District of Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A U.S. District Court Judge sentenced Chad Leon Sayers, 59, of Midvale, Utah to 41 months’ imprisonment today followed by three years of supervised release for crimes committed while on pretrial release for a separate wire fraud case. The sentence comes after a federal jury found Sayers guilty of wire fraud and contempt of court in 2023. 

According to evidence presented at trial, Sayers, while awaiting trial on a 2021 indictment for an alleged securities, wire fraud and money laundering scheme, violated his pretrial release conditions set by a U.S. Magistrate Judge. The explicit conditions ordered Sayers to not be employed in any fiduciary capacity and not seek any investments or conduct any fundraisers. However, on May 18, 2022, while on pretrial release, Sayers sent an email to an individual in the Philippines who was known for helping connect business owners with investors. Sayers emailed the individual for help to raise $300,000 to $500,000 for SMART’R. Sayers was the self-proclaimed founder and CEO of SMART’R, a technology company he described as designing and developing the world’s most advanced mobile devices in the medical, communications, and entertainment industries. He solicited funds by advertising fabricated financial projections, a fabricated team of executives, and fabricated accolades for SMART’R. Sayers also claimed SMART’R had partnerships with well-known companies – like Google, Qualcomm, Redstone, Sony, and Toshiba. During this time, Sayers also concealed his 2021 federal criminal indictment for financial fraud and lawsuits by investors. 

In April 2023, a federal jury found Sayers guilty of two counts of wire fraud, and one count of contempt for his conduct while on pre-trial release. He is scheduled for a jury trial for his 2021 case on August 13, 2024, before a U.S. District Court Judge at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.  

 “The jury found that Mr. Sayers committed wire fraud and contempt of court by engaging in his fraudulent scheme to obtain money,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “My office, working with our law enforcement partners will vigorously prosecute these cases in order to deter others from engaging in similar criminal behavior.” 

"Investment fraud causes not only financial harm but also erodes public trust in our financial system. We are grateful for the collaborative efforts of our Division of Securities and our partners, and commend the U.S. Attorney's office for their unwavering commitment to prosecute these crimes and protect unsuspecting investors," said Utah Department of Commerce Executive Director, Margaret Busse.

The Utah Division of Securities investigated the case.

Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Hackford-Peer, Jacob Strain, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Sachiko Jepson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Before opening statements, Gordon Hunter Pedersen, 64, of Cedar Hills, Utah, pleaded guilty today to mail fraud and introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud and mislead. The case against Pedersen received national attention after he, acting as a doctor, promoted and sold silver products that falsely claimed could treat and cure diseases, including COVID-19.

In August 2023, Pedersen, a three-year fugitive, was arrested after he fled from law enforcement in 2020 and failed to appear on the indictment in this case. See prior news release here. 

According to court documents, from 2012 through 2020, Pedersen lied to consumers about his education, qualifications, and about the palliative abilities of his silver products – “structured alkaline silver solution,” silver lozenges, silver probiotics, silver soap, silver mouthwash and silver gel. His fraudulent salesmanship generated thousands of dollars and his sales skyrocketed in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, and before approved vaccines were available. Mr. Pedersen distributed his Silver Products through his company My Doctor Suggests, LLC (MDS), where he was 25% owner and the company spokesman and primary marketer. 

At the end of 2019 through May 2020, through YouTube videos and other advertising means, Mr. Pedersen claimed that his silver products would prevent, cure, and treat COVID-19. Via the internet, Pedersen, sold the “structured alkaline silver” solution, which he claimed, “resonates or vibrates, at a frequency that destroys the membrane of the virus, making the virus incapable of attaching to any healthy cell, or to infect you in anyway.” To further defraud, Pedersen falsely claimed on YouTube videos to be medical doctor. On January 30, 2020, Pedersen posted a video promotion on YouTube entitled “Coronavirus Best Solution! Hand Sanitizers! Structured Silver Gel from Dr. Gordon Pedersen.”

In April 2020, Pedersen shipped his silver products, via United States Postal Service, first class mail from American Fork, Utah to Kansas City, Kansas, therefore impacting interstate commerce. 

Pedersen is scheduled to be sentenced May 29, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.1 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement. 

Assistant United States Attorneys Jacob J. Strain and Brian Williams from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Speare Hodges and Sarah Williams from the Department of Justice, Civil Division’ Consumer Protection Branch. James Smith from FDA’s Office of Chief Council is also assisting.

The case is being investigated jointly by the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigation (FDA-OCI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Salt Lake City Field Office. Valuable assistance was also provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. 

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

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

ST. GEORGE, UT – A Southern Utah man, out on parole following a 1990 state murder conviction, was sentenced to 102 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release, after he unlawfully possessed a firearm and ammunition. 

According to court documents, Joseph Charles Gardner, 65, of St. George, Utah, is restricted from possessing a firearm because of his murder conviction and illegally possessed a SCCY CPX 9mm handgun, ammunition, and other firearms. The 9mm handgun crossed state lines and therefore affected interstate commerce. As stated in court documents, Gardner spent nearly 30 years in prison for a state murder conviction where he shot and killed a woman, removed her clothing, and left her lifeless body in the desert. In 2020, he was granted parole and returned to St. George. In the fall of 2022, Gardner conspired with a coworker to conceal and dispose of stolen firearms. During an investigation, officers found one of the stolen firearms, a 9mm handgun, in Gardner’s possession. This is the same type of gun that killed his female victim in 1990. Officers also discovered thousands of bullets in three different calibers. During the investigation, law enforcement also learned that Gardner previously possessed other firearms, including an AR-15-style rifle.  

U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement. 

The St. George Police Department investigated the case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen P. Dent of the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment February 14, 2024, charging a businessman and part owner of a company that owned Broadway Hotel, with Clean Air Act Violations. The owner failed to properly dispose of 3,330 tons of asbestos-containing debris, which cost the Environmental Protection Agency $1.1 million to remove following emergency action. 

According to court documents, Daniel J. Brett, 68, of Murray, Utah, was a businessman and part-owner of the Broadway Hotel, a 21,000 square foot structure located on North Broadway Avenue in Tooele, Utah. The hotel was in a residential and mixed-use neighborhood with three primary schools within a half mile. Brett and his co-owner/managing partner intended to include the hotel in a redevelopment project, known as the Broadway Heritage Village. However, in July 2020, the Broadway Hotel experienced a fire, and its demolition was ordered by the owners because the hotel was deemed structurally unsound. Brett and his partner began coordinating the hotel’s demolition, ignoring the fact the hotel contained asbestos in numerous locations, including in its thermal system/boiler insulation, wall plaster, rolled vinyl flooring and roofing materials. The presence of asbestos in the Broadway Hotel was known since 2011, when an Environmental Site Assessment was performed by a third party.

The owners hired an excavation company, which was not trained or certified to work with regulated asbestos-containing material, to demolish the hotel. Additionally, this was the company’s first major demolition. In December 2020, two individuals at the excavation company performed the demolition without self-contained breathing apparatus and protective suits and other protective equipment (PPE). Brett agreed, as owner, to dispose of the debris after demolition. However, Brett left the Broadway Hotel debris pile at the site, uncovered for fifteen months. Despite knowing the demolition pile contained asbestos-containing material, Brett did not keep the demolition pile continually wet, as required by the Clean Air Act. 

In February 2022, contractors with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated an emergency removal action at the site of the Broadway Hotel debris pile. The work was completed in March 2022. The emergency removal action ultimately required the clean-up and proper disposal of 3,330 tons of asbestos containing debris, which cost the EPA, approximately $1.1 million.

Brett is charged with three counts of Clean Air Act violations. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for March 14, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Ruth Hackford-Peer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 
 
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Michael Austin Ford, 58, of West Valley City, Utah, a former Granite School District Bus Driver, was ordered detained March 1, 2024, by a United States Magistrate Judge after he was accused of setting the school bus on fire on two occasions. Ford was indicted by a federal grand jury on Feb. 21, 2024, for two alleged incidents of arson while driving the bus. 

According to court documents, in February 2022, Ford allegedly set a Granite School District school bus on fire that had 42 children inside and did so while driving in traffic. As alleged in court documents, Ford used an ignition device to start a fire on the bus and was captured on video continuing to drive the bus, despite smoke billowing past his face towards the back of the bus where children were seated. 

In April 2023, Ford was again driving a Granite School District bus in traffic when he was captured on video igniting a fire on the bus. Again, Ford continued to drive the bus with smoke billowing past his face. Days later, in April 2023, Ford was arrested by Granite School Police and questioned about the fire but was released. 

Ford is charged with two counts of arson of a vehicle of an organization receiving federal funds. A jury trial is scheduled for April 29, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.3 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.  

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case. 

Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Thorpe of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A California resident pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting wire fraud, which led to defrauding the federal government of approximately $114,066 in unemployment benefits during COVID-19, while he was living and working in Utah. He also admitted to aiding and abetting others to fraudulently apply and pay him as compensation. 

According to court documents and admissions made during his change of plea hearing, Robert James Waff, 50, of Sacramento, CA, from June 2020 to September 2020, devised a scheme to defraud the California Employment Development Department by applying for the Covid-19 related California unemployment benefits through the California EDD website. Waff admitted that he applied, and aided and abetted others to apply, for unemployment benefits that were funded by the CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Waff applied for the benefits electronically, and submitted a false address, false employment history and false income. Waff then began collecting the unemployment benefits while living and working in Utah. Waff then assisted three others, who never worked in California, to apply electronically for the same benefits by supplying them with the same false information. He then had debit cards mailed to his address in Utah. In return for his assistance, the three individuals paid Waff a cash portion of their unemployment benefits. See former release here.

Waff is scheduled to be sentenced May 15, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 3.4 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Division and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Assistant United States Attorney Brian Williams of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

ST. GEORGE, Utah – A federal grand jury in St. George returned an indictment charging three Cedar City residents with firearm offenses after they were accused of stealing multiple guns from C-A-L Ranch Stores, a licensed dealer of firearms, in Cedar City, Utah. 

According to court documents, Russell Wesley Gruber, 29, of Cedar City, Utah; Darrell Glen Devoge, 48, of Cedar City; and Parker Darrell Devoge, 20, of Cedar City, stole multiple firearms in November 2023 from C-A-L Ranch Stores located in Cedar City. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants took and carried away 76 firearms, which include rifles, shotguns, revolvers and pistols, with the intent to permanently deprive C-A-L Ranch Stores of those firearms. Gruber and Darrell G. Devoge then stored several of the stolen firearms, which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce. 

Gruber, Darrell G. Devoge and Parker D. Devoge are charged with theft of firearms from a licensed dealer. Gruber and Darrell G. Devoge are also charged with possession of stolen firearms and felon in possession of firearms. Their initial court appearance on the indictment was Feb. 22, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the United States District Courthouse in St. George, Utah. A jury trial is set for April 29, 2024. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The investigation is being worked jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Cedar City Police Department. 

Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Burton and Brady Wilson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Jose Manuel Barbosa-Torres, 36, of West Valley City, Utah, was sentenced to over two years’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release after he admitted to three counts of aiding and abetting false statements during the acquisition or the attempted acquisition of a firearm. Barbosa Torres is the first of four defendants sentenced after their arrest and indictment in October 2023. See former press release here.

According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, Jose Manuel Barbosa-Torres, 36, of West Valley City, Utah, provided funding for his co-defendants to purchase or attempt to purchase multiple Barrett .50 caliber rifles in August 2023, in the District of Utah. The purchases were from Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs). The defendants filled out an ATF Form 4473, where they indicated they were the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm and certified the submitted information was accurate, when it was false. Barbosa-Torres further admitted the firearms were acquired on behalf of another individual, who was transporting them to Mexico. 

 “Barbosa-Torres purchased or facilitated the purchase of at least eight .50 BMG caliber rifles knowing they would be trafficked to Mexico. These weapons have the capacity to inflict massive destruction,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Working with law enforcement, my office will continue to vigorously prosecute firearm trafficking that could lead to violence in our district or anywhere else.”

“ATF is on the frontline of the fight against organized international firearms trafficking, said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. We are grateful for the collaboration between ATF and our industry partners which played a significant role in stopping the illegal flow of firearms into the hands of Sinaloa Cartel members in Mexico.”

Barbosa-Torres’ co-defendant Iliana Dennis is scheduled for sentencing on April 22, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.3 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. Co-defendants Armando Figueroa Jr. and Cecilio Luis Arriaga are pending trial.  

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). 

Assistant United States Attorney, Victoria McFarland of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment Feb. 21, 2024, charging a U.S. Army Reserve Colonel, formerly of Utah’s 76th Operational Response Command, for his role in defrauding the United States out of more than $60,000 in unearned military pay entitlements. 

The announcement comes as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s ongoing efforts with the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division to address military pay fraud that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic. 

According to court documents, Reece Dennis Roberts, 53, of Herriman, Utah, misrepresented his and his family’s primary residence in Utah, fabricated lease and listing documents, and submitted over a dozen false vouchers to military officials from June 2020 through July 2021. Though Roberts and his family lived in Herriman, Utah from 2020–2021, the indictment alleges that, upon receiving orders calling him to active duty at Fort Douglas, Utah, Roberts changed his primary residence to an out-of-state address that neither he nor his family occupied. In doing so, Roberts claimed entitlement to a family separation allowance, reimbursement for personal lodging expenses, and other entitlements that were not available to local servicemembers.

As further alleged in the indictment, the defendant duped military officials into paying him $3,700 per month in lodging reimbursements for a house he did not rent or own. The indictment alleges he accomplished this by fabricating a lease agreement and online listing for the fictitious rental, orchestrating sham rent payments, and repeatedly submitting false vouchers to military officials. Additionally, Roberts allegedly worked with an unindicted co-conspirator, recruited a third person to receive sham rent payments and return the payments to Roberts’ bank account using Venmo. This allowed Roberts to create fake rent receipts that were submitted to military officials every month for reimbursement.  

 “This type of deceit and misconduct is unacceptable for servicemembers at any rank, but it is particularly disheartening when committed by a field grade officer during a national emergency,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “The vast majority of servicemembers in Utah are law-abiding and deserve the utmost appreciation for keeping the people of Utah safe. My office remains committed to working with military officials and other law enforcement partners to prosecute military fraud and corruption.”

Roberts is charged with various federal crimes, including filing a fraudulent claim against the United States, conspiring to defraud the United States, theft of government property, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.  Roberts’ initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for March. 13, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the case. 

Assistant United States Attorney Tanner Zumwalt of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment February 21, 2024, charging a Salt Lake City man for allegedly robbing a credit union in West Valley City, Utah.  

According to court documents, Joey Shaun Symond, 44, of Salt Lake City, entered Cyprus Credit Union in West Valley City on February 10, 2024, and passed the teller a handwritten note that read, “I got a gun hand over the money or your dead.” The teller complied. Symonds then took the money and left the bank on foot, leaving the note behind. Management at Cyprus Credit Union then called 911 and a West Valley City Police officer responded. That same evening, at 4:18 p.m. Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake received a phone call from a person identifying themselves as a relative of Symonds. The caller reported that Symonds had been at their residence and claimed to have robbed Cyprus Credit Union two hours prior. UPD responded to the area and located Symonds a short distance from the caller’s residence. West Valley City Police also responded and Symonds was identified as the same person in the robbery using a suspect description and surveillance images from inside Cyprus Credit Union. Symonds was taken into custody and a large amount of cash was seized during his arrest. 

Symonds is charged with credit union robbery. His initial court appearance on the indictment was held on Feb. 23, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. A two-day jury trial is scheduled for April 26, 2024.

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

An FBI Task Force Officer with the West Valley City Police Department is investigating the case. 

Assistant United States Attorney Carlos Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment Feb. 14, 2024, charging a Salt Lake County woman with federal crimes after she allegedly assaulted multiple U.S. Marshals, while resisting arrest. 

According to court documents, Melissa Lynn Trotter, 24, of Sandy, Utah, allegedly assaulted multiple federal law enforcement officers on February 7, 2024, during the arrest of a wanted fugitive. That evening, Deputy United States Marshals and Task Force Officers of the District of Utah’s Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (VFAST) attempted to arrest a fugitive outside a CVS located in West Valley City, Utah. Trotter was in a vehicle with the fugitive when the fugitive exited the vehicle and entered the CVS. When the fugitive returned to the vehicle, officers surrounded it with their vehicles. While blocking the vehicle, officers activated their red and blue flashing emergency law enforcement lights, and some officers exited their vehicles and identified themselves as U.S. Marshals. Despite law enforcements calls to Trotter to turn the vehicle off and drop the keys outside the window, she refused to comply. 

As alleged in court documents, Trotter placed the vehicle in reverse and forcibly tried to back out of the parking space. Trotter assaulted two federal officers by ramming the officers’ vehicle as they attempted to block her exit. Trotter then drove over a parking barrier and on the CVS parking lot customer sidewalk as she attempted to escape through a vacant stall. Trotter then rammed head-on into the front passenger side of another federal law enforcement vehicle, that had blocked that parking stall. A third Deputy U.S. Marshal positioned his vehicle to block Trotter from escaping. Subsequently Trotter stopped the vehicle and she and the fugitive were taken into custody.  

Trotter is charged with three counts of assault upon a federal officer involving the use of a deadly weapon. Her initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2024, at 11:45 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The U.S. Marshals Service is investigating the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Sundwall of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal jury convicted a Utah man today for murder in the second degree while within Indian Country. The four-day trial took place before U.S. District Court Judge David Nuffer at the United States District Courthouse in Salt Lake City and was prosecuted by United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tad May and Tanner Zumwalt. 

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Randy Lansing, 40, of Aneth, Utah, unlawfully, deliberately and intentionally killed his girlfriend, Tammy Clark, while within Indian Country on April 23, 2022. The evidence presented at trial established Lansing drove Ms. Clark, her two young daughters and a second woman to McElmo Creek on April 23, 2022. When they reached the creek, Lansing parked his blue SUV and started drinking beer with Ms. Clark. Upon arrival, Lansing violently beat Ms. Clark in front of her two young daughters and the second woman while at McElmo Creek. Ms. Clark sustained injuries that included, but was not limited to, extensive facial swelling, brain hemorrhaging, and bruising; lacerations to her right frontal cheek and left ear; oral lacerations to the lips and inner cheek; fractured hyoid (neck) bone; fractured posterior ribs; and extensive blunt force trauma to her torso and extremities.

Evidence at trial showed that Ms. Clark’s beaten body was taken by the defendant from McElmo Creek to Aneth in the back of his SUV. Neighbors, including an EMT, called San Juan County Dispatch for an ambulance and performed life saving measures until the ambulance arrived and transported Ms. Clark to Blue Mountain Hospital where she was later pronounced dead. 

“The strongest piece of evidence is Tammy Clark’s body. Tammy Clark’s body tells of the brutal beating she experienced during her last moments of life,” said U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins during closing arguments.

The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Monticello Resident Agency and Navajo Nation Police Department, Criminal Investigations.

Lansing’s sentencing is scheduled for May 17, 2024, before U.S. District Court Judge David Nuffer at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Merrill Darrell Fackrell, 42, of Syracuse, Utah, was sentenced today to time served of over one year imprisonment, and three years’ supervised release by a U.S. District Court Judge as a result of a guilty plea. Fackrell admitted to taking a straight edge razor on a JetBlue flight in 2022. 

According to court documents, Fackrell admitted that on November 21, 2022, during a JetBlue flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York en route to Salt Lake City Airport in Utah, he had taken a wood-handled straight edge razor with a one-to-two-inch blade on board the flight. In the statement in advance of plea, Fackrell further admitted that during the flight, he was seated next to a passenger and that he consumed several alcoholic beverages. Later in the flight, Fackrell told the passenger to pause the movie the passenger was watching, placed his hand in front of the screen, took the straight edge razor out of his carry-on bag and placed it inches from the passenger’s throat/neck. The passenger escaped, but Fackrell grabbed the passenger’s shoulder and attempted to stop the passenger. Another passenger observed the incident and convinced Fackrell to put the straight edge razor down. The passenger then took the razor off the seat and passed it off to be secured. See 2022 press release. 

“Carrying a dangerous weapon on an aircraft is a serious offense. No one should be put in harm’s way by another passenger during a flight,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “In the interest of passenger safety, individuals who carry a dangerous weapon on an aircraft will be prosecuted.”

An FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department is investigating the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Michael Kennedy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment today charging a Salt Lake City man with federal crimes after he allegedly carjacked a U.S. Postal Service truck from a postal employee and drove recklessly through Davis County. 

According to court documents, Wilber Castellanos Hernandez, 32, a foreign national living in Salt Lake City, Utah stole a U.S. Postal Service mail truck at 594 North Redwood Road in Salt Lake City, on Feb. 5, 2024. According to witnesses, who called Salt Lake City Police Department, a suspicious man, later identified as Hernandez, was checking door handles and breaking into vehicles in the area. Upon officers’ arrival, witnesses and a postal employee told officers Hernandez had stolen his mail truck. When the postal employee saw Hernandez in his truck, and told Hernandez to get out of his vehicle, Hernandez pointed a knife at him and threatened him and other witnesses. One witness attempted to hit Hernandez with a piece of wood, but Hernandez was able to start the mail truck, using the keys that had been left in the vehicle, and flee from the area. The mail truck contained mail including letters and packages.

According to the complaint, the U.S. Postal Inspectors and postal employees tracked the stolen mail truck using GPS technology. Hernandez then drove recklessly through Davis County and was involved in several minor traffic accidents with other vehicles. The mail truck was located and stopped by assisting police officers in Davis County. Hernandez was subsequently taken into custody after refusing to get out of the mail truck. Several items within the mail truck were damaged, discarded or destroyed. 

Hernandez is charged with carjacking, mail theft, and theft of government property. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2024, at 10:45 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department are investigating the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Carlos Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment today charging seven defendants in a romance scam that cost victims around the United States and the world $8 million in losses. 

The announcement, made on Valentine’s Day, comes as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s ongoing efforts with law enforcement partners to raise awareness and prevent these crimes from taking place. Romance Scam PSA.

According to court documents, the defendants include, Bolanle Christina Odeyale, 39, Forney, Texas; Oghenemine Jeffrey Agbroko, 34, of Nigeria; Charles Owhonigho Emurotu, 40, of Ontario, Canada; Jimmy Iwezu, 44, of Forney, Texas; Lori Tsoritse, 38, of Nigeria; Christopher Onyedikachi Okereke, 38, of Nigeria; and Rukevwe Solomon Ologban, 44, of Grand Prairie, Texas. 

As alleged in the indictment, from March 2018 through June 2019, the defendants worked with a group of individuals in the District of Utah, aka the Utah Money Transmitters, who agreed to help overseas operators launder money obtained from the romance scheme. The primary operators of the alleged romance scams are known as the “Yahoo boys,” and operated in Nigeria.  The defendants either helped the Utah Money Transmitters source opportunities to work with Yahoo boys or helped them to transmit the fraud proceeds from the District of Utah to other places within the United States or abroad. Ultimately, the goal of the money laundering activities was to transmit the criminal proceeds to the Yahoo boys overseas, while paying a share of the financial gains to those who help move the funds along the way. 

As alleged in the indictment, the Yahoo boys typically created a fictitious online persona and used the false persona to pursue online relationships with potential targets of the scam. Once gaining the victims’ trust, the Yahoo boys would use a false pretense, such as a need to buy a laptop for a child in college, the need to repair equipment, pay an emergency medical expense or debt to the government. Many of the victims were elderly and lost their life savings, family inheritances and retirement funds. In return for their generosity, the victims were often promised the money would be returned. 

An essential role in the romance scam was the Utah Money Transmitters. By operating in the District of Utah, they opened accounts at United States financial institutions to be used to collect money from victims and to distribute money to the coconspirators, to conceal the ultimate destination of the funds and the Yahoo boys’ location and identities. 

The defendants are charged with various federal crimes, including wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. Their initial court appearance on the indictment will be scheduled for a later date and held before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office is investigating the case. 

Assistant United States Attorney Carl D. Lesueur of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

The FBI encourages those engaged in online relationships to review and become familiar with information about romance scams on its website FBI.gov. Additionally, if you or someone you know has been a victim, file a complaint with the FBI at .ic3.gov. For more information on romance scams, visit: https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/romance-scams.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SALT LAKE CITY – A U.S. District Court Judge sentenced Matthew Ambrose Baker, 49, of Spanish Fork, Utah, to one year imprisonment and three-years’ supervised release for crimes committed while on pretrial release for wire fraud. This sentence will run consecutively to a 27 month sentence previously imposed for the wire fraud, resulting a total sentence of 39 months’ incarceration.

According to court documents, in 2020, Baker was serving a home-custodial sentence for a 2019 federal healthcare fraud conviction when Baker committed wire fraud by attempting to divert proceeds of a real estate transaction from a family member to himself. In December 2022, a federal jury found Baker guilty of two counts of wire fraud for that conduct. Baker was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment in July 2023 for the wire fraud and ordered to pay his family member $445,000 in restitution. 

A bench trial was held in November 2023 on counts related to crimes committed by Baker while on pretrial release in the real estate transaction wire fraud case. During the bench trial, Baker was found guilty of contempt and being a felon in possession of ammunition. The evidence at trial showed that, on September 23, 2020, Baker was placed on pretrial release in connection with the wire fraud case. As a condition of his release, Baker was ordered not to transfer substantial assets over $1500, unless approved by a United States Probation Officer. Baker repeatedly violated this condition from August 2021 through February 2022. In total, Baker transferred more than $1,000,000 in assets without obtaining approval from his supervision officer, and without notifying the supervision officer of the transfers.

The evidence at trial further established that in March 2022, U.S. Probation Officers recovered two types of ammunition at Baker’s home. The first box contained 40 rounds of .38 special ammunition and was found in a dresser with men’s underwear and socks. The second box contained approximately 37 rounds of 9mm ammunition and was found in a duffel bag with more than $80,000 in cash. Baker was the only adult male who lived in the home. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah and the FBI made the announcement. 

“Mr. Baker’s decision to engage in new fraud while serving a custodial sentence for a 2019 fraud case was brazen,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah. “His subsequent decision to repeatedly violate his conditions of release and commit new crimes while awaiting trial in the fraud case demonstrates a complete lack of respect for our laws and the court. Repeated maleficence will not be tolerated.”

The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.
     
Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer K. Muyskens and Stewart M. Young of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment, unsealed yesterday, charging a Utah man with wire fraud, making a false statement, impersonating a federal officer and aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment, from 2018 to 2020, Santiago Garcia Gutierrez allegedly falsely promised his victim that he could acquire at discounted prices exotic cars, planes and vessels that had been seized by the U.S. government through forfeiture. Garcia allegedly promised the victim that he would transfer these luxury assets to them in exchange for earnest money payments. Garcia allegedly assured the victim that those payments would be paid to the U.S. government, but instead he kept the money. To lure his victim into participating in the scheme, on numerous occasions, Garcia allegedly contacted the victim via text message from multiple phone numbers and falsely claimed to be a confidential government informant, federal agent or Garcia’s own attorney. The indictment alleges that Garcia furthered his scheme by lying to an IRS special agent.

In total, Garcia allegedly defrauded the victim of approximately $2.8 million.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for wire fraud, five years in prison for making a false statement, three years in prison for impersonating a federal officer and two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General and the Environmental Protection Agency are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Richard M. Rolwing and Erika V. Suhr of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Luis Alexander Coronado, 25, of Herriman, Utah, was sentenced to over 5 years’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release and the forfeiture of $23,074 by a U.S. District Court Judge as a result of a guilty plea. Coronado engaged in a serious drug trafficking offense involving large quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl in the District of Utah.

According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, Coronado possessed heroin that he intended to distribute. On March 7, 2023, Coronado was arrested after a search warrant was executed at his residence. In his home, agents found approximately 3500 grams of heroin, 41,000 pills containing fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, all of which Coronado admitted he intended to distribute to others. Agents also seized $23,074, which Coronado admitted was obtained by selling drugs. See prior press release here.

“Community safety is a top priority,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “I want to thank law enforcement and my office’s prosecutors for their commitment to removing narcotics from criminals like Coronado who put our communities at risk."

“The amount of illicit drugs seized from Luis Coronado was enough to potentially kill thousands of Utahns,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Countless lives have been destroyed by the overdose epidemic and the FBI and our partners will pursue those who fuel these addictions in our communities.” 

The case was investigated by the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force. 

Assistant United States Attorney, Vernon G. Stejskal of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Dusty Junior Goodspeed, 58, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today to 180 months’ imprisonment by a U.S. District Court Judge as a result of a guilty plea. Goodspeed admitted he traveled to Salt Lake City to attempt to engage in sexual activity with someone he believed was a minor. He was charged with attempted coercion and enticement, and travel with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. 

According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, Goodspeed, traveled from Nebraska to Salt Lake City International Airport in December 2022 to engage in sex acts with someone he believed was a 13-year-old boy. Goodspeed had been communicating with an undercover agent, who posed as a 13-year-old boy, and was arrested by law enforcement at baggage claim. Goodspeed admitted that in September 2022, he used Facebook Messenger to contact someone he believed was a 13-year-old. That same month, he began texting the undercover agent who was posing as a minor, messages that were sexual in nature. Goodspeed continued to communicate with the undercover agent until he landed at the airport in Salt Lake City. Goodspeed admitted to law enforcement he intended to spend the weekend with a 13-year-old and have sex with him. In addition to his sentence of imprisonment, Goodspeed was ordered to supervised release for life. 

U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah; and the FBI made the announcement. 

The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Division.  

Assistant United States Attorneys Allison H. Behrens, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal jury convicted two owners of a local trucking conglomerate of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The defendants owned a group of trucking companies named Salt Lake Trucking Group (SLTG). According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants and their coconspirators paid over $300,000 in bribes to FedEx Ground employees, which resulted in SLTG receiving $108 million from FedEx over a ten-year period.

At the time of the conspiracy, the defendants, Yevgeny Felix Tuchinsky, 63, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was also a resident of San Diego, California; Konstantin Mikhaylovich Tomilin, 54, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was also a resident of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Tuchinsky and Tomilin owned and operated several trucking companies consolidated under SLTG. 

At trial, the jury was presented with evidence that FedEx contracts with local trucking companies to haul FedEx packages in semitrucks. FedEx refers to these companies as contract service providers (CSPs).  FedEx pays the CSPs by the mile. The defendants’ companies were among those local CSPs that picked up and delivered FedEx semitrailers full of packages at the FedEx Ground Hub in North Salt Lake. The CSPs provided the semitruck and driver that hauled the trailers to FedEx hubs and other facilities where the packages were eventually sorted for local delivery. 
 
Beginning around 2009 and continuing to 2019, the defendants bribed FedEx employees in exchange for those employees providing more business to SLTG. Instead of competing fairly against other CSPs for FedEx business, SLTG bribed FedEx employees to obtain more miles and more money from FedEx. The bribes resulted in SLTG obtaining unearned FedEx business for over a decade. 

The defendants and their coconspirators also engaged in deceptive practices to conceal from FedEx that they were violating several FedEx policies and contractual provisions. And they bribed FedEx employees to help deceive FedEx and cover up their violations. These deceptive practices included creating shell companies and lying to FedEx about the true ownership of the companies. This concealed from FedEx that SLTG owned and operated the shell companies and that the shell companies shared the same owners, assets, trucks, and employees. The defendants and their coconspirators also lied to FedEx about dozens of SLTG drivers’ qualifications on FedEx applications. Further, the defendants and their coconspirators failed to honestly report accidents to FedEx. As established at trial, had FedEx known about SLTG’s bribery, true size, ownership, false driver applications, and accidents, FedEx would have terminated SLTG and its subsidiaries as CSPs. 

The defendants’ bribery and lies resulting in SLTG receiving $108 million from FedEx. Tuchinsky personally gained $7 million and Tomilin personally gained over $4 million from the scheme. 

“Before they delivered packages, these men and their teammates delivered cash bribes,” said Stephen Dent, Assistant United States Attorney during trial. “Before their trucks pulled away from the hub to go on a run, they lied and they bribed to even get that run. $108 million by cheating.”

Tuchinsky’s and Tomilin’s sentencing is scheduled for May 20, 2024, before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby at the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement. 

The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Division, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG).  

Assistant United States Attorneys Cy H. Castle, Stephen P. Dent and Bryant L. Watson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah presented the case at trial. 

###
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Emmanuel Dejesus Nina-Perez, 31, of Salt Lake City, was sentenced today to 27 months’ imprisonment by a U.S. District Court Judge as a result of a guilty plea. Nina-Perez is the sixth and final defendant in a three-year conspiracy that defrauded gas station customers and their banks by secretly using Bluetooth enabled skimming equipment to steal customers’ credit card information. 

According to court documents and statements made at the change of plea hearing, Yarislani Padron-Cruz, 38, a foreign national living in Salt Lake City; Yofre Napoleon Almonte, 50, a foreign national living in Salt Lake City; Iraldo Pereda-Mendez, 36, of Salt Lake City; Jandry Artigas-Reyes, 38, a foreign national living in Salt Lake City; and Yosbel Delgado-Valdes, 44, of Salt Lake City, pleaded guilty to participating in a gas scheme conspiracy that began in 2017 and lasted through 2020. The defendants executed the conspiracy by using Bluetooth enabled skimming equipment that they installed onto gas pumps, specifically, on the motherboard of the internal computer that controls the gas pumps. Skimming equipment contains a Bluetooth card reader/recorder that records information – such as the customers’ credit card number, name and zip code associated with the card. After installation, the defendants would get within range of the Bluetooth skimming device to initiate a wireless Bluetooth connection at the gas pump. The defendants would then download the digital credit card/debit card information captured by and stored in their skimming device. The defendants then encoded the data captured onto duplicate cloned cards and would use them to purchase fuel and other items. Several of the co-conspirators, including Nina-Perez, were either long-haul truck drivers or had close connections to trucking transportation companies who operated fleets of long-haul trucks. Collectively, the defendants are responsible for over $200,000 in losses. 

In addition to Nina-Perez’s sentence of imprisonment, Padron-Cruz was sentenced to 48 months imprisonment; Almonte was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment; Pereda-Mendez was sentenced to 39 months’ imprisonment; Artigas-Reyes was sentenced to 45 months’ imprisonment; and Delgado-Valdes was sentenced to 50 months’ imprisonment. Each has been ordered by the court to pay joint restitution to the victims. The court also ordered the forfeiture of $38,372 cash seized from Nina-Perez’s co-defendants’ residence in connection with their arrests.

“The theft of funds and identities imposed a serious burden and harm on the victims,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “My office is committed to seeking justice for victims and working with our investigative partners to crack down on this type of fraudulent behavior.”

“Filling up our gas tanks is a common, routine activity which means any one of us could have been a victim of this crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Fraud not only costs businesses and banks, but places an added burden on citizens to recover from identity theft. We encourage the public to regularly check their bank statements and report any potential fraud to local law enforcement or the FBI.” 

The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department. 

Assistant United States Attorney Ruth Hackford-Peer and Special Assistant United States Attorney Sachiko J. Jepson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

###

Attachments: 

UPDATE

Upon motion of the United States, the indictment described in the press release below against Darnel Silver Collins, in this case was dismissed on June 12, 2024.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment today charging a Netherlands national, living in Arizona, with multiple federal charges, including interference with a flight crew. 

According to court documents, Darnel Silver Collins, 19, of Surprise, Arizona, was a passenger onboard a Delta Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Salt Lake City, who allegedly engaged in unruly and abusive behavior one hour after takeoff. Collins continued to cause problems and had to be consistently monitored for the remaining nine hours of the flight. 

According to witnesses, Collins was loud, disruptive, threatening and abusive to other passengers and crew members. Throughout the flight, Collins’ behavior escalated and he eventually had to be restrained. As alleged in the complaint, during the flight, Collins began following and touching multiple passengers. At one point, Collins approached a female passenger as she was exiting the restroom. Collins grabbed onto the female passenger’s arm and did not release her until another passenger and flight crew member intervened. Approximately eight passengers were moved from the area around Collins seat to avoid further problems. Eventually, Collins was moved to the very back row of the aircraft. Collins spit on a passenger striking at least two other people with his saliva and he continued to touch passengers as they walked by. Due to his continued unwanted touching of other passengers, Collins was physically restrained in flexicuffs by the flight crew. He was taken into custody upon arrival at Salt Lake City International Airport. Collins is in the United States on a P1 Visa (National/International athletes and performers). Collins is a minor league baseball player and is sponsored by the Kansas City Baseball Corporation. He travels between the U.S. and the Netherlands during the baseball off-season. 

Collins is charged with interference with a flight crew and assault by striking, beating, and wounding in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Feb. 1, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

An FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department is investigating the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Michael Kennedy of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

Attachments:

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Nelly Idowu, 39, of Provo, Utah, was sentenced today to six years’ imprisonment followed by three years’ supervised release, after a federal jury found her guilty of one count of money laundering conspiracy and two counts of money laundering in an online romance scam. Idowu is one of four defendants sentenced in a two-year scheme that cost victims over $6 million. 

According to the evidence presented at trial, from 2017 to 2019 Idowu participated in an online romance scheme that involved creating fake online dating profiles to befriend and romance victims. Idowu, and her co-conspirators, led these victims to believe the fake persona they were engaging with had an urgent and financial need, none of which were legitimate. The victims targeted were mostly widowed and divorced women over 65-years-old. These significant life changes often occurred very late in life after many years of being accustomed to the company and support of a partner. Many victims suffered significant financial loss in the final years of life, with some losing their entire life savings.  

Codefendants Emmanuel Osaigbovo Adesotu, Nnamdi Joel Chukwu, and Julius Omene Fredrick were each previously convicted by guilty plea to a money laundering conspiracy. Adesotu was sentenced to a term of 36 months’ imprisonment, Fredrick was sentenced to a term of 46 months’ imprisonment, and Chukwu was sentenced to a term of 12 months’ imprisonment. Each defendant was ordered by the court to pay $6,444,787.16 in restitution jointly for the victims. 

“Idowu and her co-conspirators preyed on unsuspecting and vulnerable victims,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “The defendants gained their trust and convinced them to send large sums of money, leaving many of the victims in financial despair. My office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to prosecute these online scams, and seek justice for the victims.” 

“Scammers like Idowu know exactly how to prey on their victims’ vulnerabilities, and sadly, the financial and emotional consequences can be absolutely devastating,” said Shohini Sinha, Special Agent in Charge of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The FBI is committed to investigating these perpetrators and continuously works to raise awareness about romance scams. Think twice before you share personal information online, be wary of online suitors who are quick to establish a relationship and gain your trust, and don’t send money to someone you’ve never met. If you think you’re a victim of a romance scam, file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.” 

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Provo Resident Agency. 

Assistant United States Attorneys Carl LeSueur and Mark Woolf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

The FBI encourages those engaged in online relationships to review and become familiar with information about romance scams on its website FBI.gov. Additionally, if you or someone you know has been a victim of elder fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline 833-FRAUD-11 or 833-372-8311 and online at the Office for Victims of Crime.  
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins announced today that the District of Utah collected $8,945,364.56 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2023. Of this amount, $6,624,427.09 was collected in criminal actions and $2,320,937.47 was collected in civil actions.  

Additionally, the District of Utah worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $30,645,096.14 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $10,100 was collected in criminal actions and $30,634,996.14 was collected in civil actions.          
     
In September 2023, the District of Utah recovered $300,000 as part of a court ordered restitution from Crystal Huang who was convicted of a $5M securities fraud scheme. See full press release here. 

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

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in the District of Utah, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $6,191,974 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2023. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes. 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned an indictment charging a Utah man for attempted carjacking of a vehicle in Salt Lake City. 

According to court documents, Kay Elder, 36, of Farmington, Utah, allegedly approached a 57- year-old victim parked at Home Depot at 328 West 2100 South in Salt Lake City on January 3, 2024. Elder allegedly opened the driver’s door and began yelling at the victim to get out of the car and give him the keys. The victim exited the car and Elder attempted to strike and kick the victim but missed. Elder then grabbed the victim and threw him into a tree. The victim fell to the ground and remained there while Elder got into the victim’s car and attempted to drive away. However, the victim had the car key FOB, and the defendant couldn’t start the car. Witnesses observed the incident and called police. Officers quickly arrived at the scene and observed Elder running from the car into oncoming traffic. Officers attempted to stop Elder, but he continued to flee and ignored multiple commands to stop. Elder grabbed a metal sign from a nearby gas station and threw it at the pursuing officers. The officers then tased Elder and he was taken into custody. 

Elder is charged with attempted carjacking. His initial court appearance on the indictment was Jan. 22, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

An FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department is investigating the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Carlos Esqueda of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Today, a United States Magistrate Judge ordered a Utah nurse remain in custody after she was arrested last week and indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly illegally distributing and dispensing morphine that resulted in the death of another person. 

According to court documents, Catherine Worman, 33, of Sandy, allegedly distributed and dispensed morphine on June 5, 2023, resulting in the death of one person. Worman was employed as a nurse at a local hospital at the time of the offense. Court documents allege Worman also distributed and dispensed morphine to at least one other person. During the investigation into the death of victim one, Draper Police officers learned from another victim that Worman intravenously administered morphine to him without a prescription. According to the victim, he became extremely ill because of the morphine administered by Worman and feared for his life. Additional information extracted from Worman’s cell phone reveals she was unlawfully obtaining Adderall prescribed for others and trading it. Worman was also illegally obtaining prescription medications from another healthcare worker with whom she was romantically involved. At the time of her arrest, Worman was employed in healthcare and the U.S. Attorney’s Office requested she remain detained pending trial.  

Worman is charged with distribution of morphine resulting in death. Her initial court appearance on the indictment was Jan. 19, 2024, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by the Draper Police Department.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Brandon Keith Thompson, 43, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was sentenced today to over nine years imprisonment followed by three years supervised release after a federal jury found him guilty of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. 

According to court documents, and the evidence presented at trial in January 2023, law enforcement responded to a store in Sandy, Utah on July 8, 2021, for a report of a theft in progress. When the officers arrived, employees identified Thompson as the suspected shoplifter. Thompson fled the store. Two officers with the Sandy Police Department chased Thompson in the parking lot and stopped him. Thompson grabbed an officer’s firearm, which was holstered, and pulled on it with such force that the firearm began to move up out of the holster. A bystander observed the struggle and rushed forward to help the officers keep Thompson from gaining control of the firearm and potentially using it against the officers. Thompson placed his finger on the trigger and fired the weapon, which was still partially holstered. The bullet came within inches of striking the bystander and officers. Thompson maintained his grip on the firearm and continued to pull on it, as officers and the bystander attempted to gain control of the firearm and Thompson. After a violent struggle, the officers and bystander secured the firearm and placed Thompson into custody. Thompson had previously been convicted of a felony. This is Thompson’s third federal conviction for the unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

“Thompson’s behavior threatened the lives of police officers and bystanders in a busy parking lot,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “This case highlights the valuable and ongoing relationship between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners as we continue to seek justice for federal offenders whose actions put law enforcement and the community in danger.” 

“We are extremely grateful for the countless hours of hard work of everyone involved in this case,” said a spokesperson with the Sandy Police Department Administration. “We are especially thankful for Assistant United States Attorneys, Angela Clifford and Jennifer Muyskens, for their diligence in the pursuit of justice for this deliberate act of indifference against a law enforcement officer.”  

“Everyday law enforcement officers are confronted with life and death situations in order to protect their communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. “We are fortunate and grateful this case was not deadly for the officer or other innocent bystanders.”

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Assistant United States Attorneys Angela J. Clifford and Jennifer K. Muyskens of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Jason Grace, 54, of St. George was sentenced to just over two years’ imprisonment followed by three years supervised release after he admitted to a credit union robbery. The sentence was ordered by United States Federal District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby. 

According to court documents, on July 26, 2023, Grace entered a Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) in St. George. Grace handed the teller a note which read “this is a robbery” and directed the clerk to provide $4,400 in lower denominations. The teller gave Grace ten $100 bills and Grace fled in a two-door black Chevy Silverado with black rims and a tonneau cover on the bed. St. George Police Department officers and FBI agents responded to the scene and began investigating and alerted surrounding neighboring law enforcement of the robbery and provided descriptions of the suspect and the Chevy Silverado. The next day, Mesquite police officers spotted a matching Chevy Silverado with a Utah plate in the parking lot of the Virgin River Casino. A records check of the vehicle determined it belonged to Grace and photos confirmed it was the getaway vehicle. Investigators also identified Grace as the suspect by comparing his driver's license photo to surveillance from the robbery and photos on social media. Grace, who was a guest at the casino, was served a search warrant and his hotel room and vehicle were searched. Officers located clothing that matched what Grace wore during the robbery. Grace was arrested and admitted to chewing up the robbery note and spitting it out the window as he was driving. He told officers that after obtaining the money, he purchased two money orders, a pool cue he recently pawned, paid his back rent, and fled to Mesquite with the remainder of the money. 

“No individual should be threatened or intimidated at their place of business,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “This was not a spontaneous act of violence, but instead something Mr. Grace carefully considered for approximately a week. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners who acted quickly and carefully.”

The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, St. George Resident Agency, St. George Police Department and the Mesquite Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Chris Burton of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 

ST. GEORGE, Utah – United States Federal District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby sentenced a Washington County man to over eight years imprisonment followed by three years supervised release, after he admitted to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. 

According to court documents, Cruzberto Alballar, 33, of Santa Clara, Utah, was confronted by officers at his residence during a search for a stolen truck in April 2023. Using GPS tracking, the truck was detected inside Alballar’s detached garage. Alballar told officers that someone he knew asked if he could keep the truck at his residence and Alballar gave him permission to do so but noticed it did not have any keys and the driver’s side window was smashed. While executing a search warrant inside Alballar’s residence officers found 160 grams of methamphetamine, a large jar of marijuana, ammunition and multiple firearms, one of which was reported stolen. The firearms and ammunition include a Smith and Wesson magazine with ammunition; a Smith & Wesson M&P firearm; a box of 9mm Fiocchi Luger ammunition with loose rounds of ammo inside; an Astra A 100 handgun, a Smith & Wesson M&P Compact 911 handgun; and a Diamond Back AR15 556 rifle. Officers also located multiple large capacity magazines for the guns, including a double-drum magazine. During a second search warrant of Alballar’s vehicle, officers also found a methamphetamine pipe and several bags of methamphetamine.

 “As the U.S. Attorney, community safety is my top priority,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Mr. Alballar not only illegally possessed and intended to distribute narcotics in the community but unlawfully possessed firearms, as a previously convicted felon. We will work with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute those who are a threat to our communities.”  

The case is being investigated jointly by the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department and the Washington County Drug Task Force. 

Assistant United States Attorney Chris Burton, of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Today, a federal magistrate judge ordered the last of 23 individual defendants in a large scale drug trafficking and money laundering case detained. The total of defendants now in custody is 22 out of 23 individuals who were charged in a superseding indictment with 33 federal crimes, including laundering millions of dollars via wire transfers from Utah to Mexico and Honduras. A financial intuition is also charged in the indictment. 

According to court documents, Georgina Espinoza-Grajeda, 40, of Eagle Mountain, Utah, who is the owner and operator of Multiservicios Lokos LLC, located in South Salt Lake City, Utah, along with her employee Jesid Dadiana De Sutter, 50, of Sandy, Utah, were at the center of a complex conspiracy to secretly and illegally wire millions of dollars in proceeds of narcotics trafficking to suppliers in Mexico and Honduras. Espinoza and De Sutter laundered the money by falsifying wire transfer information to avoid detection. Multiservicios Lokos LLC was allegedly the laundering hub for multiple drug trafficking organizations. Court documents allege that from at least January 2022 to November 2023, Espinoza-Grajeda and De Sutter operated their money remitting business and laundered millions of dollars in drug proceeds deposited by their co-defendants trafficking in fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine throughout the Wasatch Front. Through a collaborative law enforcement effort, agents and officers seized 62,000 fentanyl pills, 24.5 pounds of heroin, 8.5 pounds of cocaine, five firearms, and $237,000 in cash. Agents and officers estimate the criminal organization laundered more than $20 million since January 2022. 

Espinoza-Grajeda and De Sutter are charged with conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to structure transactions to evade reporting requirements, conspiracy to evade suspicious activity reporting and anti-money laundering requirements. Their initial court appearance on the indictment, along with many of their co-defendants, was in November 2023, where the court ordered all except one defendant to remain in custody pending trial. A superseding indictment was filed on Dec. 6, 2023.

Two more defendants, Henrry Arita Lozano and Frances Dalyana Power-Escobar were arrested in Washington and brought to Utah. Lozano appeared at his arraignment January 5, 2024, and Power-Escobar appeared at her arraignment January 8, 2024. Lozano and Power-Escobar were both ordered to remain in custody. A jury trial is scheduled for April 16, 2024. 

United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah, and law enforcement partners made the announcement. 

The case is being investigated jointly by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, FBI Special Operations Group (FBI- SOG), IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), United States Marshals Service, Adult Parole and Probation, Park City Police Department, Davis County Metro Narcotics Strike Force, Utah County Major Crimes Task Force, American Fork Police Department, Salt Lake City Police Department, Sandy Police Department, South Jordan Police Department, South Salt Lake Police Department, South Salt Lake Business License Department, West Jordan Police Department, West Valley Police Department, Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake, and the Utah State Bureau of Investigations (SBI).

Special Assistant United States Attorney Ryan N. Holtan, of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

Remaining defendants named in the indictment: (Name, age, citizenship, last city of residence)

 The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – An indictment was unsealed after a California man was arrested and is scheduled to appear in a Salt Lake City federal courthouse. The eight count indictment charges the defendant for unlawfully collecting unemployment insurance during COVID-19 from California while living and working in Utah. He also allegedly assisted others in committing the same acts for a cut of their unemployment insurance funds administered under the CARES Act. 

According to court documents, Robert James Waff, 49, of Sacramento, CA, allegedly submitted an online application for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits on June 19, 2020, through the California Employment Development Department (EDD) website, while he was a resident of Clearfield, Utah. Waff listed his residence and mailing address as Fair Oaks, CA. Waff also claimed he had lost employment due to COVID-19 and that before losing employment his annual income was $44,000, and that he planned to return to work for his previous employer. Waff’s fraudulent California EDD application and continued renewal of his California EDD benefits resulted in Waff receiving over $36,000 in fraudulent payments. 

Beginning in July 2020, Waff also allegedly helped three coconspirators apply for COVID-19 related California unemployment benefits through the California EDD website. None of the applicants lived or worked in the state of California. In return, Waff requested a cash payout from each applicant as compensation for assisting with the false application. As a result of the fraudulent filings, the actual loss resulting from fraudulent UI benefit claims exceeded $100,000. 

Waff is charged with one count of wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud aiding and abetting, and four counts of mail fraud aiding and abetting. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Division and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Assistant United States Attorney Brian Williams of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 
 

UPDATE

Upon motion of the United States, the indictment described in the press release below against Jonathan J. Dunn in this case was dismissed on August 16, 2024. 

SALT LAKE CITY – A former pilot accused of threatening to shoot his co-pilot is scheduled to appear at a Salt Lake City Federal District Court Thursday. The pilot was serving on active duty with the U.S. military overseas at the time he was indicted in October 2023. 

According to court documents, Jonathan J. Dunn, 42, of Rapid City, North Dakota, and a former Delta Airlines First Officer, threatened to shoot the flight’s captain during a flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City on Aug. 22, 2022. Dunn, a former Federal Flight Deck Officer, was a pilot authorized by TSA to carry a firearm on the flight deck for security. During the flight, a passenger had a medical issue and the flight’s captain advised Dunn the flight could be diverted to Grand Junction, Colorado, if the passenger’s condition worsened. Dunn objected to the contingency plan and described in substantial detail how he would shoot the captain multiple times for “going crazy” and he would later explain he had to shoot all the rounds he possessed because the captain was “still twitching.”

Dunn is charged with interference with a flight crew. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG) is investigating the case. 

Assistant United States Attorney Michael Kennedy of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 
 

ST. GEORGE, Utah – A foreign national, and Colorado resident, was sentenced yesterday to 92 months imprisonment followed by four years supervised release, after he admitted to trafficking over 140 pounds of methamphetamine into the District of Utah in March 2022.

“It is mind-blowing to think about the downstream effects of this amount of drugs in the community,” said U.S. Federal District Court Chief Judge Robert J. Shelby.  “Substantial sentences are necessary for people to understand the risks of trafficking drugs.”

According to court documents, Sergio Antonio Silva-Gonzalez, 24, of Denver, Colorado, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to illegally possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. In Silva-Gonzalez’s written statement in advance of his plea of guilty, and admissions made in court at his change of plea hearing, he admitted that the methamphetamine he possessed at the time of his arrest weighed approximately 141 pounds. According to court records, and statements made by the federal prosecutor during Silva-Gonzalez’s sentencing hearing, in addition to the methamphetamine, the defendant was in the United States illegally. He also possessed and intended to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and was in possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. 

“Community safety is a top priority. The amount of narcotics Mr. Silva-Gonzalez attempted to traffic into our state threatens the safety and lives of our citizens,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Working with law enforcement, we will continue to prosecute these types of cases and seek appropriate federal sentences to protect the community.” 

 “The amount of drugs is staggering. Adding the stolen firearm makes it downright disturbing,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brady Wilson during the sentencing hearing.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. 

"HSI will aggressively pursue individuals who bring poison into our communities and try to profit off the misery they leave behind," said Christopher Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations. 

Assistant United States Attorney, Brady Wilson, of the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Samuel J. Webster, 20, of Farmington, Utah, was sentenced today to 12 months and one day imprisonment, a fine of $5,500, and term of three years supervised release. The sentence, ordered by Federal District Court Judge David Sam, comes after Webster pleaded guilty to animal torture via animal crushing and posting multiple videos of the animal cruelty on YouTube in Oct. 2021.  

According to court documents, and admissions made during his change of plea hearing in August 2023, Mr. Webster purposefully engaged in animal crushing by purchasing a male guinea pig from a pet supply store in Farmington, Utah. Webster then purposefully subjected the guinea pig to serious injury and posting videos of the abuse on YouTube. See former news release here. 

“The animal torture committed by Mr. Webster was not only illegal but inhumane and cruel,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “Torture of any kind to an animal is unacceptable. Our office will work with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute all crimes of this nature.” 

“Animals deserve to be treated humanely which is why the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act was passed in 2019,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Evidence shows that intentional animal cruelty can also be a precursor to other violent crimes. We are grateful for the public's assistance reporting this horrific abuse so law enforcement could put a stop to it and have Mr. Webster face the consequences."

The FBI Salt Lake Field Office investigated the case with valuable assistance by the Woods Cross Police Department.

The United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

If you are aware of animal cruelty, please report it to law enforcement or call 1-800-CALL-FBI or leave a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Nevada resident pleaded guilty today to the distribution of fentanyl via the U.S. Mail, which resulted in serious bodily injury after the fentanyl nearly killed a Park City, Utah resident.

According to court documents, and admissions made during his change of plea hearing, Colin Andrew Shapard, 22, of Las Vegas, Nevada, mailed a package containing numerous fentanyl pills on Feb. 1, 2022, to a Park City resident. Shapard admitted that he knew fentanyl was a controlled substance and illegal to distribute. On Feb. 10, 2022, the recipient of the package suffered serious bodily injury after he ingested the pills, which caused him to lose consciousness. The victim’s father found him unconscious and called 911. Upon arrival, emergency medical personnel administered Narcan to the victim. Narcan is a drug that reverses the effects of opioids, including fentanyl, and is effective only on opioids. The victim was hospitalized and survived. The following day, DEA agents discovered that the victim overdosed on blue M30 fentanyl pills, which were purchased from Shapard. 

The investigation also revealed that Shapard mailed opioids to Utah multiple tunes. See former press release here. 

Shepard pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance that resulted in serious bodily injury. He is scheduled to be sentenced Apr. 4, 2024, at 3:00 in courtroom 7.3 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Task Force Officers from the United States Postal Inspector Service (USPIS), Park City Police Department, and the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

The United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Nathan Suaste, 20, of West Valley City, Utah, and Lorenzo Saavedra, 20 of Saratoga Springs, Utah, were each sentenced today after they pleaded guilty to using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Suaste was sentenced to 60 months Saavedra was sentenced to 84 months. A third defendant, Exodus Matua, is scheduled to be sentenced in March 2024.  

According to court documents, and admissions made during their change of plea hearing, in August 2022, Suaste, Saavedra, and Matua targeted a U.S. Postal Mail Carrier with the intent to threaten and steal his arrow key. An arrow key is a Postal Service key used by USPS employees who deliver and pick up mail from mail receptacles. Suaste was the driving force behind the robbery and recruited Saavedra and Matua to participate. Saavedra, armed with a firearm provided by Suaste, confronted and pulled the mail carrier out of his mail truck. While detaching his arrow key, Matua, who was also armed with a firearm, punched the mail carrier in the face and pointed his firearm at the mail carrier. Suaste, Saavedra, and Matua intended to use the stolen arrow key to open mail receptacles, steal mail belonging to third parties, and use the contents of the stolen mail – including checks and other financial instruments – to obtain money under false and fraudulent pretenses.

Matua will be sentenced March 18, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. in courtroom 7.2 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. See prior news release here. 

“Mail carriers should never be worried about being held at gunpoint,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute people who harm public servants. We will use every resource available to protect the United States mail system, its critical workforce, and the community.” 

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service takes any acts of violence against our employees very seriously. U.S. Postal Inspectors relentlessly investigated this robbery until all responsible parties were identified and brought to justice. Attacks against our dedicated public servants will not be tolerated,” stated Dominique Giroux, Acting Inspector in Charge of the USPIS Phoenix Division.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Saratoga Police Department, Salt Lake City Police Department, and the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force. 

Assistant United States Attorney Mark Y. Hirata of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Jerime Montoya, 29, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was sentenced today to 60 months’ imprisonment, after he pleaded guilty to being a previously convicted felon in possession of stolen firearms and ammunition. 

According to court documents, and admissions made during his change of plea hearing, Mr. Montoya possessed a Springfield Arms Co. AR-15 rifle, a Taurus G3c 9mm handgun, a Walther PPS M2 LE edition 9mm handgun, and ammunition. Montoya admitted that he knew it was illegal for him to possess firearms after a previous felony conviction. He also admitted that he knew the firearms were stolen because he stole them from their lawful owners. The firearms were manufactured outside of Utah, and then traveled to Utah in interstate commerce. 

U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement. 

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Ruth Hackford-Peer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – James D. Brunson, 26, of Orem, Utah, was sentenced today to 240 months’ imprisonment, after a federal jury found him guilty of being a previously convicted felon in possession of stolen firearms and ammunition. 

According to court documents, and the evidence presented at trial in July 2022, Brunson was found guilty of possession of firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon, and possession of stolen firearms. In March 2020, Brunson stole a duffle bag containing nine firearms, and ammunition for the weapons from a residence in Orem. Brunson, a convicted felon at the time of the offense, knew he could not possess firearms or ammunition. The duffle bag contained two shotguns; three handguns; one revolver; two .22 caliber rifles; an AR-15 rifle; and three boxes containing ammunition for the weapons. After obtaining search warrants, law enforcement officers tracked Brunson to an apartment complex in West Jordan, Utah. Prior to his arrest, officers witnessed Brunson remove a stolen 9mm handgun from his waistband and discard it in a nearby grassy area. Officers then arrested Brunson and recovered the discarded stolen handgun and six other stolen firearms from a nearby vehicle. Two of the firearms stolen by Brunson have not been located, and officers established that Brunson attempted to sell the firearms for cash to others prior to his arrest. The six stolen firearms and ammunition affected interstate commerce. 

“Brunson’s criminal acts reflect a brazen disregard for the law and demonstrate why restricted persons having firearms is illegal,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “This case also highlights the valuable and ongoing relationship between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Utah County Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners as we continue to seek justice for federal offenders.” 

The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, Provo Resident Agency and was initially investigated by the Orem Police Department and the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force. 

“Instead of learning from his past, Mr. Brunson chose to continue a life of crime and put our community at risk of potential gun violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The FBI and our partners are committed to keeping firearms out of the hands of felons so that our streets are safer for everyone.” 

Assistant United States Attorneys Sam Pead and Angela J. Clifford of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case, which was originally filed by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Kelsy Young working as a Deputy Utah County Attorney.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 

ST. GEORGE, Utah – A Southern Utah man was sentenced today to 33 months’ imprisonment followed by a term of three years supervised release for possession of a stolen firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. 

According to court documents, Kenneth N. Webb, 67, of Washington County, Utah, possessed a stolen Ruger .380 firearm in June 2022. Webb pleaded guilty on Aug. 10, 2023. At his change of plea hearing, Webb admitted that at the time he possessed the firearm, he knew or had reason to believe it was stolen. Webb also admitted that the Ruger .380 traveled in and affected interstate commerce. 

The case was investigated by the Utah State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). 
Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen P. Dent and Brady Wilson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 

SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned two indictments charging three Salt Lake County residents with stealing baggage from baggage carousels at the Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).   

According to court documents, Leticia Marie Torres, 42, of Salt Lake City; and Brianna Marie Taylor, 42, of Midvale, Utah, are charged in one indictment and Charles Masters, 31, of West Valley City, Utah, is charged in a separate indictment. 

As alleged in the indictment for Torres and Taylor, in January 2022, Torres and Taylor stole multiple pieces of baggage on various days from multiple victims with the intent to keep them for their personal use. As part of their scheme to defraud, Torres and Taylor used multiple stolen credit cards belonging to one of the victims and received payment and other items of value during a one-year period. 

According to court documents, from January 2022 to February 2022, Masters stole thousands of dollars worth of baggage with the intent to keep them for his personal use.  

Torres and Taylor are both charged with theft of baggage from interstate shipment, illegal transactions with an access device, and aggravated identity theft. Masters is charged with five counts of theft of baggage from interstate shipment. Torres, Taylor and Masters had their initial appearances on the indictment Nov. 16, 2023, before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah, Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) and the Salt Lake City International Airport made the announcement.

The investigation is being worked jointly by an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department and the Salt Lake City Police Department Airport Division. 

Assistant United States Attorneys Jawayria Z. Auchter and Michael Kennedy of the District of Utah are prosecuting the case. 

As part of ongoing efforts to decrease baggage thefts at airports, Salt Lake City Police Department and the Salt Lake City International Airport say the best way to prevent theft is to ensure your bag is never left unattended. Recognizing that flying with carry-on bags is not always feasible, SLCPD recommends the following tips as travelers enter the holiday and ski season in the beehive state:

• Place irreplaceable or high value items in your carry-on baggage (Note: Passengers must know which items are required to be checked or prohibited from being checked or brought onto an aircraft).
• Reconsider purchasing luxury-branded luggage as this could be an allure to potential thieves.   
• Make your checked luggage distinctive using stickers, tape, ribbon or consider purchasing a brightly colored suitcase.
• Keep a record of what you pack and take a photo of your belongings and your luggage. Photos can be helpful during a police investigation and for insurance purposes. 
• After landing, avoid unnecessary delays and head to the baggage pick-up area immediately so your bag is not left unattended when on the baggage carousel. 
• Ensure your bag is clearly labeled with your contact information. For privacy reasons, an address is not necessary, but a name and phone number should be included.    
• If you believe someone has stolen your luggage, be sure to file a police report and file reports with the airline and TSA. 
• Report anything suspicious to an airport/airline official or airport police.

The Salt Lake City Police Department’s Airport Division continues to conduct proactive operations to curb baggage theft from Salt Lake City International Airport. Officers and detectives work closely with airline and airport staff to ensure the security of passenger luggage.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

UPDATE

Upon motion of the United States, the indictment described in the press release below against Carter Lane Lucas in this case was dismissed on November 21, 2024. 

SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a Utah resident with wire fraud after he allegedly lied about his criminal history when applying for multiple small business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic.   
 
According to court documents, Carter Lane Lucas, 47, of Herriman, Utah, defrauded the COVID-19 relief programs dubbed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) out of approximately $182,800 in loan funds. From April 2020 to August 2021, Lucas submitted multiple fraudulent PPP- and EIDL-Loan applications through Mountain America Credit Union and the Small Business Administration (SBA) and then used the loan proceeds for his personal benefit. According to court documents, during his PPP-Loan application submission, Lucas falsely asserted that he had not been convicted of a felony within the last five years, when in fact he had. In his EIDL-Loan application, and when submitting his EIDL-Loan modification request, Lucas falsely claimed that other than a minor vehicle violation, he had no criminal history. Lucas submitted his fraudulent PPP-Loan application and EIDL-Loan application and modification request using interstate wires. 

Lucas is charged with three counts of wire fraud. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Nov. 15, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The Utah Federal COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force is investigating the case, which includes the Office of Inspector General U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA-OIG), U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 

Assistant United States Attorney Todd C. Bouton of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

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

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
 
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging a Salt Lake County man with two bank robberies after he allegedly used a note to rob Brighton Bank then took an Uber ride from the scene. Days later, he robbed a second bank. 

According to court documents, on Oct. 31, 2023, David Converse Harris, 35, of Salt Lake City, Utah, walked into the Brighton Bank located at 93 West 3300 South in South Salt Lake, Utah, and passed the teller a note. The note stated, “Money in till now! Do not alert anyone! No one needs to be hurt right? Wait until I leave to contact authorities.” Harris received money from the teller along with a dye pack that exploded shortly after Harris left the bank. The investigation revealed Harris then left the scene in a blue Chrysler 200. A records check of the vehicle’s license plate returned to an Uber driver. The Uber driver informed law enforcement that he picked up a passenger on Oct. 31, 2023, around the time of the bank robbery, at a games store in South Salt Lake. The game store is in the same plaza as the Brighton Bank. The Uber driver then drove the passenger to 258 West 700 South, Salt Lake City, later confirmed as Harris’ residence. The Uber driver also informed law enforcement that the passenger had red dye on his hands and jacket and smoke billowing out of his right jacket pocket. During the investigation, law enforcement found a dye pack of bait money where the Uber driver picked up Harris. 

As alleged in court documents, on Nov. 2, 2023, law enforcement learned Harris was at a motel in Midvale. Harris was spotted and law enforcement made efforts to arrest him when he fled in a Lexus SUV, which was later identified as stolen. The chase became too dangerous to continue and officers called off the chase. On the same day, Harris allegedly committed another robbery at the Chase Bank located at 1285 East 3900 South in Millcreek, Utah. Surveillance video showed Harris approached the teller counter, passed a note, and left with money. 

On Nov. 3, 2023, Harris was located in Tooele County in the same stolen Lexus. Police attempted a traffic stop, and Harris again fled in the stolen Lexus. A large multi-agency pursuit ensued throughout Tooele County and proceeded into Salt Lake County. Harris eventually drove onto the Jordan River Parkway Trail, where he crashed into a barrier. Harris then fled on foot but was ultimately apprehended. 

Harris is charged with two counts of bank robbery. He is scheduled for his initial court appearance on Nov. 13, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office is investigating the case and had assistance from Taylorsville Police Department, South Salt Lake Police Department, Adult Probation and Parole and Salt Lake City Police Department. 

Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SALT LAKE CITY – Brandon Redfoot, 28, of Fort Duchesne, Utah, was sentenced Wednesday to 540 months’ imprisonment followed by 60 months of supervised release, after a federal jury convicted him of murder. Redfoot is also ordered by the court to pay $5,955.36 in restitution. 

According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, Redfoot shot and killed another man, on June 7, 2018. In August 2023, he was found guilty on all counts charged in the indictment, including murder in the second degree while within Indian Country, assault with a dangerous weapon while within Indian Country, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and two counts of discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  

“Mr. Redfoot’s senseless act of violence put many lives at risk and took the life of one young man,” said United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. "We will continue to work with our Tribal and federal law enforcement partners to pursue justice for victims and their families."

Evidence presented at trial showed Redfoot was in a physical altercation with the victim outside a store in Randlett, Utah. After the fight, and after the two men parted ways in separate vehicles, Redfoot told the driver of the vehicle he was in to turn around and drive back in the direction the victim had traveled. After the driver refused, Redfoot pulled out a firearm, later identified as a KelTec Sub-2000 9mm folding rifle and threatened the driver to turn around by firing the gun inside the vehicle. The driver complied, and ultimately arrived outside a residence where Redfoot spotted the victim. Redfoot fired at least twenty-nine shots in the direction of the victim and others, ultimately hitting the victim in the back of the head and killing him. 

“Redfoot acted with no regard for the victim’s life and recklessly endangered other innocent lives that day,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “We are committed to working with our Tribal partners to investigate the most egregious crimes in our Native American communities and help keep them safe.” 

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the FBI Vernal Resident Agency and investigations from the Ute Tribe. 

Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Thorpe and Sam Pead of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

ST. GEORGE, Utah – A Washington County resident pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and making a false statement on a tax return after she abused her Homeowners Association (HOA) position of power to divert thousands of dollars to her personal account. She then underreported her personal income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  

According to court documents, Sharon Lee Ann Gordon, 66, of Hurricane, Utah, embezzled approximately over $232,000 from four Lava Bluff HOA bank accounts between 2016 and March 2022. In execution of the scheme, Gordon diverted the funds electronically by transferring them directly to her personal account, writing checks to herself and her boyfriend and forging other board members’ signatures, depositing checks representing HOA member fees directly into her personal accounts, writing checks to casinos from HOA accounts, and withdrawing cash from HOA accounts. In April 2022, Gordon electronically filed a Form 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return with the Internal Revenue Service that falsely stated her total income for 2021 was $13,502, when in fact she received at least $20,000 more. Additionally, in tax years 2017 through 2021, Gordon failed to report income derived from her scheme to defraud Lava Bluff HOA. As a result, Gordon was ordered by the court to pay $20,490 in restitution to the IRS for tax loss from unreported income between 2017 and 2021. Gordon is also ordered to pay the remaining $63,448.32 from the $232,078 in restitution to Lava Bluff HOA. To date, Gordon has paid the HOA $168,629.68 in restitution. 

Gordon pleaded guilty to wire fraud and false statement on a tax return. She is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date in courtroom 2B at the St. George Courthouse before a U.S. District Court Judge in St. George, Utah. 
 
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement. 

The case is being investigated jointly by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, St. George Resident Agency.  

Assistant United States Attorney Stephen P. Dent of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

SALT LAKE CITY – Four Salt Lake County residents are accused of participating in the purchase of or attempted purchase of numerous firearms in Utah and supplying them to Mexico. 
 
According to court documents, Jose Manuel Barbosa Torres, 36, of West Valley City, Utah; Armando Figueroa Jr., 20, of Magna, Utah; Cecilio Luis Arriaga, 27, of West Valley City; and Iliana Dennis, 20, of West Valley City, were charged in a sealed indictment on Oct. 18, 2023. The defendants are accused of purchasing or attempting to purchase numerous Barrett .50 BMG caliber rifles between April 2023 and August 2023. The purchases were from Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs). These firearms typically retail between $8,500 to $10,000. In furtherance of the crime, each defendant filled out an ATF Form 4473, wherein they indicated they were the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm and certified the submitted information was accurate, when it was false.  

In August 2023, agents intercepted Barbosa Torres and Dennis during an attempted firearm purchase. Barbosa Torres allegedly told agents Dennis was purchasing the firearm at his request, and that the firearm was ultimately destined for Cesar Rivera, who was in Arizona. During the investigation, Barbosa Torres again acknowledged the firearms were being purchased for Rivera, and stated Rivera was sending the firearms to Culiacán, Mexico. Rivera recently appeared before the U.S. District Court in the District of Utah for a firearms case in Arizona. He was arrested in Utah on Oct. 23, 2023, at Barbosa Torres’ West Valley City residence. Barbosa Torres, Figueroa, Arriaga, and Dennis were also arrested on Oct. 23, 2023, on warrants related to the indictment. 

Barbosa Torres is charged with making false statements during the acquisition or attempted acquisition of firearms, and aiding and abetting. Figueroa, Arriaga and Dennis are also charged respectively in the indictment. All defendants had their initial court appearances and detention hearings on Oct. 27, 2023. Figueroa, Arriaga, and Dennis were released from custody on conditions. Barbosa Torres was ordered detained pending trial. A five-day jury trial is scheduled for Dec. 15, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.3 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Victoria McFarland of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

Attachments:

SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging a Salt Lake City, Utah man in multiple 7-Eleven robberies that took place in Salt Lake County last month.

According to court documents, Andrew Armani Deionte Rowe, 27, of Salt Lake City, allegedly entered a 7-Eleven on Sept. 12, 2023, at 2917 South Highland Drive, in Salt Lake City and locked the doors behind him. Rowe handed the clerk a note that stated, “Do as I say, or you will lose your life.” The clerk complied and gave Rowe the money from the register. In a separate robbery, also on Sept. 12, 2023, Rowe allegedly threatened and robbed a 7-Eleven employee at 480 West 3900 South in Millcreek, Utah. On Sept. 14, 2023, Rowe allegedly threatened and robbed a 7-Eleven employee at 895 East 4500 South, in Salt Lake City. On Sept. 27, 2023, Rowe allegedly threatened and robbed a 7-Eleven employee at 911 East 3300 South in Millcreek.  

As a result of an investigation, Rowe was taken into custody on October 11, 2023. During an execution of search warrant on Rowe’s apartment and vehicle, items observed in the robberies, including clothing and a handgun, later identified as a replica Glock 45 pistol, were seized as evidence. Rowe was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. 

Rowe is charged with four counts of interference with commerce by robbery. His initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Oct. 27, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

An FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department is investigating the case.

An Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
 
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

SALT LAKE CITY – A federal jury convicted the final defendant involved in an online romance scheme that cost dozens of victims more than $6 million. On Oct. 19, 2023, a Utah County woman, was found guilty of one count of money laundering conspiracy and two counts of money laundering. 

According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, Nelly Idowu, 39, of Provo, Utah, participated in an online romance scheme from 2017 to 2019 that involved creating fake online dating profiles to befriend and romance victims. These victims were primarily single women over 65-years-old who were led to believe the fake persona they were engaging with had an urgent financial need. Some of the bogus financial needs included helping family members with emergency medical costs, helping a United States military member stranded overseas, or claims of unique investment opportunities. None of these financial needs were legitimate. Victims sent money to Idowu and her codefendants for these false purposes. Idowu and her codefendants then sent a significant amount of the victim funds to overseas accounts in China and Nigeria.  

At trial, the United States presented evidence that Idowu’s personal and business accounts received more than $1 million from 2017 to 2019, and that additional amounts were received by Idowu’s coconspirators. Victims testified they were victims of scams involving fictitious online romance partners. They testified they sent the money to Idowu or her coconspirators as a result of the scam involving fictitious online romance partners.  

Idowu’s sentencing is scheduled for January 30, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. in courtroom 3.4 before Senior U.S. District Court Judge, Ted Stewart at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. Codefendants Emmanuel Osaigbovo Adesotu, Nnamdi Joel Chukwu, and Julius Omene Fredrick were each previously convicted by guilty plea to a money laundering conspiracy. Adesotu was sentenced to a term of 36 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $6.3 million in restitution jointly with codefendants. Fredrick was sentenced to a term of 46 months’ imprisonment. Chukwu’s sentencing is set for January 16, 2024.

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement. 

The case was investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office. 
 
Assistant United States Attorneys Carl LeSueur and Mark Woolf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah presented the case at trial. 

The FBI encourages those engaged in online relationships to review and become familiar with information about romance scams on its website FBI.gov. Additionally, if you or someone you know has been a victim of elder fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline 833-FRAUD-11 or 833-372-8311 and online at the Office for Victims of Crime.  
 

UPDATE

Upon motion of the United States, the indictment described in the press release against Vint Wade, Donna Wade, Steven Willing and Jordan Willing in this case was dismissed on August 22, 2024

SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned a 13-count indictment charging four people for allegedly purchasing and selling over $1M in paleontological resources. The dollar amount represents 150,000 pounds of paleontological resources, including dinosaur bones, illegally removed from federal and state lands in southeastern Utah.

According to court documents, Vint Wade, 65, and Donna Wade, 67, of Moab, Utah; Steven Willing, 67, of Los Angeles, California; and Jordan Willing, 40 of Ashland, Oregon, committed several felony offenses against the United States by violating the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA). 

Between March 2018 and continuing until at least March 2023, the defendants allegedly purchased, transported and exported dinosaur bones from federal land. The defendants further illegally conspired by knowingly concealing and retaining stolen property of the United States. As charged, in a typical execution of the conspiracy, the Wades purchased paleontological resources removed from federal land by paying cash and checks to known and unknown unindicted individuals. Those individuals removed the dinosaur bones for the Wades’ personal use. The Wades stockpiled paleontological resources to sell at gem and mineral shows to national vendors and to sell some of the illegally obtained paleontological resources to Steven and Jordan Willing. Using their company, JMW Sales, the Willings’ exported the dinosaur bones to China by mislabeling the dinosaur bones and deflating their value to avoid detection by federal agents.

In addition to the selling over $1,000,000 in paleontological resources, the defendants caused over $3,000,000 in damages that includes the commercial value of the resource, the scientific value of the resource, and the cost of restoration and repair. 

According to the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA), paleontological resources mean any fossilized remains, traces, or imprints of organisms, preserved in or on the earth’s crust, that have paleontological interest and provide information about the history of life on earth.

“By removing and processing these dinosaur bones to make consumer products for profit, tens of thousands of pounds of dinosaur bones have lost virtually all scientific value, leaving future generations unable to experience the science and wonder of these bones on Federal land,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins. “The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to protecting paleontological resources throughout the State of Utah. We will hold accountable anyone who seeks to engage in similar criminal conduct.” 

All defendants are charged with conspiracy against the United States; Paleontological Resources Preservation Act violation; theft of property of the United States and other charges as alleged in the indictment. The defendants are scheduled for their initial court appearance on the indictment, Oct. 19, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

“Southeastern Utah is well-known destination for visitors to experience paleontology on the landscape. The public deserves the opportunity to benefit from and appreciate prehistoric resources on the lands,” said BLM Utah State Director Gregory Sheehan. “We are grateful to our team, including technical experts and law enforcement rangers, and the many partner-agencies who have committed time and energy to bring closure in this case.”

BLM

“The Bureau of Land Management should be greatly commended in dismantling the illegal trade of paleontology artifacts here in our community, said Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins.  

The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Monticello Field Office, the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office with assistance from Grand County Sheriff and San Juan County Sheriff Offices are investigating the case.

Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Hackford-Peer and Melina Shiraldi for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case as an environmental crime. For more information on environmental crimes click here. For more information about casual collecting of paleontological resources allowed under PRPA click here.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 
 

SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging two men from Southern California for allegedly possessing with the intent of distributing methamphetamine in Utah. 

According to court documents, on October 7, 2023, Oscar Soto-Covarrubias, Sr., 73, of San Diego, California, and Oscar Soto Jr., 26, of Fontana, California, were stopped by a Utah Highway Patrol Trooper for an expired registration. During the traffic stop, a drug detection K9 alerted to narcotics. In a subsequent search of the vehicle, agents located and seized a backpack containing approximately 6,780 grams (15 pounds) of field-tested meth. As part of a drug conspiracy investigation, law enforcement identified Soto-Covarrubias, Sr. and Soto Jr. as a Mexico/California-based source of supply of methamphetamine for Utah-based meth redistributors. 

Oscar Soto Covarrubias Sr. and Oscar Soto Jr. are charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Their initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is part of a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Unified Police Department Metro Gang Unit with assistance from the Utah Highway Patrol. 

Assistant United States Attorney Stephen L. Nelson of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

This investigation took place under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. 

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 
 

SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today that charges two foreign nationals for illicit drug possession, including fentanyl, with intent to distribute. 

According to court documents, Juan Robles-Ramos, 22, of Clearfield, Utah, and Pedro De Jesus Figueroa-Roman, 19, of Clearfield, knowingly possessed narcotics with the intent to distribute. Beginning in July 2023, the FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Force (WMDTF) began a criminal investigation into Figueroa-Roman and Robles-Ramos, and other members of a drug trafficking organization believed to be distributing large quantities of narcotics in the District of Utah. Pursuant to a controlled purchase of heroin, agents identified Robles-Ramos and learned that the two defendants lived together. On October 6, 2023, during the execution of a search warrant of Robles-Ramos’ and Figueroa-Roman’s residence, agents recovered approximately 1,444 grams of fentanyl, over 1,400 grams of heroin, and over $4,000 in cash. In a separate area of the residence, agents also recovered 1,292 grams of heroin. Robles-Ramos and Figueroa-Roman are in custody.

Robles-Ramos is charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. Figueroa-Roman is charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. The defendant’s initial court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. 

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The FBI Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force (WMDTF) consisting of the FBI and Davis Metro Narcotic Strike Force (DMNSF) are investigating the case.

United States Attorney Brent Andrus of the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.