Eastern District of Virginia

ALEXANDRIA, Va. –A company located in Chantilly has agreed to pay $1.75 million to settle civil fraud allegations that it and its subsidiaries improperly obtained government contracts that were set-aside for small businesses. 

The United States alleged that the Pavion Company (Pavion) ceased to qualify as a small business concern after its predecessor company was acquired in 2016 by the private equity firm Tower Arch Capital. The United States further alleged that, after its acquisition, Pavion, including two of its subsequently acquired subsidiaries, falsely certified themselves as qualified small businesses in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). Following its acquisition by Tower Arch Capital, Pavion and its subsidiaries were awarded 117 set-aside small business contracts across twenty different federal agencies that they were ineligible to receive.  

Pavion’s management submitted a written contractor disclosure to the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General in August 2023. The disclosure explained that Pavion discovered its conduct during post-acquisition integration and consolidation activities and described the corrective actions that Pavion has taken to prevent future misrepresentations concerning its size. Pavion cooperated in full during the ensuing investigation. This settlement resolves federal civil claims under the False Claims Act.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office; the General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations; the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, Major Procurement Fraud Field Office; Naval Criminal Investigative Service Economic Crimes Field Office; the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General; the Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General; the Department of the Treasury, Inspector General for Tax Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General; the Department of Commerce, Office of Inspector General; the Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General; the Coast Guard Investigative Service; the Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General; the Federal Housing Finance Agency; the Department of State, Office of Inspector General; the National Transportation Safety Board; the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission; and the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, Major Frauds and Corruption Unit. 

This matter was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Kapoor.

The civil claims settled by this False Claims Act agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Сьогодні в суді Східного округу Вірджинії було оприлюднено звинувачення у військових злочинах проти чотирьох пов'язаних з Росією військових. Вони обвинувачуються в катуванні, нелюдському поводженню та незаконному ув’язненні громадянина США в Україні після повномасштабного вторгнення Росії в Україну в лютому 2022 року.

45-річному Сурену Сейрановичу Мкртчяну, Дмитру Будніку, Валерію (прізвище невідоме) та Назару (прізвище невідоме) висунуто звинувачення у незаконному затриманні громадянина США в умовах збройного конфлікту між Росією та Україною. Ці особи підозрюються в тому, що вони допитували, жорстоко били та катували потерпілого. Вони також нібито погрожували вбити жертву та влаштували імітацію страти.

«Відколи світ став свідком жахіть жорстокого вторгнення Росії в Україну, за ними також спостерігає і Міністерство юстиції Сполучених Штатів, – сказав міністр юстиції США Меррік Гарленд. – Саме тому Міністерство юстиції висунуло перші в історії звинувачення згідно зі статутом США про військові злочини чотирьом військовослужбовцям, пов’язаним з Росією, за жахливі злочини проти американського громадянина. Міністерство юстиції працюватиме стільки, скільки буде потрібно, щоб привести винних до відповідальності та відновити справедливість, яку було порушено в результаті агресивної війни Росії».

«Завдяки невтомній і безпрецедентній праці федеральних правоохоронних агентів із відділу розслідувань Міністерства внутрішньої безпеки та Міністерства юстиції, чотирьом російським солдатам, звинуваченим у неймовірних, неприйнятних порушеннях прав людини американського громадянина, висунули звинувачення у військових злочинах і їх буде притягнуто до відповідальності, – зауважив міністр внутрішньої безпеки Алехандро Майоркас. – Звинувачення, які сьогодні було оприлюднено, надсилають чітке повідомлення Росії — наш уряд не пошкодує зусиль і ресурсів, щоб притягнути до відповідальності тих, хто порушує фундаментальні права людини американських громадян».

«З початку свого неспровокованого вторгнення в Україну Росія використовувала порушення прав людини як зброю, щоб завдати людям неймовірних страждань, — заявив директор ФБР Крістофер Рей. – Сьогоднішнє обвинувачення – перше в історії згідно зі статутом США про військові злочини – чітко показує, що ФБР працюватиме у тісній співпраці з міжнародними правоохоронними органами, щоб відновити справедливість для жертв цих жорстокостей. Людські втрати внаслідок конфлікту в Україні важким тягарем лягають на серця агентів ФБР, і ми сповнені рішучості притягнути військових злочинців до відповідальності незалежно від того, де вони перебувають і скільки часу це займе».

«Катування та незаконне ув’язнення особи, яка перебуває під захистом, є серйозними порушеннями прав людини, які не повинні залишатися безкарними, – сказала виконувач обов’язків помічника генерального прокурора Ніколь Арджентьєрі з кримінального відділу Міністерства юстиції. – Ці історичні кримінальні звинувачення — перші в історії, висунуті згідно зі статутом США про військові злочини — є важливим кроком у постійних зусиллях Міністерства юстиції, спрямованих на притягнення до відповідальності тих, хто чинить військові злочини та інші жорстокі дії в Україні.

Згідно з актом обвинувачення, Мкртчян і Буднік були командирами військових частин збройних сил РФ і/або так званої ДНР, а Валерій і Назар – військовослужбовцями нижчого складу.  Як стверджується, звинувачені воювали на боці Росії в Україні, коли вони скоїли військові злочини, про які було повідомлено.

У квітні 2022 року Мкртчян і солдати під його командуванням, відповідно до свідчень, викрали потерпілого, громадянина США, з його будинку в селі Милове Херсонської області на півдні України та незаконно утримували його щонайменше протягом десяти днів. Під час викрадення Мкртчян, Валерій, Назар та інші притисли голого потерпілого обличчям до землі, зв’язали йому руки за спиною, приклали до голови пістолета і жорстоко били його, в тому числі прикладами. Потім Мкртчян, Валерій, Назар та інші нібито перевезли потерпілого до імпровізованої військової бази у Миловому.

«Ці звинувачення свідчать про те, що дії обвинувачених, про які було засвідчено,  є не лише серйозними порушеннями Женевської конвенції про захист цивільного населення під час війни, але й порушенням законодавства США, — заявила прокурор Східного округу штату Вірджинія Джессіка Абер. – Ми пишаємося тим, що виступаємо в авангарді зусиль Міністерства юстиції щодо притягнення до відповідальності осіб, які вчинили військові злочини в Україні, і продовжуватимемо їх переслідувати. Ми дякуємо нашим партнерам по розслідуванню цієї справи, групі аналізу військових злочинів, польовому офісу ФБР у Вашингтоні та Міністерсиву національної безпеки за їхні видатні зусилля зі збору доказів, необхідних для цих звинувачень».

В акті обвинувачення також зазначається, що Мкртчян і Буднік керували та брали участь щонайменше у двох допитах, під час яких четверо підсудних та інші катували потерпілого.  На одному з допитів Мкртчян, Валерій і Назар нібито зняли з потерпілого одяг і сфотографували його. Тоді обвинувачені та інші нібито жорстоко побили потерпілого, спрямували пістолети йому в потилицю та погрожували розстріляти. Будник нібито погрожував вбити потерпілого і вимагав сказати прощальні слова. Незабаром після цього Назар та інші влаштували імітацію страти. Вони нібито змусили жертву впасти на землю, приставили пістолет до потилиці, потім відвели пістолет і випустили кулю прямо повз голову жертви.

«Ці історичні звинувачення є кульмінацією складного розслідування ФБР і наших партнерів, яке охоплює весь світ, — повідомив помічник директора ФБР і керівник вашингтонського офісу Девід Сандберг. – ФБР продовжуватиме співпрацювати з нашими внутрішніми та міжнародними партнерами, щоб досягти правосуддя та притягнути до відповідальності тих, хто вчиняє такі звірства».

«За свідченнями, діючи від імені російських збройних сил і так званої Донецької народної республіки, ці четверо осіб порушили права людини американського громадянина, – заявила виконувачка обов‘язків помічника директора з розслідувань внутрішньої безпеки (HSI) Катріна Бергер. – Згідно з обвинуваченнями, вони незаконно затримали і катували американського громадянина і навіть дійшли до імітації страти. Оприлюднення цих звинувачень у військових злочинах є важливим кроком у притягненні винних до відповідальності. HSI продовжуватиме агресивно переслідувати всіх, хто порушує права людини наших американських громадян – вдома чи за кордоном».

Зазначені особи звинувачуються у трьох військових злочинах – незаконному ув’язненні, тортурах і нелюдському поводженні – і в одному пункті – у змові з метою вчинення військових злочинів. У разі доведення вини обвинуваченим загрожує максимальне покарання у вигляді довічного ув'язнення.

Відділення ФБР та HSI у Вашингтоні (округ Колумбія), за сприяння Міжнародного відділу прав людини ФБР та Центру переслідування порушників прав людини та військових злочинців HSI, розслідували звинувачення у військових злочинах у партнерстві з Офісом прокурора Східного округу Вірджинії та Групою з питань підзвітності військових злочинів Міністерства юстиції, яка базується у Відділі прав людини та спеціального судового переслідування (HRSP) кримінального відділу Міністерства юстиції.

Справу ведуть судовий адвокат HRSP і провідний адвокат обвинувачення групи розслідування військових злочинів Крістіан Левеск, судовий адвокат HRSP Патрік Джасперс і помічник прокурора у Східному окрузі Вірджинії Олександр Бланшар за вагомої підтримки колишнього помічника прокурора Східного округу Вірджинії Томаса Тракслера. Суттєву допомогу в розслідуванні та судовому переслідуванні надали Історики HRSP та інші співробітники.

Цінну допомогу надали Офіс боротьби з комп’ютерними злочинами та порушенням прав інтелектуальної власності Кримінального відділу, Апеляційний відділ, Управління правоохоронних операцій і Управління міжнародних справ, а також Відділ національної безпеки. Міністерство юстиції висловлює вдячність Генеральній прокуратурі України за суттєву допомогу в розслідуванні.

Представників громадськості, які мають інформацію про порушників прав людини в Сполучених Штатах або місцезнаходження обвинувачених, зазначених у цьому звинуваченні, просимо зв’язатися з ФБР за номером 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) або через онлайн-форму на сайті ФБР. Посилання на інші урядові та неурядові сайти зазвичай відображатимуться разом із піктограмою «зовнішнього посилання», які вказують, що ви залишаєте веб-сайт Міністерства юстиції, коли натискаєте на посилання. Зв’яжіться з HSI за номером 1-866-DHS-2-ICE або через онлайн-форму ICE. Посилання на інші державні та неурядові сайти зазвичай відображатимуться разом із позначкою «зовнішнього посилання», яка вказуватиме на те, що ви залишаєте веб-сайт Міністерства юстиції, коли переходите за посиланням. Усі колл-центри працюють цілодобово, а інформацію можна надавати анонімно.

Обвинувальний висновок — це лише твердження. Усі обвинувачені вважаються невинуватими, доки їх вину не буде доведено в суді поза логічними сумнівами.

Indictment

Сегодня в суде Восточного округа штата Вирджиния были оглашены обвинения в военных преступлениях, предъявленные четырем российским военнослужащим. Они обвиняются в пытках, бесчеловечном обращении и незаконном лишении свободы гражданина США на территории Украины после полномасштабного вторжения России в Украину в феврале 2022 года.

45-летнему Сурену Сейрановичу Мкртчяну, Дмитрию Буднику, Валерию (фамилия неизвестна) и Назару (фамилия неизвестна) были предъявлены обвинения в связи с незаконным задержанием гражданина США в контексте вооруженного конфликта между Россией и Украиной. Обвиняемые, как утверждается, допрашивали, жестоко избивали,пытали,угрожали убить жертву и устроили инсценировку казни.

“Сейчас, когда мир становится свидетелем ужасов жестокого вторжения России в Украину, Министерство юстиции Соединенных Штатов наблюдает то же самое, — заявил министр юстиции США Меррик Б. Гарланд. — Именно поэтому Министерство юстиции впервые в истории выдвинуло обвинения в соответствии с законом США о военных преступлениях против четырех российских военнослужащих за  зверские  преступления против американского гражданина. Министерство юстиции  приложит все усилия  , чтобы добиться привлечения к ответственности и правосудия за агрессивную войну, которую ведет Россия”.

“Благодаря неустанной и беспрецедентной работе сотрудников федеральных правоохранительных органов из отдела расследований Министерства национальной безопасности и Министерства юстиции четырем российским военнослужащим, совершившим немыслимые, неприемлемые нарушения прав человека в отношении американского гражданина, предъявлены обвинения в совершении военных преступлений и они будут привлечены к ответственности, — заявил министр национальной безопасности Алехандро Н. Майоркас. — Обнародованные сегодня обвинительные заключения ясно дают понять России: наше правительство не пожалеет усилий и ресурсов, чтобы привлечь к ответственности тех, кто нарушает фундаментальные права  американских граждан”.

“С начала своего незаконного  вторжения в Украину Россия использует нарушения прав человека в качестве оружия, причиняя людям невообразимые страдания, — заявил директор ФБР Кристофер Рэй. — Сегодняшнее обвинительное заключение – первое в истории в соответствии с законом США о военных преступлениях – ясно дает понять, что ФБР будет работать при полном содействии со стороны международных правоохранительных органов, чтобы добиться справедливости для жертв этих злодеяний. Человеческие жертвы конфликта в Украине тяжелым грузом ложатся на сердца сотрудников ФБР, и мы полны решимости привлечь военных преступников к ответственности независимо от того, где они находятся и сколько времени это займет”.

“Пытки и незаконное содержание под стражей  являются серьезными нарушениями прав человека, которые не должны оставаться безнаказанными, — заявила исполняющая обязанности помощника Генерального прокурора   Николь М. Арджентьери из Криминального управления министерства. — Эти беспрецедентные уголовные обвинения, впервые в истории предъявленные в соответствии с законом США о военных преступлениях, являются важным шагом в продолжающихся усилиях Министерства юстиции по привлечению к ответственности всех, кто совершает военные преступления и другие злодеяния в Украине”.

Согласно обвинительному заключению, Мкртчян и Будник были командирами воинских частей Вооруженных сил России и/или вооруженных формирований так называемой Донецкой Народной Республики, а Валерий и Назар были военнослужащими более низкого ранга. Обвиняемые, как утверждается, воевали на стороне России в Украине, когда они совершали вменяемые им военные преступления.

В апреле 2022 года Мкртчян и военнослужащие под его командованием предположительно похитили жертву, гражданина США, из его дома в селе Мыловое Херсонской области на юге Украины и незаконно удерживали его под стражей по меньшей мере 10 дней. Во время похищения Мкртчян, Валерий, Назар и другие предположительно бросили жертву раздетым,   лицом вниз на землю, связали ему руки за спиной, приставили пистолет к его голове и жестоко избили его, в том числе прикладами автоматов. Затем Мкртчян, Валерий, Назар и другие предположительно перевезли жертву на импровизированный военный объект в Мыловое.

“Эти обвинения свидетельствуют о том, что предполагаемые действия обвиняемых являются не только серьезными нарушениями Женевской конвенции о защите гражданского населения во время войны, но и нарушением законодательства США, — заявила федеральный прокурор Восточного округа штата Вирджиния Джессика Эйбер. — Мы гордимся тем, что находимся в авангарде усилий Министерства юстиции по привлечению к ответственности лиц, виновных в совершении военных преступлений в Украине, и будем продолжать преследовать их. Мы благодарим наших партнеров по расследованию этого дела, Группу по привлечению к ответственности за военные преступления, оперативный отдел ФБР в Вашингтоне и Отдел расследований Министерства Национальной Безопасности за их выдающиеся усилия по сбору доказательств, необходимых для предъявления этих обвинений”.

В обвинительном заключении также утверждается, что Мкртчян и Будник участвовали и руководили по меньшей мере двумя допросами, в ходе которых четверо обвиняемых и другие лица пытали жертву.  Как утверждается , во  время одного из допросов Мкртчян, Валерий и Назар  сняли с жертвы одежду и сфотографировали его, жестоко избили, приставили пистолеты к его затылку и угрожали застрелить его. Будник, как утверждается, угрожал жертве смертью и требовал от него произнести последнее слово. Вскоре после этого Назар и другие лица, как утверждается, устроили инсценировку казни,  повалили жертву на землю, приставили пистолет к его затылку, затем немного отвели пистолет в сторону и произвели выстрел рядом с головой жертвы.

“Эти беспрецедентные обвинения являются кульминацией сложного расследования, которое проводилось ФБР и нашими партнерами в разных странах мира, — сказал помощник директора ФБР и руководитель вашингтонского отделения Дэвид Сандберг. — ФБР продолжит тесно сотрудничать с нашими партнерами в стране и международными партнерами, чтобы добиться правосудия и привлечь к ответственности тех, кто совершает подобные злодеяния”.

“Действуя в составе российских Вооруженных сил и вооруженных формирований так называемой Донецкой Народной Республики, эти четверо обвиняемых предположительно нарушили права американского гражданина, — заявила исполнительный помощник директора Катрина Бергер из Отдела расследований Министерства национальной безопасности. — Согласно обвинениям, они незаконно задержали и пытали американского гражданина и даже  устроили инсценировку казни. Обнародование этих обвинений в военных преступлениях является важным шагом в процессе привлечения виновных к ответственности. Отдел расследований продолжит активно преследовать любого, кто нарушает права наших американских граждан, будь то в США или в других странах”.

Указанные лица обвиняются в военных преступлениях по трем пунктам, которыми являются незаконное лишение свободы, пытки и бесчеловечное обращение, и по одному пункту обвинения во вступлении в сговор с целью совершения военного преступления. В случае признания виновным каждому из подсудимых грозит максимальное наказание в виде пожизненного заключения.

Вашингтонское отделение ФБР и местное отделение следственного управления Министерства национальной безопасности в Вашингтоне, округ Колумбия, при содействии Международного отдела ФБР по правам человека и Центра по борьбе с нарушениями прав человека и военными преступлениями при следственном управлении МНБ провели расследования по обвинениям в военных преступлениях совместно с окружной прокуратурой США по Восточному округу штата Вирджиния и Группой по привлечению к ответственности за преступления Министерства юстиции США, базируется в отделе по правам человека и специальным судебным преследованиям (HRSP) Криминального управления Министерства юстиции.

Уголовное преследование по этому делу ведут судебный адвокат HRSP и ведущий обвинитель Группы по привлечению к ответственности за военные преступления Кристиан Левеск, судебный адвокат HRSP Патрик Джасперс и помощник прокурора США Александр Бланчард из Восточного округа штата Вирджиния. Важное содействие им оказывают бывший помощник федерального прокурора по Восточному округу штата Вирджиния Томас У. Тракслер. Сотрудники архивного отдела HRSP и другие сотрудники оказали существенную помощь в расследовании и судебном преследовании.

Ценную помощь также оказали Отдел по расследованию компьютерных преступлений и преступлений в отношении интеллектуальной собственности Криминального управления, апелляционный отдел Управления по контролю за соблюдением законодательства и Управление международных отношений, а также Отдел национальной безопасности. Министерство юстиции благодарит Генеральную прокуратуру Украины за существенную помощь, оказанную в проведении расследования.

Представителям общественности, располагающим информацией о нарушителях прав человека в Соединенных Штатах или о местонахождении обвиняемых, названных в этом обвинительном заключении, настоятельно рекомендуется связаться с ФБР по телефону 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) или заполнив форму онлайн-оповещения ФБР, или с Отделом расследований Министерства национальной безопасности (HSI) по телефону 1-866DHS-2-ICE или заполнив форму онлайн-оповещения Иммиграционно-таможенной службы (ICE). Все они работают круглосуточно, и сообщения принимаются на условиях анонимности.

Предъявление обвинения – это еще не доказательство вины. Обвиняемый считается невиновным до тех пор, пока его вина не доказана судом вне всяких разумных сомнений.

Indictment

War crimes charges against four Russia-affiliated military personnel were unsealed today in the Eastern District of Virginia. The charges include torture, inhuman treatment, and unlawful confinement of a U.S. national in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan, 45, Dmitry Budnik, Valerii LNU (last name unknown), and Nazar LNU were each charged in connection with their unlawful detainment of a U.S. national in the context of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The defendants are alleged to have interrogated, severely beaten, and tortured the victim. They also allegedly threatened to kill the victim and conducted a mock execution.

“As the world has witnessed the horrors of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, so has the United States Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “That is why the Justice Department has filed the first ever charges under the U.S. war crimes statute against four Russia- affiliated military personnel for heinous crimes against an American citizen. The Justice Department will work for as long as it takes to pursue accountability and justice for Russia’s war of aggression.”

“Thanks to the tireless and unprecedented work of federal law enforcement agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Justice Department, four Russian soldiers, accused of unthinkable, unacceptable human rights violations against an American citizen, have been charged with war crimes and will be brought to justice,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The indictments unsealed today send a clear message to Russia – our government will spare no effort and spare no resource to hold accountable those who violate the fundamental human rights of an American.”

“Since the start of their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Russia has weaponized human rights abuses to wreak unimaginable tragedy,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Today’s indictment – the first ever under the U.S. war crimes statute – makes clear that the FBI will work with the full cooperation of international law enforcement to bring justice to the victims of these atrocities. The human toll of the conflict in Ukraine weighs heavily on the hearts of the FBI, and we’re resolved to hold war criminals accountable no matter where they are or how long it takes.”

“Torturing and unlawfully confining a protected person are serious human rights abuses that must not go unpunished,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These historic criminal charges – the first ever brought under the U.S. war crimes statute – are an important step in the Justice Department’s continuing efforts to pursue every avenue of accountability for those who commit war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine.”

According to allegations in the indictment, Mkrtchyan and Budnik were commanding officers of military units of the Russian Armed Forces and/or the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, and Valerii and Nazar were lower-ranking military personnel. The defendants are alleged to have been fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine when they allegedly committed war crimes.

In April 2022, Mkrtchyan and soldiers under his command allegedly abducted the victim, a U.S. national, from his home in the village of Mylove in the Kherson Oblast region in southern Ukraine and unlawfully confined him for at least 10 days. During the abduction, Mkrtchyan, Valerii, Nazar, and others allegedly threw the victim face down to the ground while he was naked, tied his hands behind his back, pointed a gun at his head, and severely beat him, including with the stocks of their guns. Mkrtchyan, Valerii, Nazar, and others then allegedly transported the victim to an improvised military compound in Mylove.

“These charges reflect that the defendants’ alleged actions are not only grave breaches of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, but also violations of U.S. law,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are proud to be at the forefront of the Justice Department’s effort to hold perpetrators of war crimes violations accountable in Ukraine and will continue to pursue them. We thank our investigative partners on this case, the War Crimes Accountability Team, the FBI Washington Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations for their outstanding efforts to gather evidence required for these charges.”

The indictment also alleges that Mkrtchyan and Budnik led and participated in at least two interrogation sessions during which the four defendants and others tortured the victim. During one interrogation, Mkrtchyan, Valerii, and Nazar allegedly stripped off the victim’s clothes and photographed him. The defendants and others then allegedly severely beat the victim, pointed guns at the back of his head, and threatened to shoot him. Budnik allegedly threatened the victim with death and asked for his last words. Shortly thereafter, Nazar and others allegedly conducted a mock execution. They allegedly forced the victim to the ground, put a gun to the back of his head, then moved the gun slightly and shot a bullet just past the victim’s head.

“These historic charges are the culmination of a complex investigation by the FBI and our partners that spans the globe,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work alongside our domestic and international partners to pursue justice and hold those accountable who commit such atrocities against others.”

“Acting on behalf of the Russian Armed Forces and the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, these four individuals allegedly violated the human rights of an American citizen,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  “According to the charges, they unlawfully detained and tortured the American citizen, and even went so far as to carry out a mock execution. The unsealing of these charges for war crimes is an important step in bringing the responsible parties to justice. HSI will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who violates the human rights of our American citizens – at home or overseas.”

The defendants are charged with three war crimes – unlawful confinement, torture, and inhuman treatment – and one count of conspiracy to commit war crimes. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum penalty of life in prison.

The FBI Washington Field Office and HSI Washington, D.C., Field Office, with assistance from the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit and HSI’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, investigated the war crimes allegations in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Justice Department’s War Crimes Accountability Team, which is based in the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

HRSP Trial Attorney and Lead Prosecutor for the War Crimes Accountability Team Christian Levesque, HRSP Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Blanchard for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas W. Traxler for the Eastern District of Virginia. HRSP historians and other staff provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution.

The Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Appellate Section, Office of Enforcement Operations, and Office of International Affairs, as well as the National Security Division, also provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department is grateful for the substantial assistance the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has provided in furthering the investigation.

Members of the public who have information about human rights violators in the United States or the location of the defendants named in this indictment are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or through the FBI online tip form or HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or through the ICE online tip form. All are staffed around the clock, and tips may be provided anonymously.

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

Indictment

RICHMOND, Va. – War crimes charges against four Russia-affiliated military personnel were unsealed today. The charges include unlawful confinement, inhuman treatment, and torture of a U.S. national in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan, 45, Dmitry Budnik, Valerii LNU (last name unknown), and Nazar LNU were each charged in connection with their unlawful detainment of a U.S. national in the context of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The defendants are alleged to have interrogated, severely beat, and tortured the victim. They also allegedly threatened to kill the victim and conducted a mock execution.

“These charges reflect that the defendants’ alleged actions are not only grave breaches of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, but also violations of U.S. law,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are proud to be at the forefront of the Department of Justice’s effort to hold perpetrators of war crimes violations accountable in Ukraine and will continue to pursue them. We thank our investigative partners on this case, the War Crimes Accountability Team, the FBI Washington Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations, for their outstanding efforts to gather evidence required for these charges.”

“As the world has witnessed the horrors of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, so has the United States Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “That is why the Justice Department has filed the first ever charges under the U.S. war crimes statute against four Russia- affiliated military personnel for heinous crimes against an American citizen. The Justice Department will work for as long as it takes to pursue accountability and justice for Russia’s war of aggression.”

“Torturing and unlawfully confining a protected person are serious human rights abuses that must not go unpunished,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These historic criminal charges – the first ever brought under the U.S. war crimes statute – are an important step in the Justice Department’s continuing efforts to pursue every avenue of accountability for those who commit war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine.”

According to allegations in the indictment, Mkrtchyan and Budnik were commanding officers of military units of the Russian Armed Forces and/or the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic. Valerii and Nazar were lower-ranking military personnel. The defendants are alleged to have been fighting on behalf of Russia in Ukraine when they allegedly committed war crimes. In April 2022, Mkrtchyan and soldiers under his command allegedly abducted the victim, a U.S. national, from his home in the village of Mylove in the Kherson Oblast region in southern Ukraine and unlawfully confined him for at least 10 days. During the abduction, Mkrtchyan, Valerii, Nazar, and others allegedly threw the victim face down to the ground while he was naked, tied his hands behind his back, pointed a gun at his head, and severely beat him, including with the stocks of their guns. Mkrtchyan, Valerii, Nazar, and others then allegedly transported the victim to an improvised military compound in Mylove.

“Since the start of their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Russia has weaponized human rights abuses to wreak unimaginable tragedy,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Today’s indictments – the first ever under the U.S. war crimes statute – makes clear that the FBI will work with the full cooperation of international law enforcement to bring justice to the victims of these atrocities. The human toll of the conflict in Ukraine weighs heavily on the hearts of the FBI and we’re resolved to hold war criminals accountable no matter where they are or how long it takes.”

“These historic charges are the culmination of a complex investigation by the FBI and our partners that spans the globe,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work alongside our domestic and international partners to pursue justice and hold those accountable who commit such atrocities against others.”

The indictment also alleges that Mkrtchyan and Budnik led and participated in at least two interrogation sessions during which the four defendants and others tortured the victim. During one interrogation, Mkrtchyan, Valerii, and Nazar allegedly stripped off the victim’s clothes and photographed him. The defendants and others then allegedly severely beat the victim, pointed guns at the back of his head, and threatened to shoot him. Budnik allegedly threatened the victim with death and asked for his last words. Shortly thereafter, Nazar and others allegedly conducted a mock execution. They allegedly forced the victim to the ground, put a gun to the back of his head, then moved the gun slightly and shot a bullet just past the victim’s head.

“Acting on behalf of the Russian Armed Forces and the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, these four individuals allegedly violated the human rights of an American citizen and his family,” said Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  “According to the charges, they unlawfully detained and tortured the American citizen, and even went so far as to carry out a mock execution. The unsealing of these charges for war crimes is an important step in bringing the responsible parties to justice. HSI will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who violates the human rights of our American citizens – at home or overseas.”

The defendants are charged with three war crimes – unlawful confinement, torture, and inhuman treatment – and one count of conspiracy to commit war crimes. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Blanchard, Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) Trial Attorney and Lead Prosecutor for the War Crimes Accountability Team Christian Levesque, and HRSP Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas W. Traxler provided significant assistance to this case. HRSP historians and other staff provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution.

The FBI Washington Field Office and HSI Washington, D.C. Field Office, with assistance from the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit and HSI’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, investigated the war crimes allegations in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Justice Department’s War Crimes Accountability Team, which is based in the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

The Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property and Appellate Sections, National Security Division, Office of Enforcement Operations, and Office of International Affairs also provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department is grateful for the substantial assistance the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has provided in furthering the investigation.

Members of the public who have information about human rights violators in the United States or the location of the defendants named in this indictment are urged to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or through the FBI online tip form or HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or through the ICE online tip form. All are staffed around the clock, and tips may be provided anonymously.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-161.

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

NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to engage in money laundering.

According to court documents, from approximately January 2021, through May 4, 2022, Ye Wang, 32, along with his co-defendants Si Liu, 36, and Yang Gao, 33, also of Norfolk, conspired to move and conceal proceeds obtained through prostitution. During the conspiracy, Gao, Wang, and Liu worked as operators or managers of illicit, unregistered massage parlors located in Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, which derived revenue from the prostitution of female employees. Women were recruited online to work for the defendants, and in turn performed sex acts for customers in the massage parlors in exchange for cash payments.

Gao managed the day-to-day operations of the massage parlors, including collecting money obtained via commercial sex. Gao also provided transportation to women engaged in commercial sex and maintained the facilities, unlicensed massage parlors, utilized for commercial sex. Wang assisted Gao in the operation of the illicit commercial sex business. Liu helped facilitate the exploitation of women engaged in commercial sex, collected proceeds from the illegal activity, managed the web-based advertising of the illicit massage parlors, and encouraged women to perform sex acts by providing condoms and offering financial incentives.

Gao, Wang, and Liu split the prostitution proceeds with the women engaged in prostitution. Gao, Wang and Liu traveled to the massage parlors located in Virginia Beach and Williamsburg to collect prostitution proceeds, and then deposited a percentage of profits into various bank accounts. Money was then transferred to other members of the larger enterprise through cash deliveries and via mobile banking. A combined total of $696,706.65 was laundered during the conspiracy.

Pursuant to the plea agreements the defendants agreed to forfeit four vehicles, over $130,000 in US Currency, numerous items of jewelry, a gold bar, and three personal residences, with a combined value totaling over $1,000,000.

Liu and Gao were sentenced in August to 30 months and 48 months, respectively.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police; and Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of Virginia State Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Montoya and Matthew Heck prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-108.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Honduran national was sentenced today to 21 years in prison for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.

According to court documents, Mario Rojel Urbina Miranda, 41, was one of the highest-ranking members of an international drug trafficking organization based in Honduras known as the “Los Valles” Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), which imported multi-ton quantities of cocaine from to the United States.

For years, Urbina was responsible for coordinating the trafficking of tons of cocaine through Honduras, en route to the United States from South America, and for the collection of millions of dollars of drug proceeds. For example, during just a two-month period in 2014, the defendant was personally involved in trafficking over 2,000 kilograms of cocaine through Honduras. More broadly, the DTO bribed public officials in Honduras and relied on violence and the threat of violence to protect its extensive trafficking activity. Urbina is the thirteenth related defendant to plead guilty in this investigation.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division; and David Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Alito and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Bibeane Metsch prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia expresses its appreciation to the Virginia State Police, FBI Sacramento Field Office, the Sacramento OCDETF Strike Force, DEA and FBI Tegucigalpa Country Offices, and the Honduran National Police for their significant assistance in this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:14-cr-135.

RICHMOND, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment earlier this month charging a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina man with devising and executing a scheme to defraud the public through his registration and operation of a charity that purported to provide services and support to homeless and destitute veterans.

According to the indictment, James W. Arehart, 45, was a Virginia resident, and employed full-time as a government contractor, when he registered a 501(c)(3) organization in April 2018 with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) named “Providing Hope VA.” Arehart also registered this entity in South Carolina as a charitable organization, and thereafter established a social media and online presence for the charity—including a Facebook page and website. Arehart allegedly described Providing Hope to the public as a charity whose “direct mission” was to help homeless and destitute veterans by establishing the “Providing Hope Center,” which was to be a freestanding facility that offered housing, job training, and other support to veterans. Providing Hope’s fundraising method is alleged to have involved the advertisement and sale of raffle tickets for high-end vehicles. Arehart allegedly purchased these vehicles, then raffled them off in livestreamed videos on Facebook. 

Between 2018 and August of 2021, it is alleged that Arehart’s raffle sales generated more than $9 million in proceeds—all of which flowed into and through Providing Hope’s bank account, over which Arehart had complete and sole control. Arehart was Providing Hope’s president and sole board member during this time period.

In seeking to induce the public to financially support Providing Hope, Arehart allegedly made numerous and repeated false statements to the public promoting his charity. These included alleged misrepresentations regarding Arehart’s compensation and salary from Providing Hope, misrepresentations about Providing Hope’s purportedly segregated and steadily growing “Building Fund”—it is alleged that no such fund exists— and alleged misrepresentations about the purportedly tax-deductible nature of Providing Hope’s raffle ticket purchases. Arehart also allegedly used the charity’s funds for his own benefit on numerous occasions, including paying for his pet’s veterinary bills, and miscategorized those and other expenditures in Providing Hope’s tax filing in 2019 with the IRS. When confronted by federal agents investigating his activities, Arehart is alleged to have made false statements consistent with the false claims he had advanced to the public in the months and years prior.

Arehart made his initial appearance in court on Wednesday.

Arehart is charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements to federal agents investigating his conduct. If convicted, Arehart faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Daniel Brubaker, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s New York Division, made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas A. Garnett and Kashan K. Pathan are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23cr154.

An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man was sentenced yesterday to 235 months in prison for distributing fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine and for unlawfully possessing three firearms.

According to court documents, Steven Oliver, 43, was part of a larger drug trafficking organization operating in the Richmond area. Between June 2020 and January 2023, Oliver was involved in the trafficking of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. Between April and November 2022, Oliver distributed more than 175 grams of fentanyl, some of which he marketed as heroin. During this time frame, Oliver also possessed with the intent to distribute approximately 14.5 kilograms of heroin. Moreover, Oliver informed law enforcement that, prior to his arrest in 2023, he had received approximately 750 grams of heroin from his source of supply for distribution during 2021 and 2022.

On January 11, 2023, a search warrant was executed on Oliver’s residence. Law enforcement discovered that Oliver unlawfully possessed three firearms and ammunition despite his prohibited status as a convicted felon. The three firearms Oliver possessed were a Del-Ton multi-caliber pistol, a Ruger 5.7x28 caliber pistol, and a Rock Island Armory revolver, as well as assorted ammunition. Additional distribution quantities of cocaine and fentanyl were recovered from Oliver’s residence during the search.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police; and Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

This case was investigated by the Richmond Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Chesterfield County Police Department; and the Richmond Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Angela Mastandrea-Miller and Patrick McGorman prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-3.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man pleaded guilty today to production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, from at least 2020 through March 2023, Thomas Cervantes, 24, used social media applications, to manipulate and coerce minors to create sexually explicit images that he could then distribute over the internet. In one instance, Cervantes offered money to a minor to initially induce her to create a sexually explicit video of her. When she expressed reluctance to create more sexually explicit material for Cervantes, he threatened to send the images to her family members if she did not comply. Cervantes was also have found to have enticed and coerced other minors and even in one instance shared a video on social media of himself assaulting a minor. 

Cervantes is scheduled to be sentenced on April 25, 2024. Although he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-93.

Former Portsmouth, Virginia, Police Department (PPD) Officer Cleshaun A. Cox, 31, was sentenced today in federal court to 18 years in prison and five years of supervised release and required to register as a sex offender under the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act for violating the civil rights of a minor victim by forcibly sexually assaulting her while on duty. 

“The defendant abused the public's trust and exploited his authority as a law enforcement officer in one of the most egregious ways imaginable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Sexual assaults perpetrated by police officers are heinous crimes, especially when children are the targets, and particularly deplorable when facilitated by the sheer power and authority that police wield over the public. We commend this brave young survivor and her family for having the courage to come forward. We will continue to seek justice for victims of sexual misconduct by law enforcement officers and others who abuse their authority.”

“There are no words to describe Cox’s breach of our public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The pain that he inflicted on the victim and the community is incalculable, but I hope this resolution can bring some measure of peace to those affected.”

“Sworn police officers are entrusted with safeguarding and protecting our community. Cleshaun Cox broke that trust when he, while acting under color of law, physically assaulted a teenage girl and violated her rights to bodily integrity,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian Dugan of the FBI Norfolk Field Office. “I hope today’s sentence brings some semblance of justice to the victim and her family, as well as sends a message that officers who abuse their positions of power to commit abhorrent acts will be held accountable.”

According to court documents, Cox admitted that on or about May 27, 2019, while he was in uniform and working in his official capacity as an officer with PPD, he encountered Victim 1, a 17-year-old female, during a call for a noise complaint. After a more senior officer told Victim 1 to drive home, Cox followed Victim 1 in his marked police vehicle and instead Cox instructed Victim 1 to drive to a parking lot. There, he offered her a “deal” whereby he would not charge her for fabricated traffic offenses if she would perform a sexual act. Victim 1 stated that she did not want to engage in any sexual acts with Cox. Nevertheless, he instructed her to get into his vehicle as he drove to an isolated area. Victim 1 complied because she feared Cox and believed that she had no other choice. There, he raped Victim 1. Cox admitted that he knew that Victim 1 was only 17 years old and that he knew that she did not want to have sex with him. Cox also admitted to lying to state investigators about his actions that night.

The FBI Norfolk Field Office investigated the case. 

Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Rebecca Gantt for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.

NORFOLK, Va. – A former Portsmouth Police Department (PPD) officer was sentenced today in federal court to 18 years in prison, and required to register as a sex offender under the Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act for violating the civil rights of a minor victim by forcibly sexually assaulting her while on duty.

“There are no words to describe Officer Cox’s breach of our public trust,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The pain that he inflicted on the victim and the community is incalculable, but I hope this resolution can bring some measure of peace to those affected.”

“The defendant abused the public trust and his authority as a law enforcement officer in one of the most egregious ways imaginable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We commend this brave victim and her family for coming forward. We will continue to seek justice for victims of sexual misconduct by law enforcement officers and others who abuse their authority.”

“Sworn police officers are entrusted with safeguarding and protecting our community,” said Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “Cleshaun Cox broke that trust when he, while acting under color of law, physically assaulted a teenage girl and violated her rights to bodily integrity. I hope today’s sentence brings some semblance of justice to the victim and her family, as well as sends a message that officers who abuse their positions of power to commit abhorrent acts will be held accountable.”

According to court documents, Officer Cleshaun A. Cox, 31, admitted that on or about May 27, 2019, while he was in uniform and working in his official capacity as an officer with PPD, he encountered Victim 1, a 17-year-old female, during a call for a noise complaint. After a more senior officer told Victim 1 to drive home, Cox followed Victim 1 in his marked police vehicle and instead Cox instructed Victim 1 to drive to a parking lot. There, he offered her a “deal” whereby he would not charge her for fabricated traffic offenses if she would perform a sexual act. Victim 1 stated that she did not want to engage in any sexual acts with Cox. Nevertheless, he instructed her to get into his vehicle as he drove to an isolated area. Victim 1 complied because she feared Cox and believed that she had no other choice. There, he raped Victim 1. Cox admitted that he knew that Victim 1 was only 17 years old and that he knew that she did not want to have sex with him. Cox also admitted to lying to state investigators about his actions that night.

In August 2021, Cox pleaded guilty in Portsmouth Circuit Court to charges of carnal knowledge and abduction and was sentenced to serve 5 years in prison. He completed his state sentencing pending federal sentencing and served approximately 4.5 years in state custody.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes.

Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Rebecca Gantt for the Eastern District of Virginia and Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-84.

RICHMOND, Va. – Former Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Lieutenant was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for violating the civil rights of an inmate by showing deliberate indifference to the inmate’s serious medical needs, resulting in the inmate’s death. 

“This inmate’s death was not the result of inadvertence or a lapse in judgment.” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “His death was the completely preventable result of the deliberate choices made by the defendant, who knew he had the constitutional duty to provide medical care. Inmates are entitled to basic human dignity.”

“Inmates entrusted to the care and custody of a correctional facility rely on correctional officials for basic healthcare, especially in a medical emergency,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold correctional officials who blatantly disregard inmates’ serious medical needs accountable.”

According to court documents, Lieutenant Michael Anderson, 52, admitted that on January 9 and 10, 2021, he was working in his official capacity as a BOP lieutenant at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) at Petersburg. In that capacity, Anderson was the second-highest ranking officer at the prison and was responsible for the care of inmates. On January 9, 2021, a correctional officer notified Anderson that a 47-year-old inmate, W.W., was experiencing symptoms of an apparent medical emergency and asked the defendant to help W.W. obtain medical care. Anderson personally observed W.W.’s symptoms and stated that he would get medical help for W.W. The defendant nevertheless failed to notify medical staff, obtain a medical assessment, contact the facility’s on-call physician, or notify any other staff members of W.W.’s condition. 

The next day, a correctional officer notified Anderson that W.W. had fallen to the ground in his cell. Even with this information, Anderson failed to obtain any assistance for W.W. whatsoever. W.W. then laid on the ground, dead or dying, for over an hour and a half before any correctional or medical staff entered his cell. By the time correctional and medical staff entered the cell, life-saving efforts failed, and W.W. was later pronounced dead.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; Michael E. Horwitz, Inspector General of the Justice Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Garnett and Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert and Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.

The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. 

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-80.

Former Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) Lieutenant Michael Anderson, 52, was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for violating the civil rights of an inmate by showing deliberate indifference to the inmate’s serious medical needs, resulting in his death. 

“People held in jails and prisons are at the mercy of correctional officials when it comes to fair treatment and basic necessities like healthcare, especially when they are experiencing a medical emergency,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Correctional officials have a constitutional duty to ensure that those experiencing a health crisis or medical emergency are not ignored but instead are treated like human beings and provided basic life-sustaining care. The Justice Department will not stand by idly when officials inside jails and prisons deny people confined in their custody access to basic healthcare, leaving them to suffer grave injury or death. We will hold correctional officials accountable when their callous actions, or failure to act, violate our federal civil rights laws or the Constitution.”

“This inmate’s death was not the result of inadvertence or a lapse in judgment,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “His death was the completely preventable result of the deliberate choices made by the defendant, who knew he had the constitutional duty to provide medical care. Inmates are entitled to basic human dignity.”

“Anderson’s appalling indifference resulted in the needless loss of life,” said Special Agent in Charge Russell W. Cunningham of the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region. “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that correctional officers who disregard their responsibility to provide a humane environment for inmates will be held accountable.”

According to court documents, Anderson admitted that on Jan. 9 and 10, 2021, he was working as an FBOP lieutenant at the Federal Correctional Institution at Petersburg, Virginia. In that capacity, Anderson was the second-highest ranking officer at the prison and was responsible for the care of federal inmates. On Jan. 9, 2021, a correctional officer notified Anderson that a 47-year-old inmate, W.W., was experiencing symptoms of an apparent medical emergency and asked the defendant to help W.W. obtain medical care. Anderson personally observed W.W.’s symptoms and stated that he would get medical help for W.W. The defendant nevertheless failed to notify medical staff, obtain a medical assessment, contact the facility’s on-call physician or notify any other staff members of W.W.’s condition. 

The next day, a correctional officer notified Anderson that W.W. had fallen to the ground in his cell. Even with this information, Anderson failed to obtain any assistance for W.W. whatsoever. W.W. laid on the ground, dead or dying, for over an hour and a half before any correctional or medical staff entered his cell. When they finally did so, life-saving efforts failed, and W.W. was later pronounced dead.

The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. 

Special Litigation Counsel Kathryn E. Gilbert and Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Garnett for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Midlothian man was sentenced today to 5 years in prison for possessing a fentanyl and heroin mixture in addition to unlawfully possessing a firearm.

According to court documents, on July 20, 2023, Allen C. Clack, 43, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of a mixture containing both fentanyl and heroin and to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. In the summer of 2022, law enforcement agents conducted an investigation of Clack’s drug trafficking activities in and around the City of Richmond. As a result of that investigation, agents executed search warrants on Clack’s vehicle and his residence. On September 21, 2022, agents located Clack in his vehicle. A search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of hallucinogenic mushrooms containing Psilocyn, approximately 36 grams of a fentanyl and heroin mixture, and 3.66 grams of cocaine, along with a loaded 9mm pistol and items used for the packaging and distribution of illegal controlled substances. From Clack’s residence, agents recovered over 73 grams of a fentanyl and heroin mixture and over 71 grams of fentanyl, along with a second handgun. Prior to September 21, 2022, Clack had been convicted of felony possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and felony possession with intent to distribute cocaine. As a result, he was prohibited from possessing or transporting firearms.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia L. Norman prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-35.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Guatemalan man was sentenced today to 4 years in prison for illegally reentering the United States.

According to court documents, Jose Gonzalez Flores, 33, was unlawfully present in the United States when he killed a four-year-old child in a car wreck in August 2018. Gonzalez Flores was driving a pickup truck when he struck the rear of a sedan that belonged to a family of four. The collision caused the death of the family’s youngest son. Immediately after the wreck, Gonzalez Flores got out of his truck, surveyed the scene, and fled. He was arrested a few days later, and in April 2019 was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and drug possession in Chesterfield County Circuit Court. The state judge sentenced Gonzalez Flores to 20 years’ imprisonment, with all but three-and-a-half years suspended. The judge also ordered Gonzalez Flores to not illegally reenter the country following his term of imprisonment and subsequent deportation.

Gonzalez Flores was deported to Guatemala in January 2022. One year later, he illegally reentered the United States without admission, inspection, or parole and was located within the Eastern District of Virginia. 

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Patrick Divver, Acting Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Day and Kashan Pathan prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-88.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Prince George’s County, Maryland, man and woman pleaded guilty to their involvement in laundering the proceeds of various fraud schemes targeting victims’ retirement and investment accounts.

According to court documents, from approximately September 2017 to April 2020, Dasola Abdulraheem, 41, and Ismaila Abdulraheem, 44, both Nigerian nationals and formerly spouses, received the proceeds of various financial frauds into accounts that they controlled, and thereafter, conducted financial transactions with the proceeds to disguise the nature and source of the funds.

Unknown co-conspirators targeted the victims of this scheme by gaining access to their financial accounts, typically retirement or investment accounts. In one case, co-conspirators gained access to a victim’s severance payout from his former employer. The conspirators compromised a victim’s account, they posed as the victim and instructed the victim’s financial institution to add a new outside bank account to the victim’s account. The outside account was controlled by either the Abdulraheems or one of the money mules that they used. Once the victim’s financial institution added a conspirator’s account to the victim’s account, the conspirators directed that money from the victim’s account be siphoned from the victim’s account and deposited into the Abdulraheems’ accounts or into a co-conspirator’s account. The proceeds were used in some cases to purchase salvage cars at auction or to wire money to business entities in Nigeria. The overall money laundering conspiracy intended to cause a loss of approximately $866,195 and caused an actual loss of approximately $641,260.

The Abdulraheems attempted to conceal their involvement in laundering proceeds by using shell companies to receive and launder the proceeds of the fraud scheme. 

Ismaila Abdulraheem pleaded guilty on October 27, 2023, to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Dasola Abdulraheem pleaded guilty today to one count of receipt of stolen monies in violation.

Ismaila Abdulraheem is scheduled to be sentenced on February 9, 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Dasola Abdulraheem is scheduled to be sentenced on March 22, 2024. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine E. Rumbaugh and Kathleen E. Robeson are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-107.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Centreville man was sentenced today to 2 years in prison for defrauding three cryptocurrency trading platforms out of more than $300,000.

According to court documents, between 2021 and 2022, Rayan Sharaf, 55, ran a novel cryptocurrency fraud scheme. As part of the scheme, Sharaf moved funds from his individual bank accounts to accounts at cryptocurrency trading platforms. After purchasing cryptocurrencies within the trading accounts, Sharaf then transferred the funds to different wallets and bank accounts nominally owned by third parties but which Sharaf actually controlled. These third parties included adult and minor family members whose identifying information was fraudulently obtained by Sharaf. He then contacted the original banks and falsely claimed that the initial transfers to the trading platforms had not been authorized, thereby fraudulently inducing the banks to issue refunds. In total, Sharaf defrauded three cryptocurrency platforms out of a total of over $300,000 which he used to purchase luxury goods international flights, and jewelry and to pay off debts.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Morgan and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Mulbry prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-114.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Beaverdam woman pleaded guilty today to conducting financial transactions involving the criminal proceeds of her scheme to defraud her employer.

According to court documents, Roxanne Sullivan, 61, was the Travel Manager for a Midwest-based venue preparation company. Sullivan was a full-time, salaried employee, responsible for booking travel and lodging accommodations for the company's workers as they moved from job to job. Sullivan was also a registered travel agent and subscribed to a travel agent commission-processing system. As a travel agent working for clients, Sullivan could earn commissions on the bookings she completed. Commission is a payment remitted to the travel agent by the hotel that consists of a pre-determined portion of the lodging or travel accommodations purchased by the travel agent's client. Because a hotel is required to remit a portion of a booking customer's payment to the travel agent—in effect, reducing the hotel's proceeds for that transaction—a hotel's “commissionable rates" for hotel rooms are often more expensive than “non-commissionable rates," which instead allow the hotel to keep the entirety of the transaction proceeds.

Between 2016 and 2022, Sullivan defrauded her employer by booking "commissionable" rates at hotels, rather than the lower, corporate, but non-commissionable, rates that were otherwise available to her company. She then directed these higher commission payments from the commission-processing system to her bank account. Sullivan deliberately concealed her commissionable rate scheme from her employer, instructing hotel representatives to remove language referencing commissions from her contracts, and doctoring emails to delete references to her commissions. When confronted by federal agents about her scheme, Sullivan lied to the agents about aspects of her scheme.

The total loss attributable to Sullivan's scheme is estimated at $525,000.

Sullivan is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19, 2024. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Kareem A. Carter, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Washington D.C. Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the plea.

Hanover County Sheriff’s Office provided significant assistance in this investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Garnett is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-138.

NORFOLK, Va. – Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Inc. (CHKD), located in Norfolk, agreed to pay $68,400 to settle civil penalty claims for alleged record-keeping violations associated with controlled substances.

The government alleged that CHKD failed to comply with various recordkeeping requirements under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) that are mandated for DEA registrants who handle controlled substances. The government alleged that between March 29, 2021, and December 22, 2021, CHKD had packages of compounded prescription drugs delivered to its receiving warehouse, a location not registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This allegedly includes a delivery of 200 one-milliliter fentanyl syringes (10mcg/ml) that CHKD cannot show was delivered to its registered pharmacy location or otherwise account for.    

The recordkeeping requirements under the CSA are designed to protect the health and safety of the public from dangers posed by highly addictive or dangerous controlled substances, such as opioids, being diverted into the illicit market, while also ensuring that patients have access to pharmaceutical controlled substances for legitimate medical purposes. In a separate agreement with the DEA Diversion Group, CHKD agreed to take measures to prevent such conduct from occurring in the future.

The resolutions obtained in this matter were the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the DEA, Washington Division, Norfolk District Office.

The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clare Wuerker. 

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The civil claims settled by this agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An El Salvadoran member of the transnational street gang La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with the kidnapping and murder of an adolescent boy in 2016.

According to court documents, Edwin Orellana Caballero, who was 16 years old and living in Alexandria at the time, was one of several members and associates of the Park View Locos Salvatrucha clique of MS-13 who kidnapped and killed 14-year-old victim, S.A.A.T. On the night of September 26, 2016, the gang lured S.A.A.T. to Holmes Run Stream Valley Park in Fairfax County and murdered him in a wooded area there with knives, machetes, and a pickaxe. Specifically, Orellana Caballero struck S.A.A.T. multiple times with the pickaxe. Once S.A.A.T. was dead, the gang buried him in a shallow grave.

Orellana Caballero, who was transferred for prosecution as an adult under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, pleaded guilty to one count of maiming in aid of racketeering activity and faces a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 25 years in prison when sentenced on February 28, 2024. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

To date, a total of 17 defendants have been charged in this case. Of those, five defendants went to trial and were convicted of all charges. Ten defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston, Jr. accepted the plea.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Washington Field Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Alexandria Police Department, the Prince William County Police Department, the Montgomery County (MD) Police Department, and the Marin County (CA) Sheriff’s Office provided significant assistance on the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander E. Blanchard and Cristina C. Stam are prosecuting the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The Justice Department recently announced several new commitments as part of its Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime. Instituted by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in May 2021, the strategy focuses on harnessing federal resources, intelligence, and expertise as a force-multiplier with state, local, and Tribal law enforcement. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta highlighted the more than $334 million in critical grant funding to law enforcement agencies and stakeholders awarded today by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office).The COPS grants announced include funding to help law enforcement agencies hire over 1,730 new law enforcement officers across the country while also providing critical funding to support school safety and continue to advance community policing nationwide.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-153.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on December 15, 2022, Derek Isenburg, 33, tried to flee from law enforcement officers who were attempting to take him into custody in Portsmouth on several outstanding arrest warrants. Upon seeing officers, he got into a truck, backed it into one police vehicle and rammed another as he tried to escape. After hitting one of the vehicles, Isenburg continued to accelerate in an attempt to move the car out of his way. Isenburg ultimately broke the drivetrain of the truck, rendering it inoperable, and officers were able to take him into custody.

A search of the truck resulted in the recovery of approximately 13 grams of pure methamphetamine and a firearm. Law enforcement learned that both the truck and firearm had been reported stolen. Isenburg has multiple prior felony convictions. Isenburg knew that as a previously convicted felon, it was illegal for him to possess a firearm.  

Isenburg is scheduled to be sentenced on March 8, 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Stephen Jenkins, Chief of Portsmouth Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Cheney and Kristin Bird are prosecuting the case.

Assistance was provided by the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force.

This case was part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Operation Overdrive, an initiative aimed at combatting the rising rates of drug-related violent crime and overdose deaths plaguing American communities. 

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-4.

NORFOLK, Va. – An Angola, New York, man pleaded guilty today to producing child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, Donovan Chaplin, 23, was convicted in April 2022 in the Court for the County of Erie, New York, of sexual abuse in the first degree involving a victim less than eleven years old. In November 2022, while serving a period of probation for that offense, Chaplin began an online chat conversation with Jane Doe, a 15-year-old girl living in Franklin. Chaplin falsely told Jane Doe he was himself a minor and engaged in an online conversation with her for about two and a half months. Their conversation was highly sexually explicit, and Chaplin eventually persuaded Jane Doe to take and send him sexually explicit pictures of herself.

After Jane Doe’s family discovered and reported the chat to law enforcement, agents from the FBI executed a search warrant at Chaplin’s residence. Chaplin admitted to chatting with Jane Doe. A search warrant of Chaplin’s account on the chatting application revealed numerous sexually explicit chats with approximately 40 other purported minors as young as 13 years old between November 2022 and February 2023. Chaplin had requested of about 23 of those individuals to create and share sexually explicit images of themselves with him. 

Chaplin is scheduled to be sentenced on March 22, 2024. He faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney E. Rebecca Gantt is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

In 2021, EDVA launched “UnMasked,” a community-based educational outreach and prevention program in Virginia dedicated to raising awareness and educating the community about the prevalence of online sexual exploitation involving children and young adults. UnMasked is a multi-disciplinary partnership of local, state, federal, and non-profit stakeholders. The core curriculum is provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) NetSmartz program. To report an incident involving online sexual exploitation, call 1-800-843-5678 or submit a report at report.cybertip.org. To request an UnMasked event at your school or organization, please contact EDVA’s Community Outreach Coordinator at USAVAE-UnMasked@usdoj.gov.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-110.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Ruther Glen man was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison for distributing child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, in early 2022, Joseph Butts, 50, a registered sex offender as a result of a prior rape conviction involving a minor, began messaging over various social networks with an undercover agent from the FBI. During the months-long communications, the defendant sent child sexual abuse material to the FBI agent and repeatedly sought to arrange an in-person meeting with the agent, who was posing as a parent of a twelve-year-old daughter, so that the defendant could pay for sex with the fictitious child. A search warrant at defendant’s residence later uncovered additional images and videos of child sexual abuse material.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Mozzi prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-053.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Mexican citizen was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute over six kilograms of cocaine in Chesterfield County.

According to court documents, on April 17, 2023, Francisco Celedon, 47, met with a law enforcement confidential informant to deliver 6.053 kilograms of cocaine. Celedon was a drug courier for a Mexican drug trafficking organization. At the time of the offense, Celedon was on federal supervised release for a prior federal drug trafficking crime in the Middle District of Alabama.

Celedon was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the possession with the intent to distribute charge and 3 years in prison for violations of his federal supervised release stemming from his prior conviction.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; and Colonel Jeffrey S. Katz, Chesterfield County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik S. Siebert and Shea Gibbons and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Hubbard prosecuted the case. 

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-69.

RICHMOND, Va. – A former Executive for a global industrial manufacturing conglomerate (Company 1), pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to convert trade secrets.

According to court documents, John Gibson, 58, of Winter Park, Florida, was the former Executive Vice President of Power Generation and the Head of Sales for North America for Company 1. From May to June of 2019, he conspired with others to misappropriate combustion turbine-related trade secrets of two competitor companies, General Electric Company (GE) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), for the benefit of Company 1. Gibson’s co-conspirators were Theodore Fasca, 57, of Richmond, the former Director of Generation System Planning at Dominion Energy, Inc. (Dominion), a Virginia-based utility company, and Michael Hillen, 56, of Midlothian, a former Account Manager at Company 1.

In March 2019, Dominion sought to build a “Peaker" combustion turbine power plant in Chesterfield with a projected cost of upwards of $500 million. Peaker plants are specifically designed to add electricity generation capacity to alleviate high grid load and improve electric grid resiliency. To build the plant, Dominion opened a competitive, closed bid process soliciting requests for proposals from qualified companies. Three companies bid for the work: GE, MHI, and Company 1. All companies signed non-disclosure agreements restricting the disclosure of confidential information provided to Dominion during the bid. 

After GE, MHI, and Company 1 submitted their closed bids to Dominion, Fasca and Hillen organized to repeatedly funnel GE and MHI confidential information, often using private email accounts, to Company 1. Gibson received the GE and MHI trade secrets knowing such information to be illegally obtained. Nevertheless, Gibson strategically disseminated it to other senior executives, to leaders within Company 1’s business intelligence unit, and to representatives of Company 1’s parent company in Germany.

Gibson’s dissemination of the GE and MHI trade secrets was calculated to provide Company 1 with a competitive advantage in the bid for the Dominion Peaker Project, to the detriment of GE and MHI; improve Company 1’s business intelligence; and provide Company 1 with a competitive advantage in future bids against GE and MHI. After learning of GE’s and MHI’s bids for the Dominion Peaker Project, Gibson authorized and obtained approvals within Company 1, including from the CEO for Power Generation, to resubmit a lower bid for the Dominion Peaker Project and undercut GE’s bid. Company 1 won the bid for the Peaker Project with Dominion.

The losses to victims reasonably foreseeable to Gibson were between $25 million and $65 million. The losses to victims reasonably foreseeable to Fasca and Hillen were between $9.5 million and $25 million.

Both Fasca and Hillen have pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and are scheduled to be sentenced on March 1, 2024, and April 11, 2024, respectively. Both defendants face a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Gibson is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Panth and Kenneth R. Simon, Jr. are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Gill assisted the prosecution. 

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 3:23-cr-137, 3:23-cr-83, and 3:23-cr-120.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A man who formerly resided in Newport News was sentenced today to 68 months in prison for his role to defraud the government of pandemic-related unemployment benefits.

According to court documents, from approximately May 2020 through May 2021, Reginald Prentice Phillips, 39, was incarcerated at Hampton Roads Regional Jail for striking a woman in the face and choking her three times in front of her children, in addition to shooting another victim three times because the victim reportedly owed him $10. Phillips, a documented gang member, spearheaded a scheme with his non-incarcerated co-conspirator to fraudulently obtain federal unemployment benefits related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Phillips recruited at least 13 other inmates to provide their personal identifying information (PII) to his co-conspirator, who filed fraudulent applications for unemployment benefits on their behalf. Phillips and his co-conspirator discussed the progress of the fraudulent claims on jail calls, and Phillips would instruct his co-conspirator on where to send the unemployment benefit funds. Phillips received his share of the benefits through his commissary account. Once the commissary account reached its maximum balance, Phillips’ co-conspirator deposited the funds in other inmate’s accounts, who would then give the funds to Phillips.

In total, the defendant was responsible for an actual loss amount of $210,310 from the Virginia Employment Commission on behalf of Department of Corrections inmates who were not entitled to receive unemployment benefits.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Troy W. Springer, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), National Capital Region, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Levey-Weinstein prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, led by the Deputy Attorney General, to bring together the full resources of the federal government to bolster fraud enforcement efforts.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-cr-73.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former FBI contractor pleaded guilty today to production and receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, beginning in February, Brett Janes, 26, of Arlington, groomed a 13-year-old minor (MV1) to transition from playing Valorant with him, a popular first-person shooter game, to engaging in “strip” games on a video chat function in Discord. Although MV1 did not want to play this game, Janes employed threats of suicide, various money payments through CashApp, and flattery, until MV1 produced CSAM for him.

In addition, a search warrant revealed Janes was communicating with at least a dozen other minors. Of those minors, he convinced one 12-year-old boy to produce CSAM and attempted to entice another 14-year-old boy to produce CSAM. Janes manipulated these minors by befriending, flattering, and outright begging them for content. A review of his devices revealed he purchased hundreds of videos and images of CSAM from the internet, including graphic videos of prepubescent children being raped.

Janes pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of receipt of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 27, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

Significant assistance was provided by the Arlington County Police Department and the Galloway Township Police Department in New Jersey.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Withers and Special Assistant U.S Attorney McKenzie Hightower are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-140.

A former FBI contractor pleaded guilty today to production and receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents, beginning in February, Brett Janes, 26, of Arlington, Virginia, enticed a 13-year-old minor he met through playing Valorant, a popular first-person shooter game, to engage in “strip” games on a video chat in Discord. Janes threatened to commit suicide and sent the victim payments through CashApp to convince the victim to create and send him CSAM. He convinced a 12-year-old boy to produce CSAM and attempted to entice another minor boy to produce CSAM. Janes also admitted to purchasing hundreds of videos and images of CSAM through Telegram.

Janes pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children, including using children to produce CSAM, and one count of receipt of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 27, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.

The FBI, Arlington County Police Department, and Galloway Township Police Department in New Jersey investigated the case.

Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Withers for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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

RICHMOND, Va. – A former senior manager at the City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) and his wife were sentenced today to 27 months in prison and 8 months of home incarceration, respectively, for defrauding the City of Richmond.

According to court documents, Michael Evins, 67, previously served as the Deputy Director of Operations at DPW and managed up to 60 other employees. Evins used his position within DPW, a governmental entity responsible for providing engineering, technical, and administrative services to Richmond residents, to steer governmental contracts towards himself and his co-conspirators, including his wife, Samaria Evins, 52. From at least 2016 through 2021, Michael Evins and Samaria Evins took steps to defraud the DPW. First, Samaria Evins and other co-conspirators created and operated straw companies to bid on DPW work. Second, Michael Evins designated and approved DPW work to be performed by these straw companies using his position at DPW, circumventing Virginia law and City of Richmond rules against self-dealing by public employees. In some instances, the work to be performed was completely fabricated and no such work was ever needed. In other instances, the work was actually performed by DPW employees, not by contracted vendors. Sometimes, Samaria Evins and other co-conspirators subcontracted the work out for profit upon winning the DPW work. Third, where procurement amounts exceeded $5,000, a DPW approval threshold requiring that work be competitively bid, Michael Evins and his co-conspirators manufactured fictitious straw bids on behalf of competitor companies to engineer the preferred company winning the work. Finally, upon receiving DPW funds, Samaria Evins and other co-conspirators paid Michael Evins a portion of the proceeds. 

As an example, in early 2019, DPW sought to have overgrown foliage at Parker Field, an area in Richmond, cleared in advance of Fourth of July celebrations that same year. Though Michael Evins knew mowing of the field was being performed by DPW employees, he nevertheless approved a requisition in the DPW purchase order system for a company owned by Samaria Evins to mow the entire area 16 times in four days, at a total cost of $4,800.

In all, Michael Evins, Samaria Evins, and their co-conspirators fraudulently caused DPW to disburse at least $603,701 in funds to companies owned by Samaria Evins and her co-conspirators, causing approximately $226,767 in loss to DPW.

A co-conspirator, Shaun Lindsey, a senior administrative technician at DPW, pleaded guilty to the same scheme on May 9 and will be sentenced on November 14, 2023.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and James Osuna, Inspector General, City of Richmond Office of the Inspector General, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 3:23-cr-81, 3:23-cr-87, and 3:23-cr-53.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Israeli national pleaded guilty today to his role in a conspiracy to launder money and facilitate the illegal entry, harboring, and transporting of noncitizens in the United States for the purpose of their employment.

According to court documents, Shai Cohen, 39, admitted to organizing and working with others to recruit and facilitate the illegal entry of Israeli citizens into the United States under false pretenses. From approximately 2011 through December 2013, Cohen and his co-conspirators assisted noncitizens in fraudulently obtaining B-1/B-2 tourist/visitor visas by misrepresenting the true purpose of their travel to the United States, which was illegal employment. Cohen and his co-conspirators then assisted the noncitizens in traveling to the United States. Upon arrival, the noncitizens were employed at various kiosks owned and operated by Cohen and his co-conspirators in malls in Virginia and Maryland, despite entering the United States in a visa status that did not allow them to work. The noncitizens who engaged in illegal employment were primarily compensated for their work by under-the-table cash payments or the transfer of money to stored value payment cards, rather than through a legitimate payroll system. Cohen also provided for the noncitizens housing and transportation to and from work in the United States. Cohen and his co-conspirators also made foreign and domestic financial transactions in furtherance of and to promote the criminal scheme.

Cohen pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to launder money, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 19, 2024. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Cohen was arrested in Israel pursuant to a U.S. request for his extradition. In August, he was extradited to the Eastern District of Virginia. 

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington Field Office; and Troy W. Springer, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), National Capitol Region, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Raizza K. Ty and Trial Attorney Clayton O’Connor of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing Cohen’s arrest and extradition from Israel. The Justice Department thanks the government of Israel for making the arrest and extradition of Cohen possible.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-114.

An Israeli national pleaded guilty today to his role in a conspiracy to launder money and facilitate the illegal entry, harboring, and transporting of noncitizens in the United States for the purpose of their employment.

According to court documents, Shai Cohen, 39, admitted to organizing and working with others to recruit and facilitate the illegal entry of Israeli citizens into the United States under false pretenses. From approximately 2011 through December 2013, Cohen and his co-conspirators assisted noncitizens in fraudulently obtaining B-1/B-2 tourist/visitor visas by misrepresenting the true purpose of their travel to the United States, which was illegal employment. Cohen and his co-conspirators then assisted the noncitizens in traveling to the United States. Upon arrival, the noncitizens were employed at various kiosks owned and operated by Cohen and his co-conspirators in malls in Virginia and Maryland, despite entering the United States in a visa status that did not allow them to work. The noncitizens who engaged in illegal employment were primarily compensated for their work by under-the-table cash payments or the transfer of money to stored value payment cards, rather than through a legitimate payroll system. Cohen also provided housing and transportation for the noncitizens to and from work in the United States. Cohen and his co-conspirators also used foreign and domestic bank accounts for financial transactions to pay for leased office space, apartments, airline tickets, vehicles, and other business costs in furtherance of and to promote the criminal scheme.

Cohen was arrested in Israel pursuant to a U.S. request for his extradition. In August, he was extradited to the Eastern District of Virginia. 

Cohen pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to launder money, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 19, 2024. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, and Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), National Capital Region made the announcement.

HSI Washington and DOL-OIG are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Clayton O’Connor of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Raizza K. Ty for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing Cohen’s arrest and extradition from Israel. The Justice Department thanks the government of Israel for making the arrest and extradition of Cohen possible.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Justice Department announced today plans to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws in Virginia and several jurisdictions for the Nov. 7 general election.

For this election, the Civil Rights Division will monitor for compliance with the federal voting rights laws on Election Day in jurisdictions across the country, including Prince William County, Virginia. The Department has assigned federal observers to monitor the election there to specifically observe the county’s compliance with Section 203 and 208 of the Voting Rights Act regarding the availability of election assistance and materials in Spanish for Spanish-speaking voters with limited English proficiency. Other counties to be monitored are Pawtucket and Woonsocket, Rhode Island; Union County, New Jersey; and Madison County and Panola County, Mississippi.

United States Attorney Jessica D. Aber additionally announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Harvey, Avi Panth, and Anthony Mozzi will lead the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming election. Assistant U.S. Attorney Harvey has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern Virginia region, Assistant U.S. Attorney Panth for the Central Capitol region, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mozzi for the Tidewater region. In this capacity, they are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of Election Day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

The Department of Justice and EDVA have an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English). 

In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud on November 7, the DEOs will be on duty while the polls are open. From 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., any calls should be directed to 703-299-3700. From 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., calls should be directed to the below phone numbers:

Northern Virginia - Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey, 703-299-3700

Tidewater region - Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Mozzi, 757-441-6331

Central Capitol region - Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth, 804-819-5400

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ The Civil Rights Division enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot. The division regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with the federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country. In addition, the division also deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order. 

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, the Civil Rights Acts and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

Visit www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section for more information about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting rights laws.

More information about the federal civil rights laws is available at the Civil Rights Division’s website at justice.gov/crt.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Hopewell couple and Missouri man were sentenced yesterday for conspiring to bribe a public official.

Susan May Keim, 54, was sentenced to 30 months in prison; Russell John Keim Sr., 60, was sentenced to 18 months in prison; and Rodney Gale Wilson, 67, of Imperial, Missouri, was sentenced to 45 months in prison. All three defendants previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to offer bribes to a public official and to accept bribes as a public official.

According to court documents, from approximately June 2013 through October 2018, Susan Keim and her husband Russell Keim accepted bribes from Wilson in return for Susan Keim’s award of purchase orders to Wilson’s company to sell parts and materials to U.S. Army Garrison Fort Gregg-Adams, formerly known as Fort Lee. Susan Keim worked for Skookum Educational Services, a company that contracted with the federal government to provide maintenance and supply services at Fort Gregg-Adams. Under the contract, the federal government reimbursed Skookum for the cost of the supplies it purchased for Fort Gregg-Adams. Wilson was the owner of C&L Supply, a company formed for the sole purpose of selling supplies to Skookum for use at Fort Gregg-Adams. C&L Supply sometimes sold the supplies to Skookum at a substantial markup, a cost which was passed on to the federal government. From 2013 to 2018, in return for the award of purchase orders worth over $900,000, Wilson provided checks and cash payments to Susan and Russell Keim disguised as compensation to Russell Keim for work he purportedly performed for C&L Supply and payments for work done on a property owned by the Keims.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Richmond Field Office; Michael C. Curran, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division’s (CID) Major Procurement Fraud Field Office (MPFFO); and Christopher Dillard, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Senior U.S District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore and Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch Slater of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-083.

A Virginia couple and Missouri man were sentenced yesterday for conspiring to bribe a public official.

Susan May Keim, 54, of Hopewell, Virginia, was sentenced to 30 months in prison; Russell John Keim Sr., 60, also of Hopewell, was sentenced to 18 months in prison; and Rodney Gale Wilson, 67, of Imperial, Missouri, was sentenced to 45 months in prison. All three defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to offer bribes to a public official and to accept bribes as a public official.

According to court documents, Susan Keim and her husband Russell Keim accepted bribes from Wilson in return for Susan Keim’s award of purchase orders to Wilson’s company to sell parts and materials to U.S. Army Garrison Fort Lee (redesignated as Fort Gregg-Adams). Susan Keim worked for Skookum Educational Services, a company that contracted with the federal government to provide maintenance and supply services at Fort Lee. Under the contract, the federal government reimbursed Skookum for the cost of the supplies it purchased for Fort Lee. Wilson was the owner of C&L Supply, a company formed for the sole purpose of selling supplies to Skookum for use at Fort Lee. C&L Supply sometimes sold the supplies to Skookum at a substantial markup, a cost which was passed on to the federal government. From 2013 to 2018, in return for the award of purchase orders worth over $900,000, Wilson provided checks and cash payments to Susan and Russell Keim disguised as compensation to Russell Keim for work he purportedly performed for C&L Supply and payments for work done on a property owned by the Keims.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador of the FBI Richmond Field Office, Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael C. Curran of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID)'s Major Procurement Fraud Field Office (MPFFO), and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS)'s Mid-Atlantic Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Richmond Field Office, Army CID’s MPFFO, and DCIS investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Lauren Britsch Slater of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted the case.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for defrauding the U.S. government of approximately $1.4 million in tax revenue by preparing false tax returns on behalf of his unsuspecting clients.

According to court documents, between 2016 and 2020, Lawrence Appiah-Osei, 58, ran a tax preparation business called New Look Enterprise out of his home in Alexandria. From at least 2017 through 2020, Appiah-Osei executed a scheme to fraudulently inflate the tax refunds of his clients. To do so, Appiah-Osei falsely claimed that his clients operated businesses that lost thousands of dollars each year. These fraudulent losses drove down the clients’ taxable income and increased the clients’ tax refunds. The Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) estimates the Appiah-Osei’s actions resulted in a tax loss of approximately $1.4 million to the federal government.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kareem A. Carter, IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington D.C. Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hood prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-113.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for making false statements during the purchase of firearms so that he could deal firearms, some with obliterated serial numbers, without a license to others.

According to court documents, in June 2022, John Magobet, 58, came to the attention of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as an individual who was purchasing firearms from a local Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) to resell to individuals in different states with restricted gun laws, including the southern New Jersey area and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Magobet indicated on multiple ATF forms that he was the actual buyer of the firearms, when, in fact, the actual buyer of the firearms was an individual he knew as “E”, from New Jersey. For a $500 fee per firearm, Magobet purchased and delivered to “E” two AR-15-type rifles, and four Glock pistols, which were desired so that “E” could install Glock switch-style machinegun conversion devices and re-sell them as machineguns. Magobet showed one potential buyer how to deface the firearms by removing the serial numbers saying “erase, erase, erase.” Magobet also stated to a potential buyer that he wanted to be advised if someone did something "stupid" with the firearm he sold so that Magobet could report the firearm stolen to “cover” himself.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Heath prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-cr-20.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Parrish, Florida, man pleaded guilty today to sending threatening messages online.

According to court documents, in April and May 2023, John Muccio, 39, sent numerous online threats to a debt collection company located in Norfolk. The company had sent letters and attempted to call Muccio about money he owed. In response, Muccio sent several different threatening messages via the company’s Artificial Intelligence Chatbot. In the messages, Muccio used racial slurs and threatened to kill the employees of the company and sexually assault the co-founders’ family members.

The FBI was able to trace the threats to Muccio at his residence in Florida. A review of Muccio’s cell phone showed he had the company’s website bookmarked on his internet browser.

Muccio pleaded guilty to making threatening interstate communications and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5, 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Yusi is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-87.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Bloods gang member was sentenced today to 507 months in prison for conspiracy to interfere with commerce by means of robbery, seven counts of interference and attempted interference with commerce by means of robbery, three counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to court documents, Harold Spencer, 33, of Virginia Beach, was the leader of a five-man armed robbery crew with Kareem Ross, 34, of Hampton, Roshaun Griffin, 36, of Virginia Beach, Jon Morgan, 32, of Portsmouth, and Marvin Lockhart, Jr. 32, of Virginia Beach.

On March 18, 2022, Spencer led Virginia Beach Police on a high-speed pursuit following an attempted robbery of a Tiger Mart gas station. A pursuing Virginia Beach police cruiser’s dash camera captured the men throwing several loaded weapons from their car. Only after spike strips were deployed multiple times did the car finally come to a stop. Spencer and the other men were apprehended, and police recovered ski masks and gloves from inside their vehicle. The clothing and shoes each of them was wearing matched what could be seen in video surveillance from six prior armed robberies.

During the second of six-armed robberies, Spencer shot multiple times at a fleeing customer, nearly killing the customer. Spencer took a “selfie” on his cell phone wearing a ski mask worn in all six robberies—a ski mask, which was recovered after the high-speed pursuit and later was shown to contain his DNA. His cell phone also contained photographs of Ross holding a handgun with a drum magazine, multiple Glock firearms consistent with those thrown from the fleeing vehicle, large sums of cash, and lottery tickets.

The armed robbery crew stole cash, cigarettes, and lottery tickets. Investigators from the Virginia Lottery received alerts from convenience stores where attempts were made by Spencer and Ross, to cash the stolen tickets. Investigators pulled the surveillance video from those attempts and identified both men. Additionally, through a shoe impression expert from the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, investigators were able to connect the shoes Spencer was arrested in with a lift of an impression made at the Arrowhead Food Mart he had robbed on March 5, 2022. Those shoes could be seen at all six armed robberies Spencer had committed.

Several months before this armed robbery spree, Morgan had recently completed a ten-year prison sentence for a previous armed robbery. Spencer was also previously convicted of an armed robbery. In 2012, Spencer robbed the Golden China restaurant in Norfolk where he struck a victim in the head. He was sentenced in Norfolk Circuit Court to 10 years incarceration with 8 of the years suspended.

Ross was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Griffin was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Morgan will be sentenced on November 17. Lockhart will be sentenced on February 2, 2024.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Paul W. Neudigate, Chief of Police, Virginia Beach Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joe Depadilla and John F. Butler and prosecuted the case.

The Justice Department announced today several new commitments as part of its Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime. Instituted by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in May 2021, the strategy focuses on harnessing federal resources, intelligence, and expertise as a force-multiplier with state, local, and Tribal law enforcement. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta highlighted the more than $334 million in critical grant funding to law enforcement agencies and stakeholders awarded today by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office).The COPS grants announced today include funding to help law enforcement agencies hire over 1,730 new law enforcement officers across the country while also providing critical funding to support school safety and continue to advance community policing nationwide.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-106.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment, unsealed today, charging a Great Falls man with income tax evasion and failure to pay employment taxes.

According to the indictment, Rick Tariq Rahim, 55, owned and operated two businesses, BV Management, LLC, an Amazon reseller, and BusinessVentures.com, LLC, which was an umbrella company over other businesses including laser tag facilities. Starting in at least 2012, Rahim allegedly took steps to evade IRS efforts to collect more than $1 million in federal income taxes he allegedly owed for tax years 2004 and 2011. The indictment charges that in November 2016, Rahim submitted a false form to the IRS that omitted valuable assets he owned, including a helicopter, a 2006 Bentley, a 2008 Lamborghini, and real property, the ownership of which he allegedly transferred to his wife two weeks after submitting the form. The indictment further alleges that Rahim also withdrew a total of more than $1.1 million in cash in amounts less than $10,000 to avoid triggering currency transaction reports from the bank and paid personal expenses from his businesses’ bank accounts, including more than $889,000 toward his mortgages and more than $669,000 to purchase or lease cars, including three different Lamborghinis. 

In addition, the indictment charges that from 2015 to 2021, Rahim also did not pay to the IRS the taxes that his businesses withheld from employee paychecks or file quarterly tax returns reporting those withholdings.

If convicted, Rahim faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the tax evasion count and five years in prison for each count of failing to pay over employment tax withholdings. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stuart M. Goldberg, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and Kareem A. Carter, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Washington D.C. Field Office, made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Shartar and Trial Attorney William Montague of the Department of Justice’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-CR-173.

An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, returned an indictment, unsealed today, charging a Virginia man with income tax evasion and failure to pay employment taxes.

According to the indictment, Rick Tariq Rahim of Great Falls owned and operated two businesses, BV Management LLC, an Amazon reseller, and BusinessVentures.com LLC, an umbrella company over other businesses including laser tag facilities. Starting in at least 2012, Rahim allegedly took steps to evade IRS efforts to collect more than $1 million in federal income taxes he allegedly owed for tax years 2004 and 2011.

The indictment charges that in November 2016, Rahim submitted a false form to the IRS that omitted valuable assets he owned, including a helicopter, a 2006 Bentley, a 2008 Lamborghini and real property, the ownership of which he allegedly transferred to his wife two weeks after submitting the form. The indictment further alleges that Rahim also withdrew a total of more than $1.1 million in cash in amounts less than $10,000 to avoid triggering currency transaction reports from the bank and paid personal expenses from his businesses’ bank accounts, including more than $889,000 toward his mortgages and more than $669,000 to purchase or lease cars, including three different Lamborghinis. 

In addition, the indictment charges that from 2015 to 2021, Rahim also did not pay to the IRS the taxes that his businesses withheld from employee paychecks or file quarterly tax returns reporting those withholdings.

If convicted, Rahim faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the tax evasion count and five years in prison for each count of failing to pay over employment tax withholdings. 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 Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney William Montague of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Shartar for the Eastern District of Virginia 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.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former U.S. Air Force (USAF) contractor pleaded guilty today to engaging in a bribery scheme relating to a large technology contract awarded by the USAF. 

According to court documents, from late 2013 to late 2019, Juan Carlos Arevalo III, 44, of Occoquan, served as the chief technologies officer and senior technical consultant for a USAF component that focuses on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and innovation. Arevalo worked closely with senior USAF officials in the Pentagon and helped them to design, develop, and deliver various military technologies.

Julio R. “Jace” Sotomayor was a retired USAF colonel who was the owner of two consulting firms – Eagle Market Group (EMG) and Federal Security Agency (FSA) – and the minority owner of a government contracting firm. As alleged, beginning in late 2013, Sotomayor and the contracting firm’s majority owner sought to provide services to the USAF to support various technology projects and initiatives. As part of this objective, Arevalo and Sotomayor agreed to engage in a corrupt, multi-year scheme in which Sotomayor, through EMG, paid $185,000 to Arevalo using his relative as a pass-through intermediary. In exchange for these payments, Arevalo agreed to perform and did perform official acts, and sought to influence other officials, to benefit Sotomayor, the firm, and the firm’s majority owner. 

Beginning in late 2014, Sotomayor also engaged in a similar pass-through bribery scheme with a former federal contracting officer, Diane Sturgis, by using EMG to pay $150,000 to Sturgis’s relative in exchange for official assistance regarding the same USAF technology contract. Through early 2020, the firm had received approximately $51.6 million from the USAF of which at least $5.9 million was paid to Sotomayor.

Arevalo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 13 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

Sotomayor and Sturgis have pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their various schemes.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Elisabeth Kaminsky of the Department of State Office of Inspector General (State OIG), made the announcement after U.S District Judge Rossie D. Alston, Jr., accepted the plea.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward P. Sullivan is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-162.

A former U.S. Air Force (USAF) contractor pleaded guilty today to engaging in a bribery scheme relating to a large technology contract awarded by the USAF. 

According to court documents, from late 2013 to late 2019, Juan Carlos Arevalo III, 44, of Occoquan, Virginia, served as the chief technologies officer and senior technical consultant for a USAF component that focuses on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and innovation.  Arevalo worked closely with senior USAF officials in the Pentagon and helped them to design, develop, and deliver various military technologies.

Julio R. “Jace” Sotomayor was a retired USAF colonel who was the owner of two consulting firms – Eagle Market Group (EMG) and Federal Security Agency (FSA) – and the minority owner of a government contracting firm. As alleged, beginning in late 2013, Sotomayor and the contracting firm’s majority owner sought to provide services to the USAF to support various technology projects and initiatives. As part of this objective, Arevalo and Sotomayor agreed to engage in a corrupt, multi-year scheme in which Sotomayor, through EMG, paid $185,000 to Arevalo using his relative as a pass-through intermediary. In exchange for these payments, Arevalo agreed to perform and did perform official acts, and sought to influence other officials, to benefit Sotomayor, the firm, and the firm’s majority owner. 

Beginning in late 2014, Sotomayor also engaged in a similar pass-through bribery scheme with a former federal contracting officer, Diane Sturgis, by using EMG to pay $150,000 to Sturgis’s relative in exchange for official assistance regarding the same USAF technology contract. Through early 2020, the firm had received approximately $51.6 million from the USAF of which at least $5.9 million was paid to Sotomayor.

Arevalo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 13 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

Sotomayor and Sturgis have pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their various schemes.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Elisabeth Kaminsky of the Department of State Office of Inspector General (State OIG) made the announcement.

The FBI and State OIG investigated the case.

Senior Litigation Counsel Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section is prosecuting the case.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to fraudulently obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, unemployment insurance, and other pandemic benefits.

According to court documents, from approximately October 2020 through September 2021, George Mensah, Jr., 32, conspired with others to prepare fraudulent PPP loans and unemployment insurance claims under the CARES Act. Mensah admitted that he and his coconspirators prepared and submitted over 47 applications for PPP loans for fake businesses. At least 21 of these applications were funded by lenders, which caused an actual loss of at least $583,172. In addition, Mensah admitted that he and his co-conspirators obtained the personally identifiable information of others, including identity theft victims, in order to make claims for pandemic unemployment benefits in Virginia and elsewhere. Mensah admitted that he and his co-conspirators obtained at least $658,952 in fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance and pandemic benefits.

Mensah is scheduled to be sentenced on February 14, 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Javan Wilson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Inspector General; and Troy W. Springer, Special Agent in Charge, National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston, Jr. accepted the plea.

The Fairfax County Police Department also provided significant assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Shartar and Kathleen Robeson and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ezra Spiro are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-168.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Suffolk man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud health insurance programs of more than $2 million through fraudulent claims for braces and other medical equipment.

According to court documents, in 2017, Julian Latty, 40, and his co-conspirator Jordan Thomas Broome, 37, of Texas, formed a Virginia Beach company called Beach Medical Suppliers LLC (Beach Medical). They registered Beach Medical to receive Medicare reimbursements in 2018. For the next two years, Latty and Broome used Beach Medical to fraudulently bill Medicare for over $4 million in reimbursements for durable medical equipment, which included back braces and knee braces. They obtained the personally identifiable information of Medicare beneficiaries then paid doctors to sign prescriptions for braces that the beneficiaries did not need. Between December 4, 2018, and October 7, 2020, Beach Medical billed Medicare for durable medical equipment reimbursement for approximately 2,025 beneficiaries who had no prior relationship with the doctor who signed the prescription. Beach Medical also billed other health care benefit programs, such as Medicaid and Tricare, for fraudulent claims. The investigation started when beneficiaries complained to Medicare that they were receiving braces in the mail that they had never requested. 

In December 2019, Latty and Broome met with an attorney Beach Medical had retained who advised them that its operations were likely illegal. However, they continued to submit fraudulent reimbursements until federal authorities executed a search warrant at Beach Medical’s offices in September 2020. 

In March 2023, Broome was sentenced to 66 months of imprisonment for his role in the conspiracy.

Latty is scheduled to be sentenced on February 29, 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gantt is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-121.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to 2 years in prison for defrauding nearly 20 victims across the United States of almost $90,000 in several mail fraud schemes.

According to court documents, between 2020 and 2022, Richard Edward Hardy, 55, conspired with others to use the U.S. postal service and other mail carriers to defraud victims in romance, real estate, and other fraud schemes. In the real estate scheme, victims responded to a property that was listed for rent online. The victims were instructed to send a security deposit and first month’s rent to Hardy at his home in Portsmouth. Unbeknownst to the victims, the properties were not actually for rent, and Hardy cashed the money orders and shared the proceeds with his coconspirators. 

Hardy defrauded nearly all the victims after being convicted in Portsmouth General District Court of similar conduct in December 2020. Further, after federal law enforcement executed a search warrant at his home in September 2022, Hardy continued to defraud additional victims in a change-of-address scheme.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Gantt prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-54.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Ft. Washington, Maryland, woman pleaded guilty today to bank fraud.

According to court documents, from at least August of 2012 through April 2019, Maria Esperansa Salgado, 64, devised a scheme to defraud a mortgage lender into agreeing to a short sale, or pre-foreclosure sale, of a residential property in Alexandria that was pending foreclosure for non-payment of the mortgage. The defendant and her brother had purchased and lived in the property for about ten years. 

After filing a Chapter 7 petition for bankruptcy to discharge her debts in 2013, Salgado used the identity of an unsuspecting victim to obtain a home mortgage from a lender. Salgado then entered into fraudulent sales contracts with straw purchasers and the victim to make it appear as if she was selling the property to third parties as part of an arms-length transaction. A straw purchaser is someone who buys a property on behalf of another person when the real buyer cannot complete the transaction. The fraudulent sales contracts made it appear as if the straw purchasers and the victim were buying the house on behalf of themselves. In truth, Salgado’s intention was to retain ownership of the property and the proceeds from the fraudulent short sale.

In 2015, Salgado executed a fraudulent refinance of the property using the name of straw purchasers and kept the proceeds. The victim was unaware of the re-finance.  In 2019, Salgado used a nominee owner to sell the property to a third-party buyer. Salgado and the nominee owner received the proceeds of the fraudulent sale and paid off the remaining loan balance and used a portion to purchase a new property in Ft. Washington, Maryland.

To date, the victim has been unable to qualify for a loan to purchase her own home because of the fraudulent mortgage taken out in her name. The scheme also resulted in $146,188 of loss to the mortgage lender. As part of her plea agreement, Salgado agreed to pay restitution to the victim and to forfeit the proceeds of the bank fraud.

Salgado is scheduled to be sentenced on February 21, 2024. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Javan Wilson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston, Jr. accepted the plea.

The Fairfax County Police Department, the Arlington County Police Department, the Prince William County Police Department, the City of Hyattsville (MD) Police Department - Criminal Investigations Section, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations also provided significant assistance in this investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Riley Pedersen is prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Carina Cuellar provided significant assistance to the investigation and prosecution of this case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-154.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A man who formerly resided in Hampton was sentenced today to 2 years in prison for his role in a fraud conspiracy as well as illegally possessing firearms as a convicted felon.

According to court documents, from about May 2020 through September 2021, Jovaughn E. Turner, 21, joined others to submit fraudulent claims for pandemic-related benefits and counterfeit checks stolen from the mail. Turner and his coconspirators ran the fraud operation from an apartment they rented in Hampton. The apartment – filled with proceeds of the fraud – was burglarized multiple times by a local gang. On September 26, 2021, a would-be robber approached Turner outside the apartment and brandished a firearm. Turner shot and killed the man in self-defense. 

Following the shooting, police executed a search warrant at Turner’s apartment and located $28,500 in cash, a laptop computer, a special printer for counterfeiting checks, a money-counting machine, check stock paper, and a magnetic reader/writer/encoder for making credit and debit cards. Police also located approximately 20 counterfeit and stolen checks drawn against the bank accounts of businesses across the country.

In addition to check fraud, the defendant and his coconspirators submitted fraudulent claims for pandemic-related unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Turner claimed to have worked at Wendy’s and Prime Now LLC and falsely represented that he lost his employment because of the pandemic. In fact, he only worked briefly for these employers and voluntarily abandoned both jobs.

In addition to illegally possessing a firearm on September 26, 2021, when he shot and killed the would-be robber, he was again found in possession of a firearm during a traffic stop in Chesapeake on December 30, 2021. Police recovered a loaded Glock .40 caliber handgun under the driver seat during a search of the vehicle Turner was driving. 

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division; and Jimmie Wideman, Chief of Hampton Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Coleman 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.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-cr-10.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pleaded guilty today to a carjacking.

According to court documents, on August 6, 2022, Keith Travers, 37, and an accomplice met with the victim at Southside Plaza in Richmond, purportedly to sell the victim a catalytic converter. However, Travers and his accomplice had driven to the meeting with no catalytic converters to sell. When the victim realized this and turned to leave, Travers’s accomplice stated, “you know what this is, give me your wallet, keys and your phone.” In response, the victim reached for the gun he was carrying on his right hip. As the victim was doing so, Travers pointed a gun at the victim’s head and exclaimed, “don’t lose your life over this.” 

Fearing that Travers was about to shoot him, the victim turned his gun over to Travers’s accomplice, who then pointed it at the victim. The victim also handed over his business wallet, car keys, and work cell phone. There was between $5,000 and $6,000 in the wallet when he handed it to Travers’s accomplice. Travers’s accomplice then drove off in the victim’s car and Travers left in the car he had driven to the carjacking. 

On August 19, 2022, officers of the Richmond Police Department attempted to arrest Travers for the carjacking. He was in the same car he had driven to the Southside Plaza robbery. When Travers saw the officers, he accelerated suddenly, leading the officers on a pursuit for nearly an hour. Eventually, Travers abandoned his car and fled on foot. As the officers were closing in on him, Travers threw a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol under a nearby vehicle. The gun was the same firearm Travers used during the carjacking on August 6, 2022.

Travers is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20, 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Miller is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-38.

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man pleaded guilty today in federal court to possessing unregistered silencers and explosives while being an unlawful drug user.

According to court documents, on July 14, 2022, Daniel Burky, 33, was being evicted from an apartment in Virginia Beach when law enforcement discovered explosives, silencers, firearms, and drugs in the apartment. During the search, law enforcement found, among other firearms, an AK-47 style firearm. Additional items found in the apartment include boxes of firearm suppressors, a ballistic helmet, a ballistic vest, a gas mask, and multiple rifle magazines. The Virginia Beach Fire Department, Fire Marshal, and Bomb Squad were called to the scene. Located throughout the apartment were chemicals that, when combined, become homemade explosives that are known to be extremely unstable and hazardous.

A subsequent review of the seized electronic devices showed numerous videos of Burky shooting both handguns and rifles outfitted with the silencers. Burky did not possess, and has never possessed, either a Federal Explosives License (FEL) or a Federal Firearms License (FFL).

Burky also pleaded guilty and was sentenced for drug and firearms charges in the Virginia Beach Circuit Court this past summer.

Burky is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia; Colin Stolle, Virginia Beach Commonwealth Attorney; Craig Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Doulas E. Miller accepted the plea.

Significant assistance was provided by the Virginia Beach Fire Department and Fire Marshals and the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin M. Comstock and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc W. West are prosecuting the case.

The Office of the Attorney General prosecuted the case in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-116.