon, Mr. Rubi now faces a sentence of five years up to life in federal prison. He is set to be sentenced on December 18 before U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebekah Ricketts and Gary Tromblay prosecuted the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas today honored the four Federal Protective Service officers who neutralized a shooter who opened fire on the Cabell Courthouse on June 17.

“It’s been 73 days since a gunman opened fire on the Cabell Federal Courthouse,” U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox said at a private ceremony inside the building Wednesday morning. “A courthouse is one of a few essential nodes within the body politic. It's where cases are adjudicated, where justice is handed out, and where so much federal business is done. To target a courthouse is to target a pillar of our civil society.  And it’s not just any house.  It’s our house.”

The four FPS officers – tasked with guarding premises, including the roughly 150 Justice Department employees housed inside the building – were granted U.S. Attorney’s Awards of Excellence. 

Stationed that day on the south side of the building, all four FPS officers worked swiftly to clear the lobby and sidewalk, and assumed positions of advantage to return the shooter’s fire.

Their names are being withheld at the request of FPS.

“Too often, these situations end in tragedy – families grieving, victims inalterably injured, said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “But that day, not one single federal employee or citizen visiting the courthouse lost their life. Not one was seriously physically injured. And that is thanks to you. When danger came, you acted swiftly and selflessly. For that, we can never thank you enough.” 

Also in attendance at today’s ceremony was FPS Regional Director Cathy Long, representatives from the Department of Homeland Security police force, and grateful U.S. Attorney’s Office employees.   

A Denton County sexual predator was sentenced today to 50 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Adam Donald Bennet, 36, pleaded guilty in April to one count of sexual exploitation of children following an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations. He was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge John McBryde.

“Homeland Security Investigations’ tentacles extend globally, and in this case, resulted in the lengthy federal prison sentence of a previously convicted sex offender,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Dallas.  “With HSI attaché offices worldwide, we routinely share leads with our law enforcement partners to identify and investigate many different types of crimes — including and especially those targeting the most vulnerable members of society, our children.”

According to court documents, authorities began investigating Mr. Bennett in June 2018, when he began online chatting with an undercover officer. During their communications, Mr. Bennett acknowledged committing sexual acts with minors, according to the criminal complaint. He also sent the undercover officer video recordings of his abuse of a minor child residing in north Texas.

This case involved the coordinated efforts of the Eastern District of Texas and Northern Districts of Texas, Homeland Security Investigations, the Flower Mound Police Department, Denton County Sheriff’s Office, Denton County District Attorney’s Office, Wise County District Attorney’s Office, and Bridgeport Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aisha Saleem prosecuted the case.  

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative designed to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The initiative marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Tesa Keith, 38, a former direct service provider at the San Angelo State Supported Living Center in San Angelo, Texas, was sentenced to 51 months in prison for violating the civil rights of K.B., a resident at the facility, announced Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox, and FBI Dallas Division Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno.

“The Department of Justice is dedicated to protecting the defenseless in our society,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates the Civil Rights Division’s commitment to seeking justice for victims of civil rights abuses.”

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not tolerate this kind of unwarranted brutality against our District’s most vulnerable,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox.

“Our most vulnerable citizens have the right to expect the highest level of care from those charged with keeping them safe. What Ms. Keith did is reprehensible and today’s sentence clearly demonstrates the FBI is committed to justice for the victims of violence targeting defenseless individuals,” said Special Agent in Charge DeSarno. “The FBI and our federal, state, and local partners will continue to diligently work to identify and investigate any type of federal crimes targeting those who are dependent on others for their daily care.”

According to court documents filed in connection with the plea, Keith was working on June 13, 2017, as a Direct Service Provider at the San Angelo State Supported Living Center, a state-run facility. K.B. was a resident of the facility. Keith admitted to kicking K.B. in the face without legal justification and for the purpose of punishing her. Keith’s assault on K.B. resulted in bodily injury to K.B.

The FBI’s Dallas Field Office and San Angelo Resident Agency conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Juanita Fielden of the Northern District of Texas and Trial Attorneys Rose E. Gibson and Kate Hill of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

A father/son duo who submitted more than $27 million in fraudulent hearing aid claims to insurer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas was sentenced yesterday to eight and seven years in federal prison, respectively, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Terry Lynn Anderson, 69, and Rocky Freeland Anderson, 38, of Dallas, were convicted on multiple counts of health care fraud and aggravated identity theft in March 2018 following a 10-day jury trial before U.S. Chief District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn.

The elder Mr. Anderson was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $13.7 million in restitution to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas; he was also ordered to forfeit a 300-acre ranch in Valley Mills, Texas, three vehicles, and more than $3.1 million seized from nine financial accounts. His son was sentenced to seven years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $8.4 million in restitution to Blue Cross.

“In flagrant disregard for the law, these defendants submitted claims for equipment they knew patients neither needed nor wanted, just to line their own pockets,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “This sort of fraud impacts healthcare costs for patients who actually need coverage and we will continue to prioritize these cases.”

According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants defrauded Blue Cross by submitting claims on behalf of American Airlines employees for hearing aids that were not needed and, in many cases, never dispensed to the patient. The fraudulent claims were submitted through Anderson Optical & Hearing Aids Center, the defendants’ family-owned business with locations in Arlington and Bedford.

To increase the number of claims they could submit to Blue Cross, the defendants engaged in marketing practices, promising patients a free pair of high-end sunglasses or a free pair of prescription eyeglasses in exchange for taking a free hearing test. At the conclusion of these hearing tests, the defendants told patients that they had slight to mild hearing loss and required them to sign an order for hearing aids in order to receive the free glasses. The defendants promised patients that the hearing aids would be provided to them at no cost, and that Anderson Optical & Hearing would waive any applicable copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles. The defendants also offered patients $100 gift cards in exchange for referring family members and coworkers for free hearing tests.

In 2012, the pair brought their fraud scheme into American Airlines’ airport facilities and started offering free hearing tests to aircraft mechanics and fleet services clerks in maintenance hangars and employee breakrooms. Attracted by the offer of free sunglasses, the pair often had long lines of employees waiting to be tested. However, an expert witness who testified for the government explained that the cursory screening tests the defendants performed, which witnesses described as lasting 3-5 minutes, were incapable of producing results upon which one could make a legitimate decision to dispense hearing aids. Witnesses from Blue Cross testified that these cursory screening tests also failed to comply with Blue Cross’s medical policies related to the evaluation of hearing impairment.

The evidence showed that, in November 2013, Blue Cross conducted an audit of Anderson Optical & Hearing and requested copies of patient records for certain American Airlines employees and their dependents. On January 6, 2014, the Texas Department of State Health Services-Professional Licensing Unit began investigating a complaint it had received concerning the Andersons. In February 2014, when given the opportunity to respond to the complaint, the defendants submitted several patient records to the Professional Licensing Unit, including some of the same patient records that had been collected by Blue Cross. The patient records submitted to the Professional Licensing Unit had altered test scores and additional notations that were not present when the same records were submitted to Blue Cross in November 2013.

During the period of the fraud scheme, Anderson Optical & Hearing submitted claims to Blue Cross for hearing aids on behalf of American Airlines employees totaling more than $27 million.  As a result of these claims, Blue Cross paid Anderson Optical & Hearing more than $16.7 million.

At trial, Terry Anderson took the stand in his own defense. In an attempt to shift the blame on to patients who were more interested in his offer of free sunglasses than they were in hearing aids, he testified, “Well, unfortunately among us are people that will take advantage of perhaps any program, if they have an opportunity to.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas Brasher and Rachael Jones prosecuted the case with the assistance of Andrew Wirmani, Marcus Busch, Mark Tindall, and Dimitri Rocha.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is seeking more than $17 million in money judgments against the seven defendants convicted in the Forest Park Medical Center bribery trial in April, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Each defendant played a role in the $200 million kickback scheme, designed to induce doctors to steer lucrative patients – particularly those with high-reimbursing, out-of-network private insurance – to the now defunct hospital. The majority of the kickbacks, which totaled more than $40 million, were disguised as consulting fees or “marketing money” doled as a percentage of surgeries each doctor referred to Forest Park.

Hospital manager Alan Beauchamp, who testified for the government, admitted that Forest Park “bought surgeries,” and then “papered it up to make it look good.”

“Patients trust medical professionals to make healthcare based on the patients’ best interests. Instead, these defendants allowed their greed to dictate their recommendations as to how and where patients were treated,” U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox said today.

Prosecutors filed motions for entry of a forfeiture money judgement against six of the seven convicted defendants Tuesday afternoon:

From Wilton McPherson “Mac” Burt, Forest Park’s managing partner, the government is seeking $4,560,852.33. Mr. Burt was found guilty on 10 of 12 counts, including one count of conspiracy, two counts of paying kickbacks, six counts of commercial bribery in violation of the Travel Act, and one count of money laundering, and now faces up to 65 years in federal prison.

From Jackson Jacob, owner of the shell companies through which some of the bribes were routed, the government is seeking $526,102.13. Mr. Jacob was found guilty on four of 14 counts, including conspiracy and three counts of paying kickbacks, and now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

From Michael Bassem Rimlawi, a spinal surgeon, the government is seeking $8,130,000.00. (A portion of that money would be jointly and severally liable with his partner, Dr. Doug Won.) Dr. Rimlawi was found guilty on three of four counts, including conspiracy and two counts of receiving kickbacks, and now faces up to 15 years in federal prison

From Shawn Mark Henry, a spinal surgeon who invested in FMPC, the government is seeking $840,000.00. Dr. Henry was found guilty on three of three counts, including conspiracy, commercial bribery, and money laundering, and now faces up to 30 years in federal prison.

From Mrugeshkumar Shah, a pain management doctor, the government is seeking $67,850.00. Dr. Shah was found guilty on four of four counts, including conspiracy, two counts of paying kickbacks, and one count of commercial bribery, and now faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

From Iris Kathleen Forrest, a nurse who recruited and preauthorized worker’s comp requests, the government is seeking $463,600.00. Ms. Forrest was convicted on two of two counts, including conspiracy and paying kickbacks, and now faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

Prosecutors had previously filed a motion for entry of a forfeiture money judgement against Dr. Douglas Sung Won, who is currently facing bankruptcy proceedings:

From Dr. Won, a spinal surgeon who partnered with Dr. Rimlawi, the government is seeking $9,122,500.00. (A portion of that money would be jointly and severally liable with Dr. Rimlawi.) Dr. Won was found guilty on one of two counts, conspiracy, and now faces up to 5 years in federal prison.

The government is also seeking $8,255,000.00 from Dr. Wade Neal Barker, one of Forest Park’s founding doctors, who pleaded guilty to  conspiracy to pay and receive healthcare bribes and kickbacks as well as aiding and abetting commercial bribery before trial and agreed to testify for the prosecution.

In total, the government is seeking $17,355,904.46 from the defendants convicted at trial, plus an additional $8,255,000.00 from Dr. Barker, for an overall total of $25,610,904.46 to date.

In this case, prosecutors are seeking forfeiture money judgements based on proceeds traceable to the defendants’ crimes of conviction. In addition to any forfeiture ordered by the Court, the Forest Park defendants may be required to pay mandatory restitution to the victim insurance companies – an amount that will likely far exceed the amount sought in the money judgements.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Defense - Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Tindall is handling the money judgements. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Wirmani, Kate Pfeifle, Marcus Busch, and Gail Hayworth are also prosecuting the case.

Two bank robbers who led police on a wild chase across the Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex earlier this year have been sentenced to a combined 35 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Dubbed the “Halo Bandits” by the FBI, Marcello Shofner, 37, and Cedric Burns, 41, both pleaded guilty to bank robbery in April.

In plea papers, the pair admitted they entered a Texas Trust Credit Union in Hurst, Texas, pointed replica weapons at three employees, and demanded more than $100,000 in U.S. currency from the vault. Money in hand, they fled the scene in a grey Ford Focus.

Their getaway driver, Antranette Canady, 46, lead authorities on a high-speed pursuit down Interstate 30 and onto a dead end street in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood, where all three were apprehended by law enforcement.

Mr. Shofner was sentenced Monday morning by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to 15 years in federal prison. Mr. Burns was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison late last month. Ms. Canady, who also pleaded guilty to bank robbery in April, is slated to be sentenced next month.

Co-conspirator Precious Alexander – who’d planned to be the “switch” driver but was detained by law enforcement before she could meet up with Mr. Shofner and Mr. Burns – also pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to 9 years in federal prison.

The FBI Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force conducted the investigation; the Dallas Police Department assisted in the defendants’ apprehension. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Fahey is prosecuting the case.

GUILTY PLEA – Bobby Dewayne Smith

On August 1, Bobby Dewayne Smith, 38, pled guilty to attempt and conspiracy to distribute cocaine. On a search warrant, the DEA searched Smith’s home to find a pistol, a scale, cookware associated with the conversion of cocaine, and crack cocaine for distribution. He faces up to 20 years imprisonment and up to a $1,000,000 fine. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency and prosecuted by AUSA Suzanna Etessam.

 

GUILTY PLEA – Cesar Aranda-Delgado

On August 1, Cesar Aranda-Delgado, 40, pled guilty to aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Law enforcement officials conducted a search on the vehicle Aranda-Delgado was driving and found 1.5 kilograms of cocaine. Aranda-Delgado confirmed that he came to the United States from Mexico to make money distributing narcotics. Aranda-Delgado faces up to 20 years in prison. This case was investigated by the Grand Prairie Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency and is prosecuted by AUSA Rachael Jones.

SENTENCING – Romulo Ramos-Diaz

On August 1, Romulo Ramos-Diaz was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. Ramos-Diaz had pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Ramos-Diaz served as a look-out and protection for his co-conspirators and was eventually arrested after selling to an undercover officer. In the course of the investigation, officers discovered over two kilograms of methamphetamine. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency and prosecuted by AUSA John Kull.

SENTENCING – Adrian Jimenez-Reynoso

On August 5, Adrian Jimenez-Reynoso was sentenced to 9 years in federal prison. Jimenez-Reynoso had pled guilty to charge of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Law enforcement officials had intercepted a variety of calls and other evidence that revealed Jimenez-Reynoso’s drug deals. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency and prosecuted by AUSA John Kull.

INDICTMENT – Joshua Blake Browning

On August 7, a federal grand jury indicted Joshua Blake Browning, 38, for escaping from custody and possessing contraband in prison. Browning escaped a federal prison camp where he was serving time for the possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Additionally, while serving his time in prison, Browning illegally possessed a mobile device. If convicted, Browing faces up to 6 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. The case was investigated by the United States Marshall Service and is prosecuted by AUSA Suzanna Etessam. 

 

INDICTMENT – Abel Cardenas Segundo and Guillermo Zarco Villasenor

On August 7, a federal grand jury indicted Abel Cardenas Segundo, 30, and Guillermo Zarco Villasenor, 26, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Both defendants face up to 40 years in prison. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is prosecuted by AUSA P.J. Meitl.

 

INDICTMENT – Garibaldi Gutierrez Solorio

On August 7, a federal grand jury indicted Garibaldi Gutierrez Solorio, 25, for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and possession with the intent to distribute heroin. If convicted, Solorio faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a maximum fine of $11,000,000. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Agency and is prosecuted by AUSA Suzanna Etessam.

 

INDICTMENT – Santos Ramos

On August 7, a federal jury indicted Santos Ramos, 26, as an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Ramos allegedly was in possession of two pistols. If convicted, Ramos must forfeit any firearms involved in the offense and he faces up to 10 years imprisonment. This case was investigated by the Irving Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is prosecuted by AUSA Gary Tromblay.

Brothel owner Helen Kim pleaded guilty today to a racketeering charge, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Ms. Kim, 59, was apprehended by law enforcement in November, after a sting operation at a Dallas hotel liberated a number of foreign-born commercial sex workers.  

She pleaded guilty Thursday morning to one count of use of a facility of interstate commerce in aid of a racketeering enterprise involving prostitution before Magistrate Judge Renee Toliver.  

“I am proud that our law enforcement partners poured significant resources into this sting operation in order to liberate the numerous women that Ms. Kim sold for sex,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “We were determined to hold her accountable for her willingness to demean other women for financial gain.” 

In plea papers, Ms. Kim – the owner of brothels “Pink One” and “Illusion Spa” – admitted that she agreed to take more than $40,00 in exchange for providing illicit sex services to a group of out of town “businessmen” partying at a local hotel.

Those “businessmen” were in fact undercover law enforcement. More than 50 officers from the Dallas Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Homeland Security Investigations participated in the Nov. 1 undercover operation, which involved agents posing as businessmen posted at the hotel bar and in rooms upstairs.

According to an indictment returned in November, Ms. Kim and her 36-year-old son had previously negotiated the businessmen’s private sexual liaisons with 20 to 25 women at a rate of $2,000 each, for a total of at least $40,000. The pair promised the “girlfriend experience,” and even allowed an undercover detective to meet several of the women at a local Sushi bar.

“The way this is set up,” her son allegedly told the undercover officer, “it could be considered human trafficking.”

In her plea papers, Ms. Kim admitted that she employed more than 10 commercial sex workers at her two brothels. Many of the women lived at the establishments, in order to cater to customers at all times of the day and night, she acknowledged.

Ms. Kim now faces up to five years in federal prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Raybould and Cara Foos Pierce are prosecuting the case.

A Lubbock man allegedly contemplating a mass shooting has been charged by criminal complaint with making false statements to a federally-licensed firearms dealer, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

The potential shooting has been averted.

William Patrick Williams, 19, was arrested by special agents of ATF and FBI Thursday, following a brief hospitalization. He made his initial appearance in court Friday morning.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed this afternoon, on July 13, Mr. Williams allegedly told his grandmother he had recently purchased an AK-47 rifle and planned to “shoot up” a local hotel and then commit suicide by cop. Sensing he was both homicidal and suicidal, she convinced him to allow her to bring him to a local hospital instead.

Mr. Williams later gave officers consent to search the room he’d rented at the hotel, where officers found an AK-47 rifle, seventeen magazines loaded with ammunition, multiple knives, a black trench coat, black tactical pants, a black t-shirt that read “Let ‘Em Come,” and black tactical gloves with the fingers cut off. Mr. Williams told officers he had laid out his weapons on the bed so that law enforcement could take custody of them.

Eight days later, ATF received the firearms transaction form (form 4473) that Williams had completed on July 11, when purchasing the AK-47. On the form, Mr. Williams listed his relatives’ address, where he no longer resided. Agents discovered that although Mr. William’s driver’s license showed the family members’ address, Mr. Williams was actually living with a roommate at a different address, following eviction by his relatives.  He had allegedly misrepresented his current address on the firearms transaction form.

“This was a tragedy averted,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “I want to praise the defendant’s grandmother, who saved lives by interrupting this plot, as well as the Lubbock police officers and federal agents who investigated his unlawful acquisition of a deadly weapon. If you suspect a friend or loved one is planning violence against themselves or others, do not hesitate to seek help immediately by calling law enforcement.”

“The safety of our citizens is paramount,” said Lubbock Interim Police Chief Jerry Brewer. “When events like this occur we greatly appreciate the cooperative relationships with our federal law enforcement partners that enhance our abilities to protect the community.” 

“ATF is committed to preventing firearms violence.  The ATF Dallas Field Division wants to thank our state, local and federal partners who cooperated in this investigation,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Division Craig W. Saier.

“The FBI worked closely with our partners at the ATF and Lubbock Police Department to prevent the defendant from potentially committing a violent act,” said Matthew DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Office. “This case is a perfect example of law enforcement agencies coming together to find a solution that protected the public from harm.”

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence, and Mr. Williams is innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted, the defendant faces up to five years in federal prison.

The Lubbock Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Haag, NDTX’s West Texas Branch Chief, and Stephen Rancourt are prosecuting the case.

Han Gil hotel owner Su Amos Mun pleaded guilty today to maintaining a drug-involved premises, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

In plea papers, Mr. Mun, 65, admitted that for more than a year, he charged drug dealers an inflated daily rate, or “drug tax,” that allowed them to openly sell quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and other drugs from inside his hotel  rooms.

He further admitted that despite being notified of two separate heroin overdose deaths that occurred inside the hotel, Mr. Mun continued to allow dealers to sell illegal drugs to customers from Han Gil Hotel rooms, often arming himself with a firearm.  Mr. Mun also admitted that many of the drug dealers operating out of his hotel were armed with handguns and long guns.

As part of his plea agreement, Mr. Mun agreed to forfeit the Han Gil hotel, which is also the subject of a civil action filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleging the site functioned as a “safe haven for drug distributors” and a “breeding ground for escalating criminal activity.”

The hotel has been shuttered since March 8, when a federal judge granted prosecutors’ motion for a restraining order prohibiting the hotel’s further operation.  The establishment, located less than 1000 feet from Dallas’ Herbert Marcus Elementary, had seen multiple deaths, shootings, and drug-related incidents over the eight months prior to the restraining order. 

To date, eight criminal defendants in the Han Gil case have pleaded guilty, including Eric Dewayne Freeman, aka “Stuff,” the lead defendant in the case. The 44-year-old Freeman – who could be seen on surveillance video peddling drugs and committing acts of violence from inside the Han Gil – corroborated Mr. Mun’s knowledge of dealers’ illegal activities in his plea papers.

“The Defendant’s plea not only documents his criminal culpability, but also describes how he brazenly facilitated and profited from the criminal conduct by dangerous individuals operating out of his hotel,” U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox said of Mr. Mun. “The Defendant’s business directly impacted the safety of this community and his conviction allows us to permanently rid the neighborhood of this horrible place.  I want to thank all the law enforcement personnel that worked together innovatively to bring about this great result.  Let this case serve as a warning to other business owners that operate similar establishments – we will not allow those who profit off the dangerous and illegal activity of others to hide in the shadows.”

Mr. Mun now faces up to 20 years in federal prison. His sentencing is scheduled for December 19.

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Coppell Police Department, Dallas Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, Grand Prairie Police Department, Arlington Police Department, Grapevine Police Department, Lancaster Police Department, the State Department, IRS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Plano Police Department, Farmers Branch Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Garland Police Department, Rowlett Police Department, Denton Police Department, Lewisville Police Department and McKinney Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Calvert, Chief of NDTX’s Narcotics Section, and Phelesa Guy, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics Section, are prosecuting the criminal case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Beran, NDTX Opioids Coordinator, is handling the civil case.

A federal grand jury in Dallas has indicted a U.S. citizen for traveling to Syria and conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Omer Kuzu – a 23-year-old U.S. citizen born in Dallas, Texas – was detained overseas by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and recently transferred to FBI custody and returned to Texas. He made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez in the Northern District of Texas today.

“The United States continues to demonstrate its commitment to holding accountable those who have left this country in order to join and support ISIS,” said John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.  “As alleged in the court filings, Kuzu traveled overseas and joined ISIS as part of his conspiracy with others to provide material support to the foreign terrorist organization.  He was ultimately detained overseas, turned over to the FBI, and will now face justice in an American courtroom.  We hope countries around the world, including our European allies and partners, will likewise take responsibility for their own citizens who traveled to support ISIS.”

“There are few things more concerning to me than young Americans being radicalized by terrorists’ violent and hateful agendas while in the U.S., and then traveling abroad in order to fight for groups like ISIS,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox for the Northern District of Texas. “I am grateful for the public servants who helped bring this defendant home to face justice in a U.S. courtroom.”

“Today’s announcement should serve as a warning to those who have traveled, or attempted to travel, to join ISIS that the FBI remains steadfast in ensuring they face justice” said Assistant Director Mike McGarrity of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “I am proud of the work done by the men and women of the FBI’s Dallas JTTF and Counterterrorism Division, as well as that of our interagency and international partners, which resulted in Omer Kuzu returning to the United States to answer for the crimes he is accused of committing.”

“The FBI remains committed to protecting the United States from all terrorist threats,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno of the FBI Dallas Field Office. “We aggressively pursue anyone who pledges allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization and will hold them accountable for actively supporting their violent agenda.”

According to an earlier criminal complaint that was also unsealed today, Kuzu and his brother allegedly traveled from Houston, Texas to Istanbul, Turkey, in October 2014 to join ISIS.

According to the complaint, Kuzu confessed to agents that he and his brother were smuggled into Syria by ISIS. The defendant said he eventually ended up in Mosul, Iraq, where he received physical and weapons training from ISIS instructors.

He was then sent back to Syria, where he allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  The terrorist group issued him a Chinese-made AK-47 and allegedly paid him $125 per month to repair communications equipment for frontline ISIS fighters, he told agents.

Kuzu claimed that, in approximately early 2019, as Kurdish forces advanced, he fled with the ISIS fighters and was ultimately captured, along with other ISIS members, by the SDF.

Indictments and criminal complaints are formal accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence, and Kuzu is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted of the charged offense, Kuzu faces up to 20 years in federal prison.  

The FBI’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation through the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Errin Martin and Tiffany Eggers and Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

A federal grand jury in Dallas has indicted a U.S. citizen for traveling to Syria and conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Omer Kuzu – a 23-year-old U.S. citizen born in Dallas, Texas – was detained overseas by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and recently transferred to FBI custody and returned to Texas. He made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez in the Northern District of Texas today.

“The United States continues to demonstrate its commitment to holding accountable those who have left this country in order to join and support ISIS,” said John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.  “As alleged in the court filings, Kuzu traveled overseas and joined ISIS as part of his conspiracy with others to provide material support to the foreign terrorist organization.  He was ultimately detained overseas, turned over to the FBI, and will now face justice in an American courtroom.  We hope countries around the world, including our European allies and partners, will likewise take responsibility for their own citizens who traveled to support ISIS.”

“There are few things more concerning to me than young Americans being radicalized by terrorists’ violent and hateful agendas while in the U.S., and then traveling abroad in order to fight for groups like ISIS,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox for the Northern District of Texas. “I am grateful for the public servants who helped bring this defendant home to face justice in a U.S. courtroom.”

“Today’s announcement should serve as a warning to those who have traveled, or attempted to travel, to join ISIS that the FBI remains steadfast in ensuring they face justice” said Assistant Director Mike McGarrity of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “I am proud of the work done by the men and women of the FBI’s Dallas JTTF and Counterterrorism Division, as well as that of our interagency and international partners, which resulted in Omer Kuzu returning to the United States to answer for the crimes he is accused of committing.”

“The FBI remains committed to protecting the United States from all terrorist threats,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno of the FBI Dallas Field Office. “We aggressively pursue anyone who pledges allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization and will hold them accountable for actively supporting their violent agenda.”

According to an earlier criminal complaint that was also unsealed today, Kuzu and his brother allegedly traveled from Houston, Texas to Istanbul, Turkey, in October 2014 to join ISIS.

According to the complaint, Kuzu confessed to agents that he and his brother were smuggled into Syria by ISIS. The defendant said he eventually ended up in Mosul, Iraq, where he received physical and weapons training from ISIS instructors.

He was then sent back to Syria, where he allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  The terrorist group issued him a Chinese-made AK-47 and allegedly paid him $125 per month to repair communications equipment for frontline ISIS fighters, he told agents.

Kuzu claimed that, in approximately early 2019, as Kurdish forces advanced, he fled with the ISIS fighters and was ultimately captured, along with other ISIS members, by the SDF.

Indictments and criminal complaints are formal accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence, and Kuzu is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted of the charged offense, Kuzu faces up to 20 years in federal prison. 

The FBI’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation through the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Errin Martin and Tiffany Eggers and Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

A federal grand jury in Amarillo, Texas has indicted a former Mexican municipal police officer for fentanyl trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

In a superseding indictment filed Thursday evening, Assmir Contreras-Martinez, 30, of Tucson, Arizona, was charged with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin.

He was allegedly discovered with roughly 33 kilograms of the drug – likely enough to kill more than 10 million people, according to DEA experts.

“Fentanyl is devastating communities across the country,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “We cannot tolerate the trafficking of this deadly drug through North Texas— especially by those who are charged with protecting our communities, foreign or domestic.”

“Fentanyl is the number one threat causing our opioid epidemic in the United States,” said Clyde E. Shelley, Jr., DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Division. “This seizure alone has potentially save millions of lives.”

According to a criminal complaint filed earlier this summer, Mr. Contreras-Martinez was pulled over by a Texas DPS trooper driving eastbound on Interstate 40 in Amarillo in May 2019.

A search of his vehicle, a 2007 Ford Explorer, allegedly revealed approximately 33 kilograms of a white powdery substance, which the trooper suspected to be drugs, likely cocaine. Subsequent testing revealed the substance was actually fentanyl.

After being advised of his rights, Mr. Contreras-Martinez allegedly admitted he was paid $6,000 to transport illegal contraband from California to Florida. This was his second such trip, he said.

During that interview, Mr. Contreras-Martinez allegedly stated that before his unlawful immigration to the United States seven months prior, he had been employed for eight years as a municipal police officer in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted, Mr. Contreras-Martinez faces 30 years to life in federal prison, and may face deportation proceedings after serving his sentence.

Overdoses involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl killed almost 32,000 Americans last year, according to provisional data released by the CDC last week. Because of the drug’s deadly potency, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas has a zero-tolerance policy on fentanyl, taking federally any case that involves the substance or its unlawful analogues, no matter the quantity.

The Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the above investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Marie Bell is prosecuting the case.

A local nonprofit owner has pleaded guilty to his role in a public corruption scandal, admitting he funneled bribes from real estate developer Ruel Hamilton to former Dallas City Council Member Carolyn Davis, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Jeremy Scroggins, 44, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, or concealing knowledge of the actual commission of a felony, before Chief U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn on Tuesday.

“As I have said from the start of my tenure as U.S. Attorney, North Texas will not and cannot tolerate public corruption at any level,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “Mr. Scroggins facilitated bribe payments, and must be held accountable. ”

“Public corruption is one of the FBI’s top criminal priorities. It is often a multilayered scheme that extends much further from our elected officials,” said Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Field Office. “We are committed to investigating all levels of these deceptive schemes, including individuals like Mr. Scroggins who facilitate bribes.”

In plea papers, Mr. Scroggins, the owner of nonprofit Hip Hop Government (HHG), admits that Mr. Hamilton repeatedly wrote checks payable to Mr. Scroggins or HH, but these payments were generally meant for Ms. Davis.   

Mr. Scroggins – who knew the payments were intended to influence the councilwoman’s official actions on Mr. Hamilton’s housing projects – admits that he cashed Mr. Hamilton’s checks and transferred the funds to Ms. Davis in cash without alerting authorities.  

The late Ms. Davis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in March and was set to be sentenced September 20. Mr. Hamilton was charged with bribery in February, and has entered a plea of not guilty. Like all defendants, Mr. Hamilton is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. His trial is slated for January 6, 2020.

“We were shocked to hear of Ms. Davis’ tragic passing, and our sympathies go out to her family, friends, and former constituents,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “Ms. Davis took responsibility for her conduct and she never wavered in her desire to make things right. We are confident justice will be served in all our public corruption cases.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marcus Busch, Andrew Wirmani, and Chad Meacham are prosecuting the case.

Several days into their trial, two former Federal Home Loan Bank executives pleaded guilty to conspiring to lie to the government-sponsored financial institution, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Terence Carlyle Smith, former FHLB - Dallas President, and Nancy B. Parker, former Chief Information Officer, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false statements to a Federal Home Loan Bank.

Mr. Smith, 62, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle on Friday morning, midway through the prosecution’s case; Ms. Parker, 66, made her plea on Tuesday morning, before trial recommenced. The jury was dismissed on what would have been the sixth day of trial.   

“These defendants attempted to trick a Federal Home Loan Bank into footing the bill for their exorbitant personal travel,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “We believe they were right to plead guilty, even at this late date, and are confident justice will be served at sentencing.” 

“The actions of these defendants placed at risk the public’s trust in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas.  The Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG) is committed to investigating allegations of fraud committed against the Government Sponsored Enterprises, including the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks,” said Catherine Huber, Special Agent in Charge of the FHFA-OIG’s Central Region Office.  “We are proud to have partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas in this case.”

In plea papers, the pair admitted that from 2009 to 2013, they submitted dozens of bogus expense reports to FHLB, claiming they’d attended professional conferences they never visited -- prompting FHLB to foot the bill for what was actually personal travel to Florida, California, and Nevada.  They also admitted to repeatedly falsely reporting their number of unused vacation hours.

Their pleas come on the heels of a pre-trial plea by former FHLB-Dallas Chief Financial Officer Michael Sims, who pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, or concealing knowledge of the actual commission of a felony, on June 27.

According to the Indictment filed in 2017, the scheme cost FHLB more than $1.2 million -- $780,000 in travel expenses, including airfare, limousine rides, concerts, vineyard tours, luxury hotel rooms, and lavish meals for Mr. Smith, Ms. Parker, Mr. Sims and several colleagues, and $450,000 in unused vacation time reimbursements. 

Mr. Smith and Ms. Parker each face up to five years  in federal prison, and will both be required to pay restitution. In addition, as part of their plea agreements, both agreed to repay FHLB - Dallas for attorneys’ fees incurred by the bank and its insurance carrier; Mr. Smith will pay $4.2 million and Ms. Parker will pay just over $227,900.

Mr. Sims, meanwhile, faces three years  in federal prison, and will also be required to pay restitution.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Errin Martin, Lindsey Beran, Tiffany Eggers, and Douglas Brasher prosecuted the case.

A Dallas, Texas, area tax return preparer was sentenced to 63 months in prison today for conspiring to defraud the United States and for aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox for the Northern District of Texas.

According to documents and information provided to the court, Francisco Ventura owned and operated tax preparation businesses located in the Northern District of Texas from 2012 through 2015. During 2014, Ventura was the de factoowner and manager of a business named AJJ Tax and More. In 2014, Ventura was also the de facto co-owner of a second preparation business, named Uptown Multi Services, which he co-owned with Mario Melendez.

From November 2013 through May 2014, Ventura conspired with Melendez and others to file fraudulent federal income tax returns for clients with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that included false education credits, Schedule C expenses and other deductions. In addition to preparing such returns, Ventura taught training classes for new return preparers during which he instructed employees how to prepare fraudulent tax returns in order to maximize client refunds. Ventura is responsible for attempting to cause over $8.3 million of tax loss to the United States.

In addition to the term of imprisonment imposed, Ventura was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $8,310,261 to the IRS.

Melendez previously pleaded guilty in November 2018 to conspiring to defraud the United States and to aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns. In April 2019, he was sentenced to 51 months in prison.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Trial Attorney Alexander Effendi of the Tax Division and Assistant United States Attorney Melanie Smith, who prosecuted the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.

Today, officials from the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, the United States Attorney's Office's Northern District of Texas, the Amarillo Police Department and other law enforcement agencies convened in Amarillo, TX to kick off Amarillo’s National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) with a listening session. 

Last month, Attorney General William Barr announced the selection of the Amarillo Police Department as one of ten FY 2019 PSP sites where the Justice Department will work collaboratively to provide training and technical assistance in areas such as crime analytics, emerging technology and community engagement.   This Justice Department program is a three-year engagement that seeks to leverage department assets in support of a local jurisdictions' commitment to drive down violent crime. 

Since 2017, the Justice Department has directed nearly $14.9 million in customized training and technical assistance to help build crime fighting capacity in PSP sites, including $6.6 million to support the FY 2019 sites through FY 2022. PSP seeks to bring law enforcement stakeholders together to work collaboratively in reducing violent crime attributed to felonious firearm use, drug trafficking and human trafficking. 

“Today our team is on-site in Amarillo to collaborate with local law enforcement officials in their mission to improve public safety and drive down violent crime,” said Jon Adler, Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance.  "Through the Public Safety Partnership, we are committed to fulfilling the Attorney General's priority of supporting local law enforcement combat violent gangs, felonious firearms use and drug trafficking," added Adler.

“Our Project Safe Neighborhoods partnership with state and local law enforcement in Amarillo has already proven enormously successful,” said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. “I’m confident that by bringing even more federal resources to bear here, we can make a significant dent in the crime occurring in the Panhandle.”

Since 2017, the Justice Department has worked with more than 30 local jurisdictions under the nationwide PSP program. Many participating cities have already seen dramatic reductions in violent crime. New Orleans ended 2018 with 146 murders, the lowest number of murders since the early 1970s. In Milwaukee, homicides declined in 2018 for a third straight year after hitting a deadly peak in 2015.  

Agencies in attendance at this meeting will include the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas; the Office of Justice Programs; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Marshals Service;  Amarillo Police Department; the Texas Department of Public Safety; the Potter County Sheriff’s Office; the Potter County District Attorney’s Office; the Potter County Attorney’s Office; the Randall County Sheriff’s Office; the Randal County District Attorney’s Office; and Mayor Ginger Nelson’s Office. 

For more information about PSP, visit https://www.nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org.

Indictment – Staci West League

On July 9, a federal grand jury indicted Staci West League, 48, for bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. League allegedly entered the bank concealing a firearm and demanded large bills. Within minutes, Irving Police reported that League was in the police department with the intention of turning herself in for the bank robbery she just committed. This case was investigated by the Violent Crimes Task Force within the FBI-Dallas Division and prosecuted by AUSA Shane Read.

Indictment – Tracie Turner and Justin Wheeler  

On July 9, Turner, 55, and Wheeler, 35, were charged with conspiracy to commit theft of government funds. The pair allegedly conspired to take advantage of the SSI disability benefits available when Wheeler began working full-time and was no longer eligible for disability benefits, but did not report this. Wheeler’s disability checks were deposited into Turners account, and Wheeler opted out of his employer’s health insurance to use Medicaid for his health insurance. They are also charged with theft of government funds and aiding and abetting. This case was prosecuted by AUSA Danielle Renee Jones and investigated by Jeffery Green with the Social Security Administration. If convicted, the defendants will face a maximum sentence of 6-12 months.

Sentencing – Alvin Tedvorick Hayes

On July 8, Hayes, 33, was sentenced to 147 months in prison following his conviction of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. He possessed seven guns in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime. The Desoto Police Department responded to multiple shooting calls, where they found a man whose trail of blood led to Hayes residence. After obtaining a search warrant, the authorities discovered 223 grams of a substance containing a designer drug, seven pounds of marijuana. This case was prosecuted by AUSA John Boyle.

Indictment – Orfilia Sanchez Benitez and Osbaldo Rangel

Benitez, 26, and Rangel, 33, are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Benitez and Rangel allegedly planned to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance and 100 grams or more of a substance containing heroin. The pair are also charged with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. If convicted, the defendant face life sentences. This case was prosecuted by AUSA John Kull and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Strike Force One.

Indictment – Martin Alberto Cardoza-Cavazos

On July 9, Cardoza-Cavazos, 45, was charged as an illegal alien in possession of 6 firearms.  This case was prosecuted by AUSA Cathy Richardson and investigated by Special Agent Rick Parker of Homeland Security Investigations and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. If convicted, the defendant will face a maximum sentence of 10 years.

A straw purchaser pleaded guilty today to her role in a conspiracy to buy more than 150 guns for an unidentified Mexican man, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Sylvia Diaz, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to acquire a firearm from a licensed dealer by false statement Thursday morning. Her co-conspirator, Jose Cruz Diaz, also 36, pleaded guilty to the same charge last October.

In plea papers, the duo admitted to purchasing 160 firearms for a Mexican man who gave them a list of the types of firearms he wanted and money to purchase the guns.

Together, the pair conducted approximately 50 transactions at various sporting goods stores, gun shows, and pawn shops between October 2017 and March 2018. At some point, each signed an ATF form claiming to be the guns’ actual buyers.

Ms. Diaz now faces up to 5 years in federal prison. Mr. Diaz has already been sentenced to 5 years behind bars.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives conducted the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cathy Richardson prosecuted the case.

The lead defendant in the Han Gil criminal case pleaded guilty today to gun and drug charges, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Eric Dewayne Freeman, aka “Stuff,” pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a Schedule I controlled substance, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Freeman, 44, is the seventh defendant to plead guilty in the Han Gil case, which has so far resulted in charges against 18 individuals and 1 corporation associated with the notoriously dangerous hotel.

“In his plea, Mr. Freeman admitted that the Han Gil was a haven for drug dealers and violent criminals like himself,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. “But we knew that based upon the efforts of our investigative team. The Han Gil posed a significant danger to our community, and we’re gratified we succeeded in shutting it down completely.”

“The DEA will pursue investigations, much like the Han Gil Hotel case, until these places are extinct,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Division Clyde E. Shelley, Jr.

In his plea papers, Freeman admits that he and dealers on his payroll routinely used so-called “trap rooms” within the Han Gil to distribute heroin, methamphetamine and crack cocaine to numerous customers. (Other drug dealers unaffiliated with Freeman used multiple other guest rooms within the hotel in a similar manner.) The users often smoked or injected the drugs inside the trap rooms where drugs were peddled or on hotel premises, which were within 1000 feet of Dallas’ Herbert Marcus Elementary School.

Freeman admitted that two overdose victims died inside rooms at the Han Gil, and their bodies were dumped elsewhere. DEA agents discovered the corpse of a young woman, who died on December 27, 2018,  decomposing in the woods almost a month after Freeman and two others dragged her body out of the hotel, he conceded.

Freeman further admitted the owner of the Han Gil, codefendant Su Y. Amos Mun, was aware of the drug dealing, overdoses, and body dumping. He said Mun charged dealers an inflated room rate, dubbed a “drug tax,” in exchange for allowing them to deal out of trap rooms. 

Mun collected thousands of dollars from Freeman alone, and often tipped off dealers before law enforcement or city officials arrived for inspections, Freeman said in his plea papers, in which he also admitted that on at least one occasion, he discharged a handgun during an argument over some allegedly stolen drugs.

The hotel – which Mr. Freeman admitted was routinely mired in criminal activity, including drug dealing, unlawful possession of firearms, prostitution and other crimes – was raided on March 7 by a taskforce of more than 50 agents and officers concerned about rampant drug use and escalating criminal activity.

In addition to charging Freeman, Mun, and more than a dozen other conspirators using the hotel, the government moved to shut down the Han Gil, which the Court agreed “endangers the general welfare of the community.”

Freeman now faces a sentence of 10 years to life in federal prison.

Mun, meanwhile, has entered a plea of not guilty. The Indictment against Mun is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence; like all other defendants, he is innocent until proven guilty. Mun has moved to postpone his trial, which is currently set for July 29.

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Coppell Police Department, Dallas Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, Grand Prairie Police Department, Arlington Police Department, Grapevine Police Department, Lancaster Police Department, the State Department, IRS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Plano Police Department, Farmers Branch Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Garland Police Department, Rowlett Police Department, Denton Police Department, Lewisville Police Department and McKinney Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Calvert, Chief of NDTX’s Narcotics Section, and Phelesa Guy, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics Section, are prosecuting the criminal case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Beran, NDTX Deputy Civil Chief, is handling the civil case.

A federal grand jury has indicted the man caught on camera last month abducting an 8-year-old girl in Fort Worth, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

The grand jury charged Michael Webb, 51, with kidnapping.

Despite filing papers signaling his intent to plead to an Information – a charging document that does not require signoff from a grand jury – Webb elected not to enter a plea at Wednesday morning’s scheduled hearing.

Prosecutors decided to present the case to a grand jury, forgoing any further delay in charging. The grand jury true billed an Indictment Wednesday afternoon.

“We are determined to hold the Defendant accountable for his alleged crime. If he wants a trial – which is his right – we are prepared to prove the facts before a jury,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox, who is on the trial team. “We’ll do whatever it takes to bring this man to justice.”

“FBI Dallas will exhaust the necessary resources to recover all abducted and missing children,“ said Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Field Office, which worked with the Fort Worth Police Department to investigate the kidnapping and rescue the little girl. “In this case, we were able to actively work with our partners at the Fort Worth Police Department, Department of Public Safety, and Arlington Police Department to safely recover the victim and arrest her alleged abductor.”

Webb, who has been in federal custody since his arrest on May 19, will be arraigned before U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor on Monday, June 24 at 9 a.m. At that time, he will be required to enter a plea: guilty or not guilty.

An Indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence; like all other defendants, Webb is presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law.

If proven guilty, he faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in federal prison and up to life behind bars.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s North Texas Child Exploitation Task Force, the Fort Worth Police Department’s Major Case Unit Taskforce, which includes representatives of local law enforcement around the region, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox, Fort Worth Branch Chief Alex Lewis, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aisha Saleem, the District’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, are prosecuting the case.

Reagor Dykes Auto Group’s Chief Financial Officer, Shane Andrew Smith, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

“From ‘dummy flooring’ to check-kiting, this was blatant, large-scale fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “We will hold Mr. Smith – and any other Reagor Dykes executives involved in this behavior – accountable for this breach of trust. The investigation is ongoing.”

“One of the goals of the FBI is to protect the financial services industry, and by extension, the economy. To that end, the FBI will continue to target those with an intent to defraud businesses and erode the public’s confidence,” said Matthew DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of FBI’s Dallas Division.

In plea papers, Mr. Smith, 45, outlined the $50 million scheme, which involved defrauding the auto group’s main lender, Ford Motor Credit Company (FMCC), and concealing the fraud by cross-depositing checks across several banks, a ploy known as check-kiting. 

In order to cover ballooning expenses, Mr. Smith admitted, he instructed Reagor Dykes accountants to engage in a practice they dubbed “dummy flooring.”

At his direction, accounting staff dug through records for vehicle identification numbers (VIN) of cars Reagor Dykes had already sold, then submitted new loan applications to FMCC using the old VINs – falsely indicating that the company was seeking a loan in order to repurchase the vehicle for resale.  Instead of re-buying the car, however, Reagor Dykes used the ensuing loan to cover other expenses.

“Whatever it takes, we need to floor anything and everything we can even think of to cover payoffs each day,” Mr. Smith wrote in an email quoted in his factual resume. 

To disguise the shortfall from the dummy flooring scheme, Mr. Smith and his employees engaged in check-kiting, artificially inflating the company’s bank account balances by cross-depositing insufficient checks.

Vendor and payroll checks that should have bounced were instead cleared during banks’ float time, the period between the deposit in the recipient account and the deduction from the payer’s account.

“The deposits we do each do [sic] will most likely cover the checks we write each other,” Mr. Smith wrote in an email.

Reagor Dykes also routinely violated a clause in its loan agreements that required them to repay FMCC within seven days of selling the vehicle for which the loan was issued, Mr. Smith admits. 

Rather than cop to the delay, Reagor Dykes accountants created false paperwork, which they referred to as “dummy shucks,” in order to make it appear that the car had been sold more recently.

Mr. Smith now faces up to 20 years in federal prison. His plea agreement requires he pay a mandatory restitution of more than $50 million, equal to the total amount of loss suffered by FMCC and victim banks, and testify truthfully in any court proceedings.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation. Magistrate Judge Lee Ann Reno presided over the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Frausto, Jeffrey Haag, and Sean Taylor are prosecuting the case.

A Project Safe Neighborhoods - Amarillo Taskforce arrested four defendants while executing search warrants at two North Heights area crack houses, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

All defendants have been charged via criminal complaint with distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine or cocaine base, and all remain in federal custody pending trial.

Among those arrested during the PSN - Amarillo raid was Earnest Tywane Drone, 39, a well-known dealer who allegedly sold cocaine to a confidential government source last month.  Other defendants include: Joseph Dean Taylor, Treson Blake Fugit, and Trevon Montel Monroe.

Officers recovered crack cocaine, marijuana, and a pistol with ammunition during the raids, which occurred late last month.

The Project Safe Neighborhoods - Amarillo initiative – a coalition of federal and local law enforcement focused on a high-crime hotspot in Amarillo – uses a three-pronged approach that combines traditional enforcement with community outreach and recidivism reduction to drive down violent crime.

Criminal charges are merely an allegations of wrongdoing, not evidence. All defendants in this case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The joint operation was conducted by Amarillo DPS – Criminal Investigation Division, Amarillo DPS – Texas Highway Patrol, Amarillo DPS Air-Wing, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Amarillo Police Department, the U.S. Marshals’ North Texas Fugitive Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Randall County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Frausto and Sean Taylor are prosecuting the case.

 

A Dallas area sex trafficker was sentenced today to 11 years in federal prison and ordered to pay his victim nearly $333,000, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Gregory Bowden, aka “G,” pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge in January. 

In plea papers, Mr. Bowden admitted he recruited his 19-year-old victim, identified in court documents by her initials “R.R.,” in 2014.

He advertised her services on Backpage.com and trafficked her across Texas, from Odessa to Euless to Corpus Christi, using violence to force her to engage in commercial sex acts while he kept the proceeds.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater sentenced Mr. Bowden to 11 years behind bars and ordered him to pay $332,990 in restitution to R.R.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Corpus Christi Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cara Foos Pierce prosecuted the case.

Anyone with information pertaining to possible human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline, live 24/7, at 1-888-373-7888.

SENTENCING – Sherryol Elton Clack, Jr.

On June 7, Sherryol Clack, Jr. was sentenced to three months in federal prison for shining a laser pointer at an aircraft, causing temporary blindness to its pilot. The aircraft, a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter assisting in the apprehension of a murder suspect, was forced to abort its mission.

 

PLEA – Joe Larry Straw

On June 11, Joe Larry Straw pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. In plea papers, Mr. Straw admits he accepted more than $68,000 in kickbacks in return for facilitating the referral of TRICARE patients to Trilogy Pharmacy. More than a dozen co-defendants have been indicted in the scheme, which violated the federal anti-kickback statute, and caused an actual loss to TRICARE of more than $100 million.  The Defense Criminal Investigative Service and FBI investigated.

 

PLEA – Randal Anthony Melton

On June 11, Randal Melton pleaded guilty to felon in possession of a firearm. In his plea papers, Mr. Melton admits to unlawful possession of a 9 mm Smith and Wesson despite a prior felony conviction. ATF and the Dallas Police Department investigated the case.

 

SENTENCING – Damon Williams

On June 13, Damon Williams was sentenced to 7 years, 11 months in federal prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine conspiracy. In February, Mr. Williams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, admitting he delivered meth to a co-conspirator who then sold the drugs to an undercover officer.

Attorney General William P. Barr today announced the formation of a Domestic Violence Working Group aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of convicted abusers, using the tools of federal firearm prosecutions to prevent domestic violence.

The group will operate under the auspices of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) and be comprised of nine U.S. Attorneys across the country, chaired by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

“Too often, domestic abusers start with threats and abuse, and end up committing extreme violence and even homicide, with devastating impact on families and the community around them,” said Attorney General Barr.  “I have directed this working group to examine this issue and determine the best way to use federal gun prosecutions and other appropriate tools to supplement state, local and tribal efforts to address domestic violence.”

“With so many domestic disputes escalating from bruises to bullets, we felt we needed to supplement our state and local partners’ efforts to curb domestic violence with federal prosecutions,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “We hope our initial cases send a message to convicted abusers:  Not only could the Justice Department theoretically prosecute abusers for firearm possession – they have and they will.”

Federal law has long barred convicted felons, as well as individuals subject to certain domestic violence protective orders or convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors, from possessing firearms.

Offenders with domestic violence in their past pose a remarkably high risk of homicide. Research shows that abusers with a gun in the home are five times more likely to kill their partners than abusers who don’t have that same access to a firearm. And according to one recent study, more than half of America’s mass shootings are cases of extreme domestic violence.

Keeping guns from domestic abusers legally prohibited from possessing them would significantly reduce violence in America, a major priority of the Justice Department.

However, federal gun cases involving domestic violence present unique challenges. In some states, the federal and state definitions of domestic violence differ, requiring complex legal analysis that varies based on the location of conviction.

The Working Group will share best practices, legal analysis and guidance on prosecuting abusers who unlawfully possess guns, and will advise U.S. Attorneys across the country on outreach to local law enforcement, judges, and nonprofit groups.

Working Group members include:

• Scott W. Brady, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania
• Robert M. Duncan, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky
• Nicola T. Hanna, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California 
• Justin E. Herdman, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
• Erin Nealy Cox, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas
• Christina E. Nolan, U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont
• Byung J. Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia
• R. Trent Shores, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma
• Timothy J. Downing, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma
   

Examples of domestic violence firearm prosecutions already underway in the Northern District of Texas can be found here.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas – in partnership with the Lubbock Police Department and a host of other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners – today launched Project Safe Neighborhoods Lubbock, its third PSN initiative in North Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox.

A nationwide program spearheaded by the Justice Department, Project Safe Neighborhoods surges federal and local resources to communities’ most violent neighborhoods in order to root out the area’s worst offenders and build positive relationships with crime victims and witnesses.  

The PSN Lubbock Taskforce – which includes officers, agents, and staff from the Lubbock Police Department, Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, Lubbock County District Attorney’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations – worked with a university criminologist to analyze city-wide crime data and zeroed in on a violent crime “hotspot” in central Lubbock, west of I-27 and north of the South Loop:

Data showed violent crime –including assault, and robberies – creeping up in the region. Aggravated assaults, for example, rose more than 28% over four years. The Taskforce felt the region could benefit from Project Safe Neighborhood’s three-pronged approach, which combines traditional enforcement with community outreach and recidivism reduction.

To that end, the Taskforce created an email tip line where members of the community can reach out: LubbockPSN@atf.gov.  The inbox is monitored by federal agents who will route comments and concerns to the appropriate authority.  Lubbock’s Crime Line will offer monetary rewards for information leading to the successful federal prosecution of PSN crimes in Lubbock.  

“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a collaborative initiative that draws upon the collective wisdom of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to reach a common goal: Reducing violent crime inside the PSN hotspot and citywide,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. “We’ve found that when crime lacks a geographic locus, it dissipates. And when a community trusts law enforcement, it thrives.”  

“The Lubbock Police Department takes the protection of its citizens and their quality of life very seriously. We use all the available tools and resources to bring criminals to justice and make our communities stronger through active engagement,” said Lubbock Police Chief Jerry D. Brewer.

"The FBI is pleased to continue our support for the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative," said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. "We remain committed to working closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure the safety and well being of the Lubbock community."

To date, the Northern District of Texas has launched two other PSN initiatives: PSN Dallas and PSN Amarillo. Both have proved enormously successful. For more information on PSN, visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/project-safe-neighborhood-psn-revitalized-2018.

As the Department of Justice continues its efforts reduce violent crime in America, Attorney General William P. Barr today announced that Amarillo, TX was selected to join the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) initiative.

PSP provides a framework for enhancing federal support of state, local and tribal law enforcement officials and prosecutors as they aggressively investigate and pursue violent criminals, specifically those involved in gun crime, drug trafficking and gang violence.

“The Public Safety Partnership is a successful program that directs federal law enforcement resources to the cities where they can have the greatest impact," Attorney General Barr said. "These resources help police departments to diagnose where crime is highest—and why—and to find, arrest and prosecute criminals. Several participating cities have already seen dramatic reductions in violent crime over the past two years. As we expand this program to 10 more cities across America, we are determined to replicate that success.”

“Federal law enforcement is proud to bring our resources to bear in communities fighting persistent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. “The people of Amarillo deserve to feel safe in their city. I’m confident that with Chief Drain’s help, we can make a significant dent in the violent crime plaguing the Panhandle.”

The Justice Department created PSP and the Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety in response to President Donald Trump’s February 9, 2017, Executive Order charging the agency with leading a national effort to combat violent crime. In June 2017, the Department of Justice announced the formation of the National Public Safety Partnership initiative.

To be considered for selection, a site must have sustained levels of violence that exceed the national average, demonstrate a commitment to reducing crime, and display compliance with federal immigration requirements.

The 10 sites announced today are as follows:

• Anniston, Alabama
• Oxford, Alabama
• Anchorage, Alaska
• Davenport, Iowa
• Wichita, Kansas
• Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Baltimore, Maryland
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Amarillo, Texas
• Harris County, Texas

           

More than 30 cities have participated in PSP. The primary participating Justice Department components include the Office of Justice Programs, Office on Violence Against Women, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Marshals Service.

More information about PSP can be found at: http://www.nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org.

A darknet drug dealer has been indicted for leveraging bitcoin’s apparent anonymity to sell fentanyl online, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

A federal grand jury charged Sean Shaughnessy, 51, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution of a controlled substance, distribution of a controlled substance analogue, and eight counts of money laundering.  Today, he waived his detention hearing, and will remain in custody until trial.

“Darknet dealers often believe that by using bitcoin, they can evade authorities. This prosecution proves that’s not the case,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “We will continue to pursue anyone peddling this deadly drug – on the streets or online.”

“Our significant domestic and international HSI resources and expertise, along with the considerable resources of our law enforcement partners, provided an unbeatable team to investigate this fentanyl smuggling operation so that we could effect this indictment,” said Katherine Greer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas field office.  “This deadly drug —combined with the secrecy of bitcoin currency — represent a significant danger to an already-devastating national opioid epidemic.”

According to the indictment, which was unsealed on Friday following the defendant’s initial appearance, Mr. Shaughnessy allegedly sold fentanyl and fentanyl analogues over the dark web, an unindexed portion of the internet accessible only via specialized software that allows users to conduct transactions with relative anonymity.

His buyers purchased the fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, which was shipped to their addresses, using cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, the indictment alleges.

One user, who allegedly purchased a fentanyl analogue from Mr. Shaughnessy, overdosed on the substance and died.

Mr. Shaughnessy allegedly transferred his bitcoin proceeds to other cryptocurrency wallets in exchange for regular fiat currency, which was shipped to his home in Dallas. Unbeknownst to Mr. Shaughnessy however, he sent more than $120,000 in bitcoin to wallet addresses controlled by federal agents.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted, Mr. Shaughnessy faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each of his 11 charges.

Fentanyl and its analogues – among the most lethal opioids used in the United States, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration – are partly responsible for the sharp increase in opioid deaths across the nation. In just three years, the fentanyl death toll rose more than 5,000 percent, from around 5,500 in 2014 to almost 30,000 in 2017, according to the National Institute of Health. Just a few milligrams, equivalent to a few grains of table salt, may be deadly.

Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas field office, the IRS - Criminal Investigation Division’s Los Angeles field office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sid Mody is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.

  

Two human traffickers who advertised victims on Backpage.com have pleaded guilty in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

Joshua Glaze, 30, pleaded guilty this morning to conspiracy to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking through force fraud or coercion. His codefendant, Faizal Sabar, 34, pleaded guilty to the same charge on May 13.

In court documents, the defendants admitted they conspired to advertise victims on the now-defunct Backpage.com.

Mr. Sabar admitted that in 2017, he traveled with one victim from Pennsylvania to Texas, where he forced the victim to engage in commercial sex at various local hotels, including inside a room rented by Mr. Glaze at the Home2Suites hotel in Northlake.

Mr. Sabar instructed the victim how much to charge for each sexual encounter, and pocketed the profits, he admitted.

“Trafficking – people selling other people – is a particularly vile crime,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “Even though the website in this case has been shut down, others continue to proliferate, and we remain vigilant for signs of trafficking, online and off.”

Mr. Sabar and Mr. Glaze now face up to life in federal prison. Mr. Sabar will be sentenced on August 26 before Judge Reed C. O’Connor in Fort Worth.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Allen prosecuted the case.

If you know someone who may be a victim of trafficking or otherwise believe you have information pertaining to human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline, live 24/7, at
1-888-373-7888.

 

Roberto Omar Vera, 53, of Corpus Christi - the last of 23 defendants in a large-scale narcotic distribution conspiracy - was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on May 16 by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle.

Vera was apprehended after he engaged in a lengthy high-speed chase in Hunt County, resulting in speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, and Vera firing a gun at law enforcement multiple times. After an hour and half standoff, Vera was taken into custody along with the firearms and illegal narcotics that were in his possession.

The defendants in this case were found responsible for distributing more than 72 kilograms of methamphetamine, along with heroin and other illegal drugs to the Northern Dallas area.  Combined, they were responsible for 142 prior criminal convictions, with 52 of them being drug related and 6 being violent offenses. They received a total of over 245 years in federal prison, with sentences ranging from 33 to 360 months.

• Roberto Vera – 360 months
• Elizabeth Causey-Eck – 240 months
• Daniel Moss – 215 months
• John Owen – 210 months
• Roberto Munoz - 190 months
• Simon Trevino – 188 months
• Rodney Broach – 188 months
• Larry Lincks – 188 months
• Arthur Currie – 168 months
• Clisty Pratt – 130 months
• Brandi Turcola – 100 months
• Angela Burkham – 87 months
• Illona King – 85 months
• Kneely Abadie – 75 months
• Paul Shreves – 71 months
• Lauren Crites – 70 months
• Kameron Vera – 60 months
• Mark Craven – 60 months
• Stephanie Aldava – 57 months
• Charley Crossland – 57 months
• Chelsea Johnson – 57 months
• Caitlyn Johnson – 51 months
• Jorge Morales – 33 months

The investigation was led by the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney P.J. Meitl, Northern District of Texas, was in charge of these prosecutions.